My Pet Peeve 23

Pairing: Nivansfield

Author's Note: Finally finished the next chapter.

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My Pet Peeve 23

Chris woke up to a sharp pain in his side. He groaned out in discomfort before he even tried to move. His side hurt enough that he couldn't get comfortable no matter how he lied down.

"Finally awake." It wasn't necessarily a question but a statement as Chris tensed in surprise at the unexpected familiar voice. He looked over, eyes focusing on Wesker sitting in a lounge chair beside the bed, his legs crossed as he looked up from his book. "How do you feel?" It was hard to see if he was concerned underneath those shades.

Chris grunted feeling the place he'd been shot throbbing underneath the bandages wrapped around his stomach. "Like I've been shot," he said managing to sit up as he held a hand against his side. He was out of breath, sweating even from just a small action as sitting up in bed. He took into account all the things that had just past. From seeing Piers again to Piers's hand being cut to the two of them running and trying to escape. Then his eyes grew wide as he looked around quickly before focusing on Wesker again.

"Where's Piers?"

"…Safe," Wesker said, his jaw clenching up as he closed his book and uncrossed his legs leading forward in the chair handing Chris a cup of water that was sitting on the nightstand beside the bed. "Safe in the physical sense anyway." Chris tensed up almost choking on the water at the words. He swallowed the water hard, his eyes narrowing in worry as he glowered at the man lowering the cup from his lips.

"What do you mean?" The words didn't sit right for Chris and it made him anxious to know what happened. Wesker glanced over him taking in Chris's painful, labored breaths and the way he barely held himself up. He looked like a doctor checking on a patient. The only thing missing was a stethoscope around his neck and a clipboard in his hand.

"In your best interest…it would be better for you to wait until you're in a better state to learn the rest." Wesker got up from his chair so suddenly that Chris was left speechless until he saw the other head for the door. "I've given you something to help you sleep."

"W-Wait!"

"When you can stand by your own strength, I'll see about you learning more." Chris sat the cup down and struggled to get out of the bed but Wesker walked out closing the door behind him leaving Chris to fall back into the bed tiredly. He was tired. He was in pain. How long had he really been out?

"Piers…" He couldn't stop worrying. Wesker said he was safe in the physical sense. But what about his mental state? What happened after he got shot? Was Piers really ok?

""Ugh…" He could really use some pain meds. Or maybe a nice, cold beer. Hell maybe both even though that was supposed to be a really bad combination. He didn't fight it when his body drifted off. He couldn't. He needed to heal and the only way to heal was to rest.

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The next time he woke up the room was dark. It felt like he'd just went to sleep but obviously time had passed without him. His side ached but nowhere near as much as it had the first time he woke up.

He sat up with a bit of discomfort as he turned to the side to stand. Not exactly the easiest feat but he was determined to stand as he used the nightstand to brace himself, clenching his teeth tight with a grunt as he stood.

Vertigo seemed to have a problem with him as he stumbled off balance almost knocking the small lamp off the desk as he used it and the wall beside it to hold himself steady. His legs trembled under him weak from disuse and telling him he'd been in bed longer than a day at the least.

But he wasn't a part of BSAA for looks. He was the leader of the Alpha Team. Confident, strong, dependable. A person who could lead his team across water if he had to. So he couldn't let himself sit around like some kind of invalid. Besides, if standing was enough to make Wesker tell him what happened to Piers, he could handle it.

It was harsh on him, his legs tingling with numbness feeling like they could go out on him at any moment. He barely had the strength to keep standing and even less to walk. Still he tried anyway taking his steps slowly and carefully. He needed to work on getting his strength back. He didn't want to think about how much strain this was putting on his wound.

Chris moved another step before he winced looking down at his side seeing the blood seeping through the bandages. Great. It'd opened up.

"Too stubborn to stay in bed I see." Chris looked up surprised to see Leon standing with his arms folded watching him. Without all his focus on standing up, Chris's legs caved under him as he dropped to the floor. "Whoa, easy there big guy." Leon was right beside him in an instance helping him to stand.

Chris tried not to show the disappointment in his face when he was guided back to sit on the bed. While he was glad to see that Leon was safe, he still had a lot of concerns for the unseen Semi.

"What are you doing here?" Where was here even?

"Thank Wesker," Leon said stepping back and eyeing Chris worriedly. "He found us and led us here to his little hideaway." His jaw clenched as his eyes went over the bandages soaking through with blood. Oh, right. He did reopen the wound, didn't he? "You opened it again..." Frowning he looked up at Chris before turning heading for the door. "Wait here. I'll be back." He left but it wasn't even two minutes later that he was back carrying in a fresh tub of water and rags.

"How are the others?" Leon paused at the door with the items in hand before he closed the door behind him heading over. "Everyone's fine. The others went out to get food so it's just me and Wesker here right now." He set the items down and slid the chair over helping Chris to sit into it before he took the taller male's spot on the bed. "Mostly everyone's been worried about you, especially Claire." Leon reached out working to remove the old bandages. "You've been out a week. You only just woke up yesterday." Leon sighed tossing the bandages into the trash as he looked at the opened wound. "Had I know you'd be stupid enough to try and walk around in your state, I would have told him to put some stronger meds in your drink." So Leon at least knew about his drink being drugged.

As Leon reached out to clean away the blood with the wet rag Chris reached out gripping his wrist firmly. "Where's Piers?"

Leon tensed up before his jaw tightened as he tried to move his hand. "Right now, the thing you need to worry about is yourself. We're going to have to stitch this up again."

"Leon…." Chris said the name with a warning, his voice making Leon freeze and look up at him cautiously. Maybe it was the look on Chris's face but he saw the cautious look turn to one of worry.

"Wesker…explained to us what happened after you got shot," Leon said starting to work on cleaning the blood away again as Chris lowered his hand to let him continue working. "He said that when he arrived, you had already been shot and was lying on the ground bleeding. Luckily it'd been a clean shot so we didn't have to worry so much about internal damage or retrieving the bullet."

Chris frowned nodding slowly. He hadn't even known he'd been shot at the time, just that he felt pain and his consciousness was fading. "So what happened to Piers?"

Leon was quiet for a moment as he rinsed the rag out. "…He wasn't sure if it was because of what happened to you but he said something about the switch inside Piers had flipped. I guess Piers went on a rampage and just started attacking anything that moved. The other two Semi took off as soon as he changed. Whether it was from the tranquilizers Wesker was packing or from the fact that Piers was about ready to take them down, I'm not really sure. He didn't necessarily give me the full details on it."

He put down the rag before grabbing the needle off the nightstand threading it. "To be honest, you'd have to ask Weser himself for the particulars. I don't really get it myself." He grabbed a clean rag handing it to Chris as he looked up at him. "Here. Bite down on this."

Chris stuck the rag into his mouth anticipating the pain as the needle came closer. He winced as the needle pierced his skin drawing fresh blood as his teeth gripped the balled up rag tightly as it soaked up the saliva that threatened to escape. The arm rests cracked under his grip but he was grateful for something to hold onto. Otherwise, he probably would have punched Leon in the face by now.

"Either way, Piers is like an empty shell right now," Leon said. The words helped as a form of distraction against the pain. Chris's mouth gaped open, the cloth dropping down into his lap.

"An empty shell? Arghmm!"

"Keep the rag in your mouth," Leon said roughly shoving the damp rag back inside before he continued. "Anyway, it's like I said. He's like an empty shell. Wesker's been keeping a close eye on him every day since the attack and he keeps him sedated. So I guess I shouldn't say an empty shell but…a ticking time bomb waiting to blow." He finished off his stitch work using a pair of scissors to cut off the end of the thread. "There, finished."

Chris reached up pulling the rag out of his mouth ignoring how he was sweating from the ordeal. "Why is he sedating him?"

"He said that the switch hasn't changed yet." Leon frowned wiping away the excess blood before he started wrapping fresh bandages around Chris. "That if he allows him to fully awaken, he'll attack everyone here." Again…where was here?

"…I need to talk to Wesker," Chris said starting to try and get up before Leon pushed him back down into the bed roughly.

"No, you need to rest. Even though it's already been a week, your wound still needs the time to heal."

"I'm not going to be able to rest until I see Piers and talk to Wesker." Chris looked up at him. He tried to glare at him but the look came out as a plea as he felt worry come over him. "Leon…I need to see him."

Leon stared down at him long and hard not seeming to be fazed by the look before a sigh escaped his lips as he shook his head resting his hands on his hips. "Fine. It seems like you're not going to let this rest until you do. However, you'll need to put your full support on me. If you let that wound open again I'm kicking your ass and dragging you back in here."

"Thank you." The smile he showed seemed infectious as he saw Leon's lips twisting up into a grin. "I owe you one."

"You owe me more than one," Leon said helping him to stand. "Like some cold, hard liquor once we get you home."

"Or a night of you dressed up as some kind of fetish maid," Chris said grinning at the grunt he got. "Maybe Claire can help you with your makeup this time."

"Only if you can stop Monstro from appearing every time you see Piers in drag."

Chris chuckled at the words but it left him feeling nostalgic for that life again. "We're bringing him home too. Everyone's getting out of this alive and well."

"Damn right," Leon said nodding his head as the two of them worked their way through the door. While the bedroom they had just left looked like your average room, though lacking in decorations, stepping out showed them in a whole new world. The soft glow of blue lights lining the walls and floors made him feel like he was in some futuristic world. He could hear the beep of monitors through closed doors as well as the screens that showed up along the walls every so often. What they were for or if they were even necessary wasn't Chris's current concern.

"….Where the hell are we?"

Leon chuckled walking with him still helping to ease the tension on his side which he was thankful for. "I said the same thing when we got here. Apparently, this is Wesker's personal lab. He said this is where he hides out at when he doesn't feel like dealing with Spencer. So far as I can tell, Wesker's the only one that stays here. Said he doesn't care much for human companionship."

"Well someone had to have built this giant place. I can't imagine it being Wesker himself." Chris looked over at Leon smiling but it dropped off his face at the serious look Leon gave back to him.

"Actually..."

"Why is he out of bed?" The two of them stopped in their tracks at the voice looking up to see the man staring back at them through a pair of dark shades. His arms were folded and it gave Chris a flashback of when he used to be scolded by his father for doing something he shouldn't have.

"He's stubborn. You know that. He's going to do what he wants regardless of what we say."

"I see…." Wesker started walking over to him and Chris tensed up despite himself. It wasn't like he really knew Wesker, not like he used to anyway. And it definitely wasn't because he found Wesker's walk sexy as the man strutted towards him. He was very certain that Wesker was going to force him to turn around and head back to the room. His defenses were ready for it. So he blinked in surprised when he found himself picked up in a bridal carry as the man turned moving them further down the hallway. Did Wesker just pick him up like it was nothing? No…even worse than that….

"Put me down! I can walk myself!" He made to struggle but Wesker just held on tighter as he looked back at Leon, the other staring at him in a daze like he was still trying to register what just happened.

"Since this idiot doesn't want to listen to the directions he was given. He'll have to suffer the humiliation of being carried around like this."

"Leon, do something about this!" With the angle he was in and the cautious way he had to move to keep from reopening his wound, he was literally stuck in Wesker's arms. Leon got over his initial shock as he looked at Chris then smirked shrugging his shoulders.

"Be a good princess and listen to the man and maybe you won't have to go through with this." God damn traitor.

"Fine."

"Fine what?" Wesker looked down at him. "Will you go lie down and rest?"

"No…I want to see Piers." He was sure he saw the frown on Wesker's lips at the words but with a blink it was gone as if it'd never been. Was Wesker upset about the fact that Chris wanted to see Piers? Yeah, of course he'd be upset. Chris blushed thinking about the kiss back out on the balcony. If he'd done something like that, of course he'd be upset at Chris wanting to see his love rival. But it wasn't like it was even a rivalry anyway. After all, it wasn't like Piers was into him like that to begin with.

No…stay focused. Right now, he needed to see how Piers was doing. If something had really changed inside of him then he needed to focus on bringing the real Piers back.

"Very well," Wesker said starting to walk away, Leon's footfalls following after him. "I will take you to see him. However, if it looks like you are unable to handle the required task demanded, I will subdue you and toss your ass back into that bed." Required task? So Wesker had plans for him to begin with.

While there were a few doors off to the side of the hallway, Wesker never made any indication of stopping until they reached the end of the corridor. There was a black screen beside the door that glowed a light blue when Wesker placed his hand on it. A thin green line slid down from the top sliding past his hand before the whole screen flashed green. The biggest question to Chris was how Wesker could hold up a full grown man with one hand and not appear to be struggling to do it. Hell, Chris was sure he had a stockier build than the other.

"Fingerprint scan confirmed," the robotic voice said from the screen. A panel opened up beside the screen as Wesker reached over pressing the numbers on the keypad that appeared.

"Passcode number confirmed."

"A lot of security isn't it?" Leon said grinning from behind them as Chris looked up watching Wesker lift the shades up enough to see the screen. A red light shot out from the screen hitting into one of Wesker's eyes before it slid over hitting the other eye as well. As quickly as the action had happened, the shades were covering his red eyes again. It was like he'd never lifted them up to begin with.

"I can never be too safe," he said as the screen gave a beep before the robotic voice returned.

"Retina scan confirmed. Welcome back, Master Wesker."

"Master Wesker?" Wesker looked down at Chris when he asked the question and he tried not to let the red in his cheeks show through at the sudden attention.

"Personal preference," he said in response as the doors slid open. He didn't elaborate further into it and Chris didn't bother to find out more about it. But it sure didn't leave him with very innocent images in his mind of Wesker being some kind of slave master with a bondage fetish.

Whatever impure thoughts were going through Chris's head quickly left his mind as he focused on what was inside of what he could only call a lab. Seeing Piers laid out on the table put a bad taste in Chris's mouth as he thought back to the same image of Piers laid out naked on the metal table in Spencer's lab as Spencer forced memories from his brain. But at least here he could tell that Piers was being taken care of well.

It was still a table but it had been covered in a blanket to provide at least a little bit of comfort. He wasn't naked either, instead wearing the same clothes he'd worn the day Chris got shot. Computer terminals beeped continuously around the room sounding almost like a small orchestra playing. He took from looking at the images of one screen closer to Piers that it was monitoring his pulse and vitals. Perhaps the strangest thing about the whole of it all was the fact that it registered his heart beating as fast as a person that was wide awake. Wasn't that a bit fast for a person resting? Was it maybe because he was a Semi? It wasn't like Chris had extensive knowledge on Semi. After all, he was the one to think that all Semi ate raw meat. He was glad to know that little bit of information was a complete lie.

Wesker walked over to the table before he lowered Chris down letting him lean on Leon for support as the tall blond walked over to the other side of the table. It was with careful ease that Wesker reached down and pulled back one of Piers's eyelids.

Chris's mouth gaped open as he stared down at the red iris that flickered up to look up at him. Piers was definitely awake…and most definitely aware he was looking at someone from the way the beeping on the monitor sped up. But Wesker let the lid close again slowing down the sudden pace of Piers's heart beat at seeing Chris. No…it wasn't the only thing weird about this. He had red eyes…since when? Was it because of this switch Leon mentioned?

"While his body may be subdued," Wesker said looking up at him. "His mind is still fully wide awake."

"…Why?" Was all Chris could ask as he stared down at the Semi. He reached down to touch Piers's hand but Wesker quickly grabbed it shaking his head as he moved it away.

"The drugs are the only thing keeping him from jumping up and tearing everyone to pieces," Wesker said gesturing to a tube of blue liquid going into Piers's arm. Chris lifted a brow staring at the blue stuff questionably but could only assume it was something like a blocker or a tranquilizer itself to keep Piers stabilized. "But he's already showing signs of becoming immune to it." Wesker looked up at the clock ticking on the wall. "At the least, we have 48 hours before the drugs stop working and he becomes an unstoppable beast."

Beast. Would Piers really become nothing more than a monster? Chris looked down at the Semi lying on the table. Leon had said Wesker mentioned a switch before. What did he mean by a switch?

"What can we do to fix the problem?" Chris asked lifting his eyes to look up at Wesker again.

"…Putting him down now while we still have the chance would be the easiest and most logical solution," Wesker said so nonchalantly that it felt like he was talking about a sick pet.

"You…" Chris clenched his hands into fists baring his teeth at Wesker. "There's no way in hell-"

"I said the easiest and most logical solution," Wesker said cutting him off easily. "I did not say the only solution. However, if it comes down to the worst case scenario, it will be the only option left to us."

Chris shook his head not wanting to think about it. He was sure the frustration showed on his face. He'd only recently gotten Piers back and now it was like Piers was lost to him again. And Wesker had the nerve to suggest killing him off? He wouldn't let that happen!

"What other options do we have?" It was Leon who asked the question. Chris looked over at him in surprise taking in the serious look on Leon's face to know he meant his words. Chris swallowed his surprised having to resist the urge to reach down and touch any part of Piers. As Wesker spoke, Chris's attention returned to him, though maybe a bit more dejected than before by this whole situation.

"We would need to reach his subconscious to try and pull him back into control."

"…Ok." Leon said lifting a brow and glancing at Chris. "And exactly how do you plan on making that happen? Because obviously waking him up right now would be a really really stupid idea."

Wesker's head didn't turn away from Chris as he spoke. "Both Chris and I have the most compatibility to his subconscious." As he was talking, Wesker walked over bringing a chair with him as he slid it behind Chris before grabbing his shoulders and making him sit.

Something sticky was placed on his forehead. He saw a wire coming from him attached to the EKG electrodes Wesker stuck on Piers's forehead. The older blond walked over to the computer terminal typing on the keys. Glancing over at Leon he pointed to a green button on the console.

"Press this button if anything happens."

"…And just what exactly are you getting ready to do?" Leon had his arms folded, face twisted like he was trying to be angry instead of confused. It wasn't working out very well.

"We're diving into Piers's subconscious to try and pull him back to the surface. It's a strain on not just the host body but also on the people connected to him." Wesker looked over at Chris and he swore he could feel the red eyes burning into him through the shades. It was hard not to blush at the stare and he was really glad when Wesker was distracted by connecting an electrode to his forehead as well. "It's the main reason I wanted you to rest but since you're so stubborn-"

"If it means I can save Piers," Chris said cutting in quickly, "then I don't mind my body taking on more." Wesker looked up at him again before he shook his head.

"Is this Semi really so important to you that you'd risk your life for him?"

"He is," Chris said without hesitation catching the frown on Wesker's lips. It was true. Piers was an important part of his life now. He'd do anything for him and anything to protect him. "But you are as well." He saw Wesker's eyebrows lift up in surprise and smirked enjoying the reaction even if he couldn't see his eyes. "Every one of my friends is important to me. If it means saving one of their lives then I'll do whatever it takes to make that happen."

Chris stared into Wesker's face taking into account how much slower he turned away from him. He didn't miss how red the tip of Wesker's ears were before he saw the older man lowering down to sit on the floor disappearing out of sight behind the table Piers rested on.

"Leon, when I give the word, you are to press the green button," Wesker said, his hand lifting up to gesture towards the control panel. "At that point we'll hook up directly to Piers's brain to search for him. The monitor will moderate our heart rate. Chris's is on top and mine is at the bottom. If our rates become sporadic, press the button again to eject us. If ten minutes have passed and we're still inside, eject us."

"Why?" Leon asked a bit of caution in his voice as he started over to the control panel. "Will something bad happen if I don't?"

"…Aside from cardiac arrest or brain damage from our bodies being unable to function without our consciousness around to tell it what to do….not much."

"….I'll press the button."

"As I thought." The hand lowered again but Wesker's voice was still heard. "Now…go ahead and press the button." Leon sighed looking over at Chris before he started over to the control panel. His hand rested over the button and he looked back at Chris giving him a confident smile as he pressed the button.

The last thing Chris head from him was "good luck" before he felt his consciousness being pulled away as he was sucked into the dark depths of Piers's mind.

TBC…