gay-cryptidz

[gay-cryptidz]

AAAA I LOVE THIS!!!

Robbie and Vosky would absolutely be besties haha

Thank you so much <3

Some sketches with alec, my broadchurch oc (Vosky Enright) and Robert from "reaching out" by homosexual cryptidz

I drew this before seing ur blog, sorry if rob look notging like rob.

Qnd i thought that since my oc sells coffee for a living he would have been a good friend for Rob so here they are

The translation of the one in italian is:

Alec: ugh! I dirtied my hand!

Rob: you should have used gloves

Alec: how the fuck should i have known?!

#cryptidz reblog #cryptidz fanart

[gay-cryptidz]

Robbie my beloved <3

More gay broadchurch fanfic art lets gooo

Fic: Reaching Out by @gay-cryptidz

And here's the original sketch an another doodle :D

#baco's art #art #digital painting #broadchurch #broadchurch fanart

[gay-cryptidz]

Reaching out

Robbie character design

Not my best work tbh but oh well

#cryptidz art #broadchurch #broadchurch oc #art #digital art #character art

[gay-cryptidz]

Reaching Out

Chapter 10: The Talk is up!

#cryptidz fic #broadchurch fanfiction #broadchurch #alec hardy

[gay-cryptidz]

Reaching out

Chapter 8 is out!

[gay-cryptidz]

New fic just dropped cause I've been hyperfixating hard!

Reaching out

I already posted the first 6 chapters! Also, this will be a long one, the plan right now is to make it a 2 part series but honestly who knows it may well become a trilogy

#broadchurch #broadchurch fanfiction #alec hardy

[gay-cryptidz]

Ok so I've decided to stop posting the full chapters on here cause im lazy and fuck u that's why BUT

The Comfort Between Your Scars

Chapter 12

AND Chapter 13

#joel miller #tlou fanfiction #cryptidz fic #joel miller fanfiction #joel miller x oc #joel miller x original character #joel tlou #joel miller angst #joel miller fluff #joel the last of us

[gay-cryptidz]

The Comfort Between Your Scars

Chapter 11

TW: referenced past character death

Without the board games and the movie to distract him, Noah became increasingly aware of the disconnect between him and the brothers, or, more specifically, Tommy. Him and Joel were already chatting away and bickering and so very comfortable with each other again the moment the girls had left.

Talking to strangers who knew nothing about Noah was easy, at least that way he could pretend to be someone he wasn't, hide behind a facade, show them exactly what he wanted them to see. Talking to Mari and Alex was even easier, he didn't need to worry about how to present himself or what to say around them at all.

It was the gray area in between that scared him.

He'd excused himself to go check on Jamie, who was sleeping soundly in Joel's bed, after zoning out and losing track of the conversation. After pausing to take another deep breath and placing a kiss on his little brother's forehead, he made his way back to the living room.

Joel and Tommy were on the sofa, filling three wine glasses. Maybe he'd feel a little less out of place with some liquid courage.

"How come I always end up being the one to sponsor our drinks? Seems to be a bit of a pattern by now", he joked.

"It's 'cause you're such a gentleman!", Joel grinned.

"Yeah, yeah. You owe me"

He sat down next to Joel, grabbing a glass and taking a big sip.

"Damn, it's not even that good. Should have taken the cheaper one, what a waste of, like, ten bucks", he chuckled.

"I see how it is, I'm not even worth the extra ten bucks to you"

Joel laughed when Noah gave him a light shove. They all sat in silence for a moment, assessing the taste of the not-worth-the-extra-ten-bucks wine, before agreeing it really wasn't that good, but it would do.

"So, Noah", Tommy started, "Tell me about yourself"

"Tell you what?", Noah snorted.

"Well, anything. I've heard bits and pieces from Joel and Mari but I haven't really had the chance to actually talk to you"

"Y'know, at least Joel worked hard for this information! He didn't know shit about me until after he heroically burst through a door to save me from a drunk guy I'd already beaten the shit out of. I mean, there was nothing more for him to do, but 'A' for effort!"

"Well, if the opportunity arises, I'll gladly try to save you by doing nothing", Tommy laughed.

"In all seriousness though, you know just about as much as you need to. Dad's gone, mom's out of the picture, when it got really bad, I took Jamie and Mari and left." It was almost the same shrugged-off recap Noah had given Joel a few weeks earlier. It was far from the full truth, of course, but he didn't exactly feel like recapping every traumatic memory of his life.

"Oh god, right, your dad... actually, sorry, you probably don't wanna talk about it. Mari told me earlier that he- well, she told me what happened"

'It's your fault'

Noah just shrugged and repeated his sentiment of 'not much to talk about'. Thankfully, Joel didn't ask and Tommy didn't push the topic.

'Are you happy now?'

Noah took another sip of wine, attempting to push the resurfacing images and sounds away. Joel and Tommy were miles away now.

'Even if you didn't mean to, you're the reason this happened'

Just calm down. Breathe.

'You're the reason I'm even in this situation'

Just say something, anything.

"I mean, I hardly remember him, really. Certainly didn't waste a second missing that asshole"

Tap, tap, tap on cold, hard tiles.

"Noah, we don't need to-"

"Messed up my mom pretty good, though. Well, I guess she was messed up already. Hates my guts, always did"

'It's your fault. Look at it, look what you did!'

"Hated his guts too, actually. So did I, for a while. I mean, things weren't exactly perfect but if he didn't- just, y'know, I was fine until-"

Stop talking. Just shut up. Say something about the weather or ask about work or-

Tap, tap, tap, never stopping. Glass of blood in his hands. Tap, tap, tap. Blood on his hands.

Tap, tap, tap on his shoulder and he snapped out of it.

"Hey, you alright?", Joel asked softly.

"Sorry, I really didn't mean to upset you or anything. Won't bring it up again." Tommy looked very lost all of a sudden.

Noah downed about half of his wine at once before saying anything.

"It's fine, just... been a long day"

Their faces were wrong. They didn't seem real. Just that little bit off.

"I'm just gonna go get some fresh air"

He didn't leave them time to respond, already halfway out the door. He should just go to bed. Everything, every activity, every conversation, seemed to eventually turn bitter today. Instead, he sat down on the steps and lit a cigarette.

This was a mistake. This whole thing. He never should have befriended Joel, never should have invited him to hang out in the break room, never should have agreed to go to this god damn birthday party.

It didn't take long for Joel to quietly sit down next to him, of course.

"I'm fine, just needed some fresh air"

He stared at his cigarette burning down ever so slowly as the seconds ticked away in his head.

"Well, it's just that you practically ran out of the room right after coming back so i felt like I should probably check and make sure"

Tap, tap, tap.

The soft glow seemed ever so welcoming. Deep breath, everything's fine. He rubbed his face, sighing.

"Sorry, just... a lot going on today. My brain gets a little weird. I guess it's always weird but you know"

"Anything I can do?"

"No, I don't think so"

After a few moments of silence, Noah could feel Joel's hand softly grazing his own on the cold stone between them. The gesture was careful, almost shy. He hesitated for just a second before offering his hand to Joel, who gently took it in his, entwining their fingers. Noah internally cursed at himself for the tingle it sent down his spine.

Do not fall for him. You don't do relationships. Stop being an idiot.

"The stars are nice today."

"Yeah."

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#joel miller #tlou fanfiction #cryptidz fic #joel miller fanfiction #joel miller x oc #joel miller x original character #joel tlou #joel miller angst #joel miller fluff #joel the last of us #tommy tlou #tlou fic #tlou oc #tlou hbo #bisexual joel #bisexual joel miller

[gay-cryptidz]

Yall ive been screaming crying pissing shitting about this series for the past 3 days

Hello everyone!

Here I am with Chapter 4 of this new little story, part of the series "At Last".

I hope you like it! Enjoy!

Alec Hardy/Original Male Character

#broadchurch #alec hardy #fanfic #cryptidz reblog

[gay-cryptidz]

The Comfort Between Your Scars

Chapter 10

The glowing numbers on his dashboard were taunting Joel as he reminded himself again and again to un-clench his jaw and relax his tight grip on the steering wheel. He was seventeen minutes late. The faint click of a lighter and the figure leaning on the hood of his car snapped him out of it, immediately getting him to get out and make a beeline for the passenger side. Noah flinched when he shut the door.

He was staring off into nothingness, standing just outside the bright beam of the street light, when Joel came to a stop and leaned on the car next to him.

"Hey", he greeted Joel, voice sore.

"Hey." He wasn't sure what he was supposed to say, whether he should ask how it was or if Noah was okay or just shut up. He settled on the second option.

"You alright?"

Noah nodded and hummed quietly. "Just exhausted. Sick of these rich assholes"

Joel sighed. He couldn't imagine what it was like, or even what pushed Noah into such a job. Of course it would affect his mental state, of course he'd be sick of it and looking for an out, right?

"You know, you could probably help out Tommy and I, I mean we could find something for you to do if-"

"Don't do that", Noah cut him off.

"What? I just wanna help, I mean-"

"Yeah, I know you do. Because you don't get it. I don't need help, I don't need a different job, I certainly don't need some knight in shining armour to rescue me from my oh so shitty life." He sounded a lot more irritated now. Joel knew he didn't necessarily love accepting help but he was just offering an out, a better option. Why couldn't he see that?

"That's not what I mean, I'm just saying, we could find something else. I mean, wouldn't you rather have a normal job?"

"No, Joel. Actually, I wouldn't. If I did, I would have gotten another job years ago, but I didn't. Sure, I don't love it, but I'm sure you don't love your job either. Most people don't"

"Well, yeah, but-"

"Look, I chose this. Yes, I did make that choice a lot earlier than anyone should and that probably messed me up, but I wasn't manipulated or forced into it, it wasn't just out of desperation, and aside from the timing, I don't regret it. It's not always great but no job is, and there's a lot of downsides, but it pays well and I know I can handle the bad parts. So, if you want to be my friend, you'll have to realise that I don't need or want another option or help or whatever the fuck you think you're offering here, alright? Not when it comes to this"

His eyes were fixed on Joel now, with a sort of cold seriousness he'd rarely seen on his face, and although his mind had trouble wrapping around what Noah just said, Joel knew he was serious. He nodded, a little taken aback.

"Okay. Sorry, I just thought- I don't know." Even though Noah's expression softened, the air between them still hung heavy. Noah took a deep breath and sighed.

"I appreciate that you care, and I know you mean well, but you're not exactly the first person to just assume all this bullshit about me and try to 'rescue' me or lecture me about how horrible my own life is and it gets a little annoying after a while"

Joel just nodded with a small smile, half-sympathetic, half-apologetic. Noah took a few more drags of his cigarette and they got in the car.

"I am happy, you know", Noah started. "Or, well, closer to happy than I have been. Things still sort of suck, but it's... different, now. What I'm saying is, I may be severely fucked up and that's probably scary if you're not used to it, but try not to worry about me too much. I've survived so far, haven't I?"

Joel thought for a moment before nodding and offering Noah a smile. "Yeah, you're probably right. Just wish things didn't suck at all"

"Well, they do suck a little less with you." Noah seemingly spoke without thinking, and for maybe a second he looked just the slightest bit embarrassed for the first time since they'd met, before catching himself and smiling nonchalantly. As if he didn't just make Joel's heart flutter a little bit. As if that smile didn't make him feel a little lighter every time he saw it - shit.

By the time they got back to Joel's home, it was almost eleven. As soon as they walked in, Mari was in the hallway, scanning Noah with narrowed eyes. He was looking fine now, a little tired at most.

"You're late"

"Always am. I'm reliably unreliable"

Joel looked at her a little awkwardly and gave a small thumbs up when she looked at him questioningly, he knew she worried. It seemed to be convincing enough because she turned and sat back down on the sofa next to Sarah and Tommy, followed by the two men. Noah put down the backpack he'd brought and stroked a sleeping Jamie's hair before announcing he's going to take a shower. Joel showed him the way.

"Oh, shit, I forgot to pack fresh clothes for myself earlier, think I could borrow something from you?"

"Oh, yeah, sure. I'll leave some in front of the door for you"

"Thanks. Sorry. Not used to sleeping at other people's places", Noah chuckled awkwardly and shut the door.

When he walked back into the living room, Joel was reluctantly setting up Monopoly with the girls while Tommy pretended to read the rule book. His flannel was baggy on Noah but somehow he pulled it off, sleeves rolled up and the top button left open. The sweatpants were a little harder to make work.

"Joel."

"Hm?"

"Please shoot me right now", Noah groaned while sitting down on the floor next to the living room table along with Sarah. Joel, Tommy and Mari had to fight each other for space on the sofa.

"Oh come on, you're just pissy 'cause you know I'm gonna win", Mari chuckled. Noah didn't even seem to notice, looking around the living room with furrowed brows.

"Jamie's in the bedroom, didn't wanna wake him up with our game"

"Ah, alright"

Sarah won, of course, closely followed by Mari, despite Noah and Joel forming an alliance as soon as they realised they didn't stand a chance. Noah won Boggle by a few points and Mari and Tommy somehow kept winning Uno in an alternating fashion. After what felt like about a hundred rounds, Joel decided he'd been beaten enough and convinced the girls that they should all watch a movie instead.

Noah and Mari ended up sitting on the floor while they all passed around a tub of ice cream. Apparently it was a tradition. By the time the girls decided it was time for bed, it was closer to morning than midnight, but then again, time flies when you're having fun and it looked like they all needed this.

Thanks for reading!

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You can also find this fic on Ao3!

#joel miller #tlou fanfiction #cryptidz fic #joel miller fanfiction #joel miller x oc #joel miller x original character #joel tlou #joel miller angst #joel miller fluff #joel the last of us #bisexual joel miller #bisexual joel #hurt/comfort #angst and fluff #tlou fic #tlou oc #tlou hbo #pre outbreak

[gay-cryptidz]

The Comfort Between Your Scars

Chapter 9

The rest of the afternoon went comparatively well - though the bar wasn't exactly high. Noah seemed a lot more relaxed around Joel than before, probably because he didn't need to worry about what information he should or shouldn't reveal as much anymore. The two of them stuck together for most of the day, only going their separate ways on occasion when Joel was talking to some of the other parents and Noah used the opportunity to check on Jamie. He didn't seem to be a big fan of the other adults, avoiding any small talk and rarely weighing in on any conversations, giving vague answers when he was asked something directly. He got along with Tommy fairly well, though.

As the sun began it's descent and a comfortably cool breeze started setting in, Noah and Joel were sitting at an almost-empty table, watching the children each of them raised running around the backyard, chased by Tommy. Silence had fallen between the two a while ago and Joel was just about to start worrying about Noah, who seemed just that little bit distracted.

"What time is it?", he asked almost absentmindedly.

"Half past seven"

"We should head out, got an appointment later and I gotta get the kids home"

"They're not gonna be happy about leaving", Joel chuckled. Desmond nodded with a sigh before getting up to tell his siblings the day would have to come to an end.

"Hey, kids. We gotta go"

Jamie pouted.

"Actually, I was thinking, could Mari sleep over?", Sarah asked both him and Joel.

"I'm sorry, we can't do sleepovers when I have work. Don't want Jamie to be alone"

"But he's only gonna be alone for like an hour, right? He can handle an hour!", Mari protested.

"Mari, we've talked about this. I know it's not fair but I need you to watch him while I'm gone"

After watching their back and forth for a minute, Joel decided that maybe this was a good opportunity.

"Well, if it's fine with you, they could both sleep over. And you, if you want. We've got the space, the kids get to hang out and I can drive you wherever you need to go"

"I don't know, I mean-"

Noah hesitated, the girls begging him to agree, before sighing and kneeling down to meet Jamie's eyes.

"What do you think, kiddo? You wanna stay here for the night?"

To seemingly everyone's surprise, Jamie nodded enthusiastically.

"Alright then, yeah, sure", Noah sighed, standing up again and almost being knocked right back down by the squealing girls rushing to hug and thank him. When he finally managed to shake them off after a moment, they ran to give Joel the same treatment. Noah shot him a fond smile, walking back over to the table while the kids ran off again.

"This is gonna be horrible", he chuckled. "But thank you"

"Yeah, they're gonna force us to play Monopoly all night. Someone brought over a bottle of wine today though so at least we can numb the pain after they kick our asses"

That got a snort out of Noah.

"So when did you wanna head out? The kids should be fine with Tommy so I can drive you and pick you back up"

"Oh, you don't have to-"

"Did you wanna stop by your place first?"

"Joel, really, you don't need to, I can just take the bus"

"No, please. I'd love to have an hour of peace before going to board game hell"

Noah flexed his fingers in his usual manner, considering.

"Well, if you're sure... thanks"

They waited another half an hour or so, Joel saying goodbye to the last few guests, before Noah asked Jamie and Mari if they needed anything from home and the two of them got into Joel's car.

The drive to Noah's apartment was quiet, the silence growing increasingly unbearable now without the background noise of children playing and parents chatting. Joel was a little surprised when Noah hesitantly invited him inside.

The apartment was small and not in the best condition but Joel thought the siblings had made the most of it with the pictures and drawings scattered across the walls. Noah led him to a room with a bed and a TV on the floor, surrounded by toys and books, and gestured for him to sit down. While he was packing a bag and getting changed, Joel looked around.

The furniture's paint was chipped in places, the wallpaper looked old with stains here and there and the small desk in the corner of the room, that seemed to have been intended for drawing, was covered with stacks of documents and bills. The silhouette of the chair in front of it was obscured by a heap of laundry.

Noah suddenly appeared in his field of vision again, leaning on the doorframe in his usual work outfit, holding a backpack shaped like some unidentifiable cartoon monster.

"It's not exactly as nice as your place"

"Well, you make it work"

Noah shot him a small smile and nodded towards the door. Time to go. The silence grew heavier than Joel thought possible when they started driving again. He stopped Noah as he was exiting the car.

"Noah?"

"Hm?"

"Are you okay?"

Noah finally looked over to him.

"Yeah, just work, y'know. Don't exactly love it. But bills to pay, mouths to feed, right?"

Joel hadn't fully realised until now what a toll Noah's work seemed to take on him.

"I'll wait for you here. Just- just be careful, yeah?"

He smiled at him then. "Been doing this for more than half a decade, don't worry about me. I'll be back in like an hour"

And with that, he shut the door and vanished in the fancy hotel across the street. Joel turned on the radio and tried to push down his rising anxiety as he waited. It would be okay. Noah wasn't stupid and he knew he could defend himself if needed. It would be fine.

Thanks for reading!

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#joel miller #tlou fanfiction #cryptidz fic #joel miller fanfiction #joel miller x oc #joel miller x original character #joel tlou #joel miller angst #joel miller fluff #joel the last of us #the last of us #the last of us fanfiction #bisexual joel #bisexual joel miller #pre outbreak

[gay-cryptidz]

The Comfort Between Your Scars

Chapter 8

They ended up each grabbing a soft drink and a slice of pizza and sitting on the small brick wall jutting out from the house.

"This is starting to become one of the weirdest days I've had in a while... and you know what I do for a living, I've seen some crazy shit!"

Joel laughed. "Oh wait, so, does Mari know? Just 'cause she looked so shocked when you mentioned work"

"Yeah, couldn't exactly keep it from her for long." He took a bite of his pizza, then continued. "She kinda put the pieces together after a while. Kid's too damn smart for my liking. When she asked, I just told her the truth. She's mature enough not to care but I'm still not sure it was the right call. It really scares her sometimes, I think"

"So that's why you didn't wanna go home after that fight"

Noah nodded, sighing. "Knew she'd be waiting for me when I get home, she always does. So I try my best not to look too fucked up when I arrive"

Joel nodded. Noah's more caring side and the exhaustion in his eyes that mirrored Joel's own ever since Sarah's mother left made a lot more sense now, knowing he was the brother Mari occasionally told him about. A young man, having to take the role of a parent. A kid, really. Mari had mentioned that they'd had this dynamic even years before they left their mother's home.

"Well, it looks to me like you're just a guy trying his best to raise his siblings. Can't blame you for doing whatever you can to provide for them, or for not making the right call sometimes. 'Sides, Mari's really proud of you, I think. Doesn't always like to talk about your situation but when she does, she always praises you. Even when she's mad at you"

Noah smiled fondly. "Thanks, means a lot coming from a parent"

They sat in silence for a little while, eating their pizza. Joel considered asking more of the questions that had been nagging him ever since he got to know Mari - and now Noah - but before he had the opportunity, he was interrupted by Sarah and Mari approaching them, Jamie clinging to his sister's hand. Immediately, Noah's expression grew a little more concerned.

"Hey, everything alright?", he asked the youngest of the group, who was now burying his face in his side. Joel hadn't paid attention to it before but realised now how weird it was to see Noah in more casual clothes, wearing a brown hoodie and jeans, but still with his signature turtleneck. When Jamie didn't answer, he continued, stroking his hair.

"Is the party getting a bit much?"

Jamie nodded before looking up at him.

"Can I sit inside?"

"Well, you're gonna have to ask Mr. Miller, we're guests at his house." Noah explained warmly, smiling at him before looking over at Joel, a little apologetic. Joel smiled back and looked at the small figure huddling against Noah a little more shyly now.

"Oh, okay...", he nodded, "Um, Mr. Miller, can I sit inside? Uh, please. I promise I won't break anything." The boy's small voice and awkward manners made Joel smile.

"Yeah, of course. You can sit on the couch and I'm sure Sarah would be happy to let you stay in her room for a while too if you want"

Sarah nodded and Noah shot her another grateful smile before giving Jamie a small nudge.

"Oh! Thank you Mr. Miller!"

"Good job, kiddo!", Noah said softly, placing a kiss on Jamie's head.

"C'mon, let's get some pizza on the way!", Mari said, offering her hand to Jamie, who gladly accepted it and scurried off with the girls.

It was sweet to see Noah interacting with his siblings. Despite everything, he radiated so much warmth and love around them. Joel now had a pretty good guess as to the origins of that dino tattoo he'd noticed on his arm before.

"I don't know how you managed it but it looks to me like you've done a good job with them. Mari's been a good influence on Sarah, I think"

"Well, you're not such a bad parent yourself. She's the first real friend Mari made, y'know" Noah smiled, nudging him with his shoulder. "Thanks for being there for her so much, by the way"

Joel smiled and tried his best to believe Noah. It was hard not to second-guess himself but he reckoned that's just what being a parent was.

Before long, they were interrupted by the girls again.

"Jamie wants some alone time, he's in Sarah's room with some pizza and a cup of coke... sorry, just couldn't say no to him. It's only like half a cup, really!" Noah rolled his eyes but smiled at both of them warmly.

"Thanks for taking care of him"

"So, what are you old farts talking about?"

"Hey! Joel may be old but I certainly ain't!"

Joel gave Noah a small shove, laughing.

"We were just gossiping about you and all the trouble you get into"

"Nice try but you know damn well I don't get into trouble", Mari shot back, getting a sigh of defeat.

"Speak for yourself. I skip school every day to sell hardcore drugs. Almost been arrested like ten times but they never catch me, I'm way too fast!"

"Yeah, she's horrible. Always up to something shady!" Mari nodded wildly at Joel. "You should ground her!"

"Whatever", Sarah laughed, turning around when she saw Joel and Noah looking over her shoulder at the quickly approaching click of high heels.

It was one of the other parents, Joel had probably seen her a couple times but he couldn't be bothered trying to remember everyone's names. Sarah had way too many friends. She walked towards them with a scary determination in her eyes and Joel tried to think of what she could be angry at him about before realising her gaze was fixed on Noah. The girls quickly stepped out of the way as she rushed past them and slapped Noah right across the face hard.

Joel immediately got up, ready to scream at the woman (what the fuck did she think she was doing, just slapping people out of nowhere - at his daughter's birthday party no less!) but Noah stopped him, one hand in front of his chest, rubbing his cheek with the other.

"Ow. I'm sorry, do I know you?"

"Don't play dumb! How dare you show your face here? Around my child!"

Noah looked just as confused as Joel and the girls.

"Lady, I genuinely have no idea who you are"

"Oh, I bet you don't! Sleep with a lot of married men, then? You should be ashamed of yourself!"

Tommy had rushed over to interject.

"What's going on?"

"This... whore seduced my husband! A year ago, he destroyed my marriage and now he has the nerve to show up here! Bet he doesn't even remember, probably too high on drugs!"

"Mrs. Newman, please calm-"

"Wait, hold on, Newman? What's your husband's first name?", Noah interjected

"...Teddy"

Mrs. Newman just stared at Noah, dumbfounded, while he thought for a moment.

"Dark hair, tall, creepy blue eyes?"

"Well, I wouldn't say-"

"Well, I think we both know I'm not actually one of the many reasons your marriage failed, let alone the main one. If I remember correctly, and I usually do, poor Ted was just desperately in need of a distraction. And emotional support for that matter. Doubt you wanna admit that publicly though so sure, keep blaming me if that makes you feel better"

"I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Oh, you need me to elaborate? Alright! He told me all about you! Like how you spent half your daughter's college fund trying to hide the fact that you were unemployed after getting fired for drinking on the job. Well, in all fairness, he wasn't perfect either. He did say he was experiencing some, you know, performance issues. Though he didn't seem to have much of a problem with me. Weird. Do you want me to go on?"

The group stared in disbelief while Mrs. Newman opened and closed her mouth a few times, glancing around helplessly, before stomping off, grabbing her kid harshly by the wrist and leaving.

"Holy shit", Sarah voiced what they were all thinking. "Uh, are you alright?"

"Mari, you got the bingo card?"

"The what?"

The siblings grinned while Mari pulled a crumpled piece of paper out of her pocket.

"Let's see, we've already crossed out 'getting slapped', so we could do 'insane timing' or... oh, hey! We've got a bingo if we count her as 'wine mom'!"

"Sweet!"

They high-fived.

"Yup, definitely one of the weirdest days in a while", Joel mumbled.

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#joel miller #tlou fanfiction #cryptidz fic #joel miller fanfiction #joel miller x oc #joel miller x original character #joel tlou #bisexual joel #joel miller fluff #joel miller angst #joel the last of us #tlou oc #tlou hbo #tlou #tlou fic

[gay-cryptidz]

The Comfort Between Your Scars

Chapter 7

No TW here :)

It had been more than two weeks since that night in the break room. Mari had given him shit for getting hurt, of course, but Desmond was almost happy about it, he'd grown to like Joel and he probably never would've opened up to him so much if it wasn't for that fight and Alex forcing him to take the night off.

Joel had been at the bar a couple more times since, increasingly frequently, and Desmond found himself glancing at the door more and more, hoping he'd stop by. Maybe he'd see him again soon. But first he had to survive the worst event on earth, a thirteen-year-old's birthday party. Mari, birthday present in hand, rang the doorbell - 'Miller', the sign said - while Noah kneeled down and ruffled Jamies hair.

"Just remember we can leave whenever you want to. And if you need anything, you just ask, okay, kiddo?" Jamie nodded and Noah opened his mouth to say something else but was interrupted by the door opening and excited squeals and greetings. Jamie and Noah both flinched at the sudden noise before standing up to greet Mari's friend.

"Hey, you must be Sarah. Happy birthday! I'm Noah and this is Jamie"

The girl with the big, fluffy hair smiled at him excitedly.

"Nice to meet you! Mari told me a lot about you. Come in. You can leave your shoes on, we'll mostly be outside"

Noah looked around the house as the three of them stepped in. It was nice and so typically suburban, nothing like the shitty apartment complexes he'd spent his entire life in. There were picture frames and party decorations and balloons and he was glad Mari had been so welcome in such a loving home.

"Are your parents around? I wanted to thank them for all the sleepovers"

Sarah was already pulling Mari towards the backyard, where a few kids were already playing and parents chatting away.

"Still getting ready, I think. He's not very good at being on time", she grinned.

Noah nodded. Just as he was about to follow the two girls, someone walked down the stairs.

"Oh, there you are, dad! Mari just arrived, this is Noah and the small one is Jamie!"

Noah's polite smile fell and his heart sunk when he looked at the man. Shit.

Joel was equally surprised to see him, stopping on the stairs wide-eyed.

"Uh... hi", Noah said awkwardly, scratching his neck.

"Hi"

"I, uh, I brought wine. As a thank you. Y'know, for letting Mari stay here all the time"

Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck! He could feel his cheeks heating up as Joel slowly stepped down the stairs and came to a stop in front of him.

"Uh, thanks, you really didn't have to." Joel's gaze seemed to burn him as the silence stretched on between them. Sarah was the one first one to speak again.

"Uh... do you guys know each other or something? You're acting weird"

"No, no", Noah blurted out.

"Sorta", Joel said at the same time.

Mari snorted and started pulling Sarah towards the backyard again, shooting him a glance, some inexplicable juxtaposition of knowing and curious.

"Come on, Jamie, let's give them some time to catch up." Jamie looked up to Noah for confirmation, then followed Mari after getting a small nod. Noah bit the inside of his cheek, still avoiding eye contact with Joel. Great, what the fuck was he supposed to say now?

"Noah?"

It felt weird hearing that name in Joel's voice, but at the same time it gave him just the smallest hint of relief. At least there were less secrets between them now. It didn't scare Noah quite as much as he thought it would, although the slight tremble in his voice when he answered seemed to suggest otherwise.

"Um, well, Desmond's just an alias I use for work and stuff, well, you've probably worked that out by now... I just- I didn't wanna tell you since I don't know you that well and I didn't exactly expect you to be the dad of Mari's best friend so I figured you wouldn't find out anyway and-"

A hand on his shoulder cut off his rambling.

"Sorry." Something between a whine and a whisper. The sting of guilt he felt surprised him. Why did honesty terrify him so much? With a shaky breath, he forced himself to look up at Joel, who looked more concerned than anything else, a gentle smile on his lips.

"Hey, it's fine. It makes sense that you wouldn't just give out personal details like that. Calm down, I get it"

A wave of relief washed over Noah and he even managed to offer him a grateful smile.

"And I won't tell anyone, if that's what you're worried about. I should probably use your real name here but I'll keep calling you Desmond at work, yeah?"

Noah nodded. "Thanks"

"Alright. Well, let's go, before the kids start tearing up the whole backyard" This got a grin out of him. They could probably slip back into their usual ease quickly.

"This is gonna be horrible"

Joel answered with an affirming groan and set the wine bottle down on the kitchen counter before they stepped outside.

Noah was surprised at the sheer amount of people in the backyard. He'd known that parents and siblings were invited too but the several long tables, one of which was filled with multiple family-sized pizzas and chips and cookies and drinks, the many children running around and adults standing in small groups, chatting loudly, still overwhelmed him.

"You good?"

Joel had stopped a few paces ahead of him and Noah noticed only now that he was frozen in awe - and maybe a hint of terror. He hurried to catch up with him, now scanning for Jamie.

"Yeah, yeah, all good. Just didn't expect there to be so many people... Hey, do you see Jamie anywhere? Don't want him wandering off too much, this stuff can be kinda stressful for him"

Joel looked around for a moment before pointing to the very edge of the area where Jamie was sitting on a picnic blanket, along with Mari, Sarah, another girl who looked to be around ten and a man Noah estimated was a little older than him. To Noah's surprise, Jamie actually seemed like he was enjoying himself, talking excitedly to the four of them. Noah just watched them for a few moments, smiling.

"Just gonna check on him real quick"

They made their way over to the small group, Joel exchanging a few greetings with other parents on the way, and Noah sat down next to Jamie.

"Hey kiddo. You doing alright so far?"

Jamie nodded enthusiastically. In his peripheral vision, Noah noticed Joel whispering something to the man next to Sarah.

"Mari's friends are nice! I was just telling them about my favourite book!"

"That's nice, I won't bother you any longer then. I'll be around, if you need me you can just ask Mari to find me, alright?", he said, giving both Mari and Sarah an appreciative smile. Jamie nodded. Noah was just about to get up when the stranger stopped him.

"You're Noah then, nice to meet you. I'm Tommy, Joel's brother. Heard a lot about you"

"Oh! Likewise. Sorry, Joel's mentioned you a couple times but I wouldn't have guessed you're related", he chuckled, a little awkwardly.

"Wait! So you guys do know each other then?", Mari asked quietly, although Joel and Tommy could probably still hear her.

"Yeah, met him at work", Noah smiled. Mari looked at Joel like someone had just told her he's an alien who killed her dog. "Oh, no, not the- he's at the bar sometimes", he quickly added.

"Oh, alright. Geez, don't do that to me", she replied with small laugh. Sarah looked between them with furrowed eyebrows and Noah decided it would be best to flee the scene.

"Alright, have fun then, bye!", he said quickly, getting up and giving Joel a nod, signalling to please let's go somewhere else now.

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#joel miller #tlou fanfiction #hurt/comfort #cryptidz fic #bisexual joel #joel miller x original character #joel miller angst #joel miller fluff #joel miller fanfiction #joel miller x oc #joel tlou #joel the last of us

[gay-cryptidz]

Deer in the headlights

(Based on Chapter 6 of The Comfort Between Your Scars)

#digital art #digital painting #cryptidz art #tlou oc

[gay-cryptidz]

The Comfort Between Your Scars

Chapter 6

TW: Animal death

"Didn't expect you back so soon.", Noah grinned, "Miss me already?"

"You wish!"

"Beer?"

Noah hardly waited for Joel to nod before filling up a glass.

"Well, not a lot of people go out on a Sunday night, and I know damn well that you have to get up early, so either you're here for me or your drinking habits are worse than I thought"

"Maybe a bit of both. Better than admitting I got kicked out of the house by my own daughter so she can have a sleepover"

Noah snorted at the thought of Joel being kicked out by a pre-teen. It was kind of sweet, really. Sounded like the type of thing Mari would do.

"Yeah, that would be ridiculous and extremely embarrassing. Being an alcoholic is much better. Cheers"

He raised his glass at Joel, who did the same with one of those gorgeous little smiles of his, and downed the rest of his drink before refilling it.

"So, anything new going on?"

"Same old. Went hiking with Sarah yesterday, she loves that stuff. That girl uses every opportunity to climb stuff, it's crazy"

Mari was the same. Always running, always climbing, like she was trying to get away from something. Well, maybe she was.

"That sounds fun. I used to hike a lot. More like take walks, I guess. In, uh, in my hometown. Small town, we lived right on the edge, near the train tracks. When I needed to get away from everything I used to just wander into the woods, sit down somewhere and watch the trains go by. Always thought one day I'd hop one one day, see where it takes me"

Noah almost felt like he was back there again, the smell of dirt and rotting leaves and iron and the trains sending vibrations through the ground under his feet and a breeze through his hair. His only escape, some of the few good memories of his time in that godforsaken town.

"Did you ever?"

"No, no. Couldn't get myself to leave, as much as I wanted to get out of that hellhole. Don't think I ever really believed I'd do it at all, I guess it was just wishful thinking. Something to hold on to, you know?"

Joel nodded. Noah noticed another patron approaching the bar and got them their drink before returning to the conversation.

"What was it like? Your hometown"

"Oh, you know. Nothing special, pretty small, religious as fuck. The name tells you everything you need to know, really. Trinity, Texas. You can imagine the general attitude people had towards me"

With a thoughtful hum from Joel, the two of them fell silent. Joel seemed to zone out a little, absentmindedly looking at the shelves behind Noah and massaging his ring finger with the index and thumb of his other hand. Noah carefully watched him, every little shift in his face, every movement of his eyes and- god, his eyes. Something about them reminded him of one of those days in the forest.

"I saw a deer once, on the train tracks. It was just standing there, staring at me. You know, you kinda think of deer as these scared prey animals but in that moment it... It didn't even look bothered, even when the train came. It was like it was staring right into my soul, like it knew me on some deep level, it's hard to describe. There was something so wise, so... ethereal about it. I tried to scare it off, get it to run, I even threw a rock at it, but it didn't move a muscle. Looked me right in the eyes when the train hit it. I don't know, in that moment, it felt like it was some sort of message. Like an omen. Like... I'm that deer and I'm just standing there, staring in the other direction instead of running while death is barrelling towards me"

He took a quick sip from his drink, realising he'd been rambling, and tried to laugh it off.

"Sorry, that's kinda depressing"

"No, no. That's... I mean it's depressing as shit but... I don't know, it's a good story. You know what I mean"

"Well, thanks for listening to my good depressing stories", Noah laughed. "Hey, at least I got a cool tattoo out of it! Hold on"

He had to unbutton his shirt a little to reveal his left shoulder and the tattoo of a deer head with pitch black eyes, a circle of train tracks resembling a halo behind it and leaves jutting out from the bottom.

"One of the first ones I designed"

"Damn, how did I miss that one before? That's gotta be one of the best ones!"

"Thanks!", Noah grinned, putting his shirt back into place. "Now you know the story behind it too"

One of the few anecdotes from his past he'd share willingly and yet it still felt like giving away a piece of his soul. He wondered if it would ever get easier, if he even wanted it to be.

"You know, I didn't expect seeing an animal die like that would stick with me for so long. Guess it's mostly those few seconds before it happened, but still"

"I think most people remember the first time they ever saw something die, 'specially if it's brutal like that. Just burns itself into your brain, I think"

Tap, tap, tap.

"Never said it was the first time"

Joel shot him a curious glance but he had no intention of elaborating, taking another sip and changing the topic instead.

"Well, let's not dwell on dead things. How's Sarah doing?"

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Check out the artwork based on this chapter!

#joel miller #tlou fanfiction #bisexual joel #joel miller x original character #joel miller angst #joel miller fluff #joel miller fanfiction #joel miller x oc #joel tlou #joel the last of us #tw animal death #cryptidz fic

[gay-cryptidz]

The Comfort Between Your Scars

Chapter 5

TW: implied past suicide attempt and mention of addiction

Desmond quickly walked into what seemed to be a storage room and looked around before turning back to Joel with a grin, holding up a bottle. He led him to the break room and slumped down on the large sofa.

"Make yourself comfortable. The best part about hanging out with a bartender: free drinks in the break room"

He opened the bottle while Joel sat down and took a big swig, making a face before handing it over to him.

"Aren't you gonna get in trouble for that?"

"With our wages and how understaffed we are? They couldn't do anything about it if they tried!"

Joel considered asking Desmond if he was sure he should be drinking right now but decided against it, instead grabbing the bottle and taking a sip.

"Mind if I smoke in here?"

"Sure"

"Thanks"

They were silent for a few moments, Desmond lighting his cigarette and taking a few more sips, before sighing and giving Joel one of those gentle smiles of his.

"Sorry for the weird start of the night. It is nice to see you again, wasn't sure if you'd come back"

He opened and closed his left hand a few times, flexing his fingers.

"Your hand okay?"

Desmond looked confused, seemingly not having noticed, before realising the motion he was doing.

"Oh, yeah, all good. Just gives me trouble sometimes, old injury. So how's your week been so far?"

He seemed eager to change the topic so Joel figured he shouldn't ask any further questions.

"Fine, work mostly. There's been some issues with a delivery though so we'll have to wait until tomorrow for the materials to arrive, can't keep going without 'em"

Desmond nodded, taking a drag of his cigarette.

"What about you? 'Side from the obvious I mean"

"Just the usual, been working a lot myself, not too much time left for other stuff"

Joel gave a small hum, unsure if he'd continue talking, but he didn't.

Silence fell between them again. Another sign that Desmond was more affected by what had happened than he was letting on, he'd been so talkative last time. The silence was comfortable, though, so Joel gladly decided against an attempt at further small talk for now.

After a few minutes of wordlessly passing the bottle back and forth, he spoke again.

"Not that I don't like hanging out with you but maybe you really should go home and rest"

Desmond was pressing the bottle against his swollen cheek. Joel doubted it was as cooling as he hoped. He looked tired in a way no-one his age should.

"Just hoping to get the swelling down a bit before I go"

Joel hummed. "Wouldn't wanna worry the boyfriend"

He hadn't planned to say it out loud but oh well. Desmond looked confused, raising an eyebrow and tilting his head slightly.

"Last time some guy picked you up from your shift, seemed like you were close so I thought..."

Desmond laughed.

"Oh that? Nah, that was just a- a work... thing"

Silence.

"Aw, were you jealous?", he teased. Joel tried to come up with an answer that would let him keep denying the faint hint of hope rising in him. Desmond shot him a grin before looking at the bottle in his hand and taking another sip. His smile faltered.

"I don't really do the whole dating thing. Doesn't tend to work out"

Oh.

"How come?"

He looked up at Joel, eyebrows furrowed slightly, before averting his gaze again and taking another big swig, almost managing a poker face this time. He sighed.

Tap, tap, tap on the bottle, deep breath, then he spoke.

"I'm an escort, Joel. Not a lot of people who are fine with their partner's pay check relying on sleeping with strangers." He spoke flatly, almost wearily.

"Oh." Joel certainly didn't expect that one. He wasn't sure what to say but he could see Desmond glancing over, trying to see his reaction, flexing his fingers again. Questions that he knew Desmond probably wouldn't like to answer tugged at his mind.

"Well... that would probably complicate things, yeah. I'd mostly just be worried though, I mean you hear all these stories about- Well it's just... it can be dangerous, right?"

Desmond turned his face to him again now, looking a little amused about Joel's rambling.

"Well, as you can see, I can defend myself pretty well", he grinned.

A tension he didn't notice before left Joel's shoulders. He'd been scared to react badly and scare the younger man off but it seemed like it was fine.

"Yeah, that guy was looking pretty- wait, didn't uh- Alex! Didn't Alex say you broke his nose? Didn't expect you to pack such a punch, do I need to be scared?"

Desmond chuckled. "Don't underestimate me, I may not be the biggest guy around but I could beat your ass with both hands tied behind my back"

"Yeah, sure! I'd like to see you try!", Joel said mockingly.

"I bet you would." the devilish grin on Desmond's face made him realise he'd walked right into his trap.

"Oh, shut up!" Joel shoved him slightly before taking the bottle. Desmond laughed and for the first time tonight, the lingering anxiety from earlier seemed to fade just a little bit.

"I didn't expect you to have tattoos for some reason, guess you didn't strike me as the type"

Desmond looked at his arms, assessing the decorative images on his skin.

"Yeah, I wanted to be a tattoo artist for a while. Ended up just doing it as a hobby with a friend of mine, she did the ones where I couldn't reach and I did the rest"

"Oh, thats cool. Where'd you even learn to do that?"

"Alex's girlfriend taught us, actually! She's the reason I got into it in the first place and she lets me borrow her supplies whenever I want. She's really cool, you'd like her, I think"

Joel reached out a hand.

"Can I?" Desmond hesitated for a moment before turning around a little on the couch and letting Joel gently hold his wrists, turning his arms to get a better look. He hadn't been able to see it before but on the inside of his right forearm, there was a large moth with sunflowers behind it, the delicate petals trailing all the way from his wrist to the crook of his elbow. The long scar running through it filled Joel with dread. He looked up at Desmond but his averted gaze let him know better not to ask.

"Damn, these are cool. Did you design all of them yourself?"

He nodded, the hint of a proud smile flashing across his face.

"Always loved art, I guess that's just what's kept me sane throughout my childhood." He let out a nervous chuckle before adding "Haven't had much time for it since I left my mom's place though"

Joel nodded. Desmond removed one hand from his light grip to grab the bottle from the table. Joel didn't dare pull back from the other.

"What's she like? Your mom?", he asked. Desmond paused. Tap, tap, tap. "Sorry, we don't have to talk about that." Desmond rested his head on the back of the sofa.

"No, it's fine. It's uh... well it's the usual story really, dad's gone, mom's an addict, that's bound to fuck you up. Left when I was 16"

"Jesus... I'm sorry"

Desmond looked at him, seeming deep in thought, while Joel gave the hand still resting in his a cautious squeeze.

"Not sure why I'm even telling you all this to be honest", he chuckled, "probably the alcohol"

"Maybe.", he shrugged. "My uh... my daughter's friend went through something similar, I think. Doesn't go into specifics much but I know she lives with her siblings now. Must be rough but she says her brother takes good care of 'em. Nice girl, probably one of her best friends. Used to sleep over a lot"

Something Joel couldn't quite place flashed across Desmond's face.

"What I'm trying to say is, I can see how hard it is for her, but at least she has someone taking care of her. Sounds like you had to do it all on your own and that must've been hard, so if there's anything I can do to help..."

"Yeah, thanks. Don't worry about me though", he cut him off, a hint of defensiveness creeping into his voice. Joel decided to let it go with a nod and tried his best not to bring up any potentially emotional topics anymore.

They sat there until the bottle passed between them was empty, Desmond asked about Sarah and listened to Joel's ramblings about her with a fond smile, enthusiastically commenting that she sounded like a nice girl and how sweet all their little rituals were. He told Joel about his job at the bar and Alex, who had been the one to get him out of tricky situations about a million times and he didn't know how he could ever repay her. They chatted about the weird things drunk people do and the strange things Joel had been hired to build. And Joel wasn't sure if it was on purpose but even when Desmond's hand briefly slipped away from his own to light another cigarette or gesticulate wildly while he was passionately telling a story, it always found its way back.

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#cryptidz fic #tlou hbo #tlou fanfiction #joel tlou #hurt/comfort #bisexual joel #joel miller x original character #joel miller x oc #joel miller fanfiction #joel miller #joel miller angst #joel miller fluff #pedro pascal

[gay-cryptidz]

The Comfort Between Your Scars

Chapter 4

Joel heroically saves his new friend

TW: implied/referenced sexual harassment, bit of violence

It only took until Thursday for Joel to find himself walking through the front doors of his new favourite bar again. He had planned to visit again on Saturday but he was itching to get out of the house so he might as well.

It was surprisingly full for a weekday but a lot more quiet than previously. The only bartender behind the counter was a woman with spiky, short hair, chatting with a group of girls. He thought he recognised her from last time, but he wasn't sure. When she noticed him approaching, she gave him a quick nod.

"What can I get ya?"

"I'll have a beer, thanks"

His eyes scanned all the faces in the bar again. No sign of him.

He nodded his thanks when the bartender handed him his glass.

"Uh, do you know if Desmond's working today?"

"Should be around here somewhere, yeah. Probably gonna suddenly appear out of nowhere any minute now"

"Aight"

She went back to cleaning up, absentmindedly looking around the room. After waiting another minute or two, Joel got up, deciding to use the opportunity to explore the bar a little bit. The building was quite old with a lot of small subsections and corners that formed odd little areas, which really worked in it's favour, providing some sense of privacy to some of the sitting areas and making the place visually interesting.

As he was on his way back to the counter, realising he had completely abandoned his drink there, he vaguely noted two voices sounding from the direction of the restrooms. He couldn't make out what they were saying but it sounded like they were arguing. They quickly died back down but he thought he could make out a loud thump and a clattering sound and figured maybe he should go wash his hands. Just to make sure everything was okay. Before he reached the door, the shouting returned. Only one voice this time.

He managed to dodge the door just in time as a man a little taller than him burst through it, barely paying Joel any mind as he almost ran into him, muttering curses under his breath and covering his bloodied nose with a shaky hand. Before Joel's brain even caught on, the man disappeared behind a corner. What the fuck?

He hurriedly stepped through the door, scanning for whomever the other voice belonged to, and was greeted by a familiar face.

"Oh, hey, fancy seeing you here!", Desmond said casually with a lopsided grin as he was stepping out of one of the stalls.

"Are you okay? What happened?! Should I go get someone?"

Desmond stumbled a little, leaning on the thin wooden frame of the stalls for a moment, before regaining his balance.

"Just had to kick out a rude customer, 's all", he shrugged. "I'm fine"

His voice sounded a little sore.

Joel could only stand there and watch with a deadpan stare as Desmond walked over to the mirrors.

"Oh, for fuck's sake! I JUST got this shirt!"

He examined a blood splatter on his white button-up angrily. Joel panicked briefly before realising it probably wasn't his.

"Hey, my shirt's dirty, can I have yours?", Desmond grinned at him, undoing some of the top buttons to pull the shirt over his head, revealing the turtleneck he wore underneath. Joel realised now that it was sleeveless and cropped. He tried not to get distracted by the way it perfectly hugged his ribcage, defining his figure. Instead, he forced himself to focus on the tattoos scattered across his surprisingly defined arms while Desmond held his no doubt bruised knuckles under the cold water and examined his face.

From where he was standing, he could make out a few different animals and plants, some seemingly random shapes and, the biggest one he could see, what looked to be an animal skull with various flowers and other plants growing from within it on Desmond's left forearm. They all consisted of neat, crisp, black lines, no different colours and only the occasional grey shading. All except for one, a small green dinosaur that looked like a young child's drawing. That one was Joel's favourite.

Desmond had the bruised part of his face turned away from him but he could see it in the mirror. It wasn't too bad but his cheek was puffy and red and there was a small cut on his lip.

"You should probably cool that"

Desmond hummed affirmatively.

"Not ideal considering looking pretty is half my job"

He frowned into the mirror for a second before putting on his faux-lighthearted grin again and turning back towards Joel.

"Well I don't know about you but I could use a drink", he said while walking past him and out the door, the bloodied shirt now draped over his shoulder. Joel followed silently.

The moment she noticed Desmond returning, the other bartender seemed to scan both of them intensely.

"Jesus fucking Christ, I lose track of you for one second and next thing you know there's a guy with a broken nose stomping out, threatening to sue! What happened, you okay?"

"I'm fine, Alex"

Desmond rolled his eyes but smiled at her fondly. Joel, unsure of what to do and not wanting to intrude on their conversation, sat down at the far end of the counter wordlessly. Desmond managed to squeeze past Alex, who was giving him a meaningful glare, assessing the back of the counter, before raising a half-empty bottle of Havana Club as a silent offer to Joel and setting down two glasses between them. A small pout flashed over his face when Alex took the bottle from him.

He tried to fight her off as she grabbed his chin, turning his face to assess the damage. After looking him up and down one more time, she glanced at Joel before gently grabbing Desmond's arm to pull him out of hearing range. Desmond stopped in place after only a step or two and pulled his arm out of her hand.

"You should go home"

Desmond snorted sarcastically.

"Fine, at least sit down in the break room for a while. I'll cover for you, it's not that busy anyway"

"Jesus, Alex, I'm not a child! I said I'm fine!"

Alex gave him a look that Joel wasn't sure how to interpret and pinched the bridge of her nose, sighing. Desmond crossed his arms and averted his gaze.

"N- Desmond. Just tell me what happened so I know what to say if someone goes around telling everybody that the bartender attacked him for no reason?"

Desmond shrugged, still not looking at her.

"Just a drunk customer getting a little handsy. Met him last week, guess he was pissed I didn't have time for him today. Backed me into a corner, I gave him one warning and then beat the shit out of him. I've dealt with worse, you know that"

"See, normal people would call that sexual harassment"

"I'd call it a Thursday", he mumbled and turned around with a raise of his eyebrows, going back to preparing drinks for him and Joel. It seemed like she just gave up until she pretended to reach for something next to him from behind.

It happened so fast that Joel wasn't entirely sure what happened but for the first time, he saw a flash of fear on Desmond's face before he rapidly whipped around and grabbed her wrist. They looked at each other wordlessly for a few seconds until he loosened his grip, steadying his breath.

"You really need to stop doing that just to prove a point"

"I will as soon as you stop being too stubborn for your own good"

Desmond mumbled something, grabbing a bottle and walking towards the door with a sign that said 'STAFF ONLY'.

"Desmond"

He put the bottle back behind the bar with an annoyed grumble before opening the door and, making sure he was out of Alex's sight, looking back to Joel, signalling for him to follow. Wouldn't he get in trouble for that? Joel looked at Alex, who had already started putting away glasses and cleaning up.

"Go, I'm not telling anyone", she sighed and waved him toward the still open door. Desmond smiled when he got up and walked over to him.

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#tlou hbo #tlou fanfiction #joel tlou #joel miller #cryptidz fic #joel miller x oc #joel miller x original character #joel miller fanfiction #slow burn