He withdrew himself from the water a little when the waves had grabbed at his torso, embracing it fully once more. He remembered this place all too well; he marble walls. The glass ceiling that showed the midnight sky. Being the only one in the pool at night was a therapeutic session for him. Water could drown anything. Sounds. Memories. Pure silence under a layer of hydrogen oxide; even if only for a few minutes. Then it was back to the noise of reality so unbearable as to make you wish you were back under.
It wasn't the fact that Chris hated the world. It was the sense of rejection that he felt towards it. Slowly but surely, everything was beginning and deteriorate and bound to burn eventually. Despite every anti-terrorists organization's best efforts, immeasurable steps still have to be taken in order to contain the surrounding chaos. We can only do so much before everything slips.
There he was again, muddled in his thought; while pessimistic but realistic. A sudden muffled intrusion snapped him back out of the water to catch air. Someone was approaching. A late night zealot? Probably not. No one ever used this pool at this hour besides him.
When he saw who it was he relaxed himself; a stubborn soul who never ceased to amaze him from the start. He never saw a sharper kid more dedicated to helping boost morale. All of the things he's been through. All of the things everyone has been through.
The two immediately made eye contact. A feeling soon began to arise unbeknownst to each other.
"Hey Piers," Chris said. His tone was subtle, but he was glad to have him there.
"Hey there Cap, n'," said the raven- haired boy. His eyes sparkled against the glistening water. It wasn't deviousness that he saw. Rather, someone looking for a friend. "So, this is where you escape to in the middle of the night."
"Yeah, it gives me time to think about things," he said. Piers looked as if he had intruded upon a private moment. Chris smiled to reassure him that he enjoyed his company." So, what's on your mind Nivans?
"A lot of things, I guess. The whole Edonia and Hong Kong incident, how we're gonna' contain this spreading outbreak. Our operatives are all over the world and administration is running around with their heads cut off. It's like we're on the brink of ruin as we know it, Y'know?"
It looks like the pressure getting to him too, Chris thought. "I know how you feel Piers. With what's been going lately, who knows what's going to happen. This Neo-Umbrella corporation has just caused more turmoil for us in the long run."
"That's what I'm worried about. How are you holding up Captain?" Chris shifted his head to the side a little. He was worried about him?" I mean…with all the amnesia and stuff, you've been through a lot in the past couple of years. It must be a huge toll on you mentally."
A strange but familiar feeling began to rise in the pit of Chris's stomach. The same feeling when the two first met. The first shake of the hand; the first touch. The touch electrified him an instantly, he had a thing kept under wraps by his stoic and commandeering manner.
"I have to admit. These last couple of years haven't been very easy. I still have a lot of unanswered questions about everything that's happened; where I've been this whole time and who I am. Ever since that day. Cold. White walls. People falling to the ground. It's just this one big blur no matter how many times it's explained to me. I'm supposed to be this Chris Redfield guy but I don't feel like him at all."
The look Piers had given him longed to come closer. He hated the sight of a broken man, especially when it came to the Captain. He yearned to relieve him of this burden, yet the solution to it wasn't there. Alcohol and Advil could only work for so long.
Chris sunk lower into the water until it reached up to his shoulders. Piers followed suit.
"Can I tell you something Captain?"
"Shoot, Piers"
"You know I was never really a good swimmer. When I was younger I used to go the beach a lot with my friends. You know, the dog days. Life was good until..." Piers went silent. Chris looked at him attentively, concentration apparent.
"Shark week came around. My best friend and I went into the water, unaware of what was about to happen next. I remember a sharp stab on my foot, a rock or something. Everything happened all too fast. People were screaming and running. The water around me was slick and oily with blood. My friend lay motionless next to me. Half his torso...was gone. After that I never went into the water again. Still, I feel like it's all my fault sometimes for letting him die like that.
"Piers... I'm so sorry to hear that," Chris said in a rather sullen manner. It must've been a massive trauma."
"Hey, that's why we have people there to help us," he said with his boyish grin. I knew I couldn't have lingered on it forever. When you're just floating on nothing in this dark cloudy void, there will always be someone to anchor you back to your senses.
Piers waded closer to the captain, ducking beneath the water and swimming under Chris, emerging from behind him against the edge of the pool. Chris turned around, staring directly into those rocky colored eyes with such an indecisive demeanor. Where they so innocuous as to tempt him into something he may not have to do? Perhaps they were to tell a message. Do you need me, Redfield? I've been there just like you. We can consolidate and comfort each other together. All I want is for you to smile again?
"I guess what I'm trying to say is….I wanna help, Captain. I'm not Dr. Drew or anything but I can at least try."
"I…ummm…." Chris was speechless, silenced by a stray tear that had made its journey to the water. The fear. The trauma. It was coming back gradually, but fast. His head pounded with the equivalence of a knife being stabbed into his cranium. He was having another attack. He could hear them. The screams. He didn't want them there. Not anymore.
"I…"He paused to clutch the side of his head. He was shaking again. As quickly as the pain had come, it had just as quickly subsided. Wet, soft hands cupped his cheeks and suddenly he knew what reality felt like again. Skin to skin. Body to Body. A silent embrace. His spasms subsided and all that remained was the beat of Pier's heart against his own. They said nothing, save for Chris gratuity towards Piers. Perhaps in all that blue there was a savior.