Pairing: Dr. Victor Frankenstein x Housekeeper! Reader
Summary: Alone in the marshes of rural country, you find yourself tending to the castle of a young lord- a doctor. He is passionate, spending many long hours inside his laboratory, not letting you glimpse inside the space to keep it as tidy as the rest of his abode. But you do wonder and watch him as he goes about his business. What you don't know is that he's watching you as well.
Word Count: undetermined thus far
Warnings: mary shelley canon compliant, frankenstein canon compliant, germanic language translations - which might be bad since i only know the basics, horror, body horror, victorian time sickness and death, canon deaths off screen, medical jargon, medical horror, medical experiments, yearning, reader is unmarried and therefore 'innocent' for the times, period piece i guess, lust and the sin of it, internal dialogue, self depreciating thoughts from victor, we love a tortured man, sexual content, primal play, slight corruption, reader loves 'sullied subjects', victor struggles with the death of his wife and is mean at first, forces proximity, power dynamics, reader works for victor, more to be added
A/N: i simply adore frankenstein! add in oscar isaac, mia goth, and immaculate screenshots and i am overjoyed. y'all i am so excited to so this little mini-series. i'm thinking three parts since the draft of scenes i have and the convo with @lotusbxtch is keeping me tip tapping away
Sneakie Peek:
"I just simply must have you," He growls as his hands fasten around the bodice of your dress, the pressure of them prevalent through the corset bound there beneath the layers. Impossibly tight as adrenaline courses through your veins. And then he trails them upwards toward your neck, feeling the buttons fastened along the side. fingers skimming over them. Suddenly the rip of fabric fills your ears and steals your breath as he fists the satin of your shoulder pieces and pulls. Your chest heaves, breasts pushed up and the swell of them visible in the silk that holds them. Victor's eyes trace over them, fingernails scraping lights as he revels in the exposed skin he's only glimpsed before.
prologue || chapter one || chapter two
tagging a few peeps who may be interested: @for-a-longlongtime @sawymredfox @punkshort @burntheedges @worhols @hier--soir
how he would be so overcome with pride and possessiveness, protecting you and keeping you safe puffing up his broad chest as he urges his horse to gallop back toward the gate after patrol
the heavy breaths that would fall from his plush lips, dampening the ends of his moustache as he thinks of you safe and content at home
his home, the one he chose when a new family arrived, the one he repaired and fixed up with his own two hands. sweating and bleeding, and working endless hours to make it what it is now- your safe space
he walks through the door now, boots stomping onto the bristly mat you braided together from dried weeds and old rope. he didn't dare track any mud or dirt into the cozy space, wanting it to be exactly what you preferred
he finds you in the back room, laundry piled high in a basket as you unload the washer, preparing to take it out back to hang on the lines he put up for you when you asked. he recalls the way your eyes tracked his every movement, the thrum of your pulse he could practically scent as he proved his worth once again for you
now though, you're all soft and sleepy, body draped in one of his shirts like a nightgown. his hands reach for you, just as his lips press hungrily to exposed shoulder where the collar stretches. the gasp you let out electrifies him, jolting him where he's already hard and aching for you between his legs
he bites down on the exposed skin, pulling a moan from deep in your chest as his hands grip you tight and pull you flush against him. thick fingers foxtrot down your belly, curling triumphantly around the hem of the shirt and press against the sweet wetness between your thighs
'fuck, darlin', you ain't got on any panties'
'l-laundry day' is your strangled answer as he begins to rub tight circles over that little bundle of nerves, feeling every shiver and shake of your body as he gives you one more thing you deserve, his attention focused solely on you. always, constantly, forever
when you cry out, it's because he's dipped them lower to curl and press deep inside. his voice joins the symphony of your shuddering pants and little whimpers of pleasure as he moans out at the feeling of you clenching tight around him, mind lost in the haze of how fucking unbelievable you feel every single time
it only takes a few thrusts before your body tenses with your release, heat lancing through. it's only a few moments of suspended bliss before you feel the hard slide of him between your folds. he grunts as he does it a few times, delighting in the twitch of your muscles and the softness of your body leaning wholly against him. it makes it easier to guide you forward, bending you over the top of the dryer you seldom use in the summer months
he licks up a hot stripe along your neck as he thrusts in wholly, your sigh of contentment only fueling the embers that simmer low behind his hips. he doesn't revel, he doesn't pause, he can't, he can't
he moves like an animal possessed, rutting harshly against you, into you, his front pressing your own down and pinning you while he takes everything his mind is telling him is his. because you chose him, rely on him, made a life with him. you're his and he's yours
Summary: The end of the tunnels brings a short-lived moment of relief, but all of that quickly changes as a sniper awaits on the edge of the city limits.
Word Count: 9k
Warnings: canon typical violence, canon typical gore, panic, fighting, gunfire, ambush, active shooter scenario, active fight scene, threats, casual talk of killing, graphic descriptions of injuries
Notes: i've had the ending to this chapter written for the longest time and i am so excited to finally share it with you all. i like to think i find good ways to end chapters but this one, whew, it's a doozy and i am HERE for it haha
can't thank y'all enough for checking out my story, for all the attention on ao3 and on here as well! all if it makes me so happy and grateful to be a part of this fandom ♡
ao3 link || series masterlist || main masterlist
A shuffling sound from above had you ducking without a thought, hand going to the colt in its holster at your hip. You aimed it and your flashlight up, everyone freezing around you as they dared to look up. It was hard to see in the small tunnel, the ceiling still lower than it had been when there were still hatches and pipes lining the walls of the entrance that you had taken down here. There was a rather large crack that stretched out ahead of you, some rubble falling from it as the shuffling sounded again. Joel urged everyone back, tone sharp. There was an even louder scrabbling sound as a result of his order. It sounded like something was moving around above the ceiling.
There was a sickening crack that had you shoving Ellie and Sam ahead of you, trying to quickly get them to further down the tunnel. The ground was quaking underneath your feet, the entire tunnel shaking as you tried to close the distance between the kids and the bits of concrete that were beginning to crumble from the ceiling.
“It’s gonna collapse!”
Henry shouted, trying to move right behind them as larger rocks and pieces of the tunnel started to rain down, using his body to try and shield them from getting hit. As you pushed him forward you felt something too close to you. You felt large hands shove you to the side as something fell among the debris, sending you crashing into the wall, the last thing you saw was Ellie’s panicked face as she shouted out for you and Joel through the cascade of debris before the tunnel went completely dark.
You gasped, trying desperately to pull air into your lungs but dust was heavy in the air. You started coughing, the sound harsh even to your ringing ears. It was pitch black all around you, your flashlight having flown from your hands along with your colt. The sounds of debris settling around you had you flying up from your spot, thankfully not having been crushed by anything large enough to do any lasting damage. You were half leaning against what remained of the side of the tunnel. You crawled away as another large chunk of concrete came tumbling down, hands and knees scraping along the ground.
“Joel!” You called into the darkness, breath shuddering as you were met silence. You were sure he had been behind you, or at least close to you before you had tumbled into the wall. You worried he had gotten caught underneath the concrete, your mind racing as coughs racked your body, gasping as you tried to clear your lungs of dust. It was too heavy in the air.
Heaving, you pulled your pack from your back once you felt safe enough, digging blindly into the ground around you in a desperate attempt to find the colt. It hadn’t been yours; it had been his and it was one of the last things you had after fifteen years. When you couldn’t find it in the space around you, you felt tears sting in your eyes. Completely overwhelmed by the prospect of having lost a part of him, not being able to get a response from Joel, the cave in separating you from Ellie and potentially trapping you within the city, having to backtrack alone and find another way out from under Kathleen’s militia. You didn’t have another second to think before there was a clicking sound followed by a sudden gasp from beneath the rubble.
“Joel!” You shouted again, reaching for the smaller flashlight in the pocket hugging your thigh. You clicked it on in time to see a twisted body crawling from underneath the rubble, twisting its head in an unnatural display. You tried not to breathe too loudly, but it wouldn’t have mattered as you did. You spied a smudge of brown that was moving about among the white dust that covered everything, it had to be Joel. When he started coughing harshly, you felt relief flood your veins but only for a moment. Your heart leapt into your throat as you saw the clicker amble out of where it had been buried and made its way toward him, leaving your precious pack behind on the ground without a thought.
“Hey!” You shouted, pushing yourself up, grit underneath your boots making you trip. Your shoulder hit a large chunk of concrete jutting up, but you just pushed off it and scrambled over to where Joel was stuck in the debris. He was groaning, coming to, making far too much noise as he did so. You felt your foot get caught as you rushed, heart thudding hard as you tried to keep your flashlight on the clicker moving around, it wasn’t as fast as it could’ve been, one of its arms was nearly torn from the shoulder socket, cordyceps slowly reaching out from it and making your stomach lurch.
You heard your name, Joel suddenly shooting up from his spot in a slight crevice as he regained his awareness. He groaned, his back hurt like hell where the large sheet that had been about to fall directly on you had grazed him when he threw himself at you to get you out of the way. You had been too focused on the kids getting to safety you hadn’t seen it. He tried to sit up but was quickly leaning back against the rubble around him, a strangled sound getting stuck in his throat. His noise spurred the clicker on, it picked up speed, the inhuman shrieking filling the collapsed tunnel, and you managed to get your foot out from where it was stuck in time to throw your body over Joel.
He shouted your name, the flashlight having landed to shine the beam up at the ceiling from somewhere in the rubble, lighting up the whole space enough to see. The site of a clicker hurdling right toward him had him scrambling but your figure flashed before him, blocking his view completely. His hands had come up to catch you, to help you, to shove you, whatever he could’ve managed to do in that spare second. You felt the clicker reach out for you as you hovered over Joel, its good hand reaching to claw at the front of your jacket, its teeth snapping harshly as it tried to crane its neck and get a hold on you. You grunted with the effort it took to fight off its hand, kicking out your legs at its body despite the bad footing you had. It managed to get some footing itself among the debris, and it lunged.
You screamed as its wide mouth appeared right in front of your face, hands coming up in a last-ditch effort to keep it away. There was a loud squelching sound followed by the thing screeching so loud you went to cover your ears, Joel doing the same below you. Yours and Joel’s harsh breathing sounded in the air, though everything was still for a second. You pried your eyes open, not realizing you had shut them as the clicker had lunged. It was scrabbling to reach for you still, though it’s good hand couldn’t quite reach you. You looked up to see it had been impaled on a piece of rebar sticking up over where Joel had been trapped. It was struggling to free itself, the ugly sound of its old flesh ripping as it thrashed about.
Joel shoved at you, urging you to move to the side and give him some space to stand. He pushed to sit up despite the stab of pain in his back and the tug of his ankle freed it from where it had been lodged, twinging as he did so. He stumbled as he tried to gain some footing and raised the knife he had freed from his belt. He grunted with each harsh stab he made to silence the clicker once and for all. His shoulders heaving underneath his jacket.
“You’re so goddamn stupid!” He shouted as he rounded on you, scrambling back over to you, your name falling from him in a biting tone. His hands were trembling as he brought them up to cradle your dusty face, fingers tangling in your hair. It hurt when his chest collided with yours and he knocked his head into yours in a searing kiss. “Don’t you ever think of jumping in front of me again! You hear me?”
“I wasn’t about to let that thing tear into you!” You shouted back, pulling him to you as his arms came around you in a crushing embrace. You dug your own shaking fingers into his shoulders, lips bruising against his. Nose throbbing as his own nudged as yours. The flashlight flickered, the space pitch black once again, and the sound of the rubble shifting had you both twisting to see a large chunk tumble down from where it had nearly been touching what was once the ceiling. Muffled shouts of yours and Joel’s names squeezed through the opening that had cropped up.
The flashlight flickered off completely, the thing too worn down to keep operating as more debris shifted toward the top of the collapse.
-
After what seemed like hours of working in the limited light from two flashlights, there was finally enough of the debris cleared to crawl through. Joel had insisted you move through as soon as it had been large enough for you to safely fit, but you argued you weren’t moving until he could follow after you. He was frustrated, still, that you had thrown yourself in front of him. But he knew he was nothing but a hypocrite because he would’ve done the same.
He was frustrated further when you were insistent that your pack was the first thing to make the move through the opening.
You had won the minor argument of there being enough supplies, minus food, for the three of them on the other side to survive off of for days should the rubble give way and you two were caught. You and Joel could handle yourselves, you had pointed out, could find and fight for survival and supplies. While Henry would need all the help he could get if he were left to watch over Sam and Ellie alone. Joel had shut up at your words, a mix of emotions swirling in his mind, but knowing that you were ultimately making the most sensible call.
The second you were through the questionable opening and on your feet, something slammed into you hard enough to make you stumble back. Dust flew to the air at the contact.
“All we heard was the clicker and you screaming, we thought it got you.” Ellie’s voice was muffled where her face was buried in your chest. Her hands were tight around your ribs, squeezing the air out of your lungs. She pushed from you as quickly as she had launched herself at you. Joel let out a loud ‘oof’ as she had moved to do the same to him, her arms not quite going around his form but still squeezing him tight around his middle. “We didn’t hear anything from you until you started hollerin’ at her. I thought you got crushed.”
He hesitantly brought his arms down to loosely return the embrace, his face a weird mix of emotions you couldn’t quite make out. He didn’t say anything, but he didn’t need to. They were blocked from view when Sam suddenly stepped up to you and curled his arms around your waist, looking up at you with tears in his eyes. You felt your heart melt, kneeling down to bring him into a proper embrace. He was shaking, his small form quaking as he tried to sign something to you but couldn’t quite make it out with the proximity. You pulled away a little to see better, he was gushing that he was glad you were okay. Over his shoulder, Henry nodded at you, reaching over to place a hand on your shoulder.
“This was on our side.” Ellie spoke up, having let go of Joel as quickly as she had done with you. The man was standing with a hand on his hip, turned away with a slightly pinched look about him. She was holding out her hand, but you couldn’t see what was in it over Sam’s shoulder. The young boy released himself from you with a shy smile and went back to Henry’s side.
The gleam of silver in her hands caught the ray of Joel’s flashlight and you felt a shuddering breath fall from your lips. The detailed inlay along the handle had you surging forward and bringing Ellie into a tight embrace. She yelped at the sudden move, not having expected you to crush her to your body. Shaking hands came up to cradle her head, the gun wedged between your bodies a comforting sensation.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you.” You let her go to take the missing colt from her hands when you realized your own were shaking. The gun rattled in your grip; it was scuffed from sliding along the concrete, but it was still in one piece.
“I see the way you clean it whenever we have a moment of peace. Figured it was important.” She offered you a lopsided smile, a blush on her cheeks as she realized she liked the feeling of hugging you, of hugging Joel. It felt like something she had only ever had with one other person, it was comfort. She wanted more of it with you both, but she knew that was a dangerous thought. Attachment always ended in being hurt, either due to unspoken expectations or when it was taken forcefully from you without a moment's notice. Joel’s eyes were on you both, a question in his mind that he didn’t dare ask. He glanced down at the broken watch on his wrist before urging everyone into motion once again.
-
The night air was cool on your heated skin as you emerged from the depths of the tunnel. The door that you had entered led into the lower levels of a building had indicated that you could go through one more into the building itself or the one that led out into a parking garage. The stagnant air of the building was marginally better than that of the tunnel, but the cool air of the outside as you walked into the open level of the structure was heavenly. The brisk fall air settling around you and you breathed deep despite the sting to your broken nose.
You had not been a fan of the tunnels, traveling so far underground in such a cramped space. You closed your eyes and took a moment, the rest of the group walking past you and into the open space. You could feel eyes on you, but they didn’t linger. You brought up your hands to wipe at the sweat on your forehead, being mindful not to graze the scab there.
“Do you know where we are?”
“Yep. On the other side.” Henry's words weren't clipped, but they were did have a weird tone. You chocked it up to the way things were progressing, surely he was experiencing an overwhelming amalgamation of emotions with leaving the city he had once called home. Being chased from his home for just trying to protect his brother the only way he knew how. You couldn't fathom what he was going through. While not being one yourself, you could understand how people ended up in positions that demanded they be collaborators. Thankfully, you hadn't been cornered or targeted in such a way, FEDRA needing proper medical knowledge but your QZ not being so far gone as to test the murky waters with demanding too much of you. They had paid you well in vouchers and supplies, certain soldiers looking the other way when you went beyond the walls to retrieve more. It hadn't been for you, none of it had been for you, it had always been about helping people as best you could with what you knew. But you were aware that no everyone was so lucky.
The mood was somber as the group walked through the parking garage, through the last bit of the main city. The streets you were now making your way through were lined with houses, abandoned vehicles parked in both normal spots as if someone had just come home from work and had walked into their home for dinner as well as haphazardly left in the middle of the street in a rush. It was another mark of a panicked time when the world had fallen so swiftly, so suddenly. You were grateful to be away from the denseness of the city, it had been suffocating the second it had turned into more than a simple drive through.
Joel led the way, Ellie following closely behind him. Henry and Sam were a few steps behind her, and you were still on alert behind them. There was enough moonlight to guide the way, flashlights would only draw attention in the open environment, should someone be waiting or watching. A sure-fire way to gather attention you really didn’t want. Feeling the same way about gunfire, you paused and holstered your gun. You kneeled into a crouch as you removed your pack from your shoulders. You felt a twinge in them as you did so, the harness helping to alleviate some of it but not all.
A few strides ahead of you, Joel stopped when he heard the hush of your pack zipper. He watched as you carefully pulled the machete he hadn’t known was in there until he had been looking for medicine earlier in the day. It gleamed dully in the moonlight cascading down, the silver of it clean and polished, well taken care of. He was curious as to how that had come to be your choice of backup weapon, but as you stood and slipped your pack back on his eyes took in the way you twirled it in your right hand. You had a good sense of the weapon, balancing it perfectly with your fluid movements as if stretching an old muscle seemed unnervingly natural. He wouldn't want to end up in a close quarter scuffle with you, you were no doubt faster than it would take to aim and fire a gun.
The slight muscle tone to your arms made a lot more sense, he mused as he turned back around. The phantom feel of your hands on him, your arms around his shoulders sparking something in him that he quickly tried to shake off. His steps hadn’t faltered but Ellie had noticed his attention on you and looked back herself. She took in the way you were maneuvering the machete easily, as if it were nearly a broadsword one of her favorite comic book characters wielded and she couldn’t help the excited smile that broke out on her lips. She was so going to ask you to show her how to use that.
A patting noise pulled her attention from you and toward the two boys beside her. You, too, had come up to make a line behind Joel. It was Ellie, Henry, Sam, and you. The younger of the boys was signing, trying to quell his curiosity of what happened next.
‘Why can’t we use our lights?’
‘He says so we don’t draw attention.’
‘But no one’s out here?’
‘Someone could be on patrol out here,’ You signed, mouthing the words as well in case your hands weren’t precise enough in your lack of efficiency with the language. You smiled down at the boy, hoping he felt safe being outside the city, despite it being a new experience for him. ‘Just to be extra safe.’
“No. No one is here.” Henry spoke as he signed, a bit of his frustration at still being talked at and told what to do seeping through. You had trusted him enough to shove both Sam and Ellie at him when the tunnel collapsed but Joel was still holding them at a safe distance. He felt like you and him had come to an understanding, the children come first, they are the most important thing. But Joel was still hard to read, indecipherable in how he felt about everything and how to move forward from here. “No one’s gonna be here because my plan worked.”
“So much god damn talkin’.” Joel’s voice didn’t hold any contempt or malice, just mild annoyance. And while you and Henry had come to an agreement with each other, an understanding, that didn’t negate the fact that he needed to learn to be more careful. He still had that air about him that if something small worked out, everything would follow. You had too much experience in this world that contested that type of thinking, though you had always been overtly cautious of things even Before.
“I’m just saying,” Henry pointed ahead to his right. I delivered. Make this right, go down the street, embankment behind the last house and we’re out.”
Joel pivoted in the direction the younger man was pointing to, head on a swivel. You were doing the same, there was a gnawing feeling in your gut, telling you something was off about the stillness and the quiet air about the neighborhood. It almost felt like you were being watched, eyes following your movements through the streets causing your back muscles to twitch and goosebumps to raise up on your arms underneath your jacket.
“So we cross the river and then what?” Ellie spoke up, a cautious almost hopeful tone to her voice that had you looking toward her. You had promised Henry you would help him to keep Sam safe, but she couldn’t have overhead that while loudly playing tag earlier. Joel too, hadn’t quite heard everything, but had to have a hunch as to your thoughts on the matter. You wanted to keep that promise, Sam was too young to be out here in the expanse of wasteland. And while you were sure Henry would do what was needed to provide for and protect him, he was young as well. He had a lot to learn and learn quickly in order to not get taken advantage of or trapped, killed. “Where you gonna go?”
“Don’t know yet.” He cut his eyes toward you, taking in the way you were watching the back of Joel’s head as he led the way.
“Well, we’re goin’ to Wyoming.” Joel’s head turned so fast it was a wonder his neck hadn’t popped. He was training a warning look at Ellie, his eyes shifted to you. You raised an eyebrow, a silent argument that he felt was already futile. Ellie was hard enough to deter, and she had made a friend, a connection that seemed to excite her and make her feel a little more like the child that she was. And if you were to back her up in your sensible, matter-of-fact manner, he was sure he would crumble. Ellie dug her feet in and began the first stages that would eventually break him down into agreeing it was the best move for everyone. “What? It’s a huge state. It can fit two more people.”
“Yeah…” Henry looked to you, wanting to believe that you would hold true to your promise. But he was unsure now, in the open air outside the city. Joel, again, would be the one to make the final call and he couldn’t see you splitting off from him in order to uphold it. The looks you two shared, whether it be to communicate thoughts you didn't say aloud or when the one didn't think the other was looking, and the comfortability between you two was obvious to him and he had only just met you. The way that is was obvious you would both do whatever it took to keep the other safe, to keep Ellie safe. “Maybe we just call this one a success and say our fond farewells.”
“No, he’ll change his mind. Trust me.” Ellie nodded over to you, a cheeky smile pulling at her lips. She put on a deep voice in an imitation of Joel’s timbre, an over exaggerated twang in an effort to capture his accent. “This is how it goes. He like, ‘No, Ellie. Never, ever happening.’”
You stifled a bark of laughter at the absurd expression she made in order to do so, tucking her chin in and scrunching up her face. You could practically feel him roll his eyes as he glanced back at her, not amused in the slightest by her breakdown of how she thought decisions were made within your little trio.
“And then I’m like, ‘I’m gonna ask you a million more times.’ And then she’s gonna point out all the reasons why it would be better to travel-“
Sudden gunshots had you all ducking, Ellie shouting out in surprise.
“Move, move!” Joel’s hands were on Ellie in a second, guiding her by her shoulder to seek shelter behind the car just a few paces in front of her. It was one of the cars that was in the middle of the road, you watched as the rest of your group crouched down underneath the already shattered windows. You hadn’t had time to follow after them after making sure Henry had a good hold on Sam before a second shot buzzed past your head and you had skidded to your knees behind another vehicle. You could see them, but you were on the other side of the street, the cars perpendicular to the lanes that made it up.
“Ellie?” You called, not able to see her. She peeked out from where she was practically tucked into Joel’s right side. She was nestled with Sam between the two men, where the body of the car was largest, to provide them with more protection. She shakily called out that she was okay and let out the breath you had been holding. You had seen Joel reach for her but in the haste to get yourself safely out of sight you hadn’t seen them hunker down together.
A third shot rang out, shattering the taillight of the car that Joel had ushered everyone behind.
“Where the fuck is that comin’ from?”
“Shut up.” Joel immediately demanded. He looked across the street to you, seeing the way that you were reaching up to touch a tentative hand to your left ear. The bullet hadn’t grazed you, but it had been too close for comfort. He turned to raise his head over the trunk of the car, just barely getting his eyes over the top of it to survey the street. As he did so another shot fired straight from the higher story of a house facing down the street. Henry dared to look through the driver’s side window, prompting another loud shot to hit the broken window and shattering what was left of it.
“Fuck. Let’s move. Let’s go.”
Before you could even begin to argue, mouth pursed to open, Henry was gripping Sam by the hand and shoulder, ushering him away from the relative safety of the car.
“What’re you doin’?” Joel’s shout was edging on frustrated, truly not understanding the younger man’s train of thought. The lack of preservation even in the face of what’s he’s already done to ensure the safety of his brother.
“Henry, wait!” You moved to stand but at a harsh glare and click of Joel’s tongue you lowered yourself back down. Ellie watching everything with a pinched expression.
“Getting’ the fuck outta here!” They barely made it a few yards before a shot landed on the car they were running past. You could only watch as they stumbled and skidded, nearly falling on their backs as they tried to avoid another should it follow. Frantically turning back and rushing toward where they had just been crouched beside Joel and Ellie. Sam was tucked under him where he kneeled, the boy curling his face into his brother’s shoulder. Finally registering the severity of the situation, Henry looked over at you and then trained his gaze on Joel, who was leaning his back against the trunk. He peered over the top of it again only to duck back down as a shot landed unnervingly close to where he had just been.
He shifted to lean more of his weight back on the car, lifting his hips to holster his gun. He muttered something to himself that was lost in the tense air.
“Stay here.” It was quiet, like he wasn’t sure it was the right move, or he was worried about how you were going to react. He had just told you to not dive headfirst into danger to save him not even two hours ago, and here he was doing exactly that.
“What?” Ellie’s response was quiet, unbelieving. Joel shifted on his feet, facing away from you and toward Ellie, giving her his full attention. Urging her to listen to his words. He could feel your eyes heavy on his back, knowing you weren’t going to be fond of this plan in the slightest.
“If you don’t move, he’s not gonna hit you. I’m gonna go around, try to get in the house through the back, and then I’ll take him out.”
“But if you go out there, he’s gonna kill you.” Ellie maintained eye contact with him, her face open and earnest, pleading with him. Her tone as firm as his was.
“It’s dark and he has shit aim. Nobody’s gonna kill me.” Joel raised his voice above a whisper, urging her to hear him, to hear what he was really saying. That he’d be damned if someone was going to hurt either of you. Hurt any of you as long as you were with him.
“Then he’s gonna kill us.”
Joel furrowed his brow, knocking his head down to stare at her, eyes glinting with something behind the serious tone he was exhibiting.
“Do you trust me?”
She reeled back at the question, tears shining in her eyes as she came to a startling realization. That for the way that this had started, the gruffness, the snarky comments about his hearing and the way his knees popped, the way he insisted she wasn’t family, knowing that he had other things – other people in his life, she unequivocally did trust him. She nodded. She trusted him to do everything in his power to keep her safe. He looked away, not able to handle how vulnerable she looked, how raw he felt with the exchange. He was a swirl of emotions, some he hadn’t even known were stored deep in who he was, who he had become. But he knew he wouldn’t be able to handle seeing another child being taken out by a gun if there was something he could’ve done to prevent it.
"You good with that?"
He turned to you, wanting to close the gap or to usher you over to where they were. But he didn’t. He took in the way you were leaning your head back against the metal of the vehicle you were hiding behind. Your knees up to your chest as you crouched to make yourself as small as possible. Machete gripped tight in your hands and ready for whatever may come next. Your eyes were closed, mouth open as you pulled in air to even out the heaving of your chest. He knows you heard him, heard his plan to try and take out the person targeting them. When you opened your eyes and turned to look at him, you nodded, letting him know you were going to follow his lead.
"Copy that."
Joel moved to the front of the car and with a final pat on each of their arms, he made a mad dash across the street and toward the house. You watched him as he went, worry settling into your chest. As soon as he was up, you were standing with a shout, machete shielding your head as you hoped to distract the shooter. It seemed to work for a second, a shot buzzing past you before they caught sight of Joel beyond a fence line and adjusted their aim to him.
You bobbed on your feet for a second of thought before you made a dash to cross the distance between the cars, Ellie’s hands grasping at your sleeve the second you were couched beside her. You reached out to offer a hand to Henry and Sam, both of them gripping your other arm as you nestled in between them and Ellie.
“We’re gonna be okay, I promise.”
Shots bounced around you. Loud in the night air. Hitting the vehicle you had just been using as a shield, hitting the one you were all behind. But when one flew through the window and landed too close for comfort in the dirt at your feet, you were pushing yourself up, lips set into a firm line. You felt Ellie’s grip on your arm, her feet skidding on the ground as she tried to pull you back down. You did so, right hand tucking the machete close to you and the left coming up to cradle her face.
“I’m gonna draw his attention away, you’ll be safe, I swear it. Just stay, like Joel said, okay?” It was different than with Joel, the reassurance. You weren’t asking her to trust you, you were asking her to be brave, to hold her own ground while you lead the way. No less important as she grasped that you were willing to do whatever it would take to keep her safe just as he would. She was nodding her head, her fingers loosening their grip on your arm.
You made a run for the vehicle just ahead, a shot going over your head just as you ducked behind it. You hoped it had been enough time for Joel to get up to that higher level in the house. Enough time to sneak up on the shooter, to convince them to stop this madness. Another shot ringing out and then abrupt, heavy silence was your only answer. You glanced over the top of the car, still cautious. Just in case…
You spied a single figure in the dark window, but no shots came after you. You sighed in relief, hoping there hadn’t been a struggle. Joel raised his hand to you in the window, knowing you would only be able to see his outline or shadow but at the way your shoulders relaxed he felt a bit of relief as well. You brought up a hand as well and he let out a chuckle at the triviality of it. The others were looking to you across the distance of the street and you nodded as you spoke to them. You were about to stand at full height when the sound of a roaring engine had your heart beating hard in your chest and fear welling up in your stomach. You weren’t fond of loud sounds, especially when they announced that you were about to be ambushed.
“Run!” Joel’s loud shout was muffled due to the distance, but you still heard the urgency in his voice. He kept shouting twice, three, four more times. The desperation in his voice became more apparent as bright lights flashed from down the street where you had been traveling from. You were the closest, having backtracked in an attempt to get the gunfire to rain down further away from the kids. Engines growled loudly in the night air as a group of them could be seen moving right toward you.
The suddenness of a giant tank of a vehicle with a dozer on the front of it speeding down the street toward you had pushing off the vehicle you were still behind. Spurred into motion by the bight spotlights casting blinding rays across the street and surrounding area. Henry was quick to usher the kids in front of him, spurred into action just as quickly as you. The crash of metal as the dozer forced is way down the street was loud, every thud of a car being hit reverberating in your chest.
Ellie fired a shot behind her with her handgun as Joel did the same from his perch in the house. She was up ahead of you, Henry and Sam ahead of her by a few paces. Frantic, weaving desperately through the littered street.
“Veer off!” You shouted, sweeping your arm to indicate what you meant despite your body tensing as the vehicle was only a few cars behind you. Just as a shot landed to crack the windshield of the impending vehicle, you heard Ellie’s gun click to signal that she was out of ammo. You weren’t sure if it was one of her hits or Joel’s from the house at the head of the street, but she went tumbling down just a few paces further. Picking up speed despite the burn in your legs you jutted the handle of the machete into your belt, the blade facing down and away from you, the length of it lining up with your left leg. You reached down and pulled Ellie up by her bag, but the vehicle skidding around as it lost speed had her crawling away.
Without thinking you folded your body over her to shield her.
There was a loud splintering of wood and metal as the vehicle veered off the road completely and into one of the abandoned houses. Trucks and jeeps were quickly filled up the street in its absence to make a barricade, the blinding lights on top of them making it hard for you to see straight. The spots of light decorating your vision even as you diverted your gaze. You were pulling Ellie up, ushering her to move but she was nearly frozen in fear and panic. Your hands were rough on her as you dragged her a few steps before lifting her in your arms completely. She wasn’t much smaller than you so it was a struggle, her body held tight to you as you tried to move as quickly as possible from the people emerging from the vehicles.
The sounds of the doors slamming shut behind them and the crunch of their feet on the ground seemed to shake her out of her stupor. She stumbled as she regained feeling in her legs and tried to get a foot down on the ground, her hands gripping your arms and back tightly as you had to cradle her nearly bridal style in your arms. You tried to help her right herself but kept moving at the same time and she tripped, sending you both tumbling to the ground.
“Shit! I’m so sorry!” She cried out. You both gripped each other as you managed to get back up on your feet, you pulled her along, letting her know it was okay. She was okay, she was going to be okay. A few more paces was all the distance you managed before an explosion lit up the street. The sound of it deafening, the brightness of yellow and orange blinding as it reached high into the sky where the large vehicle with the dozer had settled halfway into a house. You threw yourself over Ellie again, both of you hitting the ground on pure instinct. Pieces of debris rained down all around you, some of it still on fire. Smoke billowed up and filled the air.
You coughed as you lifted off her a bit, getting onto your hands and knees to hover over her where she began to shift. She was sucking in air, having been winded from the fall. Everything was still as a fire raged far too close for comfort. The street was littered with smaller fires, mostly debris but some bushes were going up in flames as well, adding more smoke to the air.
Footsteps were approaching you, some from up ahead and some from where the vehicles had come to a screeching halt just a few yards behind you. Hands were suddenly on you, but they were accompanied by a friendly voice.
“You guys okay?” Henry was kneeling down, hands checking you both for any injuries.
“Yeah.” Was all Ellie managed before you were hauling her up again and shoving her at Henry, the two stumbled at your rough treatment and were about to ask what was wrong when they looked up to see your back to them and your machete raised. The gleam of it was threatening in the light of the fire all around.
“Get her the fuck out of here.” Your voice was low, tempered into a warning. But it wasn’t aimed at them. You didn’t glance back at them as they noticed the three figures ahead of you and retreated.
As soon as one of the figures moved to go after them, a shot ringing through the air from their handgun, you lunged. You didn’t think twice before bringing your blade down on their arm, severing it at the elbow and quickly silencing their screams with a second swipe to their chest. The other two figures fanned out and tried to surround you, but the part of the street you were on was too crowded with cars and flaming debris.
You shifted on your feet, turning the blades handle in your hand in anticipation. They were afraid to fire on you as if they were low on ammo and needed to be more cautious about its usage. Something you were going to use to your advantage. You took a measured step toward them, both of them stepping back to keep the same distance.
“You don’t even know me.”
“We know you killed our people.”
“Your people attacked mine. We were just trying to pass through.”
“This is our city.”
“Your city is shit, wouldn’t recommend it.” They closed in on you at once, one on your right side and one on your front. They both fired but you were more suited for close range and ducked. Surging forward you moved in a wide sweep, blade aimed down toward their legs, shouts falling from them as slices blossomed on their skin. It was a blurring of gunfire and metallic tashikaze that sounded in the air before the two figures dropped to the ground. Not wasting another second, you took off down the street and ducked behind a vehicle, skidding to a halt on your knees in your haste.
“He’s up there.” The shadow of a large man spoke, seeming to be the lead of the second wave of people that emerged from the line of vehicles and began to advance down the street. You looked up over the hood of the car you were behind, spying on Henry peeking over the trunk of one on the other side of the street. You didn’t like being so far from them, but it was good you weren’t all grouped together. It meant that at least some of you would be able to get out of this. It was not a good situation, they knew where Joel was, by himself up in that house. They knew where you had scurried too, surely the general vicinity, through the smoke. But they hadn’t seen where Henry had retrieved too with the kids.
“Two and two! Around the back, take him out!”
“Dead end, Henry.” A high-pitched voice announced, so confident in their observation. “Gonna step on out? Save us some time?”
You could hear as well as see the shadows of people advancing down the street, the group led by the large figure’s orders having dipped around off the street toward Joel. Now it was a woman who led a smattering of people, her frame getting closer and closer. Her voice was in a pitch that grated on your ears, too sweet for the words and venom she was spitting out. You could only assume it was Kathleen.
You lowered yourself to the ground in a crouch, peering underneath the car to get a look at the situation. Kathleen was standing in the middle of the street, gun in her hand but down by her hip, not up and ready to fire. She was an average looking woman, probably close to your age, stockier than her voice sweet voice alluded to. She was in a pair of loose jeans and a zipped-up jacket that you would bet was concealing a bullet proof vest. Her dark hair was pulled back in a braided updo that trailed between her shoulders. The large figure from earlier was beside her. He was a tall man, sturdy looking with his wide chest and thick legs covered in protective gear. His silver white hair was straight as it fell to his shoulders, his full beard much the same color. He was on guard with a rifle pulled up to rest on one shoulder, ready to shoot anyone who came close to Kathleen.
“That’s alright. Doesn’t matter.”
“I’ll come out.” Henry’s voice was loud, though you could hear a slight waver to it even across the street from where he was tucked. You straightened up at his words, no longer crouching low but ready to reveal yourself to give him the opportunity to take the kids and run. “Just let the kids go!”
“No. Sorry. The girl is with the couple who killed Bryan. And Sam…” Kathleen came to a stop in the middle of the street, just in front of your hiding spot. You tried to keep your breathing even so as to not give it away, but there was still a lot of smoke in the air that was making it hard to temper. You heard the crunch of steps followed by the hush of grass against fabric. “Well, Sam’s with you.”
“You don’t understand!”
“But I do.” She sounded as if she was merely having a discussion, not actively hunting down and cornering people to execute them in revenge. “I know why you did what you did. But did you ever stop to think that maybe he was supposed to die?”
“He’s just a fucking kid!” Henry was no doubt seething, you certainly were. How could this woman stand here after managing to successfully free her city and immediately put it all on the line for revenge? You were so caught up in your thoughts and trying to figure out the best way to give Henry a chance to get away when you heard a boot scuff behind you.
“Well, kids die, Henry. They die all the time. You think the world revolves around him? That he’s worth…everything? Well, this is what happens when you fuck with fate.”
You could barely make out what she was saying as the butt of a rifle came down hard between your shoulders. You spun around, standing quickly despite the pain fanning out along your back and prickling in your shoulders. Machete coming up and out to catch the man’s forearm where his shirt sleeve was rolled up. He hissed at the sting as blood dripped down to the ground before swinging the rifle out and knocking the blade from your hand.
As soon as it was flying through the air you reached for the colt safely tucked into its holster and aimed at the man’s leg, hoping to down him. When it jammed, you swore. He descended on you, the rifle was slung over his shoulder, and he was hauling you up by your hair. His large hands were rough as he gripped your loose hair tight in his fist, the other coming to wrangle the colt out of your own.
“Nice try, sweetheart, but we got you outnumbered.” His voice was smooth as he had you standing, your legs kicking out at him in an attempt to free yourself.
“Get your fuckin’ hands off me!” Your shout was loud even from behind the car, cutting off the conversation between Kathleen and Henry.
Joel dared to take his eyes off Ellie to search for your figure, the desperation in your voice enough to make his entire body go numb. He had lost you in the haze of smoke, in the frantic aftermath of you taking out that trio of people. He had seen you run closer to where he was but had lost track when you had ducked behind a car. His eyes found you again, gripped tight in the hold of a tall man. He was dragging you by your hair from around where you had been seeking safety, arms up to encompass his to try and loosen his grip, legs kicking up dust as you struggled to try and get footing on the ground. He was easily more than a foot taller than you and about a hundred pounds heavier. There was no way you could get free with just your bare hands, especially with the way he dragged you behind him as he walked briskly back to Kathleen’s side. He felt himself tense, a feeling of dread settling heavy in his middle, as he noticed there was no gun in your holster and the machete was nowhere to be seen.
“If we hurt her, it’ll draw the man out. Then we can end some of this.” Kathleen’s sickly-sweet voice sounded close to you, the gun she aimed at you not stopping you from continuing to try and fight out of the grip on you. You were confident that you could tackle her and take her out just before a bullet would find it's home in your skin. Joel felt his grip tighten on the rifle he held, daring to move in front of the window. He wouldn’t be able to land a hit without putting you at risk, the man was so close to you, and you were thrashing about too frantically. It was too risky, even if all he wanted to do was shoot the motherfucker dead. “Perry, restrain her.”
You tried to fight against the strong arms that came around you. Perry was crouching down, his grip still tight in your hair and forced you on your back. The force of you hitting the ground hurt, but you continued to struggle, not liking the how easily the man was throttling you about. He released the grip on your hair to pull both your hands in front of you, holding them steady while he patted you down for weapons. Some of the people gathered around her started to share looks with each other, unsure if they agreed once you had started shouting. You hadn’t personally done anything to them. It was one thing to go after the man who sold out her brother.
“No, no, no!” The man’s hands were rough on you. Your voice angry at being handled, Joel felt his knuckles crack around the rifle as he could do nothing but watch from above. Perry was hauling you up a bit to reach into the holster and make sure it was empty, his hands coming up to your chest and feeling around for where the harness was concealing your second gun. When his hand brushed underneath your chest, the callouses of his fingertips finding it, the fabric of his gloves rubbed the buttons open on your Henley. At the feeling of cold air on the exposed skin of your chest you sucked in a breath to scream but a hand clamped down over your mouth. Perry found your eyes and shook his head, but you couldn’t see the expression on his face through the blur your vision had taken on.
Once he had relieved you of all your weapons, he hauled you back up on your feet. His arms were tight around you, keeping your arms pinned to your sides as he pulled your hands behind your back with one of his own. He pulled your back to his front to try and keep his grip on your frame, but you continued to fight against him, your heart hammering in your chest and your head throbbing.
With all your thrashing, Perry’s hold tightened impossibly on you, the movement causing the back of one of his hands to brush against the waistband of your pants. The clinking sound of your belt buckle against his watch made you go stock still, tears filling your eyes and speeding down your face. The sound of it triggering something ugly and terrified in you. You quickly tried to shake the fear from clouding your mind, body humming but you couldn’t.
“Don’t! Don’t touch me, you motherfucker!” Your voice was trembling despite the volume, the fear all too real and you knocked your head back hard and made contact with his face. The crunch of his nose didn’t affect the hold he had on you, save for causing him to stumble a bit. His foot caught a piece of debris and you both crashed to the ground. The shriek you let out was so loud people flinched. Up in the attic of the house, Joel was sure his heart had stopped for a beat at the sound tearing through your throat.
Perry’s body was heavy on top of yours, but even if he hadn’t fallen on top of you, you wouldn’t have been able to move. There was a sharp pain shooting through your left arm, the sickening feeling of a broken bone churning your stomach. You dry heaved, nothing in your stomach to throw up after having given all your food to Sam earlier in the day. Perry was quick to scramble up on his knees, though he kept you pinned down to the ground, straddling your thighs between them and holding your shoulders down with his hands. His eyes were wide as he took in the damage the fall had caused. You were panting beneath him, chest heaving as pain seared in your body and sweat began to pill along your skin.
The scrape on your forehead had opened up, blood spotting along the deeper parts of it. Your nose, similarly, had begun to throb as the already broken cartilage had been jostled, blood trickling down over your lips. But your arm…your left arm lay still at your side. There was the bright white of bone where it ripped through the flesh on the outside of your forearm. You could feel the tight pull of it on your skin, causing more blood to gush from the wound. Your vision swam as tears stuck to your lashes and pain overwhelmed your nerves.
“Ah, fuck! Oh no. No, no, no, no, no!” Your desperate pleas turned into snarls, trying to move about but being unable to. You glanced down at where you couldn’t feel your arm, the sight making your anxiety spike. You thrashed your head about, seeking out Perry above you. Seeking out Kathleen’s figure still standing close but now over you both, her gun aimed should she need to stop you from getting up and away. “You did not just break my fucking arm!”
“Maybe if you had just come willingly with us, it wouldn’t have happen-“
“Shut the fuck up, you self-righteous bitch!” You growled out, anger taking over any fear that had been in your body. You brought a thigh up hard, using your heel to get momentum behind it and connected It with Perry’s groin, your other knee hitting him low on the back too. The man’s grip left you and you scrambled out from underneath him. You took the gun in the holster on his hip, cocked it, and brough it up to aim right at her, her own having been lowered at the sheer volume of your voice and the vehemence of your words. You put your foot down on the man’s neck, forcing him to the ground. You ground your boot into him until he raised his hands out and placed them atop his head in surrender, a choking sound coming from him.
Your hair was loose and wild about you, but the strands didn’t hide the rage in your eyes, the tear stains that broke up the grime and dirt on your face. Your broken arm was tucked close to your chest, shoulder tense with the effort it took to hold it there and not just let it dangle at your side. You were overtly aware that you were surrounded, that Henry had the kids hiding behind a car far too close, that Joel was up in that house with limited ammo, that you were all so thoroughly fucked.
Pairing: Frankie Morales x Baker! Reader (ex EMT! Reader)
Summary: Frankie finds out what you’re like in your own element, spending the evening with you in the bakery.
Word Count: 1.6k
Warnings: mutual attraction, blurring of friendly lines, ptsd, kissing
ao3 link || series masterlist || main masterlist
“You’ve got a little…” You brought up a hand and motioned to his face, resisting the urge to brush your hand across his cheek where the smear of flour had made itself at home. Some of it was in his wispy, but tidy facial hair as well, hiding well in the graying whiskers he kept. Frankie looked up from where he was carefully placing the swirled dough onto a sheet pan, his eyes meeting yours.
You had been watching him, his concentration endearing as he focused on the task at hand. He was good at following your gentle instructions on mixing the butter and sugar and cinnamon together in the bowl smoothly. It had turned out so well done you were a little convinced he had been lying to you about him not knowing his way around a kitchen much. But his soft smile at your praise had convinced you he wasn’t pulling your leg, he had just genuinely wanted to do right by your instructions. He was smeared with flour here and there on his simple black tee and faded jeans, work boots heavy on his feet.
“Hand’s are a little tied.” He kept your gaze, watching the way you were placing an already laden tray in the oven. He had ten more cookies to transfer, you had already begun to clean up the counter you had used. You closed the oven and stepped over to him, your hands gentle as you reached out and cradled the left side of his face and tilted it toward you. Your other hand came up to gently brush the flour from his skin, the feeling of his facial hair on your skin electrifying.
“There, all better.” You didn’t take your hands from the gentle hold. He was a little bent over the counter, not wanting to drop the dough and ruin one of the cinnamon swirl cookies you had both been working on the last hour. The sun had set, leaving only the warm light of the bulbs overhead. His eyeline was even with yours and he could see the way your pulse jumped in your throat as his tongue flicked out over his bottom lip, tasting a bit of the sugary mixture from when he had sampled it. He took in the way your pupils dilated at the flash of pink.
He found himself rolling forward, into your space even more than you had initiated. He reveled in the sound of hitching breath, though he wasn’t sure if it was yours or his own. His hands found themselves tangled in the loose bun that had begun to unravel as you two worked and he closed the gap, his lips finding your own so easily as you met him halfway.
Pleasure jolted through your bodies at the contact, the sweetness of the dough allowing for an even more extraordinary taste as you opened your mouth for his tongue to explore. A small groan sounded in your throat and your hands trailed down his neck, feeling the working muscles of it before hooking around it. He lowered his hands too, feeling his way down your shoulders, down the small of your back and resting them on the flare of your hips, gripping there tightly and pulling you flush against him.
His body was warm against you, his hands sure and confident as they held you to him. You broke away with a moan as the tips of his fingers reached beneath the hem of your tank top to meet the soft skin of your waist. You were panting slightly as you looked at him, your eyes wide and blown in pleasure. He’s sure he looked much the same, he felt like his whole body was on fire, jolts of pleasure and heat lacing through him as he felt the soft give of your chest pushed up against his own. He wanted nothing more than to pick you up, set you up on the counter and kiss all the way down your body to taste you at your core. With the way you were holding onto him, he was sure you were just as willing.
“As much as I want to keep this going, the sensible part of my mind is yelling about the damn cookies.”
He huffed a laugh, the sound deep and alluring as you felt it in his chest.
“Then let’s get them finished.”
-
“Can I kiss you again?” Frankie asked as he took off his worn baseball cap on the arm of the couch. You both had come up here to enjoy the fruits of your labor, a few of the cookies were left on a small plate on the coffee table in front of you. Two empty glasses that had held whiskey were next to it. You both had just been talking, spending time getting to know the basics of each other over the cookies.
You were curled up in the corner of the couch that faced the tv along the wall where the staircase branched down into the rest of the building. You looked up from where you had been messing with your phone, turning it on silent in the wake of a small conversation with Taylor. He was insistent on flying out there after work, the time difference allowing him to still leave before the end of the day. You put it down atop the coffee table and turned your attention to the man leaning heavily into the back of the couch, his legs long and spread out before him, his boots over on the shoe rack. You nodded as you pushed yourself up and gently nudged the side of one of his legs.
He looked confused for a second before you spoke, “Frankie, I want to sit on your lap and kiss you until the sun comes up.”
He quickly brought his thighs together and reached out to gently grasp one of your hands to help steady you while the other used his shoulder for leverage. You shuffled over and closed the space, swinging a leg up and over him to settle right over his lap. Your knees knocked into his hips as you settled down without preamble, bringing your hands up to his neck and leaning down to bring your lips to his.
His hands settled on your hips tightly, his fingers digging into the thin fabric of the black sleep shorts you had settled into once coming up. They showed off the tattoos you had there too, and he wanted to explore those more than the ones on your arms. His nose bumped yours as he pulled back, eyes searching for your own.
“I don’t want to push you, okay? You tell me when or what is too much, please. Your week has been a lot and as much as I want to show you just how much I like you, I don’t want to move too fast.”
“You’re too sweet, carino.” You whispered against his lips, hands moving down to caress his shoulders.
“But thank you, really. I just…I kinda like you and wanna see where this goes beyond today?” You could feel the blush rise on your face, cheeks hot and your heart fluttered in your chest at his words. You hadn’t known what would happen all those hours ago opening the bakery door.
“I’d be up for that, because I kinda like ya too.” His eyes were so soft and focused on you, only you. “Just want to make sure we’re okay, every step okay? For you too.” You brought your lips down to meet his, warmth flooding your body at the way his hands caressed your waist through the fabric of your loose shirt.
-
A loud crash sounded and had you both jolting up from the couch where you had sleepily cuddled together, the tiredness of the day too much for either of you to fight off the feeling of cozy comfortability you two found in each other. The television was playing quietly across the room, you two having laid down to watch something when the easy conversation had turned into long comfortable silences enjoying each other’s company. He hadn’t wanted to go and you hadn’t asked him to.
The sound of little feet scurried across the open space and toward the bedroom. Your breath was coming in fast, your chest heaving with the effort it took to calm down. You looked over to the shoe rack, seeing one of Frankie’s boots teetering on the edge of the first stair, the other must’ve been what made the loud sound.
“I’m so sorry, they kinda have a thing for shoes.” You turned to face him, seeing him just as shook as you had felt. His eyes were wild, but they were calming down at the lack of an actual threat. You were watching the way his shoulders heaved, the way his hands were twitching at his sides. The tension in the air seemed stifling as he took in the way one of your shoulder straps had fallen and your shorts were slung low on your hips from sleep. In two strides you were closing the distance and crashing your lips together.
