Falling for the Beast
"LMFranklin20"
Disclaimer: Left 4 Dead does not belong to me and I do not make any money off of this non-canon fiction.
Summary: Dr. Angelica Pavlov is put on the worst possible job she could get: training and socializing a feral Alpha male Hunter. When he shows an unnerving interest in her, Angelica finds herself falling for the beast.
Rating: M+ due to blood, gore, violence, language, and intensely detailed adult situations (In other words, its Infected/Survivor SEX. Don't read it if you don't like it!)
Chapter Eleven: Good boy
"Its been a long time…Can I shake him and see if he wakes up?"
Hannah and Angelica peer down at the drugged Hunter. He rolls onto his back slowly, groaning and rubbing his head. The last thing he remembers is a burly female coming into the pit and shooting him with a bitestick. Angelica is leaning over him, smiling lightly, "See, he's waking up." He groans again and reaches out, catching a bit of her hair between his claws and blearily looking around. This room…is the Red-Haired Female's den. The only difference he can readily note is the presence of a very thick metal door and a very large pet bed lodged into a corner. It almost looks like they had tried to drag him onto it but gave up halfway. "Oh good," Hannah says in relief, "I was starting to worry you put him in a coma or something!"
Angelica's scrubs have been replaced with a knee-length skirt and she gives a half-hearted, "Surprise!" He finally sits up and looks around a little more. After a few minutes it clicks in his head and he scrambles, looking around for the frog, his pelt, and the fabric. Wait-is this for him? He eyes the pet bed with distaste before continuing to search, whining with distress. "Calm down," Angelica almost laughs, having a good idea of what's wrong. She pulls a box out from under her bed and opens it, revealing the contents of his Hunterhouse, minus the rabbit pelt because no one had really wanted to let him keep it.
He whines and sniffs at the box and digs through it before looking up at her stubbornly. She frowns some, "What?" He rolls his eyes at her and tosses the frog to Hannah before tucking the fabric into the waistband of his pants. He's starting to grow very tired of not having his covering and, as if on cue, Angelica smiles, turning to Hannah. The girl giggles and squirms under the bed, coming back with a wide rectangular box with pieces of notebook paper stuck onto it at random. "This one was stuck on the idea that a surprise is supposed to have presents," she half-teases, patting Hannah on the head, "So we found something." Hannah slides the box forward, smiling brilliantly.
The Hunter eyes it for a long moment, raising a brow before he looks at them. Hannah giggles and helps him open it and he pulls out a long piece of fabric, sniffing at it before looking up at them unsurely. "Oh for the love of-" Angelica sighs but it sounds too light to be real irritation. She lifts the hoodie, unfolding it and shaking it out slightly. He sniffs at it again and after a long moment of simply looking at it, it dawns on him that its a covering! He lets out a low curious screech, now circling the fabric and Angelica with it. He stands, leaning over her shoulder to paw at the jacket and his chest pressing against her back. Angelica pushes him back slightly, trying to unzip the hoodie and then taking one of his arms, "Hang on there."
Once its on, he seems to inspect himself, dissatisfied with his loose sleeves but otherwise pleased. He squats in front of them and pulls his hood up, hiding the upper half of his face. Only a few staples from his old eye injury show under the shadows and a slow grin crawls over his face. "Yeah, well. We're going to be doing a lot of work now so I want you to be comfortable. Am I forgiven yet?" she smirks at him and his grin fades as he slowly stalks around her, investigating her up and down with a low rumble. When he sits back down in front of her, he tilts his head up at her and his hand shoots out, lifting her skirt to investigate for hidden weapons.
Angelica yelps in surprise and yanks her skirt back down, blushing madly, "Oh don't you ruin my good mood!" He snorts some, content that she isn't hiding any weapons and investigates around the room now that that desperate mood has settled. The room is minimal in its furnishing, mainly consisting of the bed, a desk with a few drawers and a small dresser that her TV had been perched on. On the desk are a few stacks of paper, her clipboard, and a small stuffed bear beside a framed photograph of Angelica and her niece Paige.
Angelica watches warily to make sure nothing is destroyed. He's only sniffing but pauses at the bear, prodding it with the tip of his claw. Upon being poked, the bear lets out it's prerecorded message of "I wuv you" in an odd, artificial voice. He jumps back, shaking his head and looking sidelong at the bear. His lip curls some and he carefully approaches the bear again, prodding it and leaping back. "I wuv you!" the message plays again at the prodding. Hannah looks up at the bear almost warily, "Miss Angelica, that thing's kinda creepy."
The red-head scoffs some, waving her hand dismissively, "What, that? Its just a present from my niece." He scuttles back, grumbling and glaring at it. Its beady little eyes seem to be following him. Angelica can't help laughing slightly, "What? Is the big bad Hunter afraid of a little bear?" She walks to the desk and then picks up the bear, jokingly putting its face to her arm. "Oh no!" She mock-gasps only to be with the Hunter's immediate snarling and rising to his feet. Angelica raises her hands, tucking the bear back to keep it safe, "Hey! Shh, shhh…it was just a joke, alright?" She smiles lightly, tilting her head, "It was funny?" He growls lowly, eyeing the bear with dangerous intent. It sounds weird. It smells weird. And worst of all, its staring at him.
She accidentally drops the bear, trying to catch it but failing. "Shi-Oops," she corrects herself, glancing at Hannah. The bear lands directly on the Hunter's feet, staring upwards at him and the message plays from the impact.
"I wuv you!"
He leaps like a startled cat, letting out a displeased yowl as he lands on her bed on all-four's. His back is arched and he snatches Hannah towards himself, a little afraid the thing might leap at her next. Hannah giggles and mock-frowns at the bear on the floor."Bad bear!" She makes the shape of a gun with her fingers and pretend-shoots at the bear with "pew-pew" noises. He jerks away from her, looking at her oddly and sliding her to the floor. He whines, starting to feel very uncomfortable in the room. He almost wishes he was back in the pit.
Angelica sighs, throwing her arms up, "Alright, alright, I'll put the bear away." She picks it up and tucks it away into a dresser drawer, underneath her clothes. He only whines again and then stuffs his head under the covers. He doesn't know why Little Female was imitating firesticks or why His Female has such an evil little creature. Hannah frowns and pokes at the blankets some, thinking maybe she's done something bad? Angelica only frowns at his lack of adjustment. With the mood calmer and the ease in the room, she had expected him to adjust better. He lets out a tentative whine, burrowing until his face is at the other side of the blankets and his butt is sticking out the other side.
Angelica stares down at him with a frown, "What's wrong?" He lays his head on her thigh, peering up at her and then frowns when he sees Hannah's eyes filming over. "What'd I do?" He sits up, hesitating but she doesn't have any firesticks, of course. He licks one of her little hands and nudges her other carefully. Hannah looks at her hand with confusion but then Angelica springs up, "Oh, that's right. I have something for you. It was supposed to be for testing but I think you might enjoy it too Hannah."
She pulls paper out of a desk drawer and then picks up a jar, setting it down for them. Hannah's eyes light up, "Its finger paint! Like in daycare!" He sniffs some, tilting his head and looking up at her in confusion. Hannah giggles as Angelica sets the papers and a jar of blue paint down on the floor, "Have at it." Hannah bounces a little, laying on the floor on her stomach and setting in on the paper intently. He watches Hannah for a moment and then seems to get the gist. He crawls off the bed and dips a claw into the paint and draws it along the paper, cocking his head when it makes a mark. He's starting to get excited, bouncing slightly and then dipping his whole hand into the jar and swiping at the paper.
Within moments, paper is flying every, paint is splattered on the walls in big handprints and the Hunter is the middle of it all, letting out excited shrieks. His hoodie is splattered in paint as well and excitedly turns in a circle, swiping paint at his feet. Angelica dances back, gasping when paint hits her clean white lab coat. "You-" She screws her face up into a frown, wiping most of it off with a finger and flicking it back. A smirk slides over her face when the paint glob hits home and he jerks his head back with surprise. He tosses his hands, flinging paint up and then screeches, shooting to his feet and snatching Angelica clear off the floor.
He spins in a circle but then lets her go, stumbling and landing on his butt on the floor. Angelica can't help laughing, pink the face as she doubles over. Hannah's eyes are wide as she watches and grins and pain has literally splattered all over the ceiling. He growls playfully and swoops Hannah up, sliding on his stomach and throwing her into the air, rolling over quickly to catch her. He grins widely as he lets Hannah rest on his stomach and she rolls off to the side, now sticky with paint. The little girl lays between him and Angelica and Angelica rolls to her side, still laughing slightly to peer up at him.
He turns towards her, grinning but the grin slowly fades into a more serious expression. He starts to reach towards her, his hand hovering over her cheek before he curls his claws back into his palm and lays back, staring at the ceiling. His nostrils flare slightly and Angelica frowns slightly. She hesitantly wraps her arms around both him and Hannah, squishing the girl between them. She seems content though, just like that and she watches curiously, with wide eyes and lips pressed tightly together. "What is it?" Angelica whispers as she watches him and he turns again to look at her. After a moment, he gives her a slow forced smile. He turns fully, wrapping his arms around the two of them and leaning over Hannah to bury his face against Angelica's neck.
These two…These two are important to him but they also hurt him, deep inside.
They're all covered in paint and what should be a silly moment has turned somber at some hidden memory he can't identify. Angelica tenses up but then lets out a deep breath and closes her eyes. Its…Its comfortable and warm and she's not sure what to make of it. Eventually she opens her eyes and clears her throat. "Well," she says curtly, "As nice as the paint job looks, we're all covered in it too. I believe baths are in order." Hannah's face instantly drops into a frown and she groans, "Awww!" The Hunter too, recognizes that one word now. "Bath." He groans in unison with the little girl and Angelica sits up, a firm expression on her face. "No complaints," she insists, grabbing Hannah's hand, "And guess who's first." Hannah pouts and grumbles but follows Angelica to the bathroom.
As the door is kicked close, he lets out a loud croon and then sits back, looking at their handiwork. He sniffs slightly, smearing a few extra paint prints here and there before he sits back with satisfaction. Inside the bathroom, Hannah is giggling despite her previous grumbling. Angelica mock-gasps, "What's that? Its…THE BUBBLE MONSTER!" Hannah breaks into giggles again and everything is pleasant for a little while. Eventually, the door opens and Hannah exits wearing an oversized shirt of Angelica's that hangs quite a bit past her knees. Angelica strips the paint-covered sheets, using them to wipe up the paint splatters on the floor and then remakes the bed, letting Hannah clamber into it. And then, as he watches, she walks past and back into the bathroom. He waits patiently for her to come out.
As time stretches on, he slides under the bed, peering out from under the bed. One eye is bright and the milky one not as much as so. Angelica finally gets tired of waiting and steps out, walking towards the bed, "Just get in here." He licks his lips and swats playfully at her ankle, drawing his hand back under quickly. He peers at her legs, his butt wiggling some and making the bed bounce and wiggle. "Its an earthquake!" Hannah crows from on top of the bed. Angelica seems less than amused though, stepping away from the bed and crossing her arms, "Uh-uh."
He swats at her legs again and Angelica crouches, peering underneath the bed, "You're getting into that bathroom, you know." He only grins, crooning and ducking out from under the bed to swat at her hair. He darts out again, licking her from her neck to her cheek and she gives an outraged cry, snatching him by his hoodie, "Alright, that's enough of that!" He jerks, making the bed shake and then grabs her by her arms, dragging her halfway under the bed with himself. She yells in surprise and then squirms, trying to get away, "Oh great! Get me even more covered in paint!" She's teasing though and he grins at her tone, pulling her tighter. The bed lifts off the floor with his struggles but he manages to get her mostly under the bed.
He croons again, rubbing his cheek across her's and spreading the paint over her skin. "I didn't mean that literally!" she laughs but then freezes, realizing how incredibly close she is to him. Her face burns as she stammers some and he tilts his head at her. He's pressed close to her, his face, his arm around her, hand in the small of her back. She gulps, her eyelids growing heavy-lidded in the presence of his warmth, almost expectant as she leans slightly closer. When his breath brushes her lips though, she shakes herself out of the daze, a bit frightened, and crawls back out, pulling on his hoodie, "T-Time for a bath!"
He frowns some, trying to drag her back and then sighing. His expression is clearly disappointed as he lets her drag him from under the bed. He huffs, crawling dejectedly towards the bathroom, pausing a few times and glancing back at her. Flustered, she only points insistently towards the bathroom. Once he's inside, she takes a few calming breaths, glancing down at Hannah whose looking up at her with bright eyes and a giggle. She shakes her head, "Oh you" and then follows him into the bathroom, closing the door behind them. She places a borrowed bucket under the faucet, starting the water and glancing at him as he sags on the bathroom floor.
As the bucket fills, she folds her hands behind herself and leans against the wall, "What're you so upset about? Its not as though I threw you in." While she's distracted, the bucket in the tub overflows and she quickly turns it off. "Alright," she murmurs, "Let's get you undressed and in the tub." She leans in, pulling on one paint-covered sleeve of the Hunter's hoodie. "Brand new and I might have to wash this too…"
He whines but cooperates, feeling as though he missed something important back under the bed. Angelica works the zipper down and then has to nearly roll the sleeves off of his arms, since they've already begun to stick. He whines softly for her, occasionally touching her hands or arms or pressing his cheek to her's, wondering what he's done wrong. The trace of a frown still lingers on Angelica's face as she starts to tug down his pants with a sigh, "Let's just get this done with." He feels none of the excitement he had the first few times they'd done this.
She's upset and he wants to know why! He pulls her hands away and holds them as he looks earnestly at her face, giving a soft croon and bumping his nose against her's. She stops, pulling at her wrists weakly. "Let go," she gets out hoarsely, her eyes wide, "I'm not finished." He whines again, leaning forward and suddenly compelled. He presses his mouth to her's, if nothing else to just shush her mumbling. He keeps a firm grip on her, keeping the kiss light and sweet. His hands climb up her arms to cup her cheeks and he presses a little closer, feeling his cheeks warm up as his thumbs stroke over her cheekbones. He finally pulls back, his eyes wide in surprise and he releases her.
She remains rooted to the spot and in shock, quite literally unable to move. A pink tint is creeping over her skin and her eyes are huge. She starts to tremble violently, as though ready to faint. What was-how did he-why did he-…
He blinks and frowns, thinking maybe that isn't what she wanted after all. He whines, starting to get frantic. He's…He's a bad male. He's a bad, bad male! He can't even give her what she wants and he scoots back some, lowering his head and whimpering. She snaps back to her sense, "Oh, no!" She leans forward with her arms outstretched, nearly falling into his lap and wrapping her arms around his neck, scooting closer to him. "No, no, don't do that, no…" Her voice cuts off into a choked little noise that's almost a sob. "I just-" she stares at him pleadingly, looking like she's on the verge of tears.
The Hunter jerks in surprise when she flings herself at him but his arms come up and around her. He blinks at her odd behavior but then relaxes, holding her and studying her carefully. He's glad, that for once, she came to him willingly. He gathers her up so she's sitting between his legs and holds her around the waist, cradling her tightly. He presses his face into her hair and coos softly, trying to make comforting sounds. Females…are so confusing. He doesn't know what he did that suddenly changed her mind about the lip-touch or what exactly is going on but at least…at least he can finally hold her.
She sobs again when he clutches her tighter, folding around her easily with another soft sound. This, this really shouldn't be happening. Angelica can't bring herself to let go of him though, his overheated body and strength and the comfort he offers. Now that she's started, she can't seem to stop herself, pressing her face into his shoulder. He's crooning into her hair, rocking her more and pressing his face into her hair. "I'm sorry," Angelica manages to choke out, though what she's apologizing for, she isn't sure. Maybe because she's a ridiculous mess. She sobs against him harder, arms tightening around his neck and he turns his face towards her, lapping at her cheek.
She slowly fades into errant sniffles before taking a deep breath and trying to compose herself. She wipes at her face with one hand and with the other pats him briefly on the head. "You're a good boy, you know that?" she scratches him on the back, "Good boy." Why did she…She just broke down. She doesn't understand why him kissing her made her hurt and feel so good at the same time. He croons softly at her again, his rough palms petting her face as he stares at her evenly. She looks downward, not quite able to look directly at him. "We should…" she clears her throat and then pushes to stand up, "We should hurry up. The baby's-" Her voice immediately dies in her throat as she catches herself, and for just a second she panics. After a too-long moment, she swallows thickly and corrects, "Hannah's still out there."
He feels her panic and jerks her closer, hugging her to himself. He lets out a soft unsure sound, wrapping his arms around her tightly and pressing his mouth to her forehead. She gives a little chuckle, trying to cover for herself. "That was-That was silly of me, wasn't it?" She tugs on one of his arms, trying to get him over towards the tub. "No more playing around though. In." He relaxes, gaze fixed on her as he allows her to move him. He grimaces but clambers into the tub, still wearing his pants as he huffs. "Nope," she mutters, pulling down on the waistband of his pants, "Those are coming off." All of their clothes and the bedsheets need a good washing but she'll save it for later. He scowls and huffs but allows her to manhandle him out of them. He grumbles, squatting in the tub with a scowl and looking between her and the bucket.
She takes the rag off the side of the tub and presses down on his back to try to get him to lean over. When he does so, he ends up sitting on his knees and he huffs and grumbles, flinching every now and again but otherwise content to let her do as she pleases. She only sighs, scrubbing between his shoulder blades with the rag. He's such a complainer and he can't even speak. Its not so bad really, taking a bath. Occasionally he shifts as she cleans and after a long moment, he gets a mischievous look on his face. She didn't hit or shoot or stab him when he lip-touched her. She notices the look and quickly dabs his nose with the rag, chuckling lowly.
He wrinkles his nose but then grins lop-sidedly at her and she smiles back at him, "There we go. I like it when you smile." He peers up at her and then lets out a long sigh and leans his jaw against her shoulder, rumbling deeply. She tenses but doesn't move away, rubbing at a stubborn spot of paint that seems to have stained through his clothes on his lower back. She wrings out the rag, letting the murky water run down the drain and moving to his arms. He slowly inches his chin up her shoulder, until his nose is next to her ear. She jerks back in surprise at the feel of breath on her ear and flushes slightly.
He makes a low sound and quickly turns his head, acting innocent as he surveys the walls and ceiling. "Oh no, you don't," Angelica smirks and dabs a little more water onto her fingers, flicking it at him. He grunts, shifting back some before quickly dodging in, taking a quick nip at her jaw and then pressing his mouth to her's quickly. He rumbles deeply, shifting back with a snap of his teeth. Angelica yelps in surprise and pushes back before putting a hand on the faucet knob, "Going to try that again?" He eyes the faucet, realizing water comes out of it and stubbornly remains still, eyes climbing up the wall as he murmurs slightly.
She slowly releases her hold on the faucet, smiling lightly, "Alright then." He whips out suddenly, licking the corner of her mouth and leaping out of the tub with a playful screech. "Hey! No!" she scolds, dropping the rag and attempting to grab him. He only screeches and grins at her, quickly turning and grabbing her tightly. He gives another lap up her cheek, nipping at her ear and growling playfully at her. "H-Hey! Teeth away from my ear!" She wriggles, awkwardly trying to ignore the fact that he is naked and on top of her! She tries to push him off with her knee, grunting and he rearranges himself so she's not hitting anything terribly important before rumbling happily. He rubs his face against her neck and over her cheek, nibbling here and there but always careful of the delicate female.
She grumbles but relaxes, turning her head to the side slightly, "Fine, you win. Will you get back in the damned tub now?" He only gives her a knowing look and rumbles again, his hands fisted to either side of her head. He bumps her nose with his, dangerously close again and mischief dancing in his gaze. "No," Angelica says firmly but can't help smiling. She fights it, narrowing her eyes some and biting her lip, "Nope. Don't you even think about it." His grin widens as he teases closer, raising a brow suggestively.
She grunts, shoving as hard as she can against his chest, "No!" He huffs but his grin remains in place and he slowly lets her go, keeping a hand on her arm to keep her from falling over before he climbs into the tub. He has a cocky, triumphant expression on his face as he rumbles. She blinks in surprise. He-he actually went in on his own? He purrs loudly as she wrings out her rag and starts scrubbing at his chest. He leans back, hooking his arms over the sides of the tub as he watches her with that cocky grin in place and she scowls. "I'm on to you," she warns while washing, "And to think I thought you didn't know any better."
His grin widens some as he shakes his head like a dog, hair flying over most of his face before he settles and purrs at her. "Yeah, yeah," she mutters, hesitating before washing lower. His face is a little more serious as he rumbles pointedly, watching her face. She frowns at him, letting out a low groan and moving to…lower regions. He growls lowly and his gaze burns at her, carefully studying. Angelica gulps and quickly moves on, her face burning. "Done," she mutters, dipping the cloth again and looking away.
He finally gets it, he thinks. He narrows his eyes at her and raises a brow. She's playing coy. He's seen it before, outside the walls of the facility and he lazily traces a hand up her arm. She watches his hand suspiciously. And rightly so because he suddenly grabs the back of her head, leaning over the side of the tub with a chest-deep rumble. She lets out a squeal when his lips trace over her's in a feather-light touch. His gaze is heated and she made a mistake. Oh, she made a big mistake! He slowly releases her though, leaning back and letting her play her female games. He smirks, the staples on his brow glinting as he relaxes back.
She lets out a long breath, groaning and sagging on the lip of the tub for a moment, hanging her head and closing her eyes. "Why are you doing this to me?" she groans, closing her eyes and shaking her head without lifting it. He watches her and then crawls out of the tub, crouching beside her. He touches her knuckles and then trails up her arm, gracing her cheek with his claws gently. He tilts his head some at her. His bravado is gone after that little stunt. She closes her eyes briefly but then sighs, looking at him and mussing his hair. "Alright, one more time in the tub. Unless you want a multicolored dye job," she orders. She washes his hair and then orders him out, reflecting on the day. So…everything went better than expected, she finds.
She smiles at him and receives a well-meaning, albeit crooked smile back. "You're a good boy, really."
A/N: OHHOHOHO ROMANCE! YES-Angelica is finally giving in. And all her feels are going along with it! Because really, who wants to say no to that charming scarred face? XD
LEAVE ME SOME LUVING AND THANK YOU FOR ALL DA REVIEWS! *ROLLS IN DA LOVE*