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What Do You Fear? [randomname98766789 and Amaranthine]

Bryce's moans were encouraging and she took his words to heart; obviously he knew what he liked better than she possibly ever could, and on top of that the brunette was still rather nervous. Arousal won out over the nerves, though - the way Bryce reacted to the touch of her lips and tongue only made Alicia feel more confident with every moment that passed. As he arched his hips in towards her she let his length push farther in to the warmth of her mouth, allowing her tongue to run along the underside of his cock before pulling back away. Alicia didn't have the courage to take all of him in to her mouth, not quite yet, but that didn't mean that she was going to neglect any part of him. Just as he had asked her lips pressed to his cock - right to the tip and then down his length, tongue trailing against the flesh between each touch of her lips until she reached the base of his cock.

Her lips then found his testicles, and she was careful to treat such a sensitive area with the respect that it deserved - she licked and opened her mouth wide to take one in to her mouth, sucked lightly on the sensitive skin before allowing it to be freed. His cock rested against the side of her face as her attention turned to the other one of his balls, and after giving it the same pleasure she had the first her mouth wrapped back around the side of his length. He was right - trying to multitask in that moment was not the easiest adventure. That did not stop Alicia from attempting to yank her arms apart as her hot tongue ran against his length, "struggling" to appeal that part of her fiance's desires. As she reached the tip she turned her focus back to wrapping her mouth around the head of Bryce's cock, and looked up at the man that she loved. She hoped that she was doing a good job, and just seeing the look on his face as she serviced him had an incredible affect on her own body.

----

Anna for one was not surprised that a storm would ruin their facade - she'd specifically told him that he would be fucked if he got rained on when he had last returned to the estate after trying to locate Travis. If she wouldn't end up as a yummy treat as well if their disguise got washed away, Anna likely would have said something along the lines of "I told you so". Nick hadn't said anything about it, but she'd seen his face when he realized what was going to happen. Between the storm and the fact that night was settling in, it was best if the pair found some place to soldier the night out. Luckily Nick seemed to actually agree with her - which actually did kind of come as a surprise. Lately she had been feeling like he didn't have a reasonable bone left in that damned beautiful body of his, but it seemed that at least when it came to self-preservation she could expect to be listened to.

The abandoned house felt like a godsend - flashes of lightening in the distance had started to grow closer and took the dark, heavy overcast of clouds with it. Still at Nick's side she gestured with her chin, pointing towards the (hopefully) empty building and then she pulled her knife back out of her pocket. It seemed that he had already noticed it, so with a flick of her thumb Anna was able to re-arm herself and the pair made their way towards the beaten-down building. Anna peered in one of the windows, taking the chance to see if there may have been anyone in side - at least in the one room there was not. Even shrouded in dusk's darkness she could tell that the place was left in a bit of a mess, though, so they would want to make sure that there was nothing waiting for them before they started banging in to things.

"You first?" She asked as she made the two steps back towards the door. "Or should I?"
 
It was good to see that Alicia’s confidence was growing. One day, he felt certain she would need no instruction. Alicia was a fast-learner that cared deeply about Bryce’s pleasure. The young man was certainly lucky to have such a perfect fiancée. Although she could not take all of him into her mouth yet, Bryce was certain the day would come when Alicia wanted to try. He would not rush her. When Alicia began kissing down his cock, trailing her tongue on the flesh, and covering every inch from the tip to the base, it was probably obvious just how much Bryce adored it. Maybe Alicia thought he moaned quite loudly when they had sex while she was tied up. However, those moans were not quite as strong as these. Arguably, the loudest, most aroused noises Bryce had ever made were falling from his lips in that moment. The same concept held true when her lips began attacking his balls. Bryce almost did not even recognize himself, having never moaned nearly this much before. The testicles were so sensitive, but Alicia treated them with care, attacking the spots with her tongue and lips so sexily.

Possibly his favorite part was looking down at her, watching the girl’s hands pull and fight against the tape without any progress. Honestly, he loved blow jobs, but it was not the blow job alone giving him this immense pleasure. A blow job combined with Alicia’s bondage made this an unbelievable experience. “You’re doing so good, Princess. Oh, fucking hell… I love you so fucking much. My cock is throbbing, baby. It feels like I’m getting close. I can’t hold on my longer.” Not only was Bryce reassuring Alicia that she was doing just fine, but he wanted to warn her. At this point, Bryce was uncertain whether Alicia wanted him to release in her mouth, or if she did not want his semen in her mouth. It gave her the option to move away if she wanted. Regarding what Bryce wanted, he absolutely hoped for the same result that most men desired. Hopefully, the brunette would swallow his load and lick his cock clean. If not, he would not be upset, but he did not think this was the setting or time to carry on a conversation like this. At the same time, he did not want to make her uncomfortable, so now she knew, and his orgasm was getting ready to occur.

--

Visibly shivering when Nick saw the lightning and heard thunder in the distance, the male felt thankful when the house became closer. It bothered him because there was no backup plan. Contrary to what Madison thought, Nick did not exactly have a death wish after all. Understanding the urgency to seek shelter from the rain to avoid becoming food for the infected, Nick quickened his pace slightly since himself and Anna were not in sight of any enemy (dead or alive). The dark-haired male watched Anna peek inside a window to see nothing worrisome. That did not mean everything about the house was clean, though. Enemies could be awaiting inside – they could have been infected or they could have been human. At this point, Nick figured humans were the worst. While they were standing outside the door, debating who was going first, the rain started pattering on the tin roof. Usually, calm rain on a tin roof was associated with relaxation. Not tonight. Nick exhaled shakily, knowing if they had been five minutes later, it could have been a miserable night. They could have been caught out in this shit. Trying to shake his mind from the what-ifs, Nick returned to the present.

Nick decided to enter first. There was a strict progression of rooms that was followed. They basically hugged the outer walls, following the rooms in a clockwise motion. Thankfully, all rooms were clear and void of life (dead or undead or alive). It was the perfect house to settle down in. The rain began pouring harder, just as the thunder became louder. Nick circled back one final time to lock the door, ensuring all windows were closed, too. “Just go ahead into the bedroom. I just wanna check everything one more time. It looks good, though. I think we’re clear for the night, Anna.” Nick was relieved. It could have been a shitty night, but they got lucky. Who knew how long that luck would last? Would the weather be similar tomorrow? Only then did Nick realize how much he missed having access to weather forecasts in the old world. After feeling satisfied with his checks, Nick slowly trudged his way towards the bedroom himself, ready to call it a night.
 
Honestly, Alicia hadn't thought about how this was going to end until Bryce brought up that he was on the verge of release as a warning to her. With his length between her lips she had a couple choices. There was the obvious one: let him finish in her mouth and swallow. She also knew that a lot of men would have an interest in cumming on their woman's face so that seemed like a viable option as well. She could also pull away entirely with absolutely no desire to interact with his semen, but that seemed like the worst of the choices so she ruled that out immediately. For the sake of cleanliness (as well as the fact that Alicia was curious as to what Bryce's cum tasted like, given that she hadn't had the chance to find out) the brunette decided that she was going to stay right where she was, with her full lips spread around his cock and the head of his length pushed in towards the back of her mouth. She wasn't about to stop when he was so close to orgasm, especially not with her hands bound which left her with no other option for pleasing him if she did.

It helped that she figured that was most likely what Bryce wanted. Yes, her own desires were the main factor - she wasn't about to do anything she was uncomfortable with purely for his sake. That didn't change that she felt like she knew that he would be most pleased by being able to shoot his seed in to her throat. Hell, she didn't even have to taste it if she didn't want to - she could just get him far enough in her mouth that he was past the tasting point of her tongue. She did want to, though - Alicia loved to please, especially when it involved her fiance's cock. Knowing what she was getting herself in to and more than happy to oblige without it would end, Alicia continued to lick and suck at his smooth, thick length with an increasing but good kind of nervousness. Her focus turned to the head of his length, knowing that it was a pleasurable spot, and as she bobbed her head along the tip of his length her tongue continued to lap and suck, coating his cock with a slick coat of her saliva. All the while she continued to make a show for Bryce, gluing her emerald gaze to his own as her arms continued to struggle to free themselves.

----

Anna didn't leave Nick's side until they had checked the whole place over, and she just offered him a nod as she made her way back towards the bedroom. There was only one again so they would likely be sharing - she didn't mind that too much. In the scheme of things it didn't matter too much - as soon as she reached the bed she sat her ass down and tossed her back on to the floor beside a cluttered dresser. She pried her boots from her feet, hoping there would be no urgent need to put them back on any time soon given that they took a few minutes to get laced on properly, and then sat slouching for a moment before she clued in that the dresser just two feet from her might have some kind of clothing that she could replace the dirty stuff she wore once they were somewhere safer. She rustled through one drawer (she found socks, which she immediately grabbed to replace the pair she had been wearing for the last couple days) and then the other, and she froze on the spot as she pulled a pair of jeans that were definitely about six sizes too large for her out of the way.

The thing about being an addict - a lot of things had a different meaning to her than it did most people, and there were very few reasons that someone would have a ball of foil hidden away. She grabbed it tight in one hand as her fingers tapped against the wooden edge of the dresser and then she put it down, carefully uncurling it like her life depended on it. "Nick?" Her voice cracked as she called his name, because as soon as the contents were revealed Anna knew exactly what she was looking at - heroin. That kit she'd made? It was supposed to be a comfort thing, a remnant of her past life (and a hope for the future one). She hadn't actually expected to have a use for it, especially not so soon. For a moment she fought herself, said that this wasn't something that she wanted to do, but a moment later she was moving faster than a racehorse to grab that little kit (which she had finished with a soon from the diner next to the pharmacy) out of her backpack. She glanced back after pouring part of a capful of water on to the concave part of the spoon, again as she split the chunk in to two to grab a piece that she figured would likely be enough. It wasn't near her normal dose, she probably could have used the entirety of what was in that pack on a normal day, but two weeks without could cause mayhem on a girl's tolerance. Cook, draw in to the syringe, pull her belt off of her waist to wrap it around her arm.

For a second she sat on the edge of the bed with the long part of her belt held tight between her teeth and the tip of the needle mere millimeters from her skin, vaguely attempting (and failing) to fight what she was about to do. Then, with the kind of precision that takes years of experience, she pushed in to her skin and hit a vein in seconds.
 
Out of every alternative, Alicia had chosen the option Bryce desired most. Sure, like any man, he would have found it attractive to release somewhere on Alicia’s body. However, it was not the hottest thing in his mind. For whatever reason, he much preferred releasing inside of Alicia. The only instance where he would not mind releasing onto her would involve a foot job or a hand job, since neither involves any surface he could release inside of. She pushed him evermore closer to the edge with focusing on the tip while keeping their eyes locked together. Ah, yes. It seemed she recalled his request quite well. Even sexier than the bondage, believe it or not, Bryce thought the eye contact was extravagant. “Princess…” He gasped, still locked onto those pretty, deep green orbs. He tried to warn her again, telling her that the orgasm was beginning now. However, speaking coherently was out of the question. Perhaps the loudest moan in the session escaped the back of his throat. His hips pushed forward slightly, sliding his length a bit deeper into her mouth. His hand tangled in her hair gripped a bit tighter while the other continued resting on her shoulder, but even those fingers dug into the flesh. Clearly overwhelmed with pleasure, Bryce was hit with one of the most powerful orgasms of his life.

He felt his balls tingling, a full sensation. Then, he could feel his cock throbbing before the tip pulsated a few times. Afterwards, the thick ropes of hot, sticky semen exploded form the tip, shooting into Alicia’s mouth and throat. The moan did not stop here. Bryce felt the four spurts of his fluids into her mouth, his noises drawing out during the entire ordeal. His eyes finally closed, feeling quite lightheaded with the pleasure. The look on his face must have been quite endearing as well. It was a mixture of the lust and pleasure he felt, but the genuine love in his eyes was obvious, too. The only girl that could make him feel that way was the girl bound to the chair right now. He never, ever wanted to even consider a day without Alicia doing things to his body like this. “Princess… if you can… I want you to clean my cock. Lick as much as you can.” This was something else he enjoyed, the afterglow of her cleaning his cock with her mouth. If she liked the taste, then that was probably a good tradeoff. If not, well, he obviously would not expect her to take that step.

--

Fully aware of the presence of only one bed, Nick felt somewhat thankful. It gave them an opportunity to become close (physically). If there had been separate bedrooms, the young man feared Anna would not have wanted to share with him. As funny as it sounded, just being close to Anna was relieving. Even when it did not involve intimacy or even emotional intimacy, Nick was satisfied, happy even. Unlike most people, Nick did not run hypothetical conversations through his mind often. Typically, he went with the flow, saying whatever popped into his brain at the time. Tonight? It was different. Nick figured some level of communication between himself and Anna was inevitable. Therefore, he desperately wanted to make it an entire night without fucking up. How did he approach her? What did he talk about? Should he make any moves? Should he keep silent? Maybe he should have offered to sleep on the couch after all. It felt like he was walking on eggshells again. Fearing losing the woman forever, Nick could not afford another screw-up. There had been too many of those already. He was likely one more blowup away from Anna being done with him for good. Maybe not, maybe so, either way, Nick did not want to gamble.

The same woman invading his mind happened to call out his name. He was literally walking into the hallway leading to the bedroom when she called for him. Considering it did not sound urgent, Nick did not call back or hurry. Instead, he took a deep breath before pushing inside of the room. Closing the door behind him, Nick ensured the lock was secured before turning his attention onto Anna. When he locked onto her form, it did not take long before Nick realized what she was doing. Thank God. Not only had it been forever since Nick had used, it gave them something to do instead of reaching some deep conversation. Traditionally, it had seemed to work much better for the pair in the past. Hopefully it would remain true tonight. If this took their attention, then maybe Nick would not have to say much. They could potentially bond again over drugs, which was a huge part of sparking their relationship. Who knew that something considered so bad for the body would have such a positive use for these two? Nick finally chuckled once he calmed down from the stress in his mind.

“Oh, hell yes. I like what I see here.” What is a bad thing that Anna looked even more attractive than usual? When you polled men on what made women look sexier than their typical selves, not many would have answered like Nick. For whatever reason, seeing her shooting up like this was hot. Again, it made sense, considering they fucked like mad animals when they were high. Perhaps those years of associating those two things increased the attraction. Nick had no idea. Either way, he decided to join her on the bed, immediately feeling more at ease. While he was sure Anna did not have a surplus, he wondered if she had any to share. “You gonna…use all of that?” He asked softly. “If not, mind if I have some?” Nick questioned carefully, trying to not reveal just how badly he wanted to do this. “I don’t care if you only have one needle. I trust you.” Nick continued, making it clear that he did not mind sharing needles with her. It would not have been the first time, probably not the last either. Besides, they did not exactly have any items to spare.
 
He could barely get her pet name out of his lips from how close he was - and then he opened his lips to speak again but nothing came out other than moans. Just knowing that Bryce's desire was that strong and that he was that close just encouraged Alicia to stick with the plan. She continued to lap and suck even as his fist tightened closed in her dark hair and his fingertips on her shoulder pressed in to the bare flesh. When he pushed his hips forward, thrusting his cock in to her warm, wet mouth, Alicia knew what was about to happen and so she continued to the best of her abilities even as his semen shot deep in her to her mouth, spraying to coat the back of her throat and along her tongue. She didn't dare stop until he had finished, and as the final spurt sprayed in to her mouth she finally allowed herself to swallow. The taste wasn't quite what she had expected but then again she had no real frame of reference to go on - and it definitely wasn't an unpleasant kind of unexpected. Bryce's seed against her tongue just gave her the desire to give him oral again down the line.

She pulled her mouth off as he spoke, though when Bryce suggested that she lick him clean she was not about to say no. First she got a couple good swallows in, allowing her own saliva to mix with the residue of Brcye's fluids to clean up most of the mess in her mouth, and then she looked up at him with a strange mixture of innocence and naughtiness in her eyes. "Absolutely, my prince," she replied with her lips just millimeters from the tip of her lover's cock, and then her tongue found his length once more to lick him clean. She started at the tip, allowing it to sink in to her mouth so that her tongue could circle the sensitive head, and then she pulled away to work her tongue along his shaft until the only thing left coating his cock was her own saliva. After she was finished she pulled away, still never moving far from Bryce's crotch area, and looked up at her fiance with a little grin on her lips.

"For my first time I think I did pretty well," she remarked, obviously pleased with herself though she knew that they were still far from done.

----

Once the plunger hit the body of the syringe Anna's teeth released the thick fabric of her belt, allowing proper blood flow to resume just as Nick walked in. If it was possible her eyes would have rolled back in to her head as the rush hit her, stronger than she'd felt it in... fuck, almost couple years at this point. She was barely able to stay sitting thanks to the urge to just lose herself in the bed, but in a heroin haze all she could do was smile back at Nick with half-lidded eyes and nod towards the dresser where the other chunk of gear sat waiting on its tinfoil to be cooked, everything needed around it (including an alcohol swab that she had very carefully only used one corner of to allow Nick the other - even she knew that it was best to clean a patch of the junk off of her skin before ramming a needle in there). It took her a moment to be able to think straight enough to take the needle out of her skin but when she did she held it out towards him in a slightly shaky grip.

"Think it might be too late to be worrying about if I'm clean anyways. Not much you can get from my blood that you can't get from rawing me and you haven't seemed to mind doin' that." Anna remarked, knowing damn well that even if he did want to be stingy about things that she was clean across the board, and then laughed when he took the needle from her. That allowed her to give in to her desires and fall back against the bed and in to thick blankets. For the first time in what felt like forever she was living in pure bliss, a soft radiating warmth engulfing her as time almost seemed to still. That wasn't what was happening - she was just going slower. The problem with shooting was that the rush was quick - if she could forever experience the intense, mind-blowing sensations of a fresh high forever she would. That wasn't to say that the high that lingered after the rush wore off wasn't worth it, though - it absolutely was, at least in her eyes. There was a reason that heroin was her first love, after all: there was no such thing as worrying or pain when on it.

So she watched him after handing the syringe off, with heavy-lidded eyes and a soft smile and for a moment all she could think of were the good times when this had been their life together. Maybe most people wouldn't consider feeding an addiction as a "good time" in anything but those people just didn't know what it was like, how easy it was to lose yourself in something that made you not care.
 
Bryce’s eyes opened second after his orgasm ended. Sure enough, Alicia swallowed his seed. What else should the man have expected? Just when Bryce did not think he could possibly find something else that Alicia was perfect at, she surprised him. Since their relationship started, they had copious amounts of sex. Even with all their interactions, he still could not recall a single instance where he was not satisfied in bed with her or vice versa. Although their attraction was clearly much more than physical, it did not hurt that they were so perfectly matched together sexually, too. Just the way she looked at him while responding to his request was completely adorable. If it was not obvious yet, there were a mixture of two things he found hot in the opposite sex: sexiness and cuteness. He felt like there was a distinct difference between being cute or being sexy. To him, it was best to have a blend. Alicia had that, and so much more, especially right now. From the innocent look to knowing this was not such an innocent situation, this was another small, miniscule thing that could send Bryce over the edge if he had not already orgasmed. Unfortunately, men did need a recharging period, so he intended on giving Alicia something as well, but she would need to wait for a few moments before that happened.

“Oh, you did better than “pretty well”, but I think you know that.” Chuckling, Bryce cupped Alicia’s face with a hand, gently stroking her cheek. “That was so good, Princess. I’m not done with you, quite yet. I think it is only fair that you get some pleasure, too. You’ll have to give me a few minutes to get ready, but I think that little pussy of yours needs another pounding before we leave.” Clearly, he intended for this to be rougher rather than gentler, but that much was obvious. “I think I’ll help you turn around in the chair. You can kneel on the seat, facing the back. I’ll put a piece of tape over your pretty lips, and then we can make love together before we leave.” Hopefully, Alicia was up for it. He had a feeling since she was unable to get a release during his blow job, she would be happy to have one before they leave. Plus, he was hoping that she was starting to associate being turned on when she was bound, so maybe that helpless feeling could turn her on. The roll of tape was close, so Bryce quickly grabbed it and returned to Alicia’s side. “You know the quickest way to turn me on, right? Let me put this tape on your lips. Rub my cock with your bound feet. Keep struggling. Can you do all those things for me, Princess? I know if you do, it won’t take long before I’m ready to go again.”

--

Fuck. Watching Anna did two things to him: One, it made him desire the heroin greatly. Just judging by the expression on the woman’s face, it must have felt glorious. Nick wanted to feel that way right now. Secondly, it made him feel so much more attracted to Anna. She often had this look when they fucked, kissed, cuddled, and touched. It made him desire it again, desire the old times. Perhaps, for the night, they would have a semblance of the old days. Looking at the dresser, Nick eagerly grabbed the instruments and decided to join Anna onto the bed. Taking the syringe from her shaky hands, a small smile lifted his lips, thanking her. He was quite urgent about getting it done. He did not make the comment about her being clean, as he never thought otherwise. Once Anna had fallen back, he finally took his attention onto the syringe in his hand. Deciding to use Anna’s belt since it was on the mattress and easily available, Nick repeated the process his girlfriend had earlier, utilizing every last bit of the gear until he finally took the plunge, sinking the needle into his vein, releasing the drugs.

A soft sigh escaped his lips, and the same look he had seen on Anna’s face when he entered the bedroom suddenly appeared on his own. Once the belt was released, he gently placed the syringe down and decided to fall down onto the mattress beside the brunette. The rush quickly hit Nick as well, making him wish he could feel this way forever. Maybe, since it had been so long, this feeling would stick with him. Finding himself lost as well, Nick turned to look at Anna. He did not even speak a word, but he smiled and started laughing softly. “This is the shit right here. Fuck, I’ve missed doing this with you.” Unable to even think clearly, Nick suddenly reached down to grab Anna’s hand, not even thinking the usual “what if she doesn’t want that” he had been running in his head recently. There was this huge urge, so he could not resist it forever. “We gotta do this more again. How the hell have we made it so long without this?” Nick mused aloud, now realizing just how imperative this was to helping their enjoyment of life. It might not have been the safest or healthiest thing to do in the apocalypse, but damn, it felt good.
 
Alicia had once thought that starting to be sexually active would be a daunting task and she would constantly feel like she was somehow disappointing for the first... a long time. That was another reason she couldn't have picked a better person to be all of her firsts - not only did they naturally mesh well, Bryce would always prefer to help her out rather than walk away disappointed and even if she somehow was not up to par it would not be the end of the world and they could try again another time. He thought they had never had a less than wonderful sexual encounter, and Alicia was on the same page. While she got a fleeting nervousness any time that they tried something new, she knew that no matter what Bryce would always have her best interests in mind and would make sure that she was able to be comfortable. If she didn't want to do something then she didn't have to, but knowing that Bryce would always ensure she felt comfortable and safe just made her trust him even more. There was an understanding between them and because of that she could push her own lines and try things that maybe she would not have with other people - for example, bondage. If someone had tried to tell her that she would have lost her virginity tied up then she would have scoffed, but because she had lost it to Bryce the concept made more sense than she would have ever previously thought.

"I think that sounds amazing, my love. I'm already aching for you." By now, Alicia was starting to think that she might have a bit of a praise kink - every time Bryce said that she was doing good at something, encouraging her to keep going or generally seeming like he had a good time the young woman just got more and more motivated to give him more and try even harder. By now she was dripping with arousal, and it was almost like there had never been any bad in this place. A capture had turned in to something for her and Bryce, a moment that could never be erased. Anything with her fiance would always overpower anything else, anything at all, that happened. She leaned in towards Bryce, offering her lips out to be taped as Bryce walked back with the roll of silver tape. At the same time she did as she was told, raising her bound feet towards Bryce's waiting cock to stimulate him in hopes of getting him going quicker. Her toes ran along the length of his shaft, then the soles and finally the heels before she took advantage of the tie at her ankles to wrap her feet around him from both sides.

----

When Anna wanted to be touchy, it was almost impossible to keep her from at least having a casual hand on someone's shoulder. When she was high or horny or just in a generally good mood she liked to be touchy or a little bit cuddly, and in the past Nick had a way of usually keeping her in at least one of those moods - and even when he hadn't managed any of that she likely still would be touchy as long as they weren't actively arguing or in public (which got limited to hand-holding or a hand on the waist and piggybacks, but friends places did not qualify as public - she'd land her ass right in his lap even if they were hanging out with others). The way he grabbed her hand was a semblance of normality, another piece of that life they'd left behind that she would kill to have back. Anna slid her fingers between his and held on tight; for the moment it was like nothing had ever gone wrong. She had hope that everything was fixable because the way he looked at her right then was one of the reasons she had fallen in love with him in the first place and that was hard to ignore without the demon at the back of her head telling her she was going to ruin everything she tried to touch.

For a moment she just stared at their mixed hands, not quite thinking at one hundred percent. Her reply to Nick's question, though she realized it was likely rhetorical, came delayed: "Well... This is the first time that we've came across any dope. That's... That's most likely why." She looked up at him with a dopey grin, a mixture of her normal lopsided, toothy smile mixed with the heavy-lidded eyes of someone trying to fight a nod-off. The hand-holding, the weight of his skin against hers, wasn't enough and Nick wasn't the only one fighting the urge to be a little touchy in the moment. Anna rolled on to her side so that she faced him, not releasing his hand, and just looked at Nick's peaceful face for a moment before she decided she needed a comfortable spot for her head and he would make the best choice of pillows. She managed to think that shoving her face in to a bloody shirt wasn't the best call, and instead of just doing that she pushed his shirt up his torso - up to his armpits, not even taking the time to actually remove it or ask first. The cloth had acted as a barrier and left his chest much cleaner, though still not perfect, and Anna released his hand to curl up at his side with her head over his heartbeat. The warmth and steady, slow patter beneath his ribs was even more calming.

"You started the touching, no take backs," she mumbled before letting out a soft sigh.
 
Although the average man might not find a foot job inherently romantic or intimate, Bryce found the romantic value. Knowing that Alicia was accepting of his wide variety of kinks only further demonstrated her love for Bryce. Not every woman was willing to venture into unknown territories, especially those territories considered taboo or gross by the majority. Instead of taping those lips, Bryce decided to kiss them. Keeping the silver roll of tape at his side, their mouths connected again. Within seconds, their tongues were dancing together slowly. With a slight burst of his hips, Bryce continued the facilitation of this pleasurable sensation Alicia had bestowed upon him. During the kiss, it felt like every inch of his cock had been touched by her feet. For Bryce, the entire foot fetish was atypical when compared to other foot fetishes. Although stimulation with her feet, in general, was arousing, combining it with bondage did things to him that were unspeakable. The urge to kiss her had strangely enough originated from these feelings. After all, it seemed like the girl appreciated the opportunities for prolonged kisses before her mouth was covered with something. While Bryce did not think Alicia disliked being gagged, he sensed she much preferred kissing him without one. Even though the opposite was true for Bryce, he managed to find a compromise. Hopefully, it would leave her wanting more. As always, one of his favorite parts about gagging Alicia was the aftermath. Since the first experience with bondage, Bryce always counted on Alicia attacking him with kisses once the gag was removed. It had never failed, not even once. It was likely happening again, so that spurred him looking ahead, looking forward to making out with her after they both reached a peak.

Finally pulling back, Bryce looked deep into those gorgeous, green eyes of hers again. “Okay, Princess. Get ready. I’m going to mix it up a little this time.” Instead of tearing off one piece of tape, Bryce decided to wrap the entire roll around the base of her skull. So, he started with placing the tape over her lips, but did not rip it. Instead, he continued wrapping it around her head until one full rotation was made. Obviously, just like he did with any gag that would wrap around her head (cleave gag, ball gag, OTM gag, etc.), Bryce made sure not even one strand of hair was caught. Not only was it hopefully more comfortable, but it simply looked hotter, in his opinion. The rotation stopped when he placed the second strip down, across the initial piece. “Now, that’s one hell of a gag. Fuck, you look so hot like this.” Unable to help himself, Bryce placed a kiss onto her gagged lips. Before jumping right into the activity, Bryce decided to lower one hand in-between her legs. It was clear – Alicia was soaking wet. While Bryce was waiting for his recharging period to finish, he wanted to give Alicia his touch. Plus, it was quite desirable, wanting to hear her muffled moans behind this new wrap tape gag he used on her, so his fingers quickly found her clitoris and went to work.

--

Nick was aware of Anna’s touchy tendencies. Time had not made him forget. Besides, every favorite memory with Anna involved her touching him (sexually and non-sexually). Right now, at least one of the criteria was met for Anna’s touchiness. She was probably going to get a little high now, which increased the chances of her touching him. That, along with increasing the probability that they were going to be okay for the night since they were both using together, Nick felt a calmness wash over his body before the high could reach him. When her fingers laced together with his own, Nick did not hesitate on squeezing her hand. Yes, this felt normal. This felt like nothing had gone negatively in the past. Instead, it felt like they were back at her place, crashed out on the bed. Well, that, minus the walker guts on their clothes and bodies made it feel like old times again. Strangely enough, though, the whole blood and guts did not bother him. It was like his vision was tunneled whenever he got high with Anna, even now. Everything else around them was being blocked out for good. Not much could make him feel anything other than happy right now. He also looked at their hands, almost worried that Anna was going to pull away. At times, Nick felt like he could convince himself that he did not need her. In a time like this? Her touch, her smile, her voice… yes, Nick needed her desperately.

But, that smile? Oh Jesus, don’t even get him started on that toothy grin of hers. It had the ability to melt his heart in the dead of winter. Anna was so angelic, in so many ways. Nick was infatuated with her. The only thing bringing him out of the haze was watching the woman roll onto her side, facing him. He might have thought she would have rolled on her side, facing away from him, but never this. Perhaps she truly did need to touch him, hold him – just like he needed from her. Watching the brunette with curious eyes, Nick felt a smile grow on his own face once she had settled into this position. Before he knew it, his shirt was being pushed out of the way, her head was on his chest – right where it belonged. This was a prime position for cuddling. Nick laughed softly when she said there was no take backs, not that he would even want to, anyways. He tangled one hand through her long hair, slowly stroking through the locks while gazing down onto her face. “Don’t worry. I missed this so much. You know I always loved it when you use my chest as a pillow. It makes me feel so good.” Nick whispered quietly, still stroking his hand through her hair. She was not getting any complaints to him. Now, he just assumed they would probably spend some time cuddling, dozing off together.
 
One of the main things that got Alicia going was the way that Bryce reacted to her, with a fire in his eyes and a primal desire that couldn't be beat. The bondage was fun, the gags were fun - even the foot thing could be considered fun, though it was something she did more for him than for herself - but above all Alicia's top turn on was seeing the way that her fiance looked at her and the way he ravaged her. That was only amplified when those uncontrollable urges were the result of her own actions. The serious, concentrated look on Bryce's face as he carefully tied the tape around her head just left Alicia even more anxious for what was coming. He always put care in to the way that he treated her, even when they were having rougher sex, and she was learning that he was very serious about the ways in which he secured her. As soon as he finished taping her lips together and snipped the roll of tape away from her, Alicia did her best to kiss him back. One thing about being gagged, bound or both was that it just made her want to touch him even more - by the time that they were done, she was bursting with the urge to have her hands and lips on his body. That was part of what got to her, she figured - the tease of it, a built up tension and desire that she couldn't act on until Bryce said that she had earned it. He would be so close but still too far away to truly embrace.

As soon as his fingers found her clit, which Alicia was learning that he was amazing at working, she couldn't help but gasp. The sudden contact was overwhelming in a very good way, and as his fingers slid in between her slick folds to stimulate her main pleasure point, those gasps quickly gave way to soft moans. She knew that he was just as much aching to hear how her moans sounded through the tape as he was giving her the pleasure that she had earned after her previous good work, so Alicia didn't dare to hold back. "Fuck," she gasped - it was being discovered that she was a bit of a curser when she was being pleasured, despite the fact that she would rarely swear in day to day life. It was just hard not to when Bryce was touching her like he was - just when she didn't think it was possible to be more aroused there he went and proved her wrong. All the while she continued to caress his cock with her feet and attempt to pull her hands apart, attempting to urge him in to another erection with a combination of physical and mental stimulation.

"I need you." Fuck - Alicia still wasn't used to the way that being gagged muffled her words, and she almost felt awkward after she spoke. However, she remembered pretty quickly that he liked it when she was noisy while gagged, whether that was through moans or attempts at words.

----

Comfortable - that was the main word to describe how Anna felt in that moment, with her head against Nick's chest and his voice soft and close to her. As he ran his fingers through her hair, the soft scrape of fingers against her scalp a very enjoyable and comforting sensation, she extended her upper arm out to grab his free hand and pull it over towards her. Maybe it was a little (a lot) dumb to wind up off of her face in the middle of an apocalypse, but old habits died hard and she couldn't even be mad. She had Nick and heroin and there wasn't much more that she could want, especially when they seemed to be getting along. Drugs had a habit of doing that for them - easing away any tension, allowing them to curl up together even if things had been heated. They laughed and fucked and napped (oh how she had loved her naps once upon a time), talked about everything from how much they loved each other (for some reason Anna absolutely loved getting affectionate and kind of sappy when high, even though she wouldn't be caught dead with so much as heart eyes when sober) to everything they didn't understand to the deep, dark secrets - except the deepest, of course, because that had only recently come to light. For now? This was like the many nights that they had curled up together, stuck in a dim room though this time there was no music or television playing in the background.

"Mm, well..." She had been trying to say something but lost the train of thought pretty quickly; she was hit hard and fighting a nod-off. Every moment that passed just made her feel more comfortable and at peace, and the soft beating of Nick's heart so close to her only added to that. She didn't need saving, she didn't need protecting - but she sure as fuck had never minded when he was the one trying to keep her safe. Just being so close to him was a reminder of how that felt and if she didn't end up passed out soon she was going to end up much sappier than sober Anna would be pleased with. Would she regret it? Likely not - but considering they were barely capable of being friends right now, bringing emotions in to the picture would just make things complicated (emotions were already in the picture, though - they had been since day one).

She stretched her arms out, pulling her shoulders back to stretch them as the urge to do so hit her, and then she held on to Nick by his side. Her hands were ice cold, poor circulation was nothing new given her years of drug abuse, and she let out a soft sigh as his body's warmth provided her a relief. She adjusted her position, pulling herself as close to Nick's form as possible. "Well-" she tried to pick up her previous thoughts even though silence had struck for a couple seconds since she had finished. "Even when I hate you, I still kinda love you so..." Anna had meant to finish the sentence somehow, she really did, but her voice trailed off as she lost herself to unconsciousness.
 
If Alicia liked the way Bryce looked at her, she would love the way he looked at her when she tried to kiss him. At this point, it was not a secret that the male was infatuated with his fiancée’s lips. They were so full, plump, and kissable. Not many girls had lips like Alicia did. It had always been something he acknowledged ever since they were teenagers. Out of all attractive assets she had on her body, Bryce was mostly drawn towards those beautiful lips. Another reason the gag impacted him strongly involved being able to look at her gagged lips, also providing him with a perfect view of her eyes, too. To him, there was something so arousing about seeing the emotion in her eyes when she was unable to express it clearly with words. Alicia was not the only one that thoroughly enjoyed the way the other looked at them. Don’t even get him started on those moans – God, they were so hot. He was never disappointed. Just like Alicia, Bryce was not a heavy curser in daily life. In the bedroom? That was a different story.

“Oh, fuck. You sound so ridiculously fucking hot, Alicia. God, I bet you could make me cum without even touching me. I love you, Princess.” The noises, the look, the touch of her bound feet – it was rapidly turning him on. Even though her words might have been muffled, Bryce could piece together the syllables enough. Finally, he decided to grip both of her ankles, setting her feet back down onto the ground. Now, he was staring into her eyes, only a few inches away from her face. “I need you, too. Get ready, Alicia. I’m going to fuck you as hard as I can. I love you. You look so fucking sexy all bound and gagged for me. I can’t wait to hear you screaming in pleasure with the tape over your mouth. Let me help you into position.” The first thing did Bryce did was pull Alicia into a standing position. Then, he turned Alicia around so she was facing the chair, her back to him. The next step was helping Alicia onto her knees, facing the back of the chair. “I love this position. I get to see your ass. I can see the soles of your feet. I can take you from behind without even untying your ankles. This is fucking awesome.” Bryce commented, deciding to tell Alicia what exactly he liked about the position. After all, the more she learned, the better, right?

Leaning forward, he pressed his thick cock against her taped hands, letting her feel just how aroused he was. After giving her a few seconds to feel him, Bryce decided it was time for some fun. He placed one hand onto her bound ones, the other gently resting on her thighs. The male spread her legs a bit, pressing his cock in between her wet folds. Then, he gave her a quiet warning, gently rubbing against her slick folds before slowly pushing forward, entering inside of her tight pussy, stretching out her walls with his manhood, immediately moaning her name.

--

Not resisting when Anna grabbed his free hand, Nick allowed her to pull it wherever she wanted. While the idea of stroking her hair when it was so matted, dirty, and bloody should not have been appealing, it somehow was very appealing. If Anna had paid attention in their relationship, it probably should not have surprised her. Whenever they cuddled, playing with her hair was a go-to for Nick. It always seemed to be enjoyable for Anna. Likewise, it was enjoyable for him, too. Comfortable perfectly explained the way Nick felt as well. For once, everything was back to “normal”. If Nick could stay in this room with Anna forever, with an endless supply of heroin, he would. He had Anna, he had the drugs – that was living the fucking dream for Nick. That was all he needed. Even when she began to say something, but could not finish, Nick did not push her. After all, he seemed to become a better boyfriend when they were high together. Somehow, he seemed to understand and comprehend more information when he had something in his system, compared to when he was high. Whenever Anna accused him of not listening to her, it seemed to always happen when he was sober.

Again, this only reinforced the positivity between being high and the success of their relationship. When one thought about it, the question of wondering if their relationship would amount to anything without them being high all the time was raised. Not for Nick, though. Things just simply worked out like this. Nick truly believed he cared about Anna and their relationship because SHE made him genuinely happy, not the drugs. They were always nice to have, but Anna was the main ingredient to his happiness. She finally picked up where she left off, the words bringing a smile to Nick’s face. She said the “l” word, but he did not overreact. Instead, he kept the same calm state. “That’s good. Sometimes I tried to convince myself otherwise, but I always know that I love you. Always will… always have… Can’t change my mind…” After a few silent moments, Nick lazily tilted his head, seeing that Anna was passed out, likely not having heard a damn thing he said. It was okay, though. He found it adorable. It was not the first time he chatted at Anna, only to find out she was passed out against his chest.

“Night…” he whispered to the sleeping beauty, pressing a kiss onto her forehead. Following suite, still cuddled with her, lacing their fingers together, Nick fell asleep almost immediately. The mattress was comfortable, the cuddling was comfortable – everything was thrown together in a perfect combination for sleep. Nick nodded off with Anna beside him, making it incredibly easy for him to find peace and rest with the girl that he cared so much for. Tomorrow, things might be different, but tonight – things were back where they should be.
 
Making him cum without even having to touch him - now that was something that the young brunette would feel was an accomplishment. Maybe she would have to give it a go sometime - tease him to the point of no return. Of course, even if she did he would still be welcome to ravage her senseless after the fact. Of course even if she liked the idea of getting him off without even needing to touch, Alicia knew that she needed to touch, and the both of them were much too attracted to each other to be able to hold out for an extended period of time. When Bryce was so close to her he was irresistible, and as they stared at each other from mere inches apart the excitement in her eyes turned in to a wicked need. She definitely needed his help to get turned around thanks to the bindings on her ankles, but Alicia knew that the view was one that he was going to love. When he named all the reasons why the young woman just made a point to try and remember those things for later - after all, she wanted to be as sexy for him as she could be.

In the end she was at the perfect height for penetration, with her hands tied behind her. She arched her spine to give him easier access, separating her cheeks to show of her smooth, shaven pussy in the process. He pushed her legs apart a bit, and Alicia knew that she was about to get it as soon as he pressed his cock in between her legs and teased the damp, sensitive flesh. She let out a soft moan as his juices lubricated his length, which turned in to a gasp and then a much louder moan as he pushed inside of her. She was getting used to it, the way he felt inside of her, but he was still on the larger side and she was still quite inexperienced. The sensation of being filled had a newness to it, a thrill that she couldn't explain. His cock urged her tight pussy to stretch and her body responded positively until he had hilted himself inside of her. Another thing that she was growing to love was the sensation of being filled - there wasn't a millimeter of her insides that he didn't have a hold of right now.

"Bryce!" Alicia hard a hard time controlling her reaction from the moment that he pushed in to her, though she allowed her body to adjust before she urged her hips foward in a slow, gentle rocking motion to start things off. All the while she struggled with her bound wrists, attempting to pry them apart in one drawn-out motion - she was sure he would love that imagery as well. Alicia knew that things would not stay at that pace nor did she want them to - by now she was aching for a hard pounding at the hands of the man she loved.

----

Anna figured that she was just terrible at being sober - she'd spent almost every day since she was fourteen intoxicated in one manner or another and true sobriety, "not even smoking weed" sober, was foreign. Though she'd never outright thought about it this way, marijuana was pretty much medicine to her - maybe the doctors who said that were quacks, who really knew, but in her case it was pretty damn useful to stabilize her. Anna just outright did not know how to handle sobriety because for all this time intoxication had been one of the few things that kept her feeling sane. Anything harder was always appreciated, she was happier when there was anything in her system, but going straight sober felt like it took away her ability to be a normal human being. It was pretty damn hard to be a functional, rational person when fighting with a near-constant paranoia as well as an urge to self-destruct, after all.

She completely missed his reply because she was already passed out, and for a few hours she nodded in and out of consciousness in short bursts though she never dared to move. Her arms felt like they were weighed down, but above that she was simply content where she was. After a few hours she ended up succumbing for the final time, and her hazel eyes didn't peek open again until hours later when the sun started to rise. There were times when she could sleep through anything but lately that wasn't the case - she was getting up as early as the sun was if she even managed to sleep at all. Lately, with Nick close, she was feeling a little bit better and sleeping a little bit more restfully, but that didn't change too much about how easily she was awaking. For someone so desperate to seem like she gave a fuck about nothing she found a lot of comfort in the presence of others, especially when the person around her was Nick. She hated that sometimes, but at the same time he was impossible to hate even when he was pissing her off. Anna didn't remember what she had said to him before passing out but that didn't make it any less true - sometimes he drove her crazy and sometimes she wanted to say fuck it and move on but that was impossible. Whether he wanted it or not - whether she wanted it or not - Anna had never stood a chance at loving or wanting anyone who wasn't Nick.

When her eyes opened she was reminded of that - warm, soft skin beneath her cheek and the weight of his hold against her body. She let out a soft groan as she very carefully moved until her lips were near his ear. "Wake up," she urged in a quiet tone, though the entire time she didn't try to move his hands from her. It was comforting, relaxing - temporary, most definitely, but waking up with Nick had a habit of making her not really care about how quick things could be over.
 
Bryce’s body was hypersensitive. His mind was on overdrive. Alicia was driving him insane with her struggling, whimpering, and moaning. The position was so fucking hot. Not a single thing about this entire scenario managed to put a damper on his arousal. Deciding to not hold back from Alicia, Bryce released all reserve. His right hand tangled in her locks of hair, pulling on the strands with a gentle grip. Since she was putting on a show, struggling with her wrists being taped together, Bryce decided to keep his other hand on her ass cheeks, keeping her legs spread. While his eyes were locked on her hands while they twisted and turned about in the bondage, Bryce took the next step. He decided holding back was not an option. It was time to get rough – rougher than they had ever been before. Bryce wanted to push her limits further. After all, they were both in love, they needed to enjoy each other, learning about what the other likes and dislikes. Bryce could just imagine how rough they could eventually get. He enjoyed the gentle and rough variation in their relationship, especially during sex. Right now, Bryce was feeling like rough was more appropriate.

Bryce pulled his hips back until only an inch remained inside of her wet, sensitive folds. Then, he rapidly yanked himself forward, piercing her walls with his cock. The man pushed forward until the tip hit a physical barrier. His balls slapped right underneath her ass while his girth was fully impaled inside the brunette. The smile grew wider as he moaned out her name. The name was mixed with incoherent moaning and sounds of pleasure. He loved this girl so much – just as he loved fucking her. With his hand starting to fondle her ass, Bryce settled into a decent pace. He would pull back as far as he could allow without slipping outside of her hole. Then, he would violently slam right back inside of her. The pace was quick, only waiting about a second for each pause. Still, the man was mindful of Alicia’s body and her reactions. If it seemed like this was too much, he slowed himself down, without hurting her. Otherwise, he was letting go. The hand previously fondling her ass slipped beneath her, searching for her clit. After all, even though she was soaking wet, it never hurt to have extra stimulation.

Bryce focused attention to the girl’s clitoris during the entire fuck. Within five minutes, Bryce was finally toppling over the edge. With a loud groan of her name leaving his lips, Bryce took one final, deep thrust inside of the brunette before releasing. His semen was released inside of her, spurting out from the tip four different times. The arousal was powerful, meaning the orgasm was powerful, too. The spurts felt like they were blasted with a great deal of force. He continued to moan out Alicia’s name while emptying himself inside of her, making sure she was filled with every last drop.

--

Since the death of his father, intoxication was a natural state for Nick Clark. It started as a coping mechanism, which was understandable. He was not the first person to become addicted after the death of a family member or other loved one. It helped him forget about the unbearable shit he faced each day. The pain, the sadness – it was too much for Nick to handle. The sadness was combined with guilt, too. His guilt originated from not being there for his mother, or for his sister, when they needed him. They both lost someone important, too. Nick often felt selfish for disappearing, but it was not the first time someone accused him of being selfish. The guilt never outweighed the amazing feeling of being high, though. It would never win out. Then, combine his memories with Anna while being high – he finally felt happy for once. Nick did reveal this information to Anna when they learned about one another. Anna was not the only one reluctant to reveal information about herself. One day, Nick finally blurted his entire story to her, that he found himself like this because he lost a father, that he felt like he was the family fuckup, that he let them down.

Perhaps, this was why Nick adored Anna so much. She treated him well, she actually seemed to care about him. Whenever he did find himself back home, Madison seemed like she was just waiting to put him into rehab. He did not even feel like he was being treated like an actual person. The combination of Anna with some sort of drug always helped him reach peace of mind. It was not something he reached without either or both of these things. It might have been considered unhealthy, but how was it such a bad thing if he was in love with it? Unlike the woman on his chest, Nick did not struggle with falling asleep. Once he fell asleep, he stayed asleep. The man was a light sleeper, but this morning was different. It must have been the fatigue combining with the presence of Anna. Those two things made it incredibly easy for him to sleep soundly, to rest without any twitching or problems. Even when sunlight invaded the room, he did not rise. It was not until Anna decided to wake him, did his own chocolate orbs open.

Her voice was soft, but just loud enough to get him awake. “mmm…” He muttered quietly, eyes fluttering open a couple times. Finally opening his eyes, he looked down to see Anna still on his chest. That was the most incredible thing he could have seen when he awoke. It brought a smile to his face. “Good morning, beautiful…” he whispered softly, still in a haze. He often greeted her like this when they were together, so it was second nature to say some cheesy compliment that usually made Anna roll her eyes. “Morning already? I could stay here longer if you wanted… we don’t need to leave yet…” Nick just wanted to get more rest. He had not been this comfortable in a long ass time.
 
In the end it only made sense that they would go hard this time - at least in Alicia's mind. This wasn't casual every day sex, the type anyone could have whenever - they weren't gently making love, as much as she enjoyed sex like that with Bryce. This was heat of the moment, passions running high, and an infinite amount of desire between the couple. Being able to do both with Bryce was amazing - maybe she was too new to sex to ever ge used to anything, knowing that there were always options and that they were both comfortable changing things up sometimes seemed like a God-send. Though at first the rough, deep thrusting was a little uncomfortable Alicia quickly adjusted and before long all she was feeling was an immense pleasure. With each hard thrust in to her tight hole she released gasps and moans, noises that only grew louder and more amplified as his hand moved from her ass towards her clit. Bryce was right - more stimulation was generally better, especially considering that the angle they were at didn't allow for clit stimulation as he plowed in to her.

Given how aroused she had been before Bryce had even slid in to her, Alicia had no trouble reaching her peak. With each movement her pleasure grew and each time that Bryce slammed in to her, Alicia drove her hips backwards to meet him part way. Before long her pussy was tightening around his hard, thick length and for a few moments she teetered right at that edge. It was Bryce's orgasm, a deep stroke accompanied by a rush of warmth as his release poured in to her, that pushed her over the line. Lost in pleasure she virtually screamed his name, though she noise was muffled and calmed by tape across her lips. The room was likely well insulated anyways given what the soldiers had used it for, but given how loud the brunette could get that was almost a good thing. She tightened in waves as her own release spread through her body, and she gushed around his length. By the time that they were both finished she was filled to the brim and leaking with a combination of both of their fluids, coating her pussy lips as well as his cock.

----

Beauty was subjective. Some people thought she was too tall or too skinny or just plain didn't brush her hair enough (if she tried to keep the wild mess on her head clean and straight she would have a brush in it all day long, the shit had a mind of its own). Others thought that her jaw was too sharp or that her default expression wasn't flattering enough - girls were supposed to be soft, after all. In the end she didn't really care about any of it, though. Anna was not soft nor was she aiming to be pretty - especially not when all the flaws others had pointed out were things that she couldn't just change. On top of that she just never had the time or energy to care what irrellevant people thought about her. Nick though? He was far from irrelevant, and he had one of the few opinions that she actually cared about.

Of course she would play the role of her herself, give him that questioning look that asked if he was being serious, because even if she liked the affection she wasn't too great at recieving it. She scrunched her nose and pulled away from him just slightly, using her elbows to support her weight so that she could look him in the eyes. She was going to pull away or at least roll over on to her side to pull Nick in to a spooning position but everything still felt... normal. Not the kind of normal that they had been dealing with lately, with back-and-forth disagreements and stubbornness on both sides, but rather what she was used to with Nick. Anna was feeling pretty damn comfortable as well, and the longer they just stayed in that bed the longer she would get a taste of what she longed for. For a moment she was simply unable to look away from him and as he spoke a slight, subtle smile formed on her lips.

"Mm, I'm cool with that." She was going to just roll over at that point, but as her arms jerked to pull away she found herself caught there, unable to look away from Nick. The urge to kiss him was undeniable and for a moment hesitation flashed through her eyes as she hovered over him; in the end, she gave in to the urge and leaned in close to kiss him first. She was never a soft, closed-mouth kind of kisser, but she wasn't trying to passionately make out with him or anything either.
 
It took Bryce a few minutes to catch his breath. Never had he felt this spent after sex. It never failed with Alicia, though. He always felt completely satisfied when they made love. Well, satisfied might not have been the right word. After all, he would never feel like he had enough of Alicia. Either way, Bryce simply adored the feeling after they finished. Keeping himself inside of her a few more minutes, Bryce knew they did not have enough time to sit around. So, once he forced himself to pull out of Alicia, Bryce went to work with freeing her. Since Bryce did not wrap the tape around her ankles and wrists with the intention of it being easy to escape, he could not simply unwrap them again. Instead, he needed to find his knife. The male was forced to slice through the tape that bound her ankles first, followed by her wrists. Once her limbs were freed, Bryce helped Alicia turn around into a standing position since they needed to get dressed. The gag was still there, but Bryce was not quite ready to free her mouth yet. Instead, he simply gazed into her eyes adoringly, letting his eyes travel down lower to her taped lips.

“I love you so fucking much, Alicia Clark.” Just then, Bryce cupped both of her cheeks and pressed a firm kiss to her gagged lips. At least her hands were free. She could hug him and touch him to her heart’s desire. She might not have the ability to kiss him without the gag yet, but that would be available to her soon enough. He just could not stop smiling against her mouth, running his hands through her long hair. Even though they were just intimate, Bryce felt the need to smother her in affection again. Once he pulled back from this kiss, he finally decided it was time to free Alicia of all her bondage. He reached behind her head, able to unwrap the tape from her skin at a slow rate so it did not hurt. Eventually, he reached the front of her face, pulling the duct tape free from her lips. Once it was done, a smile spread on his face, dropping it onto the ground. There was a sparkle in his eyes, anticipating, hoping that Alicia was about to attack him with her lips and hands again.

--

For a split second, Nick feared Anna pulling away from him. He feared her making an irrelevant comment about needing to get the day started while escaping the bed, and his grasp. Thankfully, it did not go down like that. Nick often prepared for the worst case scenario, but even hoping for the best seemed outdated. He had lived a long enough life to realize that it hardly ever happened. The male found his ex-girlfriend hovering over his body, their eyes locked together for a few moments. Nick started smiling slightly when she leaned forward. Time moved slowly as their lips connected. Fuck, it felt so good. He had no idea that was coming. Nick had thought about kissing her, but feared it being too much. This, what they had now, was good. He did not want to lose it. As they kissed, Nick kept it just as soft as she did. One hand was caressing the back of her neck. The other had slithered into one of her hands, lacing their fingers together. His eyes were closed, uncaring about anything else around him. It was one of those moments where the mind was clouded, no thinking was possible.

At this point, only primal instincts were being adhered to. Whatever this was, it felt right. The world was balanced again. It did not matter that the dead were roaming the Earth. It did not matter that there were humans at every edge of the world that wanted to kill someone instead of helping one another survive. For once, the world was back to the abandoned church outside the city with bustling traffic and busy streets. It was back to being passed out with a girl, a couple syringes nearby. It was back to waking up with a smile and a kiss. His eyes finally opened once the kiss ended. It was impossible to miss the look on his face, one of pure adoration and happiness. “I’m good with this, too.” He commented, deciding to embrace her with wrapping both arms slowly around her back, his hands placing gently onto her back. This was the closest they had been in a long time. Nick was not in a mood to lose it right now. So, he simply kept silent and cuddled with her, in this position, locking her against his body so they had to spend at least a few more seconds like this.
 
Another thing that Alicia liked was how he didn't pull away from her - pull out of her immediately after finishing up. There was something intimate about that, and just as Bryce was left breathless to recover so was the young woman that he remained inside. It didn't help that her lips were sealed - she was unable to take proper deep breaths which meant she couldn't quite properly calm herself down just yet. She let out a whimper as he pulled away, and turned her head back to watch him move as he found his knife and started to release her ties. He started with her ankles and she wiggled her feet a little more freely than she could before, followed by her wrists. As soon as her hands were free, Bryce got what he wanted. She didn't even care if he was yet to untape her mouth, he could work around her - Alicia immediately had her hands on her to-be husband's fit, firm body. She wrapped her arms around his waist, fingers trailing over his flesh until they merged together in the middle of her back. The fell low, barely above his ass, and she looked up towards the love of her life with pure adoration in her eyes. Even after rough or kinky sex (of which this round happened to be both), they always managed to look at each other with pure romance.

She didn't stop there, though. As Bryce kissed her cheek and then her gagged lips, Alicia's hands wandered upwards along his back. Her fingers scraped over smooth muscles, over his shoulder blades and then clasped on to his shoulders to the point that her fingernails dug just slightly in to his skin. There wasn't an inch of her body that was seperated from him as she continued to gaze affectionately at Bryce, and though she stood patiently as he took his time freeing her lips Alicia proceeded to kiss him immediately after she was freed - she didn't even wait long enough for him to toss the tape aside before she had rose to her toes and brought her full lips to his in an eager, desperate need for more of him. She always needed more of him. Unfortunately they did have to get moving eventually, the longer they stayed the more likely that someone would catch on, but for at least a couple more moments Alicia was going to lose herself in him.

----

Had they not been covered in literal guts, Anna likely would not have pulled away from kissing him. However, if she did that she would end up wanting sex (more than she did based on the fact that she had just woken up to Nick alone) and that sure as fuck wasn't happening with no way to properly clean off first. She could (barely) ignore the urges as is, let alone if she started trying to get a rise out of Nick. Just as he ended up holding on to her with a gentle touch to her neck, her hand found his cheek and as she ended the kiss her thumb ran across his cheekbone. It was a small gesture but an affectionate one, and after sparing him on more soft smile she pulled away from him just enough to find her spot back on his chest. Anna had no desire to fight his touch at all and she let Nick hold on to her tight, sneaking her hands under his shoulders to cling to him just as well. How could one person so wholly make her want to be weak? Any time that Nick touched her, looked at her or even spoke to her (provided the weren't on a bad page) Anna just continually wanted to lose herself in him. He was addictive, always had been - and she had been hooked from day one.

They couldn't stay there forever, but Anna was pretty damn content to delay getting up for at least a couple minutes. The rise and fall of his chest as well as the rythymic beating of Nick's heart were calm-inducing, but it didn't take long before she beCame acutely aware of the sharp hunger pangs in her stomach. She groaned and looked up towards Nick's face again. As much as she wanted to eat, Anna also had no desire to move at all. Getting up or even speaking risked ruining the little moment they were and lately those had been few and far between. (There was an obvious reason for that, of course, but that didn't change the fact that she still liked when it was like nothing had ever gone wrong.) Then, as if her stomach wanted to make its needs clear, a gurgle broke the silence - to which Anna's expression contorted in to an exaggerated frown. "Any chance you want food? My bag's just on the floor, know I got something in there we could munch on. Does mean I gotta move though, as much as that sucks."
 
Just as Bryce anticipated, his fiancée was all over him once her hands were freed and her lips were freed. He returned the touch, his hands sliding across every inch of her back while his mouth locked onto hers. Finally, when they decided it was enough, Bryce locked eyes with the beauty, giving her a soft smile. “Love you, Princess. That was incredible. I always love fucking you.” To continue the brief intimacy, Bryce wrapped his arms tightly around the girl, pulling her into his chest for one final time. If it were possible, Bryce would have happily spent time with Alicia, cuddling and kissing. Unfortunately, the man did not have the chance since they needed to get moving. He nuzzled their noses together, forcing himself to pull away and suggest they get dressed, and that they get moving. “Alright, love. Let’s get on the road. We’ll try to sneak out. I remember one of the fences that are less covered. We’ll try to sneak out there. We can grab their guns. I also remember seeing our bags in one of the other rooms.” It was not like they had much since their main bags were left on the truck, but it had a few supplies they could use.

Quickly, Bryce went to find his clothes that were strewn about around the ground. He pulled on everything as quickly as he could. He waited until Alicia was dressed before taking her hand, leading her out into the hallway. This building still seemed quiet, dead. It was good. They were in the clear (for now). Bryce stopped by the soldier’s body just outside the door, taking one of the rifles and extra magazines. In the adjacent room, he found their bags. Of course, he placed the new roll of duct tape inside one of the compartments. It also had his gun that was given to him by his father. So Alicia could defend herself, he placed that gun into her hand since she had practice with it. The other rifle, also given to him by his father a long time ago, was thrown over his shoulders. They were ready to go. Hopefully, they did not need to use any weapons during the escape, but it was possible. They reached the front entrance, so Bryce looked back towards his girl. “Are you ready? Stay close to me. If we have to fight, we will. If not, we’ll just sneak out and not look back.” However, he caught wind of something, looking down at the second solider he had taken out, finding a set of keys that would undoubtedly go to the vehicles not too far away.

--

The pair practically mimicked one another. Nick also wanted Anna (badly), but the guts and blood made it less than an appetizing morning for sex. Still, it never ceased to amuse Nick just how easily she could get him going. Whether they were bathing in infected blood or not, she could always get him turned on with a slight touch or kiss. Back in the day, it was the greatest thing ever. This morning? Not so much, solely based on the fact that they could not have each other quite yet. Nick halfway wished he never suggested they used the guts after escaping the burning estate. If he had not made such a suggestion, this morning might have gone very differently. It was something Nick would not have complained about, though. The ending of the kiss was heartwarming. Just feeling her soft hand touching his face the way it used to brought a smile to his lips. Speaking of smiles, the one that she had on her face made Nick feel even happier. Honestly, Nick’s favorite thing to see was Anna smiling. It sounded corny, but it was true. She had this strange power over him. She had a beautiful smile. If she ever really, really wanted something for Nick, she usually only needed to flash him one of those smiles, kiss him, and Nick was like putty in her hands.

Everything was peaceful, silent. Nick was enjoying himself. Even though he knew better, his eyes closed, just telling himself that he was going to rest for a few minutes, nothing more. However, Nick realized the potential of him falling asleep again was high, but that was not a desirable outcome. Even so, he did not get the chance. The loud grumbling noise made him open his eyes. It drew a chuckle from his lips while his head tilted down to Anna. “Someone’s hungry.” He commented teasingly. Nick felt the same hunger, though. It had been a while since they had eaten. Moreover, it had been a while since they had eaten anything substantive. It was only logical that they were both feeling a desire for food at the moment. “Yeah, I could use something to eat. We both could, before we get moving today. As much as I’d love it for you to stay here all day long, I guess that’s not exactly plausible. We’ll have to move at some point.” Even though Nick said it, he was not in any hurry to make it true. Instead, Nick continued to lay there, stroking his fingers through her hair for as long as he could.
 
It killed to have to part, but it was a necessity. As Bryce found his own clothes and got dressed, Alicia found hers as well. Her outer layers were up on the shelf that once held the knife and duct tape, and her underwear was close to the chair. She looked over to her fiance as she secured the button of her pants and gave him a soft smile before she then put her shoes back on. Bryce, obviously, took the lead - though with Alicia hand in hand with him she never fell behind. The building was eerily quiet and now that the adrenaline was starting to wear off, Alicia was becoming aware of just how much trouble that they could still get in to. The plan was to get out quietly and unnoticed, though. They found their stuff and Alicia avoided looking at the bodies of the newly dead - she was starting to grow accustomed to the infected, but those had been people - bad people, absolutely terrible people with the worst of intentions, but still people. Though she knew that she would have killed someone exactly the same had Bryce been the one in danger, she couldn't help but shudder. Taking a human life was not something that anyone wanted to have to do, not if they were any level of sane.

"Here we go then." Alicia looked at him, popping her eyes wide for a quick second before nodding towards Bryce. He handed her his father's handgun and she handled it carefully, knowing just how much it meant to him. After giving it a quick check to make sure that it was ready to be used if need be (and hoping that it wouldn't), she gave Bryce another nod. Then they moved towards the entrance to the building, and they had one last moment to pause before they started their escape attempt. She had no intentions of wandering from his side even for a moment. Bryce wasn't the only one to catch the flash of silver on the floor, and she was slightly relieved by the fact that he pulled keys out of the dead soldier's pocket. "Any chance we could get out of here in one of the jeeps without raising suspicion?" She asked.

----

Nick was right about the fact that they couldn't stay there forever, but Anna only had two modes: moving as fast as possible to get where she wanted, or being too lazy to even get up in the first place. Given how relaxing just laying there was, the twenty-two year old currently had no desire to actually move. For a few more minutes she just laid there and ignored her body's needs and clinging to Nick like there was nothing better in the world - and sometimes it felt like there wasn't. They has two starkly different moods together: everything was perfect and neither could imagine how any bad had ever occurred, and focusing on the negative to the point that it was hard to remember how happy they could be when they let it... or maybe that was just her. Anna wouldn't be surprised if that was just her being lost in her own head, but she could never find a midpoint. It always seemed like one or the other to her.

Eventually, with a sigh, she finally pulled away and even then she didn't even properly sit up. It felt like a crime to shrug Nick's hold off of her but she did it anyways, and then she leaned her body towards where she had left her bag until her head and shoulders were at the edge of the bed. Once she caught sight of her stuff she fished it in to her hand and then, only then, did she sit up. She crossed her legs as she did so, still close enough to be in contact with the boy beside her, and then pulled some stuff out of her bag: some granola bars, the opened pack of beef jerky and a water bottle. Anna popped the cap off of that and took a sip before offering the water over to Nick, and then pulled the wrapper off of one of the bars. "Unless you have anything better hiding somewhere, guess this will have to do. Then... I'd say we keep laying here, but I have a feeling that wouldn't be the greatest idea."
 
“I don’t know about not raising suspicion…” Bryce responded in a whispering voice. “I think we can escape, period. I don’t think we’re doing ourselves any favors by leaving here on foot. Even if they pursue us, I think we can outrun them in this. We couldn’t evade them on foot.” Bryce thought it was a valid point, so it was really their only choice. Turning his attention forward again, Bryce scanned the entire roadway ahead of them. The garage was no more than thirty yards away, diagonally facing this abandoned building. Taking Alicia’s hand, Bryce used the other to hoist his rifle. They quickly sprinted across the yard, finally reaching the garage underneath the cover of the night sky. So far, so good. A sigh escaped his lips, looking at their surroundings. There were about four vehicles inside of here. “Here, take the keys. See if you can figure out which one is to the door and the ignition. While you do that, I’m going to slash these other tires so we can’t be followed.” They had the time, so Bryce was using it. After all, it sounded like a great idea. They could not be chased if he did this.

Bryce took his hunting knife, quickly moving towards the closest jeep. He simply stabbed one tire on each side, making sure the vehicle would not move well. He wished he could have disabled all four tires on each jeep, but he did not want to waste time. Instead, he settled on slashing through two tires for each jeep. After the deed was finished, Bryce joined Alicia in whichever vehicle she had chosen. If she wanted to drive, then Bryce would jump in the passenger seat. If she wanted to sit in the passenger seat, then he would jump in the driver’s seat. Either way, he kept his rifle out, looking towards the brunette, giving her a slight nod of his head. “Alright, Princess. Ready to get out of here?” Just as he said that, he could hear some rumbling just outside the garage. They would probably face an enemy or two as they drove away.

--

When the peak danger of Nick falling back asleep again reached, Anna moved. It changed everything. His eyes shot open, almost deciding to verbally request she return. However, he held his tongue. It was funny to think about that – he could remember many mornings spent together where he would ask Anna to get back in bed and lay with him longer when she started moving around. On the other hand, he had been requested the same task as well during the days when he woke up first. A smile was on his face, though. He watched Anna move lazily about the bed, realizing she had no true desire to move. That was good. He could hear the rumbling of her bag, unknowing of what she was looking for until she sat up and showed him the contents. The addict in Nick was quietly hoping for something else to get high on, even if he knew they used whatever they had. Food and water was not a bad second option, though. He accepted the bottle of water and only took a sip on it before returning the cap in place, setting the plastic bottle down between them, easy to access for either person.

Then, Nick reached for the bag of jerky, taking out the first piece his fingers touched, taking a small bit while being mindful of the portions they had. He listened to the girl speak, it gave him ideas. He knew what he wanted to do, but he was unsure how safe it was. “I would love to stay here, too, but I think you’re right about it not being the safest idea. So far, every place that I’ve stayed with for a while has fallen…. Back home, on the Abigail, and the estate. I don’t think we survive by staying in one spot. I say we get some breakfast in us, then we keep going. I’d like to sit around here as much as you do, but I just don’t think that we can afford to do that, unless you have a strong opinion towards staying here. I…. just want to be wherever you are, really.”
 
Bryce was right. Even if they could get out on foot, they likely wouldn't be able to get much distance between themselves and the soldiers that way. After they found the jeeps she for the one closest to garage's entrance and sorted through the keys to figure out which one would let her in while Bryce worked on disabling the other vehicles. Even if there were spare tires out of sight, the amount of time it would take to get one of the other vehicles moving again would be more than enough to give them a decent head start. It was just as Bryce was walking back towards her that she got the ignition to start, and a pleased grin lit up her face as the engine roared to life. Though it was the middle of the night there were likely people awake still - especially guards closer to the gate. For a moment she wished they had thought to take the dead men's clothing as a disguise - it possibly could have helped them blend in and stay under the radar. It was too late for ifs and buts now, though.

Alicia took the driver's side, which allowed Bryce to be focused on the rifle and taking down any enemies that came their way. The rifle was a lucky find, for sure - now they at least had a gun and a knife each, instead of one knife and one handgun between the pair. They were both much more prepared for any danger that could come their way. She squeezed Bryce's hand and nodded before she brought one hand to the steering wheel and took the car in to drive. "Do we have any other choice my love?" She asked with a sweet smile, though there was a truth to her words. "Let's go, I can hear someone outside. We should try to beat any rush." At that point she eased off of the break and started to drive forward; as soon as they were through the garage door she caught sight of a patrolling soldier just outside of the "storage" building they had just left - if they hadn't been found yet they were about to be and that would be when hell began. The men had radios and as soon as the bodies were found, the manhunt would begin.

----

Well, Anna had more meant that if they stayed there, right where they were in the bed, they would likely end up never wanting to leave it. Nick's point was pretty accurate, though - so far nothing good had come from being anywhere. Staying in one place a couple days wouldn't be the end of the world, it wasn't like there destination would be gone tomorrow, but was there really a point in sticking around besides entertaining their own laziness. She munched on a piece of jerky as she spoke, tearing part of the strip off between her incisors to work on. Anna wouldn't say it out loud but the last thing he said, about wanting to be anywhere that she was, made her heart flutter. When things were going good they were great, and even though she was acutely aware of the fact that things between her and Nick weren't as simple as she would have liked, she had spent the last day or so feeling a lot better about things. Unfortunately, that probably had a lot to do with the fact that they weren't talking about the elephant in the room.

"Yeah I think that's the best call, too." She dropped the piece of meat on to the blanket beside her and stretched her arms out, with her hands clasped and back arched. Only once both shoulders popped did she release the hold and then snatch her snack slash meal back up. For a couple minutes they both finished up, careful to make sure they didn't take much more than they needed, and then Anna spoke up once more. "I think we should probably just keep following the highway. We'll have to reach the city eventually, and then we're pretty much almost there..." Obviously Anna still had one destination in mind, but she would be lying if she tried to say she was excited to start moving again. She'd never been big on heat, ironic given that she was a California girl, and the deserts of Mexico were much harsher than the city had ever been. The sooner that they got it over with the better, though - right? (It was much, much more tempting to just find herself in Nick's lap and stay a while longer.)
 
“Keep your head down, Princess. We’ll get out of this.” When the jeep exited the garage, he could see one of the patrolling soldiers glancing at the jeep rather strangely. Obviously, it was weird for a vehicle to leave this late at night. He pulled out a radio as Bryce watched his lips move into the speaker. Then, the soldier disappeared into the “storage” building. “Alright. We’re about to be found out. Take this left, follow the road to that gate straightaway. They didn’t have many guards there. Just be prepared to ram through the fence. I’ll shoot if I need to. Just stay focused on hitting the gate.” Of course, the fences around this place was reinforced. However, the weakest spot was the gate that was wired to mechanically slide along to allow entrances and exits. As they approached the gate, he could see three guards. They walked out from their posts, raising up their hands, asking for the vehicle to halt. “Fuck…” Bryce muttered before giving Alicia a glance. “You know the plan. Babe, keep your head down, punch the gas to the floor. I’ll give us some cover.” They started creeping closer towards the gate and Bryce ensured the rifle was ready.

“Okay…. Now, go. Floor it!” After giving the order, Bryce was forced to climb into the sunroof opening. He fired at the soldier nearest to the driver’s side. He had the element of surprise, quickly eliminating this one soldier. Thankfully, it would draw the attention of the other two guards on him, hopefully allowing Alicia to control the vehicle without dodging bullets. The second guard was on the same side, so Bryce gunned him down as well, trying to not pop too far out of the roof for cover. The bullets ricocheted around before the male turned his attention to the final guard as they sped past him. When the front of the vehicle pushed through the gates, Bryce ducked down inside of the jeep to avoid any debris. Of course, the entire base knew some shit was going on, but they could not be pursued. As they drove away from the compound, Bryce popped back up into the roof opening, turning around to send a few more bullets back towards the gates, slowing the guards down even further.

--

Continuing to eat in silence, Nick found himself comfortable. Lately, whenever there was a silence between the pair, it had been an uncomfortable silence with much tension. Thankfully, things were a little different today. For the first time in a long time, Nick had hope about their relationship one day being rescued. When Anna finally spoke up, Nick placed his piece of jerky onto his lap, listening closely to her, giving her full attention. Follow the highway probably did seem like the best idea. In fact, it was something he would have suggested had she not. When things were going great between them, Nick often felt like they had the same ideas and beliefs. They knew how one another thought, felt, and acted. It seemed like, even though they were separate people, they functioned as one whole. Nick loved feeling that way with Anna. It was the most extraordinary feeling he ever had. When she finished speaking, Nick grabbed his jerky again, going right back into the meat, taking a big bite as he thought about what the would need to accomplish today. He was unsure how close they could get today, but the sun had only just risen. They had the chance to make good progress.

“Yeah, let’s do it. That’ll be the best way to make sure we stay along the right path. Plus, the city will have more shit for us. We can just keep doing this each day – ransacking a place, staying in it for a night, move forward, and repeat. There’ll be a ton of stores we can see if there’s anything worth looting in the city, too. I’m sure there’s not much of anything, like always, but if they have enough infected, I’m not sure how many people would attempt to search for supplies there. We’ll just have to be extra careful.” When Nick finished talking, he had also finished his piece of jerky. One final time, he grabbed the bottle of water and sipped on it slowly before releasing it again. Once he placed it back down, he looked towards Anna with a smile. “Alright, then. I think I’m ready to get moving once you are.”
 
Alicia's heart raced in her chest, pacing a mile a minute as she followed Bryce's instructions through the compound and towards the gate. When the guards signaled for her to slow down she did the exact opposite and pushed the pedal to the floor, urging the jeep to accelerate through the fence. Meanwhile Bryce shot down one guard and then the second, followed by the third that waited. Alicia couldn't stop to look so she was silently praying that Bryce wouldn't get himself shot trying to be brave - the last thing they needed was for one of them to be critically wounded. Voices began to ring out behind them as more soldiers arrived on the scene; though many came towards the gates as it was where the sound of gunfire was originating from, she assumed that by now several were heading towards the vehicles, which they would find virtually unusable. Some of the soldiers ran with guns ready, stopping to shoot towards the escaping pair once they realized that Bryce and Alicia were going to get away. The sound of returning fire just made her feel more anxious, and that didn't stop until Bryce had retreated in to the body of the car.

"Are you alright?" She couldn't stop to look at him when going this fast unless she wanted to risk crashing in to something. Instead, searching for assurance, she blindly reached for his hand with one of her own. She was so nervous that her fingers were shaking. The sounds of shots firing didn't stop but they did fade in to the distance; it was barely a relief but still one regardless.

----

Anna was happy to hear that Nick was in agreement with her, but just as he was thinking she too enjoyed the way that they could seem in sync at times. It was one of those things that she had gotten comfortable with in the past and stopped appreciating for what it was worth. Now she was just happy to know that it was possible for them to get along, even just for moments here and there. That was something, and a start was better than nothing. The fact that they could fall back in to those habits like it was nothing at times felt like a sign that they could work everything out. She spared him a small smile as he agreed, laid out a plan to stick to. Anna agreed that the best option was to keep moving and hit up places along the way, spend the night wherever they could. Luckily last night's storm had passed so they wouldn't be in trouble when they walked out the front door today. After Nick took another sip from the bottle she did the same, capped it tight and then put it back away along with the now half-full bag of jerky.

"Well I'm good to go, so get your ass up," she replied as she clambered off the edge of the bed and in to a standing position. Once vertical she held her hand out to him - Anna had taken the outer edge of the bed which left Nick trapped between her and a wall, so he pretty much had to wait for her to get out of the bed. If he took her hand she pulled to urge him her way and then released it once he was standing, if not she simply dropped it and waited for him to get up by himself.
 
In the minutes following the daring escape from the compound, Bryce tried to calm his frantic fiancée. He was fine. She was fine. Bryce gripped her hand tightly until she calmed down. While he was certain the soldiers wanted to pursue them, they did not encounter the guards once they escaped the compound. They drove until the next night, practically. They were running low on fumes, deciding to stop wherever the Abigail was left. Perhaps there was a chance Madison, Strand, and Ofelia were waiting there. After all, it made the most sense – that was exactly where the most logical rendezvous spot was. They arrived to find that the water was empty. The ship was gone, bringing a frown to Bryce’s face. Did they really get left behind? Everyone knew that Nick did not want to be found, but Bryce and Alicia had every intention on joining the three. Bryce was simply caught at a bad time during the exodus from the estate, leading into Alicia’s abandoning the truck as well. They wanted to be with her mother, they wanted to stick together. Just when hope was looking bleak, the rumbling of an engine roared down the road.

At first, Bryce feared the evil soldiers had tracked them here. While readying his rifle, he looked at the vehicle closely until it was within his field of vision easily. It was that same pickup truck containing those three people they had been seeking. It was good because they were not left behind, but it was bad because someone had taken the yacht. “It’s them. It’s actually them.” Bryce chuckled as the truck was closer, finally lowering his gun, looking down towards Alicia with a smile. It all worked out in the end, somehow.

--

Of course, Nick did not resist taking Anna’s hand whenever she offered it towards him. Taking the woman’s hand, Nick pulled himself into a standing position. She was right, it was time to get moving. The pair had an interesting couple of days following their leaving of this last house. Their next location was compromised by a woman that almost attacked them in their sleep. Then, they were chased by a few men that were riding through the abandoned streets. As if that wasn’t enough, they awoke the second morning with a couple wild, starved dogs in their face. They were chased again, using the top of a van as cover until a group of the infected came along and took care of the dogs for them. Sadly, Nick’s leg was bitten in the process. Before moving on, they recovered themselves in the infected blood, using the horde as cover as the same outlaws from before attempted to attack the horde, but were overrun. Now, they had been looking around some drug store for something to help with Nick’s leg wound. After that was over, the man and woman were ready to continue moving. Nick, at least, was feeling somewhat exhausted, dehydrated, and hungry.

When they were getting ready to leave, Nick realized they were not alone. A woman that looked Hispanic and two men were entering into the room. Nick froze when he saw these people, considering that they had just had a difficult run-in with some other evil men. Nick was ready to get moving with Anna, they wanted to get moving towards Tijuana, but it did not seem like they were going to do so without any issue. Nick looked towards Anna before looking towards the other three. “Look, we don’t want any problems. We’re just trying to get out of here.” The male murmured, unsure of how they could possibly get out of this situation.
 
Alicia was disheartened to find the Abigail gone and her mother nowhere in sight. Maybe something had come up and they had to leave but damn it, there wasn't even a single infected in the area. It made no sense that they would have been left behind when it was so obvious that they wanted to be found. Alicia was not Nick, Bryce was not Nick. They had not simply walked away with no intentions of turning back - they had both been trying to save someone, even if the person Bryce had been looking for didn't need saving. They were good people and yet somehow they had been left behind. Just as Bryce assumed that the roar of an engine was the men of the compound catching back up to them, so did Alicia. She prepared to go on the offense and armed herself with Bryce's pistol, which had previously sat on the console of the jeep.

Who it really was became a pleasant surprise - it was the white pickup that Madison and the others had driven away on. Everyone seemed to be okay, and Alicia swore that she could see her mother slapping Strand's arm to get him to come to a stop quicker. As soon as the pickup was stilled, the blonde left the truck and raced towards where the young couple were standing outside of their own jeep. Alicia hugged her mother tightly and Madison responded in fervour before extending her arm out to try to bring her future son-in-law in to the hug. "Oh I'm so glad that you two are okay," she said as she squeezed tight. "I don't know what I would have done if we didn't find you. Have you been aright?"

Then, in a quieter tone laced with empty hope: "Have you seen Nick?"

It was always about Nick.

----

By the end of the next day, it was starting to feel like they would never get where they were trying to go. The highway seemed to go on and on and on, never ending - but at least things were interesting, right? The first couple days of their trip and been pretty quiet, but the two following were far from. Between being chased off in the middle of the night (a situation in which her knowledge of the Spanish language did not help a damned ounce) and being chased by dogs... and being chased by outlaws... well, there was a whole lot of chasing being done. It seemed at least they had some kind of good luck - the same outlaws that had tried to cause a problem for them ended up being overtaken by a horde of the infected. It was Nick's injury that worried her most - no amount of first aid was going to be helpful if he stayed covered in a thick layer of guts and grime.

The woman in her friends would be, in that regard, a godsend - though Anna didn't know that. Given that he was wounded she was fiercely defensive; surprisingly enough, the one night of getting along wasn't all they had, and neither of them had managed to get on the other's nerves since. Hell, even if she was actively hating Nick's guts she probably still would have put herself between him and any possible threat if she needed to. She was currently unarmed with her knife in her pocket and her hand over said pocket. One little knife wouldn't do much in the scheme of things, though, not with real people.

"We don't want any problems either," the Hispanic woman replied. She and the others had caught sight of the pair earlier when they were following a horde; even if the infected didn't noticed to real people they stuck out like sore thumbs - namely due to Nick's injured limp. She had also watch the man collapse earlier only to be pulled back to his feet by the girl, and it didn't take a genius to know that he was unwell. It was the man with her, Francisco, that convinced her that the man's life was worth saving. "Are you infected?"
 
When Madison reached out to embrace him, Bryce relented into the hold without any hesitation. It was a nice group hug, a happy little reunion. Inevitably, Madison had to bring up Nick. Now, since Bryce knew his fiancée very well, the young man anticipated her to not respond in a positive light. Therefore, he reached down to take Alicia’s hand with his free one, the one not holding the rifle. “I’m sorry, Madison. We haven’t seen him anywhere.” The disappointment was clear on the blonde’s face at the news. It was sad: she was reunited with her daughter, yet the happiness had already faded. “We should take refuge somewhere nearby. There’s a hotel we passed on the way to the coast.” It was just a few miles away – Bryce thought it was the perfect location to regroup. Plus, it might have supplies they could use. Madison was still distraught over not finding Nick, though. She wanted to keep looking. It would take some coaxing from Strand and Bryce, but the woman finally agreed to a compromise. Before leaving for the hotel, Madison and Strand would leave a message in driftwood for Travis and Nick. ‘Abigail Lost, Head North’.

If either man wanted to find his way back to the group, the most logical rendezvous location was the Abigail, just like Bryce and Alicia surmised. If they came here, they would see the message, and have a higher chance of relinking with one another in the future. Bryce did hope they would both return safely, but he could sense the frustration Alicia was feeling. After all, they had just been through some hardcore, rough shit. Madison had no clue, but she was not acting too appreciative of being reunited. “You alright?” Bryce finally asked while standing at the top, looking down at the docks. Their hands were still being held together, fingers linked as well. Bryce wanted to comfort her if needed.

--

In this condition, Nick was not able to fight (well). If forced, he would stand up for himself and Anna. However, he was hoping to avoid conflict at this time. It did not help that the couple shared protective sentiments about each other. Even in a wounded state, Nick felt the need to protect Anna. Even though she was the one stepping up right now, Nick wished he could have done it for himself, for Anna. It was just in his nature, event though the woman was more than capable of handling herself. It did not matter. The day Nick stopped caring about Anna was the day he wanted to give up on his life. That would never happen. No matter how badly of a condition they were in, he would give his life for the woman without a doubt. Therefore, it pained him to see her stepping forward the way she was. It made Nick want to do it instead, but he was just physically unable. It made him feel weaker than any wound has ever made him feel before. All Nick wanted was to be able to provide and protect his woman. It was something that really any man wanted to do.

It appeared that the woman did not want anything to do with any problems. At least, she said as much. Nick knew better than to think that a person’s word meant much of anything anymore. Nick was watching these strange people closely. At least they did not seem like they were making any moves yet, but that could change on the drop of a hat. When she asked if he was infected, Nick shook his head. “No. It was just a dog bite. I swear. I’m not infected.” Of course, that probably would not sound convincing at al. He was certain that the excuse was used more than once before already, but it was the truth. Nick figured they would find that out if they examined it. “Who are you? What do you want?” After all, everyone wanted something. He figured they did not just waltz into this store without a reason. Nick was unaware of how long they had been being watched. Still, nothing made him feel safe right now. “What are you doing here?”
 
"He will find us." "He's not looking." "He always comes home." "Mom, it's me and you now - whether you like it or not."

Alicia's frustration was definitely obvious, but it didn't need to be for Bryce to be able to tell that she was upset. Of course she was - just like every other time in her life she came second to Nick. Over the years Bryce had been there for her through time after time of that boy vanishing and reappearing and getting himself hospitalized. Every single time, without doubt, Madison would drop what she was doing to tend to the wonderboy himself in whatever way she possibly could. She'd even cancelled a birthday on her because Nick had showed up - now that was a day that she was still bitter about, even though Bryce had more than made up for the disappointment. She wished that she wasn't bothered, but she couldn't help that she wanted her mother to care. She wanted to be able to tell her mom when terrible things happened to her, when she was happy and when she was sad. She'd grown tough over the years but at the same time she still wished that she'd been able to have that kind of bond. Alicia would always end up being second best and that hurt more than she wanted to admit.

She took Bryce's hand and held on to it tight as the group made their way towards the hotel, something that Madison, Strand and Ofelia had passed on the way towards the shore. For a moment everyone sat by the truck but eventually Alicia and Bryce wandered off towards the docks, hand in hand. She was obviously still bothered, and she sighed as Bryce asked her how she was doing. "I just wish..." She cut herself off. "She couldn't even be happy to see me for a whole minute. This isn't the first time he's walked away from us, it isn't even the first time that he's walked away with her and she tore his damn heart out. Nick doesn't even want us. You'd think it would stop hurting by now, that the only kid she cares about is Nick, but that's just not the case at all. It's just... disappointing."

Alicia then sighed, and squeezed Bryce's hand before turning so that they were belly to belly. She then grabbed his other hand just as tight and stepped in towards his lean, muscular form to rest her cheek against his chest.

----

Anna, quite frankly, did not care if Nick somehow perceived her stepping forward to be some slight against his desire to be a protector or something like that. He would get over it just as she got over any of the times he'd tried to get between her and something potentially dangerous. In the past they stood up for and looked out for each other - generally at each other's side. Both had fiercely protective, borderline possessive, tendencies and if meant keeping something between him and potential danger, Anna sure as hell was going to step up - he was hurt and she wasn't so it only made sense. He likely would have done the same for her if the roles were reversed, and Anna wouldn't have felt much better about letting him put himself at risk of getting hurt. However, had their situations been reversed, this would have been one of the few times where she wouldn't feel like she was being patronized if Nick had left her side to take a defensive stance.

The strangers had been watching them, though. This boy wasn't who they had been looking for, but he was obviously injured and at least one of the people there had a soul left in him. The woman had been less willing, but in the end she was convinced that he was going to die without help, and that any life saved was worth it. They had basically kept an eye on the pair for a while as they got closer. After moving in to the store and approaching the pair, they were also on high alert. One of the men was speaking Spanish and luckily Anna knew enough of that to know what they were saying - it seemed that Molly keeping her in school all those years ago had finally come in handy. When the woman moved in, presumably to check the wound, Anna stepped straight in to her path. It took her a moment to dig through her brain, find the parts of it that knew what she wanted to say. In the end she came up with it: "Él está bien." He's fine.

The woman didn't like it much, the way Anna spoke and even the way that the brunette stared her down. "I know someone that can help you," she said, speaking English despite the fact that Spanish was her natural tongue. Her voice was accented but she sounded like she knew what she was saying. She didn't answer the who or the whats, she just said what she had to say. "You would be an idiot not to take that. Come with us."

Anna turned her head to look at Nick and then took a step back towards it. "What do you think?"
 
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