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What Do You Fear? [randomname98766789 and Amaranthine]

Even though these were things happening to Alicia, not Bryce, it still hurt the young man. After all, when you were in love, it was only natural to hurt whenever a loved one was hurting. The pain in her voice, the sadness in her eyes – it was something he witnessed far too often. Anyone that knew Bryce, knew he would do whatever he could to make Alicia happy. However, he felt helpless right now. The male could not do a damn thing about the way Alicia’s mother treated her. Of course, Nick's addiction got worse after their father died in a car accident, followed by Nick’s first major disappearance and drug overdose. Bryce half-wanted to pull Madison aside one day. For whatever reason, the older woman was not getting it, she was not understanding her daughter’s need to feel the same love she offered Nick. While Bryce was certain, in Madison’s mind, it seemed like she had not done anything wrong, but it was obviously something that needed to be addressed. If Bryce had the chance, he would talk to Madison, but that would be difficult to accomplish considering the lack of privacy anyone has anymore, especially now that they were all getting ready to pile in the truck.

“I’m sorry, Princess. I wish I could make things better. I’m sure she doesn’t mean to upset you, but that doesn’t make it alright. If you want, I could talk to her soon. I’ve watched this for far too long. I can’t bare to watch you feel this way. I know that the love I give you doesn’t make up for what a daughter gets from her mother. You need that, I know you do. I want you to have it as well.” Bryce could somewhat relate. It was a different situation, but after his own father died, his mother basically shit the bed as well. In his case, though, she stopped giving a damn about him and his sister. Only recently did she recover – Bryce wanted the chance to repair his relationship with his mother, but this outbreak took her far too soon. “I don’t know exactly what you’re going through, but I’ve felt horrible when I sensed that my mother did not care, when she was too busy being drunk and high out of her mind to even know mine or my sister’s name. It sucks, it really does. I never got the chance to help make things right with Mom. I don’t’ want the same thing to happen to you. Maybe, if I address her myself, she’ll hear it since it’ll be from a new perspective.”

--

When Anna stepped into Luciana’s path, Nick tensed. What if this transpired into something less peaceful? Thankfully, it appeared that hearing Anna affirm that Nick was fine proved enough evidence for the other trio. When the Latina woman began speaking about knowing someone who could help him, Nick chewed on his lower lip. On one hand, he did not want to trust these people. They were strangers. People were much more dangerous than the infected, Nick knew that already. On the other hand, Nick felt like shit. He was weak, tired, he could barely stand, and he was incredibly thirsty. There was an internal battle happening right now. Nick weighed the pros and cons of each situation. If they went with this trio, they could be killed. If they stayed away, well, they still might die. If they join the trio, there was a chance for Nick to get better. Nick did not think this infection from the dog bite on his leg was enough to kill him, but it could possibly have damaging effects if left untreated for very long. Even though Anna had worked on him, it was nowhere near what he needed. They just did not have the supplies.

It did not help that the woman was ignoring his questions. Nick would have liked to know more information about these people, about where they were going, and about their intentions. However, it was not offered. Instead, Nick was left with a choice. When Anna asked him what he thought, he was about to respond when he nearly collapsed, grabbing onto a shelf nearby when he took a step. It was probably obvious by this point. “Alright… we’ll go…” Nick looked to Anna, offering her a look that said he would stay away if she preferred they moved on. If she was leaving it up to him, his choice was to follow them and hope they could help. If Anna felt reserved about following the group, Nick would rescind his agreement to join Luciana and the two men. Those two individuals were told something else in Spanish. Whatever it was, it must have been an instruction to help him. One of the men grabbed his left arm, one of the men grabbed his right arm for support. Nick felt the relief instantly, hoping they did not have much further to go as he looked towards Anna again, wondering if she had made a choice or not.
 
Madison would never get it - or at least that was how Alicia felt about everything. She didn't get it when Nick started using and especially didn't get it after her father died, when Madison's desire to coddle her son only increased. Given that Nick had been in rehab when Steven died, it made sense to consider him a loose canon - but he was one that didn't want to be tamed, and that had gotten significantly worse since the first trip years ago. The child she wanted didn't want her, but the one that desired her affection got nothing at all. In a way, that was another thing that she had in common with Bryce. She remembered after his father died. They had been young, hardly even teenagers at the time, but she'd seen the way that Bryce had been affected by his mother's sudden change. Basically, drug addiction ruined people. It ruined families, tore them apart - both of the pair knew just how insidious that kind of thing could be and how deeply it weaved its way in to the roots of things. Alicia had been happy that his mom had gone straight, but that hadn't lasted long. Just like so many other people, she had died in the early days of the infection.

"I don't know, Bryce." Alicia sighed. For someone with degrees and counseling experience, Madison was crap at handling problems. However, because Alicia and Bryce were so close, Madison had basically raised after his mother's addiction - at least until he was old enough to basically care for himself. Even after that she still had considered the boy like a second son to her. Maybe, after hearing about just how terrible he had felt at the hands of his mother's indifference, Madison would realize that she was hurting the kid that actually wanted her. Alicia just shrugged it off, though. All that she wanted was to be held on to nice and tight for a little while, and for a moment she fantasized about what it would be like to purposely walk away as well. That wasn't something that she could do, though. Alicia wasn't capable of walking away from the people that she cared about.

"Maybe," she mumbled as she clung to her favourite person. "Maybe that would help. I just wish she'd get her priorities straight, it's not like he even wants to be found."

----

Well fuck. When Nick was in such bad condition, Anna wasn't about to say no to possible help. Watching him pretty much fall over made it clear that there really only was one option, so Anna nodded reluctantly towards Nick. As much as she didn't want to detour, sometimes a break was needed. Hopefully they wouldn't find themselves in more trouble by trusting the strangers, and in a few days' time when Nick was in better shape they would be able to get back on the road. She didn't quite like it when the strangers took a hold of Nick, but in the end they would do a much better job of supporting him than she could. Nick was pretty slim (a good thing in her eyes, as she wasn't fond of the burly, hairly muscular types), but he still probably had forty pounds on her - not to mention she'd been supporting his bum leg pretty much all day so far.

She never strayed far from his side as the small group made their way towards... wherever they were going. It was revealed that the woman was Luciana, one of the men Fransisco and... well, Anna had forgotten the name of the other one. When they talked they mostly did so in Spanish, and while she could vaguely understand some of what being said she didn't catch everything. They seemed benign enough, but they had been looking for someone when they laid eyes on the pair. Luciana didn't seem too happy to be taking Nick and her back to wherever they lived instead of who they had been looking for, but no one was outright hostile. The trip back to their home, "La Colonia" wasn't too bad and before long they'd walked through a sea of the dead and then through the "gates", a gutted bus.

The strangers continued to lead the pair towards a building with "farmacia" labelled on the front - Spanish for pharmacy. Inside there was a bald man, several beds and a couple sick/injured people. Luciana said something to the man, Alejandro, and then the strangers left the not-quite-couple alone in there.
 
Silently, Bryce squeezed his arms tighter around Alicia. Usually, he would say something to help her feel better. However, there was not much he could offer right now. Nothing he said would change the facts. It hurt him so much, he hated feeling helpless, especially when it came to Alicia. Bryce hoped she knew that he was always there for her. She would never need to worry about him walking away or not giving her affection. She was the most precious thing in the world to him, and it was not even close. Bryce hoped to show it every single day of their lives. Just then, the very woman they were speaking about called both names from the top of the docks. They were ready to get moving now that a message had been left. “Let’s go, Princess. We’ll sit in the bed of the truck. We can cuddle and kiss until we reach the hotel.” It never ceased to help. No matter how upset Alicia had been in the past, Bryce found some tactic to make her smile. Now that they were in love, about to be married, Bryce could use previously unusable techniques to his arsenal.

Finishing with a quick peck kiss to her lips, Bryce pulled away long enough to grab her hand. “I love you, so much.” It just felt important to remind her yet again. As always, only one kiss was not enough to satiate the young man. One of Bryce’s hands wrapped around the back of her neck, holding her head steady while firmly pressing their mouths together. Since they did not have much time to spare, Bryce pulled away much sooner than he wanted. Linking fingers with the beautiful girl, Bryce led the way, up the stairs from the bottom of the docks. Eventually, they reached the top together, watching the other three begin piling into the truck. As expected, the couple decided to take the bed of the truck. Excited to have so much room and opportunity with Alicia, Bryce jumped up first, turning back to help pull her along. He found himself a seat in the corner of the truck, just against the tailgate. The next course of action was reaching for the girl, pulling her by the hand, offering her a seat on his lap. It seemed most logical, anyways. Plus, it was one of his favorite cuddling positions, with Alicia sitting in his lap.

--

Nick wanted to be aware of his surroundings. However, he was in horrible shape. It made it nearly impossible to think clearly. The layout was strange, but Nick did not see much about this place yet. After he recovered, Nick intended on exploring the Colonia. If they needed to fight or escape, Nick needed to have a plan. When they reached the pharmacy, Nick was beyond thankful to sit down onto one of the beds. He plopped down onto the mattress, groaning out in comfort. He leaned back, placing his head down onto the pillow. He kicked both legs up onto the mattress, looking over towards Alejandro. He could see that the man was looking at him quizzically. Like the others, it must have sounded unbelievable. Any bite these days was something one should be aware of (and skeptical about). However, Nick was sure that this man would understand the bite when he inspected it. When the man walked towards him, Nick decided to pull down his jeans so the good doctor could see the open wound on his leg, to work on it, hopefully getting the healing process beginning.

“You are foolish to walk with the dead.” The older man spoke, seeing that he did indeed speak English. It made Nick laugh lowly, but he shook his head. “No, it’s safer than anything else. I know it is.” They did not see eye-to-eye on it. In fact, Alejandro seemed to look at Nick real strangely when they mentioned the topic. Nick sounded like a lunatic when Alejandro was told about how he was found. It was ironic, though. Anna seemed to feel the same way, but she was right there along with him. It did not take long for the wound to get somewhat patched up. It was quite painful, but at least it wasn’t death. Nick looked at Anna, wondering if she was going to stay with him the entire time, hoping that she would, at least. Nick did not want her to be away from his side for too long. He felt better with her around – this new place felt safer.
 
Alicia gave Bryce a small but appreciative smile. She knew that no matter what she had someone who would always listen to her, and that at the end of the day there would still always be one person who would love her until the end of days, never even considering leaving. She squeezed his hand tight and shared a kiss with him before moving - it felt like a crime to share nothing more than a peck but Alicia knew that as soon as they could they would share more than that. Every day she fell more in love with him, and so every day she felt like she needed him and his touch more and more. Alicia was more than happy to settle in to the back of the truck with Bryce. It was quieter back there, and also reminiscent of their own times together when they had driven to the beach or a campsite out of the city or even just the middle of nowhere and then settled down in the back of his pick up with a picnic prepared. He would play his guitar and she would ask to learn, toss grapes at him as music played softly in the background, and generally be cute - even before they were a couple, they pretty much had been.

It was different to cuddle up in the back of a truck when said truck was moving, but she didn't mind too much. Alicia easily found her way in to Bryce's hold, settling down on his lap. She pressed her body tight against her fiance's and as he wrapped his arms around her waist she grabbed his hand to tug until their hold was even snugger. In the end her hands relaxed against his elbows and she leaned her head back to rest against his shoulder. As they started to move her lips found his jaw and Alicia pressed a soft kiss there before angling her head up and watched him with a look in her emerald-hued gaze that said she wanted him to kiss her. "I love you more,' she said before there was any time to, but then went quiet.

----

Anna was not going anywhere. She pulled a chair up towards the head of the medical bed and leaned against it, elbows against the mattress up close to where Nick's head laid. She stayed there with her cheek against her own arm, watching and listening and speaking up whenever she had something to say. She was pleased that someone was able to help Nick out, but she was also more pleased to hear someone take her side that walking among the dead was crazy. From her position behind Nick's waiting form she was able to give Alejandro an expression as if she was saying "this is what I have to deal with". It was teasing more than anything if he caught sight of her knowing nod; even though she knew it was nuts she still stuck with him. He still seemed to think that walking among the dead was foolproof, but the fact that it had stormed the other day and they had nearly been caught in it was an example at how easily things could fail. They were lucky that they'd managed to get inside before it struck, lest they end up catching the attention of the infected.

Every time he winced or groaned she either gave his shoulder a squeeze or smiled - once she made a teasing remark of "what a wimp" as she scrunched her nose up, though it was entirely meant in jest. She just found it funny how low of a pain tolerance she had noticed that junkies tended to have, there was an irony to it that she could appreciate. When Alejandro asked where they were coming from, thankfully in English because high school did not teach her enough to be fluent, she mentioned Valle de Guadelupe and after remarking about how far away it was and that it wouldn't have been a surprise if the desert heat had killed them on the way to Tijuana, he asked where they had been going. "America," she answered. "Going back home...ish, we have people to find, ones that I got split with."
 
When Alicia turned her attention towards him, Bryce kissed her immediately. Without even speaking a word, the male understood what she was requesting of him. Happily kissing the brunette during the ride, Bryce found himself touching her every second of the journey. His hands were resting around the girl’s waist. His lips were also pressed against her lips, or somewhere on her neck at every possible moment. For the most part, he stayed silent, simply allowing his actions to speak loudly for him. Finally, the group of five reached the Rosarito Beach Hotel. The truck stopped at the pier, giving the small group time to assess the situation. Outside the hotel, it looked silent. There were not many infected. It appeared like a perfect location to set up. It was decided they would attempt to make this place their temporary home. Besides, a hotel might have some supplies they can use as well. Plus, the patrons of the hotel should probably have left this place when things got bad. Who would stay in a hotel during the apocalypse? Sadly, they had no idea what was waiting for the inside, it was worse than they could possibly imagine.

The doors were barricaded, which was the first warning sign. Bryce helped Strand push the doors in, slowly toppling the debris in front. Before they entered, Bryce removed the rifle he had taken from the soldier at the outpost as they searched the lobby. He decided to keep his handgun with Alicia. After all, It was the gun she had learned to shoot on, so it hopefully meant she was comfortable with it – at least, comfortable enough to handle it for a while, until he had a chance to give her more lessons or more practice. To avoid noise, Bryce eventually traded his rifle for the hunting knife, only intending to resort to a loud weapon as his final option. Strand walked towards the lobby and began to ring the bell. He slapped the metallic button at least four or five times, trying to draw out any of the dead that were still here. It was the smart move. If they took out the infected now, they would not be surprised later.

--

It was comforting to know that Anna was not going anywhere. Now, he did not anticipate her ditching him, leaving Colonia. However, he was unsure if she was just simply going to explore and see what trouble she could get into. No. She was right here. She might not realize it, but that meant the world to Nick. It certainly helped ease the pain, as funny as that sounded. It might not have any medical basis or value, but her touch and smile made him feel so much better. Even the teasing made him laugh, which considering the pain, was quite the accomplishment. Eventually, Alejandro finished with Nick. By no means was he fully healed. Alejandro instructed him to get some rest, to take it easy. After a few days of resting, he would probably be back to his normal self. Nick looked forward to it. In a world like this, one could not afford to be immobile. He already knew how detrimental it could be. Nick hoped it wasn’t upsetting Anna, either. Well aware of her desire to keep moving, Nick hated they were forced to stop on his account. Thankfully, she did not seem bothered by it, but he could never know for sure.

Just dealing with the infection on his leg was problematic enough for right now. Looking towards Anna when they were left alone, the male took a deep breath. “Hey, I’m sorry about all this. I wish we didn’t have to stop. I know you want to get going. I think I just need a day. Maybe we can spend the night here? After that, we can get moving again?” Nick was not foolish or ignorant. The infection would not heal in a day. He simply tried to compromise with Anna. “I do kinda want to check things out though. I want to make sure we’re not staying somewhere dangerous. Want to take a look outside with me?” It probably sounded absurd, considering his injury, but Nick was already going crazy from sitting still. Even before she answered, he started to push himself onto the edge of the bed.
 
The trip over to the hotel was not long, maybe about twenty minutes. Alicia was more than happy to spend the entire trip curled up in the back of the truck with the love of her life, and the silence was comfortable - comforting even, because it was caused by Bryce's lips trailing softly over the skin of her neck, cheeks and lips. Just like always. the young man made sure that she knew she was loved and she would forever appreciate it. They stopped down by the water and for a while simply stayed there; even with the truck pulled to a halt Alicia and Bryce didn't jump out of the bed of the truck. It was only once they had stayed there a sufficiently long enough time to decide that the place looked like it might be safe that they made their way off, and followed her mother and the others up towards the large building. It looked... almost too empty.

The place being barricaded only made it seem even more curious. Alicia kept her hands on her knife, hoping to not have to resort to using a gun but prepared to if needed. Bryce's handgun was definitely in good hands while at her side. She definitely felt like she could use a few more lessons before she would feel outright comfortable with it, but she had the basic skills needed that if she had to resort to putting a bullet in something she probably could. She walked in behind her mother and the others though still at Bryce's side - the place was dead, and not even in the way that they expected. Several loud dings went off as Strand rang the bell and then there was silence from all parties as they waited for the tell-tale noises of the infected. Nothing.. Then it was suggested they they move on and find the kitchen, work on taking the place room by room. "What do you think?" Alicia asked Bryce in a hushed tone as she walked by his side down a hallway, only to walk through a pair of double doors in to a dining room like area.

----

They were left alone after Alejandro was finished cleaning Nick up, or as alone as one could be in a makeshift infirmary. The "exam area" was separate from the main part of the converted pharmacy though it had no door so they had a negligible amount of privacy. Alejandro had mentioned finding something cleaner for them to put on and once some spare clothes were found they would be able to shower. After four days of being covered in grime and guts, Anna was thrilled to be able to clean up finally. However, for now they had a moment to gather their own thoughts. At first she didn't move from her spot beside the bed and tried to run her fingers through his hair until the sticky gunk in it obscured her path. At that point she pulled her hand away and shook it, tossing a chunk of... she didn't even want to know what... to the floor. He seemed to have no intentions of waiting for her to answer so she got to her feet as well and held her arm out, offering it in case he wanted the hand. In a way, she ways also using his injury and him needing "support" as an excuse to be a little touchier than normal with him, though she didn't say that out loud; in the past she wouldn't have needed an excuse, but nowadays it felt like she did.

"We can stay as long as we need to, the border's not going anywhere," she said to him with a slight smile. Anna didn't really want to stay but beside how frequently she made bad decisions, she wasn't dumb. She knew that they should stick around until Nick's infection had cleared up and he was at least able to walk without that pained limp again. If they didn't wait it out then they were asking for trouble, but they also could have been asking for trouble just by staying here so she wasn't about to treat this place like it was some miracle. If he was standing by now, she wrapped her arm around his waist from his injured side. "But yeah - I'd like to check things out. We didn't catch much on the way in, just came straight here. Then maybe when we come back the shower will be ready and we can finally get cleaned up... I don't know about you, but I'm aching to have somewhat clean skin again... and hair. Ratty hair feels much worse than grimy skin in my opinion."
 
While walking down the hallway, Bryce linked his fingers with Alicia’s. Considering a response, Bryce answered truthfully. “I think… it’s too early to make a decision. There’s something odd about how empty and quiet this place is. Maybe it’ll work out for us. I’d like to know that the place is secure first, though. It will be so much to watch and defend if we do stay here, though. I don’t think this is an ideal place to stay, honestly.” Bryce thought it was a good place to stay for a handful of days, to allow a search for supplies, clothes, and food. After searching the hotel, he assumed they would keep moving North. It was out of his hands for the most part, though. The biggest shock came when they entered into the dining room area. While there was nobody around, the state of this room was a disaster. There was food left out on the tables, but it was clearly old and unusable. Looking around every foot of the room, he could piece enough information together to realize that there had been a wedding celebration here. There was some cake, pictures, and a fancy set-up.

“Looks like someone got married here when the world ended.” Bryce commented while they were looking through the dining room. It was ironic, he thought. They were looking to get married on the beach. This hotel was on the beach, so Bryce intended on suggesting within a couple days, if she did not beat him. However, it seemed like they were not the only couple looking to get married here. The last wedding did not end particularly well, but Bryce was sure that would not hold true for them. They would not meet whatever fate these people met. He just wondered if everyone escaped in time or not. “Maybe there will be some food preserved in the kitchen area.” Bryce mused aloud, squeezing her hand while pulling her towards another set of doors that would lead them back into the cooking area. With his free hand, Bryce was clutching the knife, ready to strike, but it seemed like the back area of the kitchen was clear as well, leaving the engaged couple to search for food.

--

It was almost like second nature to Nick. He did not even hesitate when she reached out a hand for him to grab. Even if he thought he could walk on his own power, he would also accept the touch for obvious reasons, but he would never say that aloud, either. Nick was going to cherish it, cherish touching Anna as long as she would allow. When she mentioned that they could stay for a few days, Nick felt relief run through his veins. He was not in any condition to run or walk very far right now. However, if she would have made the choice to leave, Nick would have actually not argued with her this time. Nick intended on doing whatever it took to stay near the young woman. As she wrapped her arm around his waist, Nick leaned onto her as much as possible, giving her a soft smile of his own. The male would have been lying if he said that he did not enjoy the extra touch. Yeah, the pain wasn’t fun, but it was made up for having Anna touching him as much as she was. Nick was not going to complain about it, or want it to stop.

It seemed Anna also agreed with scouting the place a little. Regarding the shower, Nick had just gotten so used to being covered in the mess that it almost felt natural. However, he did miss the clean feeling. And if they were clean, maybe it meant Anna was even more likely to touch him. It was not like she had abstained from touching him now since they were covered in blood and guts, but he could imagine it would become even more frequent without it. Keeping that in mind, Nick nodded his head. “Yeah, that sounds good, Anna. Maybe, to conserve water, we can both get in there at the same time?” Nick suggested with a wicked little grin as his reasoning for suggesting that was obviously not about water conservation. Either way, when they were finally ready to leave the exam area, Nick started moving with the girl. When they reached the outside of the pharmacy, Nick could not believe what he had seen. Children laughing and playing. Families walking around. It was a community – it looked safe. Nick had not seen anything like this since the world ended.
 
"Yeah, you're right. There's a fence but how much good can that really do? It'll work for something temporary, maybe, if it's clear enough. I know my mom won't want to go, though. She already thinks this is too far from where we lost Travis and Nick." Alicia didn't even know what happened to Travis, though no one would other than Nick. All anyone else "knew" was that he left to find Chris, and then wasn't found. They didn't know, and maybe they were better of not knowing, that Travis had chosen not to return. It would break Madison's heart to have him walk away too and it was bad enough listening to her desperately try to get back just one person that didn't want her. Alicia didn't want to focus on that, though. Her mood had already been spoiled simply by reuniting with her mother as terrible as that was - and she wasn't going to let the fact that her mother only had maternal urges for one of her children get too deeply in to her brain.

The ground floor, at least in the area they were exploring, there was nothing found. Despite the sheer amount of nothing, there was a hell of a lot of mess. Like Bryce, Alicia also clued in that a wedding ceremony must have been going on here when the infection hit. What was supposed to be the best day of someone's life ended up being one of the worst - if they had even survived. For all they knew the happy couple had lost their lives that day and the thought made Alicia shudder. When the day came that she finally married Bryce, Alicia wanted it to be perfect. On the beach with gentle waves behind them, with her family surrounding her and happiness in everyone's hearts. There would probably be no white dress because finding a proper wedding gown would be like finding a needle in a haystack now a days, but she could get married in dirty pants and an old shirt and be happy as long as it was to Bryce. She also laughed to herself at the way she had thought that - finally, as if they had waited years and years despite the fact that they had only been together for a month or so now. Even though their courtship had been short, she did genuinely feel like they had waited all their lives for what was coming.

"Yeah, let's check it out," she agreed. Madison didn't want them wandering off on their own but it wasn't like they were going far; Alicia had been about to suggest checking out the tower. Alicia held on tight to one of Bryce's hands and clutched her knife in the other, prepared to strike. However, the back room appeared just as quiet as everywhere else did. "It's kind of unnerving that there's no sight of anyone, alive or dead," she remarked as they did a proper sweep side by side before starting to rummage through drawers and cabinets. "You'd think we would have seen at least one of the infected by now."

----

Anna was grateful that Nick didn't stop and say anything at all about the way she had leaned in to touch him, because even if she played it up to be just helping him walk a little better she did have ulterior motives. They had been doing good the last few days, probably because they'd never had time to stop and talk long enough to get mad at each other again, and the part of her that just wanted to be close to him was coming to light again. She was a little more touchy than before, though it was nothing major and still mostly "casual" touches - grabbing his hand here and there, or resting her hand on his shoulder or waist. She also had other urges, but they would have to wait until they were cleaned up. Obviously while on the run sex hadn't been at the forefront of her brain, but she couldn't remember the last time that she had been with Nick and not jumped his bones for this long. Even back when she had periods (one of the joys of her implant was losing those after a few months) she'd still just plug things up and try to get her hands on some non-penetrative play, innuendo intended.

"You just want to see me naked," she replied with accusation in her tone, though the smile on her lips and the glint in her eyes betrayed the fact that she was in no way bothered. In fact, she had been thinking the same thing as long as it was possible. It wouldn't be the sexiest thing given the fact that both their bodies were layered in corpse blood and guts, but Anna was not going to say no to an opportunity to get her hands on Nick, even if she couldn't satisfy her own cravings just yet. Because he was hurt she wasn't about to ask him to take her on the spot as soon as they were cleaned up or anything, but as soon as he was feeling a little bit better... Well, maybe she wouldn't even wait that long to try something - after all, she could just take the lead and do all the work for them, that wasn't something she was averse to.

"Wow," Anna said as they cleared the pharmacy's large double doors and walked in to the main area of Colonia, a bustling little community filled with families and children and more people than she had been around in a long time. Luciana stood nearby talking to someone, and she looked towards the opening doors near-expressionless. Anna wasn't about to try to make an enemy of the people with guns so, while she wasn't much a people person, she tried to do the friendly thing and smiled towards one of the people responsible for bringing them to Colonia. As they stepped past and more towards the center of the community, she glanced back towards Nick. "It's actually... Not that bad. I'm a little surprised."
 
“I agree. I find it strange that we haven’t seen any infected yet.” The uncertainty continued welling in Bryce’s brain. While they searched through the kitchen, he found that anything edible was already taken. Maybe they could have covered more ground and saved time if they took opposite sides of the kitchen, but Bryce sure as hell was not about to let her hand go. It would not have mattered anyways, since there was really nothing they could use. It was unnerving, because this shit didn’t just disappear. Bryce was thinking hard about what could have happened, but none of the alternatives sounded promising. This hotel did not sit right with him. “Someone must have stuck around long enough to clean out just about everything in the kitchen. I have a feeling that someone else might be here. I just think so. Make sure we’re really careful. This is a huge hotel, so there’s still much to explore.” Bryce would not get caught off guard – he did not want that to happen with Alicia either. As much as it would have felt nice to relax like Strand and her mother were at the bar, Bryce was always in a protective, skeptical mode when they reached new places.

While they were looking, though, Bryce did want to bring up his idea of their wedding. “I was thinking about our wedding…” Bryce began, looking towards her, hoping to brighten the rather somber tone he had taken about this hotel. “Maybe, if we find out that this place is safe – maybe we can do it here. It’s right on the beach. I think it would be perfect. I’m sure there’s still luggage here, so maybe we’ll find something a little nicer to wear. What do you think, Princess? I will marry you anywhere in anything, but this is shaping up to give us a chance for the wedding we talked about.” It was just an idea. If, for some reason, Alicia opposed it, Bryce would not make a huge deal about it. Of course, they did not need to make that commitment yet. After all, they still had so many floors to explore. They had to see if it was safe. They needed to see if they could find something clean to wear. It was a long process, but Bryce saw no harm in thinking ahead. Soon enough, they had finished looking through the kitchen, but they found nothing that they could use. Defeatedly, Bryce suggested another course of action to Alicia. “Maybe we could head on up to the higher floors and check out each individual room?”

--

Indeed, Nick did want to see Anna naked. No matter how many times he saw it, he never felt like it was enough. Therefore, he took advantage of every possible opportunity – using it fully. If he could have it his way, they would never go a day without doing something sexual together. He remembered how things used to be – they were on a cold streak if they did it less than once a day, sometimes more. He figured part of that fueled their relationship. For him, it was never purely sexual, but there was nothing wrong with having a lot of sex in the relationship if both parties liked it. He felt like, if they returned to those intimate ways, it would do great things for rekindling things between them. Nick did not know if that was fucked up or not, but sex and drugs was something they always enjoyed doing together. Didn’t it make sense that those two things would bring them back from the abyss? That was what he hoped, anyways. Nick figured he could do something with Anna in the shower, but he figured he would find out sooner or later. That was something he looked forward to.

Recently, there was a barrier to them becoming intimate. It was nothing emotional or negative. They were not fighting, but they were just simply covered in blood and guts. If they showered together, it would help rid them of such a barrier. It just made sense to Nick. He found himself getting aroused, only thinking about being with Anna again. The couple did walk around the community for a few minutes, walking past Francisco and Luciana who seemed to look at them a little warily. Other than that, everyone else seemed nice enough. Nick did not think he had seen anything to raise any red flags.

When they finally returned to the pharmacy, Nick asked Alejandro where they could bathe. He already had new clothes provided, as close to their actual sized as possible. Then, he walked them to one of the back rooms that were actually private. There was something converted into a handful of shower stalls. Towels were also provided. Once Alejandro left them alone, Nick looked towards Anna and could not help the smirk growing across his face. He did not want to waste time, already reaching down to slowly pull the ruined shirt from his body, more than eager to get this junk off of himself.
 
Alicia was glad to hear that Bryce agreed with her. It was too strange that everything seemed so quiet; someone had either been there and looted the place dry, or was still there. Given that none of the dead had moved in, Alicia's brain was starting to lean towards the idea that someone may still have been there. She smiled as he brought up their wedding, and turned to face him as he spoke. That sweet expression on her full lips only amplified as he mentioned what she had been thinking already - that the beaches of the hotel would be the perfect place. It was exactly what they had been picturing.

"You know, I was thinking the same thing," she admitted. They were side by side at the moment so she leaned in towards him and pressed her lips to his cheek in a serene, affectionate gesture, before she resumed rustling through the last of the cupboards and cabinets. The place was virtually empty, but perhaps the rest of the hotel would give them more. As Bryce said there would likely be luggage awaiting them - and the rooms probably had mini-bars as well. If they were lucky then things would be at least relatively untouched. If not... Well, if the rooms were looted bare Alicia would feel even more like there was something eerie waiting for them. "I would love to marry you here, Bryce. It would be a dream come true - it's exactly what we were thinking. Like you said, I'm sure we'll be able to find something wedding-appropriate in one of the rooms. I'd marry you anywhere and in anything but I want it to be absolutely perfect. If we're lucky, if this place is good and we can stay... I think having our wedding here would be amazing."

At that point he suggested heading up in to the tower, and Alicia nodded. Her mother and Strand had been left in the bar; last she had seen Strand had been pouring drinks.. As nice as it would have been to settle down and have fun, they still had no idea what might await them in other parts of the hotel. "I think that's a good idea, babe. We can start searching for wedding clothes." The latter part was tacked on with a smile and a wink; she knew that the priority was making sure the place was safe but given their recent conversation she felt the need to be a little giddy about their plans.

----

As much as Anna would have appreciated a single-use bathroom with a full-sized tub and everything, the shower stall given to them would have to do. No one else was there, though, and hopefully no one else would appear. Even from just standing outside of the stall was enough for her body to start aching, and though she didn't mind getting touchy an inappropriate with people around (hell - at least once she'd managed to get him off with his mother and sister in the same room) she preferred to be able to do so without actually getting caught - right now she didn't want to even try to be subtle. If someone else had been around she probably even would have hopped in to a separate stall just because she didn't really like actual observers and prying eyes. They were given a set of little shampoo, conditioner and soap bottles each - the kind that people got from hotels and the like. They weren't the greatest quality but they were junkies, so cleaning with low-quality dollar store level supplies was pretty normal. Anna didn't care much about smelling pretty, just not reeking of literal death.

Anna was more than happy to toss her clothes aside, but also hoped that there was a way to salvage them. Maybe they'd never be in perfect condition again but she still had that one shirt of Nick's and she sure as fuck didn't want to give it up. She hopped in first because she finished stripping bare first, and taking the time to warm up the water would give Nick a change to get the definitely-not-waterproof bandage off of his leg. The stream hit freezing cold and then too hot, and she secured herself to the side of the shower as she adjusted the temperature until it was as close to right as it was going to get. Once it was comfortable she let it spray straight in to her face, semi-cleaned her hands, and then used the heels of her palms to wipe some of the grim from her cheeks. After that she turned around and held her hands out to Nick, all of her body on display. She intended to pull him in as soon as he took her hands.

"Come on, it's good," she said to him, urging him towards her with a mischievous glint in her eyes and a wicked little smile.
 
It made Bryce happy, listening to Alicia. They were on the same page, like always. She had been thinking about using the hotel for their wedding. They had gotten a quick glimpse of the coast and the beach when they rode towards the hotel earlier. Bryce had stolen another peek out of one of the windows. It looked beautiful, serene – like it was untouched by the apocalypse. However, their investigation left Bryce with the disappointing realization. It was obviously impacted by the end of the world, just like anywhere else. It was disappointing, but he hoped they could salvage something from the trip to this hotel. Once they had agreed to look in the tower, Bryce smiled to himself when Alicia mentioned looking for things they could use in their wedding. She was right. Even though they were primarily concerned with making sure this place was safe, there was nothing wrong with taking some leisure time as well. They both did not care how they were dressed for the wedding, but they both did not seem to mind the idea of being all nicely dressed for it – as nicely as they could be, anyways. Bryce was happy they shared those desires.

Within a few minutes, the couple returned to the hotel bar where her mother and Strand were still sitting. Ofelia had been wandering around as well, overhearing the exchange. “Alicia and I are going to check out some of the rooms. There might be something we can use. There’s not much in the kitchen or dining room.” Immediately, Madison did not like the idea. “No… you two should just hang around here. It’ll be too dangerous to go out there right now.” She countered, but Bryce was persistent. “I think it is dangerous to just sit around, too. There’s so much about this hotel we don’t know. The quicker we find out, the safer we will be.”

Right when he started talking, Ofelia decided to speak up as well. She had not said much since the estate. She looked quite defeated once her father was gone. Even so, she was offering to help them out. “I will look after them. I’ll keep them safe. Bryce is right. We need to explore.” With that, Madison clearly wanted to fight the idea again, but eventually relented. “Alright… just be careful – all of you. Don’t take too long, though. We should all meet back here later.”

--

Honestly, while they were standing outside of the shower, Nick did not even think about actually getting clean. Instead, he was far too focused on that gorgeous woman in front of him. She was stripping quickly, giving him a perfect view of her body. Nick loved it, wanting more of it as soon as he could. While she adjusted the water, Nick undressed himself as well. However, he could not take his eyes of Anna. Even with the pieces of blood and gunk still on her body, he saw nothing but beauty when he looked at her. She could put him into a trance. Everything about her made him so happy. Nick was glad to feel this way, glad that they were not fighting. He almost forgot what it had felt like. He was finally being reminded. Nick was almost lost in his own thoughts for too long until Anna pulled him away from his head. She had adjusted the water accordingly, so it was time to join her. Offering her a similar smile, Nick stepped into the shower and pulled the curtain across. While their eyes were locked, Nick tilted his head at her curiously, looking at that expression on her face and lips.

Oh yeah. He knew when Anna was having those devious, less than innocent thoughts. She had that look on her face, or maybe Nick was just being too hopeful. Either way, he was certain this shower would not persist for very long without some touching between them. While still looking into her eyes, Nick decided to grab one of the cloths. He squirted some of the body wash onto it, quickly starting to wash off his own chest and arms, scrubbing hard whenever it was needed to get rid of the blood and guts. “I can’t remember the last time we took a shower together… I mean, I can’t remember when. It has been such a long time. I always enjoy doing this with you.” Nick murmured, stepping a bit closer towards her, but he was still just trying to get a read for how she was feeling. The last thing he did want was to push too far and upset her, but that did not seem likely.
 
For someone who didn't care when Alicia was off doing almost anything, it was ironic that Madison would care now when she had someone at her side who could and actually would look after her. Ofelia offered to look after them and Alicia found that almost laughable - she'd been looking after herself by ages now, and it wasn't like she would have been alone. Even if Ofelia hadn't said that she would come, Alicia still would have Bryce at her side no matter what. Just as she wouldn't go anywhere with him, he wasn't about to walk away from her when there was a risk. That being said, the extra hands would he helpful. Ofelia had been quiet lately and Alicia couldn't fault her for that - she had lost her father to the fire, after all. Together the trio walked towards the tower and Alicia didn't falter from her soon-to-be husband's side - in fact she didn't even let go of his hand until they were in one of the hallways. Just talking about the prospect of their wedding had her feeling amazing and she wanted to focus on the good things in life.

They started on the lower floors, of course - that only made sense. Much to their luck there was a cleaning cart in the first hallway they went down, and so Alicia was able to grab a set of keys from it. The first thing she did was go for one of the doors - only to reel back away from it when the dead inside made themselves known as soon as she moved to turn the doorway. She stepped back straight in to Bryce's form, and looked up to him with wide eyes. That was definitely a good catch, as walking in on a group of the dead would not have been a good call. She stepped back, caught sight of a "do not disturb" sign and moved to the next room over which... had the same sign up. She looked to Bryce with a questioning expression in her eyes, and before she tried to unlock the door she knocked several times. Within seconds, movement and groans could be heard inside. She looked back to the people who were with her.

"I think someone marked the doors of the rooms that have infected in them," she said, noting her observation out loud. Then, tentatively, she moved towards the next took - it had no such 'do not disturb' sign on it. She wasn't about to put they key in the lock without knowing that Bryce was right there, though, so she looked to him before even extending her hand out to knock.

----

"Man... You were balls deep in me in the shower like five days ago. Your memory going on you now?" Five days did feel like a millennia of course but they'd only been even in each other's presence for maybe a month nowshe wasn't keeping track (more like she wasn't even able to keep track; even before the world ended days seemed to blur together for her and she'd never been able to keep track of dates or even what day of the week it was). Anna had to laugh as he spoke about sharing showers, half because they had a lot of good memories and half because he'd just given her reason to tease. In the past it had been a common occurrence with them; they didn't always end up messing around but they usually did in some manner unless for one reason or another they were in a rush. Even then they would still have their slippery bodies against each other, tongues melded together and hands roaming without abandon. At first she cleaned up a bit of herself, focusing on untangling her hair beneath the water and then shampooing it, but after she'd rinsed that out and layered conditioner in to the thick brown strands her attitude seemed to change. Anna put one hand against each side of Nick's chest and pushed with just enough pressure to urge him to step back against the wall of the shower. Anna moved in nice and close until their bodies were flushed together and then she reached for the cloth that he was holding, intending to steal it from him. Obviously, she was a lot less worried about crossing a line than he was.

"My turn," she said as she held on before leaning her head in and stealing an open-mouthed but otherwise quick and tame kiss from him, the first in days. At the same time her other hand raked down his chest, nails to flesh with just enough pressure for it to be enjoyable, sinking low before hovering at hip level. While it potentially sounded like she wanted to steal the cloth for personal use, Anna fully intended to clean him up - that always came first. What really mattered was what happened after "helping him clean up" turned in to more of an excuse to touch than a genuine reason. Even if Nick hadn't clued in he was welcome, if not outright encouraged, to put his hands on her - she wouldn't have joined him if she expected him to behave, after all. Even if all they ended up doing was making out or even simply cleaning each other, Anna craved touch and above that she craved his touch. On top of that she just really liked it when he helped clean her and she always had, even when it wasn't an excuse to get physical with each other.
 
At the first door, Bryce quickly grabbed Alicia when he heard the dead behind the door. Okay, maybe it was a slight overreaction, but Bryce would do whatever necessary to keep his beautiful fiancée safe from harm. Thankfully, the door remained closed and they were safe. The next door had the same sign, which proved that the doors were marked whenever infected were inside. That was nice, but it meant someone had been here long enough to sort through this mess. It made Bryce wonder if they were still here, this moment. The pair finally reached another door as Ofelia had wandered off down the hall on her own. There was no sign, so it was probably safe. Just in case, Bryce kept close with Alicia. Once she unlocked it, of course he decided that he should go first. While he had no doubt in her ability to take care of herself, why would he not want to go inside before her? Even if Alicia was the best markswoman in the world, he would continue to take these risks for her. It was just in his nature, it was becoming especially apparent now during the apocalypse when there were so many more risks than ever before.

The couple entered into the seemingly empty room. Bryce deemed it was safe for his Princess to join him. This room did have a few supplies: clothes, a mini-bar, peanuts, and other snacks. When he went to check out the bathroom, he suddenly jumped back, pushing Alicia away from the door. There was an infected man here, he had hanged himself from the showerhead. “Damn…” Bryce murmured to himself and Alicia when they saw it. That was why a sign was not on the door. It was impossible to know that one was in here.

“let’s just keep moving, love.” Bryce whispered, thinking it was best to get away from this morbid scene. When they left this room, he remembered to grab the do not disturb sign if Alicia did not grab it. Either way, the door was marked for their future reference. They continued moving through, finding another empty room, that was actually empty all the way this time, as the pair continued to search through various bags of luggage, also finding a couple beers in the refrigerator with a couple bottles of water as well.

--

Nick simply laughed at her response. It proved his point. Five days was a lifetime. Nick was so happy they were finally back to being playful and teasing with each other. It had felt like there was always tension between them, like jokes or fun had no place. Now? It was different. When the shower first started, it seemed like they were both content to start with cleaning their bodies. After all, if anything intimate happened, Nick knew Anna preferred that they were clear and free of any infected guts, blood, intestines, and other nasty shit they could have grabbed from the cavities of the dead. So, Nick made sure he was scrubbing himself well, wanting to ensure they got to the fun part fairly quickly. He also decided to attack the junk in his hair. It was becoming quite the annoyance now. Nick wanted to feel clean again. Even though he thought walking with the dead, being covered in this shit was imperative, that did not mean he particularly enjoyed it. It was interesting to walk with them, but not interesting to reach a state where it was safe enough to do so.

While he was thinking about this place, Anna suddenly pushed him against the wall, taking the cloth from his hands. Of course, Nick put up zero fight with her. It made him smile, the eagerness only building as he highly anticipated having a night to remember in this shower. Anna was less worried about crossing the line, showing Nick he should not worry so much. It was still Anna, after all these years. Even though they were not the same, it was not like everything had changed. He realized that now. They were far too deeply in love and enamored with each other to lose everything, even if Nick had once wanted to pretend he did not care for her at all anymore. While she started to get him all nice and cleaned up, Nick reached down to touch her. He was not holding anything back now. He started by stroking his fingers through her hair, something that he could not have done the last few days since they were covered in blood. However, it was now nice to feel it again, his other hand moving down onto her shoulder, reaching down towards her chest as far as he could since she was crouching in front of him. “I’ll get my turn after you.” Nick responded with a cheeky grin, more than eager to touch her as well.
 
As soon as Alicia opened the door she had stepped aside to allow Bryce to walk in first, and followed right behind him with her knife in hand and prepared to strike at the slightest sign of "life". They didn't find too much inside but anything was better than nothing and it was still the first room that they had gotten in to. After clearing the sleeping area they had gone to check out the bathroom - Alicia barely caught sight of the man hung in the shower before Bryce had pushed her back and closed the door behind them, but even that moment's glance was too much. They left the bathroom without checking it more thoroughly and then, thankfully, left that room behind entirely. Alicia was torn between wanting to puke and wanting to scream but she did neither, instead she held Bryce tight for a moment. Given that he had walked out of the room first, taking the hallway to ensure that nothing that come to surprise them over the last few minutes, Alicia flipped the sign on the door to the red "do not disturb" sign and then walked close to her lover's side. They were looking for more rooms that weren't marked to contain the dead, but even when they found one unmarked they stayed careful and alert.

The next "empty" room truly was - and the pair had scouted the entire place before deciding that it was safe to sit. Bryce had taken to the mini-bar and was collecting water bottles and what looked like beer - Alicia had very little experience with alcohol so she couldn't say for sure. Meanwhile she sat on the bed and went through a couple bags of luggage, pulling things out piece by piece to shove in to her own bag. She didn't just collect stuff in her size - there were men's clothes that seemed to be about in Bryce's size, so she was grabbing those as well. She wasn't in a big rush, though, and she was taking the time to properly fold the stuff that she decided was worth keeping. As she sat on the bed folding a light green sundress to put away, she was mulling about what she had just witnessed. Though she was growing desensitized to the infected, the man in the other room had been just that - a man. Someone with a life and motivations and he had just.. ended it. Alicia didn't understand how someone could think that was the right call. She rested her hands on top of the folded dress once she was done with it, and looked over to her fiance.

"Bryce..." In a somber tone she spoke up, making her worries known to the man she loved. She didn't sound outright upset, she wasn't about to start crying over someone she had never known or anything, but she just wanted to speak her mind and maybe make sense of things. "Bryce, the man in the other room... Why do you think that he did that?"

----

Nick had managed to get a lot of the grime off of his upper half by the time that she had finished with her hair, but Anna started high up anyways. A little frown formed on her face as she pushed his hair out of the way and ran the cloth along his neck, revealing clean flesh - in a drug-fueled haze she had made a point to leave a (mostly hide-able) spattering of marks during that first time they were together after reuniting, and over the last few days they had faded in to nothing. She imagined that hers, almost matching but also hidden by her long locks, would had faded as well. For a second she stilled, eyed his neck in contemplation and then looked back to his face. The urge to lean in and nip at his flesh, leave new bruises where the old ones once were, was hard to resist but in the end she didn't give in - in the end she never even said a word to Nick about why she had looked at him like she did. Her hand trailed downwards, caressing along his shoulders and in to all of the spots that he couldn't quite reach. After a moment of hovering just inches away from his crotch her other hand joined the first, soaping up and then scraping her nails along the flesh of his back. Once she'd reached low her hands slid around his body and over his hipbones before soaping up his chest and abdomen. Anna put only as much space between their bodies as minimally needed.

"Why wait?" She remarked, using the fact that Nick had reached for her breasts to arch her spine just slightly, push her breasts in to his hands. They fit just perfectly together like they always had, and she may have caused the contact but she gasped anyways as her nipples pressed to his palms. With the way that she pressed against him, she was also left quite soaped up as well. After that her lips turned in to the same grin that was on his face, eye contact that dared him to push for more and more and more... As the cloth ran over his smooth stomach she bit her lip, still not breaking the eye contact, and after cleaning as much of him as she could she soaped her hands up and allowed Nick to take the washcloth or let it fall. Her hands sunk lower, past his cock to the sack around his balls, and she took one in hand to caress and clean and fondle. Her fingers trailed forward over his scrotum as she finished what she was doing, nails just barely scraping the sensitive skin, before she repeated the exact process with the other testicle. All the while she didn't look away from him, and her lips parted in a grin. Anna knew exactly what she was doing and she loved it. Then, after giving his balls plenty of attention in a wash-slash-grab, her soapy hand wrapped around the base of his cock and ran her hand from base to tip. She squeezed her grip just slightly to keep her touch firm as her fingers slid off the tip, only to then repeat the gesture with the other hand. It started somewhat innocently, but around the time that the third stroke started Anna's mind had turned wicked.

It wouldn't take a genius to know that Anna wouldn't want to let go of him now that she got her hands on him. As her touched turned in to the more traditional stroking of purposeful stimulation, her eyes dared him to do something about it.
 
Sitting down beside Alicia on the bed, Bryce reached down to take her hand. “That’s tough to say, Princess. I guess every person is different, so I can’t speak for him, but I guess he felt like there was no hope. He might have lost someone – or many people. I don’t know. I guess he just didn’t have anything he could hold onto, to give him strength. It happens. It happened before the world ended, too.” Bryce was not judgmental of the deceased. To each their own. Whoever this man was, he probably felt like there was nothing to live for. Leaning down, Bryce pressed a kiss onto her cheek. “That’s where we’re different, though. We have each other, we have hope. I hope neither of us ever get to that place, where we feel that hopeless.” With Alicia, Bryce always had a hope for the future. Honestly, with her by his side, he could never see himself wanting to end it all. Bryce hoped Alicia would not either. The last thing he wanted was to lose her. After all, if she did feel that way, Bryce would have felt like a failure. Obviously, he could sense that she was not hinting at anything, she was just curious.

Even then, just seeing such a terrifying scene – he wanted Alicia to know how much he loved her, to let her know that he was always there for her – in the good times and during the bad times. “Some people don’t think there’s much of a future left. I don’t think things will ever be the same again, but I do believe they will get better. You’re the reason for that.” Squeezing her hand, Bryce brought it to his lips to kiss her. “I love you.” He repeated, hoping to bring her somber mood up a bit.

Honestly, Bryce could only see himself getting in that state if he lost Alicia. If something happened to her, and god forbid it did, why would Bryce even want to live? It was not as simple as moving on. Alicia was the only woman he wanted, the only woman he could ever love. Beyond that, she was his soul mate. It was not something he wanted to think about, even shuddering now when he thought about being without his Princess. “Ready to move on?” He asked softly, wondering if she still needed to talk, or if they could continue searching through these rooms.

--

Indeed, the marks left on Anna’s neck were missing. It disappointed Nick as well. Especially since they were at Colonia, even temporarily, Nick felt determined to show his possessiveness over Anna. She would walk around this place with a love bite on her flesh. Everyone that saw it would know that she was taken. Even though it was quite a stretch since they still had shit to work out, Nick was attacking the situation like she was his. That was his mindset until she told him different. As she started up high on his body, a smile spread on his face. God, her hands felt so good on his skin. Nick was selfish when it came to Anna’s touch. He would never get enough of her, especially her touch. Whether it was with her hands or a cloth, Nick craved it all. Their bodies were so close, which did not help ease the tension. The proximity, combined with the nudity, added into the touch, Nick found it impossible to resist her. It was not like he was trying, either. He did at least attempt to hold himself together until they could finish washing each other off. After all, it was only logical.

However, when Anna suggested that he should not wait, a smile spread wider on his lips, even wider than before. She was right. Why should he wait? She urged him on, pressing her chest more into his hands, which turned Nick into an insatiable beast, squeezing and fondling her breasts with both hands. Nick took the cloth from her, at first. The male intended on washing Anna off as well, but when she reached down, touching his cock, it was impossible for him to not do anything but feel the way she was touching him. He moaned immediately, his fingers squeezing the cloth tight around his palms. A smile grew on his face when she continued to give attention to his balls. Even though her hands were covered in soap, it did not matter. It was still hot as hell all the same, especially when she kept their eyes locked together. It drove Nick wild, the way she looked at him. After a while, Nick realized that Anna began changing her tone. It was no longer just washing him, but she was touching him for stimulation. Nick could not stop moaning, tilting his head backwards.

He could not keep his hands off her either. “Oh, fuck. Anna… that feels so fucking good.” He growled, his lips near her ear. Then, he reached down to grab her ass. Both hands gripped the firm flesh of her butt, squeezing her ass as roughly as he could, pushing her against him. Meanwhile, Nick decided to start thrusting his hips against her hands. He was basically turning it into a fucking motion to add her stroking, because it was damn near impossible to stay still. “Oh… This feels so fucking good.” He added in another breathless whisper, kissing her neck now, letting the cloth just drop to the ground so he could have free roam of touching her.
 
When Bryce sat on the bed beside her and took her hand in his own, Alicia responded by giving it a quick, tight squeeze intended to let him know that she was doing alright. She leaned against him anyways, shoulder to shoulder, and listened to him speak. When he tried to kiss her cheek, she moved so that he could and then stayed like that, just looking at him with that soft, affectionate look in her green gaze that had only ever belong to Bryce. The way that he explained things made sense, of course it did, but Alicia still couldn't help but be a little bothered. As much as she wasn't about the judge the dead for their choices, she didn't feel like it was right for the man to have given up. There had to be something, anything to hold on to. Alicia herself couldn't imagine a world where she was left with nothing to hope for. However, Bryce made her realize that she didn't know everyone's circumstances. If she was left with nothing at all - if Bryce and her mother and Nick and everyone that she cared for was gone, gone for good, what hope would she be left with?

"You made it make sense, it's just... I guess I can't imagine a world where there's nothing left to hold on to. Even if things never go back to what they were, there will still be something. Compared to some people, though, I have a lot. I have you and my mom and even though he's who even knows where I have Nick." Out of all of those things, though, Bryce was what gave her the most motivation to keep going. In this world there would always be be days when they struggled, but it would never be because of their relationship. They were rock solid and hopelessly in love. Alicia gave her best friend and boyfriend (all in one, a girl's dream) a small smile and then leaned in to kiss him. "I love you too, Bryce - so much. I can't imagine a world where I don't have you by my side, so I guess that blinds me a little."

Then she nodded, answering his question with the subtle gesture before following up. At the same time she put the dress she had been holding in to her bag, and then straightened her back to stretch it before getting up to her feet. "Yeah, I'm ready to go. Let's see what else awaits us, my love." She got up and turned to face him, holding both of her hands out towards Bryce with a sweet smile on her lips in hopes that he would grab them and stand up with her (or even better - rise to his feet and then pull her in tight hold).

----

Anna loved the way Nick sounded when she had her hands on him. It was all encouragement to her, a sign that she was doing exactly what she needed in order to make him feel like he was on cloud nine. As much as she had wanted to get fully cleaned before letting herself loose as soon as her hand wrapped around his length she had to give in. Anyways, beyond the parts of her that hadn't been covered by clothes (her lower legs and arms, as well as from the neck up) she had been more sweaty than outright unclean, and she had given the important bits as well as the grimier parts a cursory wash before she had even started her hair, lest she risk running out of soap later on. It wasn't like she was dirty at this point - and that just made her all the more willing to give in to the less-than-innocent desires.

"I can make you feel even better," she whispered in to his ear after leaning in close, and she proceeded to nip at the soft, thin skin beneath his ear. She was delicate, knowing exactly how much pressure it would take to leave the marks of her teeth on him and avoiding that, at least for now. It was a struggle - she loved seeing him covered in pieces of her, little marks that she left to show he was taken. Was he really, though? Anna wanted to say he was, to treat him like he was, but in the end they were still figuring things out and who was she to lay some claim on him that didn't really belong to her? Instead she would just treat him good, as good as she could - and and included picking up the pace of her strokes as he rocked in to her. Her blood boiled - every time Nick thrusted his cock through Anna's hold he pushed against the mound of her vulva, so close but still so far away from her, and though she never broke their piercing gaze or faltered in her touch before long she let out a little whine.

It was at that point Anna knew that looking after Nick wasn't going to be enough for her (as if there was such thing as "enough for her" - she was borderline insatiable). Her body ached and her veins felt like they were on fire; from the way that Nick handled her breast to the way he had washed her down, every inch of contact wasn't enough - it was never enough. Anna didn't even have to move much to be able to slide his cock between her legs, pushing the head between her lower lips and towards her clit - that was one of the joys of the minimal height difference between the pair. As soon as contact was made her lips parted to moan, and then Anna couldn't help but lean in to kiss Nick. There was no hesitation or tenderness about it - she went straight to lips and tongue, demanding all of Nick that he was willing to offer. With one hand still on his cock, sliding along the length, she rocked her hips in tune with Nick's own thrusts to grind her swollen pussy, slick from arousal, along him.
 
It might come as a shock, but when Bryce stood up, he did pull her into a tight hold. Just seeing that smile on her face brought one to his own. Something that never ceased to fail was Bryce’s ability to make Alicia smile during the difficult times. It was also true for the opposite roles as well. Alicia always made Bryce smile, no matter how down he was feeling. While hugging her, Bryce pressed a kiss onto the top of her head. Only after a few minutes did he pull away. His blue eyes caught a glimpse of the dress she had found. Instead of commenting on it, he filed it away at the back of his mind. She would not have taken it, if she did not intend on wearing it for him. Maybe it was a surprise for the wedding. Either way, Bryce was excited. He did hope, at some point, she might dress up a little for him just in the bedroom when they had a chance. The idea of her being in another dress as they slowly get each other naked, kiss, and make love was quite appealing for Bryce. If he recalled correctly, she still did have all the makeup equipment as well.

It was finally time to move onto the next room. Linking hands with the brunette again, Bryce led the attack. The next room with an unoccupied door handle was entered. Inside, Bryce deemed it was clear, safe. Everything was checked. While Alicia started looking through the room, Bryce did the same. It seemed he hit the jackpot. Well, a bondage fanatic’s jackpot, at least. There was a bag that looked hidden in the back of the closet. Alicia was not looking, so when he opened it and found the contents, a smirk spread on his face. Handcuffs, rope, tape, a ball gag – it was pure bliss. Of course, he quickly stuffed the contents down into one of his own bags. There was no telling when they could use it, but it was there to add to his collection. Then, Bryce checked out the bathroom. “I wonder if these showers still function.” The male wondered aloud, deciding to turn the handle to check. Indeed, the water started flowing out slowly. This place was still running on some generator, it seemed. “We have time. Want to get a shower, Princess?” Bryce called out, figuring it could not hurt since they don’t often have this chance.”

--

Being well aware of how Anna felt about the sounds, Nick continued making them. Being quiet was never something Nick attempted when they were together. After all, he loved singing his praises for Anna. It kept her in the know – everything about his body told the same story. His eyes were wide, darkened with desire. The expression on his face was one of pure joy. A smile was practically cast on his lips permanently. Suddenly, his entire world became nothing but Anna. She took away the pain and turmoil of anything else that happened around them. It was almost like they were not in an apocalypse. Anna proclaimed she could make him feel better, which earned a smirk from Nick before he responded to her. “Really? I hope that’s a promise, not a threat.” Since they had sex often, Nick knew what Anna liked. For example, he knew the dark-haired beauty enjoyed the feeling of indirect intercourse from rubbing their crotches together to doing this – thrusting and pressing the tip against her vulva. Nick continued the process, ensuring that he pressed into her vulva entirely. While he was at it, he attempted to twist and turn his hips so he could brush against her clit and labia as well.

He was so close to her, but never quite inside her. If she wanted him touching a certain part, Nick let Anna guide him, wanting to give her everything that he could. Nick wanted Anna to be moaning, just like he was doing as well. Of course, the young man did not resist when Anna went in for the kiss. He was taken aback a little with how passionate it became so quickly, but it should have been expected. This kiss reminded him of their old times together – they would kiss passionately all day and night long, like nothing else mattered. Nick liked feeling this way again. Hopefully, they would keep it up for a while. To him, this felt like the best place they had been in regards to each other since everything went to hell when Nick left her. Again, he could not think about the past. He was too enamored with the present. Deciding to add his own stimulation with his hand, Nick kept one palm over her breasts, switching between each mound of flesh to ensure they were both given attention. Then, his free hand slipped lower.

Eventually, he felt around to find her clit. Once it was found, Nick started to rub slow, clockwise circles while his cock was grinding against her swollen lips. The kiss continued with Nick battling Anna’s tongue, dancing with each other in their mouths. Moans were falling from his lips and he felt like he was unstoppable, now pushing forward until Anna’s back was against the wall, the water still cascading down their bodies.
 
Alicia was not shocked at all that he pulled her in to a tight hold - it was exactly what she wanted and Bryce seemed to always have a way of knowing that. He kissed her forehead and she pressed a soft kiss to the crook of his neck, and then they spent a moment just holding on to each other before moving on. She had grabbed some sexier numbers from the luggage that she kept to herself for now but intended to show off later on, provided that they had a proper chance to make use of them. While makeup hadn't been even a vague thought in her mind before leaving the estate and assuming she still had some wasn't exactly a reasonable conclusion (who would think about grabbing some lipstick when a building was burning down?), she had luckily tossed the singular tube of red lipstick in to her bag the night before, after she had finished prepping for their date slash proposal. Alicia wasn't even aware of that at this point, and would assume it was left behind until the next time she rooted through to the bottom of her bag.

Bryce took the closet while she worked on the main part of the room, so Alicia was left unaware of his findings - but boy would she be excited the first time that he brought those out. They may have already had that roll of duct tape, but the more the better. It wasn't like there would always be more nowadays. She had just pulled the last of the stuff out of the mini-bar when she heard Bryce in the distance. He hadn't been talking that loudly so it sounded more like mumbling to her; she had just stood up to go see what he had said when she heard the shower start running. For a moment she just stood in the doorway to the washroom, watching Bryce with an affectionate gaze as he tested it out. As fun as the thought of being able to hop in the shower was, if a generator was running recently enough for the water to be hot then that had to mean people were still here. She tried not to think too much about that in the moment - it had been days since they last had the chance to properly clean up now and of course she was going to take advantage of that.

"I love that idea, my prince," she replied as she stepped in to the room, tried the light switch (which flicked on, showing that the generator was currently running) and then closed the door behind her.

----

Anna truly had intended to slide him in to her at some point - she really had. However it was so easy to fall victim to her own desires and fuck the way Nick's cock felt sliding against most intimate part of her body was addicting. She told herself just a little more, just a little more, just a little more - but god there would never be enough. Anna felt that way any time she had a piece of Nick, though - whether it was as small as kissing or teasing or he was buried deep inside of her. It didn't take much to make her moan especially when she had been at the point of whining even before any contact was made. She guided his cock along her and that was all she needed; she could have done the work herself but in combination with the way he thrusted against her against her slick flesh, parting the lips of her pussy to rub against her clit and down towards her entrance, Anna felt weak nearly instantly. Her desire was selfish, she knew that she couldn't expect him to hold back, but it was intoxicating to simply feel him sliding along the sensitive nub and folds of her pussy and she would completely prefer if he let her do as she wanted uninhibited until she was ready for more.

He turned her power back on her and pushed her against the wall, though - or tried to. He pinned her to the wall and Anna was moaning and sighing against his lips as they clashed with tongue and teeth and passion. She didn't much appreciate the change in stimulation that came with the new position, though - she would choose to have his cock rubbing against her clit over his fingers any day. A low growl escaping her lips was her first reaction, and the second came in the way that she bit down on his lip, harder than usual. Anna wasn't too pleased about having things abruptly changed, not just because she was selfish and wanted what she wanted, but also because she was starting to feel like she was in heaven. Her feelings came out in the way she touched him - the way her grasp around his cock tightened just slightly, the way the nails of her free hand raked in to the flesh of his shoulder nearly hard enough to break skin.

She was feeling a little spiteful now - whether Nick had meant to or not he had just turned this in to a game of who was going to get what they wanted. No matter what position they were in or what forms of stimulation were in use she was going to feel amazing, but there was no question that some forms were better than others - like allowing him to fuck her properly. The change in position did allow her to use the wall for support as she raised a leg up around Nick's hip. She was able to get even more of his cock that way as her tight, dripping entrance teased the tip of him with every movement either of them made. He could, in theory, easily push in to her from that position but she kept her hand in the way, still stroking - if he wanted to deny her what she wanted then Anna could do the same right back.
 
When Alicia was inside the bathroom, Bryce immediately placed his hands onto the brunette’s body. Placing both hands on the back of her thighs, Bryce squatted down slightly and lifted her into the air, placing her butt on the counter. Showering together was probably one of the most intimate acts a couple could perform together. Well, at least, the male felt that way. After all, anyone could have sex with another person. A one-night stand typically did not entail having an intimate moment in the shower with hands running across skin and lips trailing over the flesh. It was something done mostly by a couple in love together, wanting closeness because they could never get enough of each other. That was how this couple functioned. If the most kisses shared by a couple in the first few weeks of a relationship was a trackable stat, Bryce felt certain they held the record. To nail that point home, Bryce leaned in for another kiss once Alicia was on the counter, leaning in to press a sweet kiss to her lips. Obviously, he intended on undressing her himself, so she just needed to sit still, letting him go to work.

The first thing he did was crouch in front of her. The girl’s shoes and socks were removed. He looked forward to playing with her feet again once they had showered and been cleaned off. Standing upright again, Bryce reached down to grab the hem of her shirt. Removing the shirt from her torso, Bryce dropped it down onto the floor. Next, his hands were gripping at her jeans, helping her lift upright off the counter so the pants could be pulled down. The last items involved the bra and underwear, so Bryce started with the former, unclasping the hooks.

Once her underwear was removed, Bryce could not help grabbing her ass while they kissed, pulling her towards the edge of the counter. The young man figured light touching and fondling was a great idea. After all, they both enjoyed it. Pulling the girl down onto the floor, Bryce pulled her hands to his own body. “You can undress me if you want.” He whispered, hoping she would take the opportunity to undress him and get him naked just like she was, or he could do it himself.

--

Every couple had different sexual tendencies. Before Anna, Nick had never encountered a girl that liked the grinding or rubbing against various areas around her pussy instead of plunging right inside her. The first time it happened, it was an odd sensation. After time passed, it was different. Nick found himself enjoying it right now. In fact, he was happy with it. The female did not need to feel selfish. Nick found it irrevocably arousing, so it was not like Anna was the only one feeling any pleasure. Nick hadn’t meant to piss her off with the change of position, so he quickly retracted from the wall when he realized she did not like it. After all, Nick sometimes sucked at reading actions. Everything happened so quickly. It lasted for a handful of seconds, sliding back and letting his cock return to touching, rubbing against her clit. The girth continued gliding against the slick, wet folds of her pussy lips on the way to reaching her clit, just like she wanted. The pair quickly returned to the original position, because ultimately, Nick preferred giving Anna what she wanted. It was not something he had any problem with doing – he had simply been misreading her actions, and that was his fault.

“Sorry.” He murmured softly, giving her a little peck once he realized he fucked up, hoping to correct his mistake. Mistakes did happen, after all. It had been a while since they had this much extended time together, so maybe Nick hadn’t been able to read her quite like he used to. Hell, Nick was breathless, so he barely could say this one word, which showed that he was enjoying it too. A smile was spreading back on his face, eager for Anna to reach her climax. Ensuring that the head of his cock was rubbing against her throbbing clit, Nick continued grinding, sliding wherever she wanted. Of course, it was tough to see from this angle, so it was important he was careful. In the end, Nick only cared about letting Anna guide him, since she knew exactly what she wanted. Anna was in full control.

He figured she would take his cock wherever it felt the best for her, so he did not fight it. Instead, he focused his hands on her ass, squeezing the flesh repeatedly. Then, his lips were catching hers once more. Nick felt his cock throbbing at this point. It might not have been inside of Anna, but it sure as hell was getting stimulation. The arousal was through the roof at this point, meaning Nick might not hold on much longer, but he hoped to finish Anna before he did, though, wanting to ensure she could have an orgasm from this, if that was what she wanted. If this was only meant to be teasing, well, it was one hell of a teasing session.
 
Alicia, of course, was happy to have Bryce undress her. It was sexy and intimate - and thanks to Bryce she was learning that while sex was intimate, there were many other gestures that were as well. As fun as sex was, there were other ways to show affection and closeness and Bryce never failed to show that in any matter. Alicia simply hoped that she did the same for him, and that he didn't spend a minute thinking that she didn't think he was less than perfect for her. She watched him with nothing but pure affection as he started to undress her. She worked along with him as he pried her clothes from her body - raising her arms to aid in the removal of her shirt, pulling her knees up to help minimize the distance that her pants needed to be pulled in order to get them right off of her long, shapely legs. When she was left in her underwear she looked at him with a knowing expression; she didn't have to ask to know that he couldn't wait to get her out of those as well and as he unclasped and them removed her bra Alicia gave her own breasts a squeeze, caressing across her nipples, as a tease to him.

From the start she had felt like Bryce was over-dressed, so she was more than happy to oblige - Bryce didn't even need to ask because as soon as Alicia was back on her feet she had her hands on his body. She started with his top and traced her hands along the smooth muscles of his abdomen before unbuttoning his pants and then sliding them down. Once he was left in his boxers, the only remaining clothing between them, she filled any distance between their bodies with her own and leaned in to kiss him, hard and passionate, but just the once - for now. At the same time she touched and teased, raking her fingernails gently against the skin of his back and chest before she finally dipped back down to his waist.

"These have to go to," she remarked and her tone made it obvious that she wasn't feeling entirely innocent. It was impossible not to enjoy what was going on - she was undoubtedly and completely attracted to Bryce, as she should be. Of course taking his clothes off would have an arousing affect on her. Then, slowly, she dipped two fingers in to the band of his underwear and pushed them down his legs as well to leave him bared in front of her. Then she leaned in for a second kiss. "Ready?" She asked, not even pulling her lips away from his to do so.

----

Doing the "wrong" thing wasn't the end of the world - sex was about compromise and both peoples' needs. Anna had started this off with every intention of letting him fuck her and it wasn't unreasonable to have urged his cock farther down, teasing and tempting her with what she could have - hell, she still wanted to give in to that. She just had a hard time saying no to herself, saying this is enough, saying that it was time to give Nick what he wanted as well. Who the fuck decided that putting the main female pleasure organ on the outside was a good idea, anyways? Her body relaxed as his hand backed off, releasing all the ways she had tensed against his body - he had cooperated so she would as well. It wasn't that Nick would purposely ignore her cues but sometimes the change was still good and she just was being demanding. "Make me" and "you're not going to be able to make me" were two different moods with her - and as fun as it was to put up a fight when they were both vying for control (pairing two sexually dominant personalities together kept things interesting - provided they were both some degree of flexible), Anna had made it very obvious that she was in the latter mood.

Anna was not in much a better state that Nick was, though - she got what she wanted and didn't give it up. She kept her lips merged with his in a tangle of lips and tongue, and the hand that had been on his shoulder snaked around his body to tangle her fingers in his hair. She liked the rest of the touching - the way he grabbed her ass rough enough to meld the flesh around his fingers, the way he had been playing with her breasts earlier. She had thought they were sensitive before she'd gotten them piercing, but even after a few years it was surprising how much the little bars affected her pleasure tolerance - and on top of that they'd added a new way to twist and tug and stimulate.

Her hand stayed on any part of him that wasn't already touching her, stroking the lower half of his shaft as the upper slid along the slick flesh of her pussy, along her clit and towards her awaiting entrance. The way she rolled her hips urged the head of his length in to her easily, wet and waiting and in need but she fought with herself to relinquish control and get properly fucked. She was teasing herself as much as she was him, making herself feel desperately in need but at the same time riding herself closer and closer to the edge. Because of how she was holding Nick, she could tell from the way that his cock pulsed and throbbed beneath her fingers that she wasn't the only one. "Just hold out-" she was cut off by a moan that escaped without even leaving his lips. Her eyes closed tight as she tried to keep herself breathing right, and the way she struggled to speak between moans and gasps said a lot about her state -"a little more... please."

"You can cum in me if you just... wait-" Not much more waiting would be needed - almost as soon as she had finished speaking she was grateful that Nick had a hold on her because she swore her legs would have given in otherwise. Her hold tightened, both on his hair and his cock, but neither hard enough that it would be unpleasant. She moaned against his mouth as she clung to him and though her body stilled her hand did not so both got to keep feeling good as she fell victim to pleasure. She'd separated her legs earlier to give them both better access and if he wanted to slide in to her then now would be the time to - and she'd likely be able to peak again if he did it right.
 
“I am, Princess.” Bryce responded without removing his lips from hers. The words might have spoken that he was ready to get moving, but he was not exactly in a hurry because it meant they would need to depart from each other’s grasp for a few seconds. It did not sound like a long time to the average person, but to Bryce, a few seconds without touching Alicia and kissing her, especially when she was naked, that was a lifetime. Finally, he convinced himself to do so, but not before grabbing one of her hands. Bryce’s free hand twisted the knobs of the shower, letting the hot water run first. For the following seconds, he used that hand to stroke trough Alicia’s hair, only retracting when it was time to adjust the cold water until it was adjusted to a decent temperature they would both enjoy. After he deemed the water was fine, he gestured towards the shower and offered another smile to his Princess. “Alright, my love. It feels great. Let’s get clean, shall we?” Grabbing a towel and cloth for the both, he ensured all four items were within reach from the shower.

Stepping into the shower first, Bryce pulled Alicia before tugging the curtain closed. Once she returned to his side, he tilted his head slightly, looking deep into those green eyes of hers. Unable to help himself, the first thing he did was lean in for a kiss. Their lips were touching, his own mouth parting slightly, allowing his tongue to peek out inside of hers. Once their tongues joined together, Bryce kissed her passionately, placing one hand onto the back of her neck while the other was on the small of her back. His eyes were closed until he decided to pull away from the kiss, but not before stealing one more peck.

Without even saying a word, he took the wash cloth, grabbing some of the body wash with it. The cloth was lathered up with the soap, and then Bryce went to work. He assumed she might have figured it out already, but Bryce intended on washing her body himself considering how he could not keep his hands off that body of hers, just as he hoped she would wash his body when it was her turn. Until then, he started around her pretty face, then moving down to her neck, arms, and shoulders. During the entire time, Bryce kept their eyes locked together, offering her a loving smile. “We should do this every chance we get to use a shower.” Bryce mused aloud, having fun sharing this intimate moment with Alicia.

--

Through all of this, there was a cue that Nick did not miss. The cue was this: Anna fucking loved what they were doing right now. Since that much was obvious, Nick did not intend on stopping. When she asked him to hold out a little more, that was not asking much. After all, just looking at her face told Nick the story: he was the cause of this immense pleasure. It definitely boosted his ego. Despite the time they spent away, this session, along with previous sessions, proved that Nick had not lost a step. Her body was still memorized, especially those sensitive areas. “I will, baby. I will.” The pet name was something Nick said without even thinking about. The amount she had been called that little nickname by him was astronomical. It was Nick’s “go-to” when they were together, so while they were intimate, he used it without even considering the situation. Did Nick want to cum inside of Anna? Hell yes he did. Therefore, waiting was not even a decision he needed to make. Anna was in control, and honestly, Nick loved it. Their power dynamics shifted often, which kept things interesting. There was never a dull moment in the bedroom (or in this case, the shower).

“Okay, Anna… I will…. I want to cum inside of you.” Nick responded, moaning out her name just as soon as she released her own sound of pleasure against his lips. Every inch of their bodies were touching at this point, which was something Nick missed dearly. It was unhealthy to go an entire day without touching Anna, in his opinion. Only when her legs spread open for him did he begin moving. Nick allowed Anna’s hand to guide him down. However, he did not take the plunge immediately. Instead, he slowly grazed every inch of her folds until he reached the entrance. Once he was certain that Anna was ready for him to slide inside of her, only the tip peeked inside.

Once the tip was inside, Nick rubbed against her walls right as the peak pleasure reached. The entire idea was to do this so Anna could reach her climax again, so Nick ensured that he had allowed the tip to touch every inch just outside of her vagina before slipping inside. Still, only the tip was dangling on her inner walls when his orgasm reached, which sent four spurts of hot, sticky semen inside of her tight, warm, inviting pussy. It felt so fucking good, which made Nick moan out loudly when they kissed each other, both hands now squeezing her ass firmly, unable to handle the pleasure as he was nearly on the verge of collapsing if it were not for Anna’s hold either. “Oh… fuck…” He breathed out, while emptying inside of her, hoping that was enough to earn her another orgasm because he wanted to hear that sexy moan of hers one more time.
 
"Let's," she said as she let Bryce walk in to the shower before her, and when the first thing they did after closing the curtain was kiss Alicia was already lost in the magic of being with him (as if she ever wasn't). Things quickly became passionate and Alicia went with it, equally as interested in getting a hold of Bryce as he was her. The tender touch to her neck was one thing that got her - though obviously he was the only person to ever do that to her she just found there to be a lot of romance in such a small gesture - "stay close", it said; "I need you", it said. As they kissed with more fervor than she had ever thought was possible her hands found their own spots. One caressed his cheek, thumb against the bone while her long, slender fingers caressed over his skin. The other wandered, never quite happy - she wanted to be able to touch all of him and so it traveled from his neck, down his chest, down his shoulders and to his back. She didn't wish to part either but they did not know how long the water would last, so taking their precious time when other people might want to use it wasn't a good call. They did have family and friends around, after all.

Alicia did not mind at all that Bryce wanted to clean her - and she was more than happy to let him. As he started to work her body over, Alicia emptied a dollop of shampoo on to her hand and slicked it on to the other before bringing both in to the wet mop of Bryce's dark hair. She didn't have to wait to give Bryce the kind of attention that he was giving her, and if he thought that she would wait then he had fooled himself. Alicia loved playing with his hair - almost every night she would end up twirling her fingers among the locks, gently scraping her fingernails along his scalp in a light massage, and just generally enjoying touching his hair almost more than she loved the rest of his body.

"I think you're right - and we need to shower together more. Like, as much as possible kind of more - I love the little things with you, and this is one of them," Alicia said out loud, completely at peace. There was nothing other than serenity and adoration on her features and she couldn't pull her soft green gaze away from the love of her life. "Rinse?" At that point she was just asking him to put the top of his head under the stream of the water so she could rinse the shampoo out.

----

She honestly felt weak - her legs trembled and her entire body felt like it was on fire. At least when it came to sex the pair always seemed to know how to treat each other and she was able to ride out her orgasm just perfectly before he slipped inside of her, stretching her tight cunt around him. One of the joys (and sometimes one of the problems, when she was having a hard time getting properly aroused due to certain drugs) with naturally being on the smaller side as far as vaginas went was that she was never not tight around him. Even slippery and ready to be taken she clung to every inch of his cock perfectly - if he had been any girthier she would have had a hard time taking him without it just always hurting and even though she thought it should have been impossible she could take his length perfectly. Anna was of the opinion that her not-quite-boyfriend had the perfect cock, as impossible as such a thing sounded.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck-" Anna was gasping and lost in pleasure as Nick working himself in to her tight hole added a whole new wave of sensation to her already overwhelmed state. She moaned his name as he pushed in to her and neither lasted long after that - everything managed to be incredibly timed. Just as Nick's orgasm came in loud moans and the warmth of semen flooding her, Anna's own body moved to slide a couple more inches of his cock in to her. Between the new, sudden pleasures of both penetration and Nick's own release as well as the fact that she was already sensitive and barely off the edge as it was, the rush came a second time with ease. She may not have been the type for high-pitched, exaggerated porn noises but that didn't mean she was quiet by any standard. In fact, she let out a loud moan as she rode slowly over the part of Nick's cock that was inside of her, milking him dry while also riding her own pleasure out. She didn't have to look down to know that their fluids were already leaking from her body, a mixture of semen and her own lubrication.

After his cock twitched for the final time she allowed herself to part their bodies again. All the while she hadn't stopped kissing him and she still didn't want to, so she kept kissing him until she felt like she could stand without being held up again. Even then she kept her hands on him, which had strayed towards his waist. With a smile on her lips and a devilish glint in her eyes Anna finally parted their lips, just looking at Nick with an admiration and affection for a moment before speaking up in a cheeky tone that matched her smile. "Well that was fun."
 
Pausing only long enough for Alicia to rinse the shampoo from his hair, Bryce quickly returned to cleaning Alicia’s body. Showering was so underrated, as strange as it sounded. Most days, Bryce showered in the morning and in the evening after a practice or workout. Just taking care of his body was important, but in the apocalypse, he realized how often they overlooked such simple practices. Already, he felt like a brand new man knowing that he was clean for once. Moving from place to place had not afforded them such luxury all the time. It was important to take advantage of it. When it was time to wash over Alicia’s breasts, well, Bryce took a few extra liberties. Instead of only focusing on washing her tits, he took his time to play with and grope them as well, because, why not? Alicia had not exactly been willing to retract from his touch before. He had no reason this would not be wanted. When it was time to clean further, he crouched down, washing her legs, thighs, and knees. His face was dangerous close to her crotch, even letting his nose brush up against the area in between her hips, much like he might have touched her before performing oral sex like he had done before.

Then, he washed down lower, attacking her lower legs, ankles, and feet. Once the entire front side of her body was washed, he whispered a quiet “Turn for me, please?” After she had been given the chance to finish up whatever she was doing in regards to washing him, Bryce waited for the brunette to turn. Now that her back was facing him, he started the process of cleaning the back of her body, especially using a little extra time with her ass, of course.

Much like he did with her breasts, there was more grabbing and squeezing than washing, but he had a strange feeling she might act that way with the more intimate, private parts of his own body, too. In the end, he had finally finished washing her skin with the body wash. The only thing that was remaining happened to be her hair. Just like she enjoyed playing with his hair, Bryce loved playing with hers. He remembered on one of the first nights of their relationship, he eagerly requested for her to lay her head on his lap so he could play with her hair as she fell asleep. The male figured he could wash her hair the same way she did – while she was cleaning his body, standing in front of him, so now he handed her the cloth and body wash if she did not already posses it.

--

If nobody had seen the sex happening, and only looked at Nick’s state, one might have thought he finished a marathon. His breathing was heavy, his face was flushed, his eyes were wide, and he was nearly exhausted. There was a smile on his face, though. It had been such a long time since anything felt so satisfying. Even though it was the thing Anna wanted specifically, Nick dared to believe he enjoyed it just as much. After all, he did get off on knowing that he was making Anna feel good. Now, looking into her eyes, the man nodded in agreement. “Fun… is an understatement. Wow. I don’t even have any words.” He murmured softly while looking at the brunette. He placed his own hands on her body as well, cupping both sides of her face before stealing one more kiss. Honestly, Nick had basically forgotten the real reason they jumped in the shower. They were so busy getting dirty, they forgot about getting clean as well. Plus, with those fluids, they would need to be washed over one more time down below. “Maybe we should actually get clean, then we can get some rest.” He murmured softly, keeping her gaze while forcing himself to pull away.

Yes, it was almost impossible to pull away. Nick already began missing her in his arms and against his body when he stepped back to grab the cloth and finish the job, washing himself off. For the remainder of the shower, he stayed mostly silent. However, to him at least, it was comfortable. They both had their fun, now it was time to get clean and move on. Besides, if Nick wanted to heal, sleeping and resting was important. Any doctor might have suggested he did not engage in… these sultry activities… but Nick would not have cared. It would take something astronomical for him to decline Anna, especially now.

Once he was washed off, he waited until Anna could say the same about herself. Then, the knobs of the shower were turned. The water ceased to flow. He grabbed a towel for himself, tossing her the other. “I guess I should get Alejandro to wrap my leg up again before bed.” He commented, seeing as how it was removed before showering for obvious reasons. “After that, I should be ready to get some sleep. Do you know if you’re gonna stay in there tonight with me? I don’t think anyone is on that bed beside mine…” He hinted at what he hoped, wishing that Anna would stay in the room with him, but it was impossible to know.
 
Alicia coaxed the sudsy remnants of shampoo out of Bryce's hair as thoroughly as possible, enjoying the opportunity. Even once she was done she kept going a little more until she finally conceded that she was just delaying for the sake of being able to touch him. It felt like they never had enough chances to be alone and hands on between how often they were around others and how often they were on the move. Little moments like this were big and meant the world to her - Alicia just treasured every moment that she could spend alone and at peace with her fiance. On top of that she had taken feeling clean for granted before the dead had started walking. Like Bryce, Alicia felt the need to take advantage of being able to properly bathe or shower at any opportunity - they never knew when the next would come, especially if they didn't (or outright couldn't) stick around.

A sigh escaped her lips as Bryce's nimble wingers worked on her breasts and paid special attention to her body. It was obvious that he was enjoying the way he touched and teased, and he wasn't the only one - Alicia felt intoxicated with every touch. As his hands fondled her breasts she leaned in to kiss him, though at the same time her hands started to wander on his body as well until the tips of her fingers pressed above his hips. As he sunk down to wash the lower parts of her body her fingers tangled in her hair, tightening as she could feel his breath hot against her core and couldn't help but roll her hips towards him just slightly. It was subtle teasing - Bryce had to have known he could get a reaction out of her by touching her as he was. After she spun around for him, it also came as no surprise that he had paid special attention to to her firm, round rear end. Wanting to play around with Bryce just as much as he was her she had backed a half-step, wiggled her ass back and forth with barely an inch of space between them.

"Thank you my love," she said with a sweet smile as he finished up with her and she was allowed to turn back around. After rinsing off and taking the cloth and body wash from Bryce, Alicia had to steal another kiss from him. She stepped in close with her arms spread over his shoulders, wrists limp but holding on to her items. She would never be quite satisfied, there was never enough of Bryce, but Alicia was able to remind herself that they had a task at hand. She used a gentle scrubbing to start to was him, from the top down like he had done for her. She savoured each moment and never broke eye contact or let her smile fade, and though she would ask him to turn she did her best to clean his back while they were face to face, though eventually she had to concede and move on - rather than crouching in front of him she lowered to her knees, and at first she simply looked up at him with wide eyes.

----

The easy clean-up was one of the good things about getting dirty in the shower - there was no worry about who would have to end up sleeping in a wet spot or having to grab otherwise unnecessary towels. Water, a bit more soap and a little bit of patience later all the evidence would be washed away, or at least as much of it as possible. As much as Anna didn't really want to move on, they'd probably already been shitty enough by getting distracted like they had - water was a valuable resource, after all. Beyond that Nick was right - they should probably finish up, actually get clean and figure out how tonight was going to go. Getting hot and heavy when he was wounded probably wasn't the most ideal thing to do, but hey - there was a reason that she hadn't urged Nick to vigorously mount her (something she would have much enjoyed if she wouldn't have felt like she was exacerbating his injury). He may have thought that he stole the last kiss, but Anna purposely went for one after that before she started scrubbing and cleaning up - luckily she didn't need much more time before she was done. She gave her hair a final rinse before hopping out.

The place was still empty so after leaving the stall Anna was in no rush to get her clothes back on - fresh, clean ones at that instead of the dirty, blood-encrusted ensemble she had been wearing for days. She worked on drying her hair in the towel as Nick talked about what they would do from here out. She pushed the towel out of her face before nodding. "Not sure if Alejandro will want me to fill up one of the beds, but I'll ask. They'll have to put me somewhere anyways so if it's not needed then what harm would it do? Besides... I can't say I'm quite comfortable here. I'd feel better if we were in the same space." After that she grabbed own panties, some of the ones she had grabbed back at the store when Nick was 'trying not to watch her', and slid them over her long, slim legs before then grabbing a clean top and sliding it over her head without even thinking of grabbing the bra that had been handed with with it. She didn't really want to put her pants on but she would have to anyways.

As much as she passed off wanting to stay close as a comfort/safety thing, Anna didn't want to be away from Nick. Not only was she getting used to have him around, but she wanted him around, regardless of the fact that she knew they were likely only getting along because they hadn't had any time to actually talk to each other. That would change one day, right? They'd be able to actually use their words with each other and not incite an argument? She hoped so, if they couldn't then this thing that they were doing would never last, but at the same time she was too scared that they wouldn't be able to work everything out to even want to try.
 
Alicia always knew what to do. Even without touching him, she could look at him with a certain facial expression or gesture, but still arouse him. For example, dropping to her knees did a plethora of things for Bryce. Obviously, it was an obvious position of having sex – a blow job. To Bryce, just like many other males, the positioning of his woman on her knees in front of him gave an arousing tone. Taking it a step further, Bryce’s kink of domination and submission and the power dynamics also were relevant. The most common position for the submissive in any literary or graphic material presented the submissive on his or her knees. Since she was a fast learner, Bryce assumed she already knew it, which was why she had dropped down there to wash him. The smile was still on his face as well, looking down into her beautiful eyes. So, she hadn’t said anything to him. She hadn’t touched him there yet. However, Bryce felt his entire body catch on fire just thinking about what this could mean and understanding the deeper meaning behind her kneeling. Maybe she had not meant it in the way he was thinking about, but that did not matter.

Reaching down with one hand, Bryce cupped her left cheek. Then, his other hand gently slipped through her hair. “I love you so fucking much.” Bryce growled lowly, this animalistic look in his eyes. It would not be easy when Alicia cleaned his crotch. They didn’t have time to do anything, but maybe they could make up for it later. As he was certain that teasing and touching her tits and rear end got her feeling aroused, the touching of his cock as she cleaned him would certainly do the same thing for Bryce.

Finally, Bryce realized he should probably give the girl some space to wash him. As much as he wanted to touch her, they needed to get moving. They did not know how safe this hotel was yet. Bryce forced himself to retract his hands from her face and hair, placing it back by his sides. However, he didn’t lose his smile yet. How could he not smile at her? Bryce was enamored with his fiancée, still looking into her eyes, eager for whatever she had in mind next. Like he knew already, Alicia knew exactly what to do, to keep him happy.

--

Just like Anna, Nick did not need to spend much more time washing his body before it was time to dry off and exit the shower. Plus, water was such a valuable resource. They probably did waste it, but if you asked Nick, he would say the activities in the shower was worth every last fucking ounce of water consumed by the couple. It did not seem like the infirmary was active. If that was the case, perhaps using one of the many open beds was not a problem. “I feel better having you around, too.” Nick admitted, not wanting to spend the night there alone. Part of it was covering his own ass. This was a strange place for both. If she was around, he had better chances of getting out of this community alive. Most of it, though, was so he could ensure that Anna was safe, too. He was not in any position to fight or protect anyone, but at least he could keep an eye on Anna if she was close to him. Admittedly, he would prefer her being in his arms but they were probably far away from reaching that level of intimacy together, so he just did not even ask yet. She would be ready, whenever she was comfortable around him again. There was no real rush.

Within the next few minutes, Nick had redressed himself. Seeing Anna in a similar state of clothing was almost disheartening. After all, she was gorgeous, and as much as he wanted to see her without clothes on, he knew it was illogical right now. It made him miss the privacy at the estate. When the pair exited the showers and returned to the infirmary, Alejandro was still around, closing up the area for the night. They trio talked briefly, finding out that Alejandro did not mind if Anna used the bed that was set up beside Nick’s. They had other vacancies if anyone needed it during the middle of the night. Then, the older male rewrapped Nick’s dog bite wound, applying more ointment and washing it thoroughly before finishing up. Once it was done, they were set for the night, so Nick found himself back in the bed, trying to get comfortable. That was easier said than done though. “He said the wound is looking better. It might only be a few days before I can walk on it like normal again.”
 
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