Summary - Frank Langdon is completely in love with Melissa King. He will not let himself ruin her.
Mel’s friend with benefits just won't let that slide.
Warnings - mention of drug addiction, mention of vomit, friends with benefits but not Kingdon, jealousy, dirty thoughts
Word count - 3.1 k
CHAPTER 1 - Tachycardia
A slow start never meant anything good in Frank Langdon’s opinion.The urgency that was usually present in the ER was lacking. Chairs were half empty and from a quick glance there was nothing critical that hadn’t already been handled.
It unsettled him.Frank enjoyed the pressure, the buzz he got when he could save a patients life, the way his brain could narrow down and focus on the procedure and only that.
Maybe Collins had been right and he was an adrenaline junkie. He knows that’s better than the alternative.
Since his stints in rehab and his subsequent divorce 2 years ago, he has become aware of his addictive tendencies, with the help of his hospital mandated therapist of course.
During his first attempt to detox he refused to admit he had a problem, he’d hurt his back and the benzos were a way to wean himself of harder painkillers. He knew what he was doing, he was a doctor for gods sake, but if he had to do this to appease Robby he would.Even as he sweat what felt like an entire lake, he thought he was fine.
He went home to his family with the intent to go to NA meetings every week and begin working again as soon as he could.
1 NA meeting attended and he returned to an empty house, Abby had taken the kids to stay at her parents for the night, she thought it’d be best for the kids to not have any inkling of their Father’s struggles. He lay in his empty bed, days after he’d been released from rehab, and thought about the twinge in his back every time he tossed.
He went to his bathroom, opened up the tin of Vaseline he’d hidden at the top of the cabinet, and took 4 pills.
He admitted himself back into the rehab facility the next morning.
So yes, he’d come to realise he was an addict and that carried through to other aspects of his life. He was addicted to the buzz he got in his brain when he performed a critical procedure, when he could take a smoke break while standing near the edge of the hospital roof, when he won one of his co-worker's stupid bets, and when Dr Melissa King smiled at him.
Unfortunately for Frank, he’s determined not to trade one addiction for another, he refuses to use Mel like that, even though she is technically the healthiest of his addictions. But with such a slow day, he’s got to get his fix somewhere. She’s standing at the nurses station when he spots her. He stops for a second, takes her in, and contemplates a life where he wasn’t an addict. He would be able to love her, date her, marry her someday and do everything in his power to make her happy. Without the guilt of trapping her with a divorced dad who was addicted to stolen drugs and possibly using her to fuel his addiction. He couldn’t do that to her, he knows how much it would kill Mel if she found out how he felt about her, the buzz he got when she spoke to him in her low tone. “Jesus Ken, you keep staring and you’ll burn through her plastic” Frank startled and turned his head to see Garcia leaning against the nursing desk.
“How long have you been there? You shouldn’t sneak up on me you know, I’m fragile”, Frank said with a put-on pout.
Garcia snorted, “Not fragile enough to stop undressing Dr King with your eyes.”
He tried to protest but Garcia threw him a wry glare, “don’t even try to deny it Langdon, the only person in this hospital who doesn’t know your head over heels for Mel is Mel.”
He wondered if that was true or just Yolanda trying to get under his skin, this wasn’t something he wanted to spread around the hospital gossip mill. He thought he’d been keeping himself in check.
“You didn’t have to say it so crassly”, Frank said slightly flustered, “I wasn’t - I would never speak about her like that.”
It was Garcia’s turn to pout now, “Aw, protecting Barbie’s honour? How sweet.”
He hated that, the whole ER Barbie and Ken thing, he didn’t want Mel to overhear. He’s sure she’d be humiliated being referred to as his so-called wife. They were great partners at work but he didn’t want Mel’s name to be attached to his, for her sake. He wasn’t exactly the hospital's golden boy anymore.
“Stop calling her that” he snapped.
”Why, scared she’ll overhear? Maybe she will and finally make a move, god knows you won’t”, Garcia huffed, clearly bored with the conversation.
At Langdon's incredulous look, she continued, “You’re both clearly into each other, you literally blew me off the other day to go watch Lord of the Rings with her and her sister, so just get over whatever you have going on and ask her out. Officially.”
Frank paused, trying to figure out a comeback but it was hard when, from across the room he caught Mel’s eye, she gave a little wave and started walking towards them.
Garcia muttered something under her breath but Frank kicked her (lightly) in the shin before she said anything else incriminating.
“Hello Dr Garcia, Dr Langdon,” Mel said with a smile.
“Hey Mel”, Garcia said, before standing up straight
“Well I’ve got to head back up stairs, I’ve got a man whose got a problem with his spine, really weak.” She walked away with a grin while Frank stared daggers at her back.
Mel looked up at him inquisitively but looking back down again before she spoke. “I was wondering if you had Tanner and Penny tomorrow? Becca has been bugging me all week about watching two towers and I didn’t want to watch it without you because you introduced them to us and they’re your favourite, but it’s the first time she’s shown interest in a movie other than elf in 7 years so I can only hold out so long.”
She had a tendency to ramble but he loathed to interrupt her, seeing firsthand how many other people did.
He thought it was cute anyway.
“No, all free tomorrow, lucky we’re both off shift,” he said with a soft smile,
“there’s this amazing bakery on the way to yours, I could bring us some breakfast?”
She looked up at him again, relieved he had said yes, “Second breakfast?”
He laughed, “is that a reference Dr King?”
He never thought someone quoting LOTR could be so hot, but then again they weren’t Melissa King.
Abby hadn’t enjoyed his nerdy interests.
They met when he was on first year of med school, 7 months after his very late growth spurt and subsequent glow up.
Frank went from watching the history channel alone in his room and cooking dishes from his World of Tolkien cookbook to being dragged to frat parties by his roommate. There he met Abby, a beautiful redhead who loved the idea of dating a hot doctor.
And Frank lapped up the attention.
Contrary to popular belief, Abby had been his first everything, he’d never had anyone else to compare his feelings towards her to.
Until Mel.
He couldn’t tell if Mel felt the same way about him, and he wouldn’t risk the wonderful friendship that had become his lifeline.
So if all he could have were movie nights and drive homes in the dark with her, that would be good enough for him.
Hopefully.
Mel smirked at him “I did pay attention Dr Langdon.”
“I don’t doubt it,” Frank said.
“So tomorrow, at 11?” Mel asked.
“Of course, it’s a date.” It slipped out before Frank could stop himself, it wasn’t a date, Becca was going to be there for gods sake, and he could never have a date when Aragorn was on the screen, he wouldn’t stand a chance.
But he watched as Mel let out a small squeak, and a flush ran from her cheeks, to her collarbone and disappeared under her black scrub shirt.
He didn’t mean to, but his eyes followed it, mouth agape as he wondered how far down it went. He had to stop himself from thinking further before he gave himself a problem he couldn’t deal with in a hospital.
When he found Mel’s eyes again she was staring at his mouth, before clearing her throat and marching off with purpose.
He waited until she was around the corner before letting out a groan and resting his forehead on the cool desk, urging himself to calm.
The interaction left him with a flutter in his heart instead of the usual buzz in his brain after a conversation with Mel.
He didn’t know what was better.
Before he could let himself imagine (overthink) his ‘date’ tomorrow, Dana loudly alerted everyone that a male Army sergeant was being airlifted in.
He had an infection caused by an amputation of the left arm. With that being all the information they were given, no one really knew the condition he would be in. At hearing this, Mel rushed out from whatever room she’d been in.
Her movements were frantic, which Frank had only seen her like once before when Becca was at the hospital, in fact she seemed worse this time. “Do we know his name?” She crowded Dana, “his regime?”
“I’ve told you everything kid, you okay?” Dana asked confused while trying to soothe Mel who was getting more agitated by the second.
Frank stepped forward trying to understand what was happening. “Mel, sweetheart, what’s going on?”
He reached a hand out to touch her arm but she flinched away.
His hand hovered above where she was, he knew she didn’t like physical touch with most people but she never minded with him anymore. In fact she would lean into him on the stairwell after a particularly hard case.
She was looking around frantically, as if she was debating what to do.
Before Frank could ask again what was happening and before Mel could run up to the roof, the elevator doors opened.
To what looked like a perfectly healthy soldier.
Langdon gave him a quick once-over, he had his arm held at an awkward angle but not in a broken way, and he might have looked slightly pale but nothing that looked fatal (or worthy of being airlifted in).
Before he could take the man for a proper examination, he watched as Mel, hater of physical touch, ran towards the stranger.
“James!” she yelled, before practically jumping into his arms.
The stranger reciprocated the hug gladly, letting out a joyful laugh, and scooping Mel up.
“So much for a fatal arm infection,” thought Frank.
Santos and Mohan appeared beside him.
All 3 of them staring at the bizarre reunion.
“Is that her brother?” Mohan asked.
He knew it wasn’t; she didn’t have one, but they looked far too close for Langdon to want to think about anything else.
Frank took the man in again, taking a more detailed look.
Tall, bright blue eyes, dark hair, muscular but in a way that Mel still looked comfortable in his arms. He felt sick. The ‘stranger’ was cradling Mel’s face now, she was speaking to him in concerned whispers.
Frank was going to be sick.
“Definitely not her brother,” snorted Trinity, turning to whisper to Mohan, “she’s definitely got a type, huh.”
Frank’s heart was thumping not in the exciting way it was before, this felt like he was dying.
His brain was scrambling, he had to know what was happening before he overthought everything. He gave a look to Trinity and Samira before he walked towards Mel, trying to convey that he would get to the bottom of this, everything would be back to normal in a second, Mel would be back to normal, the homeostasis of the Pitt would be restored.
Frank walked over to the pair and cleared his throat, he mustered a polite smile for the stranger and held out his hand, “Hello, I’m Dr Langdon, Senior Emergency Resident, what seems to be the issue?”
The stranger shook Frank’s hand, a firm handshake to Frank’s dismay, he was hoping it would be a weak, wet thing, something that would boost his own pride a bit.
“Sergeant James Kemp, it’s nice to meet you. Mellie’s told me so much about you.” Frank found that funny, Mel had never mentioned a James before to him.
The Pitt seemed to fall silent, his coworkers watching the interaction, eyes batting between Langdon, Mel and the stranger.
Mel finally seemed to realise that she was still at work, and she’d just had a very unlike her interaction for all her co-workers to see.
Flushing she continued to introduce the man, “Oh, Dr Langdon! James has a prosthetic left arm, which was amputated 5 years ago, so it shouldn’t be infected, we should run all the tests and maybe keep him overnight to watch just in case? I’ll get him settled in 12, yes, 12s open-”
Frank cut her off before she was finished, “Ill take him Dr King, you seem too close to the issue, go check on your patient in 8 and I'll get Sergeant Kemp settled.”
She looked up at him with a furrow in her brow, maybe he had been slightly harsh. Before he could overthink it, he guided James to room 12, “Santos! With me” he called, he loathed to admit it but if anyone could weasel information out of this man it would be Santos.
Once they had got James settled and Frank started doing a physical examination, Santos started her interrogation. “So you and Dr King seem… close, how do you know our little Melatonin?.”
James chuckled, “Ah, you must be Trinity, Mel’s told me about your nicknames. Mellie and I grew up next door to each other, we’ve been friends ever since we were kids.”
Suddenly it clicked for Frank, one time when he’d been having dinner at the King sister's apartment, Mel had been talking about her failed prom experience, telling him how she’d been stood up but her ‘amazing friend Jamie’ saved the day. Becca butted in saying Jamie always saved the day, then whispered to Frank about the first kiss she’d watched Mel & Jamie share.
Mel had taken a week off work last year to visit Jamie and came back to work happier than ever, and when he walked past the break room that day, Mohan and Santos were whispering with Mel about her first clubbing experience that Jamie had introduced her too, he almost dropped his red bull when she’d pulled the high neck of her top to her collar bones and he saw beard burn and hickeys. He’d assumed it was a one night stand with a random man (which already made him sick to think about), not that she’d spent a whole week wrapped up in possibly the most handsome man Frank had ever laid eyes on’s arms.
“You’re Jamie?” frank asked through gritted teeth.
James grinned, showing off his perfect teeth, “yeah that’s me, you must have been speaking to Becca then?”
Frank nodded, dazed, maybe he was overthinking and this man was not having a friends with benefits relationship with the girl of his dreams, but Frank knew his luck was not that good. “Hey, I’m sorry for all the fuss, with me being flown in here just for a small infection” James said while Frank was getting his injection ready.
“I protested at first but when I found out it was Mellie’s hospital I was going to, well that took the fight out of me,” he chuckled a bit and Frank could feel his heart pound.
“So are you and Mel dating? You seemed very cosy earlier,” Frank’s tone might have been slightly harsh, judging by Santos’ sharp intake of breath.
James chuckled again “Sadly not, I’ve tried, trust me, even asked her to marry me a few times. We just see each other on occasion. We have a lot of history together.”
He looked at Frank, his eyes almost twinkling with challenge.
Before Frank could say something stupid, Mel came through the door, asking a million questions about James’ infection. He let Santos take the lead, he didn’t trust himself to speak right now. It felt like his world was falling apart. For the first time in 2 years, Frank actually reached into his pocket for a pill. There was nothing there of course. He was still getting regular locker checks and drug tests much to his dismay. Expect for once he was grateful. He didn’t actually want to relapse, he just didn’t know what he was feeling and he knew drugs would take that away. He felt like he wasn’t in the room with them, so when Santos eventually tapped his arm in a gentle gesture so unknown to him he jolted.
“Is that okay with you Dr Langdon?” Santos asked him, almost pity in her eyes.
He stammered, unsure of what he’d been asked. Mel un-clung herself from James and gently put her hand on Frank’s arm, “Are you okay Frank? You can discharge him so I can take him home right?” He looked at her, taking her in. She was the most beautiful person he’d ever seen. She was the kindest and smartest he’d ever met. And Frank Langdon was 100% in love with her. His eyes roved over her features. Her hazel eyes and her freckles. Her golden braid and her lips that he wanted nothing more to kiss.
Right there, in front of Santos and the rest of the Pitt who were definitely staring at the room and had probably made a bet by now. But he couldn’t kiss her. She was with her best friend/hookup/man who was also clearly completely in love with her. A man who was definitely better suited for her, who could offer her things he never could.
He looked at her for what felt like the last time, “Of course, sweetheart.”
Frank Langdon had been caught stealing drugs that he was addicted to from his workplace.
He betrayed his closest friend/mentor’s trust and has never earned it back.
His wife, the only woman who ever loved him, left.
Yet right now he feels like his heart is breaking.
He leaves the room, hand clutched to his chest, he can’t breathe, he can’t think of anything other than Mel going home with her clear soulmate, his head pounds.
“I swear I’ve mentioned Alex before,” Mel murmurs, frowning down at her phone, still not clocking how she’s short-circuited Frank’s brain. It's a blue screen of death up there. Hi, you’ve reached Dr. Frank Langdon. I’m not available to talk right now, but leave a message, and I might get back to you. Beeeeeep.
The picture continues to shine cheerily up at them, silently mocking Frank. He forces himself to look away and swallows with difficulty. “I think I'd remember if you'd told me about your ‘best friend’ who you ‘used to be in love with.’”
"What would you ask me for," he said, "if you knew that I would give it to you?" He didn’t mean for it to sound so overtly sexual, but she was looking down at him on the floor in front of her and he was burning from the inside out, so he said it the same way he would if he were actively trying to seduce her, slow and low and pointed.
He watched her lips part and her eyes widen. She was always so expressive, he loved that about her, he loved that he could always tell exactly what she was thinking. Come on, say it. Just ask me. “It can be anything, Mel. I’ll give it to you.”
Mel needs to practice asking for the things she needs and Frank has an itch that needs scratching.
explicit | 7.2k words | complete | written for @sub-langdon-fest
Summary: “Are you and Abby on or off?” she asks quietly, matching his gaze.
His jaw tenses, and Frank looks away, removing his hand to grip the steering wheel instead. She can see the whites of his knuckles as he quietly switches the car into drive and pulls out of the parking lot, leaving the bar and its loud bass behind. Even though the echoes remain pounding behind her temples, it’s only the silence of the nighttime roads that sits between them, her question still unanswered.
-
Mel and Frank in college, and how Mel never stole him—since Frank was always hers.
do you know where i could find the link to the s1e9 script with the famous 'he's good when he wants to be' line? or any scripts besides s1e1 (which i found easily) for that matter?
Hello! Sadly there are no links to any of the rest of the scripts because they're not online. You can only find them at the WGA Library which you have to visit in person in Los Angeles (it's free though! you just have to book an appointment).
inspired by @miracle-and-wonder’s pregnant!mel head canon
“Frank. Hey, Frank.”
Yawning, Frank cracked an eye open and looked over towards the window, where the purple-gray light of dawn was spilling in. He squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head, rolling over and pulling his wife into his arms. His hand slid over her bump, and he smiled into the back of her neck.
“No way, sweetheart,” he grumbled. “It’s early. We both have the day off. It’s not awake time yet.” They didn’t have Tanner and Penny that week, and the only thing they really had to do was set up some things in the nursery. As Mel’s due date was still four months off, though, they had time.
“But I’m hungry.”
That sentence was definitely enough to wake Frank up. He lifted his head, peering down at Mel. She wasn’t wearing her glasses yet and the t-shirt she had stolen from him, still big on her despite being five months pregnant, was slipping off her shoulder. She looked gorgeous.
“For what, baby?” Frank asked as he brushed some of her loose, blonde hair out of her face.
Leaning into his touch, Mel made a happy humming sound. “Egg salad.”
Eyes wide, Frank tugged on Mel’s hip until she rolled beneath him. “Egg salad?” he repeated. “Mel, you hate eggs.”
Mel’s lip jutted out in a little pout, and it was so cute that Frank couldn't help but lean over to kiss it away. He felt her smiling against his lips, and he broke the kiss to press his lips to the tip of her nose. She let out a soft little laugh, reaching up to run her hand through his messy hair.
“The baby wants egg salad,” she said with a touch of confusion.
It was something that Frank was constantly endeared by. They were both doctors and knew all about pregnancy and cravings and the things that changed a woman’s body. As Mel experienced it all first hand for herself, she was amazed and almost mystified by her own reactions to it. She liked that there was almost always a way to solve her problem (although they hadn’t yet figured out why she cried about cleaning commercials, or what they could do to stop it). She viewed her cravings like a puzzle, journaling each one as if she could figure them out.
Frank kissed her again and then leaned over to lift her (his) t-shirt and kiss her belly. “Well if the baby wants egg salad, then the baby is going to get egg salad.”
Rolling out of bed, Frank pulled on a plaid pair of pajama pants over his boxer briefs but decided to go sans t-shirt. Based on the appreciative look Mel gave him, he knew that he made the right choice. He stretched, groaning as his back popped, and then ran a hand through his hair. If he played his cards right, they wouldn’t be leaving the house at all today. There were much more fun… and pleasurable… things they could get up to on their day off.
Mel tossed back the sheets and began to get out of bed as well, which made Frank frown. “Mel, I’ve got it. You can sleep a little longer if you want to, baby.”
He was typically the cook in the family, but it wasn’t as though Mel couldn't do it. Mel had a few go-to dishes with all of her safe foods that she cooked, and she preferred baking—given how exact it was—over anything else. Frank didn’t mind being the one to do the majority of the cooking.
“You know I like watching you in the kitchen,” Mel said. It was her turn to stretch now, and the hem of her t-shirt rode up, revealing her cute white panties and her rounded belly. She slid her hand over her stomach, cradling their unborn child. Jesus Christ, Frank was so in love with her that it made him feel stupid, sometimes. But in the best possible way.
That was another reason Frank never minded cooking. How could he, when the love of his life told him she liked watching him do it? What an easy thing he could do, just to make her happy. It was especially fun when they could cook together. It often turned into foreplay (which they were at least able to rein in when the kids were around).
“Well okay, then.” Meeting Mel at the door, Frank drew her close to press a kiss to her temple. “Let’s get cooking.”
Half an hour later, Frank had perfectly seasoned egg salad spread out on a slice of toasted sourdough on a plate for Mel. He slid it towards her and Mel happily tucked in, making it one of the funniest faces he’d ever seen in his life as she bit into it.
Frank knew it was good, having taste-tested it multiple times himself. Still, he asked, “Is it okay, Mel? Does it need more dill?” She loved dill.
Chewing thoughtfully, Mel eventually shook her head. “No, it’s delicious,” she finally decided. “Perfect, really. I just don’t know how I can think it’s so good but hate the texture at the same time.”
“Oh. Okay.” Frank was very confused by that statement. “Do you… should I make something else?”
Mel gave him a bright smile and leaned over to kiss him. “Oh, no, this is exactly what I want! Have you ever liked to eat something even though it felt weird in your mouth?”
He knew he could make a dirty joke here, but there was a time and a place for that. “Yeah, baby.” Frank felt that way about coconut, honestly. Tanner loved it, though, so they kept dried and sweetened coconut chips in the house.
In the end, Mel had seconds of the egg salad. Frank considered it to be a win.
“Frank?”
“Yeah, sweetheart?”
“The baby wants peanut butter cups.”
“The baby wants what?” Frank lifted his head from the book of crosswords he was working on to find Mel sitting in the corner of the couch with her hands on her belly, watching him expectantly. “Mel, I distinctly remember you telling me that you couldn’t stand the thought of peanut butter and chocolate together when we first started dating.”
“That was almost three years ago.”
“So?” Frank vividly remembered it, because peanut butter and chocolate was one of his favorite combinations, and he couldn’t fathom the fact that Mel didn’t like it. When she revealed that she preferred strawberry and chocolate instead, which Frank fully admitted he wasn’t a fan of. It made splitting boxes of discounted chocolate after Valentine’s Day very easy, though. “I remember everything about you.”
Mel perked up immediately at that, leaning forward with interest. “Everything?”
“I’d like to think so.” From that very first day, he remembered the way her eyebrows scrunched when she was trying to understand a joke he told. The way she lit up under his praise. The way that she so effortlessly cared for others.
There were other things he remembered too, of course. Mel needed at least twenty minutes after waking up before she was a functioning person. She did like coffee, as long as it didn’t actually taste like coffee—it needed to have so much cream and sugar in it that it was more dessert than anything else. When it was warm out, she loved to lay out in the grass in the backyard, despite the fact that she normally had to take at least two allergy pills to make up for it. If given the choice, Mel preferred watching a Disney movie after a rough shift over a reality show or a sitcom.
Frank collected all of these facts about Mel, filing them away like he knew she did for him. There was a reason he also had fresh crossword books to do when he was on break, the hammock in the backyard had an extra pillow to support his back, and the pantry was stacked with peanut butter cups despite the fact that Mel couldn't stand them.
“What brought on this particular craving?” Frank asked.
Mel shrugged her shoulders as she extended her legs, her heels pressing into Frank’s thigh. He drew both of her feet into his lap, one big hand covering her ankles to keep her there. She looked up at him, then stared down at her hands as she twisted her silver wedding band around her finger. Frank lightly jostled her ankles, encouraging her to answer his question.
“You kissed me after you put Tanner and Penny down for bed,” Mel finally explained. “I could smell the peanut butter and chocolate and I… the baby really wanted some.”
“Right.” Frank managed to bite back his chuckle just in time. Her sense of smell was much more intense with the pregnancy. He ran one palm over the arches of her feet, lightly massaging, and then slipped out from under them. “Give me a few seconds, baby. I’ll get them for you.”
“With whipped cream on top?” Mel asked, brightening once again now that her craving was going to be meant.
“With… what?” That wasn’t generally how people ate peanut butter cups, but who was he to judge?
“I’d like them in a bowl with whipped cream on top,” Mel said primly.
This time, Frank couldn't hold back his laughter. She was just too damned cute. “Right, with whipped cream on top.” He leaned over to drop a quick kiss to her lips. “Coming right up.”
“Oh, yes. Yes.” Mel threw her head back, reaching up to grasp the wooden slats of their headboard. She had pillows stacked under her hips to support her, aided by Frank’s big hands wrapped around her waist as he thrust into her. Mel’s thighs widened and she groaned at the stretch, both from her own body and from the way Frank was moving inside of her.
He slid one hand down the lush line of her thigh, shifting it higher on his hip as he drove deep and held himself still, grinding against her. “You feel that, baby?”
Mel moaned and nodded, moving her hands down to grab at the pillow under her head. She needed something to hold on to and Frank was just out of reach, holding himself over her so he could watch the way he moved inside her. He didn’t move the way she wanted him to, instead grinding against her just enough to tease her. He wanted her to say it.
“Yes,” Mel gasped as she ran her foot up the back of his muscular thigh. “Yes, I feel it. God, please, Frank, move…”
Thankfully, that was all Frank needed. He started thrusting again, holding Mel steady against him with his hand wrapped around her thigh. She squirmed beneath him, reaching up to grab onto his forearms, hands running up until she could curl them into his biceps.
“It’s all for you,” he told her, which made Mel moan appreciatively. She covered her breasts with one hand, toying with a nipple in a way that made Frank groan and fall forward. He pressed hot kisses into the arch of her neck, his teeth scraping against her pulse point.
And then his hand was sliding between her legs, his fingers passing over her clit. She was so sensitive, so keyed up, that it was easy for Mel to tumble over into her orgasm. All she heard was Frank chanting her name in her ear and the hot, wet pulsing between her legs, and she knew that he went over the second she had.
Frank took a few moments to help Mel get situated, wiping tenderly between her thighs and helping her re-stack the pillows so she was more comfortable. She instantly dozed off, arms stretched above her head as she surrendered to exhausted pleasure. Frank allowed himself to indulge in watching her, loving how free she allowed herself to be like this.
Mel was all soft curves and supple lines. Frank loved getting to watch her body change and often measured the way her stomach expanded with his hands. He did it every day if he could get away with it, and Mel smiled softly down at him each time.
Finished with his study of Mel, Frank drew her into his arms and curled himself around as he closed his eyes, preparing himself for an impromptu mid-day nap. He was going to have to send cookies to whoever kept scheduling him and Mel for the same days off.
“Mmm, Frank. Can we have some of that asparagus salad?”
Without opening his eyes, Frank kissed the back of Mel’s shoulder. “Didn’t I just fuck you to sleep?”
“You did!” Mel agreed cheerfully. She turned, wiggling around in his arms until she could rub her nose against his cheek. “I only needed a few minutes. I’m hungry, now. And the baby wants the asparagus salad.”
Frank yawned and opened his eyes, leaning over to kiss Mel on the lips. “Okay, okay. I’ll feed you, you menace.”
Mel laughed out loud at that, reaching up to cup Frank’s face in both of her hands to draw him back down to her, kissing him again. Her tongue slipped into his mouth and her thigh slid over his hip again, pulling him close to her until there was no space left between their bodies. Frank grunted as he felt her hands move all over him, coming down to rest on his ass as she held him tight against her.
“Sweetheart, I thought you were hungry.” Not that Frank had any problem with staying in bed with Mel. She regularly slept a full seven hours a night, now. Frank was still working on that last one.
“I am hungry,” Mel murmured against his lips. She dragged her teeth over his bottom lip, gasping as her breasts rubbed against his chest. “But we can get up in a minute.”
Mel and Frank rolled around in bed for another half an hour, kissing and grinding and touching until she decided she wanted food more than anything else. They barely got dressed—Frank, in just a pair of boxer briefs and Mel, in one of t-shirts—before they made their way down the stairs and into the kitchen. Frank pulled out a large bowl of the spring salad he’d prepared two nights ago: asparagus, peas, green onion, radishes, arugula, feta cheese, and mint, all topped with a lemon vinaigrette.
With each new craving Mel had, Frank enjoyed coming up with a recipe for it. She told him that maybe she would like more vegetables if they were all crisp like this, instead of slimy and limp. Frank took it as another win.
“Hmmm, okay.” With both hands resting on her ever-expanding belly, Mel directed Frank as he loaded up both of their plates. “The baby wants some potato salad. And some macaroni and cheese. And two sliders, with extra pickles on them.”
Frank dutifully filled her plate with everything she wanted. He grabbed bottles of water for both of them and double checked on Tanner and Penny, who were happily eating hotdogs with Harrison. Ellis, who was nearby, promised to keep an eye on all of them.
They were at PTMC’s annual start-of-summer cookout. Mel was seven months pregnant and was absolutely glowing, even when she complained that she couldn’t see her feet anymore, because “your baby is so gigantic, Frank.” Frank was endlessly impressed with how easily Mel still moved around at work. Of course she made being pregnant look easy, even though it definitely wasn’t. Mel claimed that it helped to have him support her. If nothing else, Frank was glad that he was able to bring some comfort to Mel.
Frank waved at Cassie and Mohan, nodded at Robby, Abbot, and Dana, and called hello to Donnie and his family. He delivered the food and drinks to the table Mel found, leaning over to drop a kiss to her temple.
“How are you feeling, sweetheart?” he asked.
Mel speared her fork into the potato salad and chewed thoughtfully. “Good,” she finally decided. “A little tired. The baby keeps kicking this one spot—ow. Okay.” She rubbed a soothing palm under the left side of her ribs. “Yeah, I get it. Could you give me a break, please?”
“Hey, peanut.” Frank ducked down low, speaking directly to Mel’s belly. “Cut your mom some slack, okay? It’s a lot of work, growing you.”
The kicking stopped instantly, and Mel let out a sigh of relief as she slumped back in her chair. “How do you do that? It’s kind of crazy how the baby responds to your voice.”
It thrilled Frank every single time. He shrugged his shoulders, digging into his own meal. He knew that once they ate, they wouldn’t be much longer for the cookout. The closer Mel got to her due date, the more she slept. And they were going to have to get Tanner and Penny back to Abby, soon. It wasn’t Frank and Mel’s week with them, but Abby had been nice enough to let them take the kids so they could all go to the PTMC cookout.
“I was really hoping the baby would calm down once I had some more pickles.” Mel plucked two off the slider and popped them into her mouth. “But sometimes I think the heartburn makes the baby kick more.”
“You know…” Frank extended his leg, hooking his ankle around Mel’s. She smiled and rubbed her foot against his. “You don’t have to say that the baby wants whatever food you’re craving. You can just… want it.”
Fiddling with her fork, Mel stared down at her plate. “I know that,” she finally said. “I guess I just… I hadn’t expected my taste to change so much with pregnancy. Things taste different. And I know it might change again.”
It wasn’t really surprising that this was one of the things Mel struggled the most with during preganncy. It was this, and sleep. Slowly but surely, both things were getting better. Every single tip and trick they picked up during this time was only going to help them once the baby was born, and their schedules were upended again.
“Well, I think it’s great if the baby wants something,” Frank said cheerfully. “And it’s even better if you want it, too. Either way, I’ll make sure you both get it.”
Mel gave Frank a beaming smile and she leaned forward, grabbing on to the collar of his shirt so she could haul him towards her. “Thank you,” she murmured right before she kissed him. WHen their lips parted, she pressed her forehead to his. “I love you.”
Frank kissed the corner of Mel’s smile, sliding his hand over their baby. “Love you, too.”
mel king x frank langdon | 7.9k | teen and up | post-season 2; for @cvldbones
He turned his head and gave her a wink along with a thousand-watt grin, the kind where all the lines around his eyes and mouth crinkled together and made her heart want to stop.
If Mel didn’t know better, she’d swear he was flirting with her.
But she knew better because that damn ring was still on his finger.
