AN: Listening to the silent hill 2 soundtrack while typing is both awesome and mildly disturbing as well as boosting my creative energies. Also I yoinked my sister's corset and was wearing it before. XD Um, in other news, I'm probably going to start working on the oneshots that can go alongside this fic and could happen in this universe but probably won't. Like there's one where they go dancing, and another one where there's a wedding, and a really awkward mpreg one. XD So yeah, just review and tell me if you want me to put those up too. XD I'd also like to thank my reviewers for taking the time out to read this. I love all of you, even the haters. -blows kisses-
Disclaimer: I do not own anything within this, nor do I own anything belonging to VALVe.
WARNING: Fluff and short chapter imminent. Also assholery and douchebaggery abounds in this chapter. Nick realizes that maybe Francis isn't as much of an asshole as he originally thought and Rochelle does cute things.
Nick went down the stairs of Ellis' house, still wearing the red flannel pants the kid let him wear. He passed a clock hanging on the wall. 7:45 am. And that tattooed biker guy was still there. What the hell was he doing there anyway? Nick made a face as he passed the man facing away from him, seated at the couch in the small living room, looking for a laundry room or something, somewhere the kid could have possibly put his clothes. He went into one doorway and out again, quietly, moving only for a moment, before going into another room. "What the hell are you doing over there?" Francis craned his neck to look at him, turning and looking over his shoulder, sounding more annoyed than anything but for some reason was quiet.
Seriously, why, oh, why was this dick here? Nick couldn't help but glare at the man. At least the guy didn't look as unclean as he did before when he first showed up on Ellis' doorstep; that might have been why Ellis let him stay in the first place. But Nick knew if the leather-vested douche bag came to his house the way he came to the teen's, he would not hesitate in drop kicking the son of a bitch out the door and into next week.
The brunette padded toward the back of the couch on bare feet, pushing aside his annoyance with the new guy as he spoke. "Do you know if the ki- If Ellis did any other laundry or anything?" He tried to keep the dislike out of his voice but it was very difficult.
The biker shook his head and replied softly, like he was sitting on something that would explode at any moment if he made any loud noises. "The guy's been with you upstairs this entire time."
Nick could tell Francis didn't like him at all and was probably cut from the same cloth as those sadists that beat him up. 'And will you just be quiet?" The biker looked down but Nick couldn't see exactly what he was looking at from where he stood behind the couch. Francis was treating whatever it was like it was a puppy or a really small child.
Curious, Nick stepped forward and looked closer. He saw Rochelle asleep on the couch, using the biker's knee as a pillow, seemingly at home with it, her cheek pressed against the guy's worn black jeans. She also had a blanket Nick was pretty sure wasn't out here before.
"Didn't she say she'd be sleeping in El's guest room?" The brunette murmured, leaning in and gripping the back of the old blue couch. The biker bit his tongue to keep from responding with a snarky "El'? Is that what you call your boyfriend?" just to get a rise out of the brunette. What he did instead was put his hand on Ro's back protectively. "I guess she couldn't sleep, or she was sleepwalkin' or something, cause she just came out here and plopped down beside me." His voice grew softer and warmer when he was talking about the girl.
Nick pulled back a bit more, glancing around. He noticed the blanket. "Did she have this with her or something when she came out here?"
The biker smirked awkwardly, looking down at Ro. "Aw, no, I brought it out here when she fell asleep on the couch."
The brunette's eyebrows went up. So this Francis guy was less of a dick than he thought if he was chivalrous and caring enough to cover Ellis' friend with a blanket while she slept.
Rochelle stirred and gripped Francis' pant leg tightly along with the blanket, her cheek nuzzling his leg a little. Very slowly she opened her eyes and looked around, not realizing where she was at first. Then, once it all came rushing back, she sat up, clenching the blanket tightly around herself. "W-why are you right next to me like that?" She put her hand up to slap him but he caught it like a fucking ninja.
"Look, Ro, I didn't try nothing. You fell asleep out here, I swear!"
Her eyes narrowed and she wrenched her hand out of his grip. "Then why do I have a blanket covering me? And why was I laying on your lap?" Her voice was accusing.
"Ro, lady, shut up, okay? I didn't do anything to you but get you the blanket. I promise. I wouldn't lie to you." He pointed a finger at her, defending himself easily. "I didn't do anything to you."
She, oddly enough, seemed satisfied by this answer and she relaxed a tiny bit. Then, as if she had suddenly realized he called her by a nickname, she tensed up again, bristling like a cat standing up to a ferocious dog, puffing herself up to look bigger almost. "And don't call me Ro! Only my friends call me that!" She jabbed him in the chest with her own bony finger. " And you! Are not! My friend!" She poked him each time, punctuating her words.
"Then let me be your boyfriend!" He replied quickly, almost not meaning to, like it just slipped out, rolling off his tongue easily.
It stopped her dead in her tracks. "W-what?"
"If you let me be your boyfriend, then can I call you 'Ro'?" He said it again, more nervous than last time, which was funny enough because he almost never got nervous. But this Valkyrie woman, Rochelle, was scary as hell. And she was enough to put him in line, and that got him interested. She was hotheaded and not at all bland like the dumb blonde bitches and the bar rats down where he normally hung out. She was normal enough to set him straight, and it both scared and intrigued him.
Her face was heating up quickly and she clung to the blanket he so graciously got for her. She couldn't get herself to speak, her throat was closing up almost, and it took her a moment to get out anything at all. What she did say was "What?" for the second time in as many seconds, figuratively speaking.
"Let me take you out for a date…?" He ventured a question, reluctant, in case she was going to try to slap him again.
Instead of hitting him across the face, she pulled back, almost surprised that he would be the one to ask her out. Normally, it was the total opposite and the guys would only be interested in one thing. Francis didn't seem like that, unless he was trying the nice guy approach to get into her pants. But it usually wouldn't feel like this, so genuine and really like he cared.
"I….I.. fine." She finally replied, still bristling and tense and more than just a little bit nervous and scared. Not of Francis, no, but of herself and what she was getting into. "Yes, I will go out on one date with you. Just one though. No more, no less."
He nodded, the fear of her rejecting him letting up a little more. "Just one then. Just one."
AN: I was originally going to have Francis say something more vulgar to piss off nick but I didn't feel like it was really in his character. And cuteness. :D Yay cuteness. Eh, I know it's short but the Frochelle fans will love me now. XD
R&R please?
REVIEWERS GET WARM FRANCIS-Y BLANKETS AND A NICE BIKER TO SLEEP ON! :D