Bird Box (Oc x reader)

Chapter 10

Ethan follows the direction Charlie gave him, finds the electronics at aisle six and takes the handheld radios. Lucy walks by Douglas standing in the aisle with the booze.

"Boy, I'm glad I tagged along." He tells her. "This is truly the happiest place on Earth."

"I know. You're not kidding." She says, her mouth full.

Ethan sees you by the canned goods and brings another trolley to help you. Seeing diapers on the way, he grabs a bag.

"Baby shower gift for Olympia?" He holds up the diapers. You turn and look at it, taking it from him with a smile.

"It's perfect." You say and put it in the trolley. "You have experience with kids?"

"As an uncle, yeah. My brother is expecting their third, so.."

"Oh, wow. Him and his wife must be saints."

"Yeah, they are."

You watch his smile fade slightly to worry for his family. You know he has his parents, two brothers and two sisters with their spouses and apparently nephews and nieces out there.

"Is your family in Sacramento?" You ask.

"Yeah.. What about you? Where did you grow up?"

"Oh, just outside of Stockton."

"Stockton, huh?" He glance at you.

"Yup. We raised horses."

"On a real ranch?"

"Mhm. My dad was a real cowboy." You say and throw one of the canned goods a little to roughly down into the trolley.

"Is that how you learned your little shotgun trick?"

"Yeah. I had an interesting childhood." You mumble, then shake your head to change the subject slightly. "You now, Stockton isn't that far from Sacramento."

"No.. Just down 99."

"Just down highway 99." You nod.

"Worlds apart, right?" He says reading over some can box.

"Still, we could've met some other way."

"Sure.. I could've been your babysitter." He mumbles, not looking at you.

"My hot babysitter." You then say and watch as he whips his head to you in surprise. You just smirk and chuckle at his reaction. Then he looks down again.

"You're, uh.. You're just saying that because the options are limited, and we're all gonna die anyway." He says with a humourless chuckle and you frown at him.

You thought, and even hoped for the first time in a very long time, that maybe this was heading somewhere, but he seems hesitant, apparently because of the age gap. But it doesn't bother you, not now and it wouldn't have bothered you before all this happened.

(You can imagine whatever age gap you feel comfortable with. Or if you don't want it to be an age gap story, you can just imagine another reason for why he's hesitant if you're able to ignore it.)

"That's not true." You just tell him, honestly, with a genuine look.

He looks at you for a moment, feeling like with just your look you're telling him that the age gap wouldn't have bothered you before everything and that you genuinely found him attractive and enjoyed his company. The world being different now he understand that some might be open for all kinds of relationships just because, but he doesn't want that. If he's gonna have someone like that he wants it to be real and genuine, not just because the options are limited. Though, what you two have does feel real and it could go there, but he isn't in any hurry to risk what you already have.

Neither do you. You're not desperate for anything and are content with how things are between you now. So you don't want to risk the dynamic you have now by trying your luck right now. Not that you calling him hot was really to try your luck, it had just blurted out because you genuinely find him attractive. But you're both just focusing on survival and keeping the friendship rather than risking it just to get laid. You're not desperate like that. You take your trolley and head further down the next aisle to collect more supplies.

Hearing birds chirping, you stop and look around. You smile when you see it and move toward the birdcage.

"How did you guys get so lucky, huh?" You whisper to the birds.

"Attention, all shoppers, come to aisle seven, please. I have a big, big, big announcement to make." Douglas says loudly for all of you to hear in the supermarket. "Ladies and gentlemen, please.."

"Yes, Douglas." Lucy says coming to the aisle. Then Ethan and Charlie coming up too.

"I would like to take this opportunity to make a toast to all of us, because all of us, collectively, are making the end of the world.. great again! Yeah!" Douglas says happily.

They hear birds chirping and turn to see you coming with your trolley and now a bird cage in it.

"I mean, don't you doofuses get it? We could just stay here. We have a year's supply of food and drinks right here. We don't ever have to pay and we shouldn't ever leave."

"And what are they gonna do at Greg's? Starve?" You ask him.

"Better them, than us." He laughs.

You look at Ethan shaking your head in disbelief and with anger at Douglas.

"We have everything we need to live here. Everything. There is no statistical, logical or legal argument for trying to get back there." Douglas says waving the flask in his hand.

"Here's an argument; We're not assholes." You tell him. "We're not staying."

Then you hear knocking. Everyone glance uneasily at each other, then cautiously start heading for the sound.

"What is it?"

Finding a locked back door, the knocking gets louder. Ethan slowly steps up to it.

"Somebody let me out of here." A weak sobbing male voice is heard on the other side of the door.

"Charlie, what's behind there?" Ethan whispers.

"It's a loading dock."

"Hello?" Ethan says, just loud enough for the man to hear him from the other side.

"Please, let me in."

"You gotta speak up, I can't hear you." Ethan tells him.

"Please open the door."

"Cover your eyes." Ethan says, looking specifically at you.

"What!?" Your eyes widen.

"I'm gonna open the door."

"No." You tell him, shaking your head negatively.

"There's a person out there, Yn. I have to open the door." Ethan says.

Douglas lifts the shotgun and stand ready. Ethan looks at you, waiting for you to close your eyes. You try to fight it, but eventually give in to the pleading look he's giving you and reluctantly start to cover your eyes so he can let the man in.

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