L4D2 Hunter x Male!Reader - Chapter 2

    ~ Hunter POV ~

    I don't know how long it had been since my pack mates left to find our human medicine. Those Smoker fumes were brutal, and to what degree he had coughed when he tried to speak worried me quite a bit. I looked back to where he was sleeping. It was nearly laughable by this time he already trusted me enough to pass out so soon. His skin was becoming a slightly pallid. That didn't look healthy in what relation to what we usually saw him as. It probably wouldn't hurt to check up on him, so I decided to leave my post at the entrance for the time being. If someone - or something - came close, I would be able to hear and smell them before they had the chance to enter the building.
    Cautiously as to not startle the human awake, I made my way over to an open spot next to his cot on the floor. We anonymously helped him get this ratty mattress to here by separating groups of the Infected and leading them off towards us to take them out. It was relatively easy, seeing as how stupid most of the common ones were. By stroke of luck, we managed to kill one of those green-spitting women before it got too close, too.
    He seemed so much more peaceful in his sleep. Quite a change to that fear-stricken gaze he had earlier. I was certain he was going to hate us for our appearances; although, I felt awful for revealing ourselves so soon, but we couldn't have simply left him there for something else to get him with a small chance of those other survivors coming around again. Even if we managed to find them and lead them to his unconscious body, there was a good chance we would have gotten hurt. Our bodies are dead. There was no way we would be able to heal if bullets pierced a limb or a baseball bat collided with our ribcage.
    Perhaps when he woke up, we might exchange names? That would be nice. I'd prefer to stop referring to him as just "human". What does he refer to me as that isn't being said out loud? "It"? "Zombie"? "Abomination"? Maybe that classification the humans gave us. "Hunter", was it? It sounds kind of cool... but I don't enjoy being grouped with anyone except my companions. Even then, we aren't that much alike.
    I began leaning in a little only for another look at his facial features. It was almost unfair how cute he was. This time, I reached to touch his jawline. I know my fingers were slightly calloused from whatever life this body had previously, but I tried my hardest to trace his jaw as gently as I was able. A soft groan left his lips as he shifted a bit. Did I wake him up? I jumped back a short distance, focusing on his smaller form as I remained crouched and close to the floor. His eyes didn't open. He wasn't making any other noises. Perhaps I merely disturbed his sleep slightly? He still seemed lost to the conscious world, though.
    Time for round two. I wanted to be close to him, and now seemed like the best time. If he was awake, I would probably scare him away. Affection and zombies probably didn't mix for the humans. Once again, I approached his makeshift bed. It appears he moved a bit further towards the other side, so I shifted my position and rested my knees against the mattress. The weight shift on the soft mattress didn't seem to bother him, so I proceeded further. Leaning forward, my hands were placed on each side of him. That was a heavier weight shift, but he still seemed to be okay. I hoped, at least. I leaned in a bit closer, stopped for a moment, and then more to make sure my encompassing presence didn't awaken him. Soon enough, my face was inches from his neck. His scent was so... calming. It had a little bit of a sweetness to it, but it wasn't overwhelming the affect it had on me. I so badly wanted to hold him close to me and cover myself in his smell, in turn having my own cover him. He probably wouldn't find so much physical contact this soon agreeable, though.
    "What--" I heard a sleepy voice beneath me begin. With a small fit of panic, I swiftly hopped a few feet from the cot. As soon as I looked at his face again, he was slowly rising up from his slumber. Regrettably, it seems I've woken him up. On the bright side, he didn't show much sign of being upset and I didn't smell any fear in the air. His expression revealed mostly confusion. That was good - a few steps up from terror, at least. Continuing to bother him probably wouldn't be wise, so I turned towards the doorway and trotted right over to my former spot to keep watch at the entrance.
    A few minutes of vocal silence passed. I heard shuffling behind me in the safe room. The sound of blankets being pushed aside, foot steps on solid ground, then what sounded in manner of a paper notebook being flipped through. I didn't want to appear too curious. Besides, getting him medicine was drastically important. I'm glad my friends were so willing to go, but someone had to stay behind to keep an eye out on the human.
    "What's your name?" A raspy question filled the silence. I responded quite eagerly.
    "Matthias," I stated as I looked back at him. He looked quite surprised and still... confused. Ah, right. We didn't really share the same language. It probably sounded a kind of aggressive, similar to a sharp growl. Was there anything I could write on? Foam letters that children use in day care were probably out of the question. It wasn't until I turned completely to face him again when I noticed a pen and some paper in front of him. I then took it upon myself to leap right in front of him and snatched up the pen. My handwriting was so horrible. Maybe I would get points for trying?

    ~ Reader POV ~

    The first thing I noticed when I started to wake up was an extra weight pushing down the mattress a bit flatter around me. Next was the sensation of hot air against my neck. I shivered slightly, but it might have just been where we left the vault entry open. A breeze here in there would be obvious. I reevaluated my thought process and by what means I described the air as 'hot'. It was still late winter. Plus it had begun raining earlier. The air should be quite cool at this time. Was the Hunter who stayed behind...? I opened my eyes only to have my suspicions proved.
    "What--" I began to speak, feeling the consequence of speaking so soon after waking up and while feeling so sick take its toll against my throat. I couldn't continue so soon, and he was already across the room and at the door to keep watch again. Did I startle him? Or did he thing he scared me? My fear subsided right before I went to sleep. If I was supposed to be their next meal, I would not have woken up after the incident with the Smoker.
    I sat up and stretched my arms above my head. My upper back popped with the movement and the tension in my shoulders dissolved rather quickly. There was still the pitter-patter of rain hitting the windows outside. That would definitely bring additional Infected out onto the streets from abandoned buildings and covered alleyways. Odd sounds make them curious. The Hunter at the room's opening didn't seem very interested, though. My eyes scanned the room for the extra paper and pens that I keep around for those "stay inside" days. Sometimes I write, other times I draw. With how things are now, you can't simply pull out a phone and play games on it when you're bored. I decided to go ahead and get out of bed to retrieve a pen and a few of the papers for a particular reason. It would be nice to know these Hunters' names so I may stop referring to them by their qualities.
    Once I sat down again, I put the paper in front of me on the floor with the pen on top and finally asked, "What's your name?" Since being a little more awake, talking didn't hurt as much as earlier, but it still felt as if I swallowed a knife. His quick response surprised me a bit. That meant he understood what I said, but I only got a low-pitched bark in return. I watched his lips for whatever chance I might have at reading them, but I still couldn't tell. He seemed to pick up on my confusion as he pounced over to sit right in front of me. Of course out of habit, my heartbeat jumped me for a second, but only showing as a small hop in my spot on the floor. I'm certainly glad he didn't seem to take notice as he scribbled like a young kid recently learning to write. As soon as he was finished, he dropped the pen and relaxed. His expression seemed a bit prideful of himself, seeing as he still had the ability to write - sorta.
    To start, the first letter was certainly an 'M'. I picked up the paper and studied it as hard as I could. It was amazing that he still had the comprehension of written language! Too bad his handwriting was pre-school at best. The second letter was smaller than the 'M', but it looked akin to a mini 'Q' with where he drew the line. The two following letters were 't', so I'm guessing it was an 'a'. So far we have 'Matt'. Unfortunately, it looked as if he lost his patience writing after that, and the next letter I was capable of making out was the last. It was an 's'. That rules out the name 'Matthew'. Begins with 'Matt' and ends with 's'... Oh yeah.
    "Matthias?" I asked, hoping I got the pronunciation right. His enthusiastic head nod and soft purr confirmed it. Good start! Now that I knew his name, it was common courtesy to give mine, even if I didn't have the other two yet, "I'm [y/n]." I wasn't sure where to take the conversation seeing as we wouldn't really be able to hold one. I would prefer to thank him and the other two for saving me, but that might have to wait. He seemed very pleased that he now knew my name and I knew his. I felt a whole lot better now, too. Emotionally, that is. I might as well be coughing up a cactus every time I decide to speak.
    The sound of light foot steps and glass crunching outside the vault made me scoot backward towards the wall next to my cot where I placed my backpack in my sleepy haze earlier. Matthias creeped over to the doorway, but he wasn't in an offensive or defensive stance. Just within seconds of me unzipping my bag, a dark green hood with unruly, orange hair peeked into the room as if waiting to be invited in. Right as I opened my mouth, the Hunter who had carried me home pounced on him, and the two of them came tumbling over the portal frame right into the center of the room. I couldn't help the soft, airy laugh that fell past my lips. The one in the red hoodie was so tall and decently built. He was far past six feet tall, but how far was the part I wasn't able to tell. Yet, the younger-looking one was so small and looked to have very minimal muscle. Judging by my own height, he was only 5'7" or 5'8". I hated to interrupt their oddly charming wrestling match, but they were starting to get a little out of hand.
    Matthias growled at the two who quickly stopped. Thank Heaven I wasn't the one who had to break up the play-fight between lethal zombies. The blonde got off of the pinned ginger on the floor and left him to saunter over to my side. He clumsily fidgeted with his pocket to pull out two things. The first, to my relief, was a real bottle of medicine. I had forgotten to grab any while I had my expedition to that convenience store. It was a large bottle of ibuprofen. The label stated it contained two-hundred. He probably only grabbed it because it was so big and looked important and colourful. In what respect could one show appreciation to such a stone-faced Infected? I certainly didn't know.
    As he was pulling out the second item, the smaller Hunter had trotted over to us and dropped a bottle of a dark, liquid medicine in my lap. I turned it over to see the label stating 'for sore throats, coughing, and fever'. This one was certainly better for my current needs. Eager to get better, I pulled my water bottle out of my backpack. I popped open the bottle of ibuprofen, and swallowed down two pills with a gulp of water. Next, I went ahead and opened the cough medicine, took a sip of what I assumed was close to the recommended dosage, then chased that nasty taste down with a gulp of water.
    "Thank you," I said softly, trying not to irritate my throat too much this time. I wondered if these two comprehended human speech as can Matthias, but the nod from the smaller Hunter confirmed at least one of them got it. Deciding to push my luck, I wanted to learn their names as well. "What should I call each of you?" The blonde tilted his head to the side only barely and the other let out a drawn-out chirp at him which seemed to help him understand. He scooted the other item he had closer to me. I hadn't taken a look at it quite yet, so I went ahead and picked up the-- rock? It was a black, light-weight rock that fit almost perfectly in the palm of my hand. It was matte and some chipped sides were shiny and smooth. It was a piece of coal. I did start to wonder where he got it, but there were train tracks nearby where trains from the mines further south used to go back and forth. This was honestly such a cute way to tell me his name, if this was his intention.
    "Is your name... Cole?" I still had to ask, just to make sure. The Hunter in the dark red hoodie nodded very subtly. He was rather intimidating how emotionless he seemed, so he must not be far from the other Hunters that soullessly attack. Or actually "well-mannered". I looked over at the Hunter in the dark green. "What about you?"
    By the time I finished my question, Matthias brought over some of the paper I had left with him and the pen and sat them in front of the young male. I suppose Cole doesn't understand written language at his stage. The one scribbling on paper must've become an Infected not too long ago, although his handwriting was still at elementary level. It was to a greater extent understandable than Matthias's, that was for sure. His name was a little further out there, too.
    "And your name is Soren?" He nodded a bit more obviously than his friend. "It's..." I haven't had to talk this much in such a long time. "It's nice to meet all of you." A yawn stopped me from talking further as I looked towards the slightly open metal door. There was quite a lack of light, so that meant it was already night. What a wild ride today was. "Thank you," I said as I met eyes with all of them. From what I could tell, the mystery of the items being left around in threes was solved. It made sense from where they willingly have helped me so far, how comfortable they made me feel already, and it was most likely them watching me that I felt all this time. I was so, so lucky.
    I would have loved to try to communicate with them better, but there was a sense of fatigue that still held my body. I had plenty of supplies for now, so I wouldn't have to go out for a while, but it probably wouldn't be a bad idea to head out for some clothes or something tomorrow with warmer weather right around the corner. Washing clothes from last year wasn't exactly a luxury one would have in the middle of an apocalypse when you can rarely gain access to a bath.
    As I crawled into bed, I noticed Soren take off to the entrance. I guess closing it wouldn't be a good idea. Plus I had these three now. It was like I had guard dogs. Three energetic, zombie, guard dogs. From the show they put on today, I was pretty confident they wouldn't let anything happen to me. I slipped underneath the covers that felt a bit cooler than I remember. Spring nights in the city were pretty cold. I would wish to shut the door to stop the breeze, but they would either have to be trapped in this room with me all night or outside until I open the entry tomorrow. They might not appreciate that.
    I closed my eyes in hopes that my body heat alone would be enough to warm up the sheets and let me fall asleep, but only a few minutes in left me shivering. That was great. My muscles were sore enough from being constricted by that Smoker earlier and running so much, and I certainly didn't need this. It would definitely slow down my healing process as well. I started to turn over to hopefully grab another blanket or layer of clothes to get me warm, but then I remembered how warm Cole was when he carried me and warm Matthias's breath was. Cole didn't seem to enjoy being bothered with mundane tasks, but earlier the black-haired Hunter was rather eager to get close to me while I was sleeping. All I had to do was ask. It couldn't be that hard. It's not as if they were fully human and would judge you over a simple request. Could they...?
    My muscles began to tense up, making shivering a bit more painful than for what it's worth. I sat up for a second to pull on the nearby hoodie I kept handy. It was cold right now, but it had to help me warm up sooner or later. As soon as my head popped out the top of the thick piece of clothing, I noticed Cole was watching me from near the exit and Matthias was doing the same, but he was at the foot of my bed. By the way they were looking at me, they had some knowledge of my situation. My words were caught in my throat. They had already done so much for me. Supplementary to what I thought they were capable of. Defeated by my own thought process, I laid down again and pulled the blankets up to my chin.
    The extra clothing did stop the draft of cold around my torso and trapped a little bit of the warmth I was slowly producing. The blanket helped further for my predicament, but I knew I was going to be uncomfortable for a while. I shut my eyes and felt sleep willingly wanting to take over this time; despite this, a weight pressed down the foot end of the mattress ever so hesitantly. I chose not to move besides my quaking form continuing to make aggressive attempts to produce additional heat. My eyes remained shut. A soft snort came from who I assumed was Matthias who was making another move to be in manner of that cat who wants to curl up next to you and sleep with you, but when you show any sign of being awake, the cat pretends he wasn't interested and jumps off the bed to find something else to do.
    I felt the mattress press down beside me as he crawled all the way up to where I was facing. He leaned down to my neck like before and breathed in and out slowly. Was he... smelling me? Was that what he was doing before? I could feel heat radiating off of him, though. In my drowsy state, I reached out from underneath my still cool sheets and laid my hand on his. He twitched slightly, but it hardly went by unnoticed. Matthias either moved really fast or my consciousness was fading in and out too frequently because he was underneath the blankets with me in a moment's notice. As I felt wonderful heat surround me and my shivering body relaxed until I was still, I fell unconscious.

    ~ Matthias POV ~

    His sporadic breathing told me he wasn't sleeping again just yet. I noticed violent vibrations throughout the blanket, and none of them were consistent. He was no doubt used to the vault portal remaining shut whenever he was in here, so I could only assume he was nervous. Since we arrived the entry has remained open. We didn't really want to be confined to one room, but we didn't want there to be anything dangerous approaching our mate interest. Keeping him safe and alive was our priority.
    Cole had gone to go sit with Soren, leaving me at the foot end of [y/n]'s bed. I watched him, listening for anything that might be a bad sign in his stages of illness. Maybe he was shaking from nausea? I was not able to quite tell. He sat up for a moment and grabbed a thick, long-sleeved piece of clothing from the floor next to the bed and pulled it on. I don't know why I didn't realise this sooner - he was cold. We didn't understand the feeling anymore. The constant heat fever and our jackets kept us rather comfortable in the cold seasons. His tired [e/c] gaze fixated on me for a moment. Did he want something? He went down underneath his blankets before saying anything.
    I put a little thought into it before continuing with the idea. He didn't seem too panicked earlier when I woke him up. I placed both of my hands on the end of the mattress and pressed my weight forward. No movement. Next, I cautiously crawled onto the cot and moved about half way up. I let out an exaggerated sigh as a short laugh, realising he wasn't asleep yet. Was he wanting my attention so badly? In a short amount of time, I managed to reach my way next to him and get underneath the blanket with him. As soon as I touched him, I could certainly feel the temperature difference.
    My arm went around his torso to pull his shivering frame flush against my body. Hopefully he wouldn't mind too much when he wakes up later. Not too much time passed before he had finally stopped. His breathing thankfully evened out, too. I rested my forehead against his shoulder. Of course, I didn't have the resolve to resist taking in his scent. Besides being his heater, there wasn't much else I could do. None of us could actually sleep, plus we didn't really feel tiredness or fatigue. It was taken out of our systems the moment we were no longer human.
    I moved to rest my chin on the top of his head, listening to his soft breathing pattern. Every bit of me hoped for him to feel better by the time he woke up. It was only a little flu from whatever that Smoker carried; however, leaving the door open on a night like this was a bad idea. Just for a moment, I lifted my head to look at Cole with a simple order. [Y/N] was asleep, so I didn't want to risk waking him, and I was too comfortable to move.
    "Cole, get Soren in here and shut the entrance," I said as softly as I was able to manage. The blonde Hunter nodded and sauntered out of the room. He was only gone for a moment, returning with the smaller boy before grabbing a hold of the metal door and leaning with his weight to lazily pull it secure in its frame. Soren, on the other hand, had other interests besides messing around with his older pack mate for once. He was at the side of the bed in less than a second. Luckily he was cautious about his movement as he crawled onto the mattress. The younger Infected was quick to make himself comfy, pressing against [y/n]'s back side and nuzzling his upper back. Cole didn't seem to want any part of it. He stayed by the exit, sprawled out on the floor.
    'He will come around eventually,' I thought to myself, looking at Soren as a mental note example. He certainly didn't enjoy his company for a while, but now it was as if they were best friends. I wasn't going to push an Infected that towered over me in height and had enough muscle to boot. For now, everyone needed to take things slow... even if I was a bit forward with my own intentions.

    ~ Reader POV ~

    *Beep*
    *Click, click*
    The sound of my safe room's door unlocking woke me up for the morning. It was becoming a gentle sound for me. Nothing like the screaming alarm that used to wake me up for school or work. That thing gave me such a headache, but I would take back living, populated civilisation, crappy customers who think their entitled to act the way they do, and the struggles of keeping up with bills any day.
    As my groggy awareness began to clear up, I couldn't help but notice how warm I was. The last thing I remember before falling asleep was the frigid sensation in my body. There was something else, but I found placing a finger on it rather difficult. My olfactory sensors kicked in to the smell of dried blood and rot, so I opened my eyes only to have my vision blocked about three inches out by a blue sweatshirt. Now I recall Matthias worming his way into the sheets with me shortly before falling asleep. He was so pleasantly cozy. Judging by the overwhelming sense of being watched, I assumed he and the others were awake. To prove this notion, I looked up to see sapphire eyes observing me. My face heated up, so I had to look elsewhere. Was he doing this all night?
    My stare fell on Cole who had comfortably curled up by the exit. That made two accounted for. I took notice to where the door was shut, so Soren was likely out there. I propped myself up on one elbow to take a look around the room and maybe begin wiggling myself out of Matthias's stubborn hold; consequently, I felt movement behind me that startled me into clinging on to the Infected. My head whipped around to see what it was only to realise that Soren had been nestled against me. Was he there all night as well?
    With some effort, I eventually peeled away from the two and got my own two feet on the floor. It was relieving to know the two were so eager to get so... friendly with me, but Cole was acting rather aloof as far as I noticed. I only hoped he would warm up to me soon. He didn't completely dislike me since he carried me all the way here, right? At least I told myself that. Thanks to him and Soren I had medicine now. I wasn't as sore as last night nor was my throat nearly as irritated. These were wonderful signs, but I found I was still in a weakened state as I made my way over to pop a couple painkillers and down a sip of the cough medicine.
    I decided it was time to get out again to gather some blankets and clothes. It wouldn't hurt to grab a few books, either. If I'm going to stay in my shelter for a couple of days to recover, I need some sort of entertainment to keep me going. After scooting over to my backpack, I emptied the ammunition boxes and placed them in one of my safes. The thrift store was only at the other end of the block, so I only needed an empty bag, my pocket knife, and my hand gun. Now that I had... guardian zombies, I doubt I would actually need to use any of my weapons.
    As soon as I got my shoes on, I clutched my backpack and went right for the door. Cole had already opened it for me - or us - plus all three of them looked like they were ready to go. I sauntered over to the door after Soren and Matthias had hopped outside, though the blonde Hunter remained behind me. Just as I reached the frame, I was nearly startled to fall on the floor. Luckily, Cole had caught me and supported me until I regained my bearings. There was a series of nearby gunshots that sent the two Infected outside the room into fits of snarling and deep growling. The two of us quickly exited the room and I shut the door. Cole had already made it outside with his companions. Were the idiots with the guns trying to attract the Horde?!
    I rushed outside, turning the safety off on my gun as the bullets whizzed by. Before I could get a good aim, the largest Hunter was in front of me. A hollow screech came from him. He was in pain. Cole crouched down, but his hand was covering the front of his shoulder. By now the bullets had stopped, so I rushed around the Hunter to see what had happened. A dark substance was staining his burgundy sweatshirt and it was spreading slowly. I knew he wouldn't die from this, but I found myself reaching for him to apply pressure to the undead's collarbone. He hissed at me, but didn't act on his anger. The other two started up again with warning growls while I listened to footsteps approaching. Keeping my hand on Cole, I turned to look at the arriving attackers. My eyes widened as I realised who they were.

    "What in God's name, [y/n]...?"