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Rebecca sighed, her fingers moving almost on autopilot over the typewriter, who knew she’d be killing zombies, and mutant leeches her first field mission? With the last few clicks of her pale fingers, she finished.
The creaking of the wooden door echoed faintly in the background, her attention turning to it immediately as she looked over her shoulder.
In the doorway stood Billy Coen, sweat coating his forehead as short dark strands stuck to it. His body was slouched as he leaned against the frame, it was almost like he could barely stand on his own. His breath came out in heavy ragged inhales, and exhales.
“Need…a little assistance, Doc.” His voice breathy and his hand planted tight over his side. There, a clear crimson formed. It ran down his side, staining through his muted tank top.
“Billy!”
Rebecca gasped, immediately rushing towards him. She instinctively put his arm around her shoulder so he could lean on her. The smell of Billy’s blood and sweat in the air made her wince, this looked bad.
“What happened!? Are you okay?” She asked, the urgency in her voice clear as day.
Her eyes darted around frantically, until they settled on the dusty bunk bed at the corner of the room. It was a little small, but this’ll do. Gently, she sat him down onto the bottom bunk. He winced as he eased himself against the soft mattress, the springs creaking faintly beneath his weight.
Quickly she got to work, lifting his tank top high as she kneeled beside him on the floor. Her brows furrowed as she got a closer look at the wound.
“Whatever it was, it got you good.” She muttered, more so to herself than to him as her fingers lightly traced around it.
“Hah.. you’re telling me?” He replied breathlessly, the pain in his voice evident as he gripped the bed’s white sheets tightly at his sides.
She quickly held her hand against the wound, pressing firmly to stop the bleeding. Billy hissed between gritted teeth in response, understandably so. The wound was deep, but not lethal. She was more concerned about the amount of blood he’s lost on his way over here. A surge of guilt flooded over her chest. She should’ve been there…
“I told you to be careful-“
“You think I did this shit on purpose Chambers?”
“No- I know- I’m just-“ She stuttered, but then decided it’d just be better to ignore his sarcasm, instead quickly reaching into her medic bag, pulling out a cloth, and bottle of disinfectant.
She got the cap off with ease as she held the cloth to the opening and turned it over, pouring a generous amount before setting the bottle down beside her.
“Deep breaths,” she directed, Billy looked down at her, his brows furrowed in short lived confusion before hissing sharply, cursing under his breath.
“Jesus Christ-“ his knuckles turned white as he squeezed the sheets, the stinging of the disinfectant almost hurt worse than the wound itself.
Rebecca pressed the cloth a little firmer against his injury, earning another sharp hiss from him.
“Billy, I need you to hold still. Please.” As much as she hated hurting him like this, it was for his own good. She couldn’t risk the chance of infection, especially in a place like this where supplies are scarce.
“Mm, I’m trying Becca.” Billy’s head fell back against the wall as he shut his eyes tightly, his chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm. He exhaled through his nose when she finally pulled away.
Rebecca carefully reached for another clean cloth, less rushed this time as she wiped away the lingering blood around the edges of the wound. Billy’s jaw tightened at that,
“You plannin’ on torturing me all night, Doc?”
“Depends, are you going to keep complaining?” She muttered, her eyes focused on her hands as they continued to move.
“Absolutely.”
Despite how much panic she felt only a few seconds ago, the corners of her mouth twitched upward at that comment.
“Good, means you’re conscious.” At that, Billy let out a weak huff of laughter before wincing immediately after.
“Almost done?”
“Halfway.”
“You gotta be fuckin’ with me.” Billy let his head fall back against the wall again with a dull thud.
Rebecca rolled her eyes softly, beginning to wrap fresh bandages around his torso. Her fingers brushed against the warm skin of his stomach occasionally, each accidental touch making Billy tense slightly beneath her hands.
“Hold this,” she instructed, guiding his hand over the bandage. Billy obeyed surprisingly quickly this time, keeping pressure against his side while she adjusted the wrapping.
“You’re quieter all of a sudden,” Rebecca noted.
“Trying not to pass out.” And that made her head snap up immediately.
“Billy-“
One of his eyes cracked open again to meet her panicked ones, a smirk forming on his lips. Apparently, Billy thought right now was the perfect time to joke, but the unimpressed look on Rebecca’s face made it obvious she found it much less than humorous.
“That’s not funny.” Rebecca sighed under her breath, tightening the final layer of bandaging securely around him. Billy finally lifted his head, shifting his gaze down at Rebecca who was now picking up any unused material.
His eyes wandered lazily over her face, her brows furrowed, and light pink lips pressed into a thin line. Something was on her mind, didn’t take a genius to figure that out.
“You alright?”
“You really scared me.” Rebecca replied, without missing a beat. Something in Billy’s expression shifted slightly at how quickly the words left her mouth.
“…Yeah?”
Rebecca nodded once, still focused on putting away the remaining supplies, finishing with a sharp zip of her bag.
“I can’t even imagine what would’ve happened if you didn’t make it back here.” Billy’s brows furrowed at that comment, uncomfortably shifting against the wall behind him.
“Rebecca, cut it out. I’m fine.” His tone was firmer now, though not harsh. Rebecca finally looked up at him then, clearly still unimpressed, though no further protest left her lips.
Silence settled over the small room after that, the only sounds left were Billy’s slower, heavier breathing now that the pain had finally dulled a little.
The faint smell of blood and disinfectant staining the air. Rebecca finished setting her medic bag aside before carefully sitting down on the edge of the bunk beside him. The mattress dipped slightly beneath her weight.
Billy watched her carefully from the corner of his eye, feeling the springs underneath the bed rattle slightly from her change in position.
“You should try to rest for awhile,” she spoke quietly, her eyes glued to the blood that now stained his tank. Billy followed her gaze before letting out one tired breath. “I don’t want you reopening the wound.”
“I’ll be fine.” He shot back,
“You lost a lot of blood.”
“Relax, I got more to spare.”
Rebecca frowned faintly, “That’s not the reassuring argument you think it is.”
Billy gave a small shrug before immediately regretting it, a sharp wince flashing across his face. Rebecca noticed instantly. “You need to give it some time to heal.”
“Not happening.”
“Billy.”
“Rebecca.”
“Why are you so against resting?”
“Can’t really sleep sitting up like this.” A weak excuse.
“Then lie down.”
“Don’t think that’s the best idea right now, honey.”
Rebecca finally looked at him, a stern expression planted on her face. Despite how serious she tried to be, it looked so out of place it was almost cute.
“Billy, come on- please.”
“You beggin’ me now, Chambers?”
“Is it working?”
He hummed thoughtfully, pretending to seriously consider the question. A smirk tugged at his lips as he watched the pleading look on her face.
“I’m not convinced.” Rebecca sighed softly through her nose at that, her lips falling into a frown. God, why’d he have to make things so difficult?
“Billy,” she said quieter this time, “please, just for a little while.”
Silence hung between them, Billy stilled at her tone, something tightening in his chest. Finally- figuring there was no getting out of it- he let out a defeated sigh. “You seriously don’t quit?”
She only stared in response, that somehow being enough. Another pause, then with a low groan, Billy finally muttered,
“Alright, damn.”
Rebecca’s posture loosened almost immediately, a small, relieved smile tugged at her lips. “Thank you.”
“Don’t sound so happy about it.” He muttered, carefully pushing himself lower against the mattress. The movement pulled sharply at his side, earning a quiet curse under his breath. Rebecca instinctively reached out, steadying him by the arm as he finally stretched out onto the bunk properly.
“Be careful.” She warned gently, and Billy shot her a tired look. His head fell flat against the dusty old pillow as he lay on his back, arms resting loosely behind his head.
“Bossy.” He muttered, but there was no bite to it. Rebecca smiled faintly at that, her eyes lingered longer than they should’ve on his face, his eyes shut but no doubt still awake. His lips parted slightly, breathing, the sound clear in the quiet. The wrinkles in his face softened, making him look younger. Something about seeing him at rest felt entirely different, new- strange? But nice.
Her gaze snapped back forward and she cursed herself at the tingly feeling in her chest that he gave her, what the hell was she doing right now? She bit the inside of her cheek, mind racing with thoughts of him and every excuse she could come up with to make it seem strictly professional. Just checking on him. That’s all.
Definitely nothing else.
So when minutes passed and she peeked back again, It definitely didn’t mean anything when her eyes dropped to his lips, and it certainly did not have anything to do with how she wanted to brush her fingers over them.
God, she felt ridiculous. Rebecca’s eyes shot forward now, almost instantly, as if she stared any longer she wouldn’t be able to pull her eyes from him anymore. A burning, wanting sensation filling deep in her stomach.
Despite her internal protest, she looked back again. Billy’s eyes were open this time, half lidded. Rebecca immediately froze, fighting the urge to jump out her seat as her heart dropped.
“…What?” She asked a little too quickly. Billy’s brow lifted, his gaze unmoving.
“You’re staring.”
“I am not.”
Billy stared at her, unimpressed and clearly unconvinced. She stared back, heat creeping up her neck, embarrassed. She inhaled gently, almost practiced as she tried to hold together her composure.
“I’m monitoring your condition.” she replied coolly, like it was the most obvious thing ever and her mind wasn’t racing between a million different excuses.
“Pretty sure that counts as staring, babe.”
“It does not.”
“Whatever helps you sleep at night, Rookie.” The smirk was clear in his voice, which did absolutely nothing to help her situation as heat continued creeping across her face.
Rebecca quickly looked away again, jaw tightening faintly, deciding to just end the interaction right here before she exploded. Why was he like this? Why was she like this?
Rebecca shut her eyes briefly. “Billy.”
“What?”
“Can you stop doing that?” It slipped out without even meaning to, her mouth shut immediately after but it was already too late, the words left her mouth loud and clear.
Billy paused at that, a visible shift in his expression.
“…doing what?”
Rebecca opened her mouth to defend herself before stopping entirely. Because honestly? What was the point? The more she kept talking to him, the deeper she dug herself a hypothetical grave.
God. How is she feeling everything all at once?
She pushed herself up from the edge of the bunk abruptly before she could embarrass herself further.
“I’m going to patrol.” She muttered quickly.
Billy’s brows furrowed slightly. “Rebecca.”
“I just want to make sure the hall is still secure.” Another weak excuse, they both knew it.
She barely got half a step before fingers suddenly wrapped firmly around her wrist, and her breath caught instantly at the contact. Billy’s fingers curled just enough to stop her from walking away, firm, warm. Even that tiny bit of contact made her heart skip a beat.
“Rebecca.” His voice came lower this time, quieter.
Rebecca gulped, a sudden shiver running along her skin. She kept her back to him anyway, taking a second to gather her voice, more firmly now, “I said I’m checking the hall.”
“Yeah.” A pause. “And I’m callin’ bullshit.”
Heat flooded her face immediately. Rebecca tried tugging her wrist back once, but Billy’s grip only adjusted, keeping her there. He refused to let her run from the conversation, and internally Rebecca cringed.
She did not want to have to explain her slip of tongue. How would she even go about that?
Sorry Billy it’s just that I definitely have been fantasizing about you, and if you call me another stupid nickname I just might lose it. Yeah right.
“Look at me.”
God, and that just made things worse.
Slowly, reluctantly, she turned back toward him. Billy had pushed himself up slightly against the mattress now, despite the obvious discomfort it brought him. His brows were furrowed faintly, dark eyes fixed directly on her face like he was trying to piece something together.
“What’s wrong with you?” He asked quietly, and Rebecca let out one disbelieving breath.
“With me?
“Yeah, with you.” His thumb shifted slightly against the inside of her wrist absentmindedly, and the feeling of it almost made her jump, sending goosebumps along her skin.
“You’ve been actin’ weird for the last ten minutes.”
“I’m not acting weird.”
“Becca.”
The way he said her name just now, flat- knowing, but so solid made her jaw tighten. She looked away from him again instinctively, eyes darting toward the door, anywhere but him.
“You could’ve died tonight.” She muttered. “Sorry if I’m a little off.”
Billy’s expression softened slightly at that, but only for a second.
“That’s not all of it.”
She hated that he noticed things like that. Fuck, why’d he have to do this to her? Rebecca swallowed hard, her pulse fluttering embarrassingly beneath his fingers. Billy seemed to notice that too because his eyes flicked downward briefly before returning to her face again.
The silence stretched for what felt like forever, it was torture.
“You keep lookin’ at me like you wanna say something,” he murmured.
Rebecca laughed once under her breath, nervous and breathless all at once. “You’re imagining things.”
“Am I?”
His hand loosened slightly around her wrist then, though he didn’t let go. Instead his fingers slid lower accidentally- or maybe not accidentally at all- brushing against the inside of her palm.
Rebecca’s breath hitched so softly she hated herself for it. Hated how easy it was, how easy she was. Billy noticed, cause of course he did. The corner of his mouth twitched faintly.
“Rebecca.” He said again, “Talk to me.”
She opened her mouth, then closed it immediately. Because how the hell was she going to explain anything to him? That every time he looked at her, she forgot to think? That her chest felt so tight she could barely breathe when he touched her? Rebecca shook her head once, frustrated with herself more than him.
“I don’t know what’s wrong with me.” She admitted, barely above a whisper.
Billy went still after that confession, his fingers still loosely wrapped around her hand. His eyes were dark, and unmoving. So focused she thought he might burn a hole through her with his gaze alone, she shuddered at the thought.
She hated how exposed she suddenly felt standing there between his knees, his hand was much bigger than hers, so easily wrapped around her small hand. The room felt too warm now, too quiet. Every breath sounded louder than it should’ve.
“What do you mean, you don’t know?” He finally asked, voice low.
Rebecca let out a shaky breath through her nose. “I mean exactly that.”
Billy’s thumb brushed faintly against the inside of her palm again, though the second her breathing changed he seemed to become very aware of it.
“Becca.”
Her stomach twisted tightly at the softer tone. “I don’t…”
She swallowed hard, struggling to even put the feeling into words. “You keep looking at me like that, and joking around, and touching me and I-“
She stopped herself abruptly, eyes widening slightly like she just revealed way too much. Billy’s expression shifted immediately.
“Touching you?” He repeated carefully, and she thought she might die right then and there. Blood rushed to her cheeks so fast she felt dizzy.
“That’s not- I didn’t mean-“ Rebecca shook her head quickly, frustrated and equally flustered. “God, this is exactly why I didn’t wanna say anything.”
Billy didn’t answer right away. Slowly, almost cautiously now, his fingers loosened a little more against her skin, like he was giving her the chance to pull away if she wanted to.
She didn’t. How could she ever?
“…Rebecca.” His voice had gone rougher somehow. “You’re shaking.”
She was- barely, but enough for him to feel it. Rebecca laughed nervously under her breath, though there was nothing humorous about the sound. “Yeah, well. This is your fault, you know.”
Billy stared at her for another second before dragging a hand tiredly down his face.
“Jesus Christ,” he muttered quietly, more to himself than her.
“What?”
Billy didn’t answer her question immediately, and Rebecca could actually feel the hesitation in him now. Like every movement had suddenly become deliberate, careful. His thumb dragged once across her knuckles before stopping entirely, like he’d caught himself.
“Nothing.” He muttered finally, though the roughness in his voice made it obvious that was a lie.
Rebecca frowned faintly, “Billy.”
A humorless breath escaped him at that, “You really wanna know?”
Slowly, Billy lifted his eyes back to hers. There was something strained in his expression now, something tighter than before.
“You keep lookin’ at me like that.” He said quietly, “and you honestly expect me not to notice?”
Rebecca’s breath stalled, like she had been holding it this whole time and didn’t realize. She opened her mouth, already prepared to deny it again out of instinct, but Billy beat her to it.
“Don’t.” His voice came low, his eyes flickering downward briefly, like he was becoming painfully aware of the fact her body was nearly pressed between his knees now. And fuck did that make him want do something about it.
Rebecca swallowed hard, every nerve in her body suddenly felt too awake.
“I didn’t mean to,” she whispered, though she wasn’t even sure what part she meant anymore.
Billy laughed once quietly through his nose, but there was no amusement in it. “Yeah, that’s kinda the problem, dollface.”
The room went silent again. Rebecca could hear the creak of the bunk beneath him when he shifted slightly, trying to lean back further against the wall behind him instead of towards her. Like distance would somehow help, but he absolutely knew it didn’t.
Not when she was still standing there, not when his hand hadn’t let go of hers. Her eyes dropped briefly to his mouth again before she could stop it. Billy noticed, and his jaw flexed hard.
“Rebecca.” He warned softly.
That should’ve been enough to make her step back. It should’ve snapped her out of whatever this was. Instead her free hand moved before she could properly think about it, fingertips brushing lightly against his forearm.
Billy went completely still, the muscles beneath her touch tightened instantly. Heat rushed through Rebecca so fast it almost hurt. What was she doing? She should pull away. She knew she should.
But she didn’t- couldn’t.
Rebecca’s fingers slid higher instead, slow and uncertain against his skin, like she was testing something she didn’t fully understand yet. Her breath grew uneven the higher her fingers slid along his arm. Beneath her touch, she could feel every ounce of tension he was holding inside himself.
Billy stayed perfectly still through it, but she could tell it cost him something to do that. His jaw had locked so tightly she thought his teeth might crack from the pressure.
The room felt unbearably small.
Rebecca’s fingertips reached the curve of his shoulder, hesitating there for half a second before continuing higher, brushing carefully against the warm skin near the collar of his tank top. Her touch was featherlight, uncertain, but Billy reacted to it like it physically hurt him.
A rough breath left him, and Rebecca felt like she might melt at the sound.
“Billy.” she whispered, though she didn’t even know what she meant to say anymore. His eyes stayed fixed on her face, dark and heavy beneath lowered lashes. She couldn’t read him fully anymore and somehow that only made this worse. Or better, God, she didn’t know.
The hand holding hers tightened just slightly. Not enough to hurt, just enough to ground himself.
Rebecca stepped closer without realizing she was doing it until her knee brushed lightly against the edge of the mattress between his legs. The contact made Billy inhale sharply through his nose.
That finally seemed to crack something in him.
His free hand lifted before stopping halfway, hovering uncertainly near her waist like he was arguing with himself in real time. Rebecca stared at it, pulse hammering painfully hard in her throat.
Slowly, his fingertips touched the side of her hip. Barely there. Like he was testing whether he still had control over himself.
The warmth of his hand seeped through the thin fabric of her shirt instantly, and Rebecca’s breath caught so hard her chest physically hurt from it. Billy’s eyes shut briefly at the sound she made.
“Fuck…” he muttered under his breath.
His hand flexed once against her waist before easing again, hesitant. Like every instinct in him wanted to pull her closer but he was forcing himself not to.
Rebecca could feel how hard he was holding back. That realization sent heat flooding through her all over again.
“Why are you doing that?” she whispered shakily.
Billy opened his eyes again, immediately regretting it the second he saw how close she was now. Her face was flushed, lips parted slightly, eyes wide in that nervous, searching way that absolutely destroyed him.
“Doing what?” His voice sounded wrecked.
“Acting like…” Rebecca swallowed hard. “Like you’re scared to touch me.”
Billy stared at her for a long second after that. Then he laughed once quietly, exhausted and rough around the edges.
“You really got no idea what you’re doin’ to me right now, huh?”
Rebecca’s stomach flipped violently.
His fingers slid slightly against her waist before stopping again, restraint catching up to him at the last second. Even now he was limiting himself to the smallest touches possible, like he didn’t trust what would happen if he allowed more.
And somehow that affected her worse than if he had just grabbed her outright.
Billy dragged a hand down his face again, visibly frustrated with himself this time. “Rebecca,” he said lowly, “you keep lookin’ at me like that, touching me like this, and I’m tryin’ real hard to behave myself here.”
The confession made her breath hitch again.
His eyes dropped briefly to her mouth before snapping away almost immediately, like even that crossed a line he was struggling not to step over.
“I’ve been tryin’ not to touch you all damn night,” he admitted more quietly. “Since you started patchin’ me up.”
Rebecca felt something warm unravel low in her stomach at the honesty in his voice. And fuck was it hot.
Billy exhaled slowly, fingers still resting carefully against her waist like he was one wrong move away from losing the last of his self-control.
“And you are not makin’ it easy, Becca.” That realization made something inside her ache.
Slowly, almost nervously, Rebecca shifted closer again until there was barely any space left between them at all. Billy’s hand twitched hard against her waist immediately.
“Rebecca…” His voice dropped lower, warning her again, but it sounded weaker this time. She barely heard it over the pounding of her pulse anyway.
The edge of the mattress pressed against the back of her legs now. Billy looked up at her and the second her hands settled lightly on his shoulders, something flickered through his expression.
“Rebecca.” Sharper this time. But she didn’t stop.
Carefully she climbed onto the bunk, one knee sliding onto the mattress beside his hip before the other followed. Billy’s breath caught outright the second she settled into his lap.
The movement jostled his injury enough to make him tense, but that wasn’t what had him going rigid beneath her.
Rebecca felt it instantly, a hard bulge through his denim jeans beneath her. Heat flooded her face so violently she thought she might actually combust.
Billy noticed the exact moment she realized.
“…shit.” The curse left rough under his breath.
Rebecca’s eyes snapped up to his face again, mortified and breathless all at once. Billy looked equally wrecked now, head tipped back slightly against the wall behind him like he was trying to regain control of literally anything.
“Billy, I-“
“Don’t.” He cut her off quickly, voice hoarse. One of his hands gripped the mattress beside him so hard his knuckles whitened. The other was still on her waist, though now his fingers trembled slightly against her shirt.
Rebecca’s entire body felt hot. The realization she was the one effecting him like this made her want to squeeze her thighs together tight. It was unbearable.
Billy laughed once quietly through his nose, but it sounded tortured. His eyes then dragged down her face again before he muttered, “You gotta stop lookin’ at me like that.”
“I don’t know how.” Rebecca admitted softly before she could stop herself. And fuck that almost finished him.
Billy shut his eyes hard for a second, “ Christ…”
Rebecca’s fingers curled slightly against his strong shoulders. She could feel the warmth of him beneath her palms, tension wound tight through his body, he was barely keeping it together anymore.
And instead of scaring her, it pulled her in deeper. Slowly, she leaned closer. Billy’s eyes opened immediately.
Rebecca could feel his breathing against her mouth already, uneven and warm. His gaze flicked once more to her soft pink lips before dragging back up to her eyes.
“Tell me to stop.” He breathed.
Rebecca’s heart slammed painfully against her ribs. She shook her head almost instantly, voice barely more than a whisper.
“Please don’t.”