Messy - Abby Anderson x Fem Reader

Chapter 9 - I wanted you to clean the wound.

Later that evening, we have our warm meal by the fire Abby set up, however Mel doesn't join us. She's sitting by the river, and her shoulders are shaking mildly with her quiet sobs. Poor girl. We don't disturb her.

I turn my gaze back to my lap at the biscuits I've decided to munch on instead. Sighing tiredly, I toss them towards Lev who sits a good two or three metres away from me, beside Abby.

He reaches for them with a thankful smile but I don't look at him to respond to that. My stomach throbs not with hunger but from anxiousness at being near Abby.

Our conversation earlier wasn't the greatest and I don't entirely want to be sat in her presence again, but we still have a few days left of walking together. And then it's living together. Even if we do magically resolve this between us, the guilt of Owen's death would make me fuck up, and how can I ever feel confident that she won't play with my feelings again? She probably still thinks she's straight.

Alice sighs and licks her muzzle with one slow sweep of her tongue, bringing about my gaze to her. I admire her dark fur for a moment and the warmth it provides to my thighs as she lies sprawled across them, and I bring my fingers back behind her ears, scratching gently. She relaxes.

"Y/N," Lev says, rather quietly and timidly.

I look up at him and hum in response, avoiding glancing at Abby. "What is it?" I ask in a small murmur, and I notice Abby's eyes safely settle on me, knowing I won't look back at her.

"Are you and Abby going to talk at all?" His fingers play with the packaging of the biscuits causing a soft rusting to sound through the night. "Even when we get to your home?"

I wince internally as he says "your home" but I recover quickly; where we're going is not exactly somewhere where I'm sure I'll be happily welcomed back. Nevertheless, we're going. I don't respond to Lev's question though, looking back down at Alice and let the silence fall over us.

There's a part of me that wants to say something snarky but I press my lips harder together. Abby doesn't respond either, but there's a disappointed sigh from Lev before he bites into his biscuit, crunching loudly enough to keep my thoughts from drifting.

Once I decide I've been in Abby's presence for too long, I gently lift Alice into my arms and carry her over to Mel, abruptly leaving Abby and Mel without a word.

Mel's still weeping and Alice immediately heads for her lap as I set her down.

"Did you eat?" I ask quietly, crouching beside Mel. Hesitantly, I place my hand on her back and rub it slowly.

"A little," she mumbles, burying her face in her hands. My hands rub a little firmer, hoping to ground her.

"We'll get you to a settlement soon, and you won't be raising this kid on your own. You know that, right?" I say quietly, my eyes taking in her hunched from. Guilt starts to build up in me again but I swallow thickly.

She slowly pulls her hands down from her face, her palms wet with her tears. Alice lifts her muzzle into Mel's hand, wanting to be of comfort. "I... I appreciate that. Thank you."

Obviously not knowing Mel well enough, I stand up and leave her be for the night as awkward as that may be. As far as I'm aware, she's more familiar with Abby so they can take care of each other.

But damn, it feels shit to even think about Owen.

I head back towards the shed and sit down in my little corner, burying myself under the blanket that Abby had given me last night. Desperate for warmth, I set my hands in between my thighs as I lay on my side, facing the wall, and I let out a deep breath. Surely tonight has to be easier to sleep through... right? I may as well try to get some shut eye before they all come to bed. A long walk awaits us tomorrow after all.

The door squeaks as somebody pushes it open but I don't react, keeping my eyes closed. They close the door behind them and walk over to the opposite side of the shed. I hear a small shuffling sound, then a zip of a bag, and then a small hiss of pain and my heart almost jumps.

That's Abby's voice.

My shoulders tense up as my eyes shoot open, but I remain staring at the wall in front of me.

She's in pain, but why? And why has she come here now that I'm here?

Slowly, I force myself to sit up, bringing my now warm hands up to my belly to warm it up too. My gaze finally locks onto Abby and she's concentrated on cleaning a small cut on her hip. Yes, that means her trousers are pulled down just enough to expose the band of her boxers. Holy shit.

Okay, maybe I assumed she was concentrating because she speaks right after.

"I came here to do this because I believed you wouldn't be interested at all," she mutters, hissing slightly as her face twists. It seems to be an infected or irritated cut.

My eyes trace over her bare skin and her noticeable v line. As a result, my lips go dry so I dart my tongue out to wet them, silently thanking whatever god exists for the fact that she's not watching me.

No, what the fuck are you doing, Y/N? Look away. You've had her before, who says she still wants you?

Fuck, I can't look away. Not until she looks up at least.

"I'm not interested, just wondering who's trying to ruin my sleep," I mumble, letting a hint of coldness creep into my tone to avoid any suspicion of my admiration for her physique. And holy shit, it's gorgeous.

As one of her hands holds her trousers and boxers down to expose the reddened cut, which looks a little swollen, and the other wipes a small rag over the dried blood, she inhales sharply. "You never used to sleep anyway," she mutters back, mocking the coldness in my voice.

Yep, the main reason - and time of day - we'd get up to perfectly romantic things.

I hold back the urge to roll my eyes, wanting to keep my eyes on the teasing low reveal of skin. Despite the excitement bubbling up in me at seeing that, the cut looks too disgusting to be ignored.

"If you die on this walk, we're not burying you." I shift in my position to lay down again, now completely tearing my eyes away from her cut as I look up at the way she keeps her bottom lip trapped between her teeth. Gently, I rest my head against my backpack.

She doesn't respond as she tries to clean the cut as best she can but without the required items, she's forced to simply ignore it and hope it heals on its own. Her boxers slap against her skin with a mildly loud thwack and she leans back against the wall, her hands resting behind her head and her gaze slowly drifting to me.

Don't fucking look at me.

My own eyes, though, decide that my fingers are more interesting to look at, and I occupy myself with my nails which are short but healthy.

She stares for a moment before breaking the awkward silence. "You grew some muscle." Her tone sounds as though she's not unhappy with me at all, which irks me. Why is she pretending everything is okay?

"Oh, so now we're friends again?" I can't help but snap at her, narrowing my eyes as they dart back to her. Her jaw tenses at my words and her fist balls in her lap in response.

"Just making an observation," she grits out.

"Well keep your observations to yourself." I huff as I turn my body away from her, settling back down on my side. I can't help but think, what a bitch.

Forgetting that I was just admiring her a moment ago.

"Why did you leave me?" She asks suddenly, but very quietly.

The question angers me though. She should know, right? She should realise that she led me on, played about with me, and it was all for nothing. "Why did you kiss me when Owen was your boyfriend?" I simply retort.

Though, I feel like kicking myself for bringing Owen up but I force myself to take a deep breath instead. "Forget it, just... Leave me alone," I mutter as I sink further onto the floor, curling myself up under the thin blanket.

There's no response from her after that which slightly disappoints me.

Fuck, Abby, I miss us.

Oddly enough, her presence helps me fall asleep.