I posted this on AO3 and gifted it to two FriskeyHeads. This is my second outing on Whiskey Cavalier. I will be posting the first soon. :p
Will's entire body is still aching from the events of yesterday. He could barely stand up this morning and owed it to Jai keeping him awake at the witching hour. He manages to come to work; boosting the team's morale is his excuse. He promises himself that he will not complain how his muscles are sore because those kids they saved from that abandoned camp had been there far longer than he was, frightened and starving. But it is already the afternoon and with no mission to save the world, he wishes that, for the first time, he had stayed in bed. He is worried, though, because today is Wine Day with Frankie and he doesn't want to tell her that he wants a rain check. He likes drinking with her...and ice cream.
They have been together for quite some time now but they actually haven't done the deed yet. He wants to take it slow so as not to scare Frankie away. He knows what she is like so he is giving her time, to get to know her more and for her to adjust. Emma agrees with his decision because, as she told Ray a few weeks ago, she also ran away from almost everything due to the nature of her job at MI6. Emma is also apologetic for barging in on Will and Frankie's intimate moment back in Spain, when the latter confessed that she likes drinking with him. The Londoner agent has become his confidante in regards to his relationship with Frankie and he knows that Frankie also talks to her, and Susan, regarding Will. His thoughts are interrupted by Frankie knocking on his office door.
"Are you ready?" she asks.
Will smiles and answers, "Of course. Ready as always."
Frankie flashes him that million-dollar smile he really loves on her. She has become quite open with him since that night at his place, after France. Still not how open he wants her to be - she still has her secrets - but it's enough for now. She needs time and he's giving it to her and he knows that she appreciates it. He winces as he gets up from his chair. Damn muscles! Damn Kenner!
Frankie notices that Will winced. He is still aching from what happened yesterday. After the debrief and them parting ways at The Dead Drop, he went straight home. He did call her to tell her good night but she noticed that he was walking gingerly when he entered the bar's door this morning. She also noticed that he needs more sleep and wondered what kept him awake.
"You okay?"
Will looks up at her.
"Yeah, I'm good. Got my keys."
"You sure? You know we can schedule this another day."
"I'm sure. And it's Wine Day. You can't schedule it another day when you already set a specific day," Will reasons.
"Oh-kay," Frankie says, rolling her eyes.
Will knows she saw the way he moved today or she wouldn't have asked him to reschedule. He's a man of his words, so to speak, that he doesn't want to break their rules and honour their day. He's letting Frankie drive, though, to compensate.
"You're driving," he says as he tosses the keys in her direction.
Frankie's eyes light up. Will knows that she likes to be in control at times so he lets her and she enjoys it. It is also his way of letting her know that he's biding his time when he can get to know more of her and that he's careful in what he wants. Giving her time does come frequently in his thoughts. Time for Frankie is his friend.
They reached Will's apartment in half an hour and he notices that Frankie has gotten quite comfortable. He tries to get off his jacket but grunts because of his burning muscles.
"You sure you really want to do this?" Frankie asks again. "I'm getting a little bit concerned."
"I'm okay," Will lies but he knows that she sees right through it because she raises her eyebrows. "Fine. Yes, I still want to do this because it's our day. And yes, it hurts all over because of what happened yesterday and Jai keeping me awake this morning to bond."
"Jai kept you awake?" Frankie enquires.
"Yes. I wanted to sleep because I'm really exhausted and he put bugs in the apartment and put on that loud Bollywood music he really loves."
Frankie wants to laugh but she doesn't. She understands Will now, why he seemed so tired when he entered The Dead Drop's front door this morning. And she knows Jai; when he puts his heart on something, he will do it whether or not you're tired or even sick. It's actually his way of caring for people. She surmises that the bugs are still there, wherever Jai had put it, and wishes that he isn't listening. No one knows yet.
"Okay, old man," she begins. "Why don't we sit on the couch and I'll give you another massage."
Will gives her a small smile. He likes her touch. Her massages are comfort to him the same way that Frankie finds comfort in his touch whenever she feels down or even when she's tired. He allows Frankie to take charge in the kitchen as he goes to the couch to relax his tender muscles. Maybe he is an old man; unbeknownst to Frankie, he actually finds it adorable when she calls him that. Frankie doesn't like pet names but he considers her calling him an old man as one. His eyes are closed when Frankie sets the food and wine on the coffee table.
"Whiskey," she says, quietly. "Get up."
He opens one eye and tells her, "Ready?"
"Yes. I need my partner to be in tip-top shape, as usual."
He smiles knowingly at her, calling him her partner. She notices and rolls her eyes.
"You know what I mean."
But she grins when she says it. She knows perfectly well what Will means. She never intentionally meant it that way but it's who they are now. They don't acknowledge it publicly but privately, a lot of kisses and wine nights in each other's apartments happened since that mission. They haven't had sex yet and Frankie wonders why at times because she knows that Will must have wanted it. But she surmises that he is being careful, fearing that she might run away. She wants to but she's trying hard to hold on to this relationship because, even if Will annoys the hell out of her most of the time, she wants him very much. She has never felt anything like how she feels about Will since her parents died. She feels that all her emotions died with them but here comes this person who is extremely patient, caring, and loving, balancing her out. She never expected that there will be one of them out there.
She settles next to him on the couch and drinks from her glass. She presents him with ointment and motions to take off his shirt. At that, Will looks at her quizzically. She rolls her eyes again and sighs.
"How in the world can I apply ointment on your aching body," she starts. "When you don't want to take off your shirt in front of me?"
"Fine," he replies, cocking his eyebrows. "Don't blame me if you..."
"I'm sure I won't," she retorts. "I didn't even look at your ass yesterday."
"Right," Will counters as he takes off his shirt. Frankie's breath hitching doesn't go unnoticed. "See?"
"It's not..."
Frankie is at a loss for words. Will turns around and sees her looking at his left bicep. Frankie looks up at him, guilty.
"I'm not...it's not...I was just..."
Too guilty.
"It's okay," Will tells her. "I got it the day after we buried my brother."
He knows she was looking at his tattoo. He didn't know that she is actually fascinated by inked skin. The only time he remembers is when she was "admiring" that scumbag's tattoos and he thought she was pretending. That scumbag is the reason why they are together, though.
"Who is it?" she asks, lightly touching his arm with her fingers, admiring his tattoo.
"Saint Christopher," Will responds. "He's the patron saint of travellers. I figured, you know..."
He stops and Frankie studies him. He is open to everything but she knows even he has a hard time talking about his brother. She taps his shoulder and he glances at her. She tells him silently to lean back, to talk to her, the massage now forgotten. Maybe she can make the pain go away, both physical and emotional, if she allows him to just talk. He as a lot of questions but he follows her silent order.
"Tell me," Frankie instructs.
"Frankie," Will begins.
"Please," she continues. "I want to know."
Will looks at her, questioningly. Frankie wants to know his about his family matters and it's not like her at all. She usually doesn't want to know other people's stories, except perhaps Jai because of their history before Team Whiskey. She wants the product, not the story or in her own words, things she doesn't already know. But here she is, her own eyes boring into him for details.
"Are you sure?" he asks.
"Never been so sure in my life," she responds, her hands on his inked shoulder. "Tell me," she repeats.
Will takes her hand on his and kisses it. She settles beside him, legs tucked. He goes on to tell her that the tattoo is a tribute to his fallen brother Kevin, a marine, who was killed in Afghanistan. After the funeral, he decided that he would join the military to serve the country. He has chosen Saint Christopher because his brother would travel to a peaceful place and he would be travelling the world for his country. He tells her that he feels safe with that inked on his skin because he feels that his brother is always with him, guiding him wherever he goes, near or far. He continues to tell her of his every adventure, including wanting to get another one in India, and all the while, Frankie sits there listening, her eyes never glazing over. He observes her reactions and she's genuinely listening to him. It touches him that she's doing this.
Frankie feels a tug at her heart. She realises that they're closely the same. She lost loved ones and he, too, lost his. She sees that he was close to Kevin and that him getting killed serving the country took a toll on him. But Will being Will soon turned his brother's death into inspiration. She admires him more and more everyday that they are together. She's getting to know him, why he is who he is, and she realises that she actually wants it. She wants Will to tell her everything, even if it annoys the bejesus out of her. It's not about bonding with him. For her, it's about having someone in her life who cares for her, and who she cares for, unconditionally.
"Is it a good thing or a bad thing?" she wants to know.
"A little of both," Will answers, smiling. "Keeps hope as a possibility in every single situation, whether good or bad."
They stare into each other's eyes, both lost in how green both pairs are. Without warning, Frankie leans in and kisses Will, pushing him back on the couch to his surprise. It's a possessive kiss and she has her hands on his bare chest as she straddles him. Will, still cognizant that he doesn't have his shirt on, gently pushes her away, fearing what might come next. He looks at her intently, challenging her to tell him what she wants to do.
"I want this," Frankie says, voicing out the very thing that Will is worried about. "I know you think that I'm going to run based on how you know me. I cannot promise you that I won't but I'm trying. But I want this."
She gestures around the apartment and Will's whole body.
"I don't have my shirt on," Will cajoles.
"Will," Frankie insists, frustrated, putting her hands on either side of his face. "Stop annoying me. I told you I want to."
Will lunges up and kisses her back, passionately, possessively, all pain forgotten. The second his lips touched hers, Frankie sighs and is lost in the moment. She lets him take control and he takes it.
At The Dead Drop, Jai smiles to himself. His friend is opening up little by little and he likes it. He thanks all the Hindu gods - Shiva, Brahma, Vishnu, Krishna, all of them - for Will and shuts off his radio.
Clothes are scattered throughout Will's apartment the next morning and the smell of pancakes wafts in kitchen.
