Hot tubs in the cold.

Been a while, and this is totally half arsed, it took me a month to write but you can tell there is no energy in it.

I'm sorry.

"See?! No problem! Nothing to worry about, Claire!"

"I mean there was the tiny step and then getting INTO the tub, you know?"

"Yeah, but I still did it! Ok so I had to flop my legs over but look!"

Chris grasped the edges of the hot tub and slowly slid himself into the comfortably warm bubbles, and onto the seat that backed onto the home gym, while Claire sat with her back to the house. He looked at her with a smile to see her reaction, but her eyes were skyward as she slowly sank into the bubbles.

His eyelid twitched in the cold, crisp air as he gathered one small puzzle piece of his memory.

Troubled. Something was troubling her, he remembered and recognised that expression she wore.

"You ok?" Chris asked worriedly, but she suddenly sprung up from the water with a smile.

"Y-yeah! I'm fine, just ill a bit, but you know, as you said, it might help me a bit."

Chris shook his head.

"My fractured memory tells me something different. What's wrong?"

Claire fell silent and poured red wine into her glass. She held the bottle at Chris with a raised eyebrow, and he held his own glass for her to fill.

"Not even sure if I should be drinking." Chris remarks, but Claire coughed a mucus lump from her throat before washing it down with a sip of the red drink.

"Has the doctor said you shouldn't?"

"Erm….no?"

"Then you're fine," Claire quipped, and she drained the glass in one more gulp before pouring another for herself. He watched her take one big gulp of this second glass, and finally he brought his own to his mouth. It was sickly sweet as it gently trickled over his lips, with a tangy, fruity taste…he was so sure he didn't like wine before his memory loss! But this…this was nice!

They sat in silence with only the frothy bubbles humming away below their bodies, and Chris tilted his head back. The cold snap on his face kept his mind clear.

Unlike Claire.

The combination of being ill and tipping back that one glass was going to be a regret for her within minutes. He knew it.

He. Knew. It.

His face lit up as he looked back over at Claire, but he was met with her face near his.

"Sorry, wanted to sit next to you, bro."

Claire drained that second glass before placing it on the corner panel, and she gazed skyward.

"Orion."

Chris looked up, and nodded his confirmation.

"I forgot how clearly we can see constellations," remarked Chris.

"We're just lucky," said Claire." Even though our city has a lot of light pollution, we're just on the edge of its effects."

Chris took another sip of his wine and licked his lip with his tongue.

"You know… I do remember picking this house."

Water sloshed beside him and he turned his head with a smug expression.

"You do?!"

Chris grinned at his sister, but lifted a hand out of the water.

"Just keep the noise level down, you're being loud."

"No I'm not!" Claire pouted, and Chris pressed his finger to her lips.

"Keep it mellow, calm down, stop drinking so fast."

Claire harrumphed at him and filled yet another glass of wine for herself, much to her brother's annoyance.

"Claire. Slow down."

Chris grimaced as Claire suddenly let out a pathic wail.

"Ugh…goddammit, Claire…"

Claire moved into him with her face on his shoulder, and she cried loudly. Loudly and drunkenly.

"Claaaiire just…"

"I was a brat to you!"

"Uh…excuse me?"

"I was so horrible to you when I was younger and so ungrateful and nasty and I was a little bitch and-"

"Woah woah, Claire." Chris nervously looked ahead of him to the fence, praying the elderly couple from next door weren't hearing her. Claire went silent and he looked down to see her draining that glass. "Claire, for the love of God slow down!"

There was no way she was already this drunk, surely?! Unless…

"Claire?" Chris lowered his voice, "Did you start drinking before we got into the hot tub?"

The gargled wail that she let out confirmed his thoughts. He angrily twisted as best as he could and grabbed her by the shoulders. No gentleness, he dug his fingers into her skin and she squeaked as his fingertips dug in roughly.

"You're being irresponsible," he growled, "I can't look after you if you pass out from drinking in this hot tub. You need to stop."

Claire let her head droop forwards, but at this point they were so close that her forehead lightly thumped his. He felt only an ounce of pain, but she surely felt nothing, numb from the wine.

"Alright, we need to both get out. I'm not spending the night in here with you unable to help me out because you're too far gone. Let's get out."

She mumbled something, but even though they were so close, he couldn't make it out.

"You need to speak up, Claire."

Claire licked her lips, and spoke again, slowly but with slightly more clarity.

When you were dying in hospital…I was scared."

"I imagine you were."

"No…I was scared for other reasons too…"

Claire wrinkled his nose at the smell of the red on her breath, but she somehow seemed comfortable in this position, so he didn't move her.

"I was scared you would die without me saying things…"

"Like what?"

Claire slowly swayed side to side and averted her gaze.

"Like how much you mean to me…"

Chris blinked at her, and she swayed again as she stared at the bottle behind Chris, but he gripped her harder, dissuading her from going for the wine again.

"I was always too shy…I thought if I told you you'd laugh at me…"

"...ok?"

"You mean everything to me and I was scared I'd never tell you and apologise to you and, I love you, big bro…"

Chris furrowed his brow as Claire wavered even closer to his face.

Has Claire ever told him that? Had she ever told him how much she cared about him? He creased his cheek, trying to recall any other memories that might happen to slot into place at this instant. If she had, then he certainly wasn't able to bring it up.

"I only need one man in my life, bro… I don't need anyone else, I just want you…"

Chris turned his face away at the exhale she took; Jesus, way too much wine. She was drunk, far too drunk, the speed at which she had been drinking was so clear now, and he wasn't sure if her words were a drunken ramble or actually meaningful. He looked back down at her, unaware that she had moved even closer to his face, and his lips accidently brushed past hers. His ass slipped slightly in the hot tub and her eyes went wide as she tried to hold him steady, but she only slid a little too.

Chris laughed; it was his attempt to break the awkward moment they had unwittingly shared.

"You ok?" He pulled himself back up and lifted her higher up, "I think we definitely need to get out, before we both end up drowning."

"Noooo, I'm fine, I'm fine…"

"You are not fine, you're too far gone and we're not about to start smooching, come on."

"I-didn't mean-"

"I know you didn't mean to but you're way beyond cognitive thinking. Come on."

Claire pulled herself up a little more, using Chris as leverage, but he was certainly not content that her face was right in his again.

"Claire, you're being a little creepy now…"

"I appreciate you so much, Chris…"

"I know you do but no need to invade my personal space."

"I miss the real you…"

Claire broke down again, but this time Chris' heart didn't pang for her.

"Get real, Claire. This is ridiculous…"

"I love you so much, brooooo…"

"I know, but stop trying to kiss me."

"But…"

"No buts. We're getting out. Come on."

Chris gently pushed his sister from him, much to her sorrow, and he painstakingly pulled himself up onto the edge of the hot tub. He shivered as the cold, crisp air hit his skin.

"Damn it's cold…"

He threw a towel onto the seat of his wheelchair and carefully lowered himself down; all those pulls up in the home gym were paying off for him. He landed in the seat with a wet squelch as the water was wrung from his shorts, and he turned to look at Claire.

"Come on. Inside. You're in no state to be out here alone."

As it turned out, Chris had to help the rapidly declining Claire from the hot tub, and he wasn't the happiest of men about it. He had to precariously sit her on his lap, slowly make his way across the yard to the house, all while balancing her towel over her as she wobbled on his lap. Memories had come back of how skinny and painful her ass was on his legs, but this time he was spared the pain; next to no sensation in his legs and all that.

He had taken her to her room and laid her on a dry towel. He had dabbed any damp patches on her skin, but stopped short of trying to get her out of her wet bikini. He threw yet another towel over her torso before he pulled her sheets up to her neck.

She can deal with the damp bed that she'll have in the morning, he thought.

He wheeled himself out of her room without a look over his shoulder, closed her door and blew a breath towards the ceiling.

How drunk was she? He understood if she wanted to simply drown her sorrows but the wine has loosened her lips far too much for his comfort.

He'll speak to her tomorrow about her behaviour.

Ensuring the house was locked up, he retreated to his own room, and put himself to bed.

I've increasingly been writing less and less, not just this, but other fics too, though I have started a couple of one shots from prompts I've seen here and there. Promises has also had more work done to it, but this is one that I am writing on paper first.

I don't know what's wrong with me. I'm writing less, even gaming less, and just generally feel miserable. I know writing is a sure fire way to help me but even that is stretched.

I am trying.

And again sorry if this chapter didn't live up to any hype.