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The smell! The smell was the worst, Chris Redfield decided.
As captain of the BSAA, he was used to some pretty disgusting stench, but this one, this smell scared the hell out of him.
A heavy load of overly sweet and flowery perfume, mixed with the smell of cosmopolitans and prosecco. The odor of eldery women on the hunt for men.
Chris instinctively grabbed the collar of his shirt, which seemed stiff and too tight. He wondered whether he had already sweated it through, whether there were visible stains on his back and under his armpits.
What he wouldn't give for the elastic and durable shirts he wore under his BSAA combat uniform. Hell, even a simple T-shirt would do.
He tried to concentrate again on the conversation or rather the meaningless chatter of the two female UN staff in front of him, but he couldn't.
Why had he agreed when Claire had urged him to attend the Terra Save conference as a representative of the North American Branch of the BSAA? Sure, Terra Save and the BSAA were in close contact with the UN and relied on their support, but couldn't Claire have found a better BSAA agent to promote future cooperation?
Chris looked longingly towards the bar. There he spotted his first lieutenant, Piers Nivans, who was forced to listen to an older gentleman in uniform. The sniper's otherwise sharp gaze was glassy. Chris felt a pang of guilt as he had been the one to drag Piers along. Then again, Claire had been the one who suggested to invite the LT.
The ladies in front of him cackled. Sharona and ... he just couldn´t remember her name. He smiled painedly.
He couldn´t take it anymore. One more hint at his status as an unmarried man or his biceps and he would go berserker mode and show them what his muscles could be used for. “Ladies, how about I get you two a drink. Will be right back.” He turned towards the bar without waiting for an answer.
Piers excused himself and joined Chris.
"My goodness, I never thought I'd miss the battlefield, but this is worse than any fight against a BOW could be." Chris ordered three drinks from the bartender.
Piers snorted and glanced discreetly at the two women. “You certainly impressed those two ladies, Captain. They’re already staring over.”
“They are like cougars on the hunt. They have me in their sights. It´s like I can feel their eyes on the back of my neck.” He involuntarily rubbed that part of his body.
"Sir, I don't think they're looking at your neck." Piers chuckled. Chris tried to look at him reproachfully, but failed.
“Oh boy! Help me get rid of them, LT. I can't be the only single at this party. What about you Nivans? You fit perfectly into their prey scheme.”
"That´s out of the question. You're the one who keeps making jokes about my age, calling me kid. Those ladies are at least 50.”
“As my first lieutenant, it’s your job to watch my back.”
“On the battlefield, Captain. Not here,”
“If this doesn’t end soon, l I will turn this dancehall into a battlefield. I beg you, Nivans, save me. Can't you fake an emergency? A T-virus outbreak that we need to contain? Something like that?"
“Claire would know what´s going on.”
Chris rubbed his chin. "Probably. Can't you at least distract one of them so I can disappear unnoticed? Claire says you have a gorgeous smile and I bet you can be charming when it counts.”
Piers tried to sound indignant. “No way, Sir. Your lieutenant is letting you out your catch? Your reputation would be ruined, Captain.
“I don’t care about my reputation.”
"Sure?"
"Absolutely. Really, Piers, I´d owe you one.”
Piers chewed on his lip as if he was considering the offer, then said: “The new M39 Enhanced Marksman Rifle”
“Huh?”
“At the next budget meeting, you get me equipped with the new M39 and I save you from those two… cougars over there. Deal?"
Chris looked over at the two women. One of them made a “come hither” gesture.
“Deal, Lieutenant.”
Piers took one of the three glasses from his captain and placed it on the counter in front of him. “Give me five more minutes, I need to build up my courage.”
Chris grinned. “I almost feel guilty about throwing you to the ladies.”
Chris had just handed Sharona and “something with L” their drinks when Piers walked over to them. He had the expression on his face that Chris knew so well from him when a mission started: determined and completely focused.
Chris prepared to greet him but Piers shook hands with one of the two women without being asked. “Christopher, don’t you want to introduce us?”
That completely threw Chris off course. Piers Nivans had never called him Christopher. "Sir" or very often "Captain." Every now and then - when they weren't on duty - "Chris" slipped out. “Christopher”- never. Maybe Chris imagined it, but Piers himself seemed to slightly stumble over the use of his surname.
“Ah… this is Lt. Nivans. Uh… Piers Nivans. He’s my…lieutenant.”
Smart, Chris. “First Lieutenant,” he added.
“First lieutenant? Impressing. Aren’t you a bit…young for such a rank and position?” Chris thought he heard Piers grinding his teeth.
“Age isn’t a guarantee for efficiency, is it, Ca… Chris?” Piers laid his hand on Chris' shoulder and kept it there. Weird.
“Absolutely not.” Chris took great pleasure in boring the UN stuff with qualifications and skill a good marksman needed.
“Oh, you make it sound so easy”, Piers added and then he let his hand wander from Chris shoulder to the small of his back.
Chris froze. What the hell?
Through the thin fabric of his shirt, Chris could feel his lieutenants palm was sweaty, but Chris had to give him credit: his hands weren´t shaking. They never did. Piers Nivans was a professional.
Chris tried to keep his breathing even. Did the two women notice where Piers rested his hand? Yeah, judging the looks they exchanged, they noticed.
“Oh, I love this song! Would one of you consider dancing with me, ladies? Christopher always refuses when I ask him.” Piers gave Chris a bright smile.
With a pained laugh and a quick apology (those dreadful high heels, you know; my poor stiff hips), both women declined and fled to the toilets.
Piers' hand disappeared from Chris's back as soon as they turned away.
“That was unexpected,” Chris murmured. “Efficient as always, but unexpected.”
"Sorry, sir. I shouldn't have .. " The otherwise self-confident and cocky young man suddenly seemed insecure.
"You kidding me, LT? That was brilliant."
A smile appeared on Piers face as he threw his jacket over his shoulder and turned toward the exit. “I remind you of your promise, sir. A new M39.”
Behind Chris, Claire and Moira were snorting into their drinks.
That was totally worth it.