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pimosworld · 3 months

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Unrequited

Pairing- Santiago Garcia x f!reader x Francisco Morales

Series Summary- Francisco was always afraid of settling down. He left Santiago to pick up the pieces after Colombia and now someone else is taking his place. Now he must cope with repairing the past without disrupting his future.

CW-18+,NSFW,MDNI, Angst, hurt/comfort, lovers to enemies to friends, friends to lovers, PTSD, mentions of addiction, therapy,canon typical violence, depression, anxiety, smut, m/m, m/m/f, eventual poly relationship, alcohol consumption,infidelity, unprotected piv,oral f receiving, oral m receiving, marriage proposals)

WC-5.2k

A/N- I hope you enjoy the first chapter and I’m just going to apologize now for the angst but it will get better…eventually. Happy Frankie Friday. @triplefrontier-anniversary

[Series Masterlist][Main Masterlist]

Not beta read

Chapter 1 Love sick

adjective: love-sick

in love, or missing the person one loves, so much that one is unable to act normally.

Frankie hates how everything feels the same. When the wheels touched down and he exited the plane, it smelled the same. All of his favorite places to eat, the usual stores, the same amount of unbearable traffic. He wanted this to feel different when he returned home. Like he expected his friends and him to be waiting at the airport to greet him with open arms. Like they would roll out the red carpet for him because they all missed him so much. How could he expect that when he couldn’t bother to tell anyone he was still alive let alone returning home? That’s like expecting to win the lottery but never playing. That delusional part of your brain where you imagine how you would spend the money and how you wouldn’t tell anyone.

He’s home now.

The bile starts to rise up in his throat as he approaches the neighborhood he was going to spend the rest of his life in. He was going to live a peaceful, quiet life with him. After Colombia they would have enough money to do whatever they wanted. Relax and finally work out some of that trauma from their shared experiences in the military. He supposed everyone did settle down anyway. What choice did they have after coming back with practically nothing. He heard Will eventually got married and Benny took what little money he had and opened up a boxing gym. Santi-

How was he supposed to return to this life with him after everything that happened in Colombia. Santiago finally gave him everything he wanted on a silver platter, everything Frankie had been asking of him for years. Love me out in the open, Love me out loud, Love me without fear or consequence of failure. So he did. He finally told him ‘after this, no more playing games. We do this for real or not at all, I'm all in if you are.’

His response was to flee. One month turned into six, six months turned into a year. Now three years later he’s coming back to the man he broke and he’s not sure what he’s expecting but it’s making him nearly break out in hives. The outside of the house looks a little different but he can’t put his finger on why. It’s brighter and somehow cleaner. Maybe Santiago had it painted recently. He huffs his bag out of the cab suddenly feeling a thousand times heavier than any pack he’s carried through the jungle with rain soaked clothes all the way down to his socks.

The bench is still there on the front porch that Frankie found at a garage sale. The first piece of furniture that graced the home they picked out together.Frankie told the guys it would be easier if they bought it together. He’s not sure who he thought he was fooling but it certainly wasn’t Benny and Will. Tom didn’t give a shit, he was such a cheap bastard he truly believed they would buy a house together to save money. Another example of Santiago going along with whatever Frankie said as long as he got to call it theirs.

His hands are sweaty and his arms are shaky as he raises them up to knock on the door. Santiago hated doorbells, such a weird quirky thing he never explained makes him laugh now, easing some of the tension in his shoulders. He waits…an uncomfortable amount of time before he thinks he could just turn around and act like he was never here until the door flies open.

You’re standing there practically beaming at him, he’s sure he’s got the most dumbfounded look on his face as he takes you in. You’re adorable as you lean against the door frame in a pair of leggings and a shirt he sort of recognizes, waiting for him to say something. Maybe he has the wrong house and you’re just sparing him the embarrassment. He’s completely bewildered when you surge forward and wrap your some around his middle, he instinctively despite you being a complete stranger embraces your hug. You’re like liquid in his arms as you press your chest to his and he can feel something awaken in him. The amount of warm bodies he found himself under or on top of over the years couldn’t compare to this consuming feeling. The worst part is how innocent you seem and how his thoughts are nothing but. He can smell you, a hint of orange and peach. Body wash, shampoo or perfume he doesn’t really care at the moment.

You mumble something that’s inaudible as you pull back and look at him, something sparkling in your eyes. “I was beginning to think you were like bigfoot, or the Easter bunny…or maybe even Santa Claus.” You giggle and it’s something else he has to add to the list. “Forgive me…it’s nice to meet you Francisco.”

“I see you’ve met my girlfriend.” That voice. The low sultry voice he’s sure he could never forget, not even if he tried. Frankie cried the day his phone was smashed and the voicemail Santi had left for him was lost forever. The last one he left, begging for him to come back, to come home. “Sorry she’s a hugger.” You sheepishly extract yourself from him as his body goes taut.

Santi steps up behind you, protectively and it cuts like a knife. His hand starts at the small of your back and wraps around to your front as he pulls you into his chest. You preen at the touch as you lean against him, kissing the dark stubble on his cheek. Frankie’s sure you don’t notice the fire in your boyfriend's eyes, a threatening stare that was usually only reserved for his enemies. He can see it then, shrouded in hurt and anger. She’s mine. Santiago won’t let him hurt you the way he was hurt. Thrown away and cast aside. That’s how Frankie thinks he’d paint the picture but that’s far from the truth. He was sparing him a lifetime of disappointment.

The feelings he had for you are going up in gray smoke like water doused onto a fire. This is a dangerous feeling, seeing you in his place. It’s not your fault at all that you met Santiago and walked into years of love,torment and jealousy. Frankie can tell how blindly you love Santiago, the way he loved Frankie all those years. He would lay down on a live wire for him, take a bullet for him, take public scrutiny and throw away his family’s judgmental stares for him. Being that vulnerable only puts you in danger.

“Invite him in silly.” You nudge Santi and he barely budges as he scoops up Frankie’s bag and slings it over his shoulder. You yelp as he pats you on the ass to coax you inside.

“Come on in Frank, make yourself at home.” His voice is raw and open, like Frankie’s heart. He grinds his teeth at the name he hates and the implication of home. But he deserves that. Santi is going to make him hurt.

****

The house looks relatively the same on the inside.

Some extra plants and a bookshelf, the distinct smell of lavender and vanilla are the only differences. He wishes it wouldn’t look the same, like everything else. It was like he never left, the same couch they used to spend late nights on, watching the same tv that sits in the corner. The same dining table that they would eat breakfast before going to work and dinner after a long day.

“I’m gonna make some cookies, since it’s a special occasion.” You wink at him and start moving around his kitchen like you know everything. The oven is preheated and you're mixing something into a bowl before he can blink. Humming some tune he’s sure he’s heard as he realizes the shirt you’re wearing is Santi’s favorite.

Santi slides up behind you kissing your neck. “Sounds like a good idea baby.” You glance up at Frankie looking a little bashful as you narrow your eyes at Santi.

“Why don’t you go put your stuff down in the spare bedroom.” Santi doesn’t move and that annoys him even more. He doesn’t have to show him where the room is because this used to be his house, still is technically. He stomps down the hall glaring at some artwork and photos he’s never seen. Stopping in his tracks when he sees a photo of the five of them in Delta. A stupid grin on Santi’s face because Frankie’s grabbing his ass while the photo is being taken. The younger faces of the Miller brothers and Tom.

He stops again when he sees the bedroom they used to share. Nothing much has changed about that either. The bedspread and the ungodly amount of pillows maybe…hopefully the mattress.

He sets his bag down against the wall and opens the window to let some air in. It’s stale and muggy so he shuts it immediately. He can still smell you on him and it’s driving him nuts. He got a whiff of Santi’s cologne during the brief greeting. That was different. He stopped wearing the one Frankie bought him on a mission in Morocco. Santi hadn’t so much as touched him during their hello and he’s not sure if that hurts worse than being able to hold him.

His body eases into the queen mattress as he leans back against the pillows. It’s much more comfortable than the previous one. Frankie never cared about the comfort of others and they argued about it. "It's just a spare bed, what's the problem?” Santiago would roll his eyes and he wanted to kiss that smug look off his face. ‘Our guests should be comfortable too.” He didn’t think they would ever have guests staying in their home other than Benny or Will and those bastards didn’t need a four star plush hotel stay. Now he’s a guest, in his own home and he hates how comfortable he is.

He’s exhausted…mentally, physically, emotionally. Too fatigued to even stand and turn on the ceiling fan that he’s staring at. He’s just starting to close his eyes when he hears a soft rap on the door. He sighs out in frustration, he needs a break from you right now, you’re too perfect and he’s too broken so he just needs a moment. He goes to protest when the door opens but it’s not you who greets him.

Santiago stands in the doorway with a plate of cookies and a glass of milk. He looks as though he’s approaching a wild animal in a cage with their favorite treat to calm them down just before they tranquilize them. Frankie sits up as he steps into the room and sets the items down on the bedside table.

“They’re still hot.” His tone is warning like he knows Frankie is going to shove one whole in his mouth the moment he leaves the room and then complain that it burned his tongue.

Frankie wants to say something but now doesn’t feel right. His tongue is heavy like lead in his mouth and his eyes can’t quite possibly say all that he wants to. I love you, I’m sorry. “You look good.” It’s weak, Santiago knows it as he huffs out a laugh.

“You look tired.” It’s said more of a truth than an insult. He’s sad when he looks at him like someone he used to know. Frankie probably hasn’t had a good night's sleep in three years and that is Santi’s only consolation prize. He got a broken heart and Frankie got perpetual insomnia. “You can stay as long as you want Fish…dinner will be ready in an hour.” Santi exits the bedroom, closing the door softly, leaving his new cologne in the omnium of your scent that clings to him.

As long as he wants and as long as he needs are two very different things. He’s just glad as he takes a bite of the cookie that he’s graduated from Frank to Fish. This cookie tastes how you look. Sickly sweet and warm on his tongue. He’s glad Santi has left the room because he didn’t recognize the sounds coming from him as he savored his first homemade provisions in over three years. Surviving on street food that his stomach hated and questionable canned meat products. He can taste you on his tongue as he finishes the first cookie in the blink of an eye. Four of them stacked on the plate before eating dinner seemed like overkill at first but Santiago had tasted your cookies... He gets to indulge in them whenever he wants and this is just his way of taunting Frankie. He knows Frankie is a weak man who hasn’t let himself enjoy the pleasures in life for quite a while. Temporary pleasures don’t measure up to this.

He kicks off his shoes and props himself up against the pillows again as he absentmindedly reaches for another. A cool breeze whips his face as he looks up at the spinning blades. Santiago must have turned it on without him noticing. His mama always used to tell him to slow down and enjoy his food so he does in this moment. The first one he ate with such urgency like it would be his last, this one he can savor the hints of cinnamon and vanilla. The gooey chocolate makes a mess on his fingers. He glances over to see no napkin so he licks it off getting a hint of salt and peanut butter. There’s no way you could know unless Santiago told you. He holds it in front of him to inspect and sees the small peanut butter chips melted in. That was always his favorite and only Santi knew.

It’s much easier to fall asleep as he polished off the last cookie and most of the milk. This one hour felt better than any full night of sleep he got when he wasn’t home.

****

Frankie feels like his body weighs a ton. Waking up from his nap is disorienting as he remembers where he is. Sleeping in a room he never thought he’d be in, in a place he never thought he’d ever come back to. This short slumber after being sleep deprived for so long is like serving someone an appetizer and telling them the restaurant is closing early.

He showed up unexpectedly and you took it in stride. Like you’ve been here waiting for him this whole time to put the pieces back together. Frankie doesn’t think you’d mind if he skipped out on dinner for some much needed rest but his stomach grumbles as he stares at the empty plate next to him. The smell of garlic,onions and peppers coax him out of the bed as he stretches his creaky bones. He can hear laughter and the clinking of plates as he walks down the hallway, it dawns on him that he hasn’t showered in twelve hours but he doesn’t want to keep you waiting any longer. He’s been enough of a burden these last few years and he won’t let you bear the load any longer.

“Hola bella durmiente.” Santi’s teasing voice hits his ears before he sees him. He wants to flip him off but he’s too tired and that feels too normal.

Frankie glances at the time on the oven as you finish plating something that smells like home. “Shit it’s been two hours.” Santi whistles at him to sit down as he scrubs his hands through his hair.

“Don’t worry about it Francisco, this man takes four hour naps.” You lean over setting the plate down in front of him and your boyfriend. He watches you plant a kiss on Santi’s head, not to flaunt it but just because it’s second nature.

“You never take naps.”

“I’ve learned to relax.” Santi says with a mouthful of food as he points his fork. “You should learn to do the same, Frankie.”

He can breathe a sigh of relief that he can be Frankie again, even in jest.

He takes a bite as you settle in across from him, it’s perfect much like the cookies as he closes his eyes not afraid of the moan that leaves him. “Holy shit this is better than Santi’s Chile verde.”

Santi takes your hand placing a kiss on your fingers. “That’s why I don’t make it anymore.”

“Well don’t be shy, there’s plenty on the stove.” You smile at him and he notices then that you changed. A light touch of makeup and a little perfume. Santi’s still in his tee shirt and jeans but you’ve ditched the old ratty Metallica shirt and swapped it for a bright yellow blouse and jeans.

Santi clears his throat interrupting Frankie observing you. “She’s an amazing chef. She takes a lot of pride in her work, and I take my job as the Guinea pig very seriously.” He leans back and pats his belly.

You’re practically beaming at him as you stand to take his empty plate. He gently grabs your wrist urging you to sit as he absentmindedly grabs Frankie’s to serve them up some more.

****

Frankie used to run from his compliments or brush them off as nothing. He was always too afraid of the praise not realizing how hurtful it was to the other man when he would wave him off. Santi loves you in the way he always wanted Frankie to love him.

He’s grateful for the small talk during the rest of the evening. A few beers and a way too nice bottle of wine has him comfortably buzzed as he listens to you talk about how you met Santiago. In true Santiago form he almost ruined it before it even began.

It was at Will's wedding a little over a year ago.Santiago assumed you were a guest of the bride because he’s certain he would remember meeting you in the many years he’d known Will. He saw you just before the ceremony in a navy blue silk suit, the plunging neckline leaving nothing to the imagination. You looked lost and a little irked when he approached you asking to save him a dance.

He looked for you in the sea of unfamiliar faces during the ceremony and again during the reception. It wasn’t until a very unfortunate moment with a clingy bridesmaid in his lap drunkenly telling him about her new piercing that he locked eyes with you. There was a humorous look on your face as you winked at him. Two men approached you in matching white button ups and black ties and you snapped to attention. He could always tell when someone was giving orders and needed to be taken seriously. The men scurry away when you’re done speaking and start gathering plates and cutlery. Your face relaxes again and you wink at him exiting the ballroom as the girl screeches in his ear ‘are you even listening to me?”

“No sweetheart I’m not.” He quickly displaces her from his lap as she stands there dumbstruck by his actions.

He bursts through the doors and is met with a mostly empty kitchen. You’re standing there wide eyed with another girl in the matching uniform. “Finish boxing up the leftovers for the newlyweds and then you’re good to go.” You brush her arm as you walk past and beeline it straight for him.

“Lost?” You raise an eyebrow at him.

“No I ugh…you…-“ He’s scrambling as you stare him down unwavering.

“A man of many words I see.” You pick a piece of lint off his suit jacket and he notes your close proximity.

“You never danced with me.” He teases and you laugh a little. It’s a start

“You seemed to already have a dance partner…and as you can see.” You gesture around the kitchen. “I was a little busy.”

“Oh her…I don’t even know her name.” He winces as you give him an incredulous look.

You’re already walking away toward the ballroom doors before he can recover. He’s hot on your heels, never one to back down from a challenge. “So I can’t convince you to dance with me?”

You spin and he has to stop himself from crashing into you. “Maybe some other time Santiago.” You kiss him on the cheek, leaving a red lipstick reminder for any unknown nameless women.

“Wait…how do you know my name!?”

“I was warned about you.” You yell over your shoulder as you exit the kitchen leaving him there stunned.

It took a lifetime of bribes and I owe yous and promises of future baby sitting to get your number from Will. His wife Emma was pissed until you weaved your way into their lives and the rest is history.

****

It’s been at least an hour since you went off to bed, saying your goodnights to both men. They stayed mostly silent on the couch as they stared at some movie on the tv. Neither one of them paid any attention. Just waiting for any signs of life from you to die down in the bedroom down the hall.

Santi knew your night routine like the back of his hand. You’d wash your face of any makeup and apply what he thought was an absurd amount of creams and oils. You’d sit gingerly on the edge of the bed as you applied this lotion that smelled of rose and coconut, taking your time to cover every inch of your body. Smiling at him all the while asking if he’d like to join to which he’d just tell you one of you had to be rough in the relationship. On the nights he didn’t personally see to it that you were passed out you’d read a few chapters of your book before falling asleep with your finger marking the page and he’d gently retrieve it from you before kissing your forehead making sure not to wake you.

It’s this thought that’s ticking away at him as he counts down the minutes silently while he watches Frankie’s leg nervously bounce beside him. He’s sitting in the spot he used to but he feels miles away. Stark contrast to how they used to be on this couch, cuddling and laughing while they talked about their future.

“Do you love her?”

The words that leave Frankie’s mouth rip through the silence like the sound of a thunder clap. Only the light from the tv illuminates the look on Santi’s face but Frankie can see it clear as day. It’s moments like these that Santi’s aware of his high blood pressure as the sound of his heartbeat whooshes in his ears.

“How dare you ask me that.” His voice starts low but the rage behind it is threatening to boil over.

“You didn’t answer the question.”

“Yes I love her.” He says a little louder, no lie or waver to his voice.

Frankie scrubs his jaw as he huffs under his breath. “I’m glad you moved on.” The sarcasm dripped from his tone and now Santi is seeing red.

Santi grabs the remote, flicking off the tv plunging them into darkness. “You think I just moved on the moment you left. You do remember being the one who left right?” He hates how Frankie can so quickly get under his skin. This is the exact reaction he wanted from him and he took the bait. “I waited for you. I waited and waited until Will had to pick me up off the floor and make me shower and eat and really take a look at the situation.”

Santi stands and paces the room as Frankie watches someone he thought he knew open up like he’s never done before. Santi loved him but he always let Frankie take the lead. He never put himself first and it almost swallowed him up whole. Frankie knows it’s not fair to judge any of his actions but he’s a scared animal backed into a corner and this is all he’s got left. One last fight before he lunges out in hope’s that Santi will tell him something to justify what he did.

“You may have been torn up for a bit but you look pretty comfortable to me.” Frankie gestures around the room as he stands in front of Santi. “You’ve got nice home cooked meals, all your friends, a beautiful house and someone to fuck at the end of a long day.”

Santi grabs his shirt shoving him back down to the couch. “Don’t act like your bed wasn’t warm these last three years. You and I both know how you are Frank.” Fuck he’s back to Frank.

“I didn’t love any of them.” Frankie says as Santi rolls his eyes.

“You want an award for not falling in love with them.” Frank grits his teeth as the sing song words ooze out of Santi’s mouth while he claps his hands in his face.

“You should keep your voice down, you wouldn't want to wake up your wife.” Frankie says and with no remorse Santi knows he’s wounded. A small part of him is glad for it.

With his voice barely above a whisper as he leans down face to face with Frankie. “She’s not my wife, and you’re not my husband.”

****

Santi quietly closes the door as he watches your sleeping form. It’s one of his favorite things to do. The steady rise and fall of your chest, wondering what peaceful things drift in your dreams. You’re wearing one of his shirts and probably nothing else. Majority of your wardrobe when you weren’t at work consisted of his clothing. It stirred something in him he’d never experienced before you. The way he was possessive over you…he never understood why Frankie would act the way he did when men and women would flirt with him until he met you.

How dare Frankie question his love and his loyalty. He was the one who walked away. How dare he look at you the way he did, thinking Santi wouldn’t notice the desire in his eyes.

“Baby, are you coming to bed or do you want to keep holding the door up?” Your sleepy voice grabs his attention as you pat the spot beside you.

He pushes off the door and pulls his shirt off, tossing it aside.”I thought you were asleep.” His jeans and belt hit the floor with a thud as he sits on the edge of the bed.

“I was but I could hear your thoughts in my dreams.” You sit up wrapping your arms around him. Your hands drift to his stomach, his soft abs flex under your touch as he relaxes against you. You know he wants to say something. The elephant in the room that is Frankie.

“I love you.” His voice barely above a whisper. He squeezes your hand and brings it up to his chest. You can feel the rapid beat of his heart under your fingers.

“I love you too.”He shivers as your lips graze the faint scar traveling down his neck. A reminder of something he’s been through with you that Frankie wasn’t there for. His need for you is made all that more evident with the man he loved, loves in the room down the hall.

He shifts so fast your head is spinning as he pins you underneath him. Whatever thoughts were plaguing him before are long gone with his hands roaming underneath his shirt to graze the soft skin under your breast. His lips swallow your whine as he rolls your nipple between his fingers reveling in the way your body responds to him.

You can feel the hard press of his cock beneath his boxers as he rolls his hips into you. Searching for some kind of friction.

“I need this off.” His voice is strained as he pulls the shirt over your head.

You chuckle trying to reach for him as he shoves his boxers down, laughter dies in your throat at the sight of him. The moonlight in the room illuminates his hard cock, dark at the tip leaking precum on the sheets below.

His hands slide up your thighs as he squeezes the flesh between his fingers. His grip tightens as he cups your ass, lifting you slightly to wrap your legs around him. “Look at you…and you’re all mine.”

You’re breathless as you reach for him, pulling him into your chest.”Santi, kiss me.” You don’t have to ask him twice, your voice is like a siren song as he dips his tongue into you. He can taste the mint from your toothpaste and your cherry chapstick. Mine.

He should go slow, work you open like he always does. He drags the tip through your slick folds and a soft whimper leaves your mouth. You’re being too quiet…because of him. His hands gently press your throat as he buries himself to the hilt. A louder whine escapes you, he knows it drives you crazy as he squeezes just enough to have you panting.

“Fuck I need you, I’m sorry.” He releases your throat and starts an unrelenting pace as you quickly adjust to his size. He’s never been this desperate, not willing to make you come on his mouth or fingers first.

Your body doesn’t seem to care as the slick wet sound of your bodies and your pussy clenching with each thrust has him growling in your ear. “I want to hear you.” He wraps his arms underneath you and grips your shoulders.

“Santi…please.” You don’t want to be used for his anger and revenge but you can’t think straight with his cock ramming that spot deep inside you.

“Please what baby?” He fucks you harder as he watches your face contort in pleasure as you chant his name. He bites down on the swell of your breast and you cry out as he licks and soothes the spot with his tongue.

“Santi…I’m so close.” He knows…he can feel how close you are as your heels dig into his back, your blunt nails scratch at his scalp and you arch your body as your climax washes over you. “Come inside me please, Santi.”

Images flash in his mind of Frankie fucking you through your orgasm as you scream his name, his cock is pulsing and throbbing inside you as he fills you up. His deep ragged breaths in your ear as the aftershocks jolt through him. “I love you.” He says it over and over as he kisses your face, your mouth, your sweat soaked forehead. He’s really saying I’m sorry but those words mean the same right now.

“I love you too baby.” Your voice is wrecked from screaming, having long forgotten about your houseguest. You know this is what he wanted and a small part of you wanted it to. Santiago is yours to keep.

****

Shame washes over Frankie as he cleans his spend off his stomach with his tee shirt. He pulls his boxers up and sits on the edge of the bed staring out into the backyard.

It’s quiet now, in his post orgasmic clarity. All he has are the thoughts running through his mind. The thoughts that have plagued him since he set foot back into this house. How selfish it is to want what’s down the hall in a place he called home.

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ramblers-lets-get-ramblin · 7 months

Text

This Charming Man- dark!Frankie Morales x OFC Camila

Frankie Masterlist | Main Masterlist

Pairing: Frankie Morales x OFC Camila

Summary: Frankie’s wife kicks him out and files for divorce following a second trip to retrieve their money. He feels lost and hopeless until he meets someone new. He falls hard and fast for her. He’ll do anything to have her.

Rating: E for EXPLICIT MDNI 18+

Warnings: alcohol and drug references, stalking, Frankie POV, unhinged Frankie, violence, Frankie is not a good guy here, birth control talk, emotional manipulation, unprotected PIV, oral sex f!receiving, creampie, Good Dad ™️ Frankie, implied character death, uhhhhh i hope i didn’t miss anything but let me know if I did and I will add it!

Word Count: 9.2k

Author’s Notes: If i had to categorize this, it would be dark fluff. Frankie is not a good guy but you still kinda wanna root for him. This fic (like many of my fics) would not exist if not for the love of my life, Gin @wannab-urs letting me scream at her for weeks about it. @beskarandblasters also gave this a once over for me! I’m so lucky to have friends like them!

exitus acta probat- the outcome justifies the deed

Frankie is spending his Friday night much like he had nearly every Friday night for the past year, in a dingy high school gym, supporting his brother in arms. Benny is determined to make a name for himself in the MMA circle. Even after they returned from retrieving their money from that ravine in The Andes Mountains, he was still here, getting pounded into the mats week after week. It’s his way of coping with all the shit that went down in that jungle. Will threw himself into his work with veterans, Pope threw himself into the bed of any woman that would have him, but never the same one twice. Benny gets his face bashed in every weekend and lets the ring girls comfort him afterwards. As for Frankie, when he came home from that second trip to South America, all his shit was on the lawn and the locks had been changed. He crashed on Benny’s couch for a few weeks seeking comfort in the bottom of a bottle and those little baggies. Then he bought himself a house, nothing flashy, just a simple home with enough space for the kids, if she ever lets them come visit.

Frankie had been on a few dates, mostly with friends of whoever Pope or Benny was banging. He’d taken a couple of them home, showed them a good time, and then promptly asked them to leave. Unlike the guys, the solution to Frankie’s problems wasn’t a mouthful of pussy. To be completely honest, all Frankie wanted was to feel something, anything, again. Redfly’s death hit him the hardest, he blamed himself for everything that went down in that little village. All those deaths, including Tom’s, are on him. He was too quick on the trigger and people lost their lives. Their friend, their leader, lost his life. Tom’s kids lost their dad. Sometimes he couldn’t stand to face his brothers, knowing what his actions cost them all. Sure, the money was nice, but it didn’t come close to making up for what they lost, what Frankie took from them. He’s missed the last two Fridays, so he dragged his sorry ass off his couch, showered and came out to cheer Benny on.

Benny’s been seeing one of the ring girls for a few weeks and keeps trying to set Frankie up with her friend. He’d been able to hold him at bay so far, but he has a feeling his luck has run out. He’s tried to tell them he isn’t interested in hookup or a fling. He steps into the gym just as the lights go down. The ring is lit up with spotlights and he quickly finds Pope and Will right in the front. He slides into the seat they saved for him and accepts the beer Pope holds out to him. It tastes like warm piss but that doesn’t stop him from gulping it down. Benny’s fight is the headliner so he’s going last. Frankie doesn’t give a shit about MMA so he lets his eyes wander the crowd. He makes eye contact with a woman across the gym from him. She gives him a sweet smile, but she doesn’t look away. She holds his gaze, mirroring his intensity. He feels like all the air has been knocked out of his lungs. This is what he’s been looking for. He feels like a spark has been ignited inside his chest, radiating electricity throughout his body. She finally looks away, but not before giving him a sly smirk. She shoots up from her seat when the fight ends, and Frankie does the same.

“Where ya goin’, Fish?” Pope asks.

“Bathroom.” He replies, not even looking at his friend. He didn’t want to take his eyes off of her for a second. He half jogs through the door she exited, just in time to see her slip into the women’s room. He almost follows her in until a woman’s voice catches his attention.

“Oh this is the women’s restroom.” She offers politely. Frankie puts on his best smile and turns to her.

“I am so sorry, ma’am. Forgot my glasses at home.” The elderly woman pats his shoulder and moves past him to open the door.

Frankie waits for what feels like an eternity for her to come out, ears perking every time the door squeaks open. He jumps when a hand claps down on his shoulder.

“What are you doing, man? Benny’s fight is about to start.” Pope asks.

“Just needed some air.” Frankie offers. He tosses one more regretful look over his shoulder before he follows his friend back into the gym. He is determined to find her again after the match. He can’t let her get away. He has to at least talk to her. He spends the entirety of Benny’s fight imagining all the things he could do to her. How pretty she would look on her knees for him, with his cock halfway down her throat. What kind of sounds she’d make when he has his tongue buried inside of her. He has no idea who she is but he wants to do terrible, depraved things to her. Before he knows it, the lights are coming up and the guys are rising from their seats.

“C’mon, Fish. Let’s go find Benny.” The fight was over and Frankie didn’t even know who won. He stands from his seat and dutifully follows his friends. Hopefully, he’ll be able to figure out which way the fight went by the interactions between the other men. He’s too embarrassed to admit he’d been preoccupied fighting the half chub in jeans to pay attention to Benny’s fight.

They make their way over to the locker room and Benny swings the door open, a wide smile on his face. Sure, that face was sporting a split lip and a black eye, but that grin couldn’t be mistaken for anything other than victory. “Hey, Fish! Glad you were able to make it out this time. I was starting to think ya didn’t love me anymore.” Benny jokes while sling his arm around Frankie’s shoulder.

“Congratulations, man.” Frankie tells him, his eyes scanning the crown for the girl.

“Where are we going to celebrate?” Pope asks.

“Gotta check with my girl.” Benny replies and Frankie winces internally. If he didn’t want to be set up before, he definitely doesn’t now. He’s trying to think of an excuse to blow them off and go look for her. Since they were all rich now, he couldn’t really use work as a reason to not celebrate Benny’s big win.

“Here she comes.” Benny says excitedly. And there she was. The girl she had been sitting next to came to stand opposite Frankie, tucking herself in under Benny’s other arm. “Fish, meet Rochelle. Rochelle, this is Catfish.” Frankies sees her cock an eyebrow at hearing his name and stifle a giggle.

“Pleased to meet you, Catfish. And this is my friend Camila.” Frankie shakes Rochelle’s hand and turns to extend it towards Camila. She grasps his hand firmly.

“Nice to meet you.” She says sweetly. Every hair in his body stands on end when her skin makes contact with his.

“Alright!” Will says, clapping his hands together. “Let’s party.”

An hour later, Frankie finds himself alone with Camila. Pope had snuck off to the bathroom with the waitress, he isn’t nearly as slick as he thinks he is. Will had called it an early night already, and Benny was on the dance floor, grinding on Rochelle. He is surprised at how easily the conversation flows between them. Even more surprised when he discovers how much they have in common. He almost protests when she begins to gather her belongings. She has to drive and doesn’t want to drink too much.

“At least let me walk you to your car.” Frankie offers. She smiles and nods.

“I would like that.” She says. Frankie holds out his hand to help her down from the tall stool, she accepts but doesn’t drop it right away. He feels the same jolt of electricity in his body that he had before. He knows that there is something special about her. He walks her to her car and even opens the door for her after she unlocks it.

“Would you wanna have lunch with me sometime?” He asks, a little sheepishly. He hasn’t asked a woman out in years. He wonders if he even has any game still. Her eyes light up and she gives him a thousand watt smile.

“I’d love to, Catfish.” She says with a wink.

“Gimme your phone.” He digs his phone out of his pocket and hands it to her. She punches a few buttons and hands it back. Frankie looks down at the brand new contact and smiles. Camila ❤️. He closes her door for her and she offers him a small wave. He waves back and happily jogs to his truck at the other end of the parking lot, not even bothering to say goodnight to the guys.

He’s about to turn towards his house when he spots her car a few lengths ahead of him. He sees her turn signal indicating that she is going to turn right, the opposite way from Frankie’s house. A little detour won’t hurt , he thinks to himself. He turns where she did and can just make out her taillights making a left turn. He follows, once again, and sees her pull into a driveway. He slows down a bit as he passes and makes a right at the next stop sign. Then he makes another right. After a third, he finds himself passing by her house once more. The porch light is off now and there is only one light on inside the house. She must be readying herself for bed. The thought of her taking her clothes off, so close to where he sits at the end of her driveway, makes his cock ache inside his jeans. He grabs his phone from the cup holder and opens a new text thread. He just sends one word. “Catfish.” He’s putting his truck back into drive when his phone dings.

“Lunch tomorrow?” The text reads.

“Absolutely. You can choose the time and place.” He sends the message and thinks about going home to jerk off, but when the light inside her house turns off, he has an idea. So he just sits back and waits.

The next day, Frankie sits at his kitchen table, staring daggers into his phone, willing it to ring. He slaps it against his palm a few times while he paces the kitchen. As if that will produce the desired effect. He's so antsy that he actually drops his phone when it finally does ring. When he retrieves his phone from the kitchen floor the screen is lit up. Camila ❤️. He smiles when he answers.

"Hey there, I was just getting ready to head out the door." He says, trying not to let his excitement show.

"Hey, Frankie. I'm sorry but I don't think I will be able to make it to lunch." Camila says. She sounds disappointed. "I can't get my stupid car to start." He can hear the frustration in her voice.

"Well, that's okay. We can reschedule. Unless you want me to pick you up. I don't mind. Maybe I can even take a look at your car for you." He tells her in a soothing voice.

"That would be great! Thank you so much, Frankie." He smiles so big the corners of his mouth start to ache.

"Send me your address." He tells her, like he doesn't already know where she lives. But she can't know that he knows that. He hangs up and grabs his keys from the hook by the door. He pats his pockets to make sure he has his wallet, his phone and the starter relay he pulled from Camila's car last night, and heads out.

She slides into his truck with a comfortability Frankie isn’t expecting. Flashing him a dazzling smile and planting a kiss on his cheek. “Thank you so much, Frankie. You really saved this date.” She says. Frankie shoots her a smile of his own and pulls his truck into drive. He takes her to his favorite burger place, figuring it was casual enough for a first date. They fall into comfortable conversation immediately. Trading stories from childhood and facts about themselves. Favorite movies, death row meals. They talk about her divorce and Frankie’s pending one. Frankie’s heart flutters inside his chest. He’s so glad that he didn’t blow off the fight last night. Camila is nothing like the other women he’s been set up with. She’s smart and funny. She has a sharp wit and she's already comfortable teasing him, giving him shit. She might be the most beautiful woman he's ever laid eyes on.

Anyone who knows Frankie, knows that he isn't a man who half-asses anything. He gives everything he does all that he has. The army, flight school, his marriage. But that quality doesn't only apply to the positive aspects of his life. On more than one occasion his dedication, that borders on obsession, has come back to kick him in the ass. Like the time he tried cocaine. It developed into a full blown addiction in record time. And lost him all the things he loves. His career, his wife, his kids. He’s feeling that familiar tingle in his bones now as he listens to her talk about the things she loves. There is something so special about listening to someone talk about something that brings them true joy. The way their eyes light up and they talk all fast. He hasn’t done more than hold her hand for a few, brief moments and he already can’t get enough. He wants more. And he is planning on getting it.

After lunch, Frankie drives her back to her house. “Pop your hood.” He says, cocking his head in the direction of her car. She opens the car door, which Frankie had already noticed she doesn’t keep locked, and reaches under the steering wheel to pull the lever. The hood pops and Frankie unlatches it and pulls it up. He can feel her eyes lingering on where his biceps strain the fabric of his t-shirt. He may have worn one that fits him a little tight on purpose. He fiddles around with a few things under the hood and asks a few questions like when she last had it serviced and if it was making any noises.

“I…don’t know actually. My ex usually took care of all that kind of stuff for me.” She replies sheepishly. Frankie gives her a soft smile and says

“That’s okay. We’ll figure it out.” He assures her. She returns his smile and walks around the car to peer over his shoulder. He shows her where a few key things are, and explains some common issues. “Doesn’t seem to be any of those things though.” He says. Her brow furrows and he places a hand on her shoulder. “It’s alright. Just gotta check a few more things.” He says. He feels her shoulders relax under his palm. “Do you think I could trouble you for a glass of water, sweetheart?” Frankie asks.

“Of course!” Camila replies and she digs her house keys out of her bag and makes her way to the front door. Once she’s in the house with the door shut, Frankie looks around to make sure nobody is watching and pulls the starter relay out of his pocket. He moves his body around the car so that his back is facing towards the house, blocking his hands, just in case. He opens the black box and reattaches the relay. He closes it just in time. Camila comes up behind him with her keys in one hand and a glass of water in the other. Frankie turns to face her.

“Looks like one of your relays was loose. Why don’t you try starting it up now?” She hands him the water and slides into the driver’s seat and crank the key. It starts right up, just like he knew it would. He knows it was sneaky, but the elation on her face when she hears the engine purring makes it all worth it. Even more so when she shuts the car off, gets out, and launches herself at Frankie. He wraps his free hand around her and settles his face into the crook of her neck.

“Thank you so much!” She squeals into his ear, and he isn’t sure he’s ever heard a sweeter sound. But he’s sure he can get her to make some. He’s a little taken aback when her lips find his. It takes him a second to register what’s actually happening, then he wastes no time slotting his lips between hers.

Frankie is feeling happier than he has in months on his drive home. Thinking about his date this weekend with Camila has his dick throbbing in his jeans. He doesn’t want to come on too strong, doesn’t want to scare her, but he can’t wait to see what she looks like squirming underneath him. What the inside of her thighs taste like. What her legs feel like locked around the back of his head. His phone ringing interrupts his daydreams and he rolls his eyes when he sees his almost ex wife’s name fill the screen. She never calls with good news, with anything positive. He answers and presses the button for speakerphone. “Hello?” He answers hesitantly, unwilling to let whatever this is going to be about sour his good mood.

“Francisco, I need some money.” She says unceremoniously.

“Hi, Vanessa. I’m doing well, thank you for asking.” He replies sarcastically. She huffs into the phone.

“Are you gonna bring me some money or not?” She asks, her voice drips with disdain. How had they gotten here? Frankie wonders. How had they fallen so far from what they used to be? Best friends turned high school sweethearts. They got married right out of high school. Frankie enlisted shortly after his eighteenth birthday and shipped out two days after they graduated. He received a letter from Vanessa a month into basic training letting him know that she was pregnant and a few weeks later, when he came home, they had a courthouse wedding. With each deployment, he could feel the cavern in their marriage grow wider. But way back when, when Diego had first been born, they were deliriously happy. Of course, Frankie knows that his drug use didn’t help matters, neither did losing his pilot’s license. But no matter what the breaking point had been, that rot had been festering under the skin for years. He just doesn’t understand why she hates him so much.

“How much do you need?” He resigns to just give her what she wants. She’s been known to not let him see the boys when she doesn’t get her way.

“A couple hundred at least, Francisco. Raising your kids isn’t cheap, ya know?” She snarks.

“Yeah I know. Since you haven’t had a job in years. How is the search coming, by the way?” He can practically feel her roll her eyes through the phone. “I'll be there in twenty.” He says and ends the call, not giving her a chance to respond. He keeps some cash at the house, but most of his money is in a bank in Belize. His lawyer is ready to make it all look legitimate the second his divorce is final. And that bitch won’t get another dime from him that isn’t court ordered.

Diego and Mateo run out the front door and down the porch steps when they hear Frankie’s truck pull up to the curb. “Papi!” They scream in unison before flinging themselves into their father’s arms. “I missed you, Papi.” They exclaim.

“I miss you more.” He tells them quietly, wrapping his big arms tightly around them both. He plants a kiss on each of their heads and straightens, but doesn’t let go of them. “Where’s your mama?” He asks them. They point to the house and head in.

“Papi’s here!” Mateo shouts when they cross the threshold. Vanessa appears from in the kitchen and Frankie reaches into his pocket and pulls out a brown paper bag. He tosses it to her and it falls to the floor before she can catch it.

“Real nice, Frank.” She says. He brushes past her to the stairs, where the boys have already disappeared. At 14 and 11 they know when to make themselves scarce. Frankie and Vanessa tried hard to keep their problems from the kids, but they knew. They always know. It’s impossible to miss the tension that fills the room when they are forced to be together.

“I’m going to spend some time with my kids.” He tells her. Not bothering to wait for a response. When he reaches the top of the stairs and turns toward Diego’s room, he can see her counting the money out of the corner of his eye. Greedy bitch , he thinks. But if keeping her happy was what he needed to do for his boys, he’d put up with it. For now. Once he has his money, he’ll go after her for full custody. If he can’t find anything to prove she’s unfit, he’ll make something up.

Diego has a movie queued up on his tv and the boys are sitting on his bed. “We chose ‘28 Days Later’.” He tells Frankie as he toes off his boots and squishes in between them. Two hours later, the boys are both asleep, each with their head on their father’s shoulder. Frankie wriggles out from under them, trying his best not to wake them up. He grabs his boots from the floor and tiptoes out of the room, shutting the light and the door behind him. Vanessa finds him sitting on the bottom step lacing up his boots.

“The money was for my lawyer.” She tells him.

“So I’m paying for you to take half my shit and keep the kids away from me?” He retorts.

“He said we should try mediation.” She replies.

“Tell him to call my lawyer. Next time you need money, call someone else.” He tells her and walks out the door, careful not to shut it too hard.

When he steps into the shower, his mind can’t help but to wander back to this afternoon. The way Camila wrapped her arms around his neck. The way her breasts pressed tightly up against his chest. The smell of rosemary in her hair, mixed with something else, maybe mint. His dick grows harder than he ever thought possible at the memory. He strokes himself with the sound of that squeal playing on repeat in his ears. He touches the tips of the fingers of his other hand to his mouth, where he can still feel the ghost of her lips on his. Now he knows exactly how soft they would feel wrapped around his cock. The thought has him spilling over his hand and onto the floor of the shower with a shudder and a moan. When he falls asleep that night, it's with Camila on his mind.

Frankie finds himself sitting in his truck at the end of Camila’s driveway again. They’ve spent three Friday nights in the high school gym, watching Benny kick ass. They all always end up at the same bar afterwards to celebrate. Frankie walks her to her car, just like he did that first night. The guys give him shit when he comes back into the bar. His cheeks are flushed pink and his lips kiss-swollen. They make whip noises at him. And kissy faces. Santi is the only one who doesn’t tease. He just claps Frankie on the shoulder and tells him that he’s happy for him. And the following night each week, they’ve gone out together. Three dates. Three perfect nights. Every second that he spends with her makes her that much more irresistible to him. He isn’t quite sure what’s happening to him. He’s never felt like this in his life. Maybe this is why his marriage didn’t work out. He never for a second felt for Vanessa what he’s feeling now, after just a few weeks. His divorce had been mediated, just waiting for the finalization. He got split custody of his boys.

All the pieces seem to be falling into place for him. He knows he’s going to see her tomorrow, but he can’t stay away. When they were at dinner tonight, she told him about a man at work who had been asking her out, despite letting him down gently more than once. Just the thought of it had Frankie’s blood boiling. Not just the thought of another man vying for her affection. More than that, he disrespected her boundaries, he disrespected her, won’t take no for an answer. Frankie can’t have that. He lets the anger bubble there, just under the surface, as he gets out of his truck. He slinks up the driveway and slips the blade from his pocket. He unfolds it and jams it into her tire. The air hisses out of the tire and Frankie’s mouth turns up into a satisfied smirk. She’d also told him about the footprints she found outside of her bedroom window. Frankie’s eyes filled with faux concern. He couldn’t let slip that he was the one who made them. She hadn’t answered her phone that night and he was concerned. He just wanted to make sure that she was okay. When he found her sleeping peacefully, alone, he went right back home. Turns out she hadn’t been feeling well and took some cold medicine and fell right to sleep. She texted him all about it the next morning. He brought her some soup and Gatorade but she made him leave it on the porch because she knows he can’t keep his lips to himself when they’re together and she didn’t want to get him sick.

Frankie knows it isn’t right. He doesn’t know why he does these things. He just knows that he can’t stop. Not until she’s his. She’s a little gun shy after her own divorce, and now the strange things that have been happening around her house. Every time someone calls her from a blocked number and doesn’t say anything, every time something goes wrong with her car, she calls Frankie. He places the burner phone in his gun safe in his closet, and rushes right over. He’s become the person she runs to, the person she feels safe with. The rush he feels when he wraps his arms around her, comforting her, is like nothing else, not even flying. He feels a pang of guilt as he drives back to his house for the night. Would she still feel safe with him if she knew the lengths he was going to just to be nearer to her? He was the one making her feel unsafe, just to be afforded the opportunity to comfort her, to soothe the wound he made. He makes sure his ringer is on before he places his phone on his nightstand. He wouldn’t want to miss the call he knows is coming in the morning.

The ringing wakes him from his sleep and he fumbles around until his hand lands on his phone. The photo he took of the two of them together, Camila’s head on his shoulder, fills the screen. He smiles, remembering how they spent the night sitting in the bed of his truck, looking up at the stars. “Hello?” He says, his voice thick with sleep. The sound of her crying clears his head, memories of the previous night’s activities come flooding back.

“Frankie! I need you” She cries.

“What’s wrong, baby?” He asks.

“My tire is flat.” She exclaims. Frankie holds the phone to his ear with one hand and scrubs the other over his face,

“It’s okay, baby. I can be there in ten.” He tells her. Knowing that she hasn’t been brought to tears by a flat tire. He rises from the bed and slips a black t-shirt over his head.

“Babe, someone cut it!” The anguish in her voice almost makes Frankie regret it. Almost . Hearing the pet name fall from her mouth makes him smile. Still in his gray joggers, he rushes towards the door and slips on his tattered New Balances.

“Keep the door locked. I’m on my way.” He tells her, slamming the front door behind him. He makes it to her place in seven minutes, daring to go over the posted 20 mph speed limit. He knows she isn’t in any danger, not really. But she doesn’t know that. Her fear, that is very real, and Frankie doesn’t want her to feel it for a moment longer than she has to.

When he arrives he attempts to open the door but the knob doesn’t turn. Good girl. He knocks gently on the door, to make sure he doesn’t scare any further. “Hey, baby. It’s me. Let me in.” Camila throws the door open and leaps into Frankie’s arms.

“Thank you for coming.” She says into his neck, where she has buried her face.

“Of course I came. I’ll always come.” He assures her, tightening his hold on her. “Why don’t you go pack a few things and come stay with me a couple nights?” He suggests. She looks up at him through her lashes.

“Are you sure?” I know you’re supposed to have the boys this weekend. Frankies heart wrenches at the sight of tears on her beautiful face.

“Course I’m sure. I’ve been telling them all about you and they’ve been bugging me to meet you.” He tells her as he brushes away a tear with his thumb. She leans up to give him a kiss and then heads to her bedroom to pack her things. “I’m just gonna run out and take a look at your car, okay?” She hums in response, already feeling much safer with Frankie in her home. He just smiles and heads outside, pretending to be entranced with her shredded tire. Camila comes out a few minutes later with her purse and a duffel bag in her hand. Frankie finishes his “inspection” and takes the bags from her while she locks the door.

“I checked all the windows and the back door. Twice.” She tells him as he helps her into her seat.

“Good. If you want we can change the locks.” He replies. Tears well up in her eyes again, but she nods in response.

“I’m just so thankful for you.” She tells him quietly. He kisses her forehead and closes the door.

On the way to Frankie’s house they stop and grab some pizzas for lunch. When they arrive, Vanessa is there already, waiting by her car at the curb. “Why don’t you go ahead and run inside?” He tells Camila. He hands her his keys and plants a kiss to her temple.

“Who the fuck is that, Frank?” Vanessa asks.

“According to the judge, that’s not any of your business anymore.” He tells her, with a smile on his face. He doesn’t need his boys seeing him be nasty to their mother. She scoffs and crosses her arms over her chest. Camila is struggling with figuring out which key goes in the door along with juggling her bags, so she overhears more of the conversation than she was meant to. “She’s my girlfriend, okay?” Camila’s lips turn up into a smile just as she slides the key into the lock. She enters the house and closes the door behind her.

“Is she the reason you decided to stop helping me out?” She asks. Frankie laughs and shifts the pizza boxes to his other hand.

“No. Our divorce, a divorce you fucking asked for, is the reason I stopped giving you money to get your nails done, your hair done, and whatever the fuck else you were spending my money on. Sure wasn’t on our kids.” The anger is starting to bubble up in his chest again. “You told me they needed new shoes and I gave you $400. Why did Diego ask me to take him shopping this weekend?” He asks. She opens her mouth to make an excuse and Frankie cuts her off. “Don’t worry about it. I already bought them both new shoes. Hope you enjoyed whatever you spent that money on. It’s the last fucking dime you’ll ever see from me.” He nods his head towards the car, where the boys are watching the scene unfold through the windows. “Let my kids out. They’ll see you next week.”

The mediator worked out an even split in custody. They spend a week with her, then a week with Frankie. Since he lives so close, the school district is the same. The added bonus is that he doesn’t have to pay her a penny. If looks could kill, Frankie would have dropped dead right on that conference room floor. He waves for the boys to get out of the car. They hop out and run to give their dad a hug. He hands the pizzas to Diego and tells them to run inside and wash their hands. “And be nice to Camila.” He calls over his shoulder.

Vanessa narrows her eyes at his last comment. “Don’t forget, Frank. We were married for a long time. I know all the skeletons in your closet. I know where all the bodies are buried.”

Frankie takes his hat off and runs his fingers through his hair. “What’s that supposed to mean? You threatening me?” She points a finger at him.

“I’m not threatening. I’m just saying. Molly has some questions about Tom’s death you boys seem unable to answer. I’m sure people would be interested in what you all really got up to down there in the jungle.” Frankie scoffs but she continues. “And you can lie all you want, but I know you went back for that money.” She opens the door to her car, “Don’t test me.” She warns before she gets in and speeds off. Frankie stands there for a moment, unable to believe that she was actually threatening him. He shakes his head and joins Camila and the boys inside.

While Frankie cooks dinner his sons interrogate Camila, The boys ask her question after question. Each answer leads to more questions. Frankie’s heart swells seeing the three of them get along so well. Diego and Mateo seem to genuinely want to get to know Camila. And she seems content to answer all of their questions. “Are you my dad’s girlfriend?” Mateo asks. She turns her head a little to catch Frankie’s eye, not wanting to say the wrong thing. He nods lightly and smiles at her. She returns his smile with one of her own and tells Mateo,

“Yes. Yes I am.” Mateo smiles brightly at her and then asks her if she wants to play Monopoly after dinner. The whole scene is so domestic . He tries to remember the last time he and Vanessa had a night like this with their kids. No drama, no arguing, just enjoying being a family. Frankie wishes it could always be like this. That Camila could be here every night when he gets home, that his sons could. And now she’s threatening him? He can’t have that. Not when everything is finally starting to come together. Not when he can finally envision a future for himself. So, he begins to formulate a plan.

“Spring break is in two weeks, right?” He asks Diego who nods, intent on winning. “Would you all like to go camping?” The boys' faces light up with glee. They love camping with their dad.

“Can Tio Santi come?” Diego asks.

“And Uncle Benny and Uncle Will?” Mateo adds.

“We can ask them.” He chuckles. “Do you want to come?” He asks Camila.

“I’d love to. By the way, you owe me rent.” She points at the game board. When the boys finally lose interest in Monopoly, Frankie sends them up to bed. They both give Camila a hug before starting up the stairs.

“Let me just shower and I’ll take the couch tonight.” Frankie offers. Camila rolls her eyes.

“Be serious, Frankie. I’m not gonna make you sleep on the couch in your own house. I was hoping you might want me to sleep with you, seeing as I’m your girlfriend now.” She smirks. “But if you don’t want to, then I’m fine with the couch.” Frankie closes the distance between them.

“I’d love nothing more than to share my bed with you, baby. Maybe I’ll even show you why they call me ‘Catfish.’” He teases with a wink and begins kissing her neck while walking her backwards. Thankfully, the master bedroom is downstairs. He toes the door closed and leads her to his bed. She moves her hands to the hem of her shirt and starts pulling it up. Frankie reaches a hand out to stop her.

“Wait.” He says. She drops her hands and her gaze falls to the floor.

“Oh, sorry. If you don’t want to- I mean, we don’t have to.” She says quietly. Frankie hooks his fingers under her chin and gently lifts her head til her eyes meet his.

“Hey, it’s not that I don’t want to. I just don’t want you to feel like you have to.” He tells her. She doesn’t say anything so he takes a deep breath and continues. “It’s just, this is our first time spending the night together. I just want you to feel comfortable. I never want you to feel pressured.” He rubs his hands up and down her arms and he can feel her relax under him. She lets out a deep breath and nods her head.

“I promise, Frankie, I want this. I’ve wanted to for a while, I just- I just wasn’t sure what this was, and after my divorce…” she trails off. Frankie saves her from having to continue by slotting his lips between hers. She returns his kiss hungrily. He places his hands on her shirt, where hers had been previously, and peels the fabric up. Her hands only leave his body to allow him to pull her shirt over her head. Something snaps between them and suddenly they are ripping each other’s clothes off, kissing each other ravenously in between tossing articles of clothing wherever they land. Frankie grabs Camila’s thighs, just under her ass, and lifts her in his arms. Instinctively she wraps her legs around his trim waist and gasps when she feels the hard length of him fill the space between their bodies. She grinds her naked core down the length of him, and a growl reverberates low in his throat. He tightens his grip on her and sits on the edge of the bed. She wraps her arms around his shoulders and grips the curls at the nape of his neck. He moans into her mouth quietly and she swallows it down. She tugs even harder, eliciting a loud groan.

“Fuck, baby! Come here, I can’t wait any longer.” He says as he lays back on the bed. He grabs the meat of her thighs and urges her up toward his head. “I need to taste you, querida. Come sit on my face.” Camila doesn’t hesitate to acquiesce. She scoots up on her knees until she’s sitting on his chest. She’s been waiting for this just as long as Frankie has. She settles over his face and her body jolts with the first swipe of his broad tongue.

This is it for me, Frankie thinks with the first burst of her taste on his tongue. He’ll never do another line in his life if he gets to taste this pussy every day. She reaches down to grab his hair and he moans when she gives his curls a hard pull.

“Oh fuck, Frankie. Right there, baby.” She cries out. She begins grinding down on his face, taking what she needs from him. The action makes Frankie’s cock rock hard against the soft flesh of his stomach. His senses all feel heightened somehow, as if the taste of her pussy has lifted the fog that had settled over his life. Cleared the cobwebs from inside his brain. He tightens his grip on her thighs, pulls her down to his mouth further, not leaving any space, and begins to fuck her with his tongue. The noises she makes only spur him on, his nose grinds on her clit and her walls clench around his tongue. “Don’t stop, please, don’t fucking stop. I’m gonna come.” She pants out, barely audible. Frankie needs her to hurry up and come because he’s about to do the same. He’s not sure how much longer he can last. This is definitely not something he’s ever experienced. He’s about a minute away from coming, untouched, just from this. Suddenly, she stills over him, and the most beautiful sounds spill from her mouth, and her pussy gushes into his. Frankie can’t spare another second to even wait for her to come down from her orgasm. He grabs her tight and flips her onto the bed. Her legs fall open and he kneels between them.

“I, uh- I don’t have a condom.” He admits. “It’s been a while since I’ve been with anyone.” He assures her. She nods while pulling him closer.

“I haven’t been with anyone since my divorce and I have an IUD. I trust you, Frankie.” She says. He doesn’t wait any longer. He nudges the tip of his cock into her dripping entrance. She’s absolutely soaked from his saliva and her own arousal, but it’s still a tight fit. He stills over her, needing a moment to gather himself. He’s about to blow his load then and there, and that’s not exactly the impression he wants to make.

“Fuck, baby. Just give me a second. You’re so goddamn tight.” He screws his eyes tightly shut. Even looking at her is too much for him. He takes several deep breaths and Camila runs her hands across his shoulders and down his arms. When he finally feels composed enough to show her a good time, he slides all the way in. One smooth stroke and he suddenly knows what heaven feels like. The velvet heat of her walls mold to him, like she was made for him. He fills her up completely, like he was made for her. Frankie could die right now, a happy man. He knows that he’ll never need anything else, anyone else. He fucks into her at a brutal, punishing pace. Like his life depends on it, and in a way it does. He wants to ruin even the idea of another man for her. Wants to be all she can think about it, all she wants. When he finds the spot inside her that makes her cry out his name and claw at his back, he fucks her even more desperately. He can tell she’s close, the way she’s squeezing him. He grinds his pubic bone into hers, putting just the right amount of pressure on her throbbing clit, and she comes undone for him. She comes so hard that her muscles squeeze him out, and she cries for him to put it back in. The second he does, his own orgasm follows. He finds his release buried to the hilt in the wet warmth of her cunt, and he knows that he needs to find a way to keep her like this, under him, surrounding him, forever.

Camila spends the next few nights at Frankie’s house. He takes her to work in the morning after they drop the boys off at school. He picks her up in the evening and takes her back to his house where he cooks dinner for the four of them. Frankie doesn’t want it to ever end. But he knows it’s too soon to ask her to move in. They’ve only been seeing each other for a little over a month. He doesn’t want her to think he’s crazy. But what if she feels it too? This string that keeps them connected, tugs them closer together with each passing day. Maybe he just needs to give her a little motivation. Five days after her tire was slashed, Frankie picks Camila up from work in her own car. He took it to have the tire replaced while she was at work, as a surprise. He likes being the person she depends on, the person she can count on. He likes knowing that she’s gotten to work safely, that she made it home okay. But he knows how much she appreciates her freedom, having been married to an asshole who wanted to control every aspect of her life. Frankie didn’t want to control her. That wasn’t the reason for his actions. He just wanted her to have the chance to see how well he would take care of her. How good he could be to her. That he could keep her safe. She spends that night at his house as well. He makes a comment about how much he likes seeing her car next to his truck in the driveway. She smiles in response.

“You trying to hint at something, Catfish? ’ She teases. He just shrugs his shoulders, trying to play it cool. She doesn’t need to know that it takes every ounce of his self control to not drop to his knees right there and ask her to move him, to marry him, to spend her life with him. She returns to her own home for the weekend, to give Frankie some alone time with Diego and Mateo. He takes them to Academy to buy supplies for their upcoming camping trip. They are old enough now to have their own tent. Besides, Frankie has a few plans in mind for his tent.

The week leading up to their camping trip the boys are at their mom’s house. Frankie spends a few nights at Camila’s house, coming and going as he pleases since she gave him his own key. She feels better knowing that he’s there, keeping an eye on things. She’s told him her suspicions about who has been wreaking havoc at her home. She thinks the chances of it being her persistent coworker are slim. She is much more convinced that Charlie, her ex husband, must be behind it. She had changed the locks when he moved out, but had Frankie change them again after her tire was slashed. When he finished he handed her the extra keys and she handed one back to him. He cocked his eyebrow in confusion, she just closed his fingers around the key and said

“Just in case, you know? For emergencies.” He had felt such joy, and a strange sense of pride, every time he used it since then. Not that he would be needing it today. He had parked his truck a few streets away, tucked into a quiet alley. He was wearing a black hoodie and jeans paired with black hiking boots he had bought at Academy last weekend with his boys. As he slips over the fence into Camila’s backyard, he slides a black ski mask over his face and black nitrile gloves, two pairs, over his hands. He slinks across the yard, well hidden by the privacy fence. When he arrives at the sliding glass door he gives it two swift kicks near the door handle. The glass shatters with the first kick, the second provides a nice hole to stick his arm through. He’s careful not to nick himself on the glass, he can’t have any evidence of his involvement lying around. He had sent Camila a text before he left his house, letting her know that he was going to grab lunch with Benny this afternoon. He had left his phone at home, just in case anyone ever checks his location services. As soon as he finishes up here, he’ll be meeting Benny at their favorite barbecue spot. With his alibi intact, Frankie goes about trashing Camila’s house. He’s chosen his targets carefully. The table next to the door where she keeps her mail and other semi-important papers. The drawers of her dresser, where he tosses her clothes around the room. The drawers of her nightstand. The box in her closet that has some sentimental items in it. He finds the divorce decree and rips the documents in half, leaving them on her bed. Every single move he makes is setting up Charlie to take the fall for this. Frankie might actually feel bad for how good of a job he’s doing if Charlie wasn’t such a piece of shit.

Once he’s finished, he sneaks back out of the sliding glass door, across the yard and over the fence. He takes the hoodie and ski mask off, balling them up and tossing them in a trash can in the alley. The gloves and boots find their way into separate trash cans as well. He drives the speed limit on his way home, not willing to risk a ticket this time. He runs inside to grab his phone and then heads off to enjoy a nice lunch with his friend. They hammer out a few details about their camping trip that’s in a few days and part ways. Just as Frankie is about to turn onto his street, his phone rings. He can barely understand Camila through the tears, but that’s okay, he doesn’t need to. He pulls into the closest driveway and turns around, heading back in her direction. When he pulls to a stop at the curb, the police are already there. He catches her eye when he steps onto the lawn and she excuses herself from the officer she is speaking to and runs to him.

“Baby! What’s going on? Are you hurt?” Frankie asks, holding her at arm’s length to look her body up and down.

“I’m fine, babe, I swear.” She promises. Her eyes still shine with tears and the whites of them are bloodshot.

“What happened, querida ?” She sniffles a little and buries her face in his chest. He can tell she is trying not to fall apart, and he wraps his arms around her and holds her tight. Maybe he took it too far, this time.

“Someone broke into my house and trashed it.” She explains. “The police think it was Charlie. Damn it! We just changed the locks.” She looks up at Frankie and takes a deep breath.

“Do you think we can change them again?” He rubs his hand up and down her back, comforting her.

“Of course we can, baby. I’ll go to Home Depot right now.” Camila shakes her head at that.

“No, it's fine. I’ll just stay the weekend with you since we are leaving to go camping Sunday morning. We can just do it when we get back.”

That night, in bed, Camila is laying with her head on Frankie’s chest and her leg thrown over both of his. “What if I don’t change your locks?” He asks quietly.

“What do you mean?” She asks while absently drawing with her fingers on his bare chest.

“What if you just moved in with me, instead” her fingers stop for a moment, then resume their trailing.

“Okay.” She says, taking Frankie by surprise.

“Really?” She looks up at him and furrows her brow.

“Unless you aren’t sure.” She says. He grabs her chin gently and tilts her head until she can see his face.

“Of course I’m sure. I wouldn’t have asked if I wasn’t. I just thought I’d have to do a little more convincing.” He tells her. The earnestness in his face makes her heart melt.

“I don’t feel safe at my house anymore. But I always feel safe with you. I think- Frankie, I think I love you.” Tears sting his eyes then because he’s known for weeks that he loves her, he was just waiting, til he was sure she felt the same, to let her know.

“I love you, too, baby.” He says. Then he leans down and seals his proclamation with a kiss. They spend all of Saturday making sure everything they need for their trip is packed and stuffed into the bed of Frankie’s truck. They order some Chinese for dinner and continue watching Narcos. After Camila falls asleep on the couch, Frankie sneaks out of the front door and walks the three blocks to Vanessa’s house. Twenty minutes later, he’s back in his own house, waking Camila up and taking her to bed. If anyone were to ever ask, she’d say Frankie was home with her all night.

They leave the house early the next morning to go pick up the boys. Vanessa had offered to drop them off, but Frankie had insisted. They’d have to pass by her house anyways, and Frankie didn’t want her driving the boys in her car, not today. Camila stays in the truck while Frankie knocks on the door. Vanessa answers the door and rolls her eyes when she sees Camila.

“You didn’t tell me she was going.” She snips. Frankie just shrugs his shoulders in reply.

“I don’t have to tell you shit, Vanessa. You should get used to seeing her around, anyways. We’re moving in together when this trip is over." She crosses her arms over her chest and shakes her head.

“I can’t believe you Frank. We just got divorced.” Frankie laughs.

“Yeah after you kicked me out, over a year ago.” She huffs at him, clearly pouting.

“Don’t forget about all the things I know, Francisco.” She warns one last time before the boys are bounding down the stairs and out the door.

“See ya around, Vanessa.” He tells her, closing the door behind him. The campground is a three hour drive. Camila commands the radio and Diego has the directions pulled up on his phone. Mateo chatters away, in that way that little kids always do, about nothing in particular. When they arrive they find Santi, Will and Benny already there. They’ve already got their own tents put up and a fire going. The boys run to hug their uncles while Camila and Frankie unload the truck. Santi takes the boys to go fishing with Benny, while Will helps Frankie put up their own tents. They eat fresh caught fish for dinner and the adults drink too many beers. They all wake up late in the morning the next day and when Frankie checks his phone he sees multiple missed calls. The signal isn’t great this far out, so he isn’t surprised that he missed them. Several are from Vanessa’s sister. A few from her mother. Since none of them are from Vanessa herself, Frankie can guess what this is about. He tries to return the calls but none of them will connect. He shoves the phone back into his pocket and smiles. Seems like his plan worked. Nobody will be threatening him or his brothers anymore. He thinks, in time, his boys will come to love Camila as their mother. He finally has everything he wants, exactly where he wants it.

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munsonsmixtapes · 2 months

Text

Teach Me

Part Two Part Three

Steve x bi!fem!reader

Word count: 10,887

Summary: Steve teaches you about dating and in return, you teach him how to really please a woman in the bedroom.

CW: reader has a rough home life, mention of abuse, Eddie and reader are friends with benefits

Part One: The Agreement

Steve had always considered himself a romantic. Seeing his parents together really made him believe in love. The way they would hold hands in the car or at the table when they went out to eat. He loved romance movies and the warm and fuzzy feeling they gave him, hoping that he would find his own love.

He had thought he had it with Nancy, but that obviously didn’t work out. He could still remember their exact conversation before they ended things. She had called him “bullshit” then moved on to Jonathan pretty quickly after that. He didn’t know why he had been thinking about it so many years later. He was over her. At least, that was what he was telling himself.

He knew that the woman for him was out there even if he had to look hard. If he was honest, he had wanted to start something with you. He had been infatuated with you since Eddie had introduced you to the group all those months ago, but he didn’t think he was your type.

“Earth to Steve,” Robin waved her hand in front of his face as they stood in front of the diner that had finally replaced Benny’s.

“Sorry, what?” He turned to her, giving her his full attention again.

“I was asking what you were going to get this time.” The two of them had been plenty of times since the place had opened and were trying to eat everything on the menu. “Thinking about y/n, hm?”

The pair stepped inside and Steve was mesmerized by the bright colors and decor just like always. The whole place had the theme of a classic fifties diner and the floor was a black and white checkered pattern that was so clean that he swore he could see his reflection in it. There were red stools at the bar that seemed to be popular among customers and plenty of empty vinyl booths that were the same color. Waiters and waitresses whizzed by him on roller skates, all either holding trays of food or notepads to scribble down orders.

“No, I was-“

He cut himself off when he noticed you by the jukebox, sitting on the counter and doodling in the notepad you were supposed to be using for orders. He couldn’t help but stare like he did any time he saw you. You had been the only reason why Steve had even agreed to come. He’d go anywhere you were. He had a crush on you ever since you had been introduced to the group and everyone knew because of how obvious he was about it. Everyone but you, of course.

“Uh huh, sure. C’mon,” Robin pulled Steve over to the table where the hostess was leading them to but his eyes were still glued to you.

He was so engrossed in looking for something from the menu that he’d want to order that he didn’t even see you stroll up to the table. Robin had called his name multiple times and when that didn’t work, she kicked his shin under the table.

“Ow, what the hell,” he snapped his head to the girl across from him who nodded her head towards you. Your pretty eyes locked on him and his mouth went dry.

“Hi,” you chuckled at his reaction and he didn’t even care that you were laughing at him, he just liked hearing the sound. “I’m y/n and I’ll be your server today.” You didn’t like the idea of introducing yourself to people you already knew, but you couldn’t risk your manager writing you up again.

“What can I get you started with to drink,” you asked in the tone of voice you used with customers and Steve thought it was weird to see you so bubbly. In the many times they had eaten there, this had only been the second time they had been seated in your section.

“We’re ready to order if that’s okay,” he replied.

“Yeah,” you nodded. “Of course.”

Steve wasn’t your type. He was the kind of guy you’d bring home to your mother and you were more into guys you had to sneak through your window because your parents didn’t approve of them. But that still didn’t stop you from flirting with him or giving him nicknames that you were sure would make him blush.

“I’ll uh-“ he cut himself off. “I’ll have the bacon cheeseburger.”

“That’s a great choice,” you nodded as he handed you his menu. “And for you,” you turned to Robin

“I’ll have the same. And a chocolate shake,” she gave the boy a knowing look, a joke just between the two of them.

“I’ll have that right out for you.” You turned to head to kitchen and Steve didn’t miss that you weren’t wearing skates like the other servers. He watched you until you disappeared behind the door then turned back to Robin who was writing in a small notebook. He grabbed it from her and wished he hadn’t when he saw what was on the page. There was a line down the middle with the words “you rule” on the left and “you suck” on the right. He pushed it back towards her, his mood turning sour.

“You made a portable version?” He hated that stupid game, especially because it was at his expense. He knew he wasn’t doing too hot as far as dating went, he didn’t need to see the proof on paper.

“I sure did.” Robin pulled the notebook back and Steve watched what was she was doing, knowing what column she was adding to but wanted to see for himself.

“Are you putting a tally under the ‘you suck’ column,” he asked in offense. That had to be a new record of how quick she was to do it.

“Yep,” she nodded as she closed the book and put it back in her purse. “I’m saving time. Even though I already gave you one when you first flirted with her.”

“I haven’t even asked her out yet so how do you know that I suck?” He couldn’t believe it. Was that really what it was coming to? Had King Steve finally lost his crown?

“Did you see the way she laughed at you? Sorry, but you can’t come back from that. She totally went back there to tell all the people in the kitchen and they’re all for sure laughing at you right now.”

“You’re mean,” he grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest.

“And you’re a dingus. You know, now that I think about it, I actually think you might be able to turn it around. With my help at least. You’re kinda hopeless at this point.” He wanted to correct her, but he knew she was right.

“Gee, thanks, Rob,” he rolled his eyes. “Y/n would never laugh at me.”

“Maybe not to your face. Look, I can hype you up.” Steve knew she could, but was afraid that she would somehow end up revealing something embarrassing about him. She tended to babble so it wasn’t out of the realm of possibility, especially considering that she had already told you that most of Steve’s friend group was a bunch of teenagers out of context. How could she tell you the real reason when they were all bonded together by trauma from getting sucked into an alternate dimension multiple times? Who was going to believe that?

“I don’t think that’s going to work. Like you said, I’m hopeless.” Robin couldn’t believe that he was already giving up. He was the kind to at least try before he threw in the towel.

“Look, just leave it to me to save your ass once again.”

You exited the kitchen with a tray that carried the pair’s order and headed their way. Steve knew that it wasn’t exactly impressive for a server to be able to carry a tray with one hand, but damn was he mesmerized by the way you did it. The way you were able to dodge everyone in your way without spilling a single drop of Robin’s shake.

You headed their way with a bright smile and Steve was going to tell himself that it was for him specifically and totally not because it was your job to be nice to them.

You set the tray down on the table and Steve couldn’t help but focus on your close proximity. Your uniform was unzipped just enough to where he could see your cleavage and because he was a gentleman, he was trying his best to keep his eyes on your face.

“Here are your burgers,” you set the plates in front of them and grabbed Robin’s shake then set it next to her plate. “And your shake. Can I get you anything else?”

“Actually,” Robin turned her attention to you. “Can we get some ketchup?” You stepped over to the empty table beside them and grabbed the bottle before setting it in the middle of their plates.

“Will that be all?” You actually didn’t mind that Robin kept asking for things. It kept you busy in the lull before the dinner rush.

“I would also like a straw.” Steve knew what Robin was doing and he hated her for it. Could she be anymore obvious?

“Here you go,” you reached into the pocket on your apron and pulled out a straw before handing it to her. As you were doing so, you felt a hand squeeze your shoulder. You turned to your left to see a ringed hand that was attached to the familiar metal head. He was looking at you with a sweet smile and Steve didn’t miss the undeniable connection between the two of you.

Maybe it was because you hadn’t found someone who wasn’t a complete asshole, but you were beginning to think love was a scam. Because who in their right mind would willingly get into a relationship completely unaware if it would last or not? To you, the only way to avoid any type of heartbreak was to be single. You could definitely have your fun, but as soon as feelings were involved, you’d shut down the whole operation and move on to the next person.

That was why your whole thing with Eddie worked. It was a relationship without all the “feelings” bullshit. You could hangout with him outside of the bedroom and would actually enjoy yourself. You’d watch a movie together and he wouldn’t expect you to cuddle with him. Or he’d come over to hookup and bring some weed free of charge just because and not expect anything in return. You had an unexplainable bond and after all the shit you went through, you definitely deserved to have him in your life.

“Hey, l/n,” he greeted with his signature smile. “Miss me?” His hand squeezed your shoulder before letting go. He stood beside you and Steve didn’t miss the way you looked at each other. That wasn’t the way friends looked at each other, was it?

“Hey, Eds,” you smiled back. “Your table’s all ready if you wanna take a seat. I’ll be with you in a minute.”

“You take your time, sweetheart. I don’t mind waiting,” he winked before heading over to his usual table and Steve couldn’t have been more grateful for him leaving. He was jealous of what you had with Eddie even if you weren’t actually dating.

“Is there anything else I can get you guys?” You asked making sure they didn’t need another thing before you headed over to take care of Eddie.

“I think that’s it,” Robin nodded, taking a sip from her milkshake. “Thank you.”

“Of course,” you nodded back. “If you need anything else, let me know,” you smiled brightly then headed over to Eddie’s table.

He was looking over the menu even though you both knew exactly what he wanted; a plain cheeseburger and a Coke. He set the menu back on the table and looked up at you with him pretty brown eyes. He gave you his signature smile and you knew exactly why people were interested in him. He always knew exactly what to say to get into people’s pants and you admired him for that. After all, everything you knew about sex was because of him.

You scribbled down Eddie’s order then headed to the kitchen to drop off the slip. You stood at the window and watched Steve from afar, hoping that he wasn’t looking at you. He was definitely the prettiest guy you had ever seen, but you’d never admit that to anyone.

You weren’t usually attracted to guys like Steve so you didn’t know what made him different. Maybe because he was nice to you unlike the other guys in town who weren’t into your style or your personality. You were too aggressive in their eyes. You had too much sexual experience. They all wanted someone sweet and innocent, two things you definitely weren’t. You didn’t care, though. You didn’t care what anyone thought about you. That wasn’t any of your business.

Once Eddie’s order was ready, you grabbed it and headed to his table, setting it down in front of him and didn’t miss how he looked at your cleavage so quickly that you might have not seen it if you hadn’t been looking directly at him. You didn’t mind, though. At least you were getting attention.

“Thanks, doll,” Eddie smiled and you beamed at the nickname. Out of all the ones he had given you, that one was definitely your favorite.

“Anything else?”

“Nope,” he shook his head. “So what’s going on with you and Harrington?”

“Nothing,” you shook your head. “Why, you jealous, Munson?” Eddie scoffed at that. What you two had was strictly casual. He couldn’t have been attracted to you romantically if he tried.

“Not even close. I’m just looking out for you.”

“You don’t need to. I can take care of myself.” Eddie knew that, but he still felt the need to protect you. He wanted to make sure that you were taken care of since you didn’t seem to have anyone looking out for you.

“You should totally go out with him.” You let out a laugh at that. Eddie had been trying to set you up with Steve for months to no avail. You could see right through it and weren’t going to fall for his bullshit.

“I’m not looking for anything, remember?” That was partially true. As much as you didn’t like the idea of being tied down, you had to admit that going to bed to the same person every night sounded really nice.

“But Steve’s cool. Well, sometimes.“

“Why do I need a boyfriend when I have you?”

“Because I can’t be your only friend, l/n. You need friends that you don’t have sex with.” You knew he was right, but you liked the idea of hanging out with just Eddie. He was the only person that truly understood you. And bringing more people into your life just made it easier for them to leave. And you weren’t going to get hurt, not this time.

“Fine, whatever.” You turned on your heel to head for the bathroom, Eddie’s words ringing in the back of your head. Maybe he was right for once. You did need more friends. You always saw Steve and Robin laughing about things together and you wanted to be part of their jokes. You just wanted to be part of something for once. You were tired of being alone.

You exited the stall and washed your hands before heading back to check on your tables. On the way out of the little hallway, you ran into a hard chest. You didn’t have to look up to know it was Steve. You’d recognize that terrible shirt and the ugly color combo of stripes that adorned it anywhere.

You looked up at him and his lips parted like he was going to say something, but he stayed silent. He just closed his mouth, his eyes widening as he did so. You could tell that you made him nervous and that was funny to you. There was nothing for him to be nervous about when it came to you. You had heard all about King Steve and his reputation with women so you were honestly surprised that you had intimidated him. You actually kind of liked it if you were being honest.

“Just couldn’t get enough of me, huh,” you joked.

“No!” His eyes got even wider and you couldn’t help but let out a chuckle at how flustered he was. “I was just-“ he pointed to the men’s bathroom door.

“Relax, pretty boy,” you teased with a pat to his cheek. “I’m only joking.” You turned on your heel then headed back to the kitchen, not able to see Steve watching you walk away. After you were out of his sight, he entered the restroom.

You went back to check on your tables and approached Robin, who was finishing up her milkshake. You had thought about what Eddie had said about you needing new friends and decided to do something that was out of character.

“Do you have plans next Saturday?” You felt nervous asking that despite how long you had known Robin, but you had never hung out with her outside of the group, at least not like that. But you liked the idea of having a friend that was girl. You had never had one of those before.

“Except work, no. Why?” You didn’t want to answer her. There was something so vulnerable about asking someone to hang out and you hated being vulnerable. “Do you want to have a sleepover?” Her eyebrows furrowed at your question and you immediately wanted to take it back. It was unlike you to want to hang out with anyone outside of the group.

“A sleepover?” Robin could tell by your tone that it wasn’t going to be that kind of sleepover, so she agreed. She knew that you were bisexual, but you weren’t each other’s type. She liked girls who were more feminine and you were into girls who looked like you.

She also thought it would be a good idea to have a friend that was a girl. She needed more feminine energy in her life.

“Sure,” she nodded. “Sounds like fun.” You pulled your notepad out of your pocket and were actually kind of excited for the whole thing.

“What are we talking about,” Steve asked as he sat back in his side of the booth.

“I’m sleeping over at y/n’s on Saturday,” Robin told him and she could see his face falter.

“I thought we were going to finally watch that new horror movie on Saturday.” Robin had completely forgotten about that and now you felt bad that you were stealing her away from Steve.

“I totally forgot about that.” Steve looked over at you and even though you were trying really hard to hide it, he could see that you were disappointed and he didn’t want to be the reason for it.

“(Y/n), you like horror movies, right,” Robin asked, watching Steve out of the corner of her eye to see what his reaction would be to her next question.

“Love ‘em,” you answered and Steve couldn’t believe what Robin was doing. He thought he at least had some more time to prepare before she started her moves in setting the two of you up. And she wasn’t even being subtle about it. Robin was about as subtle as gun.

“You should watch the movie with us.” The old you would have come up with any excuse to say no, but this was the new you. And the new you made friends. And maybe if it went well, you could make it a regular thing.

“I’d love to.” This was going to be the year you finally did things that scared you. And that included getting close to people who weren’t Eddie.

“We’ll watch it at Steve’s since he’s got that giant TV.” Of course she was suggesting his house. Girls were always amazed about where he lived and Robin knew that. She knew exactly what she was doing.

“Sounds good to me.” Steve couldn’t believe you had actually agreed. You had always denied their invitations to hang out with you and he’d be stupid to ask why you had changed your so suddenly. Whatever the reason, he was going to be grateful.

Eddie had watched the entire interaction play out and couldn’t help but be proud of you. He knew that you had been wanting to get close to Robin and Steve but had been too scared to make a move.

You brought Eddie his check and didn’t miss the smirk he had on his face. And this time he was looking at your face and not your breasts so clearly he had been up to something.

“Ugh,” you groaned. “What?”

“I saw you over there. You did so good, doll. I’m so proud. It’s my baby’s first non-sexual hangout,” he teased, grabbing your face and planting a messy-albeit gentle-kiss to it. You pushed him away in disgust.

“Ew. I hate when you get like this,” you rubbed your cheek with your hand, trying to get rid of the spit. Eddie just grinned at you.

“You didn’t hate it last night.” He winked and you felt yourself blush.

“Because that was in your bed, not in public. And you were more rough with it. You know I hate soft touches.” Eddie knew that fact all too well, all too familiar with hearing the words “harder” and “faster” coming from you in the bedroom.

“Oh, I know, sweetheart.“

“Whats going on? You’re being weird, even for you.” You gave him a glare but that only made him smile wider.

“I’m not weird, I’m just a proud daddy.” Hearing that word outside of dirty talk made your skin crawl.

“Gross,” you grimaced. “I hate you.”

“You love me,” he corrected.

“Sure, whatever,” you rolled your eyes. “Now pay your bill and get out.” Eddie always ended up lingering after he had already paid, wanting to spend more time there. It definitely beat staying in the trailer by himself while Wayne was at work. But you had to kick him out because your manager hated loitering.

“I love it when you’re bossy.” He left some cash on the table, making sure to give you a hefty tip and stood from the table.

Steve watched your interaction with Eddie and wanted to know if you were dating or not, but couldn’t get himself to ask. He didn’t want that information out in the open, unbeknownst to him that everyone was very well aware of his little crush on you. He wasn’t very good at hiding his jealousy and Eddie had even kicked his touches up a notch to get Steve to say something about how he felt about you, but he never did.

Robin and Steve finished their meals and you dropped off their check. You watched them walk out the door and turned to the table to some cash sitting under Robin’s empty cup so it wouldn’t blow away under the fans that had been running because of how hot it had been outside.

You headed over to their table and noticed that Steve had left a twenty dollar bill which meant that more than half had been for you. You wondered what it was like to be able to tip more than your meal had cost and not be struggling financially. You didn’t know what that was like because your family didn’t have the kind of money to even eat where you worked.

You headed outside for your smoke break as Steve’s red BMW pulled out of his parking space. You watched him pass by as you pulled your carton of cigarettes out of your apron pocket. The taste of the tobacco sounded so inviting and you just needed it to help with the chronic stress that sat on your shoulders every single day.

You went through your cluttered apron pockets to find your lighter only to grasp at crumpled receipts and empty straw wrappers. You had always put it in your apron before your shifts for that exact situation so you had wondered where it went. You tried to picture the last place you had it and suddenly remembered that you had left it at Eddie’s when you had smoked a joint together the night before.

As if he knew you were thinking about him, Eddie exited the diner, holding out a lighter to you. You took it from him and lit up, taking a long drag before blowing the smoke away from him so it wouldn’t get all in his face. You looked down the lighter and noticed your initials that you had engraved into the intricate design to signify it was yours.

“Thanks.” You fiddled with the thing in your hands, never able to stand still for so long. Whether it was the anxiety or the stress, you didn’t know.

“Sure,” he nodded. “That one’s yours anyway. You left it at my place last night and I figured I should give it back.” Eddie grabbed the cigarette from you, putting it between his own lips before taking a drag and handing it back to you.

“Well, thanks.” You wondered just how many lighters you had lost over the last few years after sleeping with someone only to never return to their place ever again. The only thing you had missed was your leather jacket that you had left at Billy Hargrove’s. You had politely asked for it back, but he only agreed to return it if you slept with him again and there was no way in hell that was going to happen. After he had made fun of Eddie? Fat chance. He could have the jacket for all you cared.

“Sure. I’ll see you tonight?” You didn’t know why he was asking. Of course you were going to see him. You were in his bedroom practically every night.

“Yeah,” you nodded, taking another drag before holding out the cigarette to him. He took it from you, his fingers brushing yours as he did so. This was so familiar to you, standing outside your place of work sharing a cigarette with your best friend. It seemed like it happened at least once every single one of your shifts. Most of the time neither of you uttered a single word, the only thing that could be heard was birds chirping or the sound of car doors slamming as people headed towards the restaurant. It was nice, one of your favorite things about working.

Eddie handed your cigarette back and fished around in his pocket for his keys. He pulled out his own cigarette carton, a couple guitar picks, and a few wadded up gum wrappers before finding what he was looking for. You wondered when he last washed his jeans, then remembered that you were the last one to do so when you took your stuff to the laundromat which had been a couple of weeks ago. You made a mental note to go back sometime in the week and take Eddie’s gross pants with you.

“See you tonight. Four, right?” That was always your plan when you were picking up extra shifts. Eddie would watch Callie while you were gone and then you’d go over to his after your shift while Wayne was still at work and you’d spend the night together, getting tangled up in Eddie’s sheets with a few smoke breaks in between. It was a perfect night in your opinion. You were able to get away from home for the night and you could forget about your shitty living situation at least for a little while. Until you began to worry about leaving your little sister alone with your parents.

Eddie was always able to help you when you started to panic. He’d take your hands in his and make you take some deep breaths to help you calm down. He’d then take you over to your own trailer to see Callie to make sure she was okay. She was always in your shared room, fast asleep in the bed that you were forced to share because your parents couldn’t afford another one.

Your parents were always fighting and it made Callie cry hearing them, so you’d do whatever what you could to distract her. Whether it was letting her listen to your walkman to block out the screams or just straight up taking her to Eddie’s, you’d find a way to shield her. No kid should have to be subjected to that or be on the receiving end of it like you had been a few times. That was why you always deemed any room that wasn’t yours off limits during those moments.

You wanted better for Callie. She was just a kid and didn’t deserve to live like that. You hated that she was growing up with the very same childhood you had experienced. You had hoped that your parents would have gotten their shit together before having another kid, but Callie had just been a product of them having makeup sex in the back of their shared beat up car.

Callie was way too young to be subjected to your parents’ toxic behavior. You, however had been used to it. Them hitting or yelling at you was something you just expected whenever you were home at the same time as them. They still hadn’t laid a finger on Callie out of anger and you vowed that if they ever had, you’d pack up all your stuff and go live with Eddie and Wayne. Wayne knew all about your living situation and had suggested you come live with him as soon as he found out about how your parents had been treating you and your sister, but you were just trying to hold out until you could get enough money to get the two of you the hell out of there.

———

You and Callie entered the trailer after you had picked her up from school and you let out a sigh of relief when you saw that your parents’ car wasn’t in its usual spot. You didn’t have it in you to deal with them. You were just so tired. You were scheduled for a shift at Family Video in an hour which only gave you enough time to make sure that Callie did her homework. Eddie would take care of the rest.

You showered and got dressed while Callie did her homework. That was the only way you were able to do anything for yourself. You had to do it while she was occupied, never truly getting an actual moment to yourself. She’d come into the bathroom while you were in the shower and ask you where you had put her favorite pencil. You hated that you got annoyed with her every now and then, but sometimes you wished you could have just five minutes of uninterrupted silence.

You came out of your room to find Callie eating the TV dinner you had fixed for her and Eddie was sitting next to her. They were both talking about the cartoon she had put on. It was one of the things they bonded over. Eddie really was just a kid at heart so it made sense why they got along so well. He didn’t have any siblings so Callie was the closest he was going to get. She had him wrapped around her little finger and she quickly found that he’d do anything she asked. Whether it was letting her braid his hair or have a tea party with him, it didn’t matter.

You loved watching their interactions. The way Eddie was so sweet to her, but talking to her in the tone that he used with everyone else. You wished that the people in town could see the way Eddie treated her so they’d stop insisting that he was an evil cult leader.

He had insisted on watching your sister even though you had assured him that you didn’t need his help. He noticed that you were always doing that; insisting that you didn’t need assistance when you were actually desperate for it. To you, asking for help meant that you were weak. You had gotten through your hardest times by yourself, so why would you admit that you needed help with the little things like finding a sitter for your sister?

“Alright,” you spoke up, standing at the back of the couch. “I’m leaving for work, so Eddie’s in charge.” Callie turned to face you, a pout on her face. As much as she loved spending time with Eddie, she always missed you when you were gone. You were her best friend. The one person who she was convinced could protect her from everything. Your parents screaming at each other, a bad dream, and the monsters that very much not under your bed. You both knew that they didn’t exist. She was just always looking for an excuse to cuddle closer to you, feeling the safest being wrapped in your arms.

Callie didn��t care if you didn’t give birth to her. In her eyes, you were her mother. You had gotten up in the night to feed her or change her diaper and you rocked her back to sleep when she stopped crying. You were there when she took her first steps, holding onto fingers until she was able to move by herself. You held her while she cried when kids were mean to her at school, telling her that they were losers and were just bored with their lives. You helped her ride your old bike without training wheels, cheering her on as she circled the little spot in front of your trailer. You had been there for every important moment in her life while she had just been an afterthought to your parents. Just another reason why they didn’t have any money and were stuck in that stupid trailer.

She gave you a long hug and you pressed a kiss to her forehead and told her to behave before you went out the front door to your car. You took a deep breath and turned on the ignition before heading out of the trailer park.

Working at Family Video was definitely your favorite out of your three jobs. The diner involved a lot of running around and working at the car repair shop was just answering phones and scheduling appointments since you didn’t have any actual experience fixing up cars. That one was very monotonous and boring doing the exact same thing every time. You liked Family Video because it was the perfect amount of work and you got along with the people you worked with. In your eyes, it was a win-win.

You put in the cassette tape that was a mix of your favorite metal songs you had made and turned the volume dial all the way up, singing along to the song. In your mind, if you had the music on really loud, it could drown out all of your thoughts so you had no choice but to get out of your head. Your brain was always working overtime with all of things you had to do. There was always another thing to add to your to do list or something else to worry about, so you tried your best to turn it off when you could.

You pulled into the parking lot and parked a little bit away from the building since Keith had gotten onto you multiple times for parking right up front. Despite not wanting to walk the few extra steps, you were too tired to argue with him. You grabbed your vest and headed into the building, finding Steve already at the counter, typing something into the computer. He turned to you when he heard the bell chime and gave you a small smile before turning back to his task.

You headed to the back room and clocked in before putting on the dreaded green vest. You wished Keith could have at least gotten vests that were a neutral color so it’d be easier to match to your outfits. Nothing went with green. You threw your purse into your locker and let out a sigh before going out onto the floor. The place was empty which was arguably worse than it being packed. If it was crowded, at least you would have something to do other than put videos away.

Steve was no longer at the counter, now putting returns back on the shelves. You rounded the counter and noticed his cart right by the romcom section. You pulled some tapes from the cart and began putting them away in their designated aisle, deciding that you were going to help him even though he always insisted that he didn’t need it. He knew of your other jobs and wanted this one to be a breeze for you. He thought you worked too hard.

Steve could hear shuffling and turned to his cart to see that some of the tapes were missing. He then looked over the aisles and saw you in the sci-fi section. You were reorganizing the tapes in alphabetical order. He noticed you doing that every time you had a shift together and wondered why it mattered to you so much when people were just going to mess it up again.

He watched you for a few more seconds then turned back to his own task. He spent too much time looking at you and really needed to cut it out. But you were just so pretty. He wanted to look at you any chance he got. He wanted to hold you from behind and rest his chin on your shoulder as he pressed kisses your cheek just to hear your pretty laugh. He wanted to hold your hand whenever he could, feeling your soft skin against his. He wanted to kiss you. Goddamn did he want to kiss you. He wanted to know what your pretty lips tasted like. They were like two little pillows and he needed to know if they were as soft as they looked. He knew he was pathetic pining for you like that, but he didn’t care.

You were so mysterious and he wanted to know more about you. What you liked and what you didn’t. He wanted to know every single thing about you, hearing you go on and on for hours. He knew he wouldn’t get bored because everything about you was fascinating in his eyes. You could read out the diner menu to him and he would listen, hanging onto every word. He was in deep and he didn’t even care. He didn’t care if you didn’t if you didn’t feel the same way, he’d still eat up every interaction, every flirty word that would fall from your pretty lips.

“You’re quiet tonight,” you spoke up as you approached his cart once again. It was the only thing separating you two and he thought you were too far away. You grabbed onto the top of the cart and leaned forward, getting a little too close to him for his liking. He tried to keep his cool, but you smelled so good. If he had it his way, he’d have pulled you to him and buried his face into his neck to get a better whiff.

“Not much to say,” he shrugged and turned back to the shelf to hide the blush that was creeping up on his cheeks.

“You never shut up when you’re with Robin, but you’re quiet as a mouse when you’re around me.” He wanted to tell you that it was because you intimidated him and that he was afraid that he was going to say something stupid. He wanted to, but he didn’t. He just kept quiet and tried to not think about how beautiful you were.

“Just don’t have a lot to say,” he shrugged, putting some more tapes on the shelf in front of him. That was a lie. Steve had so much to say to you, but he didn’t think that any of it was appropriate.

He wanted to tell you just how pretty he thought you were while he thrusted into you. He wanted to feel your soft body against his. He wanted to hear you moan his name over and over again while he made sweet love to you.

He was always going on dates and sleeping with women, but it never really progressed after that. He’d promise to call them then throw their numbers away only to feel guilty in the end. He hated the cycle, but he was only doing what he thought he had to.

He was only trying to get over you and he thought the only way to do that was to get under someone else. But that never worked. You were the only girl he wanted and he couldn’t have you because you were taken. It was torture watching you with Eddie. The way you touched each other in such a flirty manner, whispering things into the other’s ear.

Steve wanted to be that with you. He wanted you two to have your own inside jokes. He wanted to have his arm around your waist and press tender kisses to your temple whenever he wanted. But he couldn’t. And it was killing him. He didn’t want to ruin your friendship, if you could’ve even called it that.

“Oh,” you nodded in understanding, even though he couldn’t see you. “I get it.” You pulled away from the cart, crossing your arms over your chest. “You don’t like me.”

You loved to mess with Steve more than you liked flirting with him. He fell for it every time, completely believing your words. You thought it was hilarious considering the fact that you hadn’t even been trying.

“No!” He turned around in panic, needing to assure you that it wasn’t true. He liked you, probably loved you even. “I like you.”

“You do?” You bat your eyelashes innocently and Steve stepped closer, trying not to fall for your tricks.

“Yeah. I mean, we’re friends, right?” The word was hard to get out. He hated using it when it came to you. It burned his throat the way bile did when it climbed its way up into his mouth. It tasted horrible and bitter like burnt toast.

The word caught you off guard. Eddie was the only one you had given that title to. And here Steve was using the word so casually, like it was part of his everyday vocabulary.

“Of course we’re friends, Steve.” Technically speaking, you were friends, but the two of you didn’t really hangout outside of the group like you did with Eddie.

It wasn’t that you didn’t want to hang out with Steve, it was that you couldn’t. You were unsure of where things would go with the two of you. Anytime you were alone, you felt the tension and you were afraid of the things the two of you would get up to. Hanging out always led to sex and sex always led to the “what are we?” talk and you couldn’t do that again. It was always so awkward letting people down.

“Good,” he nodded. “Good.” He rolled the cart to another aisle and you followed him. You watched him put more tapes away, admiring the way his jeans hugged his hips and the way his shirt was tight against his biceps. You could see why women liked him even if you weren’t interested. He was pretty and got along with everyone. What was there to not like?

“Yeah,” you nodded. “So what did you get up to last night?” You leaned onto the cart as Steve crouched to put some videos away on the lowest shelf.

“Oh, you know. The usual,” he shrugged, trying to move quickly because being in that position was painful.

“Which is?” You leaned closer, trying to read the look on his face. He stood up quickly, his legs not being able to take the pain anymore.

“Had a girl over.” He didn’t want to say more than that. He figured that you knew what had happened without him having to spell it out for you.

“Oh?” He didn’t have to say anything else, but you wondered how much he would tell you.

“Yeah,” he nodded.

“How was it?” Bad. It was bad. So much so that he couldn’t even think about it without feeling embarrassed.

“Fine.” He was lying. He couldn’t tell you the truth. The truth being that he had tried to make out with the girl only to see your face and your pretty eyes boring into his. It happened every time and it was infuriating.

“Fine?” That was never the word you wanted to hear about a date. That was always meant that it went wrong but the person didn’t want to come out and say it.

“We just didn’t have that spark, you know?” You didn’t know what he meant by that so you wanted him to explain.

“Spark?” Your eyebrows furrowed and Steve liked that he was going to be able to explain something to you and not the other way around for once.

“You know, the spark.” You had no idea what he was talking about, but knew that it was some sort of thing that was only exclusive to Steve. He was too much of a romantic sometimes.

“No.” You didn’t seem to care but Steve was still going to tell you anyway.

“It’s when you get that feeling. You just know they’re the one.” His brown eyes softened as he looked at you and all you could do was let out a laugh. It all just seemed so silly.

“How do you know?” This was the real question. How did you know when you were in love with someone?

“It’s in your gut. It’s something that you just know.” Steve had never gotten that feeling, but knew it existed and he was just waiting for it to come around.

“Huh,” you pondered. “Sounds fake.” Love was just a bunch of bullshit to you. At least romantically. You loved Callie and you loved Eddie, but that was about it.

“You’re just too cynical to ever love anyone but yourself.” Both of you knew he wasn’t trying to offend you. He was just telling the truth.

“I love Callie,” you countered and Steve only shook his head. That didn’t count in his opinion.

“You’re supposed to love your sister.” You supposed that was true, but still felt like you were right.

“I also love Eddie.” He didn’t like hearing that, but he knew what you meant.

“It’s the same thing. He’s your best friend. You’re supposed to love him. I’m talking about romance.” You hated talking about that, even with Steve. Especially with Steve. Out of the four of you, Steve definitely seemed to be the one who always wanted to talk about love and it made you uncomfortable.

“Gross,” you grimace and Steve thought it was cute seeing your features scrunched up like that.

“It’s not gross, it’s beautiful,” he corrected, giving your shoulder a nudge. You just stepped away to keep space between your bodies.

“How can you think that when you’ve never been in love?” Steve had been in love. Only once and not for very long, but it still counted.

“I was in love with Nancy.” Right, Nancy. You don’t know her as well as you knew Robin, but just from the few interactions you had with her, she seemed nice enough.

“I mean besides Nancy. That was years ago and I haven’t heard you utter another girl’s name since I’ve known you.” He could think of multiple girls off of the top of his head that he had talked about. Well, with Robin. He felt weird talking about his dates with you.

“You’ve only known me for like six months.” He crossed his arms over his chest, leaning against the shelf behind him. Steve didn’t think you had known him long enough to critique him.

“Yeah, and that’s been six months of jack shit, Harrington. If you want love so badly then you have to go on more than one date with a girl.” He never thought that you of all people would have given him actually good relationship advice. For someone who had never been in one, you really seemed to know what you were talking about.

“Maybe I will,” he shrugged. You both knew that he wouldn’t. He was just going to continue the cycle until he found someone.

“The girl for you is out there, Steve. You just have to look hard enough.” He was looking and the only woman that he wanted was right in front of him. He felt pathetic. He would never get you so he didn’t know why he even bothered.

“Like where? Because she’s definitely not in Hawkins. I think I’ve been out with every woman who’s interested in men in our age group.” He hadn’t been out with you, though. And he never would because you definitely weren’t interested. He thought it was better if you were just friends anyway. He liked what you two had and didn’t want to ruin it.

“Well,” you let out a sigh. “I guess you’re just destined to be alone.”

Steve wondered what made you so against love at such a young age. Usually the people who were that cynical were at least fifty years older than you. He figured it had something to do with your home life that you only mentioned a few times. You were very secretive.

Steve wasn’t going to listen to you. Love was out there and he was going to find it even if it wasn’t with you. Just because he hadn’t found someone yet didn’t mean that he was going to throw in the towel. He was going to at least give it another try before he fully gave up.

“No,” he pointed at you. “I am not stooping to your sad, cynical level.” He moved from the shelf and rounded the corner with a stack of videos and you followed him, the cart completely abandoned.

“Oh, c’mon, Steve.”

“I think maybe if you put yourself out there, you’d actually find that dating is fun,” he smiled and you gagged at his words. Pretty much anything sounded more appealing to you than that.

“You know what’s even more fun than dating,” you asked, your face lighting up and Steve was interested in what you had to say.

“What?”

“Hearing my parents yelling at each other while I hold my sister who’s sobbing. That’s more fun than dating.” He supposed he walked right into that one. He had never seen you talk nicely about anything except your sister and Eddie, but he was determined to find out what else you liked. He knew there had to be some sort of happiness deep down inside you.

“C’mon, y/n, you’re a pretty girl. Anyone would be lucky to have you.” That was a nice compliment, but it sounded generic, like it was something he’d say to just anyone. There was nothing that made it personal.

“Right, and I would be lucky just to get through this shift without you trying to convince me to put myself out there.” You took some of Steve’s tapes and put them away, wanting the conversation to be over. He only followed you, leaning against the shelf you were working on. He stared down at you, his eyebrows pinched together.

“Can you be serious for one second?”

“I am being serious, Steve,” you turned to face him. “You’re the one who’s being ridiculous.”

“I’m just trying to help you.”

“You call that help?” You let out a laugh. You didn’t think him pointing out your flaws was considered helpful. “If you really want to help me, then why don’t you actually help me?” You leaned onto the shelf as well, setting your arm onto the top of it to hold yourself up.

“How?” His eyebrows furrowed and you thought for a moment. The first thing that came to mind was actually ridiculous.

“I don’t know, go on a date with me or something.” Steve’s eyes widened at that, his mouth falling open slightly. He never thought he’d see the day. Maybe he was dreaming. Maybe Hell had frozen over.

“What,” he scoffed. He didn’t believe you in the slightest. You had to be joking because there was no way you’d ever want to go on a date, especially not with him.

“It’ll be like practice.” Steve was quick to step forward and press his hand to your forehead. Your eyebrows furrowed at his actions, trying to figure out what he was up to.

“What are you doing,” you let out a laugh, pushing his hand away, but he wouldn’t budge.

“Oh, sorry. I thought you were sick,” he let out a sigh of relief as he pulled his hand away. “Because that would be the only reason why you’d ever go out with me.”

“Oh stop. You’re the only one who would actually be helpful.” He hated that you were right. He was the only one who’d be up for the task and do it right. “You’re King Steve, aren’t you? You clearly know what you’re doing since you always have a date.”

“Why not Eddie or Robin?” It wasn’t that Steve didn’t want to help you, but he didn’t think he could because then he’d want more and he knew that wasn’t going to happen.

“Eddie would just laugh the whole time and Robin would overthink everything.” Steve knew both of them well enough to know that what you had said was accurate. Eddie was too close to you to take going on a date with you seriously and Robin would take everything too seriously to the point that it would drive you crazy. Steve was your only option.

Steve supposed it wouldn’t be so bad. He’d get to go on a date with you and hadn’t that been what he had wanted all along? Who cared if it wasn’t real? At that point, Steve was just going to take what he could get.

It didn’t have to mean anything. It was just to help you out so you knew what a date was like without the nerves of being around a stranger. He’d just give you pointers. Tell you how to win people over enough to get their number and how to get to a second date after the first.

“Okay,” he nodded. “Let’s go out.” Your eyes widened at his agreement. You figured that he would have said no because it was weird or because he had better things to do.

“Oh-I was joking.” He thought it was odd to hear you stutter. You had always said things so matter-of-factly with your head held high. He could tell how nervous you were then.

“I wasn’t. So let’s go out.”

“Steve.”

“Yes?” A smirk played on his pink lips and now you could see why he always got whatever he wanted. Just one flash of that damn smile and women would give him whatever he asked. Well, it wasn’t going to work on you. You were better than them.

“Why are you agreeing?” He was doing a favor, getting absolutely nothing out of it, so what was his deal?

“Why are you asking?” He wanted to know why you were grilling him when the whole thing was your idea. Joke or not, Steve didn’t think that it was half bad. Maybe it could actually work.

“Because it’s a weird request.” Steve had done weirder things like fighting with multiple monsters from alternate dimensions, so going on a fake date with you would have been one of the less weird things he had done.

“It’s not the weirdest thing I’ve done. And I want to help you, y/n.” He would do anything for you, but he wasn’t going to tell you that. You weren’t quite at that point in your friendship.

“Well, great,” you smiled. “When did you want to start?”

Steve thought for a second even though he knew for a fact that his schedule was wide open. It always was. If he wasn’t at work or on a date or with Robin, he was at home by himself watching movies he’d seen a thousand times or laying in his bed staring at the ceiling, feeling sorry for himself even though he knew there were people out there with worse problems.

“I don’t know,” he shrugged. “You’re the one with the busy schedule so you tell me when you’re free.” It was nice that he was being so accommodating.

“Literally never. See, this is why I don’t date.” He could see you panicking and wanted to do whatever he could to help you calm you down.

“How about this weekend,” he suggested and realized that it was already Thursday.

“Isn’t that a bit early?” Maybe it was but he didn’t care.

“Not necessarily,” he shrugged again. He didn’t think it was. He was just eager to get started. He was really looking forward to going out with you.

“What are we going to do?” That was a good question and he figured he’d let you decide.

“What do you want to do?” He saw that nervous look and he was concerned that you were going to panic again.

“I don’t know.” Your life was full of making choices. Deciding what to buy at the grocery store. What to make for dinner. What you were going to wear every day. For once you didn’t want the decision to be up to you.

“Well, what do you like to do in your free time?” Steve just wanted to make the decision easier for you. In his head, it didn’t seem like a big deal, but he didn’t know what your life was like besides that you had a sister and that your parents fought.

“I don’t know. I don’t really have free time.” Of course you didn’t. He had heard you talk about your two other jobs and practically raising your littler sister. That was a lot for anyone to have on their plates, especially for someone as young as you.

“Right,” he nodded. He hated that you didn’t even have enough free time to even figure out what you enjoyed. It broke his heart.

“You pick. I promise I’ll like whatever you choose.” That seemed like a huge promise to Steve. He didn’t think you liked anything.

“Are you sure?” He titled his head to the side and you almost thought it was cute. Almost.

“Yes, please. Just pick.” Steve actually liked the idea of choosing for once. It seemed like he was told what to do all the time so having his own decision to make made him feel good.

“We can just hang at my house then. It’s private and it’s somewhere you can leave if you feel uncomfortable.” That sounded like a good idea to you. You didn’t like the idea of having Steve pay for your dinner. You could pay for yourself just fine.

“That works for me,” you nodded.

“I can make you dinner and we can just talk. It’ll be low stakes.” Oh god, now he really was going to spend money on you. Maybe you could let it slide just this once.

“You don’t have to do this,” you handed Steve another video to put on the shelf.

Of course Steve didn’t have to, but he wanted to. He just wanted to help you out. He didn’t care if he got anything in return. He would just be content spending time with you.

“I know I don’t,” he nodded, taking the tape from you. “But I want to.”

“What should I wear?” He didn’t like where his mind went with that question. He could imagine you in a pretty dress that would be thrown onto the floor of his bedroom while you placed yourself on top of him.

“Whatever you want. You could wear sweats for all I care.”

That made you feel better since you didn’t really have any nice clothes. The only “nice” outfits you owned were the two dresses that your mother had bought you. One was for funerals and the other for weddings and you didn’t think that either of those were appropriate. Maybe you’d ask Robin if you could borrow something.

“So I could wear my pajamas,” you joked and clearly Steve didn’t get it.

“Sure,” he nodded “Whatever you want. I could wear mine too if that would make you feel better.”

“We’re not wearing pajamas, Stevie,” you shook your head with a laugh.

“I know,” he laughed as well. “You’re overthinking it.” That much was true. You were overthinking everything these days and Steve could tell. “Seriously, wear whatever you want.”

“Okay.”

The topic was dropped and the two of you made awkward small talk the rest of the night in between customers. Despite not having not talked about your “date” for hours, it was the only thing on your mind. It had made you nervous and you wanted to just tell Steve to forget it, but you couldn’t. He just seemed so insistent on helping you and you weren’t going to take that opportunity away from him.

You had never thought of Steve as intimidating, but now you couldn’t help but feel nervous around him. You were going to see a side to him that you had never seen before and that scared you. What if it had made your friendship weird? What if the date sucked and he never wanted to speak to you again?

You went to Eddie’s after work and told him everything. Of course, he thought it was the funniest thing and couldn’t stop laughing. The idea of you and Steve going out tickled him. You didn’t even have anything in common. You liked all things scary while Steve jumped when a customer came into Family Video unannounced.

However, opposites did attract and Eddie knew just how much Steve liked you even though you couldn’t see it because you had been too focused on your own life. He thought Steve would be good for you. That he would balance you out.

“You gonna wear something hot?” Eddie asked, leaning back on his bed, putting his arms behind his head.

“I don’t have anything hot, Eddie,” you laid down next to him. “And this is just a practice date. It doesn’t mean anything.” Maybe it didn’t mean anything to you, but Eddie knew it meant the world to Steve even if the boy wouldn’t admit it.

“Right. You know, I’m kinda offended you didn’t ask me.” He turned over to face you, propping his head up with one of his hands.

“We both know why I didn’t ask you,” you raised an eyebrow. “We’re too close and you’d just laugh the whole time.” Eddie let out a laugh at that. You were absolutely right.

“Cmon, let me wine and dine you, baby,” he reached for your hand and you pulled it away.

“Fat chance, Munson,” you cackled. “We’re just not compatible.” Eddie knew that much, but when you were fucking, it was as if your bodies fit together like puzzle pieces.

“Maybe not romantically. But physically, we’re so made for each other.”

“I guess you’re right.”

“Honey, I’m always right.” He grabbed your hands and pulled you on top of him. He flipped the two of you over, pressing his body to yours, sliding his legs between yours.

“Now give me some sugar.”

“Oh, you actually want to kiss me first? Is it a special occasion?” You teased.

“No, just need to taste your lips.” You pressed your lips to his roughly, tangling your hands into his hair. He slipped his tongue into your mouth, letting it swirl around yours before pulling away.

“No,” you whined. “I need you. Need your cock.”

“Sweetheart, you worked twelve hours today. I know you don’t have it in you.” Eddie was more than eager to fuck you, but he could see how tired you were and wasn’t going to through with it if you weren’t conscious enough to be enthusiastic about it.

“Fine,” you grumbled. “But you owe me.”

“I’ll give you two rounds tomorrow with no smoke breaks,” he pressed another kiss to your lips then pulled you into his arms.

“Deal,” you smiled, closing your eyes, feeling yourself drift off to sleep. Eddie pressed a kiss to your forehead, letting out a chuckle.

“What?” You pulled back to glare at him only making him laugh more.

“Still can’t believe you’re going out with Harrington,” he shook his head.

“Eddie, please just shut the fuck up and go to sleep,” you demanded and he was quick to close his eyes.

“Yes, ma’am,�� he nodded, resting his chin on top of your head. “Goodnight, y/n.”

“Goodnight, Eds.” You snuggled into his chest and the two of you drifted off to sleep.

#steve harrington #steve harrington x y/n #steve harrington x you #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington smut #stranger things #eddie munson #eddie munson x reader #eddie x y/n #eddie munson x you #eddie munson smut

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jakes3resin · 18 days

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Honestly so intrigued by the idea of a role swap between Bucky and Gale when it comes to who took the London weekend pass and who got shot down first.

Gale convinces Harding to give both of them a weekend pass thinking that's the only way to convince Bucky to take a break, paint the town red in London until Bucky starts to feel better, but Bucky says no like Gale did. Gale still goes because he needs a break from missions, from base life, and, as much as he hates to admit it, from Bucky himself right now.

Bucky goes up like Gale did, and Bucky doesn't come back like Gale did.

Gale has a calmer time in London than Bucky, but he still sees the headlines about the 8th and the lost 30 bombers. The panic that runs through him would probably mirror the panic Bucky felt. The urgent need to know what happened, thoughts spinning as he tells himself that Bucky wasn't one of the men the papers say got shot down.

Gale's widow arc after escaping was characterized by desperation, a quiet bone deep desperation tinged by Gale's guilt at leaving Bucky behind. The pain that Bucky gave up his chance at freedom for him cut deep into him. There was some rage during the escape, but once he got to England, you could tell Gale's strings had been cut. His rage melted into grief and desperation. He held white knuckled to the hope, the delusion even, that Bucky was fine, he's always fine, he just had to stay for the men.

His grief after learning Bucky went down in a role swap would be closer to rage, I think. Rage at the Germans sure, but rage at Bucky mostly. Gale tried to get him to London, damn near begged him to come with him because he knew something was going to happen if he didn't get Bucky out of that cockpit.

Of course, the anger is just so he can hide how much Bucky's 'death' is killing him. He's good at hiding his emotions by slipping on a mask and burying them deep within himself, but everyone can see he isn't doing well. The grief and rage are just too much. Gale's slipping, and without Bucky, no one knows how to help him. This isn't the Major Cleven they know. This is the Buck without his namesake that none of them ever expected to see.

Gale would do as Bucky did. Leave London and demand that he be placed on the next possible mission. The pair are a bit too similar sometimes, and he'd want back in the saddle before he processed his emotions. He's back on base when everyone knows Harding didn't call him in from London. He's standing silently at the bar, not ordering a thing simply there because he's still so used to his routine with Bucky that nowhere else feels right. At least here he's with the men. At least here he can pretend Bucky's asking the bartender to fill up his flask. At least here he can be haunted.

No one knows how to handle Buck like this. They've never seen Buck like this with his emotions so volatile as his mask slips. Benny tries to talk to him, but Gale shrugs him off. Jack and Red both try to talk to him, but Gale simply asks when the briefing is. No one can get through to him.

Gale leaves behind Bucky's lucky deuce. He'd carried it for Bucky's sake, and now there's no Bucky to worry.

Oh but what if that's where the role swap ends? Buck still ends up at Stalag Luft III before Bucky, and it's the final nail in Bucky's coffin for Buck. Bucky isn't here. Gale's lost any hope he'd gained seeing Brady and Crank waiting at the fence. Even when Brady swears Bucky bailed before him, he grieves.

Everyone's sure that they're going to lose Gale now. You need strength and at least some measure of hope or fight to survive the camp, and Gale has none of that. He really did think that they'd be the last two left in the air when all of this was over. That dream doesn't matter when he's the only one left. He lost everything when Bucky went down.

Two days later, Bucky walks through the fence, and the heart that stopped beating in Gale's chest back in London finally starts up. Hope returns, and with it, his will to see both of them through this.

#mota #masters of the air #buck x bucky #clegan #gale buck cleven #john bucky egan #gale cleven #buck cleven #bucky egan #john egan #role swap au #buckbucky

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bullet-prooflove · 22 days

Text

ATF!Series Part Three: Hell or Highwater

Tagging: @kmc1989 @hatersaremymotivators benny kkkelpies-shed

ATF Series:

Part One: A Rabbit You Don't Want To Chase - Stahl makes an unwelcome return to David's life.

Part Two: Fucked - Stahl fucks up you entire life in pursuit of Jax Teller.

You’ve been in a custody for five hours by the time David’s finally allowed to see you. Four hours of that has consisted of you sitting silently in an interrogation room listening to Stahl tell you how fucked you are.

And yea, she’s right, you are pretty fucked.

Your entire life it’s crumbling down around you and all you can feel is this crushing, desolate numbness because those hopes you had, those dreams they’re gone. Every single one of them.

You think about that as you lie on a musty mattress in a chilly cell. You think about what Jax Teller has done to you, what he continues to do to you. He has no direct involvement with you but the ripples of that time you spent together still resonate through your life.

This is what David means when he talks about Jax's blast radius.

Jax Teller is a nuclear bomb, his toxicity seeping into everything he touches. His poison, it salts the earth leaving no space for anything else to grow and you, you just have to sit here and absorb the damage.

“The light giving you a headache?” David asks as he leans in the doorway of the cell block. It’s Tuesday evening and you’re the only one in attendance, your arm is draped over your eyes trying to ward off the glow from the fluorescent. You have that metallic taste on your tongue. The one that usually comes just as the migraine starts to set in.

You don’t answer him, you can’t because the moment you do David will know exactly how broken you are right now you can’t stand the idea of anyone seeing that.

The light clicks off and you swallow past the well of emotion that’s building in your chest because David, he always knows exactly what you need. You hear his footsteps, the squeak of his boots as he comes to linger outside your cell. You hear his sigh before he sits down on the floor, his back against the cinderblocks. His elbows come to rest on his knees as his head tips back and his eyes close.

You’re in for the night and so is he.

The distance it seems to stretch between you, he feels the weight of it in the air as he plays through the past couple of hours in his head. The phone calls he’s made to the San Franisco Art Institute trying to undo all the nasty shit that Stahl has done to you. He’d begged for them to change their minds but that placement is gone, they don’t want a criminal influencing the other students. He’d slammed down the phone so hard, the plastic had cracked on the receiver.

“She told me you fucked her today.” You say quietly and his blood runs cold because it isn’t enough that Stahl has taken away your prospects, she has to try and take him too. “That you came inside her, it seemed important to her that I know that.”

He understands the significance. For Stahl their relationship was about power, about proving she had it and he didn’t. It drove her absolutely crazy that he wouldn’t give her that, that everytime she begged or demanded, he would pull out. It was a sign to her that she couldn’t control him, not completely.

“You’re the only woman who gets to have that.” He tells you, his gaze meeting yours as you shift up into a sitting position. “The only one that gets to have every part of me.”

You draw your knees up to your chest, tucking the blanket over your legs because it get a little cold in here at night. He makes note to get you an extra blanket because the temperature is only going to keep dropping.

“David, we should talk about what happens when I go to jail.” You say softly. “You need to get clear of this…”

“You won’t see jail time.” He tells you and there’s such surety in his voice that you can’t help but believe him. “You’ll be bailed tomorrow, made to pay a fine, they’re going to seek restitution for the property damage. We’ll be paying it off for the next couple of years.”

We…

Because the two of you, you’re in this together come hell or highwater.

“David…” You whisper because you know exactly what he’s done while you’ve been trapped with Stahl.

All the favours he’s collected over the years, all that good will. He’s used it all up on you, on managing this crisis. You know what this is going to do to him, his dreams of being Chief, they’re over. His affiliation with you has seen to that.

“You’ll be his downfall.” Jacob Hale had warned you when he’d heard about you and David. “You’ll ruin everything he’s worked for.”

This is it right here, the moment he was talking about. Fuck it eats you up inside, knowing you’re dragging David down with you.

“You think this is a sacrifice for me but it isn’t.” He says as he raises to his feet, wincing at the stiffness in his bones as he comes to stand before the bars, his hands gripping them. “Unser was never going to step down and I don’t see the point of having all this power if I can’t use it to do the right thing.”

You mirror his movements, your fingers coming to rest in the indentations between his knuckles as you press your head against the cool bars.

“You didn’t ask for any of this,” He reminds you quietly, his blue eyes meeting yours. “We just fucked the wrong people and now we’re getting fucked but at least we’re in it together. They don’t get to have this, they don’t get to take you away from me.”

“No.” You whisper, a sad smile crossing your features because even though you’ve both lost so much, you’ll always have each other. “They won’t ever have this.”

Love David? Don’t miss any of his stories by joining the taglist here.

Like My Work? - Why Not Buy Me A Coffee

#david hale #david hale x reader #david hale x you #sons of anarchy #deputy chief hale #soa #deputy hale

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agaypanic · 1 month

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Hi, I was wanting to request a Benny (MBAV) story: The reader is a werewolf and after being saved by the group, she is meant to hate vampires but imprints on Benny. She ends up living with him and his grandma.

The Werewolf, The Spellcaster, and His Bloodsucking Friends (Benny Weir X Werewolf!Reader)

Masterlist

Request Something!

Summary: You were always taught to hate vampires. They were evil, bloodsucking monsters. So what do you do when some of them save you from a bear trap, and then you imprint on one of their friends?

A/N: reader’s an orphan lol i know reader being a teenager and living on her own and stuff is a lil bit of a plot hole but whatevs. Ends on a lil cliffhanger bc i didn’t know how to end it teehee

***

You hoped that moving to Whitechapel would give you the fresh start you wanted. Back in your old town, you accidentally started to raise suspicion of some weird creature lurking in the woods. It wasn’t your fault that once a month, you had to run around howling at the moon and eat an occasional animal.

But that’s why you came to Whitechapel. You had heard that the town was filled with supernatural incidents and people. Being a werewolf, this sounded perfect for you. What was less perfect, however, was that there were more vampires than werewolves in Whitechapel.

Pretty quickly, on your first day of school, you had sniffed out a group of them—two girls and a boy. You decided it was best to keep your distance, especially if you didn’t want to leave town anytime soon.

But one night, on a full moon, that distance was closed tremendously.

You had been roaming the woods on the edge of town, looking for a snack and waiting for the sun to rise. Following the scent of a deer, you stepped into a covered bear trap.

At Ethan Morgan’s house, he and his friends could hear a loud and clear yowl of pain. Wondering what had happened, Rory quickly volunteered to look for the sound’s source. Because of his superspeed, it wasn’t long before he returned, looking both concerned and slightly nauseated.

“Well?” Ethan asked expectantly. “What was it?”

“Werewolf,” Rory answered, earning a grimace from Sarah and Erica. “Its leg is caught in some kind of trap.”

“And you didn’t help?” Benny asked urgently, already reaching for his things to leave. “Come on, let’s go!”

“No way. It’s probably dangerous.” Erica said, crossing her arms.

“So are you.” Benny rebutted.

“Damn right, I am,” Erica responded, flashing the spellcaster some fangs and yellow eyes.

After a bit more back-and-forth and some reluctance from the three vampires, everyone finally agreed to go into the forest to help you. With the help of superspeed, they appeared in a flash, wincing as they got a good look at you.

“The leg looks pretty bad,” Benny said, looking at your hind leg, which was caught in the bear trap. “And I don’t know how we can help it when it’s freaking out like that.”

It was true; you were clearly distraught. It was bad enough that one of your legs was cut up, making you writhe around in pain and keeping you stuck to the ground. But then the scent of those three vampires invaded your senses, and you became even more overwhelmed. You kept going between growling at the undead teenagers and whimpering in pain.

“Benny, can’t you find a spell to calm it down? Or knock it out?” Ethan asked frantically, trying to figure out a plan to help you.

You watched one of the non-vampire boys reach into his bag and pull out a thick book. He flipped through it before muttering something with his hand pointed towards you. Sparks left his fingertips, and you started to feel dizzy.

As you faded out of consciousness, the last thing you saw was the group of teenagers cautiously inching towards you.

***

You woke up the next morning dazed and confused. Sunlight crept in through the window, slightly blinding you. Squinting, you looked around the room only to realize that this wasn’t your room. You started to panic.

“Easy, dear.” A voice made you jump, whipping your head around to look at the door. The source of the unfamiliar voice was an old woman holding a cup of tea. “You tore your leg up pretty good. This’ll help.”

You glanced down at your leg, which was filled with a dull ache. It was bandaged up, and you wondered how bad it looked underneath the wrappings and gauze.

Hesitantly, you took the cup of tea that was handed to you. You figured that in your current state, you might as well trust this stranger. After all, she was probably the one who bandaged your wounded leg.

“My name is Evelyn Weir.” She said, sitting on the edge of the bed you were lying on. “My grandson and his friends found you last night. They brought you here after getting you out of that bear trap.”

“Why?” You asked, voice a bit hoarse. But the tea certainly helped.

“Why what?”

“Why did they help me?” You were beyond confused. “I’m guessing you know that three of them are vampires. And you probably already know what I am. We have a history of not getting along.”

“That may be true,” Evelyn said with a smile. “But just because you were taught to hate each other doesn’t mean you have to. Not all vampires are bad.” She patted your shoulder. “Not all werewolves are bad either.”

After you finished your tea, Evelyn took your cup and stood from the bed. She must have enchanted your drink with something because you were already feeling better than you did five minutes ago. She helped you stand up before leading you out of the room, which you learned was her grandson’s bedroom, and down the stairs.

In the living room, the five teens were sitting around, seemingly waiting for you. They all turned to look at you at the sound of your and Evelyn’s footsteps, making you feel nervous and self-conscious.

“Hey, you’re awake!” One of the brunette boys shot up from his seat, looking at you with relief. “Sorry about the Star Wars sheets, I would’ve changed them if I knew a pretty girl would sleeping in my bed.” The boy beside him hit his leg, while the rest of his friends either snickered or rolled their eyes. “Oh, you probably don’t know who we are.”

The boy introduced the rest of his friends to you, but your thoughts drowned out his voice. It felt like there was some sort of gravitational pull, urging you to go to him. As if this perfect stranger was now the center of your life.

No. It can’t be.

“What’s your name, dear?” Evelyn asked, touching your shoulder as if she could see that you were preoccupied.

“Y/n.” You replied, eyes still fixated on the boy who had been talking.

Who you think you just imprinted on.

And was best friends with a bunch of vampires.

“Nice to meet you, Y/n.” He said before anyone else had the chance to. “I’m Benny.”

***

Benny Weir Taglist: @batmandallyboy

#agaypanic #benny weir #benny weir x reader #my babysitter's a vampire #my babysitter's a vampire x reader

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absurdthirst · 2 years

Text

Meant To Be {Frankie Morales x F!Reader}

Rating: Explicit

Word Count: 25.5k

Warnings: Unrequited love, significant age difference (everyone is of age), angst, pregnancy, heartbreak, drinking, vaginal sex, labor, childbirth, divorce, oral sex (female receiving), fingering, cream pie, hand jobs, breast feeding.

Comments: As the adoptive little sister of Will and Ben Miller, you fell for Francisco Morales the moment you met him when you were seventeen. Through the years is seems as if he would never see you a woman, and you have to witness him seemingly falling in love with another woman and creating a family with her.

Co-written with @storiesofthefandomlovers

Click Keep Reading only if you have read the Rating and Warnings and understand the warnings may not be complete to avoid listing spoilers. As AO3 says 'creator chooses not to use warnings'. You also agree that you're the right age to be consuming anything here.

The first time you met Frankie was when you were seventeen. Twelve years younger than him and your brother, Will. Well, adopted. You’re the adopted one. Raised by Wayne and Patricia Miller after your parents tragically died in a car accident. The Millers were your next door neighbors and your godparents so you’ve always known them and their sons. After your parents died when you were three, they took you in as their own so they are your family in all ways but blood.

When Will decided to join the army, Patricia was concerned, but knew her eldest was an old soul, so she let him go. When he came back from basic training, Benny knew what he wanted to do, he wanted to be like his big brother, and signed up as soon as he was old enough. You remember missing them during your teenage years, especially Benny since he was closer in age to you. When they came home from base one day with Frankie, it was love at first sight. You were immediately enthralled with his dark brown eyes and shy demeanor. He stole your heart that day and he never gave it back.

****

“Captain Morales, I’m sorry, you are going to have to go home.” Frankie groans, throwing his head back to hit against the pillow of the cot he was laying on. He had been praying that it was going to be a clean injury for once in his life. The fact that he took a round in the shoulder and still managed to get the helicopter back to base before he passed out was a minor miracle, but he had done it. He tunes out the details, looking up at the roof of the field surgery building and sighs. At least he’ll be able to see you…and Monica.

****

It's been months since you last saw any of the boys. You've settled into your new job and your new apartment after returning from the city. You just broke up with Jared - yet another failed relationship. He said he couldn't be with you when you clearly won't give your heart to him. It's been an issue, trying to give a relationship a chance when you are still in love with Frankie.

You've tried to tell Frankie how you feel, several times, but you've always been too late. He's been in a relationship and when he's single, you have a boyfriend. It's like fate doesn't want you to be together. You sigh, deciding to get a drink after work, so you shut off your computer and leave the office, making your way to your favorite bar in town - the one you frequented with the boys and your friends. "Hey. Usual?" Shelly asks from behind the bar, quickly getting you an old fashioned.

You hum, taking a sip after thanking Shelly. That's when you hear him, ordering his usual beer. You turn your head, eyes wide, "Frankie?"

Frankie turns, surprised to find you here, even though he had been hoping for it. You weren’t the seventeen year old who pouted when your parents wouldn’t allow you to have a beer at the cook out when he was over. “Hey.” His shoulder is in a sling, bandaged from the surgery still, but he was tired of sitting in his BOQ, bored out of his mind. He didn’t want to go to the officer’s club on base, preferring the small bar where he and his team always came to. “Small world, huh?” He grins, moving over to give you an awkward, one-armed hug.

"What happened?" You ask, frowning when he pulls back so you can see the sling.

"Got shot. Again." He rolls his eyes before reaching for his beer. You shake your head, heart pounding when you silently acknowledge that he could die at any moment and you would have never got to tell him how you feel.

"What about my brothers? And Pope?" You ask, worried something has happened and you haven't heard yet.

"All good. Just having fun without me." He teases, "no concern for Tom?" You roll your eyes, never hiding your dislike for Tom, especially after he called you a military groupie. Frankie chuckles and settles on the bar stool next to you.

"So...how long are you back for? How long is your leave?" You ask, lifting your drink to take a sip of it. You're no longer that shy seventeen year old girl, you're a woman now and it's time he knew that.

Blowing out a breath, he rolls his eyes. “At least a month.” He tells you, unhappy with the prognosis that the doctor had given him for recovery. “The bullet tore through some muscles so they had to fix that. They don’t want me overdoing PT to get back over there.” He huffs, having every intention of doing just that. He didn’t like not being there for the guys. The bartender sets down both of your drinks and he smirks before he slides your old fashioned over to you. “A lot different from when you were pouting for a beer, huh?“ he asks, picking up his beer bottle and taking a sip.

You frown for a moment, wishing he would see you as more than Benny and Will's younger sister. After a flash, you chuckle awkwardly, nodding as you pick up your drink. "Yeah. Yeah. I'm all grown up now." You say a little harsher than you should. You know you need to move on from him, he clearly doesn't like you as anything more than a friend. You will remind yourself to call Jared later, see if he will give you a second chance.

He watches you take a long sip, feeling guilty for staring but you are beautiful. He’s thought so since the day he met you, although you were too young. Way too young. Although you aren’t now. Feeling guilty again because he is dating Monica, has been for awhile, and she’s been hinting that she wants to get married. He clears his throat, reminding himself that even if he wasn’t with Monica that you wouldn’t be interested in him. You’d want someone your own age. “So what’s been going on? Work? New boyfriend?” He asks as casually as he can possibly muster.

You sigh, looking down at your drink for a moment. "Yeah. It's going well. I have a new job in town. I was living in the city but Mom is struggling since Dad...you know. So I moved back to be closer since the boys are away." You had been devastated to lose your adoptive father, reminded of the loss of your parents even though you never really knew them. "And I just broke up with my boyfriend. It was...complicated." You confess, picking up the cocktail stick to suck the cherry off, chewing it to stop yourself from saying something stupid.

“Not complicated at all, he’s an idiot.” Frankie makes a face, trying to remember if it’s the last douchebag you had brought around before they had deployed. “Anyone who breaks up with you is an idiot. Or if he did something to make you break up with you, he’s an idiot. Unless….” He scowls slightly. “I need to beat his ass on behalf of your brothers?”

You snort, shaking your head. "Even if I did need it, you aren't in fighting shape."

Frankie huffs, "I can still kill a man with one arm." He is half joking and you know it. You know what they are all capable of. It's wrong but a deep part of you finds it unbelievably hot to know Frankie could kill a man with one arm.

"We just...he wanted more from me than I could give." You tell Frankie with honesty.

His frown immediately returns. “That just makes me want to beat his ass more.” He admits, but you shake your head again.

“Not like that, emotionally.” You explain and Frankie feels his heart flip for joy. You hadn’t wanted to be serious with that Jared prick. He relaxes and picks up his beer bottle again before he realizes that he probably needs to eat. His meds are going to kick in soon and while he shouldn’t mix pain meds with beer, it was even worse on an empty stomach.

“You wanna get something to eat?” He asks, knowing Monica is still out of town on some trip so she won’t be calling. Or shouldn’t be.

You couldn't say no even if you wanted to. "Sure. I'm starving. Want to go to the Chinese place down the street?" You ask, knowing you've enjoyed take out from there. He nods and you reach for your purse to pay for your drink but he's already throwing some bills down on the counter. "Frankie." You admonish him, and he tuts, "my round." You fluster, forgetting that last time he was in town, you bought the drinks. "Fine." You huff, shifting off of the bar stool.

Frankie grins and when you both are in the parking lot, he looks around, spotting your car. “Why don’t you leave it here and ride with me?” He asks, knowing that it makes no sense to drive separately when you will most likely end up back here after too many egg rolls.

You nod, making your way over to his truck and he opens the door for you. "I should be doing that for you, you're the one with the injury." You shake your head at him. He shuts the door and rounds the truck to get into the driver's seat.

"I'm fine. I'd be back out there if I could." He confesses, starting the engine. You buckle your seatbelt and lean back to watch him. His profile is completed by the Standard Oil cap that's worn and tatty. You don't know how you've gone so long without seeing him.

"You ever wonder what life would be like if you didn't go back?" You ask, curiosity getting the best of you.

Frowning slightly, he shakes his head. Unable to think about leaving his team over there. “Not now.” He admits. “My brothers, your brothers, are over there and I hate that I’m not able to protect them now.” He looks over at you. “But eventually? When shit dies down? Get married, have a couple of kids. Hopefully not have gotten my dick blown off.” He jokes.

You giggle softly, “I get it. I just - it keeps me awake at night. Wondering if you’re all okay.” You admit, looking out of the window as he drives to the restaurant.

“Even Tom?” He teases. You roll your eyes as you turn your head to look at him. You bite your lip, knowing it’s not the right time to tell him how you feel. It never is.

“Guess time will tell, huh?” You say as nonchalantly as possible.

“Time will tell.” Frankie answers back, wishing for a moment that you were worried about him because you liked him rather than being your brother’s friend. “What about you? Want to get married? Have kids?” He asks, ignoring the heartburn of imagining you having you get married and start a family.

“Eventually. Just gotta find the right guy.” You sigh, knowing you’ve found him but he doesn’t feel the same way. Frankie just hums, making your heart sink even more. “One day though. We will see what happens in the future.” You add, not wanting to shut yourself off from the prospect of loving anyone the way you love Frankie.

Pulling into the parking lot, Frankie shuts off the engine and looks over at you. “Your brothers want you to be happy, as long as they approve.” He jokes. “You know they will hate anyone you are with, right? They hated that twerp Jared.”

You sigh, nodding and you know it’s true. They hate Jared and haven’t made a secret of it. “I’m sure he could be just like them and they’d hate him.” You snort, grabbing the handle to get out of his truck. You head into the Chinese restaurant, getting your usual table, and you both order a beer. “So…anyone special in your life?” You ask, half dread-filled, half curious.

He feels guilty, so fucking guilty, even though he knows he shouldn’t. Instead of telling you the truth, telling you that he’s been seeing Monica for about four months before his latest deployment, he shrugs. “Who has time?” He asks, deflecting. “Always gone.” Doesn’t matter that he slept with her immediately when he got home before his surgery. He doesn’t want to tell you that. ‘Yeah I’ve got this chick that I’m seeing, mostly just fucking, but she wants to get hitched.’ He doesn’t think thats exactly what you want to hear.

Your heart flutters at the news that he doesn't have anyone. That annoying surge of hope. You smother your smile in your chicken and rice soup, "that's-I know it's not easy to maintain any kind of relationship. Will knows that more than any of us" Your brother had a fiancé but she couldn't handle the lack of communication and dumped your brother in a “Dear John" letter that broke his heart.

“Yeah.” Frankie nods and grabs a dumpling off his plate. “It takes a special kind of woman to put up with us when we are gone for so long.” He takes a bite and frowns slightly, not sure if Monica could do that. “But the guys who do have wives look forward to getting home.”

You can't help but wonder how it would be like to be the woman waiting for Frankie to come home. "One day. You’ll find the right woman. You deserve to find the best woman for you." You want to tell him that woman is you. You know everything about him - the good and the bad. Before you can say anything else, the food arrives.

“And you’ll find an asshole that Will and Ben are willing to put up with.” Frankie snickers, grinning at you. “Or they’ll hide him where no one will ever find him.”

You eat, laughing about Will and Benny’s antics on base. Frankie pays despite your protests, and you end up going back to the bar for another drink. Sticking to beer, you buy the round, telling Frankie to go sit down as you grab the drinks. Carrying them over to the table,

You sit down beside him, handing him the bottle. “To old friends.” He smiles, clinking his bottle against yours. “Old friends.” You murmur, taking a long sip.

Frankie sighs, relaxing and smiling at you. You look gorgeous and for a moment he wonders what it would be like to be on a date with you. Would you smile softly at him, and let him kiss you? He’s busy pondering that question and misses the fact that Monica is walking in the door and looking around for him.

You look up when you see the woman approach your table. “This is where you are. I’ve been looking all over for you. Who’s this?” Her eyes narrow as she looks at you, making you frown in confusion.

“Oh. This is Will and Benny’s little sister. We were just catching up.” He tells her your name but your heart sinks at hearing him refer to you as his friends’ sister, not even as his friend.

Frankie doesn’t like the look on Monica’s face, instantly jealous and suspicious but it softens when he explains who you are. It’ll keep him from having problems later on.

“Oh how sweet, making sure she knows they’re safe.” She coos, sliding in beside him and taking his beer to steal a sip. “I know I just worry about Cat all the time.”

You are still so confused, watching this woman wrap her arm around him, leaning in to kiss his cheek. Deep down, you think you know what she is to him, but you need to hear it out loud. “I’m sorry. Frankie’s never mentioned you.” You offer her what you hope is a sweet smile despite the fact that you are jealous of her. You hate to admit it to yourself but it’s true.

“Oh. I’m Frankie’s girlfriend, Monica.” She giggles, kissing his cheek and you swear you die in that dingy bar.

“Oh.” You murmur, unsure of how to react while you progress it, your eyes flicking over to Frankie who seems to be avoiding your gaze. “That’s - it’s nice to meet you.” You lie, blinking rapidly to stop the possibility of tears.

“Thought you didn’t like that term?” He asks, looking over at Monica with a little bit of frustration. “When did you get back into town? You were supposed to be gone until Monday.” He’s not exactly upset, knowing that he’ll get laid, but he doesn’t like the look on your face. Something’s upsetting you and he hopes it’s not him.

You pick up your beer, swallowing down the remainder while Monica leans in to nudge her nose against Frankie's. "I missed you baby. I managed to get out of my meetings early. Wanted to spend as much time as possible with you." She coos, reaching down to squeeze his upper thigh.

"I, um, I better go. I have work in the morning." You announce, setting the beer bottle down. "I'll see you around Frankie. It was nice to meet you Monica." You offer them a tight smile before you grab your purse and stand up, rushing out of the bar with tears streaming down your cheeks.

Frankie watches you go, sighing quietly and he turns to look at Monica. It’s not fair for him to be dating her when he’s not sure if he actually wants her, but she is pretty, she likes him and she’s not the Miller’s little sister. “Why don’t we go back to your place, babe?” He asks, leaning in and kissing her firmly, trying to banish the idea of kissing you out of his mind. “We can see how long I can lean on this shoulder while I make you scream.” He murmurs with a smirk.

Monica giggles, nipping his jaw before she shuffles away from him and stands up. "Come on baby. I promise to ride you too. Give you a break. I need as many orgasms from you as possible before you have to leave." She reaches down to squeeze his ass after he stands up. Frankie sees your car as you pull out of the parking lot, wondering why it took you so long to leave until Monica grabs his attention again, telling him she will meet him at her place.

****

Frankie sighs, looking down at his phone and thinks about calling you. He’s just gotten back to his room from Monica’s and is hoping that you are okay. Opening his phone, he clicks on your contact information and listens to the phone ring. He had wondered if you were upset that he hadn’t told you about Monica, but he couldn’t define what they were right then.

You sniff, wiping your eyes as you finally calm down. Maybe you’re being childish. Frankie isn’t obligated to return your feelings. Just because you want him doesn’t mean he wants you. You need to grow up and realize that. You hear your phone ring and pick it up, seeing Frankie’s contact. “Hey Frank.” You answer softly, hoping he can’t hear you’ve been crying.

“Hey.” Frankie relaxes slightly at the sound of your voice. Moving over to the chair in the small sitting area is his quarters and sitting down. “You left early yesterday. I just- I hoped to spend some more time with you.” He confesses, looking over the picture he has up on the mirror from the last get together they had before this deployment. You were smiling and hanging between him and Benny while Pope stuck rabbit ears over your head and Will just grinned. “You’re not busy at work, are you?” He asks, realizing that he called when you should be at work.

“No. No. I have the day off today.” You lie, you called in sick. You’re confused about why he wants to spend more time with you when he is with Monica. Why would he want to hang around with his friends’ little sister? “What…what do you want to do?” You ask softly.

He scrunches his brow, having specifically heard you say that you had to be at work early today but he shakes his head and grapples for something. “How about we go to a movie? Or we can go to the zoo?” He likes the idea of the zoo, better able to joke with you if he doesn’t have to be quiet.

You frown, realizing those sound like things you’d take a kid to. Still, it’s a chance to spend an afternoon with Frankie. “The zoo sounds good but- are you sure you want to go out with me? I’m sure your girlfriend will want to see you.” You manage to keep the slight tone of sarcasm from your voice.

“Of course I want to spend time with you.” He tells you, shifting to put his phone on speaker so he can start unbuttoning his shirt. He needs to shower, not thinking you will appreciate him showing up in day old clothes even if he showered with Monica last night. “She’s fine, she- it’s not, it’s complicated. Casual.” He mutters lamely.

That stupid feeling of hope flickers in your chest and you hope it really is just casual. You want him to think of you as a woman, not that seventeen year old he met years ago. “Complicated.” You repeat. He hums, suddenly feeling awkward. You dissipate that by agreeing to go to the zoo.

“I’ll pick you up.” He tells you, “does noon work? We can get dinner after.” He adds, wanting to spend as much time with you as possible.

Frankie grins when you agree. “Okay. You shower and get ready and I’ll be there at noon.” He tells you, hanging up the phone before he calls Monica to tell her that he’s going to be busy tonight. Which works out surprisingly well since she just made plans to go visit a girlfriend who was depressed. Grinning, he sits down and types up and email to send to Benny, telling him about the running into you and how he was going to keep an eye on his little sister for him while he was home.

****

You walk along the pathway, giggling at the giraffes as they nudge each other to get at the tree branches. “So Benny emailed me, telling me you emailed him about me.” You look at Frankie after you stop walking. “Said he’s pleased I dumped Jared. I didn’t know you were a gossiper, Francisco.” You tease, a smirk on your face.

“Hey.” He gives you an offended look and reaches out to tug on your earlobe. You are wearing the earrings that your brother had given you last Christmas, from a merchant in the country they had been deployed. Frankie had been with him when he picked them out. “Men gossip, we gossip.” He tells you. “We just call it ‘passing information’.”

You snort, batting his hand away playfully. “Oh sure. I know you all gossip like old women. Sitting around the campfire exchanging the juicy details. Probably exchanging sex stories and talking about the latest camo fashion accessories.” You tease before shrieking when he grabs your waist, pulling you into his chest.

He chuckles, aware that a few people have turned their heads to see what the commotion is. For a second he thinks about kissing you, making it a joke about telling your brother, but he doesn’t want to do that. Not when he’s seeing Monica - that wouldn’t be fair. And also because he would want to kiss you for real. Instead he just lifts a brow and smirks at you. “Sex stories are okay. Especially when you know you’re good.”

You scoff, pushing away from him. You know he is just being friendly and you can’t let yourself give in to the fantasy that this is a date. “Which I doubt any of you are, so that topic of gossip must be short lived.” You tease, despite knowing he’s good. You’ve heard the stories from your brothers when they complained about him keeping them up at night when Frankie had a girl in his room.

“You must be talking about your brothers.” He huffs, even if he’s grinning. “Mostly they sit at my feet and try to learn from my stories.”

You chuckle, shaking your head. “I don’t want to know about them.” You wrinkle your nose, “as for you…I guess I’ll have to take your word for it.”

He grins, “I’ll have to prove it to you one day.” It slips out before he can stop it and you freeze, knowing he’s just joking around but your stomach twists at the idea of experiencing his prowess first hand.

You clear your throat and glance back towards the giraffes. “So when do you think you’ll be going back?” You ask, changing the subject.

He’s not wearing the sling today. Working on his range of motion, the bandage has been changed from a huge one to just one that protects the surgical incisions that will be healed soon. “Just as soon as they let me.” He confides. “I don’t like your brothers over there without me flying them.” Call it cockiness, call it ego, whatever, but Frankie knows his skills and he needs to be there with them. “Probably another month.” He tosses you a grin and decides to tease you. “Why? Ready to get rid of my ass already? Here I was planning to spend the month keeping you from complaining to Benny that you’re bored all the time.”

You shake your head, “I don’t want you to go back. I worry about you too much. About - about you all.” You add hastily, not wanting to make him think you are interested in him and only him. “Guess I’ll have to put up with you for the month. Though I’m sure Monica will be pleased to have you.” You mention his…whatever she is. Wondering what he will say.

“Yeah, I guess.” He honestly hadn’t given much thought to that aspect of it, beyond seeing her. He likes her, but he also doesn’t look forward to seeing her like he looks forward to seeing you. Instead of thinking about it, he shoots you a grin. “So give me a list of all the things you want to do. Skydiving, rock climbing, going for a helicopter ride.”

You shake your head at all of those suggestions as you continue walking through the zoo. “Skydiving? Hell no. Rock climbing? Sure I’ll give it a try. As for the helicopter…you know how I feel about flying.” You wrinkle your nose, always scared of flying. “What about going to that new bar in town? I hear they have good music. Dancing. Maybe…maybe I can meet someone.” You ponder softly, knowing you need to move on from him. You have to.

His brow shoots up and he tries to suppress the flash of irrational anger at you wanting to meet someone. It wasn’t fair to you to hold the fact that he had a stupid crush on you over your head. “You want me to be your wingman?” He asks, giving you an evil grin. “Like help you or break their hands?”

His reaction tells you all you need to know. He’s with Monica and he doesn’t want you. You shake your head, “you know I’m capable of breaking their hands myself. Will and Benny made sure I knew how to defend myself.” You chuckle, reminded of those afternoons in the garden while they taught you some moves. “But you can help.” You add lamely before you spot the elephants. “Oh. My favorite animal. Come on.” You grab his hand - not the bandaged one - and drag him over to the elephants, a smile on your face as you watch them.

He smiles, loving your enthusiasm for the gentle giants, causally keeping his hand in yours. Friends hold hands, that’s perfectly acceptable. Although it’s not friendship that has his heart pounding in his chest.

****

Frankie’s eyes widen when you open the door and he sees you dressed up. “Holy- your brother is going to kill me for letting you go out like that.” He whistles through his teeth and shuffles slightly to cover up the fact that his dick likes what you are wearing.

You roll your eyes at Frankie, "what they don't know won't hurt them. You gonna tell them and risk your balls?" You grab your purse, not noticing the way he's stiffened slightly, and he shakes his head when you look back at him. Both in response to your question and to clear his head. "Come on then, Fish. Let's go check this place out. See if it's as good as our usual." You step towards your front door, setting the alarm Will and Benny had insisted upon before you lock up after Frankie steps out.

Frankie walks you over to his truck and insists on holding the door for you. The step up is a big one, so he stands in front of you and helps you get in without flashing anyone you don’t want to. “I guess you really are looking for someone to take home.” He grumbles when he sees how high the hem rides up when you sit down.

You don't hear him, shifting to adjust your dress, and you wonder if he even feels slightly attracted to you or will he always see you as that awkward seventeen year old. He gets in, turning on the engine - his arm is now nearly healed - and you look out the window as he pulls out of your parking lot. "You'll be going back soon, huh?" You ask. Unable to deny that you're gonna miss him. You've spent a lot of time with him, having lunches, dinners, drinks. You'd almost say you were dating except the constant calls from Monica along with him always leaving in a rush soon after the call that no doubt assures him he is getting laid.

“Next week, hopefully.” Frankie nods, backing out of the spot before throwing the truck in drive. “The doctor says it’s almost a hundred percent and I’ve hit all my goals in PT.” He taps his fingers on the steering wheel to the music playing softly over the radio and wonders if you will miss him. “Probably be happy to have a break from me.” He teases, smirking as he glances over at you. “No more annoying you to spend time with me.”

You smile, shaking your head. "I think I am going to miss you a little too much." You realize what you said and try to amend it, "who else am I going to get ice cream with on a Thursday afternoon?" You wink at him, "but I will feel better with you over there, having Benny and Will's back. Along with Pope."

Frankie turns to look at you, "what about Tom?" He teases.

You snort, "please baby, you know how I feel about him." The nickname slips through your lips before you can think about it.

Frankie coughs, shifting in his seat and quickly looks back onto the road. He can’t do this anymore. He needs to stop wishing that he was with you. Your brothers will kill him and he’s too old for you. “So this bar.” He starts. “What kind of guy are you looking to pick up?”

You bite your lip, "someone - someone cute. Dark eyes, curly dark hair, broad shoulders, maybe a military man. God knows there are enough of them around here. I just want someone who can handle me and accept me as I am." Jared had tried to change you. He wanted you to lose weight, wanted you to wear more makeup and get waxed how he preferred. He didn't accept you as you are.

It’s on the tip of his tongue to say him. That he fit that criteria and would gladly turn the truck around and take you home. Instead he focuses on the last part of your comments. “Change you?” He growls, shaking his head and frowning. “Is that what that bastard tried to do? I’m going to kill him.”

You reach out to touch Frankie's arm, "hence why it didn't work out. Please, don't tell Benny and Will. I can't hear another 'told you so' about one of my boyfriends. Jared. He - he wanted me to lose weight, wear more makeup. Said he wanted a girlfriend that turned heads when he walked into a room with her." You leave out the part where he said "a girlfriend who isn't in love with another man."

Frankie snorts, shaking his head. “I knew he was a fucking idiot, but I didn’t think he was blind.” He huffs. “I won’t tell them.” He promises you as he turns into the bar’s busy parking lot. “But the second some limp-dicked pussy tries that shit on you again, you kick him in the balls. There’s nothing wrong with you.” He doesn’t add that you would make a dead man hard like he wants to, feeling like you wouldn’t appreciate it. Plus he’s with Monica.

You fluster, knowing he’s being a good friend, but you wonder if he’s ever thought of you like that. You don’t have time to dwell on that as you take Frankie’s hand after he parks, kills the engine, and rounds the truck to help you out. “What do you want to drink? Beer and a shot? First round is on me.” You tell him as you walk inside the bustling bar.

“You gotta stop paying for me.” He grumbles, letting his hand rest on your lower back as he follows you in. “I’m supposed to be buying you drinks.” He huffs, looking around and scouting the exits in case something goes down. It’s something he does in every new building he walks into.

You feel eyes on you, no doubt the skimpy dress has helped you gain attention, but you feel like Frankie's hand on your back is a deterrent. Even if you love how possessive it feels. Ordering the drinks, you lean against the bar and look across the crowd. "So, anyone you think would work for me?" You ask, half wondering if he is as totally fine with this as he makes out.

“No.” The word is out of his mouth before he even thinks about it, hovering behind you and halfway wishing he could push against your ass. He huffs to himself and tries to deflect. “None of these assholes are good enough for you.”

You roll your eyes, sipping on your beer. “Now you sound just like my brothers. What about him?” You ask, pointing subtly at the guy across the bar who looks the complete opposite of Frankie. Blonde, blue eyes, and a lot taller.

Frankie scowls, curling his lip up at how beefy the guy looks. “Fuck no.” He huffed. “Dude’s in love with the gym. He won’t want to cuddle and eat pizza. Plus, he looks like your brothers.” He adds for extra effect.

You wrinkle your nose at that, imagining being with someone like Benny or Will. Frankie smirks that his comment clearly worked. You turn your head, “what about him?” You point to the guy across the room wearing a leather jacket, his dark hair making him look mysterious. Like Frankie if he was a biker.

“Who the fuck wears a leather jacket in a bar when it’s a hundred degrees?” He scoffs, eyeing the guy and sizing him up. He could see that it was all for effect, the guy didn’t hold himself like a man who actually was dangerous. He’s puffed up and full of himself. “He looks like he’s a fucking problem.” He tells you. “If he grabs your ass, I’m breaking his hand.”

You hate the way your cunt clenches at the thought, imagining him defending you like that. You take another sip of your beer before your latest favorite song comes on, people dancing in the makeshift dance floor in the middle. “Well if there’s no one here that’s suitable, you’re just gonna have to dance with me so we have fun.” You tell him, grabbing his hand with your free one, dragging him to the dance floor.

He doesn’t hate dancing with you. Far from it. He fucking loves it. Getting to pull you close and hold you against him while both of you move to the music? It’s fantastic. Frankie laughs, pushing you away so he can twirl you in his arms and drag you back against him. No pain in his shoulder. Smirking when you giggle and he thinks it’s gorgeous, just like you. “Having fun yet?”

You nod, a wide smile on your face. “Yes. I am now. This place is cool, huh?” You ask him, spinning around again before he replies and says yes. You wrap your arms around his neck, rocking your hips to the beat, and you swallow harshly when your eyes meet his, the song ending and transitioning into something slower.

He feels it. A spark between you and it fucking terrifies him. Hating the idea that he’s misreading and you don’t actually look like you want to kiss him. He turns his head slightly, looking back at the bar. “Do you want another drink?” He asks, relaxing his grip on your hips before he does something dumb like try to kiss you.

You nod, swallowing harshly as you follow him to the bar. It’s awkward as you realize how close you came to kissing him. You lean against the bar as he orders another round and he pulls back when his phone rings, and you sigh, knowing who it is.

Frankie pulls out his phone and sees that it’s not Monica. It’s an international number. Benny. “Hey man.” He answers, talking over the crowd. “When did you learn how to use a phone?” He jokes, knowing how much Benny hates dialing international calling codes.

“Fuck you. I know how to call a fucking cell phone, Fish.” Benny scoffs, “where are you? It’s so fucking loud.” He never holds back on cursing unless he’s round his mama or you.

“A bar. With your sister.” He adds hesitantly.

Benny clenches his jaw, “with my sister?” He asks roughly, “what the fuck is she doing at a bar.”

“She’s over twenty-one.” Frankie reminds Benny, knowing that the overprotective older brother sometimes forgot that. “We are here for some drinks, she wanted to dance.”

Benny huffs and Frankie wonders what the other man is thinking, although he tells him soon enough. “You keep those motherfuckers off my sister, man. She’s not some skank they can bang and drop. I’d hate to have to fucking kill one of them.”

Frankie chuckles, “don’t worry man. No one will be touching her tonight. None of the assholes in here are good enough.” He says that with surety.

“Or you. I don’t want to hear about you fucking her either otherwise I’ll kick your ass across the damn desert. Then Will will finish the job.” Benny warns his friend, knowing he’s home and shit happens with booze is involved.

Frankie grunts, knowing that whatever he wanted to happen with you just died a painful death. Your brothers wouldn’t approve. He looks over at you and nods even though his friend can’t see him. “Roger.” He tells him before he hangs up.

You watch Frankie on the phone, frowning at the dark look on his face, when you’re interrupted by the blonde man you spotted earlier. “Hey beautiful. What’s got you frowning?” He asks, leaning in closer.

You sigh, looking up at him. “Just - why can’t men see something when it’s right in front of their face?” You ask with exasperation. You thought you and Frankie were all but dating. Going out together, dinners, ice cream, zoo days out and trips to the movies. It’s dating without the intimacy.

“Well whoever he is, he must be blind because I’m looking at the most beautiful woman in here tonight. Hell, in town.” He flirts, winking at you.

Frankie turns and watches the man flirt with you as he finishes up the conversation. Hating that you are giggling at whatever he says when he’s pulling the phone down to hang up. You are turned towards him so Frankie waves the bartender down to ask for the tab after ordering you another drink. He needs to get away from you. Your brother’s call made him realize he would never be able to be with you, so he needs to make a choice.

You chuckle at Brad’s charming jokes, rolling your eyes playfully and when you turn around to look for Frankie, he’s gone. “Everything okay, sugar?” Brad asks. You continue looking until you give up after asking the bartender who said Frankie paid the tab. You deflate, knowing that it was Monica on the phone and he’s ditched you for her.

Looking up at Brad, you nod shakily. “Yeah. Yeah. Everything is fine. Now, are you gonna offer to take me on the dance floor?” You ask him, trying to shove away the rejection and focus on having a good time. Frankie clearly doesn’t feel the same and you need to accept that.

In the parking lot, Frankie pulls out his phone again, calling Monica and listening to the phone ring. “Pick up, pick up.” He mutters, needing to see her before he goes back in there and drags you away from that guy.

“Hey baby!” Her voice is bright, happy to hear from him. Guilt that he’s not always happy to hear from her floods him but he shakes his head, knowing he’s doing the right thing for once.

“Hey, can I come over? I want to ask you something.”

****

Brad had just left when Frankie arrives. The tall blonde man had been a good distraction from Frankie for the past few days. Stopping you from picking up the phone to call him, or text him. You let yourself be distracted by Brad. He’s a good man, funny, handsome, sort of good in bed. He’s made you cum once which is more than you can say for most. Perhaps, if you’re truly honest, he made you cum because you were thinking about Frankie. God, you feel like shit for admitting that to yourself. When the man himself appears on your doorstep, you’re frosty. “Hey.” You say coolly, unable to believe he ditched you at the bar.

“Hey.” Frankie shuffles slightly, rubbing his hands on his pants. You’re mad at him, that’s obvious. “I- sorry about the other night.” He apologizes lamely, knowing it’s not an excuse. He can’t tell you that your brother warned him off of you so he needed to leave before he did something stupid. “It looked like you and blondie were having fun so I figured my role of wingman was complete.” He jokes, giving a flat chuckle that is absolutely forced.

You shake your head, stepping aside to let him inside. “You didn’t have to leave. He was just being nice. Introduced himself. I just- I don’t understand. We were having fun and then…radio silence since too. I know it was Monica who called and she doesn’t exactly like me.” You cross your arms, reminded of the times she’s invaded on your hang outs to put her arm around Frankie and mark her territory. “But I thought - with you going back soon…” You trail off, feeling stupid.

“Monica likes you.” Frankie’s protest is weak and he knows it. He sighs and reaches out, unable to resist pulling you close to hug you. “I’ve loved hanging out with you.” He tells you honestly, rubbing your back. “I- there was something that I needed to do, and that’s why I was out of comms for a couple of days.”

You let him pull you close, resisting the urge to snuggle into his arms, and you wrap your arms around his waist, just breathing him in. “What was important enough to keep you away?” You murmur into his chest.

He’s silent for several moments until he finally speaks. “I asked Monica to marry me.” You almost don’t hear him but you do, reeling back and staring at him in shock. Too shocked to cry or scream or do anything other than stare at him.

“What- you- you asked her to marry you?” He nods and you swallow down the lump in your throat, reminding yourself that first and foremost he’s your friend. You feel betrayed, heartbroken, and destroyed, but you nod, offering him a watery smile. “That’s - wow. Congratulations.” You say weakly.

He doesn’t get the reaction he had been almost hoping for. He had hope, just a tiny bit, that you would tell him no. That it was a horrible idea and that you loved him. Far fetched and the things of delusional fantasies. He gives a small sigh and swipes his hat off his head to rub underneath it before jamming it back on. “Thanks.” He takes another breath. “So we were thinking about doing it before I go back. So it’s official and she can get housing and everything. Medical.”

You somehow manage to maintain your composure. Wondering how the hell Frankie went from dancing with you to getting married to another woman within a matter of days. Yet he’s your friend so you have to at least pretend to be happy for him. “Oh. Yeah. Uh, that will be nice.” You offer him a smile, willing yourself to just maintain your composure until he leaves, then you can break down. “Don’t you want to wait until the boys can be here?” You frown, knowing how much they all mean to him.

Shaking his head, he props his hands on his hips. “Going to do a courthouse wedding and then when we come back, we figured we could do a proper wedding.” He tilts his head and turns his eyes to pleading orbs of soft brown fuzz. “Will you be a witness? For me?” He asks softly. “I want you to be there.”

It kills you, the look in his eyes. You want to scream at him not to do it. You want to beg him to call it off, you want to yell that you love him, he should be with you, but you don’t. You nod, “sure. I can do that.” You answer with the response of a good friend. “When’s the wedding?” You ask, knowing you’ll need time to figure out how you’re going to survive it.

“You will?” He straightens up, surprised that you will.

“Of course. You’re my friend.” You smile brightly and Frankie grits his teeth. Friend. Yep. That’s all you were to each other. Friends.

“So, we are thinking that we’ll get married on Wednesday.” He explains. “I have my flight out on Sunday. Gives us plenty of time to get her ID and get her in the system before I leave.”

It sounds like a transaction, not a romantic gesture, but who are you to question it. As long as he’s happy. You nod, “just let me know when and where. I’ll be there for you.” You reach for his hand, allowing yourself one more moment of contact, “I just want you to be happy.”

Except he’s not sure that he’s going to be happy. Frankie squeezes your hand regardless and nods. “Thank you.” He mutters and hates when you pull away. “It’s going to be just us and her best friend.” He tells you, licking his lips and running through everything he has to do now. “I’ll text you the time but I’ve got to meet her at the courthouse now for the license.” He admits, leaning in and hugging you once more quickly.

��Go. I’ll wait for your text.” You tell him, somehow managing to keep yourself together. He steps towards the door, glancing back at you once before he leaves, shutting the door behind him. You wait a few moments before you collapse, sobbing and wrapping your arms around yourself. It’s over. Any chance you foolishly thought you had with Frankie is gone.

****

Frankie isn’t nervous, he’s not much of anything beyond jittery. Not because he’s looking forward to this, but because it’s the end of his bachelorhood. Stepping forward into being married and hopefully closing the door on these stupid feelings he has for you. He likes Monica and he knows he could love her. Once he gets the idea of you and him out of his head. It might not be the right thing to do, but he has to get over you.

Getting ready for Frankie’s wedding is painful. You knew you’d have to face it one day, but you secretly hoped you’d be the bride. You slide into your heels, grabbing your purse, and gulp down the remainder of the booze you’d allowed yourself for getting through this event. Driving to the courthouse, you park and see Frankie pacing in the lobby when you enter. “You doing okay? Nervous?” You tease to try and stop yourself from crying. You’ve cried enough in the past few days.

“I guess.” He gives you a one shoulder shrug and reaches out to pull you against him for a hug. Needing this one last moment where he can pretend that you are the one that he’s marrying. But he’s made his bed and he has to lay in it. “You look good.” He murmurs in your ear. “Thank you for being here.”

You close your eyes, trying to stop the damn tears, and you breathe him in, inhaling his cologne and the scent that is just Frankie. “Of course.” You say awkwardly, clearing your throat as you pull away from him. The words you desperately want to say are on the tip of your tongue. You want to beg him to not marry her, tell him you love him. You open your mouth, heart thumping as you attempt it, just one last chance, but the door opens and they announce they are ready for him. You stare at him for another moment, knowing that as soon as steps into that room, it’s all over.

Frankie stares at you for another moment and decides that he’s going to do it. Leaning in, he kisses your cheek softly and pulls back to give you a quick wink, settling into a confident facade. “Let’s go get me married.” He tells you, more enthusiastic than he feels.

You follow him, sitting down on his side of the small room when the music begins to play and you stand up, Monica’s friend is a makeshift bridesmaid as she walks down the aisle dressed in her Sunday best. Then Monica appears, wearing a white dress - it’s not a wedding dress- but she still looks beautiful. It’s hard to not cry, your nails dig into your palms as you force yourself to keep calm. Even when they exchange vows and he slides the ring onto her finger, you maintain your composure. Even through the announcement of them being husband and wife and their kiss, you keep it together. “Congratulations.” You tell Monica after standing up and walking over to her and Frankie.

“Thank you.” She beams up at Frankie and leans in to kiss his smooth jaw. “I’m just thrilled we were able to do this before he went back.” She gushes, her ringed hand sliding down and resting on her stomach. “Make sure that everything is done for the baby.”

Frankie looks away, not able to look at you just yet. He hadn’t told you that Monica announced she was pregnant a few days ago. Making his decision easy. He took responsibility for his actions and mistakes and he hadn’t hated the idea of having a family waiting on him. Even if it wasn’t you.

If you thought your heart was broken watching Frankie get married, hearing that Monica is pregnant shatters it into pieces. You feel sick, unable to believe that this is happening. You freeze for a moment, processing, until you remind yourself that you need to act like you’re happy for him, you can break down later. “Oh. Wow, um, that’s…that’s…congratulations. On the wedding and the - the baby.” Your eyes flick over to Frankie as he turns away and he looks guilty.

“It’s a shock.” Monica giggles, curling against Frankie’s side. “I told him that he must have knocked me up the day he got home, wounded shoulder and all.”

Frankie dutifully chuckles and finally looks back over at you. You look stunned, but he’s sure that it’s because of the pregnancy announcement. “Yeah. We wanted to make sure that things were set up in case….” He trails off, not saying that it’s in case he doesn’t come back from this deployment.

“Yeah. That’s, uh, that’s smart.” You offer her a forced smile. “Well I’m sure you’ll want to celebrate. I’m, I’ll go, leave you. I’m gonna - I’m gonna go home. Congratulations.” You tell them, quickly spinning on your heel and making your way out of the room. You’d already signed as a witness so your job is done. Not even making it out of the courthouse before tears begin to stream down your cheeks. It’s truly over. It’s time to move on from Frankie.

****

Frankie looks around the airport, looking for you. He had texted you when he was leaving, halfway hoping that you would show up to see him off. Instead Monica pulls him close for another kiss. “I’m going to miss you.” She pouts and Frankie chuckles, focusing on his wife. Weird to say that or even think that, but she deserves his attention.

“I’ll be home soon.” He promises. “Just four more months. And we’ll be home for at least eight months so I won’t miss the baby’s birth.”

You haven’t been able to leave your house since the day of the wedding, wallowing in your own pity because the man you love is married and has a baby on the way with another woman. You’ve ignored his texts, knowing you need to just shut yourself off from him, you can’t see him again, not yet. Brad even calls to check on you but you tell him you are just going through something and you’re sorry but you’ll call him soon. He’s nice and maybe he will understand you if you explain what happened. For now though, you will wallow and try not to feel guilty for not saying goodbye to Frankie when he’s heading back to an active war zone.

Frankie lands back onto his base, thirty-six hours after leaving and sighs as he shoulders his bag and starts moving towards the area where his team is set up. He’s checked in with Monica, who was in the process of moving into the house on base he had set up before he left. Wishing that you had texted him, but he pushes it aside, knowing that he will have to just view you as his friend’s sister from now on.

“Hey man!” Benny runs towards him and stops short, throwing him a salute since the base commanders get fussy over fraternization in public. They know the teams are all friends but just ask they keep it professional around the regular soldiers. “You’re back!”

Frankie grins, the worries from home sliding away and he nods. “Somebody’s gotta save your ass in a pinch.”

Benny playfully rolls his eyes, “I’m sure I could figure out how to fly a chopper in a pinch.” Frankie guffaws at that, shaking his head at the cockiness of his friend. “So you really did it, huh?” Benny asks, pointing to Frankie’s left hand.

Frankie lifts his hand and looks at him, smirking proudly. “I did.” He tells him. “Got something else to show you too.” He reaches in his back pocket and pulls out his wallet to show Benny the picture of the positive pregnancy test. Monica hadn’t been able to get an ultrasound yet, but he couldn’t wait to see the baby. “Did something else too.”

“Holy shit.” Benny’s eyes widen, “you move quickly. Shit. Just got married and already got her pregnant.”

Frankie rolls his eyes, “she was pregnant when I married her.”

Benny bites his lip, pausing for a second, “so that’s why you married her?” He knows his friend, certain that he wouldn’t have married Monica without the team being there unless there was a reason. When he emailed to tell them he was getting married, they all suspected something else.

“Not entirely.” Frankie shifts slightly and tucks the photo away. “I had been thinking about it. Was going to ask her.” He doesn’t tell your brother that the only reason he was thinking about it was to try to get over you.

“But when she told me she was pregnant?”

He shrugs and looks around. “You know the odds, man.” He tells Benny quietly. “My widow would have more benefits than my pregnant baby momma. So we just moved up the date rapidly.”

Benny nods, understanding how the system works. He knows why Frankie did it but it’s still not what he expected his usually methodical friend to fuck up on. “Let’s get you back. Pope wants to give you shit for missing out on being your best man. I told him to fuck off, that’s my position so you gotta pick one for when we are all back and you’re getting married in a big ole ceremony where we can all get drunk.” Benny grins as he guides Frankie out of the hangar.

“Shiiiit.” Frankie huffs, even as he grins at the other delta team member. “Neither one of you will my best man.” He jokes, just to see Benny pout. “We’ve got to just get through this deployment.”

Benny nods, knowing he needs to get back to his sister and mom along with Will. Plus Tom wants to get back for his family, and Frankie has something to fight for now. “How’s my sister?” Benny asks as they walk towards the barracks.

“She’s, uh, she’s good.” Frankie tells him, nodding to the soldiers that are passing by. Outside buildings, enlisted are not supposed to salute officers for safety. “I spent a lot of time with her while I was home. Keeping her entertained.”

“Hopefully not too entertained.” Benny raises his eyebrows.

Frankie shakes his head. “No more entertained than going to the zoo and the movies.”

Benny hums, “has she got a new boyfriend yet? I don’t want to kill someone as soon as I get home.” He chuckles darkly.

Frankie shakes his head, heart clenching. “At some point she’s gonna want to grow up, hermano.” He reminds Benny. “Just make sure she knows you have her back.” He sighs. “She met someone at the bar, but I don’t think that they are dating yet. She didn’t say.”

Benny frowns at that, “well, I guess we will see what happens. I just- I don’t want to see her get hurt. I saw how broken up Will was and I don’t want that to happen to her. She doesn’t deserve that kind of heartbreak.”

****

The months go by and you’re happy with Brad. You told him about Frankie, warned him that you aren’t ready for anything emotional and he understands. You told him everything and he’s essentially a friend with benefits but both of you are okay with that. Perhaps he wants something more but he’s never made it obvious.

You arrive at the base, eager to see Will and Benny again after so many months. You're there early, practically bouncing on your heels, and you ignore the voice deep down that tells you you are excited to see Frankie. He's married. Just as you think that, Monica appears beside you, looking more than five or six months pregnant, she looks ready to burst. You frown but are distracted when the crowd begins to get louder as the arrivals pour into the hangar.

Shuffling off the bus, Frankie spots Monica and his eyes go wide. “Holy shit man, your wife having twins?” Will asks, making Frankie shake his head.

“God, I don’t know.” He huffs. “She’s said everything is perfect. Maybe I just make big babies?” He glances around and spots you, unable to stop the pounding in his heart at the sight of you. “There’s your sister.”

Your eyes scan the crowd of men and women in uniform until you see Frankie. His gaze is firmly set on Monica, making your stomach sink, until you remind yourself that he isn't yours, he never was. Benny distracts you, scooping you up into a hug and Will isn't too far behind him. "Hey trouble." Benny kisses your cheek sloppily, making you give a false cry of disgust. You've missed them so much. Turning to hug Will, you pull him close, thankful they are both safe and unharmed.

Frankie walks up to Monica, smiling at the sign she’s holding up. “Hey, baby.” He leans in and kisses her, trying not to disturb the baby bump too badly. “How’s everything?”

Monica grins, excited to see Frankie after so long apart. “Hey sweetheart. It’s going well. The bean is healthy.” She chuckles, bringing his hand down to her bump. “I bet you’re exhausted. Come on, let’s go. I have dinner ready for you.” She doesn’t want him hanging around to see you.

You, meanwhile, are hugging Santi who comes up to greet you. The boys look over to see Frankie guiding Monica away from the crowd. “Huh, guess she’s given him her orders.” Tom snorts, reminded of the demanding emails and letters Frankie got from Monica during his deployment.

Benny snorts, shaking his head. “Probably taking him home to fuck him stupid.” He crows, happy that his friend is getting some. “Aren’t pregnant women like super horny? And she’s really pregnant and Fish’s been gone.”

You frown, knowing you shouldn’t care but it still kills you inside. Pope wraps his arm around your shoulders, “come on hermaña, let’s go get a drink. I’m fucking thirsty.” He says, guiding you out and away from Frankie and Monica while your brothers follow.

****

Frankie has been to the house that he is going to share with Monica, to build their family in, one time. The day they got the keys for base housing. She drives, making him shift in his seat slightly as he looks out at the neatly trimmed lawns and sighs when he sees the sign for Capt. Morales. “Home sweet home.” She chirps, pulling into the driveway beside his truck and parking before she sneaks her hand between his legs. “I’ve missed you, baby.” She purrs, horny and wanting him.

Frankie groans, it’s been so long with just him and his hand. He hisses and bucks up into her touch. “Shit baby. Let’s- let’s get inside.” He orders, needing to see the house before he fucks his wife. He’s not gonna last long, it’s been too long without a warm pussy around his cock. He grabs his bag and follows her as she waddles to the front door. “Are you- are you sure you’re okay for sex?” He asks softly, realizing how big she is. He doesn’t want to hurt her.

“Oh yes.” She giggles, climbing out of the car and waddling around it towards the front door. “The doctor said and we are all clear to have as much sex as we want.” She unlocks the door and pushes it open. “So I want you to fuck me from behind, I don’t even care if you last two seconds.”

Frankie nods, knowing that she wouldn’t harm the baby in favor of sex. He tosses his duffel bag down, reaching for Monica to press his lips to hers. “Show me our bedroom, baby.” He orders, reaching for her hand.

Monica guides him through the house, she’s brought over everything from her apartment since he didn’t have any furniture, and has been getting the nursery ready. “God I’ve missed you baby.” She coos. “I know I’m larger than I was when you left, but my pussy is still tight.”

Frankie chuckles, “always was. God I missed you. I wish you had sent me photos of you. Some titty pics would’ve been nice for my mornings in the john.” He teases, reaching for the hem of her shirt, he wants to see the baby bump. He pulls the shirt off of her, kneeling down in front of her to see the bump. “God, they’re a big baby. Hope they haven’t been causing mama too much trouble.” He kisses her bump, unable to believe he’s going to be a father. It feels so real now.

Monica sighs happily, thoroughly pleased with how eager Francisco is to be a father. “Not too much.” She murmurs, running her fingers through his short hair and feeling the stubbly razored edges. “Just a foot in my ribs sometimes.” She bites her lip and reaches for his hands, wanting him to touch her. “Frankie, I need you to fuck me.” She begs, wanting to keep him happy. “Fuck your wife.”

He stumbles to his feet, uninterested in foreplay. He just needs to fuck. He strips his clothes, kicking his boots aside within seconds and he shoves her leggings down. “Kneel on the bed baby.” He orders, reaching down to wrap his fingers around his hard cock. Her tits are bigger and he feels sad for a moment that it isn’t you. You’re not the mother of his child. Monica kneels, giggling as she shakes her ass, and Frankie kneels behind her, spitting into his palm before he notches his cock at her entrance, slowly pushing into her.

“Oh fuck, Fraaaaaankieeee.” Monica moans, arching her back and she clenches down around him. “Fuck baby, I’ve missed that big cock.” She whimpers, knowing how much Frankie loved dirty talk in bed. “Needed you inside me. My toys weren’t enough.” She rocks her hips back and looks over her shoulder. “You won’t hurt me, trust me.”

“Yeah? You want me to fuck that tight little cunt, baby?” He groans, gripping her hips. “Look at you. Full of my baby and desperate for my cock. So fucking beautiful and all mine. God, I- I love you.” He imagines it’s you beneath him. Married to him, pregnant with his child. It’s wrong but his mind just envisions you instead of Monica. What he wanted instead of what he got. He hisses, his cock twitching and within a few thrusts, he buries himself deep and moans your name.

Monica gasps, moving faster than Frankie was expecting for a woman as largely pregnant as she is. Turning around and smacking him in the face. “What the fuck, Francisco?” She screams, face full of fury. “Why the fuck are you moaning her name while your fucking me?” She demands. “Are you fucking her? Have you been cheating on me?!” Her voice pitches up and she starts to have tears roll down her face.

Frankie is still in a haze of lust when she slaps him and his eyes widen. “No. No! Baby. I- shit - I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean - it just slipped out and I- I’m not cheating on you. I’m not fucking her. How could I? I’ve been away for four fucking months?” He shakes his head. “I’m so sorry. Please.” He begs, reaching for her. He feels incredibly guilty. He just moaned your name while inside of the mother of his child.

“You fucking asshole!” She jerks away from him and grunts, shuffling awkwardly to the edge of the bed and hefting herself off of it. “I knew it! I knew you were more than friends with that little slut.” She shrieks, ignoring the pain in her back and the way she has ached all day. She was just excited to see Frankie and now that’s ruined. “How many times did you fuck her? She was always around. Mooning at you with hearts in her eyes.”

Frankie shakes his head, “no. No. We are just friends. Jesus, Monica. She’s my best friends’ little sister. They’d have my balls if I even thought about her like that. Please baby. You gotta calm down for the baby.” He pleads, watching her shuffle across the room.

“No. No. You wanted to though. That’s why you went out on so many fucking ‘dates’ with her. Taking her to the fucking zoo. You have never taken me to the goddamn zoo. I - shit.” Monica hisses and Frankie rushes over to her. “Don’t touch me!” She growls before there’s a trickling noise. Both of them look down to see water on the carpet.

“Did you - did you pee?” Frankie frowns.

Monica’s eyes go wide, “my water just broke.”

Frankie’s eyes widen and he panics. “Jesus Christ. It’s not- it’s not time. It’s not time. We gotta get you to the hospital.” Frankie says, reaching for his pants. She’s only six months pregnant, it’s too soon. He will never forgive himself if something happens to the baby because of his slip of the tongue. “Come on. Come on.” He ushers Monica towards the door after shoving on his boots and a shirt before he puts another shirt of his on Monica.

“What the fuck?“ Monica hisses, batting his hands away from her. “Don’t touch me. You said another woman’s fucking naaaaaaaaaame-“ she yells the last word, hunching over one the driveway when another pain hits her, this one stronger than the others now that her water has broken. Panting and and cursing through it with her hands on her knees. “Oh fuck.”

“I’m sorry. I’m so fucking sorry but you need to get to the hospital. Please, we gotta-” He grabs her keys, guiding her towards the car. He helps her into the car despite her screaming at him. He gets into the driver’s seat, backing out of the driving and speeding towards the hospital. “It’s gonna be okay. You’re gonna be okay.” He promises as she pants.

“Fuck you, Frankie. Fuckkkkk.” She squeals, clutching her stomach.

He’s terrified, the one and only time that he’s had sex with with his wife and not only did he fuck up and say your name, but he did something wrong and made her water break. She was going to hate him. He reaches over and takes her hand, holding firm when she tries to pull away. “Squeeze, baby. Just crush my hand.” He orders her despite everything wrong right now he needs to be there for her. His wife is giving birth to his child, his premie baby.

Monica doesn’t argue, squeezing his hand as she grits her teeth. Upon pulling up outside of the military hospital, Frankie abandons the car outside after Monica is being wheeled into the maternity ward. “It’s gonna be okay.” He promises Monica despite being terrified. He’s not ready. He thought he had more time and he’s already fucked up by causing his baby to be born three months early.

“It’s too soon.” Frankie blurts out when they wheel her into a private room, giving the nurse a frantically pleading expression. “I-I fucked up, we had sex and her water broke.”

The nurse gives him a patient smile, “babies are born when they want to be and not a moment before.” She promises. “We will take good care of your wife and baby.” She’s seen it all before, but she doesn’t voice her opinion. This is not a premature baby, and it’s not too soon. “Let’s get you changed mama.”

Frankie isn’t sure what to do, he’s freaking out but he stays strong for Monica. Helping her onto the bed after she gets changed into a gown. The nurse examines Monica, Frankie holding onto her hand as he almost shakes. He’s faced death head on but he’s never been so scared. “It definitely looks like you’re in labor. Four centimeters dilated so definitely on your way. How far along are you?” The nurse asks, needing to hear it confirmed.

Monica's eyes widen and she throws Frankie a look. “I need my bag.” She insists, pushing at Frankie’s shoulder, frantically. “The bag is in the trunk. Go get it!”

Frankie knows he’s fucked up so he doesn’t argue, nodding and kissing Monica’s hair. “I’ll be right back baby. I gotta park the car too.” He says before making his way out of the room. The nurse waits for Monica to answer her question.

“I’m due next week.” Monica confesses, “don’t tell him. Please. I just- I need to figure out how to tell him myself.” She bites her lip, wondering if the nurse is judging her. She didn’t mean for all this to happen, but when Frankie had wanted to get married, she had kept her mouth shut.

“It’s not my business to tell your husband. Just to make sure that you and baby are okay.” The nurse declares, “so let’s get you comfortable and we will keep checking on you. Do you have a birth plan?” The nurse asks.

“Yes. I wanted to do it naturally.” Monica says, knowing that she had planned that from the moment she found out. The nurse nods.

A few moments later, Frankie returns with Monica’s bag, setting it down on the table. He is sweating, nervous and scared for what is going to happen. “Is everything okay?” He asks the nurse, his heart pounding.

She nods, patting Monica’s thigh gently and draping the sheet over her legs. “Everything is looking good, I’m just going to insert an IV in mom’s arm.” She explains before she moves around to the medical cart. “Although, if you change your mind and want an epidural, you will be able to have one soon. But you can’t wait until your crowning and change your mind. It’ll be too late.”

Monica nods, “I want to do it naturally.” She is adamant, wincing when the nurse inserts the IV.

Frankie is unsure of what to do, no one seems to be worried that this baby is going to be nearly three months early. “Are you not worried?” He asks Monica after the nurse leaves.

“No.” She pants out honestly. “I was early.” It’s true, she had been early, even though that isn’t the case now. “I- if we have a boy, do you-“ She cries out, gripping the edge of the bed and grunts her way through another contraction. Sighing and relaxing against the bed once the pain has passed. “Do you want to name him Francisco Jr. if it’s a boy?” She asks, hoping that it will distract him from worrying about the time. She had been hoping she would be late to deliver the baby.

Frankie knows he should continue the tradition from his father and grandfather but he just prays that the baby is healthy. “Yes. I’d love that.” He leans closer to kiss her forehead. She didn’t find out the gender, deciding they’d have a gender reveal party once he got back but clearly that idea is dead. “Do you need anything sweetheart? Ice chips? Your phone?” He asks her.

“I- I would love some ice chips.” She confesses. “Would you bring me my phone and get some?” Now that she’s in labor, she doesn’t need to stay angry at Frankie, he feels guilty and that’s good enough for right now. Once the baby is born and he signs the birth certificate, she can go back to being angry at him. Including telling him that you will never be allowed near him again.

Frankie nods, grabbing her phone and handing it to her before he leaves the room to hunt down some ice chips. He needs to call Pope too. Pulling his cell phone out of his pocket, he dials his best friend.

****

You laugh at the story Benny is telling about Pope getting slapped by one of the nurses after he told her a dirty joke when the phone rings. Pope frowns, picking up his cell phone. “Hey Fish. What’s up? She’s what? Now? But I thought - she’s early. Shit. Do you want us there?

I - okay. Okay man. Keep me posted. Yeah. Yeah. Tell Monica we said good luck.” He hangs up the phone and looks at the group, all sitting around the table as the crowd at the bar dissipates. “Monica. She’s gone into labor. They’re at the hospital now.” Pope declares and Benny frowns.

“I thought she wasn’t due for another two months or so?” Will tilts his head.

“Apparently she’s early.” Pope says, biting his lower lip as he looks at you. You are staring at the worn coaster on the table, trying to stop the tears from forming. Frankie is going to be a father tonight.

****

Frankie comes back into the room, a large cup full of ice chips from the nurse’s station. Monica is panting, scrolling through her phone and letting family know that she’s in labor. No one lives nearby, so she doesn’t expect anyone to show up. “Here, baby.” Frankie comes over and kisses her forehead before setting the cup down on the rolling tray. “I know it’s shitty, but they want you to have ice instead of water.”

The time passes slowly, Frankie is exhausted. He hasn’t slept since his layover in Germany but he can’t sleep. Thinking about how much his life is gonna change. Monica’s contractions are getting closer together and finally the doctor comes in after it’s announced that it’s time to push. Frankie holds Monica’s hand as she screams, hissing at how tight she grips his hand as she pushes, her nails digging into his flesh.

Monica slumps back against the raised back of the delivery bed. “I can’t do this.” She cries. “I can’t.” Frankie leans over, kissing her forehead again and only wishes once that it was you laying there about to deliver his baby. He pushes the thought away and focuses on his wife.

“You can do it. I know you can.” He promises.

“Almost mama, the baby is crowning beautifully, once more push and the head will be out.” The doctor announces, watching the monitor start to go crazy when another large contraction starts. “Need you to push!”

“You can do it, baby. You can do it. Come on, push.” Frankie orders, brushing Monica’s hair back out of her face. She screams through clenched teeth, sweat beading on her brow.

“The head is out. Okay mama so on the next contraction, I need you to push.” The doctor orders and Frankie is certain Monica’s scream echoes down the hallway so the entire maternity unit can hear her. A few moments later, a baby’s cry fills the room and Frankie chokes on his breath.

The doctor quickly clears the airways and puts the baby on Monica’s chest. “You have a beautifully healthy baby boy.” The doctor comments as the umbilical cord is clamped off. “At least ten pounds, but we’ll find out for sure as soon as we weigh him.”

Frankie frowns, looking at the baby placed on his wife’s chest. He was planning to read baby books upon his arrival home but even he knows that a premature baby is not ten pounds. Also, he looks down at the crying baby and sees he has a different nose. It’s not his signature nose, or Monica’s nose. “Monica…” He trails off, beyond confused.

Monica doesn’t even pay attention to Frankie, too busy staring at her son, tears in her eyes from both the pain of childbirth and the awe inspiring feeling of holding the baby that had been growing inside her for nine months. “Oh my god, look at you.” She coos, touching fingers and toes. “You are gorgeous, are you?“ The baby stops crying when she kisses his wrinkled forehead and the nurse comes over to take him to weigh and measure.

Frankie watches the nurse take the baby away and he turns to look at his wife. “Monica. Look at me.” He orders, needing his answers now. “Premature babies aren’t ten pounds. You need to explain. Now.” He demands, his hands shaking. “Please. I need you to explain.”

Monica bites her lip, tempted to try to convince him that it was just a big baby. But his eyes are wary and she knows he won’t believe it. “I was due next week.” She confesses softly, aware that he will be able to do the math and figure out that she got pregnant while he was still deployed the first time. “Baby- I-“

Frankie shakes his head, immediately doing the math and it doesn’t add up. “Who’s baby is this?” He asks, his voice low and dark. He barely restrains himself. He married her because she got pregnant and now he’s finding out she wasn’t pregnant with his baby.

“You don’t know him.” She assures Frankie, feeling her eyes start to water when she realizes how angry he looks. “He doesn’t matter, he wasn’t what I wanted and it was a mistake. I love you, Frankie. I wanted you, us, our baby.” She whimpers, not admitting that the jerk who had gotten her pregnant had ghosted her after she told him. Which was the week before Frankie got home for his surgery.

Frankie feels like screaming. He married a woman he doesn’t love because she told him she was pregnant with his baby. He let you slip through his fingers because of Monica and he wants to scream and cry. “It’s not our baby. It’s your baby. I- I can’t - how could you do this? I married you because you told me you were pregnant. You knew it wasn’t mine and you- you stopped me from - fuck. You just wanted me to marry you for the benefits. You fucking conned me.” He growls, unable to stop himself.

“No!” Monica shakes her head, tears sliding down her face. “No, I love you.” She promises. “I was going to tell you.I was. I had planned to tell you after I told you I was pregnant and then you were insisting that you propose and we get married.” She sobs. “I just - I was scared and didn’t want you to leave me too.”

Frankie clenches his jaw, tears in his eyes as he looks at Monica. “Tell me one thing.” He orders, “was it a one night stand or did you love him?” It doesn’t make a difference but he needs to know.

Her lower lip trembles and she knows she can’t lie to him about this. Knows that she’s already screwed everything up and he’s going to leave her. “I- I had been seeing him for a year.” She admits. “I loved him too. But I love you, Frankie.” She promises. “I really do.”

Frankie shakes his head, “no. No. You don’t lie to the people you love. Not like that. You should’ve told me. I- I lost out on an opportunity with-” He cuts himself off.

“That stupid little girl?” Monica scoffs, making Frankie narrow his eyes.

“She’s not a stupid little girl and she has more integrity than you. I can’t do this, Monica. I can’t be with you and raise another man’s child. You lied to me. I can’t forgive that. I’m sorry. I can’t - it’s over.” He chokes, wiping his eyes to stop himself from crying. He’s not going to break down yet.

Monica narrows her eyes at Frankie. “Fine.” She spits. “You didn’t love me anyway, and I-“ she chokes up, her own tears spilling down her cheeks and her anger drains away. “It was always her, wasn’t it?” She asks sadly, looking up at the man who was technically her husband but they had never really lived together as such. Frankie thanks God he didn’t give her a general power of attorney while he was gone those months.

“Yes.” He whispers, finally admitting it. Frankie swallows the lump in his throat, “I, uh, you can stay in the house until we get the divorce finalized. I don’t - I’m not a monster to make you leave after you’ve just had a baby. I’ll go get my things and I’m gonna stay with Pope.” He reasons, unsure of what to do right now. He’s just confused and in shock. “Good luck Monica. You’ll need it.” He says, stepping away from her and grabbing his things before he goes outside and orders a taxi to take him to his usual bar. He needs a fucking drink.

****

You are worried about Frankie, he hasn’t called and you are sad that tonight, his family will be complete and you’ll still be pining for him. As you pick up your beer, you mourn the death of your dreams, and take a gulp while Benny rattles on about some op they were involved in. That’s when you see him. Frankie stumbles into the bar, duffel bag over his shoulder and he drops it onto the floor by your table while the group stare at him. “Hey man. Uh, aren’t - aren’t you supposed to be at the hospital?” Pope asks, a frown on his face.

Frankie reaches out, grabbing Benny’s beer and tilts it back, gulping it down like a man dying of thirst. When he slams it back down on the table, he sighs, glancing up and then back down at the table. The wound is still incredibly raw and he’s almost afraid he’s going to cry again. “I- uh, the baby-“ he chokes out, making Benny reach over and clasp his shoulder and the other men get a grim look on their faces, expecting the worst. “The baby is full term. He-he’s not mine.”

To say your jaw drops is an understatement. You had your suspicions when you saw her earlier, no way she was nearly seven months pregnant with that big bump. You can see the pain in Frankie’s eyes and you just want to pull him close and hug him. “Wow. I- shit. Im so sorry, Fish.” Benny says while everyone else processes the news.

“You want a drink? I’ll get you a drink.” Pope says, calling the waitress over for another round plus shots.

“I need a place to stay.” Frankie scrubs his face with his hand. “I’m letting her stay in housing until the divorce, but I can’t stay there.” He’s gone from being married and having a baby to single in a matter of hours. “I can’t believe she tried to pass another man’s kid off as mine. It’s the reason I married her.”

Pope sighs, knowing how insanely hard this must be on Frankie, to be deceived like this. “I would love to have you man but be warned, I haven’t been laid in a while. I’m gonna be catching up.” He confesses, not wanting Frankie to be subjected to the sounds of sex every night.

Frankie sighs, knowing he has no other choice. Benny looks at Will who nods, “you can stay with us. Save you from the sex noises. You know Will won’t be getting laid.” Benny teases, making Will roll his eyes.

Frankie gives a small chuckle. “Not like you’re going to be getting your dick wet.” He scoffs playfully. He isn’t even going to tell them about his other fuck up. That’s too raw and they would beat the shit out of him for thinking about their sister that way.

Benny huffs, pointing at the waitress that had been flirting with him all night. “I’m going home with that one tonight.” He boasts.

You wrinkle your nose, “thank God I have my own place now.” You want to talk to Frankie, give him a shoulder to cry on, but you know that will only hurt you in the long run. Your phone dings with a text and you pick it up. Sighing when you see it’s Brad asking if you want to “hang out” tonight. He hasn’t pushed you for more but you can tell he wants to date you. You aren’t sure what you want, especially with this new revelation that Frankie isn’t the father and he’s divorcing Monica. Still, that doesn’t mean he loves you too. He loved Monica.

“Boyfriend chasing you up?” Pope teases. You set your phone down, clearing your throat.

“When are we going to meet this Brad guy?” Will grumbles and you avoid looking at Frankie when you say, “Frankie has seen him.”

Frankie frowns, looking over to you to confirm and you nod. “The bar?” You prompt, making his eyes widen. “Blondie?” He huffs, heart falling when he realizes that because of Monica he has once again missed out on being with you. “You’re really with him?” The waitress brings back the drinks and Frankie immediately grabs his shot and tosses it back, wincing at the burn.

“Well…not technically. I’m not dating him. It’s just…casual.” You shrug, making your brothers frown at that.

“We need to meet him.” They tell you, speaking at the same time and you shake your head, “no you don’t. It’s not serious.” You look back at Frankie who seems even more deflated than before, no doubt the reality of what happened tonight hitting him.

“But you want it to be?” Pope asks, confused since he knows the truth.

“No. No. He wants - he wants more than I can give him. Emotionally.” You say, your eyes drifting back to Frankie. “Besides, you’re focusing on me when we should be focusing on Frankie.”

“No, please, focus on your sister instead of the dumbass who married a woman he didn’t love because he thought she was pregnant with his baby.” Frankie mutters, shaking his head and gulping down half his beer. “I felt guilty too.” He confesses, glancing at you before he looks away. “That I didn’t love her like I should have.”

You swallow your beer, wondering what he means by that. “It will be okay. At least you found out now instead of further down the line when you were a father to the baby. That would’ve been cruel. It will be okay.” Pope promises Frankie, reaching out to rub his back. You know that tonight, you’ll be finishing with Brad. You still love Frankie and you don’t think that is ever going to change.

The conversation turns around him, drifting away while Frankie finishes his beer and orders another. It was good to know now, Pope was right. Better to know before he got attached to the kid. He sighs and rubs his eyes, exhausted from the entire day. Coming home, Monica going into labor, finding out that he wasn’t the father, all crashing down on him. He stumbles to his feet, unsteady from the day. “Gotta piss.” He mumbles, wandering off to the bathroom.

You watch Frankie go, all of you frowning as you wonder what will happen to him as he processes what has happened to him. You feel so fucking guilty but you are secretly glad this happened. God, you are a terrible person, but you didn’t think Monica was the right woman for him. Even if that woman isn’t you, he deserves better.

Frankie comes back, looking at the beer that he had ordered and doesn’t even want now. Digging in his pockets, he pulls out cash to pay. “Can I get a key?” He asks Will. “I’m just going to bring the mood down and I’m exhausted.” He sighs and glances over at you, wishing he could get a hug or something from you. It sucks that there’s been this wall between the two of you since he got married. You didn’t seem to want to be around him anymore.

Will nods, handing Frankie his keys so he can get into the house. “Alarm is Benny’s birthday since he forgets it.” Will murmurs, making Benny roll his eyes.

Frankie sets the cash down and takes the keys, thanking Will. “I’ll see you soon.” He promises the guys, knowing he needs some space to progress everything. The guys bid him goodbye and you watch him leave the bar.

“I’ll be back.” You tell him, rushing after him. “Frankie,” You call out. He turns around to look at you and you rush up to wrap your arms around him. “I’m so sorry.” You whisper, knowing how hard this must be.

He clings to you, wrapping his arms around you and squeezing you tight. Sighing softly and leaning his cheek against the side of your head. “I just- I tried to do the right thing.” He chokes out. “She wanted to name him Francisco Jr.” He still can’t believe that she would go so far to try to convince him that it wasn’t his child. That was probably what hurt the most, she knew. She knew that child wasn’t his and she used him to make sure that she wasn’t alone.

You want to go to the hospital and slap Monica for trying to deceive Frankie like this. “I’m so sorry Frankie. I’m so sorry. You didn’t deserve this.” You pull back and cup his cheeks, “you deserve the best. You deserve to be happy.” You tell him, offering him a watery smile when you know that isn’t with you.

“I think it might be too late for that.” Frankie’s overwrought and emotional but he still thinks you are gorgeous. He burrows into your hand slightly, enjoying the feeling of your touch before he turns his head and ghosts a kiss on your palm. “Thank you.” He murmurs, pulling away before he does something stupid. “I-I should go. You probably have plans to meet your boyfriend.”

You sigh, stepping away from Frankie. Your entire body feels on fire just from being so close and the ghost of a kiss on your palm nearly made your heart burst out of your chest. You nod, stepping away from him, and you know you need to see Brad and tell him it’s over. You can’t continue leading him on when Frankie still has your heart, and will likely always have it.

Frankie smiles, just a half of one, pulling his dimple out but his eyes are dark and sad. “Have a good night.” He murmurs softly, turning to where a line of taxis are waiting since he had Ubered here. He’ll get his truck from the house tomorrow. For now, he just needs to get some sleep.

****

It’s been months since you saw Frankie. That night at the bar being the last time. Before you could finish things with Brad, he had signed up for another deployment, pulled some strings, and left. The boys followed soon after, unable to let him go alone, and you have been worried sick. Worried that they would make a mistake or fuck up because they didn’t have enough time at home. You email your brothers daily, wanting to check in, and you also email Frankie.

You hear the ding and your eyes widen, opening the email from Frankie. He tells you that he’s trying to finalize the divorce and you bite your lip, unsure if you should tell him about your news. You haven’t told Benny or Will yet but Frankie has always been a dear friend and he might be able to help you navigate your protective brothers. “Can you video chat?” You email Frankie, wondering if he can Skype.

Frankie grins, looking around at the other guys in the comm tent before he opens Skype and hits your number. It’s not like you had video chatted with him, but he had your info from your brothers.

“Hey.” You smile when he appears on screen after you accept the video call. You definitely didn’t check your hair before you answered. Definitely not.

“So…what’s the big news?” Frankie asks hesitantly, not a fan of big news nowadays.

You bite your lip, raising your hand to show him the ring on your left finger. “Brad proposed!” You say, trying to sound excited.

Frankie stares at the ring for a second in shock. Seconds ticking by and his heart falling out of his chest and landing at his feet. He blows out a breath and tries to compose himself. “That-that’s great.” He offers hoarsely, wanting to scream about how fucking unfair it is. “Congratulations. Are you going to let your brothers meet him before the wedding?” He teases, chuckling slightly to cover how shaky his voice is.

You bite your lip, “God, they are gonna kill him.” You are nervous, unsure of your decision to say yes but if Frankie hasn’t made any kind of indication that he wants you in the past years, then what can you do? You’re getting older and you don’t want to be alone forever so you decided to accept Brad’s proposal. You hope Frankie will be happy for you, maybe he can help you feel happier about the decision. You’d planned to dump Brad the night Frankie came back but you didn’t, too selfish you suppose. You didn’t want to be alone.

“If he’s what you want, I won’t let them hurt him too badly.” Frankie has to swallow down his pride, his own feelings and put you first. It doesn’t matter that he had planned on asking you out when he got back. He was too late again. “All I want is for you to be happy, baby.” He murmurs, not even realizing he voiced a nickname he’s never said aloud to you before.

The nickname makes your heart thumping and your chest hurts, you want him to be angry, tell you to give the ring back. “Yeah…” You nod, unsure yourself if you’re really that happy. “He’s…he’s good for me. I- I need to grow up.” You tell him, feeling your eyes sting.

Frankie frowns, not likening the way you talk about yourself. He shuffles and leans forward in his seat, getting closer to the camera. “You listen to me.” He tells you firmly. “You don’t need to do anything but be exactly who you are. You’re perfect and if that asshole can’t see that, I don’t think you should marry him.” Is it wrong of him to try to make you doubt it? Absolutely. But he also is human and wants to make sure you don’t make the same mistake he did.

Your heart pounds, looking into his dark eyes as he stares at you through the camera. “I- I have to. He asked and I accepted and he - he makes me happy.” You tell him, not lying. Brad does make you happy, he distracts you from thinking about Frankie. “I’m happy.” You try to convince Frankie, part of you hoping he will protest and tell you not to marry him. “We won’t get married until you are all back.”

He knows you think the small sigh he makes is relief, but it’s disappointment. “You better.” He teases. “Benny would have a stroke and Will would start counting the number of ways he can hide Brad’s body.”

You chuckle, “hopefully it doesn’t come to that when I tell them.” You wonder if Benny and Will would react the same way if it was Frankie you were engaged. “How’s things over there?” You ask him. He catches you up before the timer for his allotted time goes off. “I’ll talk to you soon Frankie.” You smile sadly, missing him and knowing you shouldn’t miss him all at the same time.

****

Frankie sighs as the plane's wheels touch down. This time there’s nothing to look forward to. You will be there, of course, but he doesn’t know if he wants to see the ring on your finger again. It’s selfish but he wants to pretend for just a little longer that you are still capable of being his. “I can’t wait to get home.” Benny moans, looking back from his seat at Frankie. “Don’t goddamn leave again.” He glowers at his friend playfully.

Frankie rolls his eyes. “Didn’t they tell us we are mandatory stateside for at least eight months?” He snarks back “Maybe you can get laid in that amount of time.”

Benny chuckles, “at least one of us will be getting some.”

Frankie snorts, knowing he’s not ready to get involved in anything right now. Not when he’s got to watch you get married to Brad. Ugh, even his name is terrible. He knows this is karma for him making you watch him marry Monica but he wanted you there that day, it allowed him to think he was marrying you instead. Stupid fantasy.

“Finally we get to meet this Brad douchebag.” Benny says, cracking his knuckles as the plane comes to a stop and everyone grabs their bags.

“Don’t run him off, Ben.” Frankie murmurs seriously. “Your sister deserves to be happy.”

Benny huffs, offended that he would say that and shakes his head. “If I can run him off, then he wasn’t good enough for her to begin with.” He says as they shuffle through the door. Frankie winces in the bright sunlight and starts looking around for you as he follows behind the Miller brothers, bringing up the rear and honestly trying to avoid this bleak homecoming.

You stand there, rocking on your heels as you search for your brothers…and Frankie. Brad insisted on coming, wanting to greet your brothers and introduce himself. You aren’t sure if it’s the best idea but you didn’t deny him, knowing he’s gonna have to meet them eventually. “Hey trouble.” Benny greets you, rushing up to hug you and you are so glad they are both okay and alive. Brad stands awkwardly to the side of you as Frankie approaches.

“Don’t smother her.” Will huffs, deciding to turn to Brad and extend his hand. “Will.” He offers, making sure that his grip is slightly firmer than it needs to be. You are his baby sister even if you aren’t blood related.

Frankie waits until Benny lets go of you and sends you a smile. “Hey.” He wants to hug you but it’s a little awkward, leaning instead of dragging you against him like he wants to. “It’s good to see you.” He murmurs in your ear. “Missed you.”

You hate how your heart lurches and you realize you still love him. You smile, “I missed you too.” You rub his arm and step back towards Brad. “So, uh, this is Brad.”

Your fiancé is like an eager puppy, desperate to please and impress. “Hey. It’s so great to meet you. I’ve heard so much about you.” Brad reaches out to shake Frankie’s hand.

God, he wants to hate him. He really does, his own hand reluctant as he grips the hand of the man who has you. He nods. “Francisco.” He tells him, sure that his nicknames will come out eventually. He doesn’t squeeze his hand, instead he just keeps his eyes on Brad’s steadily. Making sure the man knows that he’s not overlooking a thing.

Your eyes flick between Brad and Frankie, unsure if you want them to get along or not. “We will have to get a beer sometime, you can tell me some stories about this one. She’s so closed off sometimes.” Brad says as he steps back to wrap his arm around your waist.

“Anyway. I’m sure the fellas will want to get settled.” You say, glad the awkward moment is over. “Where’s Pope?” You ask, looking behind them to see Tom already greeting Molly and the girls.

“He’s meeting Martha. The girl who has been sending him Polaroids.” Will chuckles, looking over his shoulder to see Pope kissing a woman.

“On that note, let’s get you guys home.” You chuckle, rubbing Brad’s chest. Your brothers nod and Frankie trails behind you as you walk towards the parking lot. He doesn’t know how he’s going to handle this when he sees Brad’s hand shift lower to the top of your ass.

Frankie sighs, reaching up and rubbing his cheek. This week Monica is moving out of the house on base and he has to make sure that everything is clean so he doesn’t get charged for everything. He reaches out and touches your shoulder, making you turn and Brad’s hand falls away from your ass. Something that makes Frankie very happy. “I hate to ask you a favor.” He huffs, tilting his head. “Would you help me do a walk through of the house later this week, make sure I don’t miss anything?” He asks you. “I have to turn the keys over as soon as possible so I can get a room in the Bachelor’s quarters.”

You nod, offering him a soft smile, and you wish you could pull him close and thank God that he’s still alive and unharmed. “Come on baby, let’s go. I’m sure the fellas want some drinks and some sleep.” Brad says, distracting you from Frankie’s dark eyes that burn into yours. You offer Brad a smile, once again reminded of your lack of intense love for him but you promised to marry him, and you can’t break that promise on a maybe with Frankie.

He wishes you would smile at him like that, and be going home with him. He knows that you would already be halfway there if he was with you, eager to get you alone and kiss you, touch you. His cock twitches at the thought and he sighs. “Yeah.” He agrees, turning towards Will’s truck you had brought for them to drive back. “Sleep.” He looks at you again. “See you later.”

****

You have been avoiding Frankie since he got back, terrified of changing your mind about marrying Brad. You feel awful but you are scared to end up alone, missing out on a family of your own because you are still pining after Frankie. You love Brad, in your own way, and you know he’s going to be a good husband. You have picked everything out for the wedding and now it’s time. You didn’t want anyone around you the night before the wedding, especially after talking to Brad earlier. You hadn’t want to live with Brad until after you were married, despite his insistence, and you pretended it’s because you wanted to be traditional. He accepted that but really, you needed the space to come to terms with your decision.

Frankie shuffles, having stood outside your apartment door for nearly twenty minutes. He’s honestly surprised no one has called the cops on him. He can’t do this. He can’t watch you marry this asshole. Even if Brad isn’t an asshole. He’s been out with him and your brothers a few times. ‘Bonding time’ as you insisted on calling it, even if you weren’t there. He’s barely seen you and he’s going crazy. Huffing, he reaches out and knocks on the door before he can stop himself again, telling himself he’s just checking up on you and he’s not trying to stop your wedding.

You set your glass of wine down, pausing the tv from whatever horror movie was playing to try and distract yourself, and you swallow harshly when you look through the peephole and see Frankie. Unlocking the door and opening it, your heart flutters in your chest when you see him. “Hey.” You greet him softly, wondering what he wants at this hour.

“Hey.” He exhales when he sees you, heart pounding and his hands are suddenly fucking damp. Him. The man who can fly a chopper under hostile fire without breaking a sweat is about to pass out from nerves. “Can I come in?” He asks, not wanting to have this conversation out on your step. If he’s wrong, if you don’t think of him as anything more than a friend, he can loose you and it terrifies him.

You nod, stomach twisting as he steps into your apartment and you guide him towards the sofa. “You want something to drink? Coffee? Beer? Wine?” You ask, watching him rub his hands on his jeans as he sits down on your sofa. “Beer would be good.” He says, knowing he likely won’t drink it but he might need a sip. You grab him a beer and set it down on the coffee table in front of him. “Are you okay?” You ask, noticing how tense he seems.

“Yeah.” He breathes out before he wipes his hands on his pants and looks at you, swallowing harshly. “No.” He admits, lunging for the beer and taking that sip before he sets it back down. “I’m not coming tomorrow.” He announces, blurting out that instead of casually asking if you are sure this is what you want. “I can’t.”

You frown, “why not?” You are confused, unable to stop yourself from reaching for his hand. “Frankie. I- I don’t understand. Do you- is there - why?” You ask breathlessly, feeling your chest tighten at the thought of not having him there to support you.

Now that he’s said it, there’s no way he can’t tell you. He lurches to his feet and starts to pace in front of the coffee table, feeling like his heart is about to rip out of his chest. “I can’t. I just- it’s wrong I know it.” He rambles, not even looking at you. He can’t right now. “I know you were there for me when I married Monica but it’s different.” He blows out.

“How?” You demand but he just keeps going.

“They’ll kill me, but it’s not like I could help it. You’re- you’re you. How could I not?” He asks, stopping and staring at you for a second before he starts pacing again. “I know you don’t love me and that’s fine. I get it, I’m too old for you. But you can’t expect me to watch you marry some other guy when all I want is for it to be me up there with you.” He finishes breathlessly, turning to look you in the eyes when you tell him you don’t feel the same way. “I can’t. I can’t watch the woman I love marry another man.”

You stare at him, shock surging through your body and you can’t move for a few moments. Then you get angry. “Are you serious? You- you made me watch you marry Monica, made me watch her - I thought she was pregnant with your baby. I had to watch her - her make a home for you both. For your family.” Your chest heaves as you stand up. “I- I was there for you despite my heart fucking breaking because the man I’ve been in love with since I was seventeen was marrying another woman. I - you drive me crazy. I can’t keep away from you despite it killing me every time I see you because I can’t - I can’t be with you. All you’ll ever see is that awkward seventeen year old. You- I love you. I love you. I just- how dare you say that now when I- when I am just trying to move on from you.” You choke, stepping closer and slapping his chest.

Frankie captures your hand, holding it against his chest, letting you feel how hard his heart is hammering underneath it. “Not see you as anything but an awkward seventeen year old?” He shakes his head. “I’ve wanted you since you were - fuck, you were nineteen went I realized that you were a full fucking grown woman that I seriously wanted to take to bed. Twenty when I realized I was in love with you” He admits. “I just- you’re my friends - my brother’s sister.” He murmurs. “I never wanted you to be - I didn’t think…”

He takes another deep breath. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have come. I shouldn’t have done this to you.” He shakes his head again and lets go of your hand. “I’m always too fucking late.” He chuckles. “You are dating someone, or I am, or the bullshit with Monica.” He closes his eyes and nods before he opens them, devastation in them but he opens his mouth. “I- I’ll be there.” He promises you, knowing that he owes you that. “If you really want to marry this man, I’ll be there and I won’t say a word. But, if he’s not what you want….”

You shake your head. “The wedding is off. I- I spoke to him about an hour ago. I - I met him at the bar and explained that I couldn’t marry him because I’m in love with you. He knew - he knew that he could never have my whole heart, that it belonged to you. He obviously wasn’t happy but I- I couldn’t stand there and marry him and pretended - pretend like my heart, my body, my soul belongs to you. I love you Frankie. It’s always been you.” You confess.

Relief floods his entire body, making him feel almost lightheaded. He doesn’t even think, doesn’t try to stop himself. Surging forward to grab your waist and cup the back of your head, his lips slot desperately over yours. Needing to taste you and kiss you. He’s needed to for so long but right now he has to. Make sure that he’s not dreaming this. He moans when you respond, your hands racing up to grip his back and he shudders when your mouth eagerly opens so he can deepen the kiss, sliding his tongue inside your mouth to touch yours possessively.

Your body both relaxes and lights up, your tongue tangling with his as you press yourself up against him with a moan. It’s intense and it feels so damn right. You tangle your fingers in his hair, unable to get close enough to him now that you know he loves you.

Frankie groans, loving how quickly you are melting in his arms, turning and starting to shuffle you back towards the couch. Kissing you for another moment before he breaks away to kiss along your jaw. “I- baby- we need to-” He tries to talk while kissing you, sliding a hand around to squeeze your ass and moaning again at the feel of your body in his hands. “Hang on.” He pulls away, panting and trying to calm himself down. “It’s done? You’re done with Brad?” He asks, needing to make sure.

You nod, your chest heaving. “It’s over. I gave him back the ring. We are done.” You promise, looking into his eyes. You wouldn’t lie to him and you couldn’t lie to yourself. It wasn’t what you wanted, Brad wasn’t what you wanted and you came to the decision that you’d rather be alone than be with a man you only sort of love. It was wrong of you to accept the proposal but you never lied to Brad about your feelings. You grab onto Frankie’s shoulder, desperate for him as you push him down onto the sofa and straddle him. “It’s over.” You vow, leaning forward to kiss Frankie’s jaw.

“Fuck.” He shudders, wrapping his arms around you and pulling you down against his hard cock. Grinding up against your soft, hot core through your sleep shorts and his jeans. He can feel the heat and he thinks he might die if you don’t let him touch you. “Baby, let me take you to bed.” He begs, wanting nothing more than to sink into you, make you his. He slides his hands under your shirt and caresses your back. “Let me make love to you.”

You whine, unable to believe this is happening after thinking about it for so many years. “Yes. Yes. Please Frankie. I- I need you.” You beg, reluctantly getting out of his grip so you can stand. You reach for Frankie’s hand and he stands up so you can guide him down the hall to your bedroom. You exhale shakily, heart fluttering as you stand in front of Frankie in the dim light of your bedroom. Your eyes meet his and you reach for the hem of his shirt, needing it off of his body.

LIfting his arms, he helps you take off his shirt, unable to believe that this is finally happening. “I- uh, I haven’t had sex with anyone since…” He blows out a breath. “Since Monica.” He tells you, lifting his brows earnestly. “I’m clean. Tested after I found out.” He had been a little fucking annoyed about having to go get tested, having lectured several younger soldiers about STDs when they had come to him about their shit burning when they pee. He flicks the button of his jeans open and takes out his wallet. “But I have a condom if you want.”

You shake your head, “it’s up to you baby. I - I haven’t had sex with Brad for a while and I- we always used condoms. Told him I didn’t want to get pregnant even if I’m on birth control. I am clean and I want to feel you. Every inch of you.” You tell him, pulling your shirt over your head to expose your tits.

“Fuck.” He tosses his wallet down and reaches up to cup both of your tits in his hands. “You know how many times I’ve wanted to see these?” He moans, brushing his thumbs over your stiff nipples and squeezing them. “Suck on them and see if you liked that?” He watches you as he ducks his head and wraps his lips around a nipple.

You gasp, a moan escaping your lips as he eagerly sucks on your nipple before he switches over to the other one. “Fuck baby. I- I’ve imagined this way too many times. Especially seeing you in uniform. God, wanted you to fuck me wearing your uniform.” Your deepest fantasies are spilling out of you now as you caress his back.

He groans, kissing the top of your breast and up your chest as he stands back up, sliding his hands around your body to push your shorts down. “I will.” He promises, finding your lips again and pecking them again hungrily. “Gonna fuck you every way you want.” He huffs out, hating to let go of you so he can start pushing his own jeans down his hips.

You watch him as he pushes his jeans down along with his boxers, and you kick your shorts aside as you inhale sharply at the girth and size of his cock. “Fuck me. How - God, you - wow.” You exhale, unable to stop yourself from reaching out to wrap your fingers around his cock to feel how thick he is.

“Shit.” He hisses at the feeling of you touching him. Closing his eyes and rocking his hips forward into your grip. It’s been so fucking long since he’s been with someone. The day his marriage fell apart, and you are the woman he’s always dreamed of. “Fuck, fuck…” He bats your hand away and shakes his head. “I’m not going to last if you touch me, baby.” He confesses. “I want you too much.”

“It’s okay. I don’t care. I just want to feel you.” You tell him, letting go of his cock and you step closer to wrap your arms around his neck, dragging him down for a kiss as you press yourself against him and trap his cock between you so it’s pressed against your stomach. You walk backwards towards your bed, needing to feel more of him.

He feels when your body falls back, dragging him with you. His arms come out from around you, bracing on the bed so he doesn’t hurt you. Staying as close as possible while cushioning his weight off you. It’s intoxicating how quickly your legs open for him, wrapping around his waist and he thanks God you haven't been wearing underwear. HIs cock sliding down to press against your cunt and he rolls his hips forward, groaning against your lips while he reaches between you and lines up, quickly pushing inside of you a few inches.

You hiss at the stretch, wet but not wet enough to take Frankie’s impressive girth. “Shit. Frankie. I- give me a second. You’re - you’re so thick. It - it stings. Hang on.” You rasp, wishing you could just take him fully inside of you but his impressive cock is stretching you.

Frankie freezes, pulling out of you quickly and shuffling down your body. “Wait-” He shakes his head and spreads your legs wider, settling between them. “Should have done this first.” He tells you, leaning in and sliding his tongue through your folds. He doesn’t care that he’s having to wait to be inside you, he wants you to enjoy every second of him inside you. Slightly cocky because of you needing a moment. “Cum on my tongue first, baby.”

You cry out when his tongue flicks over your clit, intense and honestly the best feeling you’ve ever felt. No one has made you feel like this. You reach down to tangle your fingers through his hair as he laps at your clit. “God baby. It’s - it’s good. Just need - suck on my clit. I need more.” You order, wanting him to know what you like.

He shifts, obeying your order quickly and huffing into your cunt when you give him a loud moan. He loves that sound, pretty and pleading as it comes out of your throat. Making his cock leak into your sheets and he knows that you are just going to be perfect when you cum. He sucks, lets go to nibble and lick before he sucks again, groaning when you pull on his hair, dark eyes watching your face.

Your hips rock up into his face, unable to stop yourself as he makes you feel better than you have in years. “Fuckkkk Frankie. Feels so - so fucking good baby.” Your chin comes down to rest on your chest, watching him as he watches you, his jaw stretched wide so he can access every inch of your cunt. “Fingers. Need your fingers to stretch me out.” You plead, reaching for his hand to grab onto.

He grunts, lacing the fingers of his one hand with yours while he moves to wet his others with your slick. Slowly pushing them inside you gently and groaning at how tight you are. No wonder you had stopped him. His cock twitches but he ignores it, concentrates on making you feel good and get you ready to take him.

Your walls flutter around his fingers when he resumes sucking on your clit and you are poised to cum. “Shit, Frankie. Yes. Yes. Gonna - gonna cum.” You cry, feeling that tension in your stomach as your thighs begin to shake.

He watches you carefully, needing you to cum for him. Needing to see and hear you, feel you come apart for him, because of him. He curls his fingers up and groans when your entire body tenses up, cock nearly exploding when he hears you cry out his name loud enough that your neighbors will hear. He wants them to hear.

Collapsing back against the bed, you pant as he works you through your orgasm and you swear it’s the best you’ve ever had. “Shit. Frankie. I- I need you.” You plead, reaching down to grab onto his shoulder, wanting him to come up to you.

He huffs, kissing up your body as he works his way up to press his lips to yours. “I love you.” He promises, settling over you again. He’s desperate to be inside you, but he doesn’t want to hurt you again. This time starting to press into you slowly.

Your mouth falls open as he pushes into you, making you sigh his name as the sting is gone, leaving only pleasure. Your hands grip his upper arms, your eyelashes flutter as you watch him while he pushes into you. When he is pressed against your cervix, you kiss his chin. "I love you, Francisco." You whisper, your heart feeling like it's gonna pound out of your chest.

“I love you, baby.” He pants out, leaning down and pressing his forehead against yours while he just absorbs the feeling of you around him. It’s probably the best fucking thing he’s ever felt in his entire life. “God I love you, always loved you.” He promises, rocking his hips slowly to pull back. “You are amazing. Fuck you feel perfect.”

You cup his cheeks, keeping your eyes fixed on his as he rocks into you. Your legs wrap around his waist to lock your ankles together, keeping him as close as possible. “It’s always been you. Always you. Fuck, Frank. You feel so good.” You whimper.

It’s perfect. He can’t take his eyes off of you as he slowly works himself in and out of your body. Lasting longer than he thought it would, groaning everytime you clench around his length and makes his eyes flutter at how tight you are gripping him. “You - baby, fuck, you’re so good.” He murmurs, pressing his lips to yours again.

“Cum if you want. We have the rest of our lives to do this.” You smile, wanting to see him when he orgasms. “Cum for me baby. I want - I want to feel it.” You rock up to meet his thrusts, grinding up against him, your tits pressed against his chest.

“God.” He groans, his pace picking up to quick, hard thrusts. He can’t help it. You are his dream girl and he’s waited forever to have you. “Fuck- love you.” He pants out, hips faltering as he thrusts once more before burying his cock deep and groaning your name while he fills you up.

You caress his neck and shoulders as he stiffens above you. Making you moan his name as he paints your walls with his cum. The look on his face has you close to cumming but you just kiss his jaw, loving the way he groans your name as he rocks himself through his orgasm.

“Oh fuck.” He pants, his body relaxing and he leans down to kiss you again and again before he rolls off of you. “Fuck, you didn’t cum.” He pouts, looking over at you and turning to curl up against your side, sliding his hand down to your still spread legs. “You want to cum baby? Cum on my fingers? Or do you want to get a toy to help you cum?”

You turn to look at him, “I want you to fuck me with your fingers. I’m close, baby. Won’t take long.” You promise, moaning when his fingers push into you, his cum squelching as it drips onto your sheets. “Yessss.” You sigh, closing your eyes at how his thick fingers feel inside of you.

“Fuck, I’m going to live right here.” He coos, pumping his fingers in and out of your cunt and leaning in to kiss along your jaw. “I’m gonna just fuck you, make you cum as many times as I can. I want you to cum for me, baby.” He orders, wanting to see you cum again. To hear his name on your lips again.

You love hearing his words, unable to believe you are finally experiencing him like this. Your walls flutter around his fingers, close to an orgasm. “Frankie. Oh God. I’m gonna - I’m gonna-” You cry out, clamping down on his digits.

Brushing his nose against your cheek, he moans while you cum apart for him. He works you through it, keeping his fingers deep inside you, making sure that you are riding it out while he pushes against that spongy spot. “I love you.” He whispers, sighing softly and kissing your cheek.

You push his hand away, shifting to press your lips against his. "I love you. I can't stop saying it. I never - I never thought you felt the same way. Frankie...I want to spend the rest of my life with you. This isn't - I don't want to be your girlfriend for the next year. I want more. Not right now. But eventually, I want you to be my husband, the father of my children." You lay your cards out on the table, wanting him to know exactly how you feel.

Frankie sighs happily, smiling before he kisses you again. “I want that too.” He promises. “I - when I married Monica, I - I was wishing it was you.” He confesses. “I am so sorry. I didn’t know you thought of me as anything but your brother’s friend, as your friend.” He nudges his nose against yours. “I want to marry you too, when you’re ready. And have kids.”

You caress his cheek as you swing your leg over his hip, trying to get as close as possible. "I want to keep this between us for now. I know my brothers...they will think that I am rebounding after Brad and I want them to freak out as little as possible about us." You murmur, tracing his lips as his mustache tickles your fingertips.

Frankie frowns but he nods. He knows that your brothers would think that he was taking advantage of you when you were vulnerable no matter what he said. He sighs and reaches up to capture your hand and kisses your fingertips. “We announce it at your pace.” He promises you.

****

You carry the bowl of potato salad into the kitchen, wondering when Frankie is going to "arrive." You arrived at Benny and Will's cookout separately to not rouse suspicion. You set the potato salad down, glancing around as Martha - Pope's current girlfriend - fusses over the guacamole she bought over. "Hey trouble." Will greets you, kissing your cheek as he leans over your shoulder. You hear the doorbell ring and smirk as you realize that must be Frankie.

Benny opens the door, grinning happily. “There he is!” Your brother crows happily. “Did you finally drag yourself out of your mystery lady’s bed in order to join us?” He asks slyly, making Frankie grunt and roll his eyes. He has been asking, hinting about who Frankie has been spending time with. “You don’t live in the BOQ and you don’t live with any of us, so you must be shacked up with your hunny.” He throws his arm around Frankie as he teases him. “When are we going to meet this girl that has you smiling that silly ‘I just got laid’ grin?”

Frankie huffs and pushes Benny’s arm off of him. “Told you I’m just laying low.”

You bite your lip, trying to smother your own grin. You and Frankie have been so fucking happy. You don't think you've ever been happier, spending Sundays wrapped up in bed with him, cooking meals together, and the most intense sex you've ever had. No wonder he is grinning, you can't seem to stop your own smiles. "Leave Frankie alone. He's enjoying himself." You wink at Frankie as you stand beside Benny. "Hey Frankie." You say, leaning in to kiss his cheek. "I am so wet for you baby." You quickly whisper in his ear, unable to help yourself when he looks so damn good in those jeans and that Standard Oil hat.

Frankie grunts, narrowing his eyes slightly at you when you pull away. “Hey squirt.” He’s taken to calling you annoying nicknames since the two of you had gotten together. “How are you?” He asks like he hadn’t just kissed you twenty minutes before when you left to go to your brother’s house. So far Benny and Will aren’t suspicious and you hadn’t wanted to rock the boat just yet, enjoying the honeymoon phase of the secret relationship.

"I'm good." You nod, trying not to act too giddy.

Benny huffs, "she's been in a good mood too. Ever since she dumped Brad and wasted a shit ton on a wedding that never happened, she's been practically intolerable. Well...more than normal." Benny teases, making you nudge him in the side.

"Come on man, I'll get you a beer. Tom and Pope are outside arguing over the best way to cook a goddamn steak." Will says, throwing his arm around Frankie's shoulders to guide him outside. “Even though we’re having burgers.”

"You do look happy." Molly comments, making you shrug.

"Just happy being by myself. I feel like I am finally where I belong." You half lie, making her hum before she walks over to Martha to help her carry the sides to the table set up outside.

Frankie takes the beer, watching with amusement as Tom and Pope bicker over the way to tell a steak is perfectly done. Pope insisted medium rare was correct, which it was. While Tom insisted that a well done steak was the only way to eat one. He shakes his head and takes a sip of his beer after Will hands it to him, laughing at the two men and glancing over as you step outside to grab your own beer out of the cooler. He can’t believe that he’s finally with the woman that he loves. All he needs is for you to tell your brothers and for them to not kill him and everything would be right in the world.

"So Fish...are you gonna spill the beans? Who's pussy has you grinning like you won the fucking lottery?" Tom asks as he flips one of the burgers. You are sitting down at the table with Molly and Martha, engaged in your own conversation.

Pope nods, "I haven't seen you since we got back, seems like you've been busy."

“Just taking some time for myself.” Frankie shrugs, taking another sip of his beer. “Happy I dodged a bullet with Monica and happy to be stateside for awhile.” He shuffles and looks around. “How are things with Martha?” He asks Pope, trying to change the subject

Pope grins, looking over at his girlfriend. “Really good. I- I know I’m usually a fuck and duck kind of guy but I like her. Not sure it’s love yet but she’s good for me.” You look over your shoulder as the men all glance over after Pope responded to the question and your eyes meet Frankie’s, deciding to stand up while everyone is outside and busy. You know he will know the look as you make your way inside the house.

He sets a timer in his head. Ninety seconds before he joins you. “You seem happy, man.” He acknowledges, ripping his head back to drain the rest of his beer. “You deserve it, she’s great.” That he’s being honest about. He does like Pope’s girlfriend and he wants his friend to be happy.

“Yes she is.” Pope agrees with a sappy grin.

Frankie tosses the bottle in the can set up and looks around. “I’m going to take a piss and grab another beer.” He offers before he turns and heads towards the house, eager to be alone with you again.

You are washing up some of the dishes for your brothers when Frankie wraps his arms around you. You set the clean bowl down, turn off the faucet and dry your hands as he kisses along your neck. You hum, tilting it before you spin in his arms, pressing your lips to his. “So dumb. Already miss you.” You murmur against his mouth, gripping his shirt in your fingers to keep him close as he presses you into the kitchen counter.

“You’re a fucking tease.” He complains, sliding his hands down and moving them up underneath the dress you are wearing. “Wearing this fucking dress. Telling me you're wet.” He growls and slides his fingers along the slick seam of your panties. “God, I love you.” He murmurs, rubbing your clit while he hisses along your jaw.

You gasp, moaning softly when his fingers dip under the elastic of your panties to discover how wet you are. “I- I can’t help it. You turn me on with just a look. When I - shit.” You hiss when he slowly rubs your clit, “when I saw you walk in with those jeans and that hat, I was soaking. You’re too fucking sexy Francisco Morales.” You giggle breathlessly, kissing his ear as he kisses along your jaw.

“You’re too sexy.” He groans, cock throbbing in his jeans as he slides his fingers inside you. Unable to resist fingering you in your brother’s kitchen because of how damn irresistible you are. “You want to cum on my fingers?” He coos in your ear. “Have me finger you while your brothers are outside?”

You bite your lip to smother your moan. “God, yes. Please Frankie. Baby, want you to make me cum on your fingers and then - then we are gonna go out there and act like nothing happened. Our sexy secret. You eating - eating a burger and tasting me on your fingers.” You tilt your head back as his thumb presses against your clit. “I’ll make it up to you later. Give you a - a blow job.” You promise breathlessly.

“Hmmmm.” Frankie’s cock twitches, dribbling a small spurt of precum into the fabric of his boxers. “I love seeing your pretty little mouth around my cock.” He twists his wrist to start curling his fingers up into you. “On your knees with your eyes watering, begging me to fill that mouth with my cum.”

You cling to him, so close to your orgasm when his fingers curl just right. “Love- love sucking your cock. Love it when you cum down my throat. God Frankie. I- oh God. Oh fu-” You don’t get to finish your moan when Benny walks into the kitchen.

“Fuck! What the fuck is going on here?” He yells, rushing over to drag Frankie off of you and your eyes are wide, blood now cold as Benny pushes Frankie whose fingers are wet with your arousal and his jeans still tented with his hard cock.

“Shit! I can-“ Frankie holds his hands up, ready to talk to your brother when he swings, belting Frankie in the face. “Fuck!” Frankie doubles over and squeezes his eyes shut, not doubting for a second that the younger Miller brother just broke his goddamn nose. “Fuck!”

“Benny!” You scream, reaching out to grab your brother's arm. “Stop! Stop! Don’t - don’t hurt him anymore. Please don’t.” You plead but Benny goes to hit Frankie again. “Stop! You need to fucking stop! I love him!” You yell, chest heaving as the rest of the boys come into the kitchen to see what has happened.

Frankie clutches his nose, blood pouring out and Will steps between them. “Oh fuck.” Tom groans. “You’ve been fucking the sister, Cat?”

Benny huffs and Will turns around, glaring at his younger brother and grabbing his neck. “Stand down.” He growls, before he turns back to you. “What the fuck is going on?” Will demands.

You stride over to Frankie after grabbing a clean tea towel, “I- I love him Will. I have loved him since I was seventeen and I- he’s the reason I couldn’t marry Brad. He’s always had my heart and I- I am in love with him. I love you and Benny but you won’t stop me from being with Frankie. I wanted to tell you guys properly but - shit. Are you okay baby?” You ask Frankie, brushing his hair back since Benny knocked it off of his head.

Frankie glowers at Benny, pissed off that he had broken his nose, but he nods, pulling his hand away so you can look. “Fuck Ben, why do you hit first and ask later?” He hisses, wincing when you touch the rag to his nose. “I love your sister. I’m not going to fucking hurt her.”

You turn to look at Benny, “I have never been happier. I love Frankie. He’s the love of my life, always has been. Please Benny, he was just - it was me who started it. He’s - I’ve never been happier. He makes me happy.” You tell your brothers, hoping they accept this.

“Fuck.” Benny huffs, turning around and rubbing his hand over his face. “I’ll get some ice.” He mutters and Will pins you with a disappointed look.

“Why didn’t you tell us?” He asks, making Frankie almost snort and then give a small groan from the pain. Black eyes are already blooming and making him look like a raccoon although the bleeding is slowing down.

“Would you have listened to her?” Frankie demands. “If she told you that I hadn’t taken advantage of her after she broke off her wedding? She gets babied by you two. Too much.”

You dab under Frankie’s nose before turning back to look at Will. “It’s true. I love you both so much but you would’ve freaked out no matter how you found out about me and Frankie. Please, just - just let me be happy. For the first time in my life, I feel like I belong.” You confess, knowing the Miller family has been good to you and you love them dearly but you always felt a little out of place since you’re adopted. With Frankie, you feel like you’re home.

That makes Will deflate, his shoulder dropping and Benny comes back with an ice pack, a wounded look on his face. “We- we made you feel like you didn’t belong?” He asks quietly, heartbroken at the thought, and hands you the ice pack, one he uses when he fights on the weekends.

You shake your head, taking the ice pack and Frankie hisses when it’s pressed to his nose. “You did nothing wrong. I love you both so much and your parents, they took me in and treated me like their own, but I was adopted. I don’t even remember my birth parents. I know it’s hard to understand but it felt like a part of me was missing. It still does, but with Frankie, I feel like I’m home. He’s my home. You will always be my family, always, but Frankie is the - the man I love for the rest of my life. Please, can you accept that? I’m sorry I didn’t tell you both earlier but I love him and I- I plan to marry him and have a family with him.”

“Shit.” Benny groans, closing his eyes and sighing. Will nods, feeling the exact same way as his younger brother. You aren’t joking. You are in love with Frankie. You never sounded this sure about Brad.

“And you?” Will asks, needing reassurances from his teammate and friend. The man he thought of as another brother.

Frankie lowers the ice pack from his face and gives both of them a solemn look. “I’m going to marry your sister.” He tells them. “And I’m going to have kids with her, build a life and love her until the day I die.”

You can’t stop the silly smile on your face as you look at the man you love, his nose stained with blood and eyes bruised. You’d kiss him if you could. Everyone notices the way you smile at each other when Frankie’s eyes meet yours until he hisses his pain. “You hurt her, no one will find your body.” Will warns before he looks at Benny, silently telling him to accept this.

Frankie nods, relieved that the older, more levelheaded brother is accepting the two of you this easily. “I wouldn’t expect anything else.” He tells Will truthfully, although he would never hurt you. Turning to Benny, he waits for his friend's reaction. Benny sighs again, shaking his head and reaching out to slap Frankie on the shoulder. “Sorry about the nose man.” He apologizes with a huff. “It’s not everyday you walk in on your best friend fingering your sister.”

You can’t help but fluster at that. “Sorry about that man. She’s just-” Frankie shakes his head, cutting himself off before he gets into any more trouble.

Tom and Pope snort, “yeah best not say anything else unless you don’t want your balls.” Pope chuckles, ignoring the glare from Benny.

You focus on Frankie and his nose. “You okay baby?” You ask and he nods.

“I’ve had worse.” He assures you and you cup his cheeks.

“It could’ve been worse.” You whisper and Frankie snorts, “yeah they could’ve killed me.”

****

Frankie groans, leaning down and pressing his lips to yours. Keeping his hips pushing down, pinning you to the bed as he rocks into you. “Love you baby.” The sentiment is just as true today as when he murmurs it the first time telling you that he couldn’t watch you marry Brad. “I love you.” It’s been years since then. Things have changed. A lot. But his love and commitment to you has never wavered.

You grip his back, moaning his name as he rocks into you. He still feels so good, so intense, even after all these years. “I love you too. God Frankie, I- I don’t think I could live without you.” You confess, feeling sentimental tonight as he slowly makes love to you. “Gonna make me cum.” You whine, tilting your head back against the pillows as he grinds against that spot deep inside of you.

His lips slide over your skin, kissing under your jaw and along your throat as you tip your head back. Feeling your walls pulsing around him and he knows that you are going to cum. “Do it.” He rasps, your fingers intertwined with his and the rings he had placed on your hand flashing under the soft light of the room. “Cum for me baby.” He groans when you do, whimpering out his name softly while your entire body shudders under him, clenching down around him. “Fuck- fuck baby, that’s it. That’s-” The monitor by the bedside crackles to life. The cry of your son ringing out loudly and making Frankie freeze on top of you.

Your instincts kick in and you sigh as Frankie groans, pulling out of you to flop beside you on the bed, his cock throbbing and covered in your slick. “Stay hard. I’ll be right back, baby. Gotta see what the little monster wants.” You smirk, reaching for your dressing gown and you pull it on as you make your way to the nursery.

Looking up at the ceiling, he listens to you murmur as you change the baby’s diaper and croon to him softly. The oldest, his little girl, is already in Kindergarten and he can’t believe that the baby is already three months old. You’ve done exactly what the two of you said you would, building a life together. Sure there have been bumps in the road along the way, but he still loves waking up next to you and calling you his wife. Smirking when Benny scowls if he gets a little too handsy with you around your older brother.

You carry the baby back into the bedroom, closing the door to not disturb Ella from her sleep, and you turn to see Frankie stroking his cock. “You have no idea how much I want to just kneel down and take you into my mouth right now.” You moan softly, opening your robe after you settle down on the bed beside your husband. You undo it, cradling the baby in one arm as he latches on, immediately sucking on your nipple to gulp down the milk.

Frankie smirks and looks over to watch his son eat. It’s always been something that takes his breath away. “I think you’re a little busy, baby.” He teases, not stopping the slow strokes of his cock. Hand wrapped around himself while he slowly rocks his hips up. “Our little monster is our first priority. I’ll just sit here, neglected, with my balls about to burst.”

“You know he will fall asleep in a few minutes. Let me take care of you.” You shift the baby slightly before you reach over with your free arm to bat Frankie’s hand away, taking him into your grip and pumping him just how he likes. You watch him as his mouth falls open when you twist your wrist just right.

He lets out a ragged breath, careful not to be too loud to disturb the baby. It wasn’t like he would know what was going on or ever remember. Reaching over and caressing your thigh, needing to touch you. “Oh fuck.” He whispers, eyes dark and fixed on yours. “Fuck I love you.”

You keep a steady pace with your hand, twisting your wrist and swiping your thumb over the leaking head to gather up the pre-cum as you pump him. “I love you too baby. You gonna cum for me? Gonna cum for me now?” You coo, wishing you could kiss him but the baby has already fallen asleep against your chest, your nipple in his mouth.

“Yes.” Frankie whines, panting out soft breaths as his hips rock up frantically. He always loves how you look at him when you want him to cum. Pleading, like you need to see it. Keeping his eyes on yours, he feels his body tighten. Mouth dropping open and a strangled groan coming out while he paints his stomach and chest with his seed.

You work him through it, loving the soft groans that escape his lips as he cums. When he slumps back against the bed, you take your hand away and bring it to your lips to lick off the errant drops of cum that dripped onto your hand. “In the morning, I’ll suck you off.” You promise, “if this one doesn’t get me up first.” You coo, looking down at your sleeping son. Blissfully unaware of what just happened between his parents. “Is it wrong to already say I want another one?” You smile, looking over at your husband.

Frankie chuckles, shaking his head at your eagerness to have another baby. “Let’s get this one out of diapers and figure out what’s going on with the suspension.” He sighs heavily, knowing he fucked up but he was grateful that you had stood by him. He had been told by the lawyers that it was probable that it could be thrown out, considering his other drug tests had come back clean. Chalking it up to a false positive. He reaches out and strokes the baby’s head before he groans. “I’ve got to get cleaned up and meet the guys.” He tells you as he sits up, his cum cooling on his chest.

You sigh, knowing that Frankie misses his work. You’d had a difficult birth with your son and nearly died. In fact, they pronounced you dead at one point before you came back and it took you a few weeks to recover and get out of hospital, leaving Frankie to look after the baby. One night, after dropping the kids at his mom’s for a break, it got too stressful and he turned to something he’s never done before and never would again. Then the surprise drug test the next day came back positive. You understood why he tried coke, the stress must’ve been insane, and you don’t blame him for the suspension. He vowed he’d never do it again and you know he’s telling the truth. “Okay baby. Tell Benny I said good luck for tonight and tell Pope to come and see his godson. Will and Benny are Ella’s godfathers so it’s only fair Pope has a turn.” You kiss Frankie’s lips after he rounds the bed to head towards the bathroom but not before kissing you.

“I will, baby.” He promises, knowing that Pope will have to come over if what he had said in his text was real. He supposedly had a job for Frankie, something that would be an easy seventeen thousand and he can’t deny that he needs the money right now. He needs to make sure that you and the kids are provided for and right now being grounded meant he was making less. “You need anything when I come home?” He asks from the bathroom, wetting a rag to wash his cum off his body. “Diapers, tampons, chocolate?”

“Can you get me a milkshake from that place on your way home?” You ask, biting your lip. You craved them during your pregnancy and now, you still love them. Thankful you didn’t hate any of your cravings after giving birth. You carefully shuffle off of the bed, careful to not wake the baby as you walk into the bathroom, kissing Frankie’s shoulder as you look at him in the mirror. “I love you.” You say, resting your head on his shoulder as you cradle the baby.

He turns his head to kiss the top of yours, looking at you in the mirror. “I love you too.”

You smile, turning your head to kiss his lips. You have the family you always dreamed of having with Frankie. If only you could go back and tell your seventeen year old self that it’s all gonna work out and you’ll be happy. It would have saved you and Frankie a lot of heartache but ultimately, it made you both stronger and it was all meant to be. Francisco Morales was destined to be yours.

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