A/N: addressing some comments on the previous chapter:
zero cannot be taken to the hospital because they are an /alien/. the doctors would not be able to treat them right, maybe even discover what they are, not to mention there are people out to get them. frank knows this.
frank is a normal person he has a little gauze in his house and maybe some peroxide he doesn't have medical quality disinfectant and prescription painkillers ok. there's nothing he can do.
he can't go to the store to get anything because zero cannot be left home alone.
the best he could do was wash the wound a little. keep in mind its not fresh. zero was cut open nearly two weeks ago, maybe more. it's healing.
if you have any further questions, feel free to ask me, but hopefully this clears things up a bit :)
sorry for such a long wait for the update! i had to catch up on a lot of work since i was absent all last week. im gonna try to get the next one up sooner.
sidenote: fic is being extended by another chapter since this one turned out to be longer than expected. :) total chapter number is still subject to change give or take one or two chapters maybe.
enjoy!
~
Zero dozed off fairly early in the evening, still understandably exhausted from everything that had happened, and even more so from the panic attack.
Frank took the opportunity to call Ray and tell him the news, recounting the entirety of what had happened from the moment he had heard the knock on the door, up until now.
Ray had been in disbelief - speechless at first and then firing questions at Frank so fast he hadn't even been able to answer. The one that he had kept asking though, was how the hell did Zero even get out of there in the first place? Obviously, Frank had no idea, and in all honesty he couldn't have cared less. It was foolish and naive, but Zero was home, and that was all that mattered to him.
But Ray being his usual self, lectured Frank on all the possible scenarios that could happen - pretty much all of them involving the FBI - and how there was no way they could just let this be and act as if nothing had happened, as much as Frank wanted to. Frank knew all this already, of course, but there's a pretty big difference between knowing you have to do something, and actually doing it.
What had happened in the time span between the day he and Zero had first left home up until the day he had found them on his doorstep - and even the short amount of time after that - had changed them both drastically, and there was no going back. Frank was well aware of that, but it felt so nice to be able to pretend. However, he was also aware that Ray wouldn't let him get away with that for very long at all.
Ray was a realist. He thought things out from every angle and determined the best decision from there; and as much as Frank hated to admit it, Ray was almost always right too.
Since Zero's episode in the bedroom, Frank knew exactly what they had to do. What they had to try to do at least. The thought would creep up on him constantly, no matter how many times he had tried to push it away. And what was worse - it had only been just a few hours. If it was nagging him this much already, how long could he possibly last before giving in? Having Ray pressuring him on top of it all didn't help either.
After several hours of back and forth bickering, Frank had finally explained his "plan" to Ray.
"We have to fix the spaceship," he told him bluntly.
Ray was silent.
"That's the only way to fix this Ray. They have to get out of here. You said it yourself there's nowhere they can hide from these people. They'll be hunted for the rest of their life if we don't-"
"Okay," Ray stated simply.
"...O-Okay?"
"You're right Frank. God knows if we'll even be able to fix the damn thing, but it's worth a shot, I guess."
It was Frank's turn to be silent. He wasn't sure where to go from here.
"So... what do we do now?"
"Do you have tools?"
"I don't think..."
"Okay, okay. Don't worry. I can borrow some from my dad."
"Okay. But what are we even gonna do, Ray, there isn't exactly an instruction manual for fixing a fucking spaceship."
"Well... I used to help my dad out back at the mechanic's before he retired. Can't be too different from a car, right?"
Frank just chuckled.
"I guess we won't know 'til we try."
He made plans with Ray for them to get to work that weekend and hung up shortly after that. It was Wednesday. That gave Frank and Zero two whole days after tonight to still relax together without having to think about anything else.
Frank padded back into the bedroom, yawning as he went. He plugged his phone in, setting it on the nightstand gently, and went over to Zero. They snored softly as always, laying flat on their back with the fluffy blanket draped haphazardly over them. Part of their chest was still exposed, and their little toes were peeking out at the bottom.
Brushing his lips lightly over Zero's cheeks and forehead, Frank kissed them awake. Their eyelids fluttered open and they let out a groan as they stretched their arms and craned their neck back. Then, they finally looked up at Frank, with wide eyes, a slight blush, and that same old smile.
"Hi," Frank greeted them with a smile.
They giggled and murmured a quiet "Frank" before their lips met in another kiss.
"How about we clean you up one more time before bed, hm?" Frank suggested.
Technically, Zero was already in bed, but he thought it would be best to clean their wound one more time before he settled in too. A nice, warm bath sounded just right. Zero pursed their lips together and nodded, then slowly lifted the corner of the blanket and threw it off them, shivering as the cooler air touched their skin.
"Come on," Frank said as he scooped them up, careful not to move them in a way that would hurt the stitches, "We can go take a bath. How does that sound, sweetheart?"
Zero remained silent, but Frank could feel them smiling against his skin as they buried their face in the crook of his neck, and he knew that was a yes.
Holding Zero up with one arm, he ran the bath water until it reached just the right temperature, then, he lifted them carefully again and set them down in the water. They sighed at the warmth, letting their eyes drift shut and leaning their head back to rest against the ledge of the tub. Frank brushed Zero's crimson hair out of their eyes and pressed a kiss to their forehead.
"That feel nice, sugar?"
They sighed happily and Frank smiled.
"You just relax."
He washed Zero's hair, scrubbed their body gently, and made sure their wound was cleaned one last time before finishing and unplugging the drain.
As the now-lukewarm water ran out, Frank helped Zero up again. He wrapped their dripping body in his biggest, softest towel (careful not to scratch the stitches) and carried them back to the bedroom.
Zero sat on the bed wrapped in the towel the same way they always wrapped themself in the fluffy blanket, watching Frank as he picked out a fresh pair of pajamas from the dresser. He came back over to the bed with a thin t-shirt and a pair of boxers in hand, both old, worn, and loose-fitting so they would be nice and soft on Zero's skin.
Frank brushed the towel away, cupping Zero's face with both hands and giving them a lingering kiss, before helping them up and slipping the clothes onto them. They held onto his shoulders as he did so. Then, even more sleepy from their hot bath, Zero let out a big yawn and Frank helped them lay back down in their spot. He kissed their nose and smiled, cupping their cheek and brushing his thumb over their lips. He moved his hand up to run it through their hair, then stood up and told Zero, "I'll be right back, sugar."
Frank headed into the kitchen and made two cups of hot cocoa, then took the Chips Ahoy box, carrying it under his arm, and brought them in to Zero. He set everything down on the nightstand for a moment, pausing to set up a DVD, then climbed into bed next to them, careful not to spill the hot drinks. They ate their snack happily and watched their movie together. Frank kept the volume low so Zero could doze off if they wanted. It was the ferris wheel movie, which had made them smile and laugh at him.
Now, the empty mugs were sitting on the nightstand once again, and Zero was wrapped in Frank's arms, nibbling on a cookie, eyes drifting shut. He pressed a kiss to their hair and took the cookie carefully after he had noticed them finally relax and was sure they were asleep. Frank flicked the lamp off and the room was plunged into darkness, only illuminated by the moonlight flooding in through the window. Taking a deep breath and sighing contentedly, Frank nuzzled his face into Zero's hair and let himself drift off too.
They spent the following two days similarly - Frank taking care of Zero and watching their every move carefully like a mother hen. They were very amused by it, and made it clear to him every time they would snicker or giggle at something he did.
Finally, Saturday came, and Ray was right on time, much to Frank's secret dismay. He strode into the house, toolbox in hand, and set it down on the counter facing the living room.
"This should be enough to get us started," he told Frank.
Frank just nodded, "Okay."
Ray was silent for a moment, waiting for Frank to do something.
"So... are we gonna start, or...?"
Frank cleared his throat and nodded again.
"Uh, yeah. I guess so."
He looked down at his feet for a moment, then headed over to the door that led into the garage, opening it and flicking on the light. Ray didn't miss the sad expression on his face.
"Frank?"
Frank didn't respond, and instead went to work pulling the car cover off of Zero's ship.
"Look, man... I know. But it really is the only option left."
Pausing for a moment to look at Ray, Frank met his eyes but remained silent still. After a few seconds he went back to work.
"Frank..."
Again, no response.
"I'm sorry," was all Ray could say.
Frank ceased his actions once again, staring blankly at the dented metal before him.
"...It's just not fair," he said suddenly, and from the crack in his voice Ray could tell he was crying.
That was why he hadn't spoken.
Ray was quiet now, unsure of what to say. There was nothing to say really. He couldn't even imagine how Frank felt.
"But hey," Ray said softly, "It's gonna take a while to fix this thing. Who knows if we'll even get it done. There's still time left, Frankie."
Frank looked at him with an expression that made Ray's chest ache.
"If they don't leave then those fucking people will find them. There's no way around this Ray."
His voice was cold and hard, and as he went back to work Ray got the signal that the conversation was over.
There was nothing left to discuss.
Frank dusted off his hands and crossed his arms, inspecting the spaceship. The damage wasn't nearly as extreme as one would expect for something that literally fell out of the sky. It looked similar to a car that had been in a pretty bad accident, but not totaled. Dented metal and busted glass - nothing that seemed too impossible to fix.
Ray set the toolbox down on the floor near the ship.
"Are you ready Ray?" Frank asked solemnly.
"Yeah. How 'bout you, Frank?"
Frank said nothing.
"Look, why don't you go inside and get a couple beers. I'll get started," Ray told him.
Nodding slowly, Frank headed back inside and returned a few minutes later with a beer in each hand. He handed one to Ray, who was now crouched on the floor and working on the front of the ship. Frank didn't have enough knowledge of mechanics to know exactly what he was doing.
"Where's Zero?" Ray asked as he worked; Frank sat on a stool nearby.
"Napping."
"They doing okay?"
"Yeah. Just... just cut up pretty bad, you know..."
Ray paused to look at him.
"But it's stitched up," Frank added, "It's healing. They're gonna be okay."
Ray nodded and went back to work. The two of them sat in silence for a moment.
"Do you think," Frank began, "do you think we could have Mitch back?"
Stopping again, Ray gazed up at him curiously.
"Of course, man. I was gonna ask you actually..."
Frank smiled for the first time since Ray had seen him.
"Thanks. I really want Zero to be able to spend some time with him before... you know..."
Frank's smile faded and he rubbed the back of his neck, "You know, while they actually can."
Ray nodded, "Yeah. Absolutely."
He went back to working, then spoke up again, this time without lifting his eyes.
"I can bring him tomorrow if you want? I've got all the cat stuff at my place. I took him to the vet too, shots and everything..."
"Yeah, thank you... a-and I can pay you back. I mean, for the bills and the stuff and everything."
Ray smiled softly and shook his head.
"Nah, man. It's okay. Don't worry about it."
Frank tried to speak up again but Ray interrupted him.
"Seriously, Frank. Don't worry about it."
He smiled at Frank again and Frank just nodded. They sat in silence for a few more minutes before Frank decided to get up and turn on the radio that he kept out there. It was on the table next to the door that led into the living room.
As Frank walked up to it he heard a quiet shuffling coming from inside the house, followed by a hoarse "Frank". Ray raised his eyebrows and nodded at him.
"Sounds like someone's awake."
~
A/N: gonna update asap.