~G/t oneshots~

Picnic Perils

-For @jeonshore !! Hopefully it's something you like-

"You don't have to do everything for me all the time. I can handle myself, you know," Erica huffed as she watched the bean plate food for her.
"I know, I know, but it would kill me if something were to happen to you." Frank replied.
About six months ago, Erica had been out borrowing when the human had come home early. She passed out from fear when they first met, but Frank waited until she woke up to properly introduce himself. Once Erica passed the initial fear stage, she began to see Frank as a father figure in her life.
He was always there for her, from that time she slipped off the counter to when she stranded herself on top of the fridge. Even if it felt like he was hovering over her at all times, she still was fond of his company, and he of hers.
Today was definitely one of those hovering days. The two decided to have a nice picnic in the backyard. Erica was restless, wanting to go outside and explore while Frank handled the food. Frank disagreed, so Erica just sat on the countertop impatiently.
"Can we go already? It's nice outside," Erica said, tired of waiting.
"Once I finish your food, I still have to make mine. Just hold tight for a bit longer; I'll be done any minute," he said. That wasn't good enough for Erica. Free spirited as she is, she wasn't taking no for an answer. Grabbing her grappling hook, which is really just a fishhook with string tied to it, she set off towards the edge of the counter.
Erica checked once to ensure that Frank didn't see her. His attention was on the grilled cheese sandwich that he decided to have for himself. She took that as the all clear and made her way to the floor. After she landed, she tugged the grapple off the counter to erase any evidence of her escape.
Erica ran towards the back door. It was already cracked open because Frank said that the house felt stuffy and he wanted to air it out. She slipped outside into the warm air and inviting sunlight. The grass tickled her shoulders as she wandered through the backyard.
The dandelions stood a little taller than she was, so she reached up to brush her hand across some of the petals. It felt like she was in a movie. One girl against the daunting yet beautiful wilderness. Erica smiled while twirling around, her brown hair flowing in the breeze. This was where she wanted to be.
Unbeknownst to her, she had also caught the eye of another creature. A mouse that was hiding in a nearby bush had its eyes trained on the frolicking girl. Feeling threatened by this new presence near it's territory, the mouse stalked closer to Erica. Ears flat, it slowly approached her.
After hearing some rustling noises, she assumed that Frank had finally finished and was coming out to the backyard. Turning towards the door, she jumped to see if he was coming. She knew she'd get an earful from Frank for going outside early, but the tranquility of the yard made it worth it.
The rustling became louder, and was coming from the opposite direction of the door. Turning around, Erica saw the mouse. Once they made eye contact, the mouse leaped at her, teeth bared. Thinking quickly, she rolled to the side; the mouse narrowly missed her. Her heart rate sped up as the mouse picked itself up and began to run towards her again. Erica turned on her heels and sprinted through the grass.
Jumping over pebbles and dodging sticks, Erica tried to desperately think of a plan. The mouse was on her tail and gaining slowly. There was only so much time before it caught up to her. She hadn't run this much since before Frank found her, and she wasn't used to it anymore. Adrenaline pushed her to continue running away from imminent danger.
Frank. Since the door was open, if she yelled loudly enough, Frank might hear her and be able to help her out. Erica knew she'd get another, bigger lecture for this, but she didn't even care. She just wanted to be safe.
"FRANK!" She called out. "FRANK, OUTSIDE! HELP!" She tried again. Quickly changing course, Erica decided that if she couldn't call Frank, she'd just try to run inside before the mouse caught her.
Familiar hands wrapped around her and lifted her into the air, away from the dangers below. "Go on, shoo!" Erica's head was spinning. Frank? How did she not notice him? Was she that far into the zone that she didn't see him?
As it turns out, Frank noticed that she left and speculated that she went outside. So, he was already on his way to find Erica when she called out. After seeing the situation, he quickly picked her up and focused his attention on the mouse.
"Yeah, go on! Get out of here." Erica let a few tears drip down her face and clung tightly onto Frank's pointer finger. He gently shushed her and walked back inside.
"Not up for the picnic anymore, hm?" Frank questioned.
"No." was Ericas reply. She was still curled up in Frank's palms.
"How about a movie with lunch inside? Sound okay?"
"Mhm."
He sat down on the couch and placed Erica on one of the pillows. She slowly sat up and started calming down. Frank brought over the picnic lunches and set everything up in front of the two of them. He turned on Erica's favorite movie before sitting on the couch next to her.
Erica started watching and her mind wandered. Did I really get out of a lecture? As if Frank read her mind, he whispered, "Don't think you got out of a lecture, young lady. We'll talk later. Just enjoy the movie for now."
Erica groaned, but nodded. Frank messed up her hair with one finger. "Thank you, Frank," she mumbled.
Frank chuckled. "I'm just glad you're safe."