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theetherealbloom · 1 year

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UNEVEN ODDS — CH. 4

Chapter Four: An Orchestration of Dissonance And Innocent Surrender

Summary: The Reader is dragged into the Last of Us universe and has no choice but to watch the events unfold or will she be able to change what was already written?

Paring: Joel Miller x Fem!Reader

Warnings: Age-gap Romance, Violence, ANGST, Swearing, Mention of catcalling, men being awful, tiny fluff, PTSD, Depression, Anxiety, Crying, Suggestive content, the pandemic, character death, Zombies, eventual SMUT, MY SCIENCE IS WONKY, probable plot holes, rusty writing

Word Count: 11.1k

A/N: HELLO UM! THERE ARE SO MANY OF YOU AGAIN! UM AHHHH T^T I love you guys so much, thank you for all the kind words and comments. The reblogs and then PUTTING ME IN FIC RECS WHAT– O_O Thank you guys again so so so so so much! You deserve the world <3 And as always, I put my little outline and thoughts at the end notes! Mwa ilysm

Song: Bigger Than Love by Oh Wonder

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TLOU WORLD – 2023

OLD ABANDONED TRUCK STOP– DAY

You three are at an abandoned truck stop and fully aged, weathered vehicles surround the area. The sun shone on your skin as you waited for Ellie just outside the restroom door after she demanded privacy for a bit to relieve herself. You didn’t question the kid, it was the least you could do for her.

You’re secretly admiring Joel from a distance, and you watch Joel prepare the red large gas can, a clear long tube, and a siphon. Promptly, you hear the sound of the restroom door slamming open and you look at Ellie, “You good?” She nods cheerfully at you, “Yep. All good.” And then you both approach Joel, the gravel crunching beneath your feet as you did, and you slowly take notice that the asphalt has lifted from the ground strangely. You stop walking and quizzically stare at the lifted asphalt, your eyebrows knit together and you kneel down to take a better look at it, Ellie looks at you like you’ve gone insane, “Are you alright?” she asks you, and you keep your eyes focused on the ground, “Yeah, just… It’s hopefully nothing.” You say in response and push yourself upright, “Let’s go see what Joel is up to.”

Joel is currently kneeling on one knee and feeding both tubes in the tank, Ellie stands in front of him while you stand to the left of her, “We have to do this every hour?” she asked in a bored tone. Joel glances at her in acknowledgment then continues on with the siphon, “Gas breaks down over time. This stuff’s almost water.” He grabs a rag to create a seal around the tubes, “Back in the day, we’d drive 10, 12 hours on one tank. You could go anywhere.” He says as you and Ellie continue to watch him keenly, “So where’d you go?” she questioned, and he looks up at the both of you, “Pretty much nowhere.” Joel subsequently blows air into the short tube, which forces air through the short tube and increases the pressure of the air above the gas in the tank, causing it to flow through the longer tube and into the gas can. You lean your weight on one of the rusted cars and fold your arms in front of you.

“Nice! How does that work?” Ellie asks Joel and you tilt your head to the side to listen to his response, “It’s a siphon. It’s when liquid… travels against gravity because pressure…” Ellie’s lips are pressed together as she says, “You don’t know.” He stares at her before asserting, “I know it works.” She chuckles and you smirk at him, “Want me to explain it or…” He only mumbles, “Smartass,” and you roll your eyes, something truly possessed you to be bold for a moment, because you teasingly reply, “But you secretly like it.”

It earns you a look from him that causes your heartbeat to accelerate and it suddenly becomes a little harder to breathe, he only pulls away because he spots Ellie turning around to wander off, “No wanderin’.” He tells her seriously, she stops short and sighs, before saying, “Okay. This is your fault then.” She places her bag atop one of the abandoned, rusty cars, and pulls out a book with the title ‘No Pun Intended Volume Too by Will Livingston’, Joel watches her bewildered and perplexed as she reads out one of the puns from the book, “It doesn’t matter how much you push the envelope, it’ll still be stationary.” She gives a little laugh and you smile at her merriment as she shows Joel the book cover, “‘No Pun Intended Volume Too by Will Livingston.’ Volume Too. Look. You get it? ‘Too’ Like, T-O-O.” And Joel huffs and begins to stand up with a peeved look, “Oh Jesus.” But Ellie pushes on and says, “What did the mermaid wear to her math class?” You and Joel look at each other, then at Ellie, waiting for her to say the punch line, and you watch her as she slowly leans forward slowly before saying, “‘An algae bra.’ Like, algae bra.” She laughs out loud before speaking again, “I stayed up all night wondering–” To which Joel shakes his head at her, “No,” but this doesn’t deter her at all and goes on, “ where the sun went and then it dawned on me.”

Seemingly annoyed he gruffly says to her, “Feel free to wait in the truck,” and she exhales, “Okay, but just know, you can’t escape Will Livingston. He’ll be back.” Ellie puts her book in her pack and before leaving you both she says, “There’s nothing you can do to stop him.” Joel says nothing as he also leans on the old rusting car with his arms crossed, and Ellie goes to wait in the truck. You let the silence settle and give him a little bit of peace before calling out to him, “Joel.” He says nothing but he does bring his eyes to look at you. “You know it’s okay to like her. Right?” You said with the softest eyes and kind smile, and he just shakes his head, “I can’t.” You deeply exhale and push yourself off the hood of the car to stand in front of him, “You can’t or you won’t?” And he looks down at his boots, “Can’t.”

You didn’t want to put any more discomfort and decided to simply nod instead, “Okay.” He slowly brings his head up to give you a suspicious look, “Okay?” You nod, “Mhm, okay.” His eyes narrow, “That’s it? No tryin’ to change my mind?” You shrug in response, “I have a feeling you’ll do that on your own. Anyways, the gas can is full.” You raise your eyebrows, “Need any help carrying that thing?” He grumpily bends down to pick up the heavy gas can and his voice timber and low says, “I could carry you and this back to the truck if I wanted to.” You feel your brain short-circuits for a second, the warmth spreads throughout your whole body and your eyes widened in embarrassment, “Um, I’m just gonna… mhm.” And you turn to run to the truck. Joel lets out a breathy chuckle, smirking the whole time as he watches your figure run.

ON THE ROAD - NOON

The blue Chevy pulls out of the gas station and Joel has one hand on the steering wheel and his right rest on the console, while you are sitting next to him in the passenger seat, looking out at the window studying the environment, and Ellie is content in the backseat. You feel an unease settle in and create a home in your bones, not knowing what could happen terrifies you. Every possibility in your mind pops in and out, and you ponder which part of the video game did they keep or change.

“Must’ve been some truck.” Ellie says as she peers through the window glass at the back of the vehicle, Joel grunts in agreement and explains why the highways are so clear, “Yeah, they used to stick big ass plows on the back and clear the road for their tanks and such.” Ellie finds all of this very exciting and exclaims, “I wanna see a tank!” Joel looks at her from the rearview mirror and simply says, “You will.” Your eyes shift to look at Joel as he keeps talking with a wearied cynicism, “Tanks, choppers, all that stuff, but they’ll fight the wrong enemy. Just scattered around now.”

Ellie digs through the utility pocket behind the passenger seat to find another cassette tape, she raises up enthusiastic and eager, “I got something. Here. This make you all nostalgic?” She says as she pushes up to show Joel, he takes it and you peer over to look at the title cover, ‘Hank Williams, The Original Singles Collection’, Joel replies, “This is actually before my time.” And Ellie goes to sit back properly in the backseat, “Great.”

He hums appreciatively, “It’s a winner, though.” When he places the cassette tape in the player, the rattling sound of plastic can be heard before the music begins and he cranks up the volume. Joel miraculously smiles as he listens to the song, “Oh, man.” And you raise an eyebrow at him, “Of course, you’d like this, it’s cowboy music.” You said and he lets out a small but beautiful chuckle, which causes your body to heat up. The young girl continues to explore the back of the truck, digging through the other utility pocket, you hear a quiet rustling of paper as she whips out a magazine, “Got something else.”

Joel looks at the rearview mirror again to look at Ellie, while you turn to look at what she has and your eyes nearly fall out of their sockets, and so does hers. “It’s light on the reading, but it has some interesting pictures.” Your shoulders begin to shake as you try and hold in your laugh as Joel seemingly panics, “No. No, no, no. Put that back, that’s not for kids.” Ellie doesn’t listen and continues to flip through the pages, “How would he even walk around with that thing?” God, you tried to hold it in but couldn’t anymore, you’re now full-on grinning and laughing so loud and carefree, while Joel is trying his best to get Ellie to cooperate, “Please get rid of it.”

“Hold your horses. I wanna see what all the fuss is about.” Ellie says as she analyzes the magazine, while you’re practically wheezing and happy that they incorporated this part of the video game. Joel practically gives up but Ellie decides to innocently say, “Why are all these pages stuck together?” Joel has a baffled look on his face as he lets out an, “Uh… The…” Your mouth hangs wide open for a moment and you curl your hand into a fist, bringing it to your mouth to bite back from cackling again. Ellie puts him out of his misery and slaps him on the shoulder, “I’m just fucking with you.” And throws the adult magazine out the window, it flutters out into the wind and onto the side of the road, yelling out, “Bye-bye, dude!”

You smile and think to yourself, joy itself always seems to end before we want it to. Brief and ephemeral. So, this time, you decide to let go and in this moment you can breathe. It lives in your periphery. In the corner of your eyes. Suddenly, it shows up and the surprise adds to its beauty. A gratitude for all that follows

ON THE ROAD AND TO THE FOREST - CIVIL TWILIGHT

Time moves quickly as Joel continues to drive and Ellie silently watches the view from the window. You take note of the cows grazing on grass, the cars that were left to rot, and the familiar landmarks crumbling down as mother intended to take back what was hers. They must have cried themselves a hurricane because there was an earthquake and an avalanche of change. The echo, as vast as the equator, spreads across a world of bottled-up anger, and it's too late to prevent it now.

As the hours pass by and the sun slowly begins to set, you check on Ellie from the rearview, she looks fatigued from all the driving and so do you, it’s been a while since your last road trip, and you barely had time for yourself since you were stuck in the lab all day and night. Joel sees your weary eyes and frown, he also sees a similar look to Ellie, and he decides to tell you both, “All right. That’s enough for today.” He places both of his hands to turn the wheel to the right, driving off the road and into the field, straight into a thick forest filled with tall evergreen trees.

The truck comes to a stop and you all prepare to camp out for the night. You help Joel cook and prepare dinner and Ellie keeps herself occupied as she pokes around the dirt with a stick. The smell of canned ravioli fills your lungs and your mouth begins to water. Joel taps the edge of the pot, indicating that it’s cooked and you call for Ellie to sit down for dinner. The three of you sit down in a semi-circle, with you in the middle, and Joel and Ellie on each side. You gently blow on the hot ravioli before bringing the food into your mouth, chewing quietly, and amusingly watch Ellie scarf down her food quickly. Joel looks at her kind of bothered by her manners, “Slow down.” He said, and she replies with a mouthful of food, “This is slow. What am I even eating?” Joel cuts hit food using his fork and knife and answers, “That is 20-year-old Chef Boyardee ravioli.” Ellie brings another piece of pasta and answers while chewing, “That guy was good.” Joel hums in agreement, “I actually agree.” And you nod appreciatively as you finish your food.

“How long are we staying out here?” Ellie asks Joel and you look to him for his response, “I figure I’d sleep tonight and drive tomorrow all day, all night get us to Wyoming by next morning.” Ellie plays with her food as she asks, “So can we start a fire? I’m freezing.” Joel gives a pointed stare, “Now why am I gonna tell you no?” She shrugs and guesses, “Because the infected will see the smoke.” He shakes his head at her, “No. Fungus isn’t that smart. This is too remote for infected, anyway.” The answer dawns on Ellie and asks, “People?” And Joel nods, his answer to her question. She continues to press for more information, “So what are they gonna do? Rob us?” And you frown, knowing exactly what people do during war or a crisis, morals are thrown out the window and everyone can do as they please. Every crime, assault, and misdemeanor is seen as means to an end, which is to take and survive. Your knuckles turn white as you grip your fork, angry at the world and the people who choose to do all forms of wrong. Joel warns her, “Well, they’ll have way more in mind than that.” Ellie nods while pouting, “Okay.”

LOCATION UNKNOWN, A FOREST – NIGHT

Your eyes are well-versed in the dark and the mind was then created to illumine the heart. And when every constellation suddenly emerged, the remote was drawn so close by telescopes and computations. You inhale, exhale, and reset. Realizing, every living creature is in a continual state of uncertainty. Even with all of your past, you’ve just scratched the surface of what it all implies. Ellie prepares her sleeping bag and so do you, placing yours in between hers and Joel’s. “Actually smells kinda good.” Ellie said as she continues to unfold the sleeping bag, you hear Joel comment, “Well, that would be Frank’s then.” She tucks herself in and you help her as you do, lightly patting the blanket as she settles comfortably. You do the same and now you’re flat on your back as you gaze at the stars illuminating the darkness and listen to the quiet rustling of the branches and leaves of the trees, the melodies sung by the chirping of crickets. Joel checks the chamber of the rifle and ensures that it’s loaded and ready just in case of an ambush, then he places it next to him. You hear Ellie take something out of her backpack and you had a sneaking suspicion it was the No Pun Intended book. The light of the lantern slowly fades away and the shadows follow the rules and the darkness expands around all of you.

Joel is facing away from the both of you and Ellie whips out her flashlight and quickly glances at her favorite book, clicks off the light, and aloud she calls out both of your names, you look at her but Joel doesn’t respond at first, you slide out a little to lean a bit forward to his side and tap him on the shoulder, “What?” he asks, and Ellie responds, “Can I ask you a serious question?” And without hesitation, he says, “Yeah.” You smile knowingly at what was about to happen as she questions, “Why did the scarecrow get an award?” A beat passes between the three of you, and you and Joel whisper simultaneously, “Because he was outstanding in his field.” Ellie rises from her sleeping bag and exclaims, “You dicks!”

A large grin spreads across your face and Joel turns around to face the other direction, Ellie begins to interrogate the two of you, “Did both of you read this?” You hear the smile in Joel’s voice as he answers, “No.” And you give an airy chuckle, “Nope.” He sighs and then tells you both, “Now go to sleep.” Ellie makes a noise of suspicion but says nothing as she tucks the book into her sleeping pouch, the hoot of an owl can be heard from above, and the howls of coyotes from a distance.

Ellie is also gazing up at the stars with you now and begins to appreciate the way they glow and shimmer. You move your head to look at Ellie and whisper, “Psst. Ellie…” She turns her head to your side, “Yeah?” And in a hushed tone, you ask, “Do you wanna learn something about constellations?” She nods enthusiastically, “Yeah!” And you begin to whisper the explanation and details, you point and trace your fingers at the stars, your rickety astrology determined to give her hope, “Orion's belt is right above the equator of the Earth. Everyone, and everywhere can see just stars in that area. A star placed above one of the poles, such as the North Star, and concealed from us in the opposing hemisphere, obstructed by Earth itself.”

She is looking at you with her eyes as big as summer tomatoes, full of admiration and awe at your intelligence like you have all the answers, and wonders if she will ever be a woman like you. She seeks an answer to her next question, “Is Orion like a place?” You smile and in a soft voice you say, “No, he’s someone from greek mythology. In the stores, he was a giant and very handsome hunter, who had many affairs and lovers. Either his assault on or admiration for a goddess named Artemis, another god named Zeus placed him amongst the stars as punishment. Stories and text sometimes get lost in translation.”

This is when she learned to wish on stars, content she hums an appreciative thank you and you give a small smile in return. After another beat passes, Ellie poses a new question, this time aimed at Joel, who had been listening to the two of you the whole time but stayed quiet, “Those people you said… there’s no way anyone knows we’re here, right? No one’s gonna find us.”

Her words hang in the air briefly, “No one’s gonna find us.” Joel reassures her and Ellie responds with a quiet, “Okay.” She turns in for the night and begins to fall asleep. There is a sudden weight on your chest when she asked her query, and you suddenly feel nauseous at the thought of anything happening to Ellie and Joel. You close your eyes and swallow away the urge to vomit, and with the darkness, you’ve seen, your tired eyes rest and allow yourself to sleep for a while. But if you had stayed up just a little longer, you would have heard Joel leave his sleeping bag and reach for his rifle, and his footsteps walking a distance away from you and Ellie, ensuring your safety as he watches and anticipates any sign of danger, his guilt for scaring the girl keeps him up all night and the thought of you getting hurt. He holds his rifle ready, protecting the two of you who quietly snore into the night.

LOCATION UNKNOWN, A FOREST – DAWN

The sound of chirping birds wakes you and you groggily sit up. You look to your left to see Ellie who was still sound asleep, and then you see Joel standing watch with his rifle, you have a suspicion he didn’t actually sleep and Ellie’s concern kept him up. You sigh and quietly leave your sleeping bag, down your arms, a thousand satellites discover the cool breeze in the air, causing you to shiver and wrap your arms around yourself to salvage some warmth. You stretch your arms up to the sky, trying to wake your body to begin the day, then you hear the lime-green grass rustle and shake, creating whispers of sound beneath Joel’s boots as he walks toward you, glancing over your shoulder before turning to face him.

You feel his confident presence and your heart skips a beat, he greets you with his voice thick and smooth, “Mornin’.” You warmly say good morning to him in a hushed voice, you take a good look at him to see his deep eyebags, completely exhausted, and you ask, “Did you even sleep at all?” He doesn’t deny it as he shook his head, “No, I couldn’t.” You hum in response, already confirming what you thought, next, you inquire, “Do we have any coffee that I could brew? I have a feeling we’re going to need it.”

“Did you not sleep well last night? Could hear you snorin’ from where I was standing.” Joel said with his tone straightforward and deep, you shrug, “Sometimes I wake up tired, and besides, I enjoy a good cup of coffee to start my day, it’s my morning ritual back home.” You make your way to the pouch of coffee grounds, open it, and inhale the aroma, and Joel observes you as you do.

You begin to brew both of your coffee, making enough to fit two insulated tumblers. You make your way into the forest, already telling Joel you needed to pee, and him reminding you in his thick Texan accent, “If you don’t get your ass back here in five minutes, I’m comin' to look for you.” After finding a bush and relieving yourself, you stand by one of the tall thick trees, leaning your weight against the trunk of the tree and crossing your arms as you watch Ellie and Joel from a distance.

You close your eyes for a moment to steady yourself and your breathing, trying to recall parts of the game you’ve seen, a little peek at what could be adapted. Unfortunately, you knew the ending of the first and second games, and you knew there was nothing you could do for the first, but the second one however…

Joel yells your name, telling you to come back already and you jog your way back, not wanting to make them wait. No one says anything as you pack up camp and hop in the truck, this time letting Ellie sit in the passenger seat while you sit in the back. The engine of the truck revs to life and Joel drives you out of the woods and back onto the highway.

Joel takes a loud sip of his coffee while you are still blowing away the steam, Ellie doesn’t seem to be impressed with the drink as she comments, “Is that seriously what those Starbucks in the QZ used to sell?” With one hand on the steering wheel, he lowers his thermos and retorts, “Well, theirs was a lot fresher than Bill saved up but, yeah, this is what they sold.” The young girl looks at it in disgust, “Smells like… burnt shit.” Joel wanting to be slightly petty, takes a long, loud, pointed sip of his coffee, before turning to Ellie saying, “Eyes on the map, or else I’m askin’ you to switch seats with Birdie.”

Your heart flutters at the nickname but you hide your smile by sipping your own coffee, looking out the window as you do. Ellie smirks knowingly at Joel but doesn’t push any further, she begins to give directions, “76 West, and then… 70 West for, like, ever. Where in Wyoming did you say your brother was?” And to your surprise, Joel indulges her, “Last contact came through a radio tower close to Cody.” Ellie straightens the map to find the tower, “Cody. Cody… Cody. Man. That is deep up in there.” Joel glances then reply, “Yeah.” The young curious kid asks him, “And if he’s not there?” He thoughtfully sighs, “Then odds are he’ll be near a settlement probably close to another city out there. Ain’t too many of them in Wyoming.”

“Chee-Yen.” Ellie tries to pronounce it, and Joel corrects her, “Cheyenne.” She looks at him in disbelief, “Che… Really?” He nods as she goes on to trace her finger along the map, “Cheyenne, Laramie… Casper? What’s his name?” Joel then asks, “Whose name?” She throws back, “Your brother.” He grunts out, “Tommy.” You smile to yourself, knowing that tone of voice is him trying to build invisible walls around himself to protect whatever he has left of his family. “Younger or older?” Ellie persists, and he answers immediately, “Younger.”

“Why isn’t he with you?” She asked and you watch Joel try to evade her inquiry, “Long story.” Ellie never knowing when to give up, persists, “Is it longer than twenty-five hours? Because I think that’s what we got.” Joel looks at Ellie with a pointed stare, mouth slightly open ready to scold her but realizes she has a point. He glances at the rearview to see you looking back at him, waiting for his choice.

His eyes go back to the road as he speaks, “Tommy’s what we used to call a joiner. Dreams of becoming a hero. So he enlisted in the Army right out of high school. A few months later, they ship him off to Desert Storm.”

Ellie turns to him quizzically but stays silent as he carries on, “It’s what they called that war. It doesn’t matter. Point is, being in the Army didn’t make him feel much of a hero. Cut to twelve years later, outbreak happens. He convinces me to join a group making their way up to Boston which I did, mostly to keep an eye on him, keep him alive.” He glances at the rearview mirror again and this time you aren’t staring back, you’re resting your head on the window, listening intently, “It’s where we met Tess.”

He takes a swig of his coffee before continuing, “And that whole crew, we… Well, for what it was, it worked. And then Tommy meets Marlene. She talks him into joining the Fireflies. Same mistake he made when he was eighteen.” Joel shakes his head in disapproval and his tone shifts into cynicism, “Wants to save the world. Pipe dream. Him, Fireflies, all of them… delusional.”

You blink blankly and frown, not agreeing with his view but understanding where he’s coming from. His world ended when Sarah died, and since she’s gone he has no reason to go back to the way things were.

“‘Course, last I heard, he quit the Fireflies too. So now he’s on his own out there and… I gotta go get him.” He states and takes a long sip of the rest of his coffee, while Ellie tries to make sense of his story, another question pops into her mind as she quietly asks him, “If you don’t think there’s hope for the world why bother going on? I mean, you gotta try, right?” A beat passes, and then he answers grimly, “You haven’t seen the world, so you don’t know. You keep going for family. That’s about it.”

Ellie moves her eyes to look at him, “I’m not family?” And he shakes his head, “No. You’re cargo.” Your form shrinks a little bit and think to yourself, and you secretly figure that Joel doesn’t mean that, but doesn’t want her treating him like a father yet.

You quietly exhale and will yourself to stop bouncing your leg up and down, grounding yourself. “And I made a promise to Tess. And she was like family.” Ellie nods before bringing up more possibilities, “What if you don’t find him?” It doesn’t take him long to reply, “I will.” She shoots back, “How do you know?” With a voice so sure and confident, he says, “I’m persistent.”

And you swore you saw him glance at you from the rearview mirror for a millisecond, but you weren’t so sure, you chalked it up to your wishful thinking. It was quiet for a bit before Joel speaks to Ellie, “You got up pretty early. If you wanna grab more sleep…” Ellie immediately replies, “Pfft. I’m not even tired.”

Ellie was in fact tired, after ten minutes of saying that, she fell into a deep sleep, and her snores echoed in the car. After two or three hours Joel pulls over at the side of the road, telling you to switch seats with Ellie since he needs help reading the map. You decided not to question it and got out of the truck as he did the same. You watched him quietly open the door, and carry Ellie from the passenger side to the back seat where he gently set her.

You climb into the passenger seat and wait for Joel to sit in the driver’s seat. The map was now on your lap and you gently traced the piece of paper, lines stretching out, with too many miles to count. Dots reminds you of where you’ve been, sometimes it feels like your inner compass breaks, and your steady true north fades. You try and reassure yourself it’ll be just fine, that whatever comes next, you’ll handle it together.

Joel quietly speaks your name so as to not disturb Ellie, you look up at him from the map, one hand on the steering wheel and the other resting on the armrest console, “Tell me somethin’ good about your world.” He grumbles, and you stagger a bit before saying, “You actually believe what I said back then? You believe me?”

He shrugs with one shoulder and taps on the steering wheel, “There’s a fuckin’ apocalypse. My guess is that anythin’ could be possible now.” You lightly chuckle, “Yeah, I guess so.”

You stayed silent for a moment, trying to come up with an answer, any kind of answer, and you settle for the truth, “I don’t know. Besides the fact, we have no infected and our technology is more advanced, everything is still the same. Same landmarks, problems, the people hate the government but still need it, choosing the lesser of two evils and everyday people trying their damn best.”

He gruffly says to you, “Would prefer that over this shit.” You let out a huff, “Yeah, that’s valid.”

“Tell me about your home.” He says, and you raise an eyebrow, “Are you asking or demanding? Also, why are you suddenly so curious about me?” He’s unsure for a moment but he answers, “You already know stuff about me. It’s only fair.” Your lips form a line as you press them against each other, and your eyes shift to look at the map instead of him, “I thought you didn’t want to hear about any of our histories?”

“I think we broke that rule the moment Ellie kept askin’ about my life.” Your eyes wrinkle as you smile, “There isn’t much to say, and also I don’t really like talking about myself.” He harrumphs, “Why? You’re a scientist and incredibly smart.” You bring your eyes back to him and give him a look of disbelief, “Did you just say something nice?” His face sours and grumpily murmurs, “Don’t tell anyone.”

“Oh, I’m definitely telling Ellie later,” You smile teasingly at him, and he shakes his head, “So, what did you research, discover, or whatever?” And that question causes you to inhale through your nose deeply, “Um, in 2022 three scientists were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for experiments with entangled photons, establishing the violation of Bell inequalities and pioneering quantum information science. Basically, they got awarded for their research and I took an interest in what they found. I had a theory with what they discovered with quantum teleportation.”

Joel didn’t really understand the science jargon that was spitting out of your mouth so fast like lightning, but he was intrigued, “What was your theory?” You nervously removed the dirt from your fingernails as you replied, “It’s a little complicated.” He retorts, “I’m beginning to think that’s your favorite line.” You bite the inner walls of your cheek and exhale loudly through your nose. Joel senses you didn’t want to discuss it any further and the quiet returns. Only the muffled rumbling of the engine and the sound of the tires rolling on the pavement. The only occasional noise from the two of you was asking for directions from Joel and you giving him a prompt reply.

The hours go by quickly and the sun is beginning to set, the orange glow illuminating both of your faces. The truck begins to pull up to the outskirts of Kansas City and you silently pray that this will all go smoothly.

TLOU WORLD – 2023

KANSAS CITY - SUNSET

Ellie awakens shortly after you pull up to the tunnel and Joel slowly presses on the brakes to put the truck to stop. Joel turns off the engine and turns to you both before opening the door, “Stay put.” He grabs the rifle from the back and proceeds to scout the area. Ellie kindly asks to switch with you again and for a moment you almost decline, your gut feeling telling you something is wrong, but couldn’t resist the kid and again move to the back while she moves upfront.

Joel sees the tunnel to Kansas City is blocked by a SaraLee bread truck and you watch him make his way back to the truck. He opens the back door and places the rifle beside you and goes back to the driver's seat. “Where are we?” Ellie asks and he quickly replies, “Kansas City.” Ellie gives him the map and you lean over Joel’s shoulder to analyze the map, “How far back do we have to go to get around this?” The young girl questions and you watch Joel trace his finger along the many red lines. He shakes his head and sighs in frustration before deciding, “Screw it.” And he turns the key to start the truck up again. “What are you doing?” Ellie asks and Joel answers as he performs a three-point turn, “We can jog right around this tunnel take the next ramp and we’re back on the road, minute tops.” You look out the window and see the rusting cars and burned corpses of people, shuddering, you try and remember a portion of the game for some clue of what was about to happen. You weren’t in Pittsburgh, but the way this was adapted would still have the very important elements of the original intellectual property. Fuck.

Joel enters the city and it’s eerily quiet, you take note of the empty streets and zero signs of runners. “Where the fuck is the highway?” Joel states frustrated and Ellie retorts, “I can’t tell from this. I’m all turned around.” You hear him get irritated, “Don’t look at the state map. Look at the inset.”

“I don’t know where we are in that either! It’s my second day in a fucking car, man. I mean, I think we’re heading north?” Joel continues to drive and you keenly observe your surroundings and see something unusual, you spot a pile of ash and remains of people as he drives by. “It’s gotta be right. What the fuck?” He says and you try and voice your concerns, “Joel, there’s um,” but he quickly fires back, “Not now Birdie.” And you deflate a little but keep trying, “Joel, something is–” But Ellie yells out, “Stop!” The tires shriek as he steps on the breaks, and Ellie stares at something wide-eyed and you do too, “Is that the QZ?” The gates were wide open without a single FEDRA officer in sight and completely vacated, your mouth hangs open, “Shit.” Ellie presses on, “Where the fuck is FEDRA?” As if on queue, you hear someone yell, “Hey!” All three of your heads whip to the sound of the man’s voice, he’s clutching his lower abdomen and yelling out, “Please help!”

“Put your seatbelt on,” Joel demands and you and Ellie follow, you clutch on the assist grips above the car, knowing this isn’t gonna go well. “Aren’t we gonna help him?” Ellie asks innocently, “No.” You and Joel answer quickly, he floors it and the man moves out of the way screaming, “Fuck! Go… go!”

Ellie looks above and shrieks, “Joel!” And a cylinder brick falls from the sky, crashing atop the windshield glass, cracks, and fractures are created and you hear the tires pop, and you assume they’ve laid down spikes. You gritted your teeth as Joel tries to get control of the truck, and another man tries to shoot you all down, “Fuck!” Having no other options, he crashes the truck into an old laundromat, and the impact causes you to jerk forward, hitting your head slightly in the seat in front of you.

“Are you okay?” Joel worriedly questions, “Yeah.” Ellie replies and he turns to see you slightly bleeding from your head, “Hummin’ bird, you okay?” And you quickly compose yourself, “Yes, I’m fine. It’s just a scratch.” He then asks Ellie, “You’re not hurt? Nothing?” She shakes her head, “I don’t think so.”

The sound of gunfire cause the three of you to flinch and duck down for cover, Joel yells and commands, “Belts off. Fast!” And what he says goes, immediately you grab your pack and rifle from the backseat, the loud popping sounds of gunfire continue as you get out, and duck behind the truck. You toss Joel his rifle and you pull out your gun, you hear the taunts on the other side, “Let’s see you, motherfucker! Give us your shit, you’ll make it through this! We promise!”

Joel pulls off his safety and makes sure his rifle is loaded, he spots a hole in the walls of the laundromat and asks Ellie, “Hey, you see that hole? Can you squeeze through?” The gunfire doesn’t let up and she shakily nods, Joel realizes that time is running out before the enemy decides to push forward, he instructs Ellie while looking at her directly, “When I say go, you both crawl to that wall and you two squeeze through and you don’t come out until I say, okay?” You try and protest but the sound of another bullet swiftly breaks the class of the truck and all three of you flinch.

Your breathing quickens and you feel the adrenaline coursing through you, while Joel’s chest bounces up and down as he pants, “And they’re not gonna hit you.” But Ellie isn’t listening, too scared and afraid of all the chaos ensuing, Joel growls, “Look at me!” She twists her head and her wide doe eyes look at him, frightened and unsure, he reassures her, “They’re not gonna hit you. You stay down, you stay low, you stay quiet.” Ellie nods reluctantly, “Mhm.” A pause during the gunfire, and you realize they’re reloading. “Okay.” He says and Ellie parrots to him, “Okay.” Joel takes that as his signal and yells to you both, “Go!” Ellie stays low and crawls through the wall, safe and secure for now. You however help Joel and shoot at the enemies. He yells your name, “What the fuck are you doing? I can handle this now go!” You shake your head and exclaim, “No! I can help you.”

He pulls you down, both of you crouching on the ground and cups one hand to hold your face, “Right now that kid is scared shitless and shouldn’t be alone.” You try again to object, but he stops you, “No, listen to me. Go through that hole and be with Ellie, she needs you.” You feel your eyes water and give him a sincere look, your voice breathy as you reply, “We both do.” His mouth parts and his eyes dart to your soft lips for just a second, so fast you almost missed it if your faces weren’t so close to each other, and at that moment your heartbeats were synchronized, and both of your breathing unsteady. Warmth fills you both and causes both of your eyes to dilate, similar to an eclipse.

Another gunshot rings out and it hits the cement on the ground, causing you to jump, Joel wipes away some of the dust on your cheek and intently says to you, “I’ve got this. I promise, now go.”

You blink back your tears and whisper, “Give 'em hell.” He stands up again to cover you while you crawl into the hole, to be with Ellie. Both of you have your back against the wall, and you try and steady your racing heartbeat.

“What about Joel?” She asks you, full of worry and concern. Instead of answering, you hug her close to you, and she buries her face on your stomach, as you try and shield her away from the noise and gunfire. Then there is a sudden silence, and you and Ellie take a peek from the hole in the wall, the sound of footsteps stepping over broke glass fills the space and you have your gun ready in one hand just in case and shield Ellie with your body.

He steps a bit closer to your hiding place and instantly there was a gunshot, you and Ellie turn away as you also held back a scream. Stillness fills the room and you try your best to listen for Joel to tell you to come out, only hearing him try and unjam his rifle. Then, the sudden slam of a door opening, and another loud pop could be heard. You hear grunts, groans, and yelling from the intruder and Joel, and Ellie urgently whispers, “We need to help him!”

You nod, and Ellie swiftly sidesteps you and climbs out of the hiding space and you go after her. You and her quietly step out and to your surprise, she’s holding her gun out, aiming directly at the unidentified man’s head, before you could even utter a word or try and stop her, she shoots him in the spine. Joel rolls over to the side coughing and wheezing as he tries to catch his breath. You gently approach Joel as he side-eyes Ellie but continues to cough, you begin first aid, loosen any tight clothing, remove the top button of his outer shirt and place your hand on his back to try and feel his lungs, and hear Ellie step a little closer to the man, her gun still aimed at him.

The man begins to plead, “No, no, no! It’s okay. It’s okay. It’s over, we’re not fighting anymore.” Ellie doesn’t say anything and still has the gun pointed at him, “I’m gonna go home. I’ll tell everyone you’re good.” His face scrunches up and he begins to cry, “I don’t know what to do. My legs don’t work. My mom isn’t far if you can get me to her.”

Joel’s breathing returns to normal and you whisper, “You good?” And he only nods, angry and upset that he got caught off guard so easily. You help him up and hear the man still begging for his life, “We could trade with you guys. We could be friends. I didn’t know. I’m Bryan. I’m Bryan. What’s your name?” He continues to sob.

Joel looks at Ellie angrily, and she sniffs. He doesn’t say anything but holds out his hand and she hands him her gun which he places in his back pocket. Joel pulls out his revolver, slowly turns around, and Bryan continues to beg, “Wait… wait.” He pulls out a knife and says, “You can have it. It’s a good knife.” You stand next to Ellie and watch Joel lean down and pick up the knife. His eyes are dark with rage as he looks at you and Ellie, his voice deep and dominant that fills a warmth in your belly, “Get back behind the wall.”

Bryan instantly sobs, “No, no, no. I’m sorry! I’m sorry! Please, we could just talk. I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” You slowly grab Ellie to gently coax her away, and she follows, Bryan screams for his life as you step back inside the hole. Ellie hugs your middle as she lets a single tear roll down her cheek, and you hug her right back, covering her ears from his yelling and pleading. You hear the slashing of a knife and the sound of blood splattering.

You try and calm Ellie and stroke her hair as you murmur reassuringly, “We’ll be just fine.” It was quiet for a second before you hear Joel’s booming voice calling you and Ellie, “I gotta get in there, I can’t fit through.” You wipe away her tears and gently pat her cheek, “We got this, yeah?” Ellie nods, “Mhm.”

You and her take a look around the room and Ellie yells out, “There’s some stuff against the door.” Joel is quick to reply, “Can you both move it?” You and Ellie nod at each other and work together to pull the table aside while Joel uses his arm to push the door open. He manages to get in and slams the door shut, “Let’s go. Fast.” He states and all three of you push the table back in its place. Joel looks at the both of you with concern, but Ellie quickly gets her bag and says, “I’m okay. I’m good.” You say nothing and also reach for your bag, quickly grabbing a bandaid from your first aid kit and then throwing it over your shoulder. Ellie approaches Joel and opens her pack, “I got some food in here still, and I got your light still.” He grabs it from her while you are on the side quietly and swiftly, placing a bandaid on your head, no time to disinfect it yet.

“What now?” Ellie asks, trying to be brave, and Joel observes her for a moment before saying, “We go up.” And she throws her back over her shoulders, “To get a better look?” You follow them both to a door and Joel responds, “Hopefully, we spot a clear route out.” He pushes the door open and clicks on the flashlight to check if it's safe, the only sound you could hear was the dripping of water from a leaky pipe, he turns to you both and says, “Stay close.” Ellie nods, “Got it.” Joel moves forward and Ellie and you follow him to a narrow alleyway. He has his revolver in one hand and you also have your gun out.

You three duck behind a rusted car, and you hear and spot multiple vehicles driving by. They were all armed, carrying various weapons and knives. Joel signals you two to wait and walks across to open a black door, he flicks on the flashlight and with one look, signals both of you to run across the street and into the next building.

You take cover and hide in a neglected bar, with newspapers covering the large windows. Joel peeks through the uncovered patches and watches the hunters pass by, searching different buildings. “They’re not FEDRA, and they’re not Fireflies. So who are they?” Ellie asks and Joel plainly states, “People.” You and Ellie are also looking through the small patches, she quietly asks, “Are we okay in here?”

“For a little bit, maybe. Looks like they’re checking apartment buildings first. But they’ll be coming through these places soon enough.” Joel says and walks away to stand away from the windows. And you decide to sit, choosing the floor by the door of the old bar, and tend to the wound on your head. Ellie is still looking through the small patches of glass, “There’s a really tall building, like, four blocks away.” Joel’s voice is rough as he replies, “Yeah, saw it.”

“So that’s the one?” Ellie questions him, and he immediately answers, “As soon as we don’t hear a truck, we move. Fast as we can.” Joel slowly sits down on the cushion and eyes you as you busy yourself disinfecting and cleaning up the blood on your head. Ellie sits down next to you, her knees close to her chest, and by now you’re done cleaning your wound and placing a new bandage on your head. Joel has his hand on his head, his face was expressionless and exhausted. Ellie asks you and him the same question, “Are you okay?” You nod and Joel replies with, “I’m all right.” He struggles with the debrief but he gets the question out to Ellie, “Are you all right?” And she simply replies with, “Yeah.”

You watch Joel struggle to find the words to express his emotions and feelings, his reserved nature is slowly crumbling, brick by brick. He shakes his head, “Thing is, is I didn’t hear that guy coming, and… You shouldn’t have to… You know.” Ellie brings her eyes to look at him, “Well, you’re glad I did, right?” She said. His voice falters, “You’re just a kid. You shouldn’t know what it means to… It’s not like you killed him. But… shooting or… I know what it’s like the first time that you hurt someone like that.” The young girl says nothing and simply stares at him in silence. He tries again, “If you… I’m not good at this.”

“Yeah, you really aren’t.” Ellie says, and if it wasn’t so somber, if you were safely at home watching this, you would have laughed. You wonder if you should say something, but eventually figured that you needed to let them both bond and understand each other, it’s important to their story. While you believed your presence here was an accident. You push aside your feelings and stress to let them talk it out.

“I mean it was my fault. You shouldn’t have had to… and I’m sorry.” Joel sighs and looks away at Ellie, and begins to cry silently with her face turning red, you let her lean her head on your shoulder and it’s quiet. She goes to speak but her throat closes up, “It wasn’t my first time.” Joel looks at her after that to see her pure raw honesty.

Joel plays the idea in his head for a moment before coming to a decision, he reaches into his back pocket for the handgun he took from Ellie earlier, unloads the magazine, and removes the shell of the previous bullet from the chamber. The girl's head lifts from your shoulder as Joel kneels down on one knee in front of her, handing her the gun back, “Show me your grip.” Ellie does as she’s told and you watch Joel teach her the proper way to hold a firearm, “Finger off the trigger.” She holds it with one hand and Joel is unimpressed, “Now, who taught you that?” She mumbles in reply, “FEDRA school.” He nods his head, “Figures.”

Joel teaches her how to hold the gun with two hands, “Your thumb over your thumb. Left hand, squeezes down on the right. You got it?” She nods, her thumbs interlocked, which makes it harder to drop the gun when it recoils or if someone were to try and grab it. Joel holds both of her tiny hands in his calloused rough ones, “There you go. Look it.” He shakes it and the gun doesn’t budge, completely steady. She giggles as he tries again and you smile, Joel then says, “Okay?” While Ellie nods, seemingly happy, he gestures to her to give him the gun and he loads the magazine back in the gun and then hands it back to her.

Ellie takes it and as she is about to place it in her back pocket, Joel stops her, “Nuh-uh. You put it in your pack. You’ll shoot your damn ass off.” He groans a little as he stands up again and you give Ellie a high-five and she laughs again. Joel walks to your side and this time it’s your turn, he kneels in front of you and you’re wide-eyed. He gently brushes away some of your hair and checks on your wound, you feel his fingertips graze along the plaster of your band-aid. Lightly, you touch his wrist and say, “I’m fine. Promise.”

None of you move for a bit, but then he slowly pulls away and stands to remove the wooden planks boarded up on the door, you also get up to help him. He holds on to the door handle and sighs, “We’ll get through this.” Ellie blinks once and then nods, “I know.” A beat passes and he pulls open the door, you and Ellie following him out into the setting sun of the city.

OFFICE BUILDING, KANSAS CITY – NIGHT

The midnight blue covers the sky, the stars shine above you, and see the moon glimmer. You three find the side of the building but find the service door to be locked. You look above and point out a vent, Joel nods and turns to Ellie. Taking notice that Joel is this close to passing out on the ground after all the events that have happened, staying up all night to protect the both of you, driving for almost thirteen hours to get to Kansas City, and shooting a bunch of hunters. You offer to boost Ellie up to reach the vent, “Here, put your foot on my hand and then… One, two…”

“Oh shit.” She curses and you reassure her, “It’s okay, I got you.” And she manages to push open the vent and climb inside, “Okay I’m in.” And Joel decides to give out instructions, “Take a look around first. Ellie.” But she doesn’t reply, he harshly whispers, “Goddamn it.” And you say to Joel, “Just give her a second.” And a moment later, Ellie swings the door wide open, “Where would you be without me, huh?” Joel frowns, “By now, Wyoming.” You smack his shoulder, which does absolutely nothing. He glances at you and you stare back, he then walks forward into the building as Ellie takes it in stride. “Oh, yeah. Walked into that one.” The door slams closed behind you three and you take out your own flashlight to click it open.

All three of your footsteps echo around the building, while lights from your flashlights moved about the space. A minute later you see the door to a staircase that leads to the rooftop, you all walk over to it and Joel says, “All right, we’ll make our way up, and come morning, I’ll take a look at the city and find our way out.” He pushes the door open, and it squeaks as he does, shining the light in one hand and his revolver in the other, checking the dark area to make sure there’s no threat.

He walks straight while you and Ellie trail along, “We’re going up forty-two flights?” She groans, and Joel adds, “Forty-five.” The door behind you closes and you shine your flashlight to the ceiling, looking at the seemingly never-ending staircase. “But no. Not all the way.” He says, and Ellie asks, “How far?” Joel takes a breath, “As far as I can make it.” You and Ellie giggle at him and follow right behind the grump, footsteps sounding on the concrete steps of the building as you make your way up each floor.

After twenty flights of stairs, Joel is gripping the hand railing, slightly winded already, you are trying to manage your breathing with all the cardio, while Ellie is only lightly panting, she takes an opportunity to ask a question, “Hey, you know that guy who said he was hurt? How did you know it was an ambush?” Joel stops before the next landing and catches his breath, “I’ve been on both sides. It was a long time ago. We did what we needed to survive.”

“You and Tess?” She asked, and he nods, “And the people we were with. My brother too.” He looks up to check how many more to go, while Ellie can’t help herself, “Did you kill innocent people?” He turns to look at her with an unreadable expression, but doesn’t answer her question, “Come on.” But already you both already knew the answer, and still followed him anyways.

It’s a few minutes later and Joel pushes the fire exit door open and holds it out for you and Ellie to walk through. “Holy shit.” Ellie curses and Joel leans on the wall, “Yeah.” And slides down the wall completely exhausted. You are soaked with sweat and trying to catch your breath, using one hand to lean on the door as it closes by itself. “Thirty-three floors. That’s good.” The young girl comments, and you hear Joel wheeze, “It’s gonna have to be.”

Ellie makes her way over to him and kicks his boot, “Come on.” And holds out her small hand, Joel groans, “Give me a minute.” But Ellie doesn’t agree, “Get up, you lazy ass.” That does it, he grips his hand with hers and helps him up, while you finally got enough oxygen back into your system. Joel grits his teeth, “Lazy ass. Fifty-six years old, you little shit.” Ellie giggles and you smile wide and continue to trail after him.

Joel grabs a fire extinguisher to break through the glass of one of the office doors, the sharp sound of glass shattering rings throughout the room, and Joel reaches in to shake the handle open.

You and Ellie prepare to sleep, and you realize that there aren’t enough cushions for the three of you. Joel scatters glass on the ground as Ellie sits on her makeshift bed, and calls out his name as you sit cross-legged on the carpet, silently contemplating sleeping on the floor. He doesn’t hear Ellie the second time, too busy dumping out the glass.

But the third time she yells out his name he finally turned, “What?” He grudgingly says, and she asks him pointedly, “What are you doing?” And replies as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world, “I don’t want someone sneaking up on us while we’re sleeping.”

He puts the bucket down and Ellie realizes what he meant, “Oh, I get it. Crunch, crunch, crunch…” He walks over to the couch cushions on the floor and Ellie questions him, “Are you sure you’re gonna hear it?” Joel takes offense to her asking him that, “Of course, I’ll hear it. That’s the damn point.” Ellie leans back, “Okay. Well, good night.” And he gives a small, “Yeah, goodnight.”

You prepare to sleep on top of your backpack and Joel says your name, “What are you doing?” You turn your head to him and swallow, “Um, there’s not enough cushions. It’s okay though, I’ve slept on the floor before.” His eyebrows furrow and he huffs, “You sleep on mine then.” You shake your head, “Joel, you stayed up late, floored it all the way to Kansas City, fought three hunters, and then walked up thirty-three flights of stairs. You’re literally fifty-six and wheezing. You’re exhausted, so it’s okay, you can have it.”

Joel places his hands on his hips as he stares down at your figure, “That isn’t right though, you’re equally as tired and you got injured earlier. So take the damn bed.” He argues, this was slowly going to become a full-on debate that could have lasted till the morning, but Ellie butts in, “Why don’t you guys just share?” Immediately, your eyes go wide, and feel your face grow warm. You begin to stutter as you try and explain to her why that would be inappropriate, “Um, Ellie… I don’t think that’s—”

“Fine.” You hear him say and your head quickly turns to look at Joel, almost giving you a whiplash as you did. You blink wildly at him and shakily say, “You don’t need to–” He gives you no chance to finish your sentence, “I said fine. Do you want to share or not?” Jesus fucking Christ. What the hell is happening? He didn’t just offer that, did he? Your mouth gapes open like a fish out of water, not knowing how to act or find the right words for this. You take a deep inhale and try not to stumble over your words as you stared into his dark chocolate-brown eyes, “Are you… sure?”

He nods and gestures to you to lay down, you pinch your lips and swallow away your nerves and climb atop the cushions, using your own jacket as a pillow. Joel quietly does the same and faces the opposite of you. You bring your hands to your mouth, they’re slightly trembling as you try and calm your racing heart. Ellie is looking at you with a smirk, that cheeky little shit, she’s playing matchmaker. You mouth out the words, “Fuck you.” Which causes her to grin wider, happy with what she’s accomplished.

“Hey.” Joel's voice is deep and low from behind you, and you raise your eyebrows at Ellie, she replies, “Yeah?” He proceeds to ask, “When we were talking about hurtin’ people, what did you mean it wasn’t your first time?” You give Ellie a sad smile knowingly, the places may have changed, but at its core, the story stayed the same. She changes her position to lay flat on her back and stares at the ceiling, “I don’t want to talk about it.” He doesn’t push her and settles, “All right.” After a second he rolls over to his left and lifts his head up, to look at Ellie, you are now inches apart from him brushing his hand on your waist, he tells the kid, “You don’t have to. I’m just saying… it isn’t fair, your age having to deal with all of this.”

Ellie looks to the both of you, “So it gets easier when you get older?” You snort, “God, no.” And Joel shakes his head, “No. Not really. But still.” Ellie doesn’t say anything back to him for a bit, and he sighs, you feel his breath along the back of your neck, causing your spine to shiver at the sensation. “The reason I asked whether you’d hear the glass or not, is because Miss Birdie and I have noticed you don’t hear too well from your right side. Is it ‘cause you were shot there?”

“Probably more from shootin’. So if you wanna keep your hearing, you stick to that knife.” He says and lays back down again, rolling back over to his right side and closing his eyes, Ellie says both of your names and you look at her, waiting, “Did you know diarrhea is hereditary?” He glances over his shoulder, “What?” And Ellie continues, “Yeah. It runs in your jeans.”

You didn’t know if your humor was broken, or if you were traumatized, or just exhausted, but you giggled with her and hear Joel whisper, “Jesus.”

He shakes his head, and you and Ellie continue to giggle, “That is so goddamn stupid.” But Ellie points out, “You laughed, motherfucker.” You hear the smile in his voice, “I didn’t laugh.” The kid throws back at him, “Yes, you did.” And you agree with her, “Yeah, you most certainly did, cowboy.”

He mumbles, “Jesus, I’m losin’ it,” and you loudly agree, “Yep, you are and so am I.”

And then his invisible walls came down and allowed himself to be vulnerable, to laugh at Ellie’s stupid joke. Finally, letting his baggage down, if he was being honest, he was so tired of being afraid, and this feeling of weightlessness felt like euphoria. Your cheeks rise to meet your eyes and lines appear as you smile, listening to both of their laughter. Though the storms will push and pull, you three are slowly beginning to form a home. The years, while they were here, haven’t been so kind, but the melody of laughter reminds you to keep your heart open wide. Slowly finding the strength and the nerve it takes to keep going because you know what lies beneath is the greatest thing you have. To trust that there will be light always waiting behind even in the darkest of nights. Somehow you will all be okay.

OFFICE BUILDING, KANSAS CITY – A FEW HOURS INTO THE NIGHT

You feel something heavy and warm draped over your waist, and your head resting on something firm beneath your head. You hear Ellie yell out both of your names in urgency and blink your eyes open to find yourself wrapped up in arms, with your head on his chest. You take a deep inhale, turn your head slightly, and tap Joel awake, his eyes open, alert and confused, to see Ellie kneeling on the cushions with her hands up and Henry pointing a gun at her head. Shit.

And you both turn to look in front of you, a little boy, Sam, with orange paint on his face resembling a superhero mask, pointing a gun at you both, he brings his pointer finger to his lips, indicating for you to be quiet. Joel tries to shield you from the boy, covering your figure with his large frame, gripping your waist so tight, and breathing through his nose heavily. You feel a little paralyzed, as you can’t help but watch the train wreck about to happen right in front of you.

Previous Chapter -> Next Chapter

END NOTES:

This was probably one of the most difficult chapters to write because of all the technicalities and this episode was definitely more centered around Ellie and Joel’s relationship so I didn’t want the reader to completely overshadow that HHEHEHEHE ONE BED TROPE The moment I watched that episode, I immediately thought, I’m writing a one-bed trope (idk if i got it right tho lol I tried to make it realistic??) I had to cut a huge ass important memory from the reader but decided again it's TOO SOON also it wouldn’t add anything to the plot so I’ll add that in later My bad for taking too long to finish this chapter, it was the most intimidating episode for me to write, the loss of innocence is also the main theme of this part of the show, and my experiences with losing innocence are WAY DIFFERENT so it proved it harder to write about You can see Joel slowly giving in and opening up to both you and Ellie Tbh, to me, this is one of the more mediocre chapters I’ve written thus far but I can’t seem to edit it anymore T^T Ellie absolutely adores you and 100% looks up to you hehe (Also she definitely wants you to get with her father figure) cAN SOMEONE UPDATE ME IF THEY WERE AT A TRUCK STOP OR GAS STATION BCS I’ve read sO MANY DAMN ARTICLES trying to figure out what it was and I just settled for a truck stop T^T Thank you, guys, so much for all your kind questions, comments, and feedback aHHH IT TRULY MEANS THE WORLD TO ME Lastly, this is the last call for the taglist before I close it! OKAY BYE OFF TO EPISODE 5 I GO WRITE HNGGGG - Grace

TAGLIST:

@memento-mora @elijahssuit @tartiflvtte @lillylilly2 @kyuupidwrites @amethystwonder11 @syd-vixious @kidkrow666 @soulofapatrick @ponyboys-sunsets @superflymaterial @chaotic-imposter @vainbimbo @eva-stark @loki-an-idiot @littleshadow17 @undermoonlightwalk @afternoon-evening @notmysunnydale @slurmp69 @gyllord @aerangi @mac5323 @friskynotebook @earth-to-lottie @chaotic-imposter @kodzuvk @hawkins-2000 @reallysparklychaos @trust-dreamcatcher @darkened-writer @memeorydotcom @welcomebackfelicia @rainbowpitofdoom @omg-its-typical-aesthetics-fan @marvelsimpcz @dorck26 @evienorville @munsons-queen @little-miss-bi @mxltifxnd0m @ohjoelmiller @coalix @taestrwbrry @avengersheart @gyllord @valentine-babe

Edit: Sorry for the notif twice! The taglist completely bonked itself :,)

#uneven odds joel miller #unevenoddstaglist #uneven odds #unevenodds #joel miller x reader series #joel miller x poc!reader #joel miller x female reader #joel miller x reader #joel miller x y/n #joel miller x modern reader #joel miller x reader au #joel miller x reader tlou #tlou rewrite #tlou remake #tlou series #joel miller x reader masterlist #joel miller x reader series masterlist #ethereal writes

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tonberry-yoda · 9 months

Note

Congrats to the 1 year anniversary Tonberry! ❤ Mine will be in August. Time flies 🥲

Can I request 11. with Bruno? Only if it's alright.

Do You Know How Much I Love You? - Bruno

notes - AHHHH THANK YOU SO MUCH! And happy early anniversary to you!! It's really crazy how this all happens! I've met so many amazing people, including you, and I am so over the moon about it! Thank you for sticking around and being so awesome! ilysm <3 word count - 336 ~~BUY ME A KO-FI (COMMISIONS ARE OPEN)~~

You weren't feeling 10/10 as of late. You were tired, weak, and overworked. Your job was giving you a hard time and not only was your boss being an asshole as per-usual, but your coworkers were too, which was really getting under your skin.

Not only that, but Bruno was gone more often, doing more jobs than usual. The whole thing was making you feel bitter, and microwave pasta wasn't doing it for you.

You laid on the couch - watching TV curled up with your pet and a blanket - when you heard the door open and Bruno hang up a jacket of his.

You turned to look at him, but just turned back to the TV.

"How was your day, love?" he asked as he walked to the kitchen, digging in the fridge for something to eat.

"It was okay." you muttered.

"It doesn't sound okay." he chuckled and looked over at you, concern immediately painting his face. "What happened?"

"Nothing, I'm fine." you lied, trying to hide your face.

"What? You can tell me." Bruno walked over to you and cupped your face in his hands as he pressed a kiss to your nose.

"Work's been rough and just to add to the shit pile, you've been gone." You teared up with each word, feeling like you were just going to burst into tears at any moment.

"Darling, darling, shhh, I'm here now. I promise I'll be here more often, I'm sorry." He pulled you into his arms and rubbed your back softly.

"You don't have to apologize," you sniffled. "It's not your fault that work's been hard."

"Yes, but that doesn't give me an excuse to leave you like this, now does it?" He pulled from the hug and wiped your tears.

"It's fine. I've just been pissy."

"And you have every right to be."

He kissed your lips and cupped your face. "Do you know how much I love you?" he asked.

You just smiled and brought your lips to his again.

~~~~~

jjba masterlist (2) (3) | pinned post

2023 @tonberry-yoda – do not repost or claim ANY of my work as your own! likes, reblogs, and comments are not only welcome, but appreciated <3

~~~~~

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ashes-writing · 11 months

Text

outer banks ● one girl two guys pt 10 ● j.maybank + t. thornton

warnings

[ multi chapter ] reader is very insecure / has trust issues, complicated relationships - 4 to be exact, angst and lots of internal monologue, hooking up / feelings after the fact, extreme pda + a hint of b&e technically, story only loosely follows show canon tbh.

reader/you are a female with female parts. reader/you are also a pogue. reader/you also has a past/personality/style. this is self indulgent and i am not sorry.

word count + prev. part

part 9 <- can be read by clicking the bold.

2932 words exactly.

summary

"If you're about to tell me JJ is hurting right now, Pope.." you trail off, taking a drag. It's your first cigarette of the day so your head swims. You lean your head back against the wall. "I'm sorry. I know. I hate it but I can't just go back to the way it was. And he's the one who went silent on me for–" you go quiet and breathe in, breathe out. The two if you sit in silence for a few seconds.

Then Pope speaks up.

"I'm more worried about you, actually. Topper is an asshole. And he could be using–" this time its you that silences Pope, shaking your head. "If he is then I'll learn a hard lesson. He's not like that with me, Pope."

taglist + shoutouts

-- taglist is here <- click to be taken to it.

@ellamae021 @writingreadinglurkingandsmirking - your comments always make my day omg ilysm and i enjoy talking to you it makes my day! @valentineshiftz - you are the sweetest i swear. i'm so glad you enjoy this you don't know how much it means to me! @stilesstilinskisgf - babes omg your comments make me smile omfg. thank you so much and i am so glad you're enjoying this so far. @fluffybunnyu - ahhhh i'm so glad you're enjoying this thank you sm it means the world to me babes! you're the sweetest omg. @tbmunson - you are bae and ilysm. you're amazing and idk what i'd do without you. really hope you like where this went because tbh it took me totally by surprise.

other links

masterlist ● jj's masterlist ● topper's masterlist ● about + rules

"There he is. You've been down at the cut so much lately I almost forgot what you look like, Thornton." Kelce grins, high fiving his best friend. Topper chuckles, picking up a club. When Kelce catches sight of hickies starting to fade, he lets out a low whistle. "Damn, dude."

Toppers face reddened and he flips Kelce off on teasing. "She got called in to cover a shift. Before you ask. I'm starting to think you like my girl more than me, buddy."

"Nah, man. Just glad all that mopey shits behind-" Kelce trails off and the hard gleam in his eyes has Topper turning around. And he finds himself confronted by a crying Sarah.

And until recently, he would have absolutely rushed to figure out what's wrong so he could fix it. But looking at her now, he just doesn't care. He doesn't feel like hearing anything she has to say because it's likely he's heard it all from her before, to a point where her words have zero meaning. "What do you want from me?"

"I just want to talk. Please just let me talk."

"I'm not stopping you." Toppers jaw clenches.

"John and I got into it earlier. I..I can't be around him right now." Sarah fidgets, a sinking feeling grows in the pit of her stomach as she looks up at Topper. There’s something different. He looks so distant, his tone is so much colder than it was before. He almost feels like a stranger now and the realization has Sarah more than a little upset. Panicked because she’s gotten too comfortable, too used to him and she’s so afraid to lose him.

"Not my problem." Topper rolls his eyes. A part of him feels really bad for the way he’s acting towards her but then he stops and thinks about it, she’s the one who cheated on him. She’s the one who chose John B over him and set this all in motion. And she doesn’t get to do this now that he’s finally getting over her.

"He thinks I still love you. And I can't say he's wrong." Sarah’s words are shaky as they leave her mouth. And her stomach knots at the uncertainty she’s feeling right now. Everything about coming to find Topper feels wrong somehow and yet.. He’s a habit. She knows she needs to break free, she’s just too afraid because everything outside of the safety net he provides is scary.

,, but you’re about to learn to live with fear from the looks of it.” the thought comes, taunting as she stands there, shifty under his cold gaze. He feels even more like a stranger with each second this confrontation drags on, slow and painful. She’s tearing up all over again because she’s torn down the middle. ,, but you don’t really love him and you know it. Let go.”

Topper laughs. It's everything he would have died to hear last month -or anytime before that from her. And until his night with you maybe a small part of him held out just a sliver of hope but since his night with you, he's made up his mind.

It all ends with him and you. Against whatever comes up. He's fully prepared to wait as long as he has to for you to be in a better place if it means he gets to be with you.

"That's your problem, Sare. Not mine." Topper starts to step around her but she reaches out for him. Around the time he snatches his wrist away, it hits her.

She's finally lost him.

"Doesn't that matter?" she calls out after him. He stops and turns around. "You got what you wanted, Sarah. It's over."

As he makes his way over to where Kelce is standing, Kelce high fives him. "You're doing the right thing here, man. She was making you miserable."

"Yeah." Topper takes a shaky breath. It hurts, but the pain is nowhere near what he thought it'd be.

CONTINUED

You've just gone outside for your smoke break when Pope wanders over, surprising you when he sits down on the ground beside you.

Then Pope speaks up.

"Yet."

"At all. Even when we butt heads about things, he's not like that with me." you reassure him. Pope rubs his chin. "Okay, well what if Sarah wanted to go back to him? Because she's been acting weird with JB lately."

You shrug and sigh. "If it happens, it happens. Honestly?"

Pope nods. You laugh quietly. "Kind of at this place with everything in which I don't care anymore. And no," you exhale after a long drag,"it doesn't have everything to do with JJ."

"You sure?" Pope asks, eyeing you in concern. "Because it kind of feels like it."

You thump your cigarette at the asphalt. "Absolutely sure."

Pope chuckles. " You're still my friend, __."

You smile and nod, "You're still my friend too. I'm sorry I haven't been around much lately. I'm gonna come hang soon, I promise."

Pope stands, offering his hand to you and you let him pull you up. "Don't let that prick hurt you, ___. If he does, you know where to find me."

You laugh and nod, giving him a thumbs up. Then you make your way back inside the Wreck. Kiara makes a beeline for you and you tense up, rolling your eyes as she pulls you right back out into the alley.

And as soon as the door swings shut, she's looking at you as if she's waiting on you to say something. Or like she wants to say something but she's not sure about it.

"What?"

" There's a date on Topper’s Instagram bio.."

"And?" you fold your arms. Waiting on her to get to the point. "Are you dating him now?"

You shrug. "We enjoy spending time together. Why's it matter, Kie?"

"It matters because Sarah and John B. got into it and she left the Chateau."

"And? If he wants her back, that's his decision. I'm tired of fighting so hard to make people stay or want me. I'm done." you go quiet after you say it. Sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach because you haven't met a guy yet who is capable of resisting Sarah Cameron.

"Yeah, well.. I warned you."

"Thought you and Sarah were thisclose now? Why bother?" you ask the question and apologize after because you feel bad for constantly being a bitch.

In your defense, it's hard to watch the boy you loved be happy with someone else, knowing you weren't enough and you never are.

Your own father couldn't even get away fast enough and he certainly didn't keep the promise he made to come back for you.

"We are, but.. I wanted to warn you, especially after I saw the date in his bio last night."

"What is the date?" you ask, and you're at least half convinced it'll be leftover from when he was dating Sarah and she just didn't notice it before now. When she lists off the date of the first time you hooked up with Topper, your mind is blown.

" Wait..what was the date agin?"

She repeats it and then asks, "Well? Be honest..are you with him?"

"It's kind of like…complicated. I mean..do I want to be? Yes. Have we been spending a lot of time together lately? Also yes. Does that mean we are? Nope."

"Wait…did you two.."

Instead of answering, you walk back inside. But what she's warned you about, it's festering inside your brain and you just know by the time you get off work, you're going to be so deep in your own mind that it'll be pathetic.

And you told yourself this wasn't going to happen again if you could help it.

,, there goes I'm never catching feelings again." the thought comes and you take a deep breath.

CONTINUED

You've just clocked out and you're exhausted. All you want to do is go home and collapse and preferably, not think for a while because what Kiara warned you about earlier.

Because in your mind, it's inevitable.

You're more than a little surprised to walk out of the restaurant and find Topper leaned against the lamppost nearby, one hand in his pocket. He spots you and he's smiling. Walking towards you.

"Hey pretty girl." he pulls you up against him and you breathe him in deep.

But you're not saying anything because of course you're not, you're in your own head again.

And Topper picks right up on that.

"Something wrong?"

"No. I'm fine, it was just a really long and busy day."

"Uh huh. You wanna try that again, love?" he asks, gently gripping your jaw to make you look him in the eyes. You swallow hard. "I'm fine. I mean it."

"You're not though." Topper insists.

He's starting to get this bad feeling. And he doesn't like it, makes him feel like he's backed into a corner.

"How'd golfing go?" It's an honest attempt to steer the conversation off you.

He totally surprises you with his answer though.

"I think Sarah knows it's finally over and I'm done for good. She uh..she came by while we were playing. I told her I didn't want to hear anything she wanted to say because you were right..she only wants me when John upsets her."

You need a second to process. You melt against him as the tension leaves your body. He picks up on that too but he doesn't say anything because he knows you're not quite there yet.

You haven't figured out how you feel and you're trying to work through a lot.

He's trying to show you that you can trust him and depend on him. So if that means waiting, leaving everything undefined, so be it.

For now.

"Sounds like you had a day too." You're finally pulled together enough to look up at him and you laugh quietly. "Kie was being nosy earlier. She told me Sarah and John B got into it and Sarah left his house." and you're doing what you think is your best to hide the way it rattled you even though you've been mentally preparing yourself for the end because you're positive that it's coming.

He picks up on that too.

Again, he acts like he hasn't. He just nods and looks down at you in concern. "You're okay though, right?"

You nod and you're actually able to give him a weak but convincing smile. Then he's scooped you up, carrying you over to the spot he parked his Jeep. Placing you into the passenger seat and he leans in to steal a kiss that you willingly oblige him.

You laugh to yourself softly. Smile as he goes around to get in his own seat. As the Jeep heads away from the lights of town, you glance over at him and he chuckles.

"No, we're not going back to your house. It's a surprise, okay?"

"Okay." you finally can't resist a second longer, you need to touch him. In some way. So you slip your hand into his, cautious and hesitant at first but then he slides his fingers between yours, giving your hand an oh so gentle squeeze. You give him three little squeezes and he turns into a deserted parking lot. It's getting late so even the tourists aren't lingering on the beach. You drag your finger over his knuckles softly and he nods to the lighthouse across the water.

You follow his gaze. "It's the old lighthouse." you laugh softly and shake your head. He looks over at you and you explain, "I always wanted to go over there. But when we were kids.." you trail off, frustrated because literally every part of your childhood features JJ Maybank and lately, it makes you bitter.

"Nevermind. It's dumb, anyway. I was scared of the place, I guess."

He gives your hand a reassuring squeeze. "You don't have t' do that, you know.."

"Do what?" you ask.

"Censor every happy thing just because the asshole who hurt you was a part of it." Topper answers, chuckling quietly when you immediately apologize and follow up with, "Trust me, you want me to. You guys hate each other and I'm not.. I'm not trying to make you feel like we're.. whatever this is, is less important, okay? Like..I don't want you to feel that way because I get the feeling she did it a lot.."

He nods, going quiet. "She never wanted t' come out there with me." he admits, laughing, "And its kind of the place I go when I want to.." he pauses, "when I need to get away."

The fact that he's now asking you is a huge deal for him. And you're not stupid, you know that. You're blown away that he wants to let you in on things, on a side of him that almost nobody else gets to see. And it means so much to you.

,, you know what will happen if you fall too hard." it's there, lingering in the back of your mind but you shove it down because you just want to enjoy this while you have it.

" I wanna go. Will you take me, Topper?"

He chuckles and nods. "That was my plan,love."

CONTINUED

When he's tied the boat off, he turns to you and motions for you to turn away from him. You do what he wants, laughing softly. Topper ties a navy bandana over your eyes and you laugh. "What's this for?"

"If I tell you, it's not a surprise anymore."

"Okay, but stairs?"

"I'm going to carry you, love."

"You don't have to do that.."

He's nosed your hair away from your neck and his lips trail over the side. "I know I don't have to, love. I want to." and the way his minty breath tickles your ear has you shivering as you giggle. He nips at a fading love bite and you can't help the little moan that slips out when he does it. Before you realize it's happening, he's scooped you up bridal style and he's walking with you. You bury your face in his neck and he grips you just a little tighter when you do it.

He's made it to the steps, you can feel each one. "Can't you just give me a hint?"

He laughs. "Could...but I won't."

"Top." you whine against his neck and he bites back a groan because his mind immediately goes to all the other times he's made you whine lately. He swears under his breath as he works the padlock off the door leading to the big light at the top of the lighthouse.

"Something wrong?"

"Not at all, love. Relax, alright?" Topper coaxes as the way he's picking the padlock finally works and the rusty lock falls to the floor of the landing with a thud.

You tensing up just a little has him snickering about it. "Relax, love. Everything is fine. I totally do this all the time." -except he doesn't, actually. This is the first time he's come all the way to the lights atop the lighthouse.

It's also the first time he's picked a lock.

But he practiced earlier when he came out to set everything up. Now he just has to hope nobody gets nosey and comes to check on things. Hope he's hidden his boat well enough not to be seen by any late night swimmers or other boats.

He steps into the narrow windowed room and reluctantly, he stands you on your own feet. Then he removes the blindfold to reveal sleeping bags, pizza and the flowers he got you earlier and he watches as your face fills with a soft smile. You turn to him, throwing your arms around his neck as you melt into him.

Because no one has ever done this for you.

"I love it. You can see the whole island, almost." you’re in awe of the view through the ceiling to floor windows because Kildare is lit up and it’s so pretty. And peaceful. Being in the tower feels like being in your own little bubble with him and after the day you’ve been having, it’s needed.

You've grabbed both of his hands in yours and he leans down into you, his forehead against your own. Nose to nose and body to body as the sun vanishes on the horizon and reds,pinks and oranges give way to purples and blues. The stars are starting to come out as the two of you settle in on the sleeping bags he snuck in up here earlier, cuddled up as close as you can both get to each other.

For now, everything is peaceful. You can almost forget the constant war between your mind and your heart…

#jj maybank #topper thornton #jj maybank imagine #topper thornton imagine #jj maybank fanfiction #topper thornton fanfiction #jj maybank x fem!reader #topper thornton x fem!reader #jj maybank x reader #topper thornton x reader #jj maybank x kiara carrera #topper thornton x yn #topper thornton x you #<- my writing ● jj maybank #<- my writing ● topper thornton #<- warnings | complicated relationships - angst - pogue vs kook stuff ● see warnings above #<- warning | female reader - female parts + appearance ● pogue!reader with personality a past and petnames/nicknames #fandom ( outer banks ) ● season ( au 2/3 onward - some things won't be inclu. ) ● character ( jj maybank + topper thornton )#-- okay but a decision is being made... v.v slowly. i repeat.. v.v slowly.

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slightlysstuff · 2 years

Note

Hey I saw you made a Michael Myers post and I wanted to know if you could make more. I've been been fan of Michael for a while now and I'm a dirty simp. Your work is amazing and I can't wait to read more!!

Ahhhh ilysm!!! ❤️

And here's what you've been waiting for

Confessing Your Kinks To Michael Myers

Nsfw 18+ content warning: impact play, using knife handle as a dildo (I can feel the judgements seeping off you guys)

You would be sitting in his lap, talking about your day. When you started telling him about a conversation you had.

"My friend was talking about how her boyfriend and her were exploring different things in bed." You said, with that his eyebrows rise as if signaling you to explain more.

"Well she then goes on to tell me I'm to vanilla, which is not true in the slightest"

He suddenly grabbed your thigh.

"Well I-I mean I kinda like things like that"

He then grunts at you. His clenched his jaw almost immediately after you confess. He had never really considered anything like that with you, at least he had never voiced them. You were so tiny in and fragile compared to him, that he often fear he would push you too far. He knew you only wanted to please and pleasure him so if he had asked and even if you didn’t really feel into it, you would probably have said yes anyway.

But this changed the whole game. Now, he wanted nothing more than to discover your limits, maybe even slightly push them a little. Maybe tying you up. Maybe take you out in public. Not where you woule be found, but the thrill of it made him want to take you up to the nearest roof and practice.

Practice testing you, seeing how much of a good slut you could be. Could he finally slap that ass that he loved? Grab your head and train you to really take his dick. Maybe fuck you with the end of the knife, the thought of it made his dick twitch. He suddenly grabbed you and pinned you to the bed.

Oh you were in for it.

#slasher smut #slasher x y/n #slasher community #slasher imagines #slashers #fanfiction #fanfic #reader smut #michael my beloved #michael myers fanfic #michael myers #michael #michael myers smut

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coffeelovesdramasalatte · 20 days

Text

LITA Ep. 5 Rewatch Thoughts Part 2

Phayu is looking WAY too happy to be called a bastard

Idk this shot is just funny

AHHHH It's our other resident cutie!! I missed you Prapai <3 Also yay for P' Aon and P' Saifah my beloveds

The exchange between Prapai and P' Saifah is so funny and I wish we'd gotten to explore the twins' and Prapai trio more in the show. That would've been so fun! As it stands take a P' Saifah side-eyeing self-proclaimed VIP Prapai

Ah so P' Saifah did hear things last night (poor him). Also I'mma need everyone to stop calling Phayu names when all he does is be a SIMP

If the beast was actually a puppy, sure. I'm not sure these boys know how metaphors work.

Poor Sky's world is about to get a lot windier with turbulence. It's not time for us to talk about that yet though. Also peep the manga collection, I stan

HE EVEN SNEEZES LIKE A KITTY I CAN'T HANDLE THIS CUTENESS

P' Phayu you're hilarious - wdym germ-spreader as if you don't literally stick your tongue down his throat in circa 5 minutes

Man is really gunning to impress the in-laws - do you see this smirk?? He knows he's won their favor (at least Mama Rain's so far). Poor Rain can feel himself being replaced as the favorite son >.<

I just know Phayu's inner-self is SCREAMING rn at seeing his triangle being so treasured by Rain. This is probably what prompted that very "you are my fate and the heavens themselves brought us together and ilysm" musical number coming up later on. Also for the millionth time, Boss has v nice hands heh

I love how utterly hypnotized Rain looks every time Phayu gets close to him. obsessed with this set of expressions, actually!

Why is Rain saying 'mia' with that look on his face so powerful?? Phayu sir how did you hold back from immediately smothering his face with kisses bc I certainly couldn't be that strong

Phayu I'm going to slap you bc what is this behavior?

Rain is understandably not ok. Noeul did a spectacular job here of giving us subdued shock and realistic tearing up. Generally speaking, he's a good crier (even in ep 3 I think he portrayed it well without overdoing it).

I love how they gave us dramatic thunder in the background to really impart the gravity of the situation. Foley artist I continue to love u <3

They also really went hard with the triangle imagery in this episode, or maybe that's just me seeing things. I do love how Rain's first instinct to get out of any Situation is to grab Phayu's arm.

"It's time to stop studying each other." Yeah ok say it without looking at Rain's lips like 50 times first, coward

You can see the tear track and Noeul does this little nose twitch here that's giving me poor meow meow. Even Phayu couldn't resist touching

Rain: is this clown serious rn?? we're talking about the WEATHER???

The audacity?!

Rain looks so distressed here, my poor son :(

He finally breaks and we get to see that oh-so-adorable-only-for-Rain nose crinkle. Phayu is lucky he's so cute or Rain would've pouted for a lot longer

Rain just went at him with the softest pillow in his arsenal. He's too nice.

I know every single one of you went back to the shot earlier of his clearly unmarked back when you first watched this. I should know. I squinted for like 5 full minutes. Phayu you're a liar :(

Rain hits him some more, and Phayu says he's already won. I really think this man looks wayyyy too smug, someone (Rain) should do something about it.

And we're back to the neck cradling. I continue to admire how quickly Rain just loses himself (as shown by his suddenly very focused on Phayu's face gaze)

To the next part we go!! Lots of sweetness ahead :)

#love in the air #lita the series #phayurain #bossnoeul #lita rewatch thoughts

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fadeintohim · 1 year

Note

Hey babes, pretty please can I get cooper day x fem!reader where readers asks him to pierce her nipples. Him being actual boob obsessed nearly passes out just from reader taking her shirt off. Cooper has very shakey hands throughout the whole thing and gets visibly flustered. Maybe his sister walking in just as cooper finishes the last one, and having to explain the situation. 😭🤭 ilysm ❤️

OH MY GOODNESS HI SORRY I DID NOT GET TO THIS EARLIER IM SO SORRY BABES!!! I LOVE THIS REQUEST AHHHH! ILY2 SWEETIE <3

P.S., i'm ditching the aesthetic seperators they're so much work! sorry luvs <\3. P.S. P.S., i'm writing these as headcanons bc i kinda suck at writing real fics <\3 sorry again lovely! hope u still love it 💗 These are written as most of HC's are, C1 is non-sexual, C2 is sexual!! ENJOY!!

"Too Much" - Cooper Day piercing his gf's titties HC'S

C1 HC's start here

C1 - Coopers hands are super shaky and kinda sweaty, it's cute.

C1 - Cooper tries to be extra gentle with you because he loves you (and because he needs to make sure they look perfect so when he looks at your boobs, he can see how good he did).

C1 - Cooper blushes a TON and stammers a LOT, he can't help but be flustered.

C1 - Cooper is a hot mess throughout the whole process.

C1 - Cooper can't sit still while reader asks him to do it (more on that later).

C1 - Cooper gets kinda pissed when Nat (his sister) walks in, and has to explain the whole thing to her at the end.

C1 - Cooper made sure you liked the first piercing before even attempting the second one.

C2 HC's start here

C2 - Cooper gets a boner the second the thought of your tits entered his head.

C2 - Cooper almost cums just from seeing you take your shirt off.

C2 - Cooper isn't good at hiding his boner, hence the fact he can't sit still.

C2 - Cooper almost faints because of how perfect your tits are, and he asks to feel them one time before the piercings, and he knows damn well how to make you crazy with just a few touches.

C2 - Cooper has to jerk off right after he pierces your nipples.

C2 - Cooper can't stop praising your tits during the whole process.

#cooper day smut #cooper day x reader #evan peters smut #evan peters x reader #i need him #i love evan so much #and cooper too #cooper day pls marry me ily #cooper day #i love that everyone makes me write abt coop it makes me so happy

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werebutch · 17 days

Note

Haiii teddy ^__^ how is it going =3 !!! I watched the solar eclipse here is my picsss

Ok kind of buttcheeks but u get the idea. We're gonna be moving soon (again) but the house will probably be in me and my best friends names :D because legal stuff and credit...heh. but still a house with my name on it sounds really nice. And pets!! Nobody telling us what we can and can't do. Hopefully it works out that way.

How are the big things in yr life going ^_^ I hope it is well....!!! I also love the bear shirt when I was snooping I think it's su cute LOL

Bex this is like the best news ever making me smile behind my screen right now. ILYSM u deserve this and so much more. So happy for you thats awesome and i hope everything works out like it should.. <3333

i just got back from watching the eclipse at my school! I didnt get any pictures but it was a huge gathering with food and music and stuff it was very nice. Kids and dogs running around too very cute. Afterwards my sisters friend who knows practically everyone in the entire world introduced us to two brony girls (pegasisters..LMFAOOO) and got their insta and talked for a while. So im very happy with that cause they’re really nice. And even if its just for today im so glad i got to talk to a bunch of people 😸 then a bunch of us went to get smoothies..! Today is making me feel like a real person again i wont lie. LMFAOOO <3

Not too many big things going on.. Lately my life has been pretty boring i wont lie im just very exhausted a lot of the time. Now that its a little warmer and sunny these days though im more motivated to go outside to my usual spots and engage in my outside hobbies. I still feel very anxious lately about genuinely every little thing but im getting there and i know it’ll pass ^__^ on Saturday we went to a (new!!!) huge antique store (need to take u there…very fun stuff..) and i spent a lot of money.. i figured i usually buy nothing anywhere so id treat myself. MY BEAR SHIRT.. ill post my haul when i get home.. IT WAS A LOT OF FUN!!!! After we went to an Indian buffet it was very good i tried goat for the first time. ^__^ and they had mango ice cream… ummy..<3

I’m so excited for the concert.. i have to do my homework though i dont know too many hail the sun songs.. im in a mood right now im just like…ahhhh……^__^ you mentioned pets.. if you could get a pet right now what would it be ?! I’m curious

#asks #wolfblod #YIPPEE #im sitting outside in my moms swing chair thing and the red winged blackbirds are very loud i love when they’re loud. obnoxious little guys.#i like to yap apparently sowwie HAHAHAH

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archonsabyss · 2 months

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i just read ur xavier fic and im KSMSKWKK ISTG you might be my favorite lads writer….. I SWEARRRRR you picture him so good???? like even though im not xav biased i don’t think he’s 100% a softie like everyone writes him to be, AND YOU GET ITTT LIKE HES AN IMMORTAL KNIGHT AND YOU PICTURED IT SO GOOD I LOVE YOU SM im so crazy about ur fics my god and now im gonna stalk and read all ur fics I SAW AN ASK WHERE SOMEONE SAID YOU WRITE RAF GOOD AND IM SO EXCITED AHHHH

this is @aishasreality btw im sending this from my main blog <33 (also can you tag me in ur future lads fics pls if you have a tag list thank you !!)

₊⊹ hold on back it up rn! who permitted such flattery? i'm rolling around on the grass clutching my phone and giggling uncontrollably, that's how ur ask makes me feel!! fav lads writer is such a massive compliment (I could cry) but instead of denying it I will work towards continously giving my best to my fics😔🤍🫂

Xavier certainly does have a soft side, but I personally think Zayne is the softest between the 3! Like Xavier is wild and freaky as many of us know, but from the get go (as a biased and unbiased observation) he's got scary intimidating, possessive tendencies! Like borderline red flag but not red flag entirely you get me. He'd commit mass murder for you, morals out the door lol.

I love having stalkers! BECAUSE I'm one myself 🫡 you're promoted to my number 1 favorite stalker. ILYSM! and thank you, I did quite a lot of side research on their personalities by watching their memories and trying to imitate their speech patterns! Also dove a bit into MBTI ect! Ofc it's not perfect but I'm trying so I'm happy someone appreciates it

Sincerely, Thank you again from the bottom of my heart. I don't have a taglidt but I will certainly open one just for you. Let's be moots 🤍🫂

#₊⊹ ๋࣭ ࣪ ˖⭒✮ abyss inbox 📩#love and deepspace

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carlplsrailme · 2 years

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reading important world news 🤢🥱👹

reading carlplsrailme fics 😩💗☺💗🥰💗

AHHHHH THANK YOU BABBBYYYYY!!! MWAH MWAH! 😘💞

#AHAHAA IM IN LOVE WITH THIS OMG <3 #this fr made my day bb tysm <3 #mwah ily #ahhhh ilysm!!! <3

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skeelly · 3 months

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okay but like your blog is so so cool and youre so so cool and ahhhh i cant help it i love you so much omg im so happy were moots (i was intimitated by u at first cuz youre so fucking cool 😭)

OMG KMGDNWIWNSINWWIN STOP ILY OML

THANK YOU SM!! THIS IS SO NICE OF YOUUUU

your blog is literally so aesthetic though, like- it's gorgeuos!! omlll

sorry for intimidating you, istg I'm just insane and bored :))

AND IM NOT COOL OMG- YOURE THE COOL ONE ODNWIAJQ + MY BLOG IS A DUMPSTER LIKE IDK WTF IM SAYING HALF OF THE TIME

OH AND IM ALSO SO HAPPY YOURE MY MOOT🌷🌷

ilysm thank youu!! ^^

#gonna give you a tagg :)#tell me if #lea 💋#is okay w/ u #c:

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kenobismullet · 3 months

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an accurate depiction of me whenever i see u on my dash/ in my notifications/ in my dms btw 🫡💜

me seeing this 🥰🥺 ahhhh, jane ilysm!!! 🥰🤭 and right back at youuuuu!!! I love seeing you on my dash and dms!!!

#answered #jane tag 💙#mutuals tag 💙#you are sooooooo cute🥺🫂💙#hugs and kisses

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ashes-writing · 11 months

Text

outer banks ● one girl two guys pt 11 ● j.maybank + t.thornton

warnings

[ multi chapter ] writer who can't write a triangle to save her life, swearing, helicopter moms (Topper's mom, fyi), mentions of alc + alcohol addiction ( your mom ), teenage shenanigans ( getting busted in a compromising position ), eluded to sexual encounter, mentions of markings / bites. Deviation from the events of the series for the most part -this is kind of like.. a side/background story to all the treasure hunting and stuff, tbh.

Reader/you is from the Cut. Reader/you are female with female parts and not much else described at all.

word count + prev. part

pt 10 <- can be accessed by clicking.

2464 words exactly.

summary

Shoupe glares but he begins to make his way back down from the tower and Topper makes his way back over to you, pulling you into a deep kiss that leaves you breathless when it's broken. He chuckles against your mouth as he bucks himself into you and lets out a quiet growl, " We are finishing this later, love."

taglist + shoutouts

<< taglist here >> click to add yourself.

@tbmunson bestie. bae. ilysm and you're the bestest and I'm so glad you're my best friend.

@writingreadinglurkingandsmirking Ahhhh, your comment on the last post, I am honored and thrilled that you enjoy this so much and you look forward to coming back to it!!!

@valentineshiftz oh my goodness, you're the sweetest, I swear. Thank you so so so so so so so much.

@slut4drudy ahhhh! Omg thank you soooooo much! I'm so happy you liked this! Pls don't throw yourself off the lighthouse, bb!!! <3

@ellamae021

@imtired0811

@ville-valosbeanie