── .✦ in which you are arranged to be married to Troy Otto for resources in the apocalypse
── .✦ִֶָ𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ🐇་༘࿐
You swear you could hear bells ringing. They should've been, but the dry air of Southern California sounds through the ranch instead. No one claps. No one cheers. Everyone stares. Especially him.
Tall. Dirty blond. Scruffy.
You walk through an aisle just made from space. Your people stand at your right. The ones who control a nearby dam. The people on the left wore farmer clothes. At least, that's what you saw on children books. Plaid and jeans. Others looked like "rednecks" --- whatever your favorite youtuber called them.
He looks at you from head-to-toe, his hands resting on his hips, head a little bowed. You could tell he's assessing his bride. His arranged wife. His ranch's saving grace.
You get to the makeshift altar. No one could be bothered to prop up bouquets in the apocalypse, so the altar is only marked by the officiant. One of the people from your group. You never really bothered to know his name. Could've been Jeff.
"You cook?" Your husband says barely below a whisper.
He's smiling, trying to be kind but he comes out cocky, and right then do you notice his almost-perfect little teeth.
You know you sneered. But you still tried to smile.
"Whatever I can."
And maybe it started there. Maybe the transactional intimacy of his palms gripping your cheek, his teeth gnawing on your lips, his warmth only dampening your shoulder when he's holding your gun... Maybe it was then it all started.
After the ceremony, he barely addresses you unless it was to ask.
"Y'ever made what ranch folks eat?"
"Ever cleaned a whole cabin by yourself?"
"You're not as brown as I woulda thought. You mixed?"
"You ever killed?"
If he ever did try to talk without questions, it was about you.
His "exotic wife," he doesn't correct his militia.
How he has to "break you in," but that one's from his dad.
So when you got to his cabin, you knew he would make you sit on the couch first. There is no scent but faint gunpowder and oil. Somehow, everything is kept clean. Not bad for a man, you think, as you notice his boots neatly tucked in a corner.
"Name?" He asks, taking a journal and pen. He sits directly across you, his knees apart, body slacking. A coffee table sits in the center; a broken line meant to keep you apart.
"Y/N. You?"
Your throat knots, trying to swallow your own saliva that felt like a sandstorm after a day in the California desert.
He pauses and glances up, lips curling into a small smile. Cocky yet again.
"Name's Troy. Would do you good not to forget it."
"I see you cook and clean--- you told me that. You've killed a good number of those freaks yourself. Pat your back."
You continue to watch him. You knew getting married would suck, but who fucking knew it'd be like this? You could've made a resume before coming.
"And you can't seem to control your face." He laughs. "Not a problem with me, darlin'"
He closes his journal, wrapping the pen along its string. He places it on the coffee table, curling his fingers together as he leans forward.
"We live in a reckoning," he starts, "you do what I say when I say, else you want problems in our lil setup."
He looks at you. Just your eyes.
"You're a pretty thing, but that ain't workin' on me. We on the same page, Y/N?"
You nod. Before you could speak, he grins and walks away, his weight denting the sofa for a few seconds. You stay seated, confused.
A few moments go by before he comes back with a blanket and a singular pillow.
"I'll be sleeping here?" You ask almost in disbelief. But you can't lie. His sofa beats the stiff dorm beds back at the dam.
"You can't be sleeping with me. Not tonight."
He frowns, mood changing in almost an instant, but he catches himself.
You stare, just in silence. But he scoffs, setting down your solitary blanket and pillow.
"Look, I don't know you yet. One o' the only things I know is that your teeth look like a bunny's."
You sigh, sitting down on your "wife sleeping set."
"Look at you, all comfy already. Just tell me what you need, sweetheart," he says as he turns away, but you stand up, muttering an "I..." but the silence places it just above a muffled moan.
He stops, glancing at you.
"One of the things that made our families' deal is... your guns. I need your... protection." You almost whisper the last part.
He chuckles as he steps towards the door, locking it.
"You're my wife. Now, what kind of husband would I be if I didn't do that?"
He closes the space between you and him, his fingers wrapping around your cheeks as he props your head to look up to him. You hold onto his wrists and yet he doesn't move an inch.
You feel his grip on your face like a vice slowly tightening. You feel drool almost spilling out your lips, but he holds your face upwards to meet your eyes.
He's smiling
In the dim light of the lamps, you almost swear his eyes were still beautiful. Still blue. You knew he could kill you. But would it hurt to say you almost didn't mind? Almost?
"Long as you don't step outta line, you'll be fine," he continues, "but you get it, don't you?"
You nod, almost finding it impossible to move your head as his strength overwhelms your neck.
He lets go, his fingers traveling up your face, resting on your hair. The top of your head almost rings, his hand sitting snuggly on it.
"'S just you and me, bunny. This the safest you could ever be."
Author’s Note: Hi guys! It’s been a while I know. I just have been through so much shit the past month. BUT I’M BACK, BABY. I have this Troy fic here that was a request and I hope you guys like it. I hope it’s not complete shit, so enjoy! :) xox
I shoved my left hand into my pocket, walking around the fence line of the ranch as I admired the sunrise, shivering slightly as the cool breeze brushes my skin. I pulled Troy’s coat tighter around my body, thinking about everything that’s happened so far. Two months since the world has gone to shit, and I would most likely be dead if it wasn’t for him. Troy Otto. My best friend in the new world. I remember the day he saved my life like it was yesterday…
I was running from a group of infected, about ten of them at least as I tried to reload my pistol. I groaned, seeing the chamber is jammed and throw the useless weapon to the ground, my eyes scanning for a safe place. A rock suddenly found its place under my feet and I tripped, getting a face full of dirt as pain shot up my leg. I let out a small scream, squeezing my eyes shut as I attempted to get up, noticing the horde coming closer and closer.
Gunshots rang out as I jumped, looking towards the infected as they dropped one by one, hearing a vehicle from behind me. I glanced towards the noise, seeing a truck coming to a stop, a tall man dressed in army gear hopped out of the bed, making his way towards me.
“You okay?” The deep voiced man asked as I slowly shook my head, sitting up slightly.
“Um, no actually, I tripped over a rock and sprained my ankle. Well, hopefully it’s just a sprain.” I muttered, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear. I pick myself up off the ground, wincing as I placed pressure on my left ankle, almost falling over as the guy catches me.
“Woah, slow down there speedy,” he chuckled, wrapping his arm around my waist. “There’s a place nearby that’ll be safe.” The man mentioned and I glanced up at him, blushing a bit as I took in his beautiful features. Blue eyes, sandy brown hair, sharp jawline, pink lips. My god.
“Well aren’t you kind…” I trailed off, hoping he’d fill in the blank with his name, wrapping my left arm around his shoulder as I limped towards the truck.
“Troy, Troy Otto.” He grinned down at me as I nodded my head, a small smile on my lips.
“Y/N L/N… Thank you for saving my life.” I muttered, getting into the back of the pickup, Troy sitting down next to me.
“I couldn’t let a gorgeous girl like you parrish out here.” He grinned, laughing slightly as I giggled, shaking my head a bit.
I smiled widely at the memory, my heart swelling at the thought of him. He stayed by my side as much as he could when I first came here, making sure I was comfortable in every way possible. I took a sip of my hot chocolate, jumping slightly when I felt two hands slide around my waist, a warm breath hitting my neck.
“What are you doing awake?” I heard his voice ask, butterflies soaring around in my stomach as my eyes fluttered shut, smiling.
“I couldn’t get back to sleep.” I muttered, turning around to face Troy, grinning at his rugged appearance. “What are you doing awake?” I asked Troy, laying my head on his chest, hugging the warm mug.
“Well you weren’t in bed and I wanted a cuddle session.” He smirked and I laughed, shaking my head. I intertwined my fingers with his, leading him back towards his house as he followed closely behind me. The two of us made it back into his room as I plopped myself onto his bed, letting out a pleasurable sigh, cuddling into the duvet. Troy slipped into his side of the bed, resting the palm of his hand against the side of his head as his eyes gazed down at me.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” I asked, blushing slightly as I could feel my heartbeat pick up. Sometimes I believe Troy thinks of me as more than a friend, but my conscience likes to disagree. Some hair fell in front of my face as I chuckle, trying to blow it out of my face, but fail.
Troy chuckles deeply, raising his fingers to my face, pushing the strands of hair out of my face. I could feel my cheeks warm up as his fingertips grazed my cheeks. I nuzzled into his side, my eyes fluttering shut as I bit my lip slightly, feeling Troy wrap his arms around my waist.
The next night the ranch decided to have a bonfire to destress from the past week. Everyone gathered around the large orange flame as it danced in the wind, chatting with each other as I grinned at the sight.
I rubbed my arms, shivering as I internally groaned, cursing at myself for not bringing a coat with me. An arm nudged mine, snapping me out of my staring daze, my eyes glancing to my side, noticing Coop standing next to me.
“Hey, Y/N.” He smiled down at me. My body involuntarily shivered as I returned his smile.
“Hey, Coop. How’s everything going?” I asked, crossing my arms over my chest.
“Pretty good. Militia’s doing well as ever.” Coop chuckled, noticing my shiver as he began to shimmy off his military jacket. He draped the jacket over my shoulder as I looked up at him, lips parted slightly.
“Oh, Coop I’m fine.” I muttered, attempting to take the piece of clothing off when his hand grabbed mine, stopping me from doing so.
“No, please keep it on. I can tell you’re cold, I’m a very observant person, Y/N.” He grinned, wrapping one of his arms around my shoulder. I began to feel a bit uncomfortable as Troy had waltzed up to the fire. The smile on his face dropped immediately once he saw Coop’s arm wrapped around my shoulder and also wearing his jacket.
I nibbled on my lip, knowing what could happen and what’s most likely to happen as he glared at Coop, making his way over towards us. Coop’s hand softly rubbed the side of my arm, glancing down at me every few seconds as a silly grin was on his lips.
“Coop.” Troy muttered bitterly, his beautiful blue eyes glazed with anger. He points between the two of us before crossing his arms over his chest. “What’s, uh, what’s going on here?”
I was about to say something when Coop cut me off, “She looked cold, so I lent her my jacket and now we’re just hanging out, talking.” He smiled and I rubbed my arm, feeling the goosebumps on my arms.
Troy let out a dry laugh, shaking his head as his eyes landed on me. I gave him a small smile, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear as my gaze turned towards the ground. He began to walk towards Coop and I stepped in between them, resting a hand on Troy’s chest.
“Troy… don’t do this.” I muttered quietly, staring up at him as his eyes stayed on Coop.
“I’ve told you how I felt about her and here I see you flirting with her. What the fuck, Coop?” Troy growled, narrowing his eyes at the tall man behind me. My eyes widened, glancing between the two boys as Coop sighed softly.
“Troy, I know. I was literally only trying to keep her warm. Did you just want me to have her freezing, most probably getting sick from it, and wait for you to show up so you can finally make your move?” He asked as my eyes trailed towards Troy, his face softening slightly. “C’mon man, you of all people should know that I wouldn’t betray you like that.”
Troy’s shoulder dropped, looking down at me as I kept my eyes on him, feeling my heart begin to beat faster, feeling flushed. “I’m sorry. I just…” He trails off, glancing back towards Coop as he just nodded, understanding what he was trying to say.
I slip off Coop’s jacket, handing it back to him as I apologize for being so cold. He waved it off, grinning as he went back to talking to one of the militia members. I turned to face Troy as he looked at the ground, his slender fingers scratching at his jawline. I walked towards him, softly grabbing his hand, leading him back to his place.
I go into Troy’s room, sitting down on his bed as he came in after me, shutting the door behind him before he sat down next to me on the bed. He stayed quiet for a few minutes as I picked at my fingers, glancing at him out of the corner of my eye.
“So… yo-you like me?” I asked him, turning to face him and he ran his fingers through his sandy light brown hair.
“Y-Yeah, I do. I like you a lot actually, more than I thought I ever would.” Troy whispered and I grinned to myself. I’ve always wondered if he felt the same as I did and now that I know he does I can’t contain my excitement.
I placed my hand on his cheek, turning his face towards mine before capturing my lips with his. My fingers began to trail through his hair as his hands rested on my hips, attempting to pull me closer to him. Troy sat back a bit as I moved onto his lap, straddling his hips as our lips continued to move against each others.
We pull away from each other and I rest my forehead against his, my eyes fluttered shut as I listened to Troy’s breathing. “I take it you feel the same way?” He asked and I chuckled.
“No, I just basically made out with you for no reason.” I joked, playing with his hair. “I’ve liked you for a long, long time Troy.” I smiled, placing a small kiss to the tip of his nose.
“God, please be mine.” He husked, wrapping his arms around my waist. I nodded my head in response, my heart pounding against my chest as he pulled me into another kiss. Troy’s fingers dipped under my shirt, feeling his warm calloused fingertips against my lower back. “You’re so beautiful.” He whispered, his baby blue eyes looking up at me.
“Come on, we can go back to the bonfire and show off our cuteness.” I giggled, getting off of his lap, pulling him up by his hand. Troy laughed, intertwining our fingers as we made our way back out into the chilly air, hearing the commotion of the ranchers chatting.
Author’s Note: So, this was requested by anon and I have changed it up a bit because I didn’t want it to be too long, but nonetheless cute! I really hope you guys end up enjoying it!
Nothing is worse than being separated from the guy you’re hopelessly in love with. It’s been a few weeks since Nick had walked off with the dead, claiming we were the monsters.
Ofelia and Alicia got into the bed of the truck, my feet planted where they were as I saw Nick walking towards us slowly. I stumbled towards him, laying my hands on his arms as tears were streaming down my cheeks. “N-Nick,” I whispered, looking up at him as his eyes gazed down at me.
“You need to go,” Nick muttered, his hands intertwining with mine as my eyes widened, shaking my head.
“Y/N! Nick! Come on, we need to go,” Madison called out, walking towards us. Strand drove slowly behind us, stopping a few feet behind us, light shining twenty feet past us.
“Nick, please, I-I can’t lose you,” I murmured, moving my hands to his cheeks. Nick leans his bloody forehead against mine and my eyes flutter shut.
“Go,” he whispered, placing a small kiss on my forehead.
“Nick, come on. We gotta go,” Madison claimed and he looked at his mother before glancing towards the villa that was currently on fire.
“She was right…” Nick started, looking back at Madison. “We destroy everything.”
“Madison! Y/N! Come on, now!” Strand yelled, infected and angry villa workers making our way towards us. Madison’s lips parted, her eyes filled with sadness as were mine, stepping back towards the truck.
I stared up at Nick, sniffling a bit as he gave me a sad from, rubbing my cheekbone. Strand wrapped his arms around my torso, beginning to bring me back towards the truck. “No! No, I-I can’t leave him. Let me go, let me go!” I yelled, squirming in his arms.
Nick turned around, running towards the mob of infected before slowing down, walking as Strand placed me into the bed of the truck.
I sat in the back of the pickup truck when we drove down the driveway of the villa passing Nick on the way and my eyes trained on Nick as his were on me.
“I’m sorry. I love you, be safe.” He mouthed to me, luckily being able to read his lips. Tears streamed down my face as I lost sight of him, hugging my knees.
I felt a hand on my shoulder, glancing over towards Ofelia as she gave me a sad smile. I just looked back towards where Nick was walking, not seeing anything but the infected limping around.
The five of us stopped at this hotel, getting out of the truck as I hugged my arms, looking up at the large building. I glanced back towards where we came from, frowning a bit as I wish Nick would just walk through those gates and wrap me in his arms.
Ofelia, Alicia, and I went to one of the rooms to stay in while Strand and Madison had gone to the bar area. I sat down on the bed, sighing to myself as I looked out the window. The blue ocean waves crashing into the shore, many infected climbing out onto the beach every once in a while.
“I’m gonna take a shower,” Ofelia muttered to the both of us. Alicia must’ve nodded her head because the next thing I hear is the door behind shut.
The bed dipped down next to me, keeping my eyes on the water. An arm came around my shoulder and I glanced towards Alicia, tears pooling in my eyes.
“I know it’s hard,” she muttered, rubbing my back softly. I looked down at my hands, sniffling a bit as I nodded my head.
“I-I just don’t understand what happened. He would’ve never left you or me and now… he’s not even here. He’s out there,” I nodded my head to the outside, “without anyone by his side. I should’ve gone with him.”
“Nick wouldn’t allow that,” Alicia told me and I shrugged my shoulders.
“I don’t care. I just want to know he’s safe. I need to know that he’s safe,” I cried, not being able to stop the tears that are streaming down my face. Alicia wrapped her arms around me as I begin sobbing into her chest, hugging her tightly. Please be okay…
“If I know my brother, which I like to think I do, he’ll come back. Nick cares about you too much for him to not come back,” she muttered and I picked my head up, looking at her.
“You think so?” I asked and she nodded her head, a small smile on her lips.
“Of course. I know he mouthed something to you as we were leaving. I’m not very good at reading lips so I don’t know what he said, but I’m sure it was something-,”
“I’m sorry. I love you, be safe,” I muttered, cutting Alicia off and her eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. “That’s what he mouthed to me,” I clarified and her eyes widened, lips parted in surprise.
“He said ‘I love you’? Wow, that’s honestly really surprising,” she mentions and I nodded my head.
“I know. I don’t think I’ve ever heard him say that before, to anyone,” I pressed my lips together, smiling softly. I picked at the tips of my fingers, my smile widening as I thought about all the times Nick and I hung out with each other. Our friendship was very touchy… like we always had our hands on each other in some way. It honestly felt like we were a couple most of the time and we’ve gotten compliments from people saying how adorable we were. Although Nick would deny the fact that we were just friends, I liked to think just maybe the two of us could’ve reached that status, but it never happened.
I was snapped out of my thoughts when Ofelia came out of the bathroom, running a towel through her long hair. “Shower’s free,” she smiled, sitting down on the other bed. Alicia patted my bed before heading into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. “So, were you and Nick-,”
I cut her off before she could even finish the question, “no. W-We weren’t together,” I muttered. I glanced towards her, giving her a small smile as she nodded her head.
“I’m surprised. With the way you two looked at each other I would’ve guessed that the two of you would’ve been together for at least a few years,” Ofelia mentioned, looking at herself in the mirror as I stared at her, my lips parted in shock.
-
We stayed at this huge ass hotel for about a week. During the week we had found the owners of it while Alicia and I were being attacked by the infected, the result of looking for Ofelia since she just disappeared. People found out that there were survivors here when Madison turned on the lights of the place to see if Travis would come towards it, which he did.
Turns out that Chris wasn’t with Travis and we prayed that he was okay, well Alicia didn’t but Madison and I did. Soon enough the four of us; Travis, Madison, Alicia, and I were kicked out after Travis had basically murdered the two boys that were with Chris after finding out that they ended up shooting him after getting into a severe car accident.
Now we’re on the road again. Heading towards the border to see if there’s a chance we can find Nick. When we reached the border, we were taken in roughly by the military. Us three girls getting into one truck as Travis got into another truck, driving in separate directions.
The three of us girls were brought into what looked an office, an officer leaving us alone as Alicia began pacing the room. Madison looked for some other way to get out, worried for Travis’ safety.
“Anything?” Alicia asked her mother and she shook her head no in response. The teenager sighed, running a hand through her hair as I sat down on the chair, glancing out the window. “What about the ceiling?” She asked.
Madison stood on a chair, pushing the ceiling tile up before letting out a small sigh, “there’s nothing. It doesn’t go anywhere.”
“We shouldn’t have come here,” Alicia muttered, sitting down next to me.
“We had to, ‘Licia,” Madison told her, hands settled on her hips as Alicia rolled her eyes.
“No, we shouldn’t be looking for him, chasing him. It always blows back on us in the end,” she mentioned and I furrowed my eyebrows together. Madison was about to speak when a guy mine and Alicia’s age steps into the room with a journal in his hand, sitting on the desk in front of us.
“Hi, sorry to keep you. My name’s Troy,” he introduced and I rest my elbows on my knees, watching Madison stare at the teenager. “Please, please sit, ma’am.”
I tuned out the conversation, looking back out the window, wondering what Nick is doing at the moment. Wondering if he’s okay. Dead or alive. I could feel the tears pooling in my eyes as negative thoughts filled my mind. I was snapped out of my thoughts when I heard the door shut, looking at the two girls.
“He’s going to kill us,” Alicia muttered, my eyes widening, feeling my heart beat a mile a minute.
“No, no. He’s treating us to well,” Madison countered, beginning to look around the room again.
“Why do you think that is?” I asked, earning a shrug from Nick’s mother and I sighed, running a hand through my hair.
The two began arguing as Madison was looking for some sort of weapon in case things go bad. I saw Alicia bend over, pulling the butterfly knife out of her boot, showing her mother. “I hid it in before they took us.”
The three of us heard footsteps and Madison motioned us to hide. Alicia and I hid behind the couch as someone walked in. We came out when we heart grunting, seeing Madison on top of Troy, trying to take him down when he knocks her off. Alicia charged at him with her blade, getting it knocked out of her hand as she was thrust towards the wall. I stood in shock, eyes wide and lips parted as I saw Madison grip the spoon, coming up to Troy from behind, jabbing the spoon in his eye.
I wince, placing my hands over my mouth as she was mumbling to him. I ran over towards Alicia, helping her off the ground making sure she was alright as Madison called back to us, “Go find a running vehicle!”
Alicia and I took off in another direction, sneaking around the base as we saw two vehicles nearby. I looked around for guards as she quietly opened the door, making sure it would when grunting and screaming tore our attention elsewhere.
“What was that?” I asked, glancing towards my friend which she responded with a shrug. She began walking in that direction, seeing a sewage grate as I followed behind her.
“Nick?!” My heart skipped a beat at the name, running over to her, looking into the vent. Oh my god. Below me was Nick, struggling to get an infected off of him, his eyes widening once he noticed I was there.
“Alicia? Y/N?” He called out and I could feel the tears streaming down my cheeks. Alicia slipped the butterfly knife through the gate, landing near him as a woman took it, stabbing the infected in the back of the head. Nick pushed the infected off of him, his eyes never leaving mine as a pair of arms grabbed me, pulling Alicia and me away.
“No! Let me go, Nick!” I called out, struggling to get free of the soldier’s grip.
“Y/N!” I heard him yell.
Alicia and I were brought to the pit where Madison and Travis were, the couple in a tight embrace. “I found him, Maddie. I found Nick, he’s here.” I heard him whisper to her and her eyes lit up.
“Where is he?” She asked as guards brought Nick and another woman around the corner, Nick fighting the guard's grip. Madison stepped forward, muttering to herself incoherently as my eyes never left Nick’s. “Let him go!”
The guards let him go as he stumbled forward. “Mom,” he mumbled as Madison ran over to him, pulling him into a tight hug. I started to cry again as Alicia stepped forward as well, hugging his sister and mother at the same time. Nick’s eyes met mine as he pulled away from them, stumbling forwards as he reached me. “Y/N,” he whispered, wrapping his arms around my waist.
I cried into his neck as I wrapped my arms around his neck. “I’m so glad you’re okay,” I muttered into the crevice of his neck, my hands going through his hair as Nick lifted me off the ground.
“I’m glad you’re okay, too. I was so worried something might have happened,” he whispered, pressing his lips to the side of my head.
After our reunion, the six of us including the strange woman who was injured was brought to an area where Travis and Madison began to pack some stuff, talking about where we’re going next.
I glanced towards Nick who was currently stroking the hair out of the girls face, a frown forming on my lips. Who the hell is this chick? Her hand was resting against his forearm, squeezing her eyes shut in pain as he comforted her with reassuring words.
I stepped away from them, feeling my heart breaking just a little bit as I sat down on one of the storage crates. I violently wiped the tears from my eyes as Alicia stood in front of me. “You okay?”
“Y-Yeah, I’m fine,” I muttered, staring at the ground, my foot tapping against the concrete. I bit my lip to stop myself from quivering, but fail. A sob escapes my lips, Alicia crouching in front of me as she wrapped her arms around me. “I-I don’t understand, ‘Licia. H-He’s gone for what? A couple weeks or something and he’s already got a girlfriend? What does she have that I don’t?” I asked.
“I don’t know, Y/N/N. I really don’t.” She whispered, rubbing my back softly. Nick came out, glancing at us as his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
“Everything okay?” He asked softly, rubbing his hands together. I glanced up at him, looking away quickly as Alicia sighed, getting up.
Before she could drag him away I spoke up, “who’s she?” I looked towards him as his eyes were already on me, his lips moving but no words come out.
“Uhm, that’s Luciana,” he muttered, stepping towards me. I scrunch my face up, getting up and walking away.
“Infected incoming!” A guard shouted and I glanced around seeing a horde of infected making their way towards us.
“We need to get Luciana on that chopper!” Another Guy my age yelled as Travis and Alicia grabbed her, Madison and Nick taking out some of the infected. I stood still, lost in my thoughts as I just looked around feeling my hands shake slightly.
“We gotta go!” I heard Troy yell, a pair of arms wrapping around my stomach as they carried me towards the truck. I glanced behind me to see Nick carrying me, trying to wriggle out of his grip as he places me in the bed of the ford.
“Let me go,” I muttered, getting out of his grip, sitting towards the tailgate as the truck began to drive out of the base. I could feel Nick’s eyes on me and I looked over for a few seconds, seeing the hurt in them as I looked away. I ran my fingers through my hair, staring at the helicopter as they flew over the mountains.
We arrived at the ranch about a day later, stopping a few times along the way. Madison and Nick sat in the backseat of the truck as I volunteered to sit in the bed of the truck, not wanting to be anywhere near the Nick at the moment.
Troy unexpectedly told us to get out of the truck and the three of us complied, suspiciously. We stood on the outside of the gate, my eyes looking over the ranch, seeing an amount of RV’s and tents all over the grassy plains. I hugged my arms, rubbing the dry skin softly as Madison and Nick were talking about leaving.
“Y/N?” Madison called my name and my gaze turned towards her, humming in response. “Are you okay?” She asked and I nodded my head, my eyes glanced towards her son, his eyes on me as his hands were on his hips.
He let out a sigh, walking over towards me, grabbing my arm before dragging us off so we can talk alone. “What’s going on?” Nick asked once we were out of range for his mother to hear.
“It’s nothing, Nick,” I muttered, trying to walk away when he stops me.
“Obviously there is something, Y/N. Y-You’re never this cold to me,” he mentioned and I looked towards the ground, kicking my feet in the dirt. “Talk to me.”
“Who’s Luciana to you?” I asked bluntly, staring up at him. Nick’s let out a small sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose.
“Is this why you’re so upset with me? Because of Lucy?” He asked and I stayed silent, shrugging my shoulders. “She’s something to me…” Nick vaguely cleared up and I scoffed.
“Bullshit. She’s more than just something to you, Nick. While you were with her, I was worried sick about you. I-I didn’t sleep, hell I barely ate. D-Do you know how much you actually mean to me?” I asked, crossing my arms over my chest.
“You don’t think I was worried about you? Because you’re wrong. I was just as worried about you as you were of me. Y-You mean everything to me, you of all people should know that and I know that I mean a hell of a lot to you as well.” Nick muttered, placing his hands on his head as he walked in a circle.
“Then how come you’re suddenly with another girl?” I asked, becoming a bit angrier as he let out a huff of breath.
“I’m not with her. She got shot when I tried to help her people go to this “refugee camp,” but turned out to be a fucking military base who do human experiments.” He explained and I tilted my head to the side, furrowing my eyebrows in confusion.
“Human experiments? What do you mean?” I asked.
Nick showed me his hand, revealing a number on it. I gently grabbed it, running my hand through the ink as he spoke, “Troy and his little minions would test how long it took people to turn. They took us there and we were waiting to be slaughtered. Wanna know something?” He asked and I nodded my head. “While we were waiting, I actually told Lucy about you. Basically everything and she told me she’s never seen someone so in love with somebody before. At first, I thought that was ridiculous since we were best friends, there’s no way we could be in love with each other, but then that changed. When I saw you standing there at the base I couldn’t feel anymore relieved that you were okay. It took a lot of holding back from kissing you,” he muttered, his thumb settling against my cheek, rubbing my cheekbone softly.
“I-,” I stuttered, moving my hands to the jacket he was wearing, gripping it in my hands as I looked over his face.
“I think this is the first time I’ve ever seen you speechless,” Nick joked, chuckling a bit as I hit his chest playfully.
“When the guy you’ve been in love with for years tells you he loves you as well… you get a bit speechless,” I mentioned, grinning softly. Nick leaned his forehead against mine, his breath hitting my lips as my own breath hitched in my throat. “I love you too,” I whispered.
He grinned, leaning down to press his lips against mine. I let out a small gasp, eyes fluttering shut as I wrapped my arms around his neck, kissing him back. Oh god, his lips feel wonderful. His fingers slipped into my hair, pulling me closer to him as mine did the same.
Nick pulled away from me, a wide grin on his lips as he stared down at me. “I realized that I’ve been waiting for years to do that,” he muttered, placing a quick kiss on my lips. Nick let out a small sigh, glancing towards the ranch. “I really don’t want to stay here, but if you’re with me I don’t think it’ll be all that bad.”
I chuckled, shaking my head a bit as Madison called out to us, motioning us to go with her and an old man. Nick grabbed my hand, intertwining our fingers as we walked into the ranch, people’s eyes staring at us as the elder man gave us a tour of the place.
I glanced up at Nick, his thumb rubbing against the back of my hand his eyes looking all over the place. Any place is better with you.
Author’s Note: This was a request by anon, “Hi could I please request a nick imagine where you’ve been together since before the apocalypse. The reader almost died somehow and so nick becomes really clingy and it’s all pretty much angst and fluff??” So, I have done it! It’s actually super cute and kind of heartbreaking. I hope you guys enjoy it :) oxox Thanks to my bestie @lovelydob for proofreading this for me.
I woke up to an empty cold bed, Nick nowhere in sight as I let out a small yawn, stretching my limbs. I groan slightly, wrapping my arms around Nick’s pillow, cuddling it as I inhale his lovely scent that lingered on the soft object. My mind kept thinking about how far Nick and I have come since the world ended. Plenty of fights, plenty of making up, and plenty of kisses… Nick’s favorite thing to do according to him.
I sat in our room on Strand’s yacht, waiting for Nick to come back from the shower so I can yell at him for disappearing into that shot up boat. I picked at my fingernails, thinking of what would happen if I lost Nick, which I don’t want to do. My head perked up as I heard arguing, trying to listen closely, Madison’s voice booming throughout the area.
Nick opened the door, quickly closing it behind him as he let out a sigh of relief. I took my bottom lip between my teeth as I checked him out. He chuckled at my obvious gawking, walking over to me as he placed a small kiss to my forehead before getting dress… unfortunately.
“You do know that what you did was dangerous, right?” I asked quietly as he was buttoning up his pants. Nick let out a sigh and I stood up, standing inches in front of him as he looked down at me.
“I know it was dangerous, but what if there were people who needed help?” He asked me and my gaze turned to the floor. I felt his fingers brush mine, softly taking my hand into his, intertwining our fingers.
“What if you got killed? I-I don’t think I can live without you, Nick.” I muttered, on the verge of tears as I looked up at him, his eyes saddening a bit.
Nick pulled me closer to him, wrapping my arms around his waist as his hands are still intact with mine. “I’m not going anywhere, okay?” He whispered, our foreheads resting against each others as I nodded my head. “I was an addict. It’s kind of hard to get rid of me.”
I chuckled, shaking my head a bit as he laughed as well. I looked up at him through my eyelashes, my heartbeat picking up. “I love you.” I whispered, my hands moving to his torso, trailing them up his chest.
“I love you too, baby.” Nick smiled, pressing a kiss to my lips. I moved my arms around his neck, moving my lips against his as his arms wrapped around my waist, resting on my lower back. The two of us pulled away after a couple minutes, smiles on both of our lips. “God, I absolutely love kissing you. I could do it every second of every day.”
I smiled at the memory as a knock on our door snapped me out of my daze. I grabbed one of Nick’s shirts off the floor, slipping it over my head before quickly putting on a pair of jeans. I opened the door to find Madison on the other side and I greeted her with a small smile.
“Hey, Madison. Everything okay?” I asked her, sitting down on the bed as I slid socks onto my feet before putting my boots on.
“Yeah, I just wanted to tell you that Walker and his people are going to be moving onto the compound today.” She told me and I slumped, gulping slightly as my lips parted.
“O-Oh. Okay.” I muttered, biting the inside of my cheek as I thought about how Nick was going to feel about this.
After I had brushed my teeth and everything I walked out of the house, noticing everyone making their way towards the main gate. My feet followed the crowd, feeling my heartbeat pick up as I saw an abundance of vehicle’s making their way towards the ranch. Here we go. I thought at the same time the words left Alicia’s mouth.
She looked towards me, giving me a small smile as I returned it, hearing the engines of the side-by-side’s the militia uses when going out. My eyes met Nick’s as him and Troy stayed in the off road vehicle and I gave him a warm smile.
“I love you.” He mouthed to me and the smile on my face widened, my cheeks becoming flushed as I bit the inside of my lip. Alicia snapped me out of my thoughts by pulling me out of the road before I got hit by a truck.
“You should really stop getting lost in your thoughts. It’s going to get you hurt one day.” Alicia mentioned and I nodded in agreement, looking around for her brother. I saw Walker, Ofelia, Madison, Jake, Troy, Nick, and a few other people I didn’t know going towards the pantry and the two of us follow behind them.
Jake, Troy, and Walker were arguing about something when we got down there, Alicia going to stand by her mother as I stood a bit behind Nick. I placed my hand on his arm, resting my cheek against his shoulder blade. He looked down at me, giving me a small smile as he took his hand out of his pocket, intertwining our fingers.
Troy stormed out of the pantry, the two of us watching as he left before returning our attention to the group of people in front of us.
“How many people have the same feelings as Troy?” Walker asked.
Madison glanced around, letting out a small sigh, “some.” She mutters, glancing back at us and Nick let’s go of my hand, leaving the pantry, most likely following Troy. I pressed my lips together, watching him leave then returning my gaze on the group again.
“I’m going to go see if he’s alright.” I told Madison before excusing myself. After I left the pantry I strolled around the ranch, looking for Nick, but having no luck in finding him.
--
I was sitting at one of the tables outside the mess tent, picking at the scrambled eggs on my plate as Nick sat down in front of me. I didn’t look up at him as I continued to push around the eggs. My head snapped up when I felt a hand on mine, a thumb rubbing the back of my hand gently.
“You okay?” Nick asked me and I nodded my head, giving him a small smile. The two of us heard Crazy Dog ask Troy how the coffee was and I rolled my eyes at the childish play the two sides are doing. Troy walked over to our table, giving both of us a small smile as Terrance was walking towards a group of Walker’s men, his hand buried in his zip-up hoodie pocket.
My eyes were trained on the young teenager as he pulled out a gun and I quickly got up, running towards him quickly as he pointed it. “Terrance, no!” I heard Nick yell and I let out a small gasp as the gun went off.
Crazy Dog tackled Terrance, bringing him into a chokehold as my hand shakingly touched my stomach, a goopy red liquid dripping down my fingers. “N-Nick…” I mumbled, falling to my knees as I became light headed.
“ENOUGH!” I heard Walker’s voice boom out as he stormed over to us. One of my hands rested on the dirt as I held pressure to my wound, breathing a little heavier than before. Crazy Dog let go of Terrance, walking back to his table.
“Y/N!” Nick yelled, running over to me. He skidded to the ground, one of his hands resting on my cheek as I looked up at him. “Hey, it’s okay. You’re alright.” He mumbled and I showed him my other hand as it was covered in blood, tears pooling in my eyes.
“N-Nick-” I started, but was interrupted by coughing slightly.
Nick glanced over towards Troy as he motioned for him to help me up. Troy and Nick wrapped an arm around my waist as they brought me towards the infirmary. Another rancher had helped with Terrance as Walker followed.
Troy helped Nick place me onto one of the beds as Jake began rummaging through the shelves, grabbing everything he needs to get the bullet out of my wound. Sweat was dripping down my face as Nick gripped my hand.
“It’s going to be okay. Jake’s gonna get ya fixed up.” He muttered, pressing his lips to the side of my head. I turned my head towards his, tears streaming down my face as he placed a small kiss to my lips.
“I-I love you.” I stuttered, wincing slightly as Jake placed an iv into my arm. “I-I’d be dead on the side of the road if it wasn’t for you.” Nick laced our fingers together, pushing some hair out of my face as my eyes became heavy.
Nick began tearing up, shaking his head as he squeezed my hand a bit. “I know where you’re going with this, babe.” He sighed and I gave him a small smile. “You’ll be fine.” Nick reassured himself more than me as he stood up, pressing a soft kiss to my forehead before I was surrounded by darkness.
--
I could hear Nick talk to his mom as his thumb rubbed the back of my hand. “So, Jake said that she’ll be fine, right?” He asked Madison.
“Yeah, the procedure went well, surprisingly. She’s going to be just fine, son.” Madison placed a hand on his shoulder before walking out of the infirmary.
I kept my eyes closed for a couple minutes just listening to the silene, waiting to see if Nick’s going to say anything else. His fingers continued to play with mine as I tried to stop the smile that’s forming on my lips.
“Sometimes I wish you wouldn’t be so brave and caring of basically strangers. You yell at me for putting myself into danger, but what I did didn’t almost get me killed.” He sighed and I frowned a bit, knowing he was right.
I slowly opened my eyes, fluttering them as I adjust my eyes to the sunlight peeking through the tent. I turned my head towards Nick as his eyes were trained on our intertwined fingers.
“I’m sorry, Nick.” I whispered and he jumped slightly. “I know what I did was stupid, but I just wanted to secure our stay here.” I told him and he nodded his head.
“I know you did. That’s the kind of person you are. And it’s one of the reasons I fell in love with you.” Nick whispered and my heart fluttered in my chest. I brought my hand to his cheek, smiling softly at him as he rested his arms on the side of my bed. “I’m just glad you’re okay.” He whispered before pressing his lips to mine.
--
I was helping the militia bring supplies into the pantry, trying to contribute some since Nick hasn’t really let me do anything since I was released from the infirmary. I’ve been in a little pain, but it subdues after a while.
I placed the bag of potatoes down on the floor in the pantry, wincing slightly as I held my hand over my stomach. Troy stood in front of me, looking down at me with a worried expression on his face. “You okay, Y/N?” He asked and I nodded my head, leaning against a shelf.
“Y-Yeah, just a cramp.” I muttered, glancing up at Troy. He didn’t look convinced of the lie I gave him and lifted my shirt up a bit, noticing that my bandage is covered in blood.
“Jesus, Y/N. Nick’s not going to be happy about this.” He muttered and I pushed his hand away, pulling my shirt back down.
“Happy about what?” Nick asked and I jumped, seeing him standing behind Troy. I gave Troy a look that said, “don’t tell him, please,” as Nick stood next to me. “Y/N… What am I not going to be happy about?” He asked me sternly and I shrugged my shoulders.
I walked away from the two boys, deciding to go look for Jake and see if he could replace my bandage. I frowned, hating myself that I’m lying to Nick, but I just need to breath. He’s been attached to my hip since I gotten hurt and yes, I adore him for that, but it’s becoming a little too much.
I found Jake in the infirmary, doing an inventory check as I walked into the tent. “Hey, Jake. Could you change my bandage?” I asked him and he glanced towards me, giving me a small nod. He grabbed the supplies needed as I lifted the front of my shirt, holding it up as he took the old bandage off.
“Holy shit, Y/N, what did you do?” Jake asked and I glanced down at the wound, seeing that I tore a couple stitches.
I was about to answer him when a very familiar voice cut me off. “Why didn’t you tell me?” Nick asked and I looked back at him, seeing the hurt and betrayal in his eyes. My lips parted, feeling my heart begin to crumble as he walked over to us.
“I-I, um, I didn’t want you to worry more than you already were.” I muttered, slightly withholding the entire truth from him. “And honestly, Nick, you’re kind of smothering me. I just want to be able to help out. You know I hate sitting around doing nothing.” I sighed, wincing slightly as Jake began to stitch my wound back up.
“How can I not worry? You almost DIED. Do you get that?” He yelled angrily and my gaze found its way to the floor, nodding my head. Nick sighed, running his hands through his hair before rubbing his face. “I guess I’m sorry for caring about your health. You don’t have to worry about me smothering you anymore.” He muttered, walking out of the infirmary.
My heart shattered as he walked out, tears streaming down my face, turning my gaze towards Jake who just finished stitching and cleaning my wound. I quietly thanked him, my hands gripping the bed that was behind me, taking deep breaths.
“...Are you going to be okay?” He asked me and I shook my head, feeling my hands shaking as I kept my eyes on the bed. “Do you want me to get Alicia?” He asked another question to which I declined once more.
I left the infirmary abruptly, hugging my arms tightly as I made my way towards the only tree on the ranch. I carefully sat on the ground, wrapping my arms around my knees before resting my forehead against my kneecaps. Did I just lose the love of my life because he began to get clingy? I’m such an idiot.
The sobs leaving my lips became uncontrollable as I tried to keep silent, not wanting to grab anyone’s attention. I sat under the tree for about an hour, getting colder by the second as I rubbed the sides of my arms. After contemplating to myself about going to see Nick I decide that it’s probably a good idea.
My feet carried me to the bunkhouse, hoping that he was the only one there and I noticed a light on, signaling he was home. I shivered as the wind picked up slightly, seeing the sun set behind the hill. I walked up the steps, knocking on the door as I waited for him to answer the door.
I saw his face through the window as he opened the door, leaning against the doorframe. “What are you doing here?” He asked and I can feel the pain in my chest worsen.
“Well one, I live here and two, I-I wanted to talk to you. Mainly apologize for being such a bitch earlier.” I muttered, feeling my fingers going numb as I bit the inside of my lip. Nick noticed how cold I must’ve been since he let me inside.
“I can certainly agree that you were being a bitch. Glad you realize your mistake.” He muttered, sitting down on the bed and I nodded, sitting down on the bed in front of him.
“I just… I guess I was becoming a bit agitated about just sitting around and doing nothing. I never meant to take it out on you, Nick. I’ll be honest with you, these past couple hours have been absolute hell.” I whispered, playing with the ends of my fingers as I sighed.
“Y/N, I love you. I really do, and you know that I’m not the type of guy to be clingy.” I nodded at what he was saying, glancing up at him for a second. “But if I have to be clingy to get you to rest and heal, I will. I don’t want to lose you. I would be so lost without you and you’re the only person that keeps me sane. I need you, baby.” Nick muttered and I stood up, grabbing his hands, making him stand up.
“As you told me on the boat, I’m not going anywhere. I’m sorry. Please forgive me. I can’t bear the thought that we might be over.” I mentioned, staring up at him as he nodded his head, grinning down at me.
“That was a mistake on my part. I didn’t want the message to come across that way, but it did. Don’t worry, you still have me.” He smiled, placing both his hands on my cheeks as he tilted his head to the side, kissing my lips softly.
I smiled into the kiss, running my fingers through his hair as I moved my lips against his, glad to be back in his arms again. We pulled away from each other and I rest my head against his chest, wrapping my arms around his waist, inhaling his natural scent. Nick pressed his lips to the side of my head, rubbing my back softly as we stood in the middle of the room in silence, enjoying each other’s company.
Troy getting jealous by all the guys in the militia who try to flirt with you.
Him teaching you how to shoot better… One of Troy’s hands on your hips as his chest was pressed against your back, making your heart speed up.
He likes to keep an eyes on you as much as possible so he can watch over you.
Troy always hugging you, either from in front or behind, nuzzling his face into your neck as your arms wrapped around his neck, inhaling his scent.
Him not wanting you to go on militia training because he didn’t want you to get hurt, but you always managed to find a way to get yourself to go. Troy mainly gave in when you gave him puppy eyes, since he can rarely say no to you.
You feeling safe at night when you felt Troy’s arms wrapped around your waist while cuddling in bed.
Troy gets angry with you when he sees you hanging out with Nick, but always manages to forgive you when you suddenly kiss him roughly, reminding him that you were his and the only guy you’ll love.
Rough, rough sex… Like to the point where you have trouble walking the next day, but you think it’s absolutely worth it.
But also the soft sweet sex. The nights where you and Troy make love to each other.
You and Troy walking around the perimeter of the ranch, fingers intertwined with each others as the two of you talk about everything and anything.
Arguing with Troy when you try to join the militia.
Feeling jealous when he hangs around Madison and gets too close to her for your liking.
Being there to comfort Troy when his father died. The two of you would be laying in his bed and his arms would be wrapped around your waist, his head resting on your chest as you run your fingers through his soft hair.
Troy getting into a fight with his childhood friend, Mike, after Troy found out he was trying to get with you.
Defending Troy when his father puts him down, tired of Jeremiah being a dick to his sons.
You stood in front of Jeremiah’s desk, hands laid against it as your eyes glared at the drunk. “Why don’t you stop drinking and actually care for your sons? Troy’s already fucked up because of his mother. He does everything to try and make you proud of him, but you just put him down every. fucking. time.” You yelled at Jeremiah.
Seeing Troy standing at the bottom of the stairs after you yelled at his father, his lips parted in shock as you walked towards him, grabbing his hand, leading him back to his room.
“I love you so much.” Troy would whisper to you every night before going to sleep.
Author’s Note: Hey all! I finally finished this damn fic. This will probably be the last one I post for a while since I have like two term papers to write... I hope you all enjoy this. There’s quite a few background to this, so, yeah!
“Do you think you’d date anyone now that the world we know of has ended?” Audrey asked as we drove down the highway. I looked at her weirdly as Jess laughed, shaking her head.
“Are you kidding? How would we even make time for it when we’re always running for our lives?” Jess asked while chuckling. I sat in the backseat, grinning as my two friends bickered over the perks of dating in this new world.
We were driving towards Tijuana, wondering if there would be anything there since there wasn’t in the past two cities we’ve been to. I looked between the two girls as they were laughing, thinking of where I would be if I didn’t have them. Probably dead somewhere.
Before the world ended, I was a recovering drug addict. Aud and Jess have always been there for me when I would place myself into rehab. No one else was there except them… my parents weren’t even there for me in my time of need. I’m grateful to have these two ladies in my life, even in this undead world. The world had ended while I was still kind of recovering resulting in a few episodes of withdrawal, but Jess’ mom was a pharmaceutical and managed to grab some oxycontin before we left for Mexico.
“What about you, Y/N?” Jess asked, glancing back at me and I snapped out of my thoughts.
“I’m sorry what?” I asked, laughing a bit as Jess groaned, hitting her head against the seat. “Sorry! I was thinking.” I laughed, propping my legs up on the console in between the driver and passenger seat.
“Let’s say you found someone and ended up falling in love with them, would you date them?” Aud cleared up and I furrowed my eyebrows. Who has time for love now?
“I feel like I wouldn’t. Now a days not really a time for love when you could die at any second.” I muttered, resting my hands on my knees.
As time went on, we passed a sign that said Tijuana was about 50 miles from here. I started to fan myself, becoming really warm as I slipped my zip-up hoodie off my shoulders, setting it on the seat. My breathing became a little heavier as I laid my head back, resting my eyes for a second.
“Y/N? Hey Y/N! Aud stop the car.” Jess panicked as Aud pulled to the side of the road, putting the car in park.
“Withdrawals?” She asked Jess who nodded in response. I began coughing, sitting up as I opened the door, throwing up on the pavement. Jess had rummaged through her bag, pulling out the bottle of oxy she had.
“I-I thought I was doing better.” I muttered to the two girls, glancing up at them as I laid down on the seat.
“It’s alright, Y/N. You’re still trying to wean off of it.” Aud muttered, grabbing my water as Jess had crushed the oxy into a powder. Jess poured the powder into the water, shaking it before handing it to me.
“Drink this, come on.” Jess muttered as I took it into my hands, taking a few gulps. My two friends stared down at me, worried expressions on both of their faces as my heavy breathing had lightened up a bit.
“I’m fine. Keep driving, please.” I begged, giving them a weak smile as Aud nodded her head, turning around in her seat, starting up the vehicle.
My head was leaning against the cool window, my body temperature returning to normal as I started calming down. The three of us pulled up to an abandoned supermarket, grabbing our guns and knives before exiting the vehicle.
“Use knives if you can, shooting will just attract more.” I told the girls as they nodded their head. I tucked my pistol in my jeans, twirling my butterfly knife as it opens, the sharp blade shining in the sun.
We made our way into the building, searching every corner of the store for the infected before we begin to shop for food and supplies. The three of us split up as I made my way towards the pharmacy part of the store, needing something. My hands shook as I searched the shelves, not finding anything that could give me temporary release. I knocked some stuff off the shelves, letting out a breath as I stood there for a few seconds.
Someone cleared their throat, snapping me out of my daze as I looked up, finding Aud standing on the other side of the counter, giving me a knowing look. I sighed, hopping over to where she’s standing, running a hand through my hair.
“I’m sorry.” I whispered, frowning as the two of us walked towards Jess.
Aud shook her head, shrugging her shoulders as she sighed a bit. “It’s okay. I get it, it’s hard, but you have to try and get over it or you’re going to end up dead. Jess and I won’t be able to handle that.” She mentioned and I nodded my head.
Jess ran over to us, panting heavily as she tried to speak. “I-In-fected closing i-in.” She breathed out, placing her hands on her knees, breathing heavily. Shit.
“How many?” I asked her and she stood straight up, shrugging her shoulders a bit. “Alright, come on. Let’s see if we can avoid them.” I muttered, running towards the entrance of the store, Aud and Jess running closely behind me.
We looked out of the window of the doors, seeing at least twenty infected roaming around in between the space of the store and our vehicle. “We can do this.” Aud muttered and I glanced over towards her, eyes widened. “What? We can!” She laughed slightly and I sighed.
“Alright, yeah, we can do this.” I told them, grabbing my gun out of my jeans just in case. The two girls got their weapons ready as I glanced back towards them. “Ready?” I asked and they nodded their heads.
I opened the doors, the three of us running out as we began to stab and shoot our way through the mob. I killed about six of the infected when I heard Aud scream, snapping my head in her direction as I watched one of the infected biting her arm.
“Aud!” I screamed, shooting one of the infected before running towards her. I killed the ones around her, tears pooling in my eyes as she sat on the ground, groaning in pain. I watched her take her cyanide pill she carried out of her pocket before glancing up at me.
“It’s okay. I love you.” She whispered as I kneeled on the ground, sniffling as she gave me a weak smile. Aud popped the pill into her mouth and she begins spasming before she drops to the ground.
“Y/N watch out!” I heard Jess yell as an infected got on top of me. I laid on my back, pushing the walking corpse away from my face as it snapped at me, trying to catch some of my flesh. I reached out for my butterfly knife as it was a few inches from my grasp.
A knife was lodged into their skull before Jess pushed it off of me, trying to help me up when another infected came up behind her, taking a bite out of her neck. She screamed loudly as I grabbed my knife, stabbing them.
Jess held her hand to the side of her neck, her body covered in her blood as I stared down at my two best friends. One already dead as the other was dying.
“Y-Y/N… don’t let me turn into one of those things.” She stuttered, blood seeping from her lips as I nodded my head, the gun in my hand shaking as I pointed it at her head before pulling the trigger. I whimpered as I looked down at Jess, turning my attention to Audrey as one of her limbs began to twitch. I turned my gun towards her, shooting her in the same spot before she could become one of the infected, grabbing both of their bags before running towards the vehicle.
I sped down the highway, my vision blurred by the tears that are constantly spilling from my eyes. I let out a small sob, covering my mouth with my hand as the events replayed in my head over and over again. After about an hour of driving and crying, the car began to slow down, spluttering as smoke evaporated from the hood.
“No, no, no. Come on.” I groaned, hitting my head off the steering wheel. I searched through Jess and Aud’s bags, grabbing the necessities such as food, water, medical supplies, and the oxycotin. I placed it all in my bag, exiting the vehicle as I began to walk down the road, seeing Tijuana in the near distance.
By the time I reached Tijuana I was hot, tired, and in pain. I had rolled my ankle going down some rubble to reach the main road, so now I’m limping. I rummaged through all the small stores, finding absolutely nothing. I sat down in one of the shops, rubbing my ankle as the pain spiked, wincing slightly.
“¿Quién eres tú?” (“Who are you?”) A feminine voice called out and I looked up, seeing a woman and man covered in blood, pointing their guns at me. I put my hands up in surrender, my mouth moving like a fish out of water.
“I-I don’t speak much spanish.” I muttered, looking between the two as I attempted to stand up, my ankle almost giving out. “D-Do you have water? I-I ran out awhile ago.” I asked as they looked at me, not answering me. “Agua? Agua?” I asked in spanish and the guy pulled his canteen off of his hip, handing it to me. “Gracias.” I muttered, taking a few gulps of it before the woman took it from me.
The two began arguing in spanish, their eyes glancing down towards my ankle as I stared at them with wide eyes. The women sighed, beginning to leave with the man, glancing back at me. “Vámonos.” (“Let’s move on.”) She hissed and I stumbled forward, following the two.
I winced when I would put more pressure onto my ankle, gripping the straps of my backpack as we made our way towards a batch of infected. My eyes widened as they made their way in, my feet stopping in my tracks.
“U-Uh, excuse me?” I called out and the woman stopped, turning around. She let out a sigh, walking back towards me.
“¿Qué?” (“What?”) She asked, crossing her arms over her chest as she raised an eyebrow.
“I-I um, is there another way in?” I asked and she shook her head. I frowned, gulping a bit as she grabbed my arm, pulling me through the crowd of infected. I held my breath the entire time, letting it out once we reach inside the bus as I felt my heartbeat pounding against my chest.
“Este es La Colonia.” (“This is The Colony.”) She spoke as I blinked, nodding my head, not understanding what she’s saying. Maybe I should learn. “Vamos a llevarte a la enfermería.” (“Let's take you to the infirmary.”) The woman muttered as she lead me towards a white building.
“What’s your name?” I asked and she glanced back at me.
“Luciana.” She responded, knocking on the doors as I nodded my head.
“Nice to meet you Luciana. That’s actually a really gorgeous name, better than mine.” I muttered, looking around La Colonia. “Mines Y/N.” I smiled.
“Your name’s not that bad, Y/N.” She gave me a small smile and I laughed, shrugging my shoulders. “Alejandro is going to take a look at your ankle, okay?” Luciana mentioned and I nodded my head as the door opened, a tall ethnic man standing on the other side of it.
“¿Qué es esto?” (“What is this?”) The man I’m presuming to be Alejandro asked Luci.
“Ella se lastimó el tobillo, Alejandro. La encontramos en la ciudad.” (“She hurt her ankle, Alejandro. We found her in the city.”) Luci spoke to him as I sat there, wondering what they were saying.
“Alright, come in.” He spoke and I nodded, walking into the place. Alejandro closed the door behind us, motioning me to sit on the examination table. I hopped up onto the table, sitting patiently with my hands in my lap as I looked around. Alejandro grabbed his chair, sitting down in front of me as he softly grabbed my injured ankle. “What happened?” He asked in his thick accent, glancing up at me as he moved my ankle.
I winced, flinching slightly, gripping the edges of the table. “I um, I walked down this hill of rubble to get to the main road and my ankle slipped off one of the broken pieces of concrete and I ended up rolling it, or that’s what I think I did to it.” I told him, taking my bottom lip between my teeth.
He kept digging his fingers around my ankle as I winced quietly, trying not to let the pain show on my face as he hummed. “Well, lucky for you that’s all you did. It’s a pretty bad roll though, especially if you have a limp that heavy. You can stay here in the infirmary for now until we can clear up a space for you.” Alejandro mentioned and my eyes widened.
“Y-You’re allowing me to stay?” I asked hopefully and he nodded his head, grinning down at me. “Oh my god thank you so much. Thank you, thank you.” I muttered, tears pooling in my eyes as I carefully got down.
“No hay problema, señorita.” (“No problem, miss.”) He smiled, going back up the spiral staircase. I placed my bag next to the bed that’s a few feet away from the exam table, laying down on the cot as I stared up at the ceiling. My eyes began to droop shut, feeling the tiredness of today’s hike hitting me square in the face.
I gasped awake, feeling the sudden urge to vomit as I could feel the sweat covering my body. I found a bucket a foot from my bed, reaching for it as I threw up into it. After I emptied my already empty stomach, I laid on the cot, pulling at my clothes as I tried to disrobe. I heard someone hop down from something, coming over to me as I felt them place a hand on my face.
I flinched away from their touch, unzipping my hoodie as I tried to get it off. My breathing became heavier, groaning internally as I began going through the withdrawal stage again. “M-My bag.” I muttered out, looking towards the shadow, pointing towards the small bag on the floor.
“You know what’s happening to you, right?” The mystery man asked and I nodded my head, turning onto my side.
“Y-Yeah, w-withdrawals.” I whispered as he grabbed the bag, giving it to me. I glanced up at the man again, not expecting what I saw. Holy shit he’s cute. Stood in front of me was a man my age with ratty brown hair, gorgeous chocolate eyes, and wonderful lips. He also rocked the pink shirt quite well.
“You’re an addict?” He asked me and I nodded my head again, searching through my bag, pulling out the bag of oxy Jess had for me. “Here let me do it.” He mumbled, looking around for something to crush the pill. The man grabbed a beaker, crushing the oxy before sliding the powder into his hand.
“W-Water. I need water.” I murmured, undoing a few buttons of my flannel. Alejandro came down the set of stairs as the teenager looked towards him.
“Hey, do you have water? She needs this or the withdrawal is going to get worse.” He muttered and Alejandro nodded, grabbing a bottled water from a nearby cooler, handing it to the stranger.
“Is she an addict, like you?” Alejandro asked and the man nodded his head, sifting the powder into the water before giving it to me. I gulped half the bottle, letting out a small breath after I pulled the bottle away from my lips.
“Thank you…” I trailed off, not knowing the man’s name.
“Nick. My name’s Nick.” He muttered, looking down at me and I smiled slightly.
“Hi, Nick. I’m Y/N.” I introduced myself and Nick crouched down, his eyes analyzing my face.
“Hi Y/N. H-How long have you’ve been an addict?” Nick asked me and I sighed, rubbing my forehead.
“Three years maybe. I tried so hard to get sober, so hard. I-I only had my two best friends to help me get through it and now they’re dead.” I whispered, feeling the tears slide down my cheeks. I turned my head towards Nick, my lip quivering. “They didn’t deserve to die. They were such good people. It should’ve been me…” I cried out.
Nick frowned, taking my hand in his, rubbing the back of it with his thumb. “You has every right to be here as did they. I know it’s hard, trust me, but now you have something to live for, for them.” He told me and I stared up at him, my lips parted slightly.
“I guess I never thought about that.” I muttered, looking back up at the ceiling. “Thanks Nick.” I smiled at the cute boy, squeezing his hand.
It’s been about a week and a half since I’ve been at La Colonia and since I met Nick. Luci has been helping me touch up on my Spanish since I haven’t spoken or learned about it since high school, which was about two and a half years ago and I’m pretty much almost fluent in it, which is pretty cool. I’ve also been hanging out with Nick a lot, since he’s one of the only people who actually speak fluent english, plus he helps me with my withdrawals, which are getting better. I learned that he had also been an addict in the old world. Who knew you could fall for someone you haven’t even known for that long.
Luci and I were sitting outside of her place as she was helping me with the whole spanish language. The two of us were laughing as we were pretty close to having an entire conversation in spanish.
I glanced towards the kids who were playing soccer, seeing Nick standing next to Alejandro and I bit my lip softly, stealthily looking him over.
“¿Cómo te sientes acerca de Nick?” (“How do you feel about Nick?”) Luci asked me and I glanced towards her, blushing heavily at her question.
My lips moved like a fish out of water, trying to remember the right words to answer her question as I took a deep breath. “Me gusta mucho Nick, somos muy similares. ¿Ya sabes?” (“I really like Nick, we are very similar. You know?”) I could feel my heartbeat speed up as she grinned, patting my hand with hers.
“Ustedes dos serían lindos juntos.” (“You two would be cute together.”) Luci grinned and I groaned, hiding my face in my hands, shaking my head.
“No hay forma de que él sienta lo mismo.” (“There is no way he feels the same way.”) I muttered, playing with the cap of my water bottle.
“You never know until you try.” Her thick accent spoke as I shrugged. She laughed lightly, looking past me as her grin became wider, nodding her head in the direction behind me. I furrowed my eyebrows together, glancing behind me as I saw Nick walk towards us.
I grinned at the teenager, crossing my legs. “Hola, Nicky.” I chuckled and he tilted his head towards me, giving me a knowing look. “Come on Nick. I like Nicky, it’s cute.” I grinned and he shook his head, laughing a bit.
“You still coming over tonight?” He asked and I thought about it for a minute, tapping my fingers against my chin.
“I don’t know. Luci here has invited me to her place for a few drinks, but if we finish early I’ll definitely stop by.” I told him as he nodded his head, tilting his water bottle back and forth.
“Alright, well the door’s always open. Adiós señoras.” Nick grinned, giving me a cheeky wink before walking towards his trailer. I kept my eyes on him, feeling my heartbeat pound against my chest.
I looked back at Luci, seeing a smirk on her lips. “Shut up.” I laughed and she placed her hands up in surrender.
“I didn’t even say anything.” Luci grinned and I rolled my eyes, tapping the water bottle against the small table.
“Yeah, well your face did.” I chuckled, shaking my head. Luci got up out of her chair, grabbing her bag as Francisco had walked towards us, singling her that he’s ready to go.
She glanced down at me before she left, telling me one last thing. “Dile cómo te sientes.” (“Tell him how you feel.”) Luci muttered as she walked away.
I sighed, rubbing the side of my temple as I got up, heading towards the infirmary. I walked up the spiral stairs to see Nick and Alejandro working with oxy as I blushed involuntarily, admiring Nick’s back.
“Y/N? What do I owe the pleasure?” Alejandro asked me and Nick glanced behind him to look at me.
“Um, I was just wondering if you needed any help.” I muttered, beginning to feel like I’m not helping around La Colonia enough.
“Are you sure you’ll be able to handle this? With the addiction and all?” Nick asked and I raised an eyebrow to him.
“Nick, you’re also an addict. Plus I’m better now, you know that.” I muttered, crossing my arms over my chest. He stood up, strolling over to me as his hands rested on the side of my arms.
“I know, but I just worry about you.” Nick whispered, his eyes staring into mine as I felt my heartbeat sped up.
“Y-You barely know me, though.” I whispered back, forgetting that Alejandro is in the room with us.
“So? We know almost everything about each other. I know what it’s like going through withdrawals and the feeling of needing something. I don’t want you to go through that anymore.” He muttered, his eyes looking over my face as I swallowed thickly.
“God, Nick.” I chuckled, directing my gaze to the floor, feeling my cheeks heat up. “You’re certainly someone I never expected to make a big impact on my life.” I muttered, wrapping my arms around his torso, resting the side of my head on his chest, hearing his heartbeat.
“I could say the same about you, Y/N.” Nick whispered, nestling his face into my neck, his hand rubbing my back softly.
Alejandro cleared his throat making the two of us pull apart from each other. A blush covers my cheeks as I pointed towards the stairs, tripping slightly on my way towards them.
“I-I think Luci needs me, so I’ll be going.” I muttered a lie, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear before turning around quickly, heading downstairs and out the building.
I walked at a fast pace to Luci’s place, my hands shaking from the nervousness as I held them, trying to get the shaking to stop. I knocked on her door rapidly, glancing around me as the door opened. I barged in, pacing her living room as I could feel my breath get heavier.
“¿Qué pasa?” (“What’s wrong?”) Luciana asked me and I sighed, rubbing my hands over my face.
“Podría estar enamorado de Nick.” (“I might be in love with Nick.”) I muttered, standing still as her eyes widened. She began to squeal a bit, clapping her hands together as I groaned, plopping onto her couch. “Luci!” I hissed, leaning my head back as I tugged on my hair slightly.
“¡Lo siento!” (“I’m sorry!”) Luci laughed as she sat down on the couch next to me. “You need a drink?” She asked and I nodded my head.
“Yes, please.” I mutter taking the glass from Luciana’s hand after she poured some wine into it. I gulp half of it down, scrunching my face at the bitter taste. “Not even a few hours before my best friends died, they asked if I’d ever date someone now that the world has ended…” I trailed off, glancing down at the glass, swirling the red liquid.
“What’d you say?” Luci asked, sitting near me as I glanced towards her.
“I said no. I don’t see any time for love when you’re trying to survive every day.” I murmur, frowning as I drank the rest of the wine. “But now, now I just want to know where things could lead with Nick and I.” I told her, placing the glass on the coffee table.
“I think there’s still a time to love even though the world has ended. You two could be great together. You just need to take that leap of faith.” She mentioned and I nodded, tears welling up in my eyes.
“I wish they could be here to see it.” I whispered, staying quiet for a few seconds before laughing. “They would’ve said “I told you so.”” I shook my head, sighing. “I’m sorry.”
Luciana grabbed my hands, holding them in hers. “Don’t apologize, you’re human. It’s okay to grieve over ones you love.” She smiled.
“Thanks, Luci.” I smiled softly. I pulled my hands from hers, standing up. “I’m going to see Nick and if something happens then it happens. If not, then I’ll move on who knows.” I declared, bidding her goodbye as I left her trailer.
I stood outside Nick’s place, shaking my hand as I gnawed on my lip, trying to gather the courage to knock on his door. C’mon Y/N, you can do this. I lifted my fist, knocking on his door and waited.
“Come in.” I heard him call out and I opened the door, peeking my head through the crack. Nick glanced towards the door, his eyes lighting up as he saw me standing halfway into the trailer. “Y/N! Hey, you made it.” He smiled, getting up off the floor, placing the book onto his bed.
I stepped inside, shutting the door behind me as I could feel the nervousness crawling on my skin. “Y-Yeah, I did. Whatcha reading?” I asked him, walking past him, sitting down on the bed as I picked up the book. “The spanish dictionary?” I raised an eyebrow as he nodded his head.
“Well, yeah. If I’m going to stay here I gotta find out what you and Luci have been saying. I’m pretty sure you two talk about me.” Nick chuckles and I blush, shrugging my shoulders a bit.
“What?! Nah, no, well not bad things… if that makes you feel better.” I muttered and the grin on his lips widened.
“Oh really? So, you guys have talked about me?” Nick asked and my lips parted, face palming a bit. “It’s alright if you have. It’s not like I haven’t talked about you to people before.” He shrugged, sitting down on the bed next to me, his body facing me as mine faced the bookshelf on the wall adjacent to me.
“Y-You've talked about me?” I asked quietly, glancing over towards him as he nodded his head.
“Yeah, I’ve mentioned you to Alejandro quite a few times. What have you and Luci talked about that involved me?” He asked in return and I could feel my cheeks heating up.
“I-I can’t remember.” I lied and Nick scooted closer towards me, a smirk appearing on his lips.
“Oh come on, you and I both know that that’s a lie.” He whispered, his face gravitating closer towards mine as I could hear my heartbeat speed up. I shivered slightly, Nick’s fingers dipping underneath my shirt, squeezing my side.
“Quiero que me beses.” (“I want you to kiss me.”) I whispered in Spanish, glancing up at his dark eyes. Nick glanced down at my lips, his other hand moving to my cheek, lightly cupping it.
“No tienes que decirme dos veces.” (“You don’t have to tell me twice.”) He whispered before pressing his lips against mine. My heart felt like it was leaping from my chest as I moved my lips against his, my fingers running through his ratty hair, tugging it slightly.
Nick pushed me onto my back, hovering over me as one of my hands laid against his chest, gripping his mustard yellow striped shirt. My eyes fluttered shut, taking in the feeling of his lips on mine as I’ve been dreaming about it for weeks. Nick’s hands pushed up my shirt slightly, his fingertips brushing against my skin as I shivered faintly, a small sigh escaping my lips. His lips left my lips as I emitted a small whine, Nick kissing down my neck, biting softly every now and then.
“Nick,” I breathed, my fingers gripping his bicep as I glanced down towards him, his eyes already on me.
“Do you wan-” I cut him off by nodding my head, a blush covering my cheeks as he smiled softly, placing a small kiss to my lips before returning to his position between my legs.
-
I was startled awake by a pounding on Nick’s door. I squinted my eyes, seeing Nick getting out of bed, putting some boxers and pants on before reaching for a black shirt. I sat up in his bed, holding the blanket to my bare chest as I ran a hand through my hair.
Nick slipped his shirt on, cracking open the door as Luci stood on the other side, her arms crossed over her chest. I got up, putting my clothes on quickly before making my way towards the door, peeking my head into frame so she could see me.
“Hi, Luci.” I mumbled, giving her a small smile. Luci’s straight face turned into a grin, looking between Nick and I as I rolled my eyes.
“Did you need something?” Nick asked, oblivious to the silent communication that Luci and I have.
Luci glanced up at him, nodding her head as she glanced towards the infirmary. “Yeah, Alejandro said that he wanted to see you.” Nick’s eyes squinted towards the large building not far from his mobile home, seeing Alejandro standing in the window. He nodded his head, heading towards a different area of the house as I held my finger up to Luci, silently telling her I’d be right back.
I stopped Nick in his tracks as he made his way towards the bathroom and he glanced back towards me, looking down at me with a slight confused expression on his face. I gave him a small smile before leaning on my tippy toes, pressing my lips against his. One of his hands rest against my hip as mine was pressed against his chest. Nick began to kiss me back, his other hand grazing my cheek as my heart fluttered.
The heels of my feet hit the ground as I began to pull away, biting his bottom lip as I pull it, hearing a small growl escape his lips. I bit my lip, chuckling lightly as I rested my head against his chest. “I’ll see you later?” I asked him, lifting my head up to look at him.
Nick nodded his head, grinning down at me before placing a kiss to my lips. “Maybe we can have a drink later?” He asked me and I nodded in response.
I waved goodbye to him and he winked at me in return, making me giggle as I walked out of the trailer, seeing that Luci was still waiting for me. The two of us began walking around La Colonia in silence, surprised she hasn’t asked what happened between Nick and I yet.
“How was your night?” I asked her and she shrugged her shoulders, glancing towards me as I nodded my head.
“It was alright. Probably not as good as your night went.” She smirked and I could feel my cheeks heat up, blushing majorly. I scoffed, running my fingers through my hair, shaking my head.
“I don’t know what you mean by that. It was a pretty boring night.” I lied, memories of last night playing in my mind.
“Sure, sure. That explains the hickey’s on your neck.” Luci mentioned and I instantly cover my neck, groaning loudly. God dammit, Nick. “It’s alright. I shipped you guys anyway.” She grinned, continuing to walk as I stopped in my tracks.
I looked at the ground, smiling to myself as I thought about last night, how Nick’s hands roamed my body. A pair of arms wrapped around my waist, making me jump slightly as I glanced behind me, seeing the man himself. Nick smiled down at me, his large hand resting against the small of my back, placing a small kiss to my forehead.
“Come on, beautiful.” He whispered, intertwining our fingers before leading me back to his place. Butterflies soared throughout my stomach, nibbling on my lip as I nodded. “You’re probably the best thing that’s happened to me in this new world…”
Author’s Note: I wanted to write about Nick in dat facility when I was re-watching season 1 and this is the end result! I hope everyone enjoys it :)
I sat in one of the many cages in the dim lit area, other pleading the guards to let them free as my foot tapping on the floor in worry. I placed both hands on each side of my head, gripping my hair gently before rubbing my face. I don’t even fucking remember how long I’ve been here for…
“You alright there, darlin’?” A deep voice asked me and I glanced up seeing a dark-skinned man wearing a very expensive suit in front of me. I let out a small sigh, shaking my head as he sat down next to me.
I rolled my eyes at the sound of the adult weeping next to us, glancing towards him as he looked at a picture of what I assume is his family. The posh man sitting next to me stood up, standing next to the man holding the picture, staring down at him.
“I look at a person like you and I know. You are a buyer. How do I know? Because I am a closer,” he spoke pacing in the space in front of us as my eyes stay on him. “I can sell anything, everything. Ask anyone. Except, uh, insurance.” He laughed, shaking his head a bit.
He began talking about family, making the guy sitting on the bench cry harder as I tilted my head to the side, wondering what this wealthy man is trying to do.
“Douglas, what’s wrong?” He asked, sitting down next to him as the crying got worse. I leaned my head against the fence, closing my eyes as I try to drown the sound out before I go completely insane. “Buck up. I think I found you a bright side.” The guy in the suit took the picture from Doug’s hands, glancing down at it. “I presume this is the wife.”
“Maria,” Doug told him, looking at it longingly.
I tuned out the conversation, thinking back to when I was first taken to this damn forsaken place.
I was sitting with my stepfamily in the Military run “safe zone,” watching some of the men patrol around the cul-de-sac as a doctor went from house to house, checking on people who needed medication and whatnot. I could hear my stepfather whisper to his boys and I glance behind me, seeing the three of them huddled up as I sighed.
Doctor Exner, she calls herself, came to our house next, greeting me with a small smile before talking with the step, both of them stepping into the house. They talked about what felt like ages but was only a few minutes before she took her leave.
“She doesn’t need to do a checkup?” I asked my stepfather and he shook his head, not even looking at me as I sighed, heading into the house, going to my room. I looked at the picture of my mother and I on my mirror, sighing sadly. “I wish you were still here…”
That night some military soldiers came into the house, claiming they had one of our names on their list to bring to the facility. “Y/N L/N.” One of them spoke as my heart stopped.
My eyes looked towards my stepfather and brothers as they had this stupid grin on their faces, the soldiers grabbing my arms, escorting me out of the house. “W-Wait no. There’s got to be a mistake. I’m not sick!” I yelled, fighting their grip.
I was snapped out of my memories when I felt the fence move, seeing Doug’s body laid against it, the crying got worse as two soldiers came in and took him away.
The man leans against the fence next to someone else, not really able to see their face as they sat on the floor, tucked into themselves. “So, then, who the hell are you?” He asked, looking down at the person.
I let out a small gasp as the person looked up, gripping the edge of the bench. “Nick…” I whispered, moving closer to him. “Nick? Is that really you?”
He looked over towards me, his eyes widening and I stood up, walking over towards him. “Y/N? What are you doing here?” I kneeled down next t him, placing my hands on his face, analyzing every inch of it.
“Remember my absolute favorite stepfamily?” I asked him sarcastically and he nodded his head in response. “Well, my stepfather told Exner that I was sick.” I frowned as did Nick, knowing how much of a dick my he was.
“I guess I had a similar scenario,” Nick paused, taking one of my hands in his, “Travis’ ex-wife had told her that I had been a drug addict and needed methadone.”
I scoffed, shaking my head. “Still doing that, huh?” I asked to which he shamefully nodded. “Nicky-,”
“I know, I know. I tried to quit I really did, but it’s difficult.” He whispered, feeling the wealthy man’s eyes on us.
“I’m just glad you’re okay,” I muttered, wrapping my arms around his neck, giving him a tight hug. His hands rest on my back, returning the hug as I sighed contently.
“As much as I don’t want to interrupt this cute reunion, we’ve got bigger problems on our hands.” The man mentioned and I pulled away from Nick, looking at him.
“What did you say your name was again?” I asked, looking up at him.
He smiled, straightening his suit as I narrowed my eyes at him. “Strand. Nice to meet you, Y/N.”
“You too,” I muttered turning away from him as guards patrolled around the cages, taking everyone’s temperature.
They placed the advanced thermometer near strands head, reading out the result, “98.6.” They moved onto me as I stared up at them, my heart pounding. “99.8.” Again, they moved onto Nick, heading the thing beep, waiting for them to read the result, “101.1. Take him.”
“Wait, no. H-He’s not sick!” I yelled as two guards came in, grabbing his arms. I stood up quickly, trying to pry their hands off Nick. “Listen to me, he’s not sick, please,” I begged.
One of them pushes me off of them and I fall to the ground, reaching my hands out to try and catch myself, but fail. I wince, hurting my wrist as Strand stepped up to the cage, whispering something to the main guard, Melvin.
“Hey! Let me go, man.” Nick fought, squirming as he looked back at me. I stared at him, slowly getting off the ground as Melvin halted the two men who were holding Nick.
“Put him back in the pen,” Melvin ordered and I sighed in relief as they brought him back in, my hands gripping his forearms tightly. Nick held me with the same amount of strength, my head buried in his neck. I could feel his lips pressed against the side of my head, his hand rubbing my back as the guards walked off.
“I’m okay,” Nick whispered, rubbing his hands on my arms as I pulled away. “Why’d you save me?” He asked Strand, furrowing his eyebrows at him.
“I didn’t save you. I obligated you.” Strand muttered, sitting back down on the bench. Nick and I moved back towards the spot he sat in when I first saw him, our shoulders brushing softly. “There’s a difference.”
We looked at each other, confused with Strand’s words. Nick was about to say something when Strand cut him off.
“I look at you, Nick, and I see someone who knows the means of necessity.”
“Well, I’m an addict,” Nick stated as I played with his fingers, listening to the boys’ conversation.
“No, you’re a heroin addict, that’s the golden standard. Don’t sell yourself short.” Strand corrected and I closed my eyes, biting my lip softly. I wish I could’ve been there to help him… “Anyway, I’m going to require a man with your talent when I make my move.”
“What move?” Nick and I asked simultaneously. Strand stayed quiet, just staring at us as he pulled out a key from inside his sleeve.
The three of us sat in the pen for what seemed like ages in silence. Nick got up at one point, pacing around the cage, running a hand along the fence. My foot anxiously began tapping against the floor again, chewing on my fingernails as my eyes darted around.
“I am losing my mind,” Nick stated, stopping for a second before continuing to pace. “I thought the house was bad,” he muttered, running a hand through his ratty hair.
“Nick, can you please stop? You’re making me kind of dizzy.” I chuckled, biting my lip softly. He looked down at me, smiling gently as he stopped, sitting down on the bench that’s next to me. Nick’s finger glided through my hair, leaning into his touch as my eyes fluttered shut.
“Just picture you’re somewhere nice, with a needle in your arm.” Strand told him and I sighed, getting off the ground, sitting next to Nick.
“Is it bad? When was the last time you used?” I asked him quietly, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.
Nick looked over at me, his hand on my leg as he sighed. “Y-Yeah. I mean, it’s been tolerable I guess. The last time I used was a couple days ago… morphine.” He muttered, frowning. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay, Nick. I-I just wanted what’s best for you a-and when you barely tried… I-I couldn’t handle it, so I left. I’m sorry.” I teared up, leaning my forehead against the side of his face.
“I-It’s okay, Y/N/N.” He whispered, hugging me tightly.
Our moment was interrupted by gunfire, both of us jumping as I gripped onto his arm. The alarm begins to go off, the three of us standing up.
“It’s time to go,” Strand mentioned, searching his pockets for something.
Where are we going?” I asked, feeling my heart pounding against my ribcage.
“What’s wrong?” Nick asked, watching him continue to search his pockets before Nick held up a key. I kept my laugh in as Strand smiled, taking the key from him.
“You, I like you.” Strand muttered, unlocking the gate, the two of us following behind him. “Y/N… I didn’t plan for you to come, but-,”
“She’s coming. No questions asked.” Nick cut him off, pulling me close to him as I wrapped an arm around his waist. “I can’t lose her again, Strand.” He glared a bit, placing a hand on his chest, trying to calm him down slightly.
“You didn’t let me finish. I was going to say, but I’m bringing you anyway because one, I can see that Nick cares about you and two, you’re growing on me.” Strand grinned and I laughed, pressing my lips together.
“Thanks, Strand.” I smiled as the three of us walked down a hallway. I kept my hand on Nick’s jacket, gripping slightly as we headed towards the stairwell. Strand pushed us out of the way as we heard guards rushing down the stairs.
My breathing became heavier as Strand motioned us to move forward, going through a pair of double doors, them closing loudly behind us. We crept down an eerie hallway, entering another area where a soldier was lying dead on the floor and another slowly dying. Nick and I stayed back as Strand went forward, whispering to him as a bunch of infected came through the doors opposite to us.
“Guys, we gotta go,” I called out, the three of us running back down the hallway we came from. We came up to the double doors, pushing it open but it doesn’t budge. “Oh no, no, no, no,” I muttered, looking back as Nick got in front of me, ramming his shoulder into the door, the infected getting closer and closer. “We’re gonna die.”
“Hey, we’re getting out of this. I’m getting you out of this.” Nick whispered, putting both his hands on my cheeks. “I’ll do literally anything to keep you safe.”
Tears streamed down my cheeks, coming in contact with his fingers as I nodded. His eyes searched mine for a few seconds before leaning down, connecting our lips together. I balled up his jacket in my hands, moving my lips against his before pulling away.
Nick looked out the window, his eyes widening as he placed his hands on the window. “Mom? Mom!” He yelled, pounding on the door. I looked out the other window, watching in silence as one of the nurses slid her card through the card reader many times. It finally unlocked, the three of us bursting through the door, Nick and I closing it behind us.
“Y/N?” Madison asked and I waved, smiling lightly. Nick grabbed my hand, muttering how it wasn’t a great time for a reunion.
