Out-doors shower

Triple frontier boys (all of them alive) AU– Frankie – f!reader (little not to description besides long hair)

Time frame: some time – no reference of the job in South America

Being part of an otherwise all-men teams wasn't easy. You had had to prove yourself in everything. Starting with the most simple things of packing a backpack, and shooting to the more complex once of sniping and piloting.

If you had to range them from most difficult to the easiest to deal with you would have had no difficulty in putting them in an order.

There was Tom: in your eyes a misogynist who didn't think you could even lace your boots properly. He was the worst and had earned himself the highest rank on your asshole-list. He gave you enough reasons to either avoid him or to snap at him.

Then there was Will: the no-nonsense, get-your-job-done, no-scolding-is-enough-praising type of man. He had been sceptical in the beginning when you joined their team but with every task you had completed well or even excellent he had become more friendly and comradely. And when he had addressed you one day with "hey man", you know that you belonged to the team fully in his eyes.

Somewhere either before Will or after him came Pope: It was funny. He was the only one you never addressed by his given name. Not like the others. The days when he came second on your list, right after Tom were the days when he thought he had to try to hook up with you. It had even earned him a nice red imprint of your hand on his cheek right on the first occasion. From then on he had been more careful, even more cautious. From then on he tried to play it more as a joke than anything else. On the days when he earned his place further down he was downright considerate.

Ben on the other hand was fun, knew the worst and lewdest jokes without making you feel uncomfortable. He had immediately earned his place as your younger brother. Something that stuck continually even with the others after he messed something up for which you almost tore his head off. "This shit could have killed you, idiot!" – "Yeah, big sis. Next time I'll listen to you." Whatever you had wanted to say died on your tongue while the others roared with laughter. Especially after Will added "Finally you understand, Ben!"

And then there was Frankie. He was the easiest to get along with. Maybe it was the piloting that gave you something to talk about, maybe it was just his quiet and even shy behaviour. Whatever it was he had always been the one you preferred to work and team up with.

With the last job completed you all had ended up in this lonely cabin high up in the mountains. It would have been a nice place for tours through the mountains or even a romantic weekend. After two weeks sleeping under the stars – or better rain clouds – this cabin looked like a five-star-hotel. On entering you took in the large room which was kitchen, dining room and living room in one with a large fireplace to add some cosiness. There was also a ladder which led up to the next floor with just another large place with several mattresses. You hadn't expected any luxury and it hadn't been the first time that you had to share a place or room with your mates, but there was still one thing missing and you went looking for it.

You didn't hold back the elaborate sigh. Opposite the cabin just not hidden at all by some bushes – an outdoor privy! Gorgeous! But at least it had four wooden walls around it. Now you knew that your chances for a hot bath had reached zero. And true to what you feared there was the outdoor shower in all its glory.

Four wooden walls, a small opening to slip inside the cube, a shower head and no roof. Heck! - the walls were not even that high! Sceptically you stood next to the vertical wooden planks. If all went well everything below your shoulders would be hidden. But that was on the outside, what about the insides? You had to be sure and so you stepped into the cube with the tiled floor. The result was the same and you with puffed cheeks you let go of the breath you had held without knowing.

With the prospect of a shower to wash off the sweat, grime and other nastier things with two weeks your mood improved considerably. You almost ran back to get the things you needed from your pack: fresh undergarments, the last set of clean clothing, the bar of soap, the small bottle of shampoo (Oh how your hair would take revenge for neglecting it and denying it its finer treatments!), a larger towel to dry your body and the small but effective wrap-around for your hair.

To be the first in the shower was your declared aim and not even Tom's grumpy grunt or Pope's sneer ("Hey, Badger! Do you really want to take all that with you while you dig yourself a hole again?") let you falter. Quite to the contrary, your spirits were high enough to answer him ("That Badger almost tore your arm off when you wanted to pull her out of her hole!") although you were in a hurry to get to the shower.

That's the codename they had given you, Badger or honey badger – if the boys were nice and mild-mannered. How you came to that name had been very obvious, at least to them.

Your first mission with them and Tom had sentenced you to simple observation task or to put it in his blunt words: "You don't think that I am willing to risk one of our asses just on your words or these references? You keep out of our way. Or if you to prefer to see it in a more glorious way: you cover us, from there, above the tree-line."

You hadn't said anything as the anger boiled up in you. The only consolation had been that it had actually been a good place for sniping. You hadn't cared too much if Tom had recognized that or not. The others had, obviously, as they had handed you the long rifle and the stand along with enough ammo. You had to hurry to reach your destination and you had barely settled in when they had already started to move.

But suddenly things went south. The supposedly calm observation point was suddenly the focus of attention. Pope had given you a short warning to disappear and that was what you had done. Desperation, fear and the perfect underground helped you to vanish from the surface in record time.

You had barely time to inform Pope that you had dug yourself in when the place was overrun by those who should have been your targets. You had to stay put, be quiet and prepared and hope for the best. You had been on edge as time dragged on. The voices outside, above your hide-out seemed to waver, becoming louder then more quite, just to draw in closer again. And at some point of time they had lulled you.

You came startled awake when somebody tried to invade the space you had dug out and crawled into and you immediately fought back. Only the swearing, the constant calling of your codename and your real name had made you realize that it had been Pope who had tried to pull you out.

When both of you had finally emerged he had sported the evidence of how hard you had fought him – scratches and a rapidly blackening jaw and eye. Profoundly he had excused but he had made fun of you, comparing to a badger defending its cave.

The name had stuck: badger, honey badger – but only one secretly called you just honey.

Celebrating with a whispered "yes!" that no one had bet you to the shower you slipped in, positioned they utensils and fresh clothing, undressed and adjusted the waterflow. Reaching up you pulled out the hair pins that kept your braid up and tugging it out of its hiding place underneath the French braid which you always wore.

It came close to a miracle that the water heated up really quickly and you could stand under the jets raining down on you. To feel the grime, the sweat, the blood and the mud wash away off your body and hair which you loosened under the water by running your fingers through the strands to work the braid open. What a bliss!

What absolute bliss to feel the heat drive the dampness and cold from your bones. When you felt soaked thoroughly you started washing your hair. Lathing and rinsing you made sure that she didn't any foam into your eyes or water in your ears. You became more or less oblivious to your surroundings as you tilted your head back to let the water spray into your face. Completely consumed by your routine you failed to notice what happened outside your small shower.

"What are you doing here outside?"

Ben was genuinely astonished to find Frankie sitting on the steps that led up to the cabin.

Frankie didn't stop chopping away at the stick and jerked his head towards the cabin: "They are too loud and I want to catch the next place in the waiting line for the shower.

Ben noticed the small bundle next to Frankie: "Oh. Then I better wait here, too. Just have to get my stuff."

As he headed back towards the cabin Frankie let go of a sigh. As soon as Ben was back his quiet time would be over.

"Waiting for the shower?"

This time Frankie looked shortly up and nodded at Pope with a short hum. When Pope sat down and put a similar bundle next to his, he pressed his lips together.

"Hey, I was here before you!"

Ben was back and squeezed himself between the already sitting men.

"Jeeesus. Ben you are a pest!"

Both Pope and Frankie scooted to the sides to make room for Ben. And both men were thankful when Ben kept quiet for some time.

But then Ben nudged Pope's side until he had his attention. Pope looked up and followed Ben's nod. His eyes landed on the shower cabin.

"That's the first time I see her with her hair open." Pope's voice was low, he wasn't talking to anyone in particular and mostly to himself.

"True. Though it's not like we see that much."

They sat in silence for another spell of time which was only broken by the sound of metal slicing along wood.

"I wonder how long it actually is."

It was Ben's turn to muse and Pope huffed amusedly. When he turned his head to look at Ben his gaze fell on Frankie who was pointedly looking at the stick he was chipping away. Pope didn't pull his eyes away from Frankie who seemed to be in his own world. Then he added with a sly glint creeping into his eyes.

"Especially when she tilts her head back like that. Or how often you can wrap it round your hand. Eh! Frankie?"

His voice was a soft and mindless ramble: "Down to the crack of her ass and almost twi …"

Frankie broke off and froze.

"What? Are you two fu…"

Ben shot up and stared down at Frankie who was almost as fast as him. The knife bobbed in his hand as he pointed it with each word at Ben.

"… Don't. Say. It."

Frankie growled as he interrupted Ben and glared at him. The tension was thick between them and Pope quickly reacted.

"Then why are you sitting here and don't join her. Shortens the waiting line."

Pope's eyes were still twinkling mischievously.

"Man!"

Frankie flustered and he felt his neck getting warm. When Pope just nodded with a grin Frankie bent quickly and picked up his bundle.

They could hear him grumble while he stomped over towards the shower.

"Honey badger."

Your eyes opened instantly Frankie's voice was really close. And he was close, he was in the cramped space of the shower cube already as naked as on the day that he was born.

"What …?"

"Honey, I'm sorry I got careless and gave us away."

You wanted to get angry at him, but when you saw him standing there with his head hanging low and a self-loathing looking in his eyes, you simply couldn't. Instead you reached out for his arm and pulled him closer to you.

And then there were the taunting yips and catcalls.

Badger or honey badger was you codename. But it was simply Honey when you were alone with Frankie.