CHAPTER VII
"Alright! Up and at 'em you two!" Jill yelled in the doorway of the room Chris and Piers shared. Groggily, Piers got up and covered his bare chest with a yellow shirt, keeping on his sweatpants from the night before. He walked over to Chris' still slumbering body and gave him a good poke in the side. They had kissed and brought it to the girls' attention, but they didn't share a bed yet. Piers was kind of glad though. A complicated relationship didn't need to get any more difficult and sharing a bed probably would make things confusing.
Chris hadn't shifted one inch since Piers had jabbed him. With a devilish grin, Piers formulated a devious plan. He grabbed the sheets below Chris, and yanked with all his might. With a muffled shout, Chris was thrown over onto the floor in a heap. Piers was trying, but failing at hiding his laughter. Slowly, a hulking figure rose from the floor, covered in sheets. Piers could tell he was still processing what had just happened.
"What the hell?!" Chris shouted as he threw the covers off his body. This just made Piers laugh harder and louder as his hair was now a disheveled mess. The confused look on the Captain's face was hilarious!
"Well, you can't just sleep through the day, lazy-ass!" Piers playfully scolded.
When Chris' eyes met Piers', the distressed expression left his face only to be replaced with a grin. "Oh, you think this is funny, huh?" Chris leapt across his own bed and tackled Piers onto the floor overrun with clean clothes and covers. Caught by surprise, the younger man gasped and fell with the muscular frame determined to get him off his feet. After wrestling for a few moments, both men tumbled over with Chris on top of Piers in a compromising position. Their laughter dying away, Piers looked up at Chris, taking in every detail. He inspected every muscle and their movements, as Chris was shirtless, slowly tracing his way up to the Captain's face. When their eyes met, Piers smiled and stroked Chris' cheek.
"Good morning, sleepyhead."
"Mornin', soldier!"
Piers stretched his neck and placed a kiss on Chris' lips, savoring the feeling of his tough skin. Although it was strange to be called soldier in such a situation, it comforted the young male. Chris looked back lovingly and stroked Piers' hair, enjoying the moment.
Jill's voice resounded through the apartment, "Didn't you hear me?! Up and at 'em!"
With a sigh, Chris rose and helped Piers to his feet as well. "Yeah, yeah! We're comin'!"
As they arrived in the tiny kitchen, Sheva looked up from some notes she had been reviewing and gave a nod to both of them, her mouth full of a bagel smeared with cream cheese.
"Morning!" Chris and Piers said in unison.
"Nice of you to grace us with your presence!" Jill said sarcastically.
"Shut up and make me food!" Chris threw back jokingly.
"Not a good idea to talk to a woman with a knife in her hand like that." She snickered. She found herself hilarious, as Piers had noticed. With a chuckle, Piers just grabbed a bagel sitting on the counter and sat next to Sheva.
"So how did you sleep, kid?" Sheva wondered.
Ignoring that last word, Piers answered. "Pretty well, granted I had a bear sleeping in the same room as me! Hard to feel threatened or anything with a guy like Chris with you."
Chris and Jill had continued with their comebacks until Chris heard his name. "What was that? What am I?"
Both Sheva and Piers smiled. "Oh, nothing. Don't worry about it!"
"So, what's on the agenda today, Sheva?" Chris asked.
"Well, I've been looking over some notes Claire sent me over fax while we were talking and-"
"Wait, Claire contacted you?!" Chris exclaimed. "Why didn't she talk to me? I haven't spoken with her in weeks!"
"It's hard to get someone's attention when they're all over their new crush, Chris. I just told her you were busy with a friend and hung up the phone before she could ask about whom."
"Wha-? Well...I just!..." Chris' faces was getting red and so was Piers'.
"Don't worry, teddy bear, she said she'd be checking in pretty frequently. You'll get to talk to her soon." Jill teased.
"I think Jill runs her mouth a little too much for her own good!" Chris snapped. She just laughed out loud and went back to her coffee.
"Are they always like this?" Piers whispered to Sheva.
"Only all the time. They're like siblings, always bickering back and forth. You know, pushing each other's buttons constantly."
"Oh...they don't come to blows, do they?"
"Oh no, no, Piers! Maybe a little wrestling, but rarely ever do they actually injure each other. She may not look it, but Jill knows how to handle herself. Even against a hulk like Chris."
Piers looked with admiration at his Captain. He might be some awesome commander on the field, but he was also a normal man. Even his regular traits were worthy enough to be admired.
"Anyway, Chris, about these notes. It looks to me like the terrorist responsible for the outbreak in the hospital was arrested, but escaped on his transport to the Czech division's prison. It doesn't bode well, as they aren't sure if he has any doses stowed on his person anywhere."
"What?!" Piers shouted. "How can you act so calm with that kind of news?!"
"Whoa, Piers that's not the end of it. Just calm down." Sheva coaxed. "It also says that the strain of virus he used is outdated and a vaccine has already been administered to those surviving and to the infected found in the hospital. As it was old G-Virus type, most people around these parts have received the vaccine, making them immune to such strains. That isn't to come without alarm I know, but the BSAA has sent multiple teams in to find him."
"Still! What if he finds those few not immune to it! Aren't you at least a little worried of what might happen?"
"Piers!" Chris said sternly. This made the soldier cringe. "Sheva knows the gravity of the situation. We all do. Don't forget who you're talking to."
"Yes, Captain...I just wasn't sure-"
"It's alright, Piers. You've been out longer than you think. Infections these days are common and unfortunately, that means not much shock comes from such cases anymore from BSAA agents. Of course we're working hard to eradicate such ignorant actions, but for now, we have to focus on the large-scale and dangerous outbreaks.
"Oh...alright..." Piers didn't like hearing this. Infections being common? It wasn't a welcome idea...
"So did anything else show up in Claire's reports, Shev?"
"No, that's all she knows. She says she'll keep us updated with any news she hears about it."
"Good. Then for now, we can...um...kinda relax."
An almost inaudible series of rings came from a cell phone on the counter. Jill picked it up and answered the incoming call.
"Hello? Yeah this is Jill...Sherry...Sherry calm do-...yes they're fine just...SHERRY! Would you let me talk!" Jill let out a sigh. "The infection wasn't as bad as it looked. Only one wing of the hospital was affected. Chris and Piers are both safe here at the apartment with Sheva and I. Who told you about all this?...Oh Jake was there?!"
"Oh yeah, he's the one who pointed me in the right direction to find the Captain!" Piers remembered.
"Oh great, we owe that brat another favor now...Sorry Sherry I'm still here. Yeah, you take care too. Make sure to keep that man under control, alright?" Jill hung up the phone with a click and put it in her pocket. "Well, you can probably tell who that was and what it was about."
"Yeah, we could almost hear her the whole time. That girl gets riled up faster than anyone I know." Chris observed.
"She just cares a little too much. Poor girl. Now Chris, you'd better go change before this little guy drools all over himself." Sheva pointed out nonchalantly.
"What? I wasn't drooling!" Piers exclaimed defensively.
With a deep laugh, Chris left the room, heading off to dress.
"I thought I was being discreet!" Piers pouted, looking across at Sheva who just giggled and went back to her papers.
"Piers, you can't hide much from that woman. Intelligence isn't her only ace card." Jill explained.
After another bagel and a cup of his own coffee, Piers watched Chris re-enter. He had put on some dark jeans with a black cloth belt and a black turtleneck. He had also fixed his pillow-head. He looked good. Real good.
Piers averted his eyes, trying to hide his interest so Sheva wouldn't embarrass him again.
"I've got an idea, guys." Chris suddenly spoke up. "Since we don't have much to worry about, why don't we have some fun today. Kind of a 'welcome back' celebration for this guy!" Chris ruffled Piers' hair.
"Sounds great! When it gets late, we can go bar hoppin'!" Jill suggested.
"Or we could go by the river! I love it there. It's always so beautiful at night." Sheva countered.
"I'm not sure if a bar is a good place for you, Jillian." Chris said with a snicker. "The river sounds great! How about it Piers. Up for some fun?"
"My idea of fun is shooting at targets on a gun range...but oh what the heck. Some sunlight wouldn't kill me, would it?" Piers said cheerfully.
Chris helped Piers to his feet. "Then go get on some clothes, and we'll be off! You can borrow some of mine...though I'm not sure what will fit you..."
"He could always wear try wearing some of my skinny-jeans! Wouldn't you like that Chris!"
Piers just leaned against a wall as he spectated the vocal war that was about to break out. Chuckling to himself, Piers eventually got himself off the wall and headed to the room, ready for some fun with friends.
