A Negative - Randall Kirkland x Reader
Some Randell hurt/comfort lets gooooo, enjoy <3 (also btw guys I lowkey do not know my own blood type- just closed my eyes and picked one here lmao xx)
Summary; you get hurt trying to help get the animals back to the barn, Randall has no choice but to help
Pairing; Randall Kirkland x reader
Word count; 2.6k
Warnings; Swearing, mentions of blood, mentions of character death, Randall being nice????, use of pet names
- 💗-
The last week hadn’t been easy for anyone.
The town was starting to run out of food, the crops were rotten and the people of the town and colony house were spiralling into a panic. The livestock was all you had left.
So, against your better judgment, when you saw the animals roaming the streets with Boyd, Jade, Tian-Chen and Victor scurrying to corral them back towards the barn, you had to help.
The trap felt obvious, but the prospect of starving to death in a place like this because of some rogue cows and goats was not an option.
You managed to grab one of the goats who’d stopped to graze just in front of your house's door. You’d led her into the hallway, you were nearly in the clear before Julie, Ethan and Sara cowering in the bushes caught your eye.
In an attempt to help them you’d ended up running to them in the bushes and leading them over to the bus where you could see Randall had clocked you, Randall was waiting with the door open, urging you all the hurry up.
You ran behind Sara, watching her back while she made sure the Matthew kids got into the bus safely. Everyone was in, including you, the door was just about to shut when one of the creatures took a swipe at you with its claws. The talons tore down your back, it was close enough to slash but not close enough to grab ahold of you and pull you out to what would’ve been your long and agonising death.
Randall had all but thrown you up the remainder of the stairs and slammed the door shut before the creature got another swing in.
“Y/n! Are you ok?” Sara cried, already picking you up from the floor, her hands immediately turning red from your blood seeped t-shirt. She moved you onto the nearest seat and turned to the others, “We need to put some pressure on this wound.”
Randall’s sweater was off within seconds, he held it out to Sara who then pressed it against your back, it barely covered half of the gash but it seemed to be deepest in the middle so she focused the pressure there.
“What the hell were you all doing down there?” Randall asked, frustration seeping from his every word.
“I was catching the goat.” you slurred, head starting to spin from the loss of blood.
Julie and Ethan stared at you with worried expressions, “She saw us in the bushes and came to help us.” Julie explained panicked. In your hazy state, you could only give her a weak smile.
“M’okay. Don’t worry.” You’d tried to reassure, trying and failing to keep your eyes open.
Noticing this Randall sat in the seat beside you, he placed one hand on your knee and brought the other up to your face, clicking his fingers repeatedly in an attempt to wake you up a bit, “Stay with us, Princess.”
You’d weakly pushed his clicking fingers away from your face, barely strong enough to move Randall’s hand an inch from where it was. “I’m here.”
“You need to try and stay awake until we can get you to the clinic, Y/n.” Sara pleaded, her hand squeezing your knee before returning to pressing Randall’s now destroyed sweater against your bleeding spine.
It was an excruciatingly long night once the adrenaline had worn off, the pain was awful, the unrelenting searing sting seemed to be in competition with the blood loss for what would be the thing to finally make you lose consciousness. By some miracle (Randall’s constant finger clicking and shoulder shaking every time your eyes so much as fluttered) you managed to make it until dawn arrived and the creatures turned and walked calmly back into the woods.
Once the cost was clear Randall urged Sara to take Julie and Ethan home while you muttered nonsensically about the goat in your hallway.
Ethan assured you that they’d make sure it was brought back to the farm, and thanked you for saving it as the goats were his favourite.
Sara lead the kids out of the bus, leaving Randall to carry you to the clinic. “You think you’ll be able to hold on if I carry you on my back? Don’t want to make those cuts any bigger.”
You’d only nodded weakly in response. He was nearly a head taller than you when you were stood up normally, sat on the seat of the bus he completely towered over you. You stared up at him, droopy eyes trying to work out how you’d manage to get up on his back. Truthfully, this wasn’t exactly how you imagined being held by him for the first time. Beggars can’t be choosers you supposed.
Turning his back to you, Randall crouched down in front of you, gently reaching back to guide your legs around his waist. Once they were secure enough, he did the same with your arms, wrapping them around his shoulders, “That’s it. Hold on tight for me, Princess.”
On the way he’d finally allowed you to close your eyes for more than 5 seconds, you were surprisingly comfortable against his strong back, face tucked against the crook of his neck. His hands kept you steady, one underneath your right knee and the other holding your wrists in place against his collarbone. Even if you went completely limp he wouldn’t have let you fall.
Once the pair of you finally entered the clinic, Marielle rushed towards you, “Kristi!” She called urgently once she’d noticed you, pale and limp against Randall.
“Jesus… What happened?” Marielle asked, already by your side, catching you as Randall began to set you down.
Kristi entered the room then, eyes wide before paramedic mode kicked in and she motioned Marielle toward the beds, “Okay, lay her on her stomach. How long as she been bleeding like this?”
Randall swallowed hard, his usually unbothered expression long replaced by worry, “All night. One of those things tried to grab her.”
Kristi and Marielle shared a knowing look, “She’s gonna need blood. Do you know her type?” Kristi asked hopefully.
“How the hell would I know?” Randall snapped back. He barely knew your last name, never mind your blood type. Those weren’t exactly the types of conversations you’d have.
“Fuck, okay- Y/n,” Kristi began, shaking your shoulder, rousing you only slightly from unconsciousness, “I need you to tell me your blood type.”
“A negative.” You replied, voice nothing but a whisper, eyes closing again before you’d even finished speaking.
“Same as me, use mine.” Randall announced immediately, Kristi didn’t argue. Only nodded her head and had Randall pull a chair up beside the bed where you lay on your stomach, cheek squished against the pillow, skin pale and eyes shut peacefully. You’d given in to the injury by this point, letting sleep engulf you finally.
Hours passed, long and slow. You didn’t wake and Randall didn’t move from your side.
The two of you hadn’t been particularly close before arriving in the town, just two strangers sat next to each other on a bus. You’d offered him gum, he’d accepted. You gave him a cute smile before putting your headphones on and looking ahead. And that was that. Until Elgin woke up screaming and the bus pulled into the nightmare you were living in now.
After that though, the pair of you constantly found yourselves sitting next to each other time and time again, next to never seeing eye to eye but always close by. He was convinced the place was one big experiment, you believed it was some sort of curse. He’d taken Donna out to the woods and tied her up, you’d followed him and helped untie her all while fighting the urge to smack him upside the head. But still, when he was nominated to go outside and test Boyd’s miracle monster killer, you’d all but begged him not to. And when he woke up from whatever horrific trance he was trapped in once they’d found him out there in the woods- there you were, sat next to him again. He figured it was his turn to return the favour. That’s what he told himself anyway. In reality he wasn’t sure he could rip his eyes away from you if he tried.
Even in your bloodied state, cheek squished against the pillow, lips slightly parted he couldn’t unsee the smile you’d given him that first morning on the bus. He could still smell your perfume in the air, sweet and floral, the scent long since faded but definitely not forgotten. His mind wandered to some alternate universe where you hadn’t gotten trapped in this god forsaken place; he’d have asked you where you were going, hell, maybe even asked for your number. Maybe he’d see you again, maybe he wouldn’t. But that would be better than the reality, emotionally attached and watching each other suffer, never knowing if the next time you take a seat together it will be the last.
The news about Tian-Chen had reached the clinic, Randall knew once you woke up and found out, you’d take it hard, you should hear it from a friend- or whatever the hell he was to you. You’d been helping her out in the diner in the absence of Sara, he always saw you too from the roof of the bus, laughing and chatting for hours. You were close with Kenny too, though he tried not to focus on that, the thought making his jaw tighten ever so slightly.
The evening began to roll in again, sun setting outside, casting golden shadows across the clinic when you began to stir. Pathetic little squeaks of pain left your mouth as you began to writhe, attempting to roll onto your back, your current face down position not feeling natural or comfortable.
Randall jumped to attention, your squeaks pulling him from his thoughts. He rose from his seat quickly and gently held your shoulders down so that you couldn’t shift and accidentally end up ripping the nearly 50 stitches Kristi had spent the better half of that morning doing.
“Hey. You gotta stay on your stomach, ok sweetheart? You got a pretty nasty cut on your back.” He explained, sitting back down so you could see his face. You only nodded weakly.
“You stayed.” You murmured, voice hoarse- something like a teasing smile trying its best to form on your lips.
Randall breathed out a laugh, “Thought never leaving each other alone was starting to become our thing. Figured I’d keep it going.”
“Thanks. For that and the piggy back ride.” He smiled at you, not his usual smug smirk but a gentle closed lip grin. It could’ve been the extreme pain or the loss of blood, but you could swear your heart fluttered.
“How long was I out?” You asked.
“About 12 hours, give or take.” He replied, shrugging his shoulders as if it were no big deal.
Your eyebrows knit together, concern painting your face and Randell braced himself for the next question. The one where he'd have to explain that this place had taken another person right from under you. “Was everything okay in the end? Boyd and Tian-Chen made it to the barn in time?”
He tried his best to deliver the news gently, though that was never his strong suit, “The animals are fine. Lost one cow- but uh, Tian-Chen… she didn’t make it. I’m sorry, I know you were close.”
Tears were already falling, soaking the pillow you were pressed against, a harsh sob escaped and you could barely breath. “Jesus. This fucking place.”
Your distraught state was completely understandable, however Randall was painfully aware of your current position. You were hurting yourself with every sob and he knew with your stomach and chest confined to the mattress that catching your breath couldn’t have been easy. Randall pushed the chair he was sitting on away, opting to kneel beside your bed, eyes level with yours, his face serious and his tone demanding, “Take a breath.”
You nodded, lip wobbling but forcing yourself to calm down. After a moment the tears slowed, still falling in single streams every now and then but no longer threatening to drown you.
“That’s it. Atta girl.” He praised, his hand reaching out and brushing a stray tear from your cheek, delicately. Delicate was a strange word to associate with the man you’d grown to know to be anything but, however, looking at him now knelt before you so supportive and sweet, you thought maybe delicate was the perfect word for him. At least sometimes.
“You scared us last night too, sweetheart.” He chastised, wagging a teasing finger at you.
“Sorry,” you started, absentmindedly twisting the white linen of the bed between your fingers, “Just when I saw the kids out there in the dark…”
He shook his head, the smug expression you’d gotten used to seeing returning to his face. “Yeah, yeah. Had to be a hero.”
When you only smiled sadly in response, he let out a heavy breath, allowing some genuine emotion to show on his face once again, something that looked like care? Perhaps even something more.
“Don’t pull any more stunts like that, alright?” His thump brushed another rogue tear from your cheek, you couldn’t stop yourself from leaning into his touch and to your surprise he didn’t pull back, just let his hard rest against the side of your tear stricken face. “I don’t want you dying here. When we get out of here I want you there, chewing my ear off about whatever dumb shit is in your head that day.”
Your smile was bright, as bright as it could be despite everything that had happened in the past 24 hours and the news you’d just gotten. It seemed to make him a little nervous, the way your teary eyes stared into his hazel ones that were finally letting you see them for what they were. He was letting you see him, guard down. You knew it wouldn’t last long, so you’d make the most of it now.
“I want to make it out of here with you too.”
His cheeks flushed, and he cleared his throat but didn’t move away. He wanted to, or more so felt that he should. His racing heart warned him that danger was close. The danger being letting that look on your pretty face make him forget that he wasn’t supposed to let anyone get this close, make him forget that kissing you would only add confusion to the already fucked up situation.
He noticed how your face inched ever so slightly towards the edge of your pillow, closer to him. He still didn’t move. Scared of what would happen if he did, scared of what would happen if he didn’t.
His eyes flickered to your lips for a second too long before they found your eyes again, not missing how you’d just been starting at his lips as well.
“No more playing hero, you hear me?” He pressed again quietly.
You nodded, not able to stand the tension anymore you closed the gap between your lips, letting your free hand that had been fidgeting with your bed linen grab ahold of his tshirt, pulling him closer. Hand still rested on your face, he let his thumb trace small circles against your cheek as his lips move slowly against yours, returning your kiss.
His lips moved deliberately against yours, soft but firm, pouring as much emotion into it as he could, he was always better at showing than telling.
When you separated he chased your lips with a few more gentle pecks before pulling away.
“It’s you and me, tough guy.” You whispered, cheeks red, slightly swollen lips smiling gently. Battered and bruised but the most beautiful girl he’d ever seen at that moment.
“Yeah..” His lips found yours one last time, “I guess it is, sweetheart.”
