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#they don’t care til we’re dead
onsomenewsht · 3 months
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all these people think love’s for show / but I would die for you in secret
About when she’s got a smile and you got impatient
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》 Leah Williamson × Reader 》 words count: 1.7 k 》 soft launch [verb, specialized]: to make a product, service, or business available or open for the first time, but only to a limited number of people at first
Being in a private relationship when you’re a public figure is even funnier than it sounds. And it sounds pretty funny as it is.
“You’re overthinking it”, Leah says, even if she knows better than to tease who’s literally feeding her.
You don’t bite back but keeping the plate slightly out of reach is a clear enough answer.
She smiles.
Oh, the way she lights up your day when she smiles at you.
You and Leah aren’t much for sharing your lifes on social media.
She’s been pretty much traumatized by the immense and not-really-that-unexpected attention after leading her national team to an historic tournament win. You’ve been scolded enough times by your agent to take your online enthusiasm down a notch.
So, your relationship flowered from two friendly teammates - who happened to share a room after a worth to be celebrated win - to an overly in love couple - who barely manage to store that many jackets in a four door closet.
You both understand the importance of some privacy to grow a love so beautiful yet so fragile, also not really caring about the outside world’ hot takes.
But one year of unplanned dates, dances around the kitchen waiting for delivery and shared stories in the middle of the night are a lot to keep just between the two of you.
Your teammates are way over your not-so-discreet looks during practice and your constant touch, the skipper never been one to shy away from a teasing kiss or wandering hands and you never back down an opportunity to make your friends regret every single life choose ‘til that very moment.
“We’re having a good time, aren’t we?”
“Yes, we are”, Leah raises a perfectly shaped eyebrow.
Oh, the way she lights up your mood when she challenges you.
“Such a cute moment to share with our loved ones, isnt?”
Leah looks around, the pasta dish shared in your kitchen island definitely counts as a cute moment for her. Sure, the fact you both are just in oversized t-shirts adding points to her case. Or yours, she’s not sure yet what point you’re trying to make.
“You want to share this?”, she gestures at the scene with a smirk, “We eating undercooked pasta in our underwear at unholy hour?”
“Yes, I want to share us having a wonderful time and perfectly cooked pasta”
Her blonde head tilts studying you, thinking it’s more about the fact you’re looking at her like she’s the reason why the sun rises every morning.
You’re feeding her, Leah’s own hands way too busy caressing her girlfriend’s outstretched legs to bother with food. And you can see her nipples through the overworn t-shirt of yours she’s on.
It's definitely about the nipples.
“What if I die tomorrow and no one knows I managed to win you over?”
“That's a way too dramatic turn, even for you”, but then she cracks up and you sure will die happy if this is how you meet your maker.
Oh, the way she lights up your home when she laughs at something you said just for the sake of making her happy.
“What? Life is unpredictable and McCabe is getting more aggressive with the age, I don’t know how much long I still have”
“And your main concern is the world knowing you won me over?”
"Of course not, my sunshine", you reach toward her, brushing your lips so close to hers she can already taste the wine you paired with the pasta. “My main concern is not being able to survive a tackle by Katie, even dead I have a reputation to keep and it’s your duty to defend my honor ‘til your own grave”
It is Leah who is closing the distance now, and even if you wanted to keep the jokes coming - still making sure she does make up a great story about your noble sacrifice if needed - Earth stops running around the sun when she kisses you.
You’re whipped and she’s honored, truly grateful for the opportunity to learn all your ways to show her and the people you care about how much love one can gift the world with.
“I love you”
“Why are you looking at me like that, Williamson?”
“I love you”
“Now you’re scaring me, are you the one dying?”
She knows you, she knows humor is your way to deal with comfortable and uncomfortable situations alike. She knows you’re always up for a good laugh, but she also knows you never say things just for the sake of a joke. Your words are always meaningful, your retorts always smart enough to look effortless.
“You wanna make some big announcement?”, Leah asks with a smile that’s held back by the seriousness behind the question.
“No, but I don’t want to hide us”
“We don’t hide”
“We don’t keep a secret, but sometimes we do hide”
It takes her a moment, but she gets what you’re saying. Your relationship is not hidden per se, not a secret and never denied.
But sometimes the two of you have to delay your greeting and wait for more private settings, or think twice before posting anything on your social media accounts. Sometimes she needs to withhold the instinct to rush to you and be the first to celebrate you for an incredible and game changing goal. Sometimes you need to hold back yourself, walking a step behind with your head down just to refrain from taking her hand in yours.
Usually, you two don’t even realize you're actively hiding the deep love no speculative-but-surprisingly-high-quality video edit can really capture. It happens regardless and it’s starting to make you feel dejected, Leah notices.
“Then we don’t”
You look up, stopping playing around with the now cold pasta. Your girlfriend’s hands are still on your legs, her soft touch never hesitant or refrained despite the tricky topic.
“What are you saying?”
“You know what I’m saying”
Your lover lights up again, the world lights up again.
She’s smiling a lot tonight, she thinks. She’s also perfectly aware of the permanent grin on her face whenever you’re around. She’s whipped too after all.
You wait for her to elaborate, so she does.
“I’m saying we do whatever we want whenever we want, and we share what we feel like sharing about our lives together”
“Whatever we want?”
Leah is pretty sure you have some very specific images in mind, you’re always taking photos of everything and everyone. Needless to say, your girlfriend is by far your favorite subject to capture.
Pictures of her sleeping with face masks on, or her frown while she’s playing board games and not necessarily winning, or when she’s trying outfit after outfit to make sure she’s dressed up for the occasion. Pictures of her taken during intimate moments, not necessarily suggestive but definitely meaningful given the nature of your relationship and the level of trust in each other.
She’s confident you have several photo albums of her in your phone.
You do.
That’s why when you reach for the long forgotten device, putting on a show of taking as many candids as you can, Leah happily plays along. Your shenanigans get a more creative direction, let's say, and some of the photos are taken just for the two of you to admire.
~
“We can soft launch”, she insists hours later, archives improved and clothes forgotten.
You’re lying on your back with her head placed comfortably on your thigh, sheet all over the bed. She can see your pensive gaze, despite you being at ease.
“Who educated you on such slang?”
“Beth but that’s not the point”
“It clearly is, she did the soft launch thing all wrong”
The hand you have between her blonde locks stops its ministration when Leah bursts out laughing like you just said the funniest thing possible.
“Let’s show them how it’s done!”
~
The next couple of days you both shared a bit more on your social media pages, nothing too revealing but enough to give your agent anxiety.
She posted a few photos on her stories, like a restaurant set up that’s most definitely a date and you from behind preparing tea in her kitchen in the middle of the night. Surprisingly you take a more subtle approach, posting teasing pictures but nothing really telling, even if Leah’s in most of them.
It lasts three days, by the end of which you’re even more pissed than before.
“I genuinely can’t believe it! You’re shoving her during practice and you two are basically married, but you post my hand on your thigh and I’m a really supportive friend”
The team’s admin posted some training shots in the morning and the vast majority of the comments are about the cute interaction between your girlfriend and Lia, the two always messing around a bit.
You’re mostly joking but the English capitan is aware that the constant rumors and the oversexualised comments she often receives upset you. Not sparked by jealousy, rather by the lack of respect towards her and her personal life.
“Relax, my love, they comment about us too”
She’s holding you from behind, her hands on your sides and her freshly washed hair leaving wet spots on your shirt. She lays her chin on your shoulder, trying not to giggle too much at some unhinged comments she can read under the posts you are scrolling.
“The way she looks at Leah: same”, you read out loud, faking annoyance. “Oh, that’s enough!”
You must have spotted something that snapped your sudden reaction.
Your lovely girlfriend stays unfazed in her position as you determinately search for a particular photo, type a caption, then stop to silently wait for her approval.
Leah barely nods, but you feel her smile and then her lips on your skin when you post it.
A picture of the two of you looking at each other with heart shaped eyes, dressed up to the nines since it was a snippet of a date on your summer vacation.
Her black attire was to die for and you sure died in some way. The blonde remembers in vivid details your care and attention, slipping it under her with such reverence later that same night.
She shivers, comments already popping in.
“You'd have tagged me”
“They know who you are”, your grin getting bigger by the seconds as you lock your phone and toss it away muted.
You turn around in her arms, and even if you know Leah’s most definitely sporting one of her best smiles, when you look at her it’s life changing.
Oh, the way she lights up your entire existence when her love for you it’s clear on her face.
You pick her up by her thighs, holding her as close as your bodies physically allow.
"Impatient", she teases.
“I’m gonna show you impatience”.
~
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fine.
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justagalwhowrites · 2 months
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Run Rabbit Part 2
You, Joel and Tommy settle into your situation. A continuation of Run Rabbit Part 1, found on Tumblr here.
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PLEASE READ ALL WARNINGS. Written as part of the @romana-after-dark Dead Dove December event (but posted late because it's impossible for me to make a deadline at the moment apparently.)
Relationship: Joel Miller x Female Reader X Tommy Miller
Warnings: DUBCON (reader is a captive, participation might be enthusiastic but consent is dubious under the circumstances.) Raider!Joel; Raider!Tommy; Captive reader; Canon-typical violence; graphic depictions of violence; graphic depictions of injury; attempted SA (not by Joel or Tommy); Dom/Sub dynamic but not an established relationship; Dom-ish Joel; Brat tamer-ish Joel; Sub-ish reader; DDDNE; M/F/M threesome; unprotected P in V sex; Anal sex; Oral sex; No use of Y/N; Minors DNI 18+ Only. This part is filthy, OK? There are two dicks. They're put to good use. The end.
Length: 17.9k (If I knew what the fuck my problem is, I'd tell you, I swear.)
AO3 | Fic Masterlist | Full Masterlist | Previous Part
You were oddly relieved when Joel and Vince came back the next afternoon. Tommy heard them coming, one ear cocked toward the door when the front step creaked, and he turned back to you quickly. 
“They ask, you’ve been tied up til a few hours ago,” he said. “All my idea to untie you, OK?” 
“OK,” you said, frowning a little but not arguing with someone else taking the heat. You didn’t want to piss off Joel. He seemed to run this whole operation and you wanted to stay on his good side. At least until you could get the fuck away from here. 
But he wasn’t upset that Tommy had untied you. He seemed to expect it. Even though he did bind your wrists again almost the second he was in the door. 
“Here,” he said once you were tied again, digging in his pack. He pulled out a few bottles of shampoo and conditioner and body wash and hand lotion, setting them on the table in front of you. “Thought you could use that. Might make you more comfortable.” 
You frowned, picking up the shampoo as best you could with your tied hands. You looked at the bottle for a moment, as though it was going to reveal something to you somehow. 
“Why do you care if I’m comfortable?” You asked eventually. 
Joel shrugged. 
“Don’t need you to be uncomfortable. Need you to keep us alive. Don’t have to be miserable while you do it.” 
The books kept you busy for a few days, the men sticking close to home for a while. Joel had come back with a nasty cut on his leg that you needed to treat after a few days of him trying to tough it out. He unbound your hands for that and Tommy brightened a bit when he did only to deflate when Joel tied you up once his leg was stitched up. About a week after they got back, the men hauled in water from the rain barrels outside, layers of ice forming on the top. They warmed some up over the fire and partially filled the bathtub, Tommy untying you as they did. 
“Gotta be quick,” Joel said. “Don’t trust you to not take off on us but we’re movin’ tomorrow, may as well get clean while you can.” 
“Moving where?” You asked as Tommy gently pulled the last of the rope from your wrists. You stretched and rotated your joints before you absently traced the indentations in your skin. 
“Not for you to worry about,” Joel said. “Just you and me to start. Vince and Tommy have some shit to finish up down this way first. You’ll be slower to travel with.” 
“I’d be faster if you untied me and I could keep my balance.”
Joel scoffed. 
“It’d be faster if you got with the program, little girl. You’re mine now, not gonna just let you take the fuck off no matter how hard you try.” 
You glared at him but followed him to the small bathroom when he guided you there. 
“I’ll be right outside this door,” he said. “Don’t think about tryin’ anything.” 
“Yeah, because I’ll just climb out through a pipe,” you muttered, closing the door behind you. They’d put a lantern in the room so you weren’t in the dark, at least. 
You got undressed, folding your clothes and setting them on the toilet that was now totally useless as anything besides a chair or a shelf. The fabric was stiff with dirt and sweat and signs of life after you’d lived in it for weeks and you doubted it would ever be clean again. 
The water was warm when you lowered yourself into it, barely coming up over your hips and the tops of your thighs, but enough to get clean. You scrubbed every inch of yourself and washed your hair twice, the water gradually shifting to a sickly gray. You didn’t mind. You felt clean for the first time in well over a month. The last time you’d had a bath, it had been warm enough to jump in a river without freezing half to death. You tried not to think about how long that had been. 
But, when you got out, you realized that you didn’t have clean clothes in the bathroom with you and you weren’t about to put on the old ones now that you were clean. 
“Shit,” you muttered to yourself. 
“Tryin’ to cause trouble in there?” Joel asked from the other side of the door, making you jump. 
“No,” you rolled your eyes even though he couldn’t see you. “I just didn’t think to grab clean clothes before coming in here and my old ones are disgusting.” 
“Oh,” Joel said, voice oddly gentle. “Um… just… one minute.” 
“Can’t go far,” you muttered, trying to dry yourself as best as you could with the scrap of towel that they’d left you in the bathroom while trying not to freeze. 
To his credit, Joel was quick. 
“Got my eyes closed,” he said. “Open the door.” 
You clenched your jaw a little but obeyed, trying to hide your body behind the the door as best you could. Joel held jeans, a flannel, underwear, a bra and socks out to you in a haphazard pile in one hand, covering his eyes with the other. You snorted. 
“What.” 
“Nothing,” you said, taking the clothes as best you could. “Thank you.” 
“Yup.” 
You went to close the door but jumped and shrieked instead. Perched on the edge of the tub was large mouse - or was it a rat? - trying to work its way down into the water without sliding in. You jumped onto the sink on instinct, half of the clothes tumbling to the floor while you clutched the rest to your chest as Joel came bursting in. 
“What!” He asked, looking around for some kind of threat in the tight space. 
“Rat!” You yelled, pointing at the thing on the stained porcelain. “There, on the tub!” 
“Shit,” he grabbed the bucket next to the tub and moved for it but it saw him coming and took off, darting between his legs and into the main part of the house where it was met with a sickening thud. 
“Got it!” Tommy called and you watched as the tension left Joel’s shoulders. 
Your body relaxed, too, even though you flinched a little at the thought that you’d been living here with that thing for who knows how long. 
“You alright?” Joel asked, looking at you. His eyes trailed down over you before coming back to your face and you remembered, suddenly, that you were naked, just a pile of fabric on your lap and held to your chest to hide the parts you’d want to protect the most. 
“Fine,” you said, clutching the clothes tighter to yourself, your heart beating faster than you wanted when you realized just how close Joel was to you. “Just… surprised me, is all.” 
“Right,” he said, eyes dropping to your chest again before quickly coming back up. “Get dressed. Be quick.” 
He stalked out, slamming the door behind him, your heart still thudding against your ribs. 
You got dressed quickly, too jumpy to properly savor the feeling of clean clothes on your clean body. When you emerged from the bathroom, Joel was nowhere to be found. You frowned a little at that as Tommy came back inside, hauling more water to warm over the fire. 
“He stepped out,” he said. “Don’t gotta tie you up quite yet.” 
“Right,” you said, folding yourself into a corner of the couch. Vince watched you from his place at the small table, finger idly tracing over the blade of the knife he was sharpening. You narrowed your eyes. “Can I help you?” 
“No,” he sat back a little further in his chair. “Just clean up good.” 
He adjusted his pants and you tried to ignore the sickening feeling in your stomach when his eyes stayed on you as he did. 
Tommy finished refilling the tub and glanced out the window where it was starting to get dark before he looked back to you. 
“Why don’t we call it a night early,” he said. “C’mon.” 
You looked at him skeptically for a moment. 
“If you’re not in here for him to tie up…” Tommy trailed off. 
“Bed time it is.” 
You followed him deeper into the cabin, no more hint of fear there when you were alone with Tommy. He’d had every opportunity to hurt you. He hadn’t done it. You weren’t sure if you were just desperate for someone to be attached to or if you’d have always come to trust Tommy. But that didn’t much matter. You had what you had. 
“Gotta promise not to take off on me,” he said, his voice low as he sat cross legged on the bed, grabbing the deck of cards from the bedside table. He started to shuffle. “He really won’t let me get away with goin’ easy on you if we gotta go run you down again.” 
“Why do you listen to him?” You asked, keeping your voice quiet, too. “You’re brothers, right? Just talk to him… or take over.” 
He scoffed. 
“Did take over for a bit,” he said. “Right after the outbreak. Did the best I could, little rabbit, but… didn’t go well. Miracle either of us are alive. But he wasn’t in any shape to figure shit out so that left me…” 
“What happened?” You frowned as Tommy started to deal. “Was he injured? Is that why he wants a nurse around so bad?” 
Tommy was quiet for a moment, staring intently at his cards, a hard look on his face. 
“He… he was hurt in the outbreak,” Tommy said eventually. “Still got some of the scars from it. He wasn’t able to make decisions for a while. Had to carry him for a bit, make sure he stayed breathing. I… I’m not cut out for that. Especially not with Joel. It’s better that he leads, trust me.” 
You looked at your hand, not able to picture Joel as anything but what he was. Cold and calculating and always in control. Picturing him hurt and weak made your chest get tight. You weren’t sure why. 
“Game’s Gin Rummy,” Tommy said, clearing his throat. “Usual stakes.” 
When you could hear Joel talking to Vince in low tones in the living room, Tommy folded his hand and gestured to the bed before lying down. You took your spot next to him, hands folded over your stomach. 
“Can’t I go with you instead?” You asked quietly, head turned to see him. 
He looked over at you before for a moment before turning his eyes back to the ceiling, settling down into the pillow. 
“No,” he whispered. “Joel has his reasons. Just… Behave yourself. He’s not gonna hurt you. I know he seems scary but he wouldn’t hurt a woman if he doesn’t have to. Don’t push him.” 
When Joel came in, you pretended to be asleep. You felt his eyes on you, heard the grinding of his teeth and, eventually, the creak of the floorboards as he settled in to sleep. 
The two of you got started early, your hands bound in front of you almost as soon as you were awake. 
“Not gonna get away with so much without my brother around,” Joel muttered as he wound the rope around you. “Don’t try and push your luck, little girl.” 
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” you muttered, your attitude tempered by your meek tone. You were about to be alone in the woods with this man for who knows how long. You didn’t want to push him too far. 
Tommy and Vince were outside when you left, getting ready to go do whatever it was they were going to do. You didn’t want to know. Tommy watched as you disappeared into the woods with his brother and you looked back over your shoulder at him, not ready to let go of the comfort you found in his soft, brown eyes. 
“Shouldn’t get so attached, little girl,” Joel said after you’d been walking long enough that you were sure you were out of earshot. 
“Attached to what?” You frowned, glancing back at him, breath rising in front of you. 
“My brother,” he said. “Watch where you’re walkin’.” 
You obeyed, looking ahead. 
“What makes you think I’m attached?” You asked. 
“Sure seem to spend a lot of time together if you’re not,” he said.
“What, you jealous?” You asked before you could stop yourself. You snapped your jaw shut after the words were out. You had to get your mouth under control. It got you in enough trouble before the world ended let alone when you were on the wrong side of a raider’s rifle. 
Joel snorted. 
“Just know Tommy,” he said. “Never found a broken thing he didn’t want to save and he just doesn’t know when to keep his fucking distance. Night of the outbreak I was bailin’ him out of jail because he beat up a guy who was roughin’ up a waitress. It’s a habit he needs to break if he’s gonna live through this shit. You’re just another symptom of his problem.”
That made your stomach clench. Part of you had thought - or maybe just hoped - that you meant something to Tommy. It bothered you that you didn’t. It bothered you more that it mattered. You shouldn’t care, beyond the fact that his affection for you might help you stay alive. 
But, with Zach gone - Zach, who likely hadn’t cared all that much for you, either, given how he handed you over to these men so easily - you had no one besides Tommy. You’d never had no one before. Being so utterly alone was horrifying in a way that even cordyceps weren’t. You weren’t sure you could handle it. 
“What makes you think I’m something he’d need to save?” You asked instead. 
“Little girl…” 
“Woman.” 
“Little girl,” he said again. “All alone after traveling with some guy who was willing to trade her pain for his life? What about that don’t need savin’, desperate to know what I fuckin’ missed.” 
“What’s wrong with a little attachment?” You asked instead of answering. “What, do you not have friends? No wife or girlfriend?” 
“Attachment gets you fuckin’ killed, that’s what’s wrong with attachment,” he snapped, voice more bitter than you were used to hearing, enough that you looked back at him. His face was hard but his eyes were more raw than you’d ever seen them, the pain sharp and harsh and full. You stopped and faced him, searching those eyes for a moment. It was easier to see the resemblance with Tommy now that he wasn’t so closed off and guarded, the moment of weakness bringing his latent humanity to the surface. 
“What happened to you?” You asked quietly, brows drawn together as you traced the planes of his face with your eyes. You’d never really looked at him before, not like this. There had always been a hardness to him that made you look away, like he was dangerous to even look at too closely. It reminded you, now that you thought about it, of something you’d read once about Chernobyl. How the nuclear material from the reactor was so radioactive it melted film and destroyed robots that tried to investigate, let alone what it did to mortal bodies. So poisonous nothing could survive being close enough to really look.
But, in this moment, he wasn’t that. He was just a man who had seen and felt and been taken apart too much. There were scars on his otherwise smooth skin, the most prominent at his nose and temple and you had the strangest urge to reach out and run your fingers over them, to cradle his face and trace your thumbs over the rise of his cheekbones and tell him to close his eyes for a while, to let it all go for a while. 
You weren’t really thinking when you raised your bound hands to touch his skin but he didn’t let you get that far, snatching your wrists out of the air and ripping you harshly to him, making you yelp and stumble. 
“I am not your fucking business,” he snarled. “And you’ll keep your goddamn hands to yourself unless I tell you otherwise.” 
He shoved you back and you almost tripped over a root but you managed to stay standing, tears stinging the corners of your eyes. 
“Move,” he ordered. “Eyes on the fuckin’ trail.” 
You looked at him for another second, the cold cruelty of him back in his eyes. You sniffed but obeyed, turning and following the trail. 
You didn’t say anything else until you stopped for lunch, in a valley that hadn’t gotten snow yet. He pushed you down onto a log and stood over you, broad and domineering. 
“I go take a piss, you’ll stay put, right?” He asked. “Or do I need to do that right in front of you to keep you from fucking around?” 
“I’ll stay put,” you muttered, not looking at him. 
He went into the trees and you sat on the log, staring into space. For some reason, you felt - for the first time - that this was going to be your life now. That you’d always be with Joel and Tommy and Vince and that you’d be at their mercy forever, a tool in their arsenal of pain as they took whatever they wanted from what they called their territory. You’d be trapped and never have a chance at a semblance of a life again. 
The tears came even though you didn’t want them to, spilling over and feeling hot on your cheeks against the cold air. You heard Joel start to return through the brush and you tried to will yourself to stop fucking crying but you couldn’t manage it, your body mourning the loss of any kind of life you’d hoped to have. 
“The fuck is your problem?” Joel asked as you sniffled and dried your eyes on your sleeve as best you could with your bound hands. 
“What do you think?” You snapped, voice wobbly and wet. “This is my life now, isn’t it? Until the day I die - which will probably happen when you get bored with me or decide I’m more trouble than I’m worth and shoot me for it - I’m just some… some… some thing that you haul places and use when you need and I’ll never have another friend or have anyone care about me ever again and I think you can fucking deal with me being upset about that since you’re the one doing it, OK? Just leave me alone.” 
You pulled your knees to your chest as best you could from your place on the log and tried to bury your face there, anything to keep Joel from seeing your pain. 
A few moments later, you felt the log shift below you and Joel nudged you gently. 
“C’mon,” he said, voice oddly soft. “Need to eat something. Got a ways to go yet today.” 
You sniffed. 
“Not hungry.” 
Joel was quiet for a moment. 
“We can wait a bit,” he said eventually. “Making better time than I expected.” 
You ignored him, still trying to force yourself to stop crying. 
“Not gonna kill you,” he said. 
“What?” You pulled your head from where you’d buried it, sniffling a bit. 
“Not gonna kill you,” he said again. You frowned at him. “Just… you said you thought you were gonna die when I got bored with you or… I’m not gonna kill you. Well, you try to kill me or Tommy I might. Or you get bit. Or take off on us. But… short of that, not planning to kill you.” 
“Great,” you sniffed. “Lemme know when plans change I guess…” 
Joel huffed a small laugh. 
“Not gonna change,” he said. “S’not that I really like killing people. Got better hobbies than that. And I try to avoid killing people who don’t deserve it and people I don’t have to kill. You don’t deserve it so I’m not going to kill you unless I have to, it’s simple as that.”
You looked at him for a moment, your tears slowing. 
“Why do you do it then?” You asked. “The stealing and the hurting and the killing? If you don’t like it…” 
Joel looked at you, his eyes searching yours again, a hint of the openness that was in them before. 
“I’m not losing my little brother,” he said eventually. “So I’m going to do whatever I need to do to make sure he stays alive. Right now, that means hurtin’ and killin’ more than I really want. S’OK. I’ll pay that price, long as he stays alive.” 
You watched him, eyes trailing over those scars again. 
“You really think that’s the best way?” You asked softly. “All that killing? All that hurt? It’s got to hurt you, too, do you really think…” 
“Better than the alternative,” he cut you off. “Shit like handing ourselves over to FEDRA for them to lock up in a fuckin’ QZ or being sitting ducks for other people willin’ to hurt and kill first. Better this way, little girl. Trust me on that. Keeps him alive, that’s the important thing. That’s why you’re here. Something happens, it’s not a death sentence.  All that matters.” 
You nodded slowly and sniffed a little. Joel reached forward, his hands still seeming so big, and gently brushed his thumbs below your eyes, drying your tears. 
“You’re alright,” he said softly, holding your cheek in his palm. “S’not so bad. You’re mine now. Take care of what’s mine.” 
You just looked at him, his eyes on yours for a moment, before he cleared his throat and pulled out the bag of jerky, holding it out to you. You tried to reach your bound hands inside but the opening was too small and you made a frustrated noise when he laughed a little. 
“Hold on, I got it.” 
He pulled a piece out and held it out to you. But when you went to take it, he pulled it away and you frowned as he put it just inches away from your lips. 
“Open.” 
You kept your eyes locked on his as you obeyed and he put the salty meat on your tongue slowly, pressing it down into the muscle. You waited until he took his hand back to close your mouth and you chewed, holding his gaze as you did. He got out another piece of jerky, holding it in his thick fingers until you swallowed. He held it up like he did before and you let your mouth fall open so he could feed it to you, his movements disorientingly delicate for a man so large. 
He fed you that way until you had your fill of the jerky and he pulled out an apple and a knife, pressing the blade into the crisp flesh of it and cutting a slender wedge. He brought the first piece to your lips, the fruit balancing on his thumb and the harsh metal. 
“Open,” he said, something low and gravely in his voice. You obeyed and he put the apple on your tongue, the juice of it brushing your lips and making you lick them as he pulled the knife away. He cut a slice off of his own and you watched as his mouth slipped dangerously close to the sharpened edge. He kept his eyes on you as he brought the knife back to the apple and cut into it again and you opened your mouth for him to put the slice inside, the blade that had just been against his lips brushing your own. 
When it was gone, you just looked at him for a moment, watching as his thumb ran over the blade, wiping away all signs of the fruit on the knife before putting it away. 
“Come on,” he said, getting up and grabbing a handful of fabric at the nape of your neck as though you were a disobedient kitten, hefting you to your feet. “Want to clear at least 10 more miles before we stop for the night.” 
“Where are we going?” You asked as he picked up the overstuffed pack that was carrying all your supplies and his. “Why couldn’t we just stay where we were?” 
“Not a great place to ride out winter,” he said. “Other spot’s closer to things we’ll need but far enough away that we shouldn’t run into much trouble. Stayed there last winter, too. Worked well enough.” 
“And you’re, what, just hoping no one’s taken it since you left?” You asked as he nudged you forward. You looked back over your shoulder at him as he shrugged. 
“Just take it back if they did,” he said. “Shouldn’t get there ’til tomorrow night, anyway. Expect Tommy and Vince round midday the day after. Watch where you’re goin’, can’t have you breaking your fuckin’ leg out here…” 
“Tomorrow?” You frowned before looking straight ahead. “Where are we stopping tonight?” 
“Somewhere that looks good,” he said. “We’ll be sleeping rough.” 
“Do we have the gear for that?” You asked looking back at him to see him glare at you before you looked forward again. “It’s cold…” 
“Thought you were some outdoorsy thing, little girl,” he said. “Can’t handle a little cold?” 
You hated being cold. You didn’t say that. 
“More worried about you,” you replied. “You drop dead on me out here, makes my life a whole lot harder. Have to try to cut myself out of these damn ropes…” 
“Not dropping dead on you,” he said. “Keep goin’, don’t waste your energy talking to me…” 
You rolled your eyes a little but pressed on, putting one foot in front of the other and trying to ignore the imposing man at your back. 
Joel called for a stop hours later at a small indentation in a cliffside that was protected from wind. He set out the bed rolls and fed you again, just like he had at lunch, each piece of food going from his hands to your lips. 
“Can’t we have a fire?” You asked, trying not to shiver as the sun set. Joel looked at you, incredulous. “What?” 
“Why do you think we can’t have a fucking fire?” He asked, brows raised. 
You sighed. 
“I guess it might attract people…” 
“It would attract people,” he corrected you. “With Tommy and Vince around I wouldn’t give a shit but you? You’re a liability. Don’t much want to deal with trying to keep us both alive on my own. No fire.” 
You tucked your hands between your thighs and shivered a little. Joel raised his brows at you. 
“What?” You snapped. “I’m cold. It’s cold. Sue me.” 
“Don’t think suin’ you would do much good nowadays.” 
“Shut up.” 
He snorted and laughed a little. 
“Hold on,” he said, getting up and dragging his sleeping bag over next to yours before settling on top of it, sitting close to you. He held his arm out and you frowned. “Come on. Best way to get warm is to get close. Won’t bite and you’ll live, promise.” 
You glared at him but tucked yourself against his side all the same. He was right, it was warmer there. Joel seemed to just emanate heat, even through his thick suede coat. He even smelled warm, like cedar and sharp spice and crisp apple. You wedged your hands between your thigh and his and Joel frowned. 
“The hell are you that cold?” He muttered. “Feel like ice even through my damn jeans…” 
He pulled off the glove on the hand that wasn’t on your arm with his teeth and enveloped your hands in his much larger one. He pulled them to his mouth and breathed into your tight fingers, the heat of his breath seeping into your skin. 
“Don’t think we got more gloves but we can put some socks on your hands or somethin’ tomorrow,” he said. “No good to me if you lose your fuckin’ fingers.” 
“I could put them in my pockets if you just untied me,” you said, an almost teasing edge to your voice. 
“No good to me if you take off, either,” he said. You could practically hear him rolling his eyes. “Can’t trust you yet. 
“You think I can trust you?” You asked, looking up at him as best you could from your position tucked against his side. 
“No,” he said. “But I don’t need you to. You don’t get a choice here, little girl, I do. Don’t matter if you trust me.”
“It’d be easier if I did,” you said quietly. 
“Yeah,” he replied. “Imagine so.” 
You drifted off there, tucked against his side, and when you woke up, you were curled into his warm body, his arm securely around your middle, sleeping bag around you both. His breath was warm against your skin, his nose buried in your hair, his broad chest firm at your back. You weren’t sure what to do and were trying to figure out when he stirred, groaning a little as he adjusted his arm before sitting up. 
“Gotta get you better cold weather gear,” he muttered. “Don’t know how the fuck you survived last winter…” 
“Stayed to the south,” you replied. “Which you should do, too, by the way…” 
“Lot more competition to the south,” he said. “Don’t feel like havin’ a big crew. Works better to stay up this way with just us.” 
“Probably fine when you’re a furnace,” you muttered. 
“Get moving,” he nudged you. “You’ll be warmer when you’re walking.” 
You rolled your eyes but obeyed, getting out of the way enough that Joel could get up and pull you to your feet. He put socks over your bound hands and you tried not to laugh. 
He sighed. 
“What now?” 
“Most fucked up sock puppets…” You wriggled your hand into the right position as best you could to give it a mouth and he rolled his eyes. 
“Should never have told you I’m not planning on killin’ you unless you make me,” he muttered. “Just be insufferable now.” 
You smirked a little as you walked and you felt like you made decent time that morning. Joel fed you again when you stopped for lunch, tracing his thumb over the plush swell of your lower lip to wipe away a drop of juice from the apple, but you didn’t talk like you had the day before. Beyond the intimacy of him feeding you, his eyes lingering on your lips and throat, he was distant, teeth grinding and looking off into the trees when he wasn’t watching you. 
It was mid-afternoon when you heard it, the haggard pants and inhuman gargle of infected. 
“Joel,” you whispered, whipping back to look at him. He grabbed your shoulder and all but threw you behind him, his rifle raised. You pressed tight against his back. “Joel, I don’t have a gun, I can’t…” 
“Hush,” he said, hardly glancing back at you. “Told you, you’re mine and I protect what’s mine. You’ll be OK.” 
You winced and tried not to cry, pressing your forehead into Joel’s back. He was warm. Solid. Safe. You had to trust that he was going to take care of you, you didn’t have another choice. 
There was a snarl at your left and Joel turned so fast it made your head spin, his left leg coming back and catching against yours, forcing you to move with him so you were still protected by his large, broad body as he faced the infected head on. 
The crack of the gun made you flinch and you tried to focus on the feel of Joel as you moved with him as he backed up, staying where his legs guided you, keeping you tucked safely against him as he fired round after round, the snarling getting louder and closer until, suddenly, you felt the harsh grasp of a hand on your elbow. It ripped you back into a body that was more like your own - about the same height, none of the almost inhuman broadness of the man in front of you - and the thing snarled. 
“Joel!” You shrieked, trying your best to rip yourself away from it as it pulled your arms toward its mouth so hard it almost dislocated your shoulder. “Joel, please!” 
The infected sank its teeth into your arm but didn’t penetrate the thick coat as you tried to rip yourself free. For a moment, you thought you had, the pressure from its jaw letting up. But it just roared, gripping you tighter and pulling you closer, searching for skin it could reach. 
For a moment, as you watched what used to be a human woman stretch her open mouth toward your throat, you were almost surprised that this was how it was going to end for you. 
It shouldn’t be a surprise. It was the apocalypse, after all. It should make sense that the thing that made the world end took you out, too. But it had felt all but impossible for so long. Like you’d survived so much, worked so hard, pushed for so long that it wasn’t coming for you anymore. Like, eventually, things were going to slot into place and you were going to have a semblance of a life the the reality you now called home. It wasn’t supposed to end like this. You weren’t supposed to end like this. 
The butt of Joel’s rifle snapped you out of your own head, the stock coming down hard on the woman’s head and she shrieked, shoving you aside so that you fell flat on your back, and shifting her attention to Joel. He thrust her back and quickly snapped his gun around, shooting her in the head. She dropped where she stood and Joel lowered the gun ever so slightly, breathing heavy, surveying the woods around you both for any impending threats. After a moment, he slung the rifle on his back and all but ran to you, dropping to one knee at your side, his brown eyes wide as they ranged over you again and again. 
“Hey,” he said once he’d looked you over, his gaze locking on yours. “You’re OK. Take a deep breath for me, you’re OK, I’ve got you, you’re OK…” 
You realized then that your breaths were coming in short, harsh gasps, that your whole body was shaking. Joel pulled off a glove and took your face almost harshly in his hand. 
“Look at me,” he said, giving you a rough shake as he did. “Just me. Infected are gone, there were just six of them and I got ‘em all. You’re OK, not bit. Neither am I. It’s OK. Just you and me. I’ve got you, just focus on me.” 
You nodded in his grip, tears stinging your eyes, but you couldn’t seem to calm your breathing down. You just weren’t getting enough air and your body couldn’t calm down enough to slow your breaths. Your head spun and your bound hands found Joel’s bicep, fingertips digging into the muscle and the thickness of his coat. Something made a nearby bush rustle and your eyes darted, wide and frantic, not able to turn your head in Joel’s grip. 
“Hey!” His voice was sharper, your eyes shooting to him again, afraid you’d pissed him off now. But he didn’t look mad, he looked worried. His eyes were still wide and they were warm and you had the passing thought that, maybe, dying wouldn’t be as bad if you got to look in those eyes when you went. “There you go, keep lookin’ at me, I’ve got you.” The hand that wasn’t clutched onto your head, fingertips clutching into your hair and skull, went to your chest. His palm pressed over your breasts, near your sternum, fingers splaying wide over your skin. “Gonna get you to breathe deep, just stick with me, OK? Out first…” He pressed down with firm, even pressure and you emptied your lungs. Just as your panic was going to kick into high gear, his hand relaxed. “And in, pull that air down low, OK? Focus on it, focus on me, follow my hand with your chest, you’re OK.” 
You did your best to obey, pulling air into you and trying desperately to fill the empty spaces inside yourself, your chest chasing the heat of his callused palm. 
“Out now,” he said, his voice so calm, adding pressure to his hand again and pushing the air from your lungs until they were empty. “Good, doing good, in this time.” 
You nodded and breathed deep, chasing his palm, and started feeling calmer then. Your heart wasn’t beating quite so fast, the feeling that you were suffocating inside your skin fading. 
“Feeling better?” He asked, his grip on you loosening. You just nodded. “Gonna help you sit up now…” He pulled you up, one of his large hands in the middle of your back, the other on your bound hands. “Take another deep breath for me.” 
You obeyed and he carefully guided you so that your back was against a tree. 
“Catch your breath,” he said. “We’ll take a few minutes, then move on. This time of year, shouldn’t be a much infected around here. Don’t think we’ve got more comin’.” 
You nodded and breathed slow and deep, closing your eyes, concentrating on the prickle of the cold air in your lungs and then the warm fog of it rising in front of you. 
“Think you’re ready to move?” Joel asked after a few minutes. You opened your eyes. He was still there, right next to you, watching you closely with those soft brown eyes. 
“Yeah,” you said, voice shaky. “I’m… I’ve never been that close to one before, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have panicked…” 
“S’OK,” Joel said. “They’re… well, they’re fuckin’ scary. It’s alright.” 
You watched him for a moment and frowned a little. 
“Why are you being so nice to me?” You asked quietly. 
His brows knitted together, frowning back. 
“Only as mean as you make me be, little girl. Never wanted to hurt you. Just wanted to keep you and I’ll be as mean as I need to keep you.” 
He stood up and took your elbow, pulling you to your feet. 
“Should get moving,” he said. “Got a miles to go yet and we don’t know what we’re walking into when we get there. Let’s go.” 
You stayed close to Joel the rest of the hike, never going more than a minute or two without looking back over your shoulder to make sure he was still close even though you could hear him at your back. 
It was nightfall when you reached the cabin that Joel had mentioned. The setting was idyllic, you could see why he’d want to set up long term. There were no obvious paths leading to the cabin that you could see, Joel routing you off an apparent dead end to the trail around through the brush and over a stream to get to it. The land around it was dense with trees to the point that it was hard to even see the cabin until you were at the right angle. The woodpile on the front porch was low and the windows were dark. Joel tucked you into a bush at the edge of the clearing made for what had once been a drive for the cabin. 
“Stay put,” he said. “Don’t make me run you down.” 
He didn’t wait for a response. Instead, he crept closer to the cabin, moving slowly and quietly up to the front door with his gun at the ready. He checked something at the hinge of the door and relaxed a little when he did, slinging his rifle onto his back and coming back for you in the brush. 
“No one’s been here since we left in April,” he said, helping you through the rougher parts of the ground. “Should be safe. Left some firewood last time, enough to last us a few days at least…” 
“We can have a fire?” Your face lit up. 
Joel smiled a little. 
“We can have a fire,” he said. “Can’t let you fuckin’ freeze to death, you’re useless if you’re dead.” 
“Or frostbitten,” you said. “Also useless if I’m frostbitten.” You could almost hear him roll his eyes. 
Joel built a fire and you sat in front of it, warming your hands at the flames and luxuriating in the heat as he went about setting up other parts of the cabin. You just checked to make sure you knew where he was every minute or two, being far from him making your stomach churn and your thoughts race. If Joel was far away, anything could happen and you’d be helpless to stop it. Without Joel, you’d be one of those things by now. Without Joel, you weren’t safe. 
It was a ludicrous thought, some part of you knew that. He was the reason you were out here to begin with. He was the reason you were so spectacularly useless in a fight right now (not that you’d ever been particularly good at brawling.) 
But he had protected you like no one else had. He’d protected you from Vince’s threats when you’d run away and he had every reason to just let the other man kill you. He’d put himself between you and half a dozen infected when he could have just let them have you while he picked them off. He took care of you, he looked out for you. You wouldn’t need nearly as much of either if he’d just left you with Zach but Zach had been fine trading you away to protect himself. Who knows how long you’d have lasted with him. And, while your survival skills were fine before the apocalypse, they were the kind that let you survive in the wilderness for a few weeks. They weren’t the kind that taught you how to fight monsters both human and inhuman. Joel might have literally tied you down but him and Tommy were the safest you could imagine being right now. 
The thought made you dig your nails into your palms and you tried not to focus on it as you stared at the flames as they chewed at the wood in the fireplace. But you weren’t able to ignore it for long, not when you realized you hadn’t heard or seen Joel in several minutes. 
“Joel?” You asked the darkness of the cabin. There was no response. 
You got up and crept toward the back of the structure, toward the rooms you hadn’t been in yet. But you couldn’t bring yourself to open any of the doors. 
“Joel?” You whispered. You gave him a second to reply and then headed for the front door. 
Night had fully fallen and you could only see what was illuminated by the glow of the fire through the window, the tree cover too dense to let in much light from the moon. Did you dare leave the porch? You weren’t trying to run away but Joel didn’t know that. One of the exceptions to the “not going to kill you” thing was you running. But what if he got hurt? What if infected showed up at the cabin? 
What if you were alone? 
“Joel?” 
“Thought you were cold?” His voice appeared from the side of the porch, making you jump. He walked around to the steps, water bottles in hand. 
“You were gone a while,” you said, indignant. 
Joel scoffed. 
“I was gone all of five minutes.” 
“It was longer than that.” 
“Well, I had to clear out the water pump, hadn’t been used in a bit,” he said. “Got it goin’ good, well’s still set…” He trailed off and considered you for a second, brows raised. “Were you worried, little girl?” 
It was your turn to scoff.
“No,” you rolled your eyes and looked toward the glow of the fire inside. “I just…” 
“You were worried,” he smirked. “Don’t worry, not gonna let the monsters get ya. Head inside.” 
“Only monster I’m worried about here is you,” you snapped. You regretted it almost as soon as you said it. Joel’s cocky smile sank enough that the dimple on his cheek disappeared and some of the softness left his eyes. 
“Get inside,” he said. “Before I give you somethin’ to worry about.” 
You sat by the fire, trying to check on what Joel was doing without showing that you were watching him. Eventually, he came and grabbed your elbow, pulling you sharply to your feet with a small yelp. 
“We’ll figure out sleeping arrangements once Tommy and Vince get here,” he said. “For now, we’re bunking together. Don’t trust you to behave otherwise.” 
He didn’t give you a chance to argue as he dragged you along behind him to one of the back rooms you’d been too afraid to open before. There was a king bed inside, made up with plush looking blankets and sheets. Joel helped you get your boots off but otherwise, you climbed in bed fully clothed on the side away from the door. He lay down, his back to you. You were pretty sure his arms were crossed and his back look tense. 
“Joel?” You said softly. 
“Hm.” 
“When they get here,” you said, still whispering even though there was no one else to hear you. “Please don’t make me sleep with Vince. Please. I’ll do whatever you want but…” 
“Not gonna make you share with him,” he cut you off, looking back over his shoulder toward you for a moment before looking straight ahead again. “It’ll be me or Tommy, not him.” 
“OK.” 
You were quiet for a few minutes but you were pretty sure Joel was still awake when you spoke again. 
“Joel?” 
He sighed. 
“Hm.” 
“Can I sleep closer?” You asked softly. He half rolled to try to look at you in the dark. “I just… I’m cold. You’re warm.” 
He sighed again but rolled onto his back and held his arm out. 
“C’mere.” 
You scooted closer until your head was against his chest and he put his arm loosely around you. You took a deep breath and sighed contentedly, not able to help it. 
“Surprised you’d want to be this close to a monster,” he said. He meant it to be wry, you could tell that, but there was a twinge on the last word that gave him away. 
“Well,” you said, adjusting your tied wrists as best you could. “Maybe… Monsters aren’t all bad. And some are warm. So.” 
He sighed. 
“Go to sleep.” 
Just as you were about to drift off, you felt his arm tighten around your shoulders, pulling you in closer. 
Tommy and Vince made it the next day with more supplies than they’d left the last place with. But, while Tommy had made it in one piece, Vince wasn’t so lucky. His arm had been dislocated and he’d taken a knife to the arm. Joel untied you and you needed Joel and Tommy’s help to position Vince to pop his arm back into place. You made him a sling and treated the wound on his arm, doing your best to keep it from getting infected before stitching it closed. 
You weren’t sure how bad the injury really was without the proper diagnostic tools but it seemed like Vince was making it out to be more than it was. You kept checking for signs of infection because he seemed to be constant pain, enough that Tommy and Joel were doing the bulk of the work to set up the cabin to ride out the winter. You helped where you could but Joel insisted on binding your hands again once Vince was patched up and you’d gotten cleaned up from the trip, so your skills were limited. 
The four of you had been at the cabin for more than a week when you noticed a shift. You still weren’t party to the discussions the men had, the three of them sending you behind closed doors while they conducted business, but you were certain that Joel and Tommy were getting ready to leave again. 
When you went to bed with Tommy that night, he confirmed your suspicions and your stomach dropped. 
“Can I come?” You asked. He looked at you for a moment, brows raised. “I won’t be much good at patching you up from afar…” 
“Hard to travel with you when we gotta keep you tied up,” he said, going back to gathering extra socks. 
“I’ll be good,” you said quickly. “I’ll do whatever you want, just bring me…” 
“Why do you want to come along so bad, Rabbit?” He asked. “Didn’t think you’d much want to be there when we raid groups…” 
“I don’t care,” you said quickly, even though the thought of watching them kill someone the way they’d killed Zach made your stomach turn. “I’ll behave, just don’t leave me here with…” 
Tommy’s head whipped around, his eyes narrowed. 
“Vince do somethin’ to you?” He asked. “He say something?” 
“No,” you shook your head, clenching your jaw. “Well, nothing big but I just… I have a bad feeling about him. I don’t trust him.” 
“And you trust me and Joel?” He asked, skeptical. 
“Not really,” you replied. “But… more than him.” 
“He knows not to touch you,” Tommy said. “We’ll only be gone a few days, week at most. We know a place only about a day from here where we can reliably find what we need. Shouldn’t take too long…” 
Your eyes went wide. A week. A week with just Vince. That was so much longer than you’d realized it would be. How were you supposed to avoid him for a week? 
“Can’t you stay and Joel goes with Vince?” You pleaded. “Or you and Vince go and leave Joel here? Just…” 
“Can’t,” Tommy said. “He’s still hurt and we’re low on supplies, we need to go now and we can’t risk bringin’ him. You really that afraid of him?” 
You tightened your jaw for a moment before nodding once. 
Tommy sighed. 
“Well, he’s hurt. Don’t think he’s gonna do much to you when he can’t use one arm. You’ll be OK. Next run we’ll figure out somethin’ else, OK?” 
You dug your nails into your palms. 
“Yeah,” you said. “OK.” 
Joel and Tommy left the next morning. You stood on the porch and watched their path long after they’d made it out of sight before sighing and going back inside. 
“Just you and me now,” he smirked from his position on the couch. “You’re going to be a good girl for me, aren’t you?” 
 You didn’t answer. You just looked at him for a moment before heading back to the room you stayed in every night with Joel or Tommy and curled up in the middle of the big bed, the binds on your wrists feeling worse than they had in weeks. 
For the first two days, it was fine. Mostly. You generally avoided Vince, the man humming Run Rabbit anytime you were within earshot, making your whole body tense. Instead, you were just hanging out in the bedroom and sleeping or reading or just staring at the grain of the wood walls wondering if this was just what your life would be now. What if something happened and Joel and Tommy didn’t come back? What if Vince just left you here, tied up, forever? 
What if you were alone? 
The third day, you started getting suspicious of Vince’s claimed injury. Given what you knew, he should be doing much better at this point but he’d kept claiming he was in too much pain to even use his arm. It wasn’t impossible, of course, and it was hard to see what kind of intervention he would need in a cabin without the proper tools, so you were hoping that more time did the trick. But when you emerged from the bedroom that afternoon to use the bathroom, you found him in the kitchen, both arms stretched to reach something on a top shelf. You frowned and stood there, waiting for him to notice you. When he turned around, he jumped before smirking, putting his arm back in its sling. 
“Aren’t you a sneaky thing?” He asked, prowling over and standing just inches away from you. “See something you like?” 
“Arm looks like it’s doing better,” you replied, nodding to it. “Want me to look it over?” 
“Still hurts like a bitch,” he replied. “Just needed two hands so I lived with it for a minute. That OK with you, Florence Nightingale?” 
You shrugged. 
“Doesn’t matter to me if you fuck up your arm,” you replied. “Be my guest.” 
You ducked around him to go to the outhouse but his hand closed around your arm, yanking you back into him with a small yelp. 
“Think you’d be more invested,” he said, his face close to yours. “Only useful as because you can patch people up. Think the Millers will be so keen to keep you around if you can’t even do that right?” 
“Right,” you said. “Maybe I should be worse at it so they let me go.” 
“You really think they’d let you go?” He laughed. “You stupid girl. They’d kill you. Not gonna just let you wander around knowing where they like to hide out and what they have. You stop being useful, you’re dead. Just hope they let me have some fun with you first.” 
You wanted to throw Joel’s words back in his face, that he said he wasn’t going to kill you, not unless you made him. But you weren’t sure how much you could trust any of it. It felt like you could believe what Joel told you but he was keeping you tied up in a cabin in the woods. How much could you trust anything he said? 
Instead, you just pulled your arm away.
“I have to pee.” 
He laughed once. 
“Don’t go far,” he said. “Hate to have to run you down out there…” 
He started humming Run Rabbit again. 
The next afternoon, you knew he was lying about the arm. 
You emerged from the bedroom to find something to eat and found him sitting at the small table, bag of jerky and a bottle of whiskey in front of him, sling hanging off the back of the chair. 
“Good to see my medicinal skills are up to snuff,” you said derisively, going for the cabinet you knew held the jerky. “Guess I’ll live to bother you another day.” 
“Know what?” He snapped, shoving back from the table and stomping over to you, closing the gap between you in just two steps. “Think I’m getting tired of your smart fucking mouth…” 
You realized suddenly just how big Vince was. He was shorter than Joel so you didn’t notice it most of the time but, when he had you pressed back against the counter as you shrank back from him, you were suddenly very aware that he was large, more broad than he was expressly tall. Definitely big enough to do serious damage if he set his mind to it. His hand whipped forward and latched onto your jaw, his fingertips digging into your cheek, grip so tight you were worried he was going to dislocate it. 
“Sorry,” you said quickly. “I’m sorry, I’ll…” 
“Think I’m about done dealing with your shit,” he growled, the smell of liquor harsh on his breath. “Think it’s about time I got my due.” 
He pulled you around, hand still on your jaw, and shoved you back, making you stumble over a chair. You scrambled back from him, looking quickly back over your shoulder, trying desperately to keep from falling. 
“You don’t want to do this,” you said, looking back to him. “You really don’t want to piss off Joel and Tommy like that, please…” 
He laughed once, darkly. 
“You think they want you to themselves that bad?” He asked, prowling closer. “Nah, I don’t think they’ll much care. Besides, maybe I’ll just have my fun with you then kill you. Tell ‘em you took off. You already tried it once…” 
“No,” you shook your head, trying to ignore how your throat clenched tight as he drew near. “No, you don’t…” 
“Think I do,” he said as you backed into the couch. He was only about a foot away from you. Your eyes darted toward the door and you made the call, ducking below his groping arm and running for it. 
He grabbed at you but you dodged it, all but ripping the door off its hinges as you ran out into the cold afternoon air. Dusk was on the horizon and you were going to be stuck running from him in the dark with your hands tied but it was better than the alternative. 
You heard the gunshot a split second before you felt it, the force of the bullet sending you sprawling forward as you screamed in pain. There was a second of shock, of disbelief, as you lay face down in the dirt. You felt the warm wetness of your blood before you felt the sharp pain of a hole being blown through your body. You rolled onto your uninjured side and tried to assess it as best you could, not really able to reach the wound because of how your hands were tied. It was on the right side of your body, so far to the side that you thought it might have missed most major organs and just caught skin and muscle and fat. But you couldn’t be sure. 
You tried to shove yourself up, side screaming in pain, the wound pulling, the muscle ragged, but Vince was on you too fast. He shoved you onto your back and kicked your legs apart before kneeling between them.
“No!” You shrieked, trying to scramble back from him but he grabbed you harshly at your waist, his fingers digging into your open wound and making you scream in pain. 
“You’re mine now,” he panted over you. “This’ll be a lot easier on you if you just cooperate…” 
You tried to shove him back but couldn’t get leverage, not with your hands bound. A strangled sob slipped from you as you tried to wrest yourself away but it didn’t work, Vince just slamming you down into the dirt before punching you across the face. The blow made your brain rattle in your skull and you lay there, blinking in shock for a moment as he started to fumble with your pants. 
“Help!” You screamed, voice thick and wet. “Joel, Tommy!” 
“Shut up,” he seethed over you, trying to force your pants down over your hips. You ignored him, still screaming, legs kicking uselessly. He punched you again and you went still and quiet, head swimming. “Shut up you stupid fuckin’ girl. Take what I give you and you’ll fuckin’ like it.” 
“Joel!” You shrieked. “Tommy!” 
It was desperate, you knew that. They said they’d be gone close to a week, it had just been days. This was it.
Vince’s hand latched around your throat, shoving you down into the earth. You tried to breathe around his fingers but you couldn’t manage it, his grip too tight. You clawed at his arms with your tied hands and tried to gulp in air, your vision starting to fade. 
“Told you you should’ve cooperated,” he panted over you. “Should’ve fuckin’ listened…” 
You could hardly see his face over you anymore, the world seeming far away, when the weight of him disappeared and you could breathe.
***
Tommy wasn’t thrilled about leaving you behind. 
He hadn’t been thrilled about it before you talked to him. He’d been trusting Vince less and less over the last few weeks. He’d never been Tommy’s favorite person but he had decent enough skills, generally listened when Joel told him what to do and it was helpful to always outnumber pairs when hunting. 
But ever since they’d taken you, Tommy was questioning whether keeping him around was smart. 
Of course, he’d been conflicted about taking you from the beginning. He hadn’t gotten into this to take fucking captives, he’d gotten into this because it seemed like the only way to stay alive was to take. There wasn’t enough to go around so some people were going to have to go without. That’s just the way it worked. He just wanted to make sure the people going without weren’t him and Joel. 
Survival of the fittest, after all. 
But he understood why Joel had taken you. You had valuable skills, valuable enough that you were worth feeding and monitoring. It was worth it to go outside the norm for you. Even though he hated keeping you tied up. But he figured he’d wear Joel down on that eventually. 
He didn’t like leaving you behind like this before you’d talked to him about Vince and all but begged him to bring you along. You had to really distrust Vince to want to come on a hunt like this. It made him uneasy. 
So he was relieved when he and Joel had stumbled upon a small group of men traveling just two days after they’d left the cabin. It was a good haul, enough to set them up for a few months and get them through a stretch of winter. They’d need to head out again at some point - or just hunt and trap animals near the cabin if it looked like the ammo, fuel and battery supply would hold out - but they had some security for a while. 
“I really think she’s gonna like some of what we got,” Tommy said as they were getting close to the cabin again. “Think the books are up her alley and they had medical supplies. Legit ones. That’ll make her happy.” 
“Can’t get too attached,” Joel said, not for the first time. Tommy rolled his eyes. Joel glanced over at him. “I’m serious. It’s a risk. You’re gettin’ too involved with her and can’t afford you making stupid fuckin’ choices because you’re worried about her. She’s with us to make sure you keep breathing, not to be your fuckin’ friend.” 
“Here to keep you breathing, too, right?” Tommy asked. 
Joel was quiet for a moment. 
“Right?” He said again.
“Sure,” Joel said. “Right.” 
Tommy clenched his jaw but stared straight ahead. 
He wasn’t sure if his brother was cautioning him because he was worried about Tommy or because he was worried about himself. 
Tommy wasn’t a fucking idiot. He saw what was happening with Joel. He’d been there when Sarah died, saw the pain in his brother’s face as he held his daughter’s broken body. He’d clung to her until she went cold, on the ground where she’d died at first and then for hours as they tried to find a way out of Austin and away from the carnage of the outbreak. He carried her body until he couldn’t anymore, dropping to his knees on the east side of town with smoke in the distance. 
Tommy had tried to find a way to bury her, even just a shallow grave, but infected put a stop to that. Tommy had to drag Joel away, screaming and fighting him the whole way. 
He put a gun to his head that afternoon. It was a miracle he survived but, sometimes, Tommy wasn’t sure he really had. The Joel he knew, the Joel who he’d grown up with, the Joel who’d damn near raised him during his teenage years as their mother’s health declined, the Joel who lived for his daughter had died with her. In his place was the man he was now. Harsher, colder, and more like Tommy when he got mad than Tommy was really proud of. 
But things had shifted with you. He’d bought Joel’s reasoning at first and, in hindsight, he thought it was because Joel believed it himself then. That you were too valuable to just let go, that you wouldn’t survive long on your own so keeping you was a kindness. 
Now, though, Joel was attached. Tommy could see it, even if Joel couldn’t. He’d first noticed on a morning where Joel had been the one in bed with you. Tommy pulled a shirt on, you curled in on yourself in that way you did, and he caught Joel tucking the blankets in around your sleeping form. Tommy raised his brows at him and he just frowned. 
“S’cold,” he said softly before ducking around Tommy and leaving the room. 
It was the first sign he’d seen of Joel caring about anything outside of Tommy since Sarah died. 
After that, it was obvious. He wasn’t sure how he’d missed it before but, the second he knew to look for it, he saw signs of Joel caring everywhere. He stopped Vince from finishing the jerky he knew you liked best and set it aside for you. He made fires on nights Tommy knew he wouldn’t bother otherwise because you got cold. He saw you struggling to tie your boots with your bound hands and brushed your hands aside, kneeling at your feet to tie them for you. You complained the whole time, said that you were perfectly capable of tying your shoes if he’d just untie you. Joel just rolled his eyes, tucking your laces behind the tongue of the boot before getting to his feet again. 
“You know,” Tommy said. “May not be the worst thing. Getting attached.” 
Joel just huffed. 
“Just mean, life’s better when you’ve got something to care about, right?” Tommy pressed on. “What’s the point of fightin’ this hard if you don’t?” 
“Care about you,” Joel shrugged. “Seems like plenty to me. Just… Keep going for family.” 
Tommy was quiet for a moment. 
“She could be family,” he said, glancing Joel’s way. 
Before Joel had a chance to object, the sound of your scream cut through the cold air. Tommy looked at Joel for barely a second before the men were running, shoving brush aside and leaping over obstacles as they went. 
“Joel! Tommy!” 
Tommy wasn’t sure where he found the energy after days on the road but he pushed himself faster at the sound of your voice. You were so afraid it sent a chill up his spine. It had to be infected, he couldn’t think of what else would inspire that kind of terror. 
He broke through the tree line before Joel and it took him a moment to realize where you were, Vince on top of you on the ground. Tommy didn’t stop to think. He was hurting you, he was a threat, he needed to pay. Tommy tackled Vince, catching him completely off guard and rolling away from you. They landed with Vince on top but he was disoriented and Tommy quickly threw him to the ground before jumping on him, forcing his knee into the other man’s chest before punching him, hard, across the face again and again. 
Vince scrambled, throwing his arms up, trying to protect his head from Tommy’s blows but it didn’t matter. He grabbed one arm and broke it, feeling the bones snap under his fingers. 
“Tommy!” Vince sobbed. “Fuck, please! I can explain!” 
“No,” Tommy shook his head, his fist raised. “Warned you, motherfucker. Shouldn’t have touched her.” 
He ripped Vince’s unbroken arm away and started punching him again and again, the sick sense of satisfaction that took hold when he solved problems this way settling over him. There was something about using his body, taking control with force, that brought him a sense of peace. He knew what was coming next. He knew it could be the right thing, that he could protect who needed protecting, because he’d set the rules. 
After what felt like no time at all, Vince was still below his fist, his face a mass of blood and displaced cartilage. He wasn’t breathing. Tommy panted, staring down at him for a moment. It seemed like he should feel bad for this, somehow. He’d lived alongside this man, survived the end of the world with him, for more than half a year. He should feel some sense of guilt or loss at killing him. But he didn’t. He only felt justified and a twisted sense of pride at the fact that he’d protected you, even if that meant killing for it. 
For a moment, he was relieved, the knot in his stomach that had been there since he’d left with Joel days earlier easing. 
Then, he heard it. 
“Tommy!” 
His blood went cold. Joel’s voice was pleading and desperate. He’d heard him like this once before, just once.
“Tommy, help me!” 
He left Vince on the ground and ran to Joel. You were in his arms, staring down at your stomach, your breaths coming in shallow, pained paints. Joel had cut your ties, at least, and your hands were braced against him, your nails digging into him. There was red blossoming over you and Tommy stopped dead in his tracks. 
“No,” he breathed. 
Joel shook his head. 
“Gotta help me,” he said. “I can’t… You gotta help me, please, Tommy. Please.” 
You made a pained sound and winced, your whole face drawing tight in pain. 
“I know,” Joel said, looking back down at you, tightening his hold on you. “I know, I know, it hurts, it’s gonna be OK, I’ve got you, it’s OK…” 
“It’s not too bad,” you said, your voice pained. “Just… I think it missed the major stuff and I think the bullet went straight through, just have to get the bleeding under control and stop infection, that’s all, I just need…” 
Your voice broke off and you panted, the agony clear on your face. 
“It’s OK,” Joel said, clutching onto you as Tommy seemed to find control of his body again. “It’s OK, just tell us what to do, we’ve got you, it’s OK…” 
“Need towels,” you winced. “Gauze. Alcohol to flush it… don’t think the water here would be good, even if we boiled it…” 
“Got it,” Tommy said, running to the cabin and finding the collection of towels in one of the cabinets, gauze from your medical supplies, the highest proof liquor he could find in the stash at the house and ran back out to you. 
“Have to get this out of the way,” you said, unbuttoning your shirt and shrugging out of it on your injured side, hissing in pain as you did. You gritted your teeth and spoke again. “Need one of the towels, put it on the wound - both sides since I think the bullet went through - and hold pressure. It needs to be a lot of pressure, have to stop the bleeding. It’s going to look like it hurts but that’s OK…” 
Joel and Tommy maneuvered the towel around your wound and clamped down and you gasped in pain, one hand flying to Tommy’s shoulder, your fingers twisting in his shirt. 
“I know, I know,” Joel sounded pained, too. “I know it hurts. It’s OK, you’re gonna be OK…” 
You just nodded, staring up at him with wide eyes as you struggled to breathe through the pain. 
Tommy tried not to think about the night more than a year ago when Joel had said the same things to his daughter as she bled out in his arms. He tried not to think about whether or not Joel could survive that happening again, especially so soon to the first person he’d shown any kind of care for since then. He tried not to think about whether or not he could survive it, either. 
You, at least, stayed conscious and knew how to walk them through patching you up. This time when Joel got up from the bloodstained ground with a body in his arms, it was still breathing. 
He carried you, delicately, into the cabin, your head on his shoulder and your eyes closed. They cleaned you up as best they could before Joel tucked you into bed, setting you on your uninjured side and pulling the blankets up around you. You flinched in your sleep and Joel brushed your hair back from your face, thumb tracing your cheekbone. 
“C’mon,” Tommy whispered, jerking his head toward the door. “Should give her space.” 
Joel nodded and followed Tommy to the kitchen. 
“Drink?” Tommy asked, going for the cupboard with the liquor. Joel just nodded. Tommy poured them each a sizable glass before sitting across from him at the table. Joel took the cup but didn’t drink it. Instead, he set it on the table and turned it in his fingers, his jaw tight. 
“You OK?” He asked eventually. 
Joel sighed, staring at the liquor for another moment before meeting his brother’s eyes. 
“I thought it was gonna be like her,” he said quietly. “She was bleeding like she was and in pain like she was and I thought…” his voice broke. “I can’t watch someone else I…” 
He shook his head. 
“Someone else you what?” Tommy asked when Joel was quiet for too long. 
“Someone else I care about die like that,” he said, not looking at him. 
Tommy nodded slowly. 
“‘Bout time you figured it out,” he said. 
Joel glared at him. 
“Told you, attachment is dangerous. Saw why tonight, if I weren’t fuckin’ attached to her then…” 
“Then you’d have let him rape her?” Tommy asked. “Kill her?”
“No,” Joel snapped and then sighed. “But.. I wouldn’t have been afraid. I… I was so afraid, Tommy. I haven’t been afraid like that since… I can’t do that again. I can’t.” 
“You think I can?” Tommy asked, brows raised. “Jesus, Joel. You think I wasn’t fuckin’ terrified tonight? Think I broke a bone in my damn hand taking it out on that fuck…” 
Joel sighed. 
“Should let her go,” he stared out the window. “See if we can’t find a way to get her to a QZ or something…” 
“Yeah, because those are so damn great,” Tommy scoffed. 
“S’not safe out here,” Joel snapped. “And if we suddenly care about saving her, that puts us at risk…” 
“Don’t you think she’s worth a little risk?” Tommy asked. “You really think you’re gonna be satisfied with just me for the rest of your life? Because, no offense brother, I’m not exactly thrilled with the idea of having just your ugly mug around for the rest of my days.”
“She doesn’t want to be here,” Joel said. “Remember that? The fact that she’s been literally tied to us? You really want someone who you’re forcing to be there?” 
“Doesn’t have to stay that way,” Tommy said. “Lot’s happened…” 
There was a creak and Tommy looked up, over Joel’s shoulder to see you emerging from the bedroom, a pained look on your face. 
“What are you doing up?” He asked, leaving his drink and heading for you. “Need to use the bathroom or…” 
You shook your head as Tommy took your hand and you leaned against him, your body warm and soft. 
“He’s right,” Joel said, getting up, too. “You need to be resting…” 
“I know,” you nodded, wincing. “I know I do, but… I… I woke up alone and I just… it was like I could feel him there and I couldn’t calm down and… Could you sleep in the bed with me? Please? I think… I think if you’re there I’ll feel safe and…” 
“Course, little rabbit,” Tommy said gently. “Which one of us do you want?” 
His stomach clenched at that question. He wanted the answer to be him. He wouldn’t get in the way if it was Joel, of course, but he wanted to be your source of peace and safety. He wanted to be who you turned to when you needed someone. You looked up at him, your eyes wide. 
“Could it be both of you?” You asked sheepishly. “Please?” 
Tommy looked to Joel who looked baffled for a moment before he answered for the both of them. 
“Whatever you want,” he said. “C’mon, bed time.” 
The walk to the bedroom was slow and Joel and Tommy both helped you into the middle of the bed. Joel went to sleep at your back, Tommy at your front. 
“If we bump you or something and we hurt you, wake us up, OK?” Tommy said. You just nodded, curled up like a rabbit. He looked to Joel who just shrugged, the two of them climbing into bed with you. When Joel was in his place, you adjusted yourself back until you were pressed against him. Tommy lay down slowly, facing you and leaving as much space between you as he could. But you reached forward and tugged him closer, until his front was only a few inches from yours. Your smiled in the darkness. 
“Thank you,” you said softly, closing your eyes and relaxing. “This feels better.” 
“We’ve got you,” Joel said, his voice rough. “Take care of you.” 
Tommy wasn’t sure you heard him. He was pretty sure you were already asleep. 
***
Joel didn’t tie you up again. 
You were expecting him to, once you started becoming more mobile again. He didn’t mention it, didn’t even tell you to behave and not go running off. You weren’t sure if it was because he didn’t care if you left or he could tell that you weren’t going to try to escape them now. 
Things were different after Vince. Joel and Tommy had gone from being the best parts of a bad situation to the people you needed to feel safe. You had to ask them every night, for the first week, if they would sleep in the bed with you. They never said no, alternating between who was at your back and your front. You just liked being between their large, firm, warm bodies, enveloped by their heat and their strength. Nothing could hurt you when you were between them, nothing. That much you knew. 
The two men took care of you while you recovered. Joel kept the fire going in the living room and would carry you to it in the morning. Tommy read to you for a change and you drifted in and out of consciousness on the couch to the soothing timbre of his voice. They helped you change your bandages and brought you water and soothed you when you woke up afraid. 
It took a few weeks before Joel said he wanted to go hunting. 
“Animals,” he clarified when you tensed. “Not people.” 
“Can I come?” You asked quietly. Tommy was at your back that night, Joel at your front. Tommy held you a little tighter.
“Don’t know if you’re up for it quite yet,” Joel replied, brushing your hair back from your forehead. 
“I’m ready,” you said quickly. “I can keep up, I…” 
“Ain’t worried about you keepin’ up,” Joel said. “Worried about you gettin’ hurt. I’ll go…” 
He must have seen at least some sign of the disappointment on your face in the dark. He sighed.
“What, little girl?” 
“I don’t want to be here alone,” you said softly. “I know Vince is dead but…” 
“I’m staying behind, too,” Tommy said. “Not going to leave you by yourself.” 
“But…” 
You went quiet. 
“But what?” Joel asked. 
“But you shouldn’t be out there on your own, either,” you said quietly. “It’s safer if Tommy goes, too, and…” 
“Not doing anything very dangerous,” Joel said. “I’ll be back before you know it. It’s OK.” 
You nodded, even though you didn’t really believe him. 
He left the next day and you spent the whole damn day worrying. Tommy tried to distract you, playing poker and asking you to read to him, but your eyes kept going back to look at the door, waiting for Joel to walk through it and prove that he was alive and well. 
When he returned just after dusk that evening, you jumped up from your chair at the dining room table and flung yourself at him, your arms going around his neck as you pressed your body against his. 
“What’s all this about?” Joel laughed a little, catching you out of the air. 
“I was worried,” you said, voice muffled by his shirt. “I’m glad you’re home.” 
He was still for a moment before he held you close. 
“Me too.” 
That night, you made Joel sleep at your front and you pressed yourself against him, your leg hitching up over his hip. His breathing stuttered but you didn’t move. Tommy kept his distance at your back before you half turned, grabbing a fistful of his shirt and pulling him against your back. 
“Need you both,” you yawned, body finally relaxing after being tense all day. “Please, need to feel you both.” 
Tommy hesitantly enveloped you, curving his legs around yours, his arm gently going around your waist. You smiled, drifting off surrounded by the men who protected you. 
It shouldn’t have been a surprise when you started waking up feeling wet. 
The first time, you damn near panicked, Joel and Tommy still asleep around you. You couldn’t remember any dreams that would have made you react that way, it didn’t seem like something that happened just before you went to sleep. But you were wet. 
It wasn’t until Tommy pressed against you in the kitchen, reaching something on a shelf over your head, that you realized what it was. 
You were turned on by them. By Joel and Tommy both. They were large, they were strong, they were handsome. Their bodies were warm and firm when they held you at night and you started wondering what they’d taste like, what they’d feel like as they slipped inside of you and put all that wetness to use. 
But more than that, they were safe. For the first time since the apocalypse had really begun, you felt secure. Yes, they might have taken you against your will but they’d taken care of you the way no one else ever had. They were safe and good to you and handsome and strong. You wanted them. 
More than wanted. Needed. Needed to feel them closer, needed them inside of you. Needed them so close that no one could take you away from them. 
One night, about two months after the incident with Vince, snow was piling high outside. Joel and Tommy had spent the day chopping wood, making sure there was enough stashed to ride out a storm. The three of you sat down to dinner, pulling one of the last of the rabbits Joel had trapped a few weeks earlier from your makeshift freezer of snow outside and roasting it over the fire, knowing you’d be stuck with jerky for a while going forward. You had a glass of whiskey with them, not enough to get you drunk but just enough to loosen you up. Enough to make you focus more on what you wanted. Enough for you to forget exactly why what you wanted was probably a bad idea. 
Joel was at your front in bed that night, your ass pressed back against Tommy as your chest was pressed against Joel. 
“Think the snow is going to be too crazy?” You asked quietly as Tommy’s thumb traced your lowest rib. 
“We’ll dig out if it is,” Joel shrugged. “We’ve got enough supplies to last us ’til spring. Ain’t too worried.” 
“Just gonna have a lot of time to kill,” Tommy said. You could hear the smile in his voice. “Might actually read one of those books of yours, little rabbit, instead of listen to you read ‘em.” 
The cabin creaked in the wind and you pressed yourself closer to Joel, your hand going back to Tommy to pull him closer, too. You nuzzled into Joel’s chest, the hairs there tickling the tip of your nose, and breathed deep. Even at the end of the world, he smelled good. Rugged, with a hint of sweat, like the wood he’d chopped and smoke from the fire he’d built. You wanted to be closer to him. You wanted to feel him. You wanted - needed - to taste him. 
So you did. 
You brushed your lips against his chest and you felt his breath hitch as you kissed him there. You let your mouth linger on his skin before you pulled back ever so slightly and licked your lips, tasting the salt of him on your own skin with a small, needy moan. 
“Little girl,” he said, voice strained. 
“Yes?” You asked softly, looking up at him. 
“Don’t think you know what you’re doin’,” he said through clenched teeth. 
“Yes I do.” 
“You’re askin’ for trouble is what you’re doin’,” he said. “So why don’t you…” 
“I know what I want,” you whispered. 
“Yeah?” Joel asked. “And what’s that?” 
“You,” you said. You felt Tommy start to pull away from your back but you grabbed him and held him to you. “Both of you.” 
Tommy tensed behind you and you kept ahold of him so he wouldn’t pull away. 
“Please,” you breathed. “If you want me…” 
“Don’t gotta be worried about that,” Tommy said, a hand slipping around your waist and curling up toward your breasts. “But… well, we talked about it and…” 
His voice trailed off. 
“And what?” You frowned, looking between the two of them. 
“We decided that it’s best of neither of us act on that,” Joel said. “Too much risk of someone gettin’ hurt out here as it is, don’t need to add jealousy to the mix…” 
“Who said anything about jealousy?” You asked. “I want both of you. I want to feel and taste and experience both of you, please. Feels like I’ve wanted it so long it almost hurts, I promise I won’t ask you to choose between me and each other, I want you both, I want you both so bad and…” 
Your voice cracked, desperation both pathetic and obvious and you were having a hard time caring.
“Who are we to deny a lady what she wants?” Tommy asked quietly. 
Joel was quiet for a moment. 
“You sure about this?” He asked. 
“Think I can handle sharing,” Tommy said. “Worth the risk if I can get just a little bit of her…” 
Your heart fluttered at that. 
“Good,” Joel said, voice low and rough. “But wasn’t quite so worried about you, brother.” 
“I’m sure,” you said, damn near panting now. “Please…” 
“Then why don’t you be a good girl,” Joel said, adjusting so he could nudge you down onto your back. “And let us have you.” 
Joel started pulling at the buttons of your shirt, opening you up slowly to him as Tommy slid down your body to your panties. He pulled them down and opened your legs to him as Joel reached over to the nightstand and flicked on a flashlight, angling it away from the bed so there was just enough light to see each other by. 
“Fuck,” he said as he pulled your shirt fully open, exposing your bare chest to him. He reached one large, callused hand forward and cupped your breast, cradling the weight of it in his palm before curling a thumb over your nipple and brushing over you, making you moan. “So fuckin’ pretty. No idea how bad I wanted to see you like this…” 
“Even better here,” Tommy said from his place between your thighs. He ran his thumb over your slit, adding pressure when he reached your clit. You sucked in a breath in shock as you squirmed a little below him. “She’s got the prettiest damn pussy I’ve ever seen.” 
“Think she tastes as good as she looks?” Joel asked. 
“Gonna find out,” Tommy said, leaning forward, his tongue following the same path as his thumb had found just a moment earlier. He gently teased your clit with the tip of his tongue before pressing it between your lower lips, slipping down until he found your tight, wet hole. He dipped his tongue inside you there and he moaned, thrusting shallowly in and out as he toyed with your clit with his thumb. “Tastes so damn good, Joel. So fuckin’ good, like sunshine and honeysuckle and the best damn candy you ever tasted…” 
“Bet she does,” Joel said, bending and putting his lips on your bared breasts. He held you gently in his hands at first before he sucked your nipple gently into his mouth. He moaned with it and you did, too, as he sucked you for a moment trailing kisses to your other breast and doing the same there. Tommy watched, almost awed for a moment, before going back to your dripping heat. You moaned when his tongue slid inside you again, your back arching. You felt Joel smile against your chest. 
“Think she likes that,” he said. “Keep doin’ it.” 
“Planning on it,” Tommy panted from between your legs before diving back into you. His tongue spread you open as his fingers worked your clit and you rocked your hips against his face, any sense of shame you had long gone. 
Joel kissed up your chest to your throat, the brush of his lips and the scratch of his beard making you shiver and gush a little onto Tommy’s tongue as he ate you. He moaned as you did and Joel kissed up your jaw toward your lips but stopped just short of kissing you. You whimpered. 
“Not yet, little girl,” he breathed, reaching to cup your breast. “Want you to kiss him first, after you fuckin’ soak him with your come. Want to taste you on your tongue when I kiss you the first time. Think you can do that for me? Think you can come all over his fucking face?” 
You nodded, not fully able to form words. Tommy increased his pace and added a finger to where his tongue was working inside you, spreading you open wider, finding the soft places inside you to pet and press. 
“Doin’ so good for me,” Joel said, sounding a little breathless and needy. “So, so good for me. Want you to give into it, baby. Want you to give in to me n’him. Give in and come, give yourself to us, you can do it, come on baby, come on…” 
He pressed his lips to your throat just as Tommy added pressure to your clit and his finger was deep inside you and you started to come, crying out with the force of it as your walls fluttered around him. One of your hands flew to Joel’s thigh, digging into him with sharp desperation, while the other went to Tommy’s curls, twisting and tangling in them as you worked yourself against his face. 
“There she is,” Joel breathed and you opened your eyes to find him watching you intently, pupils blown and face lined with want. “Good girl, comin’ so hard for us. Just let it all go, baby. Give it all to us, we want all of you, all your pleasure, just give it all to us, come on…” 
Tommy ate you through your orgasm until you went limp. Tommy sat up, breathless, looking down at your exposed body for a moment before taking his place on the other side of you from Joel. Your half dazed eyes traced over his face and saw traces of your slick on his lips. 
“Here baby,” he said, gently cupping your face and tilting your head toward his. He pressed his mouth to yours and you weren’t sure where the taste of you ended and the taste of him began as his tongue swept into your mouth. After a moment, he pulled back ever so slightly, just enough to look in your eyes for a second before pressing his lips gently to yours once more. When he pulled back again, he just watched as Joel turned your head toward his and kissed you, too. 
It was soft and delicate at first but, as soon as his tongue pressed into your mouth, he became desperate, kissing you hard and deep, moaning as he did. Even though you just came, you could feel yourself getting hot and tight again. 
He pulled away eventually, looking across you to Tommy. 
“She does taste good,” He said. 
“Told you.” 
Joel laughed once before cupping your breast again, looking you up and down. 
“We overwhelmed you yet, little girl?” He asked. “Need us to stop so we don’t break you?” 
“No,” you panted, looking between them. “And… I think I’d be OK breaking for you.” 
“Fuck,” Tommy hissed, sliding a hand down your body to the apex of your thighs to just cup your pussy. “Think she can take both of us at once? Don’t think I can wait my turn…” 
“I bet she can,” Joel said, looking down at you. “You ever taken two cocks at once?” You swallowed hard and shook your head. “Think you can be our good girl and tell us if it gets to be too much?” You nodded. “Good.” 
Joel took you by the waist and pulled you tight to his front before he rolled onto his back, taking you with him with a sharp little squeak. You could feel the thick of his cock through his sweatpants and you ground yourself down on it, moaning as you did. Tommy got out of bed for a moment, just long enough to take his sweatpants and underwear off and leaving him naked in front of you. 
Your eyes went wide at his cock. Thick and long with just the right amount of curve, he worked just the head of himself, smirking a little at your expression. 
“Don’t worry,” he said. “Take real good care of you when we make it fit. Besides, not mine you gotta worry about.” 
Your eyes got wider, looking down in shock at Joel, who laughed. 
“We’ll make sure you’re good and ready, baby,” he said, pulling you up his body just enough that you were no longer half sitting on his cock. He reached low and shoved down his sweatpants before he kicked them off the rest of the way and you tried to get a look at it. 
Joel had another idea. 
“Here,” he nudged you so you were sitting up, your bare, dripping pussy on his stomach. “Get a feel for me, baby.” 
He lifted you just enough that, when he set you down again, your core was against the root of him. You gasped at the feel of him against you, so long and thick that it made your head spin. 
“Fuck,” you panted, your hands going to his chest as you started to grind down against his length. He groaned. 
“That’s it, baby,” he said. “Such a good girl, get me all nice and slick with you. Think you can make yourself come on my cock before I’m even inside you?” 
You just nodded, working your hips harder and faster against him. Joel moaned. 
“Good fucking girl,” he said, his large hands finding your thighs, fingertips sinking into the flesh of them. “Want you to suck his cock while you do. Gotta get him all wet to go in that little asshole of yours. Think you can do that for us?” 
You just nodded and sat up from Joel a little more as Tommy crawled toward you on the bed, working his dripping length as he did. Your mouth dropped open and you took him into it, sucking and licking his head before starting down the shaft, moving slow as you looked up at him through your eyelashes, relishing the look on his face before he dropped his head back and moaned in pleasure. You were doing this to him, you were bringing this strong, powerful man to his knees with just your mouth. 
“Holy shit you’re good at that,” Tommy moaned. “Fuck, fuck, fuck, gonna come down that pretty throat of yours if you’re not careful…” 
“Don’t push him too far, little girl,” Joel said, rocking his hips up into yours and making you gasp. “Want to take all of you, can’t wear him out too quick…” 
“Fuck, her mouth Joel, Jesus,” his fingers went to knot in your hair as he started fucking into your throat and you swallowed around him. “Fuck, you try not comin’ in her here…” 
“Save it,” Joel said, sounding a little close to the edge himself. “Imagine how good her ass is gonna feel…” 
“Oh fuck,” Tommy said, pulling you off his cock and panting for breath. Joel kept fucking his cock up against your pussy, the thickest part of him working your clit and making you moan, your second orgasm building. Tommy cupped your face, watching your desperation as you got close to coming from his brother’s cock. “Fuck, so damn pretty when she’s about to come. Work of fuckin’ art…” 
“Tell me about it,” Joel grunted, sounding almost pained. “Fuck, you think she’s close? Need inside her, can’t…” 
“Oh she’s close,” Tommy said as you whimpered, the ability to form words far behind you. “You like what he’s doin’ to you, little rabbit?” You nodded urgently. Tommy smiled. “Good, good. Want him to go a little faster? Just a bit?” You nodded again. 
“Fuck,” Joel panted, increasing his pace, pushing you closer and closer to your orgasm. He pulled back just far enough on one stroke that his head caught on your entrance and the tiniest bit of him slipped inside you for just a second but it was enough to set you off, every ounce of tight need that had built up inside you throbbing and pulsing over Joel’s heavy cock. “Jesus Christ… fuck, gotta feel so fuckin’ good to be inside her when she does that…” 
“She’s so good for us,” Tommy said, watching you intently, his eyes locked on yours. “Doin’ so good for us. Just gotta do that one more time when we’re inside you, OK baby? Think you can do that for us?” 
You felt on the verge of tears but nodded anyway, wanting nothing more than to feel them inside of you when you came. 
“Good girl,” Tommy breathed. “Now do me a favor, get my cock nice and wet one more time for me…” 
You obeyed, taking him in your mouth to the root and letting your mouth soak him. He moaned, holding the head of himself in your throat, before pulling from you slowly and gently. 
“Bend over for us,” Tommy said, helping you adjust so you were down against Joel’s chest with your ass back in the air. He moved to be behind you, his legs over Joel’s as your thighs were around Joel’s hips. He ran a thumb from your leaking center to your ass and let out a low moan. “Fuck, every goddamn inch of you… fuckin’ gorgeous.” 
“You OK if we try to get inside you?” Joel asked, his voice low and needy.
“Yes,” you managed. “Please, fuck, need you, need you both so bad…” 
“I know you do baby,” Joel said, a comforting hand coming to the middle of your back. “Gonna start with me in your pussy then Tommy’s gonna take your ass, gonna make you feel so fuckin’ full baby…” 
Joel adjusted you ever so slightly, reaching his free hand down to lift his cock and line it up with your entrance. There was some resistance, the thickness of him almost too much to take but he pushed past it until you felt his whole head pop into your hole. 
“Oh fuck,” he groaned. “Fuck, fuck… Need just a second, baby. Gonna come too quick if we go now just… fuck…” 
You just nodded against his chest as your body adjusted to the small part of his cock that you’d taken. 
“OK baby,” he panted. “Gonna give it all to you now.” 
He didn’t give you a chance to respond, he just thrust into you and you cried out with the almost brutal stretch of him pushing deep into you, your tight channel rippling over him. 
“Fuck,” Joel hissed, his fingers pressing into the bared skin of your back. 
“How’s she feel?” Tommy asked, sounding almost pained. 
“So goddamn tight,” Joel groaned. “Like she was fuckin’ built to take this cock, my GOD…” 
Joel’s hand slid down to your lower back and he put pressure there, holding you in place as his hips lowered so his cock was fully seated inside of you. You rocked your hips, desperate for just a little friction. 
“Fuck, so pretty,” Tommy said, his thumb going from your stretched opening up to your tight bud. “Need you to hold still for me, can’t get inside you if you move too much…” 
You nodded even though he couldn’t see it and stilled, the thick, heavy weight of Joel within you burning you from the inside out. You felt a warm drop of liquid on your ass and realized that Tommy was probably trying to lube you up with spit. His thumb worked gentle circles over your puckered ring of muscle. 
“Anyone ever been in this tight little hole?” He asked, almost reverently. 
“One guy,” you managed. “In college…” 
“You like it?” He asked. 
“Yeah,” you said, breath picking up at the thought of it. “Fuck, yeah, I did…” 
“Gonna make you love it baby,” he said. “Now just relax for me.” 
You did your best to obey but you were already stretched so tight there it was hard to imagine anything else fitting inside that half of your body. But you wanted it. Wanted to feel both of them deep within you, the three of you together. 
Tommy pressed his cock head to your hole and spit one more time before he started pushing in. You whimpered at it and Joel’s hand ran in a soothing pattern up and down your back, the tight ring of your ass holding firm. 
“C’mon, just let me in,” Tommy panted, pressing harder. “Just let me in, baby, make you feel so good when I do…” 
“Relax for us,” Joel said in your ear, so soft you doubted Tommy could hear. “This was what you wanted, right? For us to take you, make you ours? Can’t do that if you won’t let him in, little girl. Just let him in, let us have you…” 
Tommy’s cock pushed past the ring of muscle and he sank a few inches inside you with a strangled moan. 
“Holy shit,” he panted. “Fuck, never… never felt something this tight, Jesus Christ…” 
He pushed deeper, slowly, gently, and you pressed your face down into Joel’s warm, broad chest, moaning and needy. You’d never felt this full, never felt this stretched, never felt this overwhelmed. Never felt like you so totally, utterly belonged to anyone else.
“Almost inside you,” Tommy panted. “Fuck, doin’ so good for us. So so good…” 
Another minute and Tommy’s hips met the plush of your ass and he moaned, his fingers digging into your hips as he did. 
“Fuck, we’re inside you baby,” Tommy said, his head falling forward until it met the middle of your back. “So deep inside you, fuck…” 
“Taking both of us, baby,” Joel whispered, just for you. “Really ours now, gonna take such good care of you…” 
“I gotta move, Joel,” Tommy panted, sitting up again. “Fuck, I can’t… I gotta… fuck.” 
“We’re gonna fuck you now,” Joel said, loud enough that Tommy could hear him this time. “You just take us and come on our cocks like a good girl.” 
You nodded into Joel’s chest. 
Tommy started to move first, pulling back slowly before thrusting in harder and faster. When he thrust in, Joel slid out until just the head of him remained inside your channel. When he pushed back inside, Tommy pulled back again. The men set the pace, alternating in perfect rhythm so you were never empty, giving you the mind-blowing combination of almost constant friction with constant stretch. 
It didn’t take long before you started to tighten around them, their cocks working your holes in tandem, filling you and stretching you and claiming every inch of you. Joel had to push back inside with a grunt as your orgasm built, the tightness of your inner walls almost too much for him. 
“She’s gettin’ close,” Tommy panted. “Fuck, already tryin’ to milk my cock…” 
“Think we can get her there,” Joel said, breathless, thrusting somehow deeper than he’d been before, making you gasp. 
“Fuck, need to feel her come,” Tommy said, gripping your hips tighter and starting to fuck in and out of you faster. Joel followed suit, thrusting in deep and hard on his final stroke. 
“I’m… fuck,” you panted, your insides hot and coiled with pleasure so intense you could barely remember your own name. “I’m close, so close, want to come with you, please, want to come with both of you, please, please, please…” 
You kept whimpering and pleading, mind foggy, as Joel and Tommy picked up the pace, Joel’s arms wrapping tightly around you, holding you close and tight to his skin as his and Tommy’s orgasms built. 
“Gonna come,” Tommy said. “Fuck, gonna… I’m gonna…” 
“Please, please, please…” You sobbed and they both thrust deep inside at the same time, stretching you to your limit, both throbbing deep and hard, triggering your own orgasm, walls clenching onto them tight and rippling over them. 
“Did so good for us,” Joel whispered softly in your ear as your core fluttered around them, their cocks going still inside you. He held you close, one hand on your ribs, the other on the back of your head. “So fucking good for us…” 
“Thank you,” you whispered. “Thank you, thank you, thank you…” 
Your whole body went limp, nothing but an overwrought, dripping mess as Tommy slowly, gently, pulled himself out of you. You felt some of his come drip out after him but he scooped it with his finger and pushed it back inside, covering your tightening hole with his palm until it closed again. 
“Belongs inside you, baby,” he said softly. “Gotta keep it where it belongs…” 
He collapsed next to you and Joel and you whimpered at the loss of contact. You wanted - needed - to be touching both of them. Joel seemed to understand, rolling with you gently onto his side and nudging you back into Tommy. His arms went around you and held you as Joel pulled out of you, a trial of your come and his running between your thighs to his softening cock. He pressed close to you once he was outside your body again, his cock all warm and wet against your skin. 
“That what you needed, little girl?” Joel asked gently, tracing the outline of your face with his fingertips. You couldn’t keep your eyes open, letting them fall closed with a contented sigh and a nod. Joel’s lips brushed your forehead. “Good. Gotta take care of what’s ours.” 
A/N: Yeah so this will almost definitely be a longer series in the future but this is it for now! Sorry for the wait and for the fact that it's completely unhinged.
Hope you enjoyed! Thanks for being here! Love you!
Taglist: @pockcock
330 notes · View notes
cultofdixon · 9 months
Text
You need to care for yourself too
Daryl Dixon • She/Her Pronouns • Everyone was sacrificing bits and pieces for those they care about during the time they had no where to go. But you don’t have to almost die for them • ANGST/SFW • TW: Dehydration / Fainting / Heat stroke
Requested by: Anon
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It was a lot of walking endlessly
No more prison
No more terminus
No more chapel
Really no more home.
The group has gained a few new members and lost some dear friends. Which meant a wave of grief falling through everyone, especially those that got hit the hardest.
The walking started to become all they did in the day and they would huddle up at night wherever they ended up. No matter the situation. Meaning, they could be roofless and or in a storm. At least they had each other.
Even if some of them risked it all for others…
Rick handed the canteen over to Y/N as she instantly gave it to Carl, trading Judith with him so that he could take a swig from it but also help her get Judith to drink some of it. But she never got it for herself, she didn’t want it either.
The selfless act didn’t go unnoticed, or at least to those who cared what was happening in between the lines.
“Ey, give it here” Daryl asks Noah to hand the canteen to him while he got up from his spot approaching Y/N and kneeling before her. “You gotta drink yerself”
“The kids need it more than me, D” Y/N whispered to him, listening to him scoff and glare at her slightly.
“Nah. Ain’t goin’ til you’ve drank some”
Y/N looked him dead in the eye while handing Judith back to Rick and taking the canteen from the archer opening it to take a sip. Daryl relaxed a bit from his tense position before her watching her swallow. Least he can ease a bit knowing she ain’t risking her health.
Once she handed the canteen back, Daryl went to return it to whoever to have it next. Leaving Y/N to cough slightly as she faked it. Swallowing her saliva made it believable.
He should’ve checked if there was a weight difference.
These moments happened a few times throughout their time on the road that Y/N started to look more like bone and colorless. Not eating didn’t help either but there was barely anything for anyone in the group. She still gave whatever was given to her to the kids.
“It’s getting hotter, should take more stops” Carol informs Rick as he couldn’t agree more with her. They were all exhausted.
“Should find a shady spot to relax for now, then we’ll continue walking” Glenn states taking lead for a moment into the forest to find a good spot for them to make camp for a short while.
The group started walking to Glenn’s spot when Daryl couldn’t help but get this anxious feeling in his chest. Maybe he was starting to feel the exhaustion but as he took a head count…
They were missing someone
And of course it’s—-
“Y/N?” Daryl calls out only for everyone to notice her absence.
“Wasn’t she with the kids?”
“Clearly not. Carl’s got Judith right now”
“Where could she be?”
“Couldn’t have gotten far. We’re all running on E”
“Yeah which makes it easy for a Walker to take us down” Maggie interrupted getting up as quickly as she could to help Daryl go looking as Sasha immediately joined in the search. The others kept to the group, not because they didn’t care, but they knew the three could find her.
If
She didn’t get too far…
Everything hurts Y/N frowns leaning up against a tree once she fell to the ground. Her voice got caught in her throat when the others continued on. But in that moment, she had to stay awake and do her best to remain that way. In case someone went looking for her.
“Where was the last place we’ve stopped at?” Daryl asks as the two brought up a few possible options when the archer struggled to get tracks.
Then it clicked to Sasha.
“When we were pushing walkers in the dried up creek. Y/N helped there”
“So to the bridge is where we’re headin’” Maggie states, taking the lead now as the two followed quickly. “Hopefully she didn’t fall into it”
“For fucks sake, why did yea put that in our heads?!” Sasha snaps unintentionally making Maggie cower slightly.
Of course the three tense individuals that have lost someone important to them…
A close friend
A brother
A sister
They weren’t about to lose another important person, that should’ve given a damn about themselves for a moment.
“She’ll be fine”
“Or fine as she can be”
“Just not Walker food” Daryl groans at the thought as he wanted to pull his hair out on the way to the bridge that Maggie brought up earlier. “Fuck. This shouldn’t have happened. This is the most stupidest thing to happen”
“Least we know she’s not kidnapped”
“I’d rather deal with that!” Daryl snaps at the two leading to him stepping away for a moment but still within earshot for the two to get an idea of what’s going on in his mind.
I should’ve been more stern about getting her to take care of herself
She shouldn’t have risked herself
She deserves to be okay
They all should be on the same wave of feeling after losing the last of the water and last of food. Not everyone being okay and then the outlier
If it was a literal sense, smoke would be coming out of Daryl’s ears as he was overthinking every single thing.
“Guys!” Sasha instantly calls out the obvious as Y/N rests unconscious against a tree.
The archer didn’t wait another second in picking up the girl in his arms and carrying her back. When the three got there, everyone was tense at the sight of Y/N’s unconscious form and a few got up from their comforts to do their best to help. The few being Carol, Glenn, and Rosita. It was starting to get later in the evening and the sun was fading so they took advantage of using the night to try and cool her body.
Even if that meant taking turns fanning Y/N and removing layers, but keeping her decent. Not that anyone would stare…but the way Daryl was glaring at everyone that would make a comment on Y/N’s current state? He cared a fuckton.
“It’s been three days, least she’s breathing” Rick comments as he was currently fanning Y/N after they had moved from their spot a few times. Daryl carrying her and biting everyone who asked to help’s heads off.
“Looks like a storms comin’. Hopefully we can collect some water”
“That’ll be best.” Rick frowns setting his son’s hat down as they’ve been using that since Carl offered. He noticed a bit of a twitch in Y/N’s face as he leaned over, his ear close to her lips to make sure she’s still breathing. Then he was met with a sudden gasp making him pull back and Daryl flinch.
“Y/N?!” The archer panics brushing the hair out of her face even if it stuck to her because of the sweating from the heat. She flinched to his touch when he did such but relax immediately after.
“…hey” She says in almost a whisper but the smallest confirmation that she was still there made the two sigh from relief. “…sorry I…yeah…”
“You better be” Daryl scoffs, going from relief to anger and struggling to go back to the first. “why didn’t yea take some of the water when it was offered?”
“Judith”
If you think about it
Well think about it to the degree of ignoring your own well being
Heat exhaustion is awful, and it only gets worse if you don’t take care of it. Now a baby? Who is still building that strength to become a bit more resilient in these physically tense moments?
She could’ve died if she didn’t get the extra water and Y/N took that chance thinking she can manage.
But here they are and Rick was completely overthinking this plan of searching for a new sanctuary for their group. It wasn’t giving the results he needed and as much as he appreciated Y/N thinking of Judith at the same level he did—-she shouldn’t have risked her own health to this point.
“Daryl—-“
“I ain’t mad about it…I just…we gotta find shelter. Ain’t camping no more when she’s like this” He frowns watching the slow rise and fall of her chest which made his heart quicken thinking the worse possible outcomes. “Keep her in constant shade”
“Okay, keep an eye on her? I’m gonna look out tonight for one”
“Alright. Yea find anything along the way, bring it back” Rick states watching Daryl nod before he made his leave and little did he know, Y/N watched his every move since she woke.
With Daryl’s absence they got Y/N to sit up and when they had to move again, she would stand and lean on Sasha who happily took care of her friend. Even if neither spoke…in the sense that Y/N felt awful for being useless and needing this help. Sasha doesn’t mind but could sense the tension so she didn’t talk about it.
The moment Daryl came back to talk about the barn he found, or the equivalence to a barn…the group found a pile of water. None of them wanting to take the risk as they don’t understand who could’ve left it.
She needs it though Daryl thought while staring at the pile as no one tried, except for Eugene but the bottle was smacked out of his hands by Abraham.
Then it felt perfect…the timing of the storm coming in and making its appearance.
With the abundance of rain…
Y/N didn’t instantly bounce back but she felt much better, better enough to realize what she did was a mistake and she should’ve been more careful. She could’ve died…
They can’t take another loss
Everyone filled their canteens and emptied the water jugs to collect the rain water. They gathered their collections and headed for the barn, but before they got there…Y/N hung back, leaning on Daryl reassuring him that she is actually drinking the water.
“I’m sorry”
“Mm. It’s alright”
“It’s not…”
“You’re right” Daryl sighs, bringing his arm around her to keep her up and help her while she slowly regains her strength. “Just don’t do that again”
“You have my word, Dixon”
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aanoia · 10 months
Text
Crazy
Kaz Brekker x reader
Summary; the enemy of your enemy is your friend... unless they are also your enemy
Warnings; blood?, knives, uhhhh violence lmfao, enemies to lovers
Words; 2,000+
This didn't end the way I wanted it to but that's okay
The inspo was from the song Trouble by Valerie Broussard
I'm prolly gonna make a pt. 2 bc im cool
Btw,, when introducing the Night Scarlets, each member will have their code name like this, name (code name)
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We wear red so they don’t see us bleed
Kaz Brekker hated many, many people. However, there was one group, in particular their leader, that he hated most. The Night Scarlets. Or the Cardinal, their leader. She has been after Kaz since he joined the business. She and her girls have stolen countless of missions right from under his nose, always having his Crows do the work then swooping in and taking over. She infuriated her.
Hundred dollar bills under our sleeve
We intend not to sleep ‘til we’re dead
The thing Kaz never understood was how. How did she know everything he had planned? He had thought it was spies at first, possibly he had a rat in his nest. But no. Even when he went on solo missions. The Cardinal would always know. 
Drink our problems right out of our heads
Singing oh, oh-oh-oh, oh
Trouble
(Trouble)
Singing oh, oh-oh-oh, oh
Here comes trouble
(Trouble)
“Now, not a word to a single soul about this mission. Hear me?” Kaz asked lowly to his Crows. “If the Night Scarlets find out about this and ambush us I will take each of your hands and shove them down your throats. Am I understood?” The Crows nodded nervously.
“Kaz.” Inej started. “You do know we’ve never said anything before, right? I don’t know how but they always find out, whether we talk or not. She always knows.”
Kaz sighed, “I know.” He answered shortly, turning to look out the window.
Dangerously havin’ the time of our lives
These boys are just poisonous thorns in our sides
“So what do we do about them? I mean, I love the ladies, don’t get me wrong. But these ones gotta go.” Jesper said, toying with his new gun he had just stolen.
“I don’t know if there’s anything we can do, Jesper. They’re practically non existent when they aren’t in action.” Nina responded.
“I mean, there has to be a way to catch them. No one can be completely invisible forever.” Wylan said, his brain running through thousands of possibilities. “Maybe we can set a trap for them?”
Matthias snorted, “They’ll turn that into a trap against us. Bad idea.”
“Well, we need to do something. I need money!” Jesper argued.
“You don’t need it, you’re just going to gamble it all!” Wylan said, raising his voice slightly.
Starting fires wherever we go
Watching ‘em gamble everything they own
The group stopped arguing as the sound of glass breaking filled the room. KAz swung his cane one more time and a strangled bird cry came out. He stuck his hand out the broken window and grabbed the bird. Throwing it onto the table in anger.
“A cardinal.” Inej whispered.
Kaz slammed his hand down on the table, “She knows! She knows! How does she always know!” He yelled, picking up a glass and throwing it all the wall, causing Nina to flinch and Jesper instinctively step closer to Wylan. Kaz looked up with death in his eyes. “Change of plans. We’re killing the Cardinal. No matter the cost.
Singing oh, oh-oh-oh, oh
Trouble
(Trouble)
“Ready girls?” Y/n whispered into the small, barely workable communication device that her Fabrikator, Aisha (Raven), had been working on for months. 
“Yeah.” Luna (Eagle) whispered back.
“Ready, C.” Patty (Hawk) responded.
“Steph?” Y/n asked as she pulled her dark red hood over her head.
A few grunts were heard before Stephanie's ( voice filled their ears, “Yep, ready boss.”
Y/n smiled as she began to climb down the walls of the building to the top window, careful to stay out of the Wraiths' sight. “Great. Let’s commit some crimes. Shall we?”
Stephanie giggles, the clicking of her guns being prominent. “Oh, we shall. Ooo, my fellow sharpshooter, my favorite.” 
The line went quiet as Y/n carefully crawled through the opened window, landing silently in the office. She walked briskly to the desk, quietly rummaging through the drawers. She let out a gasp as her arm was pulled back and a familiar cane wrapped around her neck, causing her back to be flush against someone's chest.
Trouble coming in the dead of night
Trouble making everything alright
“Looking for something?” Kaz said quietly into her ear, proud as to finally catch the Cardinal. 
Y/n sighed with a smirk, “Yes. I am.” She said before kicking out his leg, being sure to not hit his bad one. He grunted and took a step back, keeping the cane around her throat. She took the chance to duck out of the way and push him back against the wall, raising her dagger in between the two.
“Y’know, I was very offended to find out you killed my bird.” Y/n said, her hood shielding her eyes.
“Should’ve told it to stay away. The Crow is stronger than the Cardinal after all.”
Y/n laughed, “Oh, Kaz. You should know by now strength is not the most valuable trait of this lifestyle. It’s intelligence-” Kaz’s eyes widened.
“In which I’d have the upperhand on both of you.” A new voice said as two arms knocked the dagger from Y/n’s hands, bringing them behind her back and ripping the hood from her head. Kaz stared at her as people grabbed him as well. He had never truly seen the Cardinal without her hood, and he hated to admit how her face made his heart stutter,
It’s in your blood
It’s in your bones
You cannot sleep for
You cannot sleep for
The two hostages were dragged down the stairs to see their fellow partners bound in ropes. They pushed the two down on their knees next to each other, causing Kaz to let out a grunt as his leg bent weird. Y/n sighed, disappointed in her lack to see the real trap behind Kaz’s. 
“Well, well, well. Look what I have found.” Pekka said with a disgusting smile, looking at each of the criminals tied up. “A bunch of little thieves who think they are so smart.” Pekka continued on his speech as Y/n struggled with her binds. If only she could reach her ear.
“Kaz.” She whispered quietly, careful to not let the boasting man hear.
“What?” He hissed angrily.
She sighed again, “I need you to kiss my ear.”
Kaz almost looked like he was going to hurl, causing the girl to roll her eyes. 
“What the fuck? No way.” He whispered back.
Whoa, oh
Whoa, oh
Tro-tro-trouble, trouble
“Do you want to get out of this?”
“How will kissing your ear help?”
“Just do it, for Saint’s sake!”
“Hey! Quiet, little bird.” Pekka said, walking over and caressing the girl's face with her own blade. She looked at him in disgust and spit in his face, causing everyone's eyes to widen. Pekka calmly wiped the spit from his face before angrily sliding the dagger against her cheek, slicing her skin.
Y/n smiled at him, “Red is my favorite color, you know?”
Pekka glared at her in anger, “Useless slut.” He said before walking back to his men, pulling them into a circle and talking quietly.
“Now!” She whispered to Kaz who reluctantly brought his lips to her ear, ignoring the water pooling around his knees. His lips met a piece of cold metal and he pulled back, actually looking into her ear to see a weird device.
“What is that?” He questioned, eyebrows raised.
Y/n ignored him, “Raven, are you there?” She whispered to nothing, before a relieved smile came across her face. “Emergency. Help. Now.”
Woah, oh
Woah, oh
Here comes trouble, trouble
After a few moments the door of the house burst open, letting in birds of all different kinds, all flocking around and clawing at anything they could get their claws on, Pekka and his men included and targeted.
“Hey, Cardinal.” A voice whispered from behind the girl as she cut her restraints.
“Raven, good timing.” Y/n responded with a smile, taking the dagger Aisha handed her. “Free the other Scarlets. Leave the Crows for now.”
“No, you let us go. I helped you.” Kaz protested as a few of Pekkas men ran out of the house.
“No can do, Brekker.” Y/n said before pulling her hood back up and going to fight off the men that weren’t scared by the birds.
After a few moments a disgruntled, furious yell broke out, “I will get you and kill you all!” Pekka screamed as he ran from the house, scratches littering his skin.
Y/n whistled to the birds, causing them all to stop and fly out the door, their duty finally fulfilled. Her Scarlets stood beside her as she studied the Crows, still tied up and on the floor, a few adorning bird scratches.
“Free them.” She demanded her girls, who broke out in protest. She raised her hand and they silenced. “They will not kill us. They need us, as we need them.” She addressed their concerns and they reluctantly cut the ropes binding their hands. Immediately Inej stood and got into a fighting stance. Her fellow Crows followed after, other than Kaz, who simply lifted his hand to tell them to be calm.
“We need you, do we?” He asked, taking a step towards the Cardinal.
“Yes, as do we, you. Pekka Rollins is, obviously, after us both. We are small groups. Six in yours, five in mine. Rollins has dozens of Dime Lions. It is simply impossible for one of us alone to take him down. You know that, hence why you didn’t let your Crows attack. Isn’t that correct?”
“Unfortunately it is. We shall work together.” Every bird in the room protested. “Until Pekka is down.”
Y/n smiled and held out her hand, “And then you can go back to getting bested by the Night Scarlets. 
“I’m not planning on it.” He said, not raising his hand, and Y/n, ever so observant, had noticed his touch aversion ages ago.
“Air shake.” 
“No.”
“Come on.”
“No.”
“It’s not a deal unless we shake on it.”
“No.”
“I’ll kill you.”
“No.”
“You don’t have weapons.”
“No.”
“I’m smarter than you.”
“No.”
“I’m cooler than you.” Everyone laughed, even Kaz had let a small, smug smirk fall upon his lips.
“You aren’t.” He said, pretending to shake the girl's hand without touching it.
There are dogs on the loose, there are snakes in the desert (in the desert)
I’m that knife in your boot, girl, I got ya (Girl, I got ya)
I’m your number two man in a fight (In a fight)
“And then, we win. Easy peasy.” Y/n said, finishing explaining the plan to the now group of nine.
“Easy peasy my ass.” Jesper mumbled.
“Language, Jes. A kruge.” Y/n smiled triumphantly as Jesper rolled his eyes and handed the girl a kruge. In the three months the two groups had been working together they had become quite close.
“Oh, yeah. I’m so ready for this. We’re so gonna win.” Patty said with a large smile, her arm linked with Nina’s who nodded along.
Y/n laughed slightly, “We will. Now go. Get rest. You’ll need it. We have a big day tomorrow.”
We are revolutionaries tonight
Singing oh, oh-oh-oh, oh
Trouble
(Trouble)
The office emptied, leaving the Crow and Cardinal. Kaz stared at the map, thinking hard.
“Kaz, what’s on your mind?” Y/n asked, placing her hand next to his to provide comfort without actually touching him.
“We can’t do it. We aren’t strong enough.” He muttered and Y/n laughed. Kaz looked at her in annoyance.
“Kaz. We are just about the strongest lot Kerch has seen. We’ve got this. We’re the coolest bunch in Ketterdam.”
Kaz shook his head with a smile he only let out around her. A genuine, happy smile. “Yes, we’re so cool. Do cool people always talk about how cool they are, though?”
Y/n nodded, “Obviously. Have you met me?” She asked with a teasing smile.
“Unfortunately, I have.” 
Trouble coming in the dead of night
Trouble making everythin’ alright
Y/n put her hand over her heart with a gasp. “I’m hurt. You, Kaz R. Brekker, have wounded me right in the heart.” He smiled at the use of his real last names initial, something she had always done once she learned his last name was truly Rietveld. 
It’s in your blood
It’s in your bones
You cannot sleep for
You cannot sleep for
“Oh no, Kaz, I'm Feeling light headed.” Y/n said, stumbling back towards the bed. She fell once the back of her calves hit the bed frame. “I see the light!” She said, reaching her arm up towards the sky. “Oh, it’s getting brighter! Kaz! It’s getting brighter!” She portrayed blood spurting from her chest, before spasming and falling limp, her tongue hanging from her mouth.
She failed to hide her smile as Kaz’s oh so beautiful laugh filled the air. It was like music to her ears. Compared to most people, Y/n got through Kaz’s walls rather quickly, which surprised everyone, including Kaz himself. She had provided him a safe space, free from the water and cold skin and lifeless eyes.
Y/n continued to play dead even after the laughter stopped, not failing to hear the footsteps nearing the bed, causing her heart to speed up. In just a moment, a soft hand gripped hers and pulled her body up as Kaz pulled her into a hug.
“Thank you.” He whispered, before quickly pulling away before the water rose above his head.
Heat creeped up Y/n’s neck, “For?”
“Making me look cooler by your loserness.” He simply said before walking out, pretending nothing happened.
Y/n smiled to herself, falling back onto the bed, a dreamy sigh falling from her lips. She kicked the air while giggling in excitement. Oh, how whipped the Cardinal was for the Crow.
Crazy.
Woah, oh
Woah, oh
Here comes trouble, trouble
231 notes · View notes
starsandhughes · 10 months
Text
Penalty Box Series— National Best Friends Day
SERIES MASTERLIST
yourusername
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liked by _quinnhughes, trevorzegras, and 17,043 others
yourusername dear quintin,
i never had a big brother. i didn’t know what it meant to have any sort of siblings until i met all of you, let only someone who cared enough to protect me and clean up my knees when i fell on the sidewalk. i never knew what it meant to have a real family.
then you came along. well, i guess jack came along, but i knew you were different from jack from the beginning. you’d walk me to class every morning in elementary school until you left and made sure my french braids were straight before i went in. you helped me on all my school projects, you scared away bullies, you gave me your hoodie went you went to middle school so that “you could still walk me to class,” and in fourth grade, you officially became my best friend.
no one else will ever have a best friendship like ours, and i think that’s pretty special. we live over a thousand miles away and we still manage to make each other a priority. to quote kelly clarkson, “my life (my life) would suck (would suck) without you!”
i love you more than words, huggy💙
p.s. i can’t forget to mention how grateful i am for my best friend number two, @/colecaufield! i love you!
p.s.s. i also can’t forget to mention how much love i have for all of my friends. so to jacky boy, turcs, lukey moosey, jamie baby, z-baby, and many more (teammates i’m looking at you) (especially petey because he calls me every week), i love you, i’m grateful for you, and you’re not allowed to leave me until you die <3
p.s.s.s. to all my sons, fatherless or not, you’re all a delight to be around and i love and miss every single one of you!
p.s.s.s.s. dear jack, i’m (not) sorry i traded you in for the better model, but without you, i don’t know where i’d be. thank you for giving me the family i deserve and being my best friend from kindergarten through third grade❤️
tagged _quinnhughes
view all 223 comments
_quinnhughes trevor’s right, you can be a sweet girl! i love you so much, sissy💙 don’t worry, i’m contractually obligated to stay your best friend until i die and i intend to keep that promise
yourusername aw you sap!
_quinnhughes there’s my girl, i was getting concerned
jackhughes you’re concerned??? she didn’t tease any one of us in her sappy post
yourusername @/jackhughes stfu toothless i will shove you off the boat when you least expect it
jackhughes there’s my girl
trevorzegras we’re friends???
yourusername i mean i think so
trevorzegras that’s news to me
yourusername you’re lucky i love you
trevorzegras forever?
yourusername always🧡
jackhughes i just threw up so much i started bleeding
yourusername @/jackhughes that sounds like a you problem
trevorzegras um… anyways… i love you, forever🧡
user23 i’m not crying you are
user4 i’m just picturing little quinn petting down fly aways and making sure sissy has both braids over her shoulders and hugging her before class🥹
colecaufield i love best friend number two! can’t wait to see what movie you’ve picked for us this week!
yourusername it’s definitely one we haven’t watched before
colecaufield is it the new jennifer lawrence movie?
yourusername that’s not out til the 23rd!
colecaufield but i’m assuming you’re taking us all to the movie theater?
yourusername my home girl is back from the dead, of course we’re all seeing the new jennifer lawrence movie
colecaufield you don’t know her???
yourusername home. girl.
user91 i will never recover from this
colemcward i love and miss you, too, mom! i’m honored to be your and quinn’s son!
yourusername my favorite child! you should come visit! we got snacks!
colemcward i’ll see what i can do
lhughes_06 @/yourusername you shouldn’t rank your children
yourusername @/lhughes_06 mom ranks us
_quinnhughes @/yourusername no, mom ranks you first and the rest of us are tied for second
yourusername @_quinnhughes that’s what you think
user80 i envision sissy as like the team snack mom to far too many hockey teams
yourusername i do what i can🫡
_alexturcotte forever my favorite smoke buddy! i love you!
yourusername enough to give me back my bong?
_alextucotte not a chance <3
_eliaspettersson i love you, too! i’ll call at three your time
yourusername i’ll be anxiously awaiting your call!
user21 i’m perplexed as to how y/n manages to do little things with about 800 people to keep the friendship alive
jamie.drysdale i love you soooo much, ex wife! you make my life entertaining so please never leave
yourusername i’m with ya til the end of the line
jamie.drysdale is that a comment about my hair?
yourusername sure is ya bucky barnes looking ass
trevorzegras @/yourusername does that make me steve rogers?
yourusername @/trevorzegras you’d like that, wouldn’t you?
edwards.73 i miss you the MOST
yourusername aww i miss you the most! i love you!
edwards.73 i love you, too, mom💛
user2 sissy and quinn >>> jamie and trevor
jackhughes sap alert! (i love you, too, soulmate)
yourusername come cuddle
jackhughes omw
dylanduke25 team mom! team mom! team mom!
yourusername can’t wait to crash the team sleepovers
dylanduke25 wrong! you’re always invited to team sleepovers
lhughes_06 you’re more than my friend, you’re my sissy and i love you❤️
yourusername you made me cry you jerk <3 i love so much, lukey moosey you don’t even know
lhughes_06 i think i’ve got a solid idea
yourusername well it’s wrong
354 notes · View notes
darling-i-read-it · 11 months
Text
The Spencer Mansion
STARS Office Part 2 
Part 1 
Albert Wesker x fem!reader, Chris Redfield x fem!reader 
Word Count: 4.1k
Warnings: canon level violence, Wesker toeing the line of using the reader and being in love with her, Chris thinking the reader is dead, canon level injuries 
Tagging: you all mentioned wanting a part 2, I hope you don't mind that I tagged you! <3 @boywivlove @fanartcollectorwriter @chaotic-fangirl-blog
Author’s Note: A lot of people have suggested I do a part two to stars office and I always meant to but never got around to it! I hope that you guys like this. Id be open to a part three (and hopefully do it quicker this time around lol). Thinking for part three that I could do two endings, one for chris and one for wesker....
I also added this request to the plot : @zedonna , If not that, then maybe a possible scenario where Reader replaces Richard? Instead of Chris finding him and Rebecca, he sees reader with the snake bite (someone he is close to and harbor feelings for) But for extra angst, maybe chris doesnt find the serum in time and comes back only to find Rebecca has abandoned a now deceased Reader. ( Totally not what happened my first playthrough with Richard) Thank you, anything is appreciated!
I don’t own these characters. They belong to author/director/creator
(not my gif)
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The tension in the helicopter was poignant and undeniable. You wouldn’t be there for long but the emotions hung in the air like dreamcatchers, haunting and sticky. Wesker hadn’t said anything about Bravo Team and no one had asked him. You hadn’t personally heard a thing about Rebecca since she left the day before, or any of them for that matter. The air held onto the fear of the moment, not knowing what you were going into and not knowing if you would come back. It didn’t help that you were sitting across from Chris, who didn't want to make eye contact with you. 
You felt bad. You knew that you had slept with Wesker to get back at him but Albert was right. He hadn’t actually made a move. It wasn’t your duty to control Redfield’s emotions, especially not so close to the field. 
Jill was waiting for the right moment to ask you about it. The day before you had been best friends with Chris but now you were wearing the wrong shirt, clad with the hickies to match the rumors. Wesker hadn’t let up - why would he? What was everyone gonna do, tell the boss? He had an especially confident aura about him this morning. It was attractive. His jaw set and his disinterested eyes made him that much more alluring. 
You tried to avoid eye contact. 
“Bravo Team’s crashed helicopter is just below us. We’re going to land there and fan out in search for them. All contact has been lost and we don’t know what we’re going into,” Wesker announced, standing up and grabbing the railing above his head. “Think on your toes and don’t try to find each other if you get split up. We meet at the mansion if needed.” 
There were a couple curt nods. Chris pretended not to listen as he looked out the window at the helicopter crash. His face was laced with concern. He cared so genuinely about all those people. Your helicopter lowered, slowly. You held your gun tighter as you got up, preparing to exit. You remained in line as you left, landing eventually on the ground below. 
Jill moved forward to investigate. 
“Stay low Vickers,” Wesker said into his comm. His voice was robotic now. You barely recognized the man you had been with last night. You came up behind him, gun held up, a flashlight in your other hand. 
“Yes sir,” Brad responded. The joking manner in his voice left with the sun. It was now tension filled and dark, a low hanging fog creeping in around the eerie crash site. 
“I don’t see anyone,” Barry exclaimed, from a little further in another direction. Wesker opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by a growling noise coming from the crash. Everyone who heard turned their guns to face it. A dog emerged from the grass, teeth bared and slobbering. You tilted your head, eyebrows furrowed. How had a dog gotten all the way out into the middle of Raccoon Forest? You barely had time to think of solutions when it snapped, jumping forward. It went at Jill, who was closest. You moved forward to grab her arm and help her up, unable to distinguish the noises around you. 
Dogs were barking. More than one. You could hear people running, commotion happening. No one ever prepares you for the silence of the moment. There’s no background music to justify the violence. It’s just you and your thoughts, or lack thereof. 
The helicopter rose. 
Wesker yelled something, something at Brad in the helicopter. But he was leaving. You turned to try and find Albert but it was too dark. You and Jill ran in the direction of Barry, who you could make out. Chris was behind you in a second and then you had more companions than not. You were glad to be running the same way as them. 
You weren’t sure where you were going, or where this supposed abandoned mansion was. But you followed Jill’s stumbling direction regardless until you reached something that couldn’t be mistaken for anything else. 
Barry and Chris opened the doors as you and Jill shot aimlessly into the dark, hoping to hit a target. You backed into the mansion and the doors shut. The silence was deafening. Heavy breathing and large open air but no longer any dogs. You breathed again. 
“Good, you made it.” You turned around to face Wesker who was standing in the middle of the room. He was breathing slightly heavy but it was nothing compared to the rest of you. 
“You take a shortcut or something?” Chris questioned, bitterly. 
“I told you to follow me after Vickers got spooked.” 
“Got spooked? Those were rabid dogs Wesker!” Jill pointed out. She peeked out one of the windows. Now that you were inside, you could take in your surroundings. You were in a grand hall, doors on either side and two staircases going to the level above you. The light on the chandelier was on. 
“I thought this place was abandoned,” you pointed out. 
“It was,” Wesker muttered. 
“We should probably investigate it then. See who else is here. It might be Bravo Team,” Jill offered. Wesker nodded curtly. 
“Well there’s no going out that way,” he said pointedly, gesturing to the front door. You could still hear the faint scratches of the dogs on the other side. 
“This place is huge. There’s gotta be another way out,” Barry offered. 
“Jill, Barry, you take the left door,” Wesker said. “Chris-” 
“I can go by myself,” Chris noted. He gestured to the right door. “Try to keep your hands off each other.” You knew he was just hurt but it didn’t wound you any less. 
“We really should try to stay together,” you offered. 
“Let him dig his own grave,” Wesker offered sharply. Chris could’ve been swayed before but now he was gone, going up the stairs. You huffed out. 
“We’ll meet back here in five, after looking around,” you said, looking at everyone. Chris waved his hand, Jill and Barry gave a disregarding nod. You opened up the door to the left and was greeted with a small room. There was a statue in the middle. 
“Fucking Vickers,” you muttered. You moved your hair out of your face and looked back at Wesker. “Did you know he was gonna do that?”
“Of course not,” he offered. He tried the door at the end of the room. It was locked. 
“You can shoot it.”
“And waste a bullet on a door?” He gave you a dumb look. His glasses covered his eyes, making it unable to get a read on him. There was a curtain on the other side of the door. You moved it aside. 
You raised your gun. 
“Are we gonna talk about it?” you questioned, turning the corner. 
“What is there to talk about?” He was following you. 
You side eyed him. 
“I told you, I don’t do it often. In the eye of danger, I give into impulses.” You refused to believe that was all it was. The way that he held your face…that couldn’t have been conjured up for looks. 
“Alright,” you grumbled. “And the way you acted towards Chris this morning?” 
“Will you focus?” You rolled your eyes and entered the side room. There was a man passed out on the ground. You rushed forward to him, leaning down, gun still at the ready. Wesker hung behind you. You reached at his neck to check for a pulse, unable to see his face. You got nothing. You looked up at Wesker, about to tell him the unknown man was dead, when the man moved. 
You jumped, scampering back. Wesker raised his gun. The man stood warily, unsteady on his feet. You crawled behind Wesker as he shot without so much as a warning. The noise echoed off the small hallway. Wesker shot the man three times but he still stood, unaffected. His mouth opened, drool coming from his face. He didn’t look…human. He looked like he was dead, like his pulse. 
One more gunshot from Wesker in the face took him out. He fell back down. Your eyes were wide, breath heaving. 
“Be careful. Things don’t like to stay dead around here.” You looked up at him, amazed or annoyed you couldn’t tell. He offered you and a hand and helped you up. 
“What the fuck was that Al?” 
“You know what it was.” You wanted to tell him you sure as hell did not know. You thought about Night of the Living Dead. You thought about Evil Dead. Wesker turned to leave, leaving you amazed in his wake. 
“Albert was that a zombie?” 
He didn’t answer you. You reopened the door to the main room. You were happy to be in a larger space but now every corner was menacing. What was lurking where you couldn't see? Jill and Barry came from the door across the hall. 
“There’s something there! A monster!” Jill exclaimed. You ran to her, out of habit. She was one of your best friends and her distress sent you into protection mode. Suddenly you wanted Chris back. You looked up to the stairs, searching for him. 
“We saw it too,” you said. 
“We have to separate and find a way out of here,” Barry explained. 
“This place is huge!” you argued. 
“Where’s Wesker?” Jill asked. You turned around. He was gone. Where had he gone? He came with you into the main room hadn’t he? You opened up the door again but he wasn’t there. 
“He was just…he was just here!” 
“Chris?!” Barry called up the stairs. You were scared. The fear petrified you in your spot. Where were they? You didn’t want Jill to leave your sight. You wanted to stay planted right next to her. 
“Oh God, what happened to Bravo Team?” Jill asked, breathing out hollowly. 
“You want to split up?” you spat at Barry. 
“Chris could be dead,” Jill muttered.
“We need to cover ground quickly. It just makes the most sense,” Barry promised. “You both of your weapons. You’re trained to deal with abnormal issues.” He stood in front of you and Jill. She was holding your elbow. “You won't be able to find them if you just stand here.” 
He directed it to both of you but it seemed like he was talking to you. 
“Wesker couldn’t have gone far,” you maintained. 
“Then go find him.” Jill looked like she wanted to future protest. She looked up at the stairs. 
“I’ll go for Chris,” she said, voice still wary. 
“We all come back here when we’ve found an exit. It’s the central part of the house.” You didn’t want to know more details. What if no one came back? What if you were stuck waiting for someone who had been a zombies dinner? Where was Chris? Was he okay? 
“Find him,” you told Jill. She nodded. “Stay safe,” you whispered. You didn’t want to leave but you forced yourself to move away. You had to go. You had to go. 
You opened the door again. Wesker must’ve gone back to this room. God knows why he didn’t just wait until you had all made a game plan. You refrained from calling his name, holding your gun tightly in your hands so the blood left them. 
The zombie in the corner was still down. You tried the locked door again. It opened, weak on the hinges. He must’ve broken through it. You took a step through, trying to breath through the nerves. He was around. He had to be. 
-
The mansion was like a maze, filled with puzzles and locked doors. You had a hard enough time finding out where you were, let alone where everyone else was. You were met with zombies and disregarded ammunition. The Bravo team was here. You weren’t sure if they were anymore. 
No sign of Wesker but even less sign of anyone else. You hadn’t seen Jill, Barry or Chris since you split up with them. At the confines of the mansion you felt like the problems of yesterday were far less important. 
That was, until you saw Chris rounding a corner. 
He held his gun up, prepared to shoot an oncoming zombie, but was just met with you. He let out a sigh of relief and it was like there was never any ill will. You rushed to each other, throwing your arms around his shoulders. 
“Chris oh God,” you muttered against his arm. You had never been so happy to see your friend. “I haven’t seen anyone in forever.” In reality it had likely only been an hour but that hour seemed like a lifetime. 
“I thought you were dead,” he exclaimed. “I saw Barry briefly, and Wesker.” 
“Where?” You still were unsure how Wesker had evaded your searching. He had only a couple minutes of a head start. 
“Upstairs somewhere. I lost Barry outside, when some…some of those things…” He shook his head. He grabbed your shoulders. “I’m glad you’re okay.” 
“I’m glad you’re okay too.” He nodded once. “I found a couple keys laying around. I don’t know what they go to.” He offered you some of the keys he had found. They had symbols on them. You had found one, a Spencer key. You pooled them together. 
“We should see if these lead to a way out. How did you get outside?” 
“Through some wall,” he explained. “I don’t know who made this place but they need to take another architecture class.” You nodded. 
“Listen, I’m sorry about Wesker. I was angry and he made a move and I felt bad.” He shook his head. 
“It isn’t the time.” 
“It could be the only time,” you explained. “I’m sorry Chris.” His face evened out into a genuine gaze. 
“It’s alright. I’m sorry too, for making such a big deal of it.” You nodded once. 
“It’s okay,” you promised. “We’re cool?”
“We’re cool,” he agreed. You tilted your head, gesturing down the hall. “Let’s go kill some zombies, Redfield.” 
-
“Hey, I got this key. There’s a door down the hall I wanna try,” you said. Chris was messing with the piano in one of the rooms. 
“How far down the hall?” 
“Across the main room.” He narrowed his eyes on you. “I’ll be fine.” 
“That’s far. You can’t wait?” 
“I’ll just be a second.” You and Chris hadn’t gotten far on your own. He couldn’t play the piano and you couldn’t read sheet music. You were at odds. You knew Jill could play and she had to be around here somewhere. He swallowed hard. 
“If you’re not back here in five minutes I’m dropping all of my progress.”
“Yes sir.” You saluted him half heartedly and left the room. You rushed down to the other side of the hall, trying at the door you had seen locked earlier. The door opened slowly. You were met with a zombie, who you shot in the face. Only afterwards did you check to see if the zombie had familiar features. This had been people. What if some had been your people? What if one of them was Jill and you didn’t know until it was too late?
You shuddered. 
“Y/N.” Your eyes went wide at the sight of Rebecca. 
“Rookie,” you breathed. “God Chambers, look at you.” She looked dirty and like she had gone through hell. She rushed up to you, glad to see a familiar face. 
“You’re the first friendly face I’ve seen in ages.” 
“Do you know where the rest of your team is?” 
“Most dead,” she admitted, regrettably. “I lost the others. I crossed paths with Richard but then lost him again.” She looked down at the key in your hand. “Can you try this door?” 
The words seemed normal.
 You opened the door, expecting a zombie.
 You were greeted with a snake. Giant, the size of a house. Things happened so quickly, things you weren’t even sure could happen. Rebecca shot and you vaguely thought about how Chris would come looking for you soon. You wished you hadn’t left him. But you had found Rebecca. 
The snake bit at you, scratching your arm. You were just narrowly able to stumble out the door when you fell down, feeling the effects of it immediately. Rebecca rushed towards you, barricading the door as best she could. You looked up at her, worry lacing your eyes. You were bit. You were dead. 
The door opened. Chris emerged.
You and Rebecca turned to him, breathing hard, bleeding in different places. 
“I should’ve never let you leave,” he muttered. 
“There was a room across the mansion that had some medicine bases,” Rebecca said, thinking quickly on her toes. Her words seemed too sharp. You couldn’t even feel the pain. It was starting to numb. You looked at Chris, frightened. 
“Where?” he asked. 
“It’s hard to explain. There are so many rooms.” 
“You have to go with her,” you said. “She’s a medic, not a soldier.” 
“She made it this far.” 
“We don’t have time to argue. Do you wanna save her or not?” Rebecca felt awful. She had suggested you open the door and she hadn’t been prepared for what she would find on the other side. Chris looked conflicted, eyes gazing back to you. 
“Go Chris.” 
He gave you a pack of ammo. 
“We’ll be five minutes,” he promised. 
“I’ll come looking if you’re any longer,” you said dryly. He smiled weakly and looked at Rebecca. 
“Lead the way.” 
-
The silence was deafening. It was just you and the house again. You and the house and the snake next door. You and the house and the snake and the zombies that lurked, haunting your every step. 
You were trying to be brave in the face of your adversaries but nothing seemed easy here. You regretted telling Chris to go. If you died from this, would you turn into one of those things? Would he have to find your body, still warm, knowing he was just barely too slow to save you? 
Every option seemed worse as time went on. 
When the door finally opened again, it wasn’t Chris or Rebecca. 
“Fancy seeing you here.” 
Wesker’s voice was condensing in a meek way. Still, you were glad to see him. You were glad to see anyone living at this point. You held your arm, eyes like daggers.
“Be careful. I might turn into a zombie here soon and then you’ll have to shoot me.”
“I don’t have moral dilemmas like that.” 
“So you’d shoot me?”
“In a heartbeat.” 
“Thanks for the vote of confidence Wesker.” You adjusted your seating against the wall. He walked up to you and leaned down beside you. He grabbed your hand gently, moving it aside. He took off his glasses to examine the wound. 
“Snake bite?” “Large snake. More like a scratch.” You were so used to his sunglasses that you took the moment to stare into his cloudy eyes. He glanced up at you, a knowing smirk on his face. 
“You’ll be fine,” he promised. He looked around in his tactical vest, searching for something. You watched with curious eyes. After a moment, he grabbed a vile. He put it against your arm wordlessly and injected you with it without warning. You winced, more at surprise than pain. He grabbed a bandage wrap out of his side. 
“You’re awfully prepared for the worst,” you observed. 
“I have to be. I’m the leader of this team.” He tied it shut, strengthening it with a knot. “Be more careful next time.” 
“Where did you go?” 
“When?” 
“When we got to the main hall with Barry and Jill. You just left.” 
“I thought I heard something. I went to investigate.” You didn’t believe that. He was close, sitting beside you now. You bite the inside of your mouth, still hazy from the snake bite or whatever he injected into you. Wesker didn’t mind your questions. In fact, he wanted to encourage them. You were smarter than the rest of the lot. He liked that you would always be just a single step behind him, rather than a whole staircase. 
“Okay,” you said finally. “Can you help me up? Rebecca and Chris went looking for something to help me with. They’ve been gone too long.” 
“You should know that there’s no use in trying to save all of them.”
“They’re my friends Albert.” He put a hand on your wrist, holding it gently. 
“They won’t all live. There’s no use in you dying with them. It would be a waste of a talent and the waste of a sacrifice.” 
“Who’s sacrificing themself?” 
“Anyone who dies here is sacrificing themself for one of us.” He wanted to tell you it was a controlled experiment. He didn’t. You would find out soon enough. 
“I don’t think I like that Wes,” you muttered. 
“You don’t have to like it to live it.” 
You felt more comfortable with Chris but you felt safer with Wesker. No harm would come to you while he was here. You grabbed his hand and held it for a moment. 
“We’ll all get out of this.” You let his hand go and reopened the door. 
He wanted to tell you no. Not everyone would make it out of this one. It was designed to kill some, to help others succeed. He knew you would be the latter. Even with the snake incident. 
-
You went the back way to find Chris. 
Five minutes after you left, he returned. He found a pool of your blood on the floor and he didn’t see you. His eyes went wide as he stood in the doorway, blocking Rebecca from being able to view it. 
“What? What Chris?” She tried to shove him aside. 
“She’s gone,” he breathed.
He tried to picture you as one of those…things. He tried to picture your eyes dead, your fingers peeling, your skin melting. He couldn’t. None of the mental images seemed to conjure, out of sheer fear. He could never kill you, even if you were already dead. 
“Maybe she went looking for us?”
“We’re too late.” 
“The snake bite doesn’t mean she’ll become one of the zombies.”
“It could. It’s the same thing, the same virus, isn’t it?” Rebecca had no sound argument against him. She knew as much as he did. 
“She couldn’t have gone far. She went looking for us,” Rebecca said again. Chris didn’t have the heart to argue with her. 
-
Wesker intended to lose you again but you were just so alluring, he couldn’t help himself from hanging around. He followed you around the mansion, he helped you kill the bioweapons, he ended the mystery of things that should have remained shrouded. 
He figured you wouldn’t see Chris again until you reached the laboratory. He would keep you till then, saving you from that moral dilemma. It would be far more interesting for you to make the decision when you were before Tyrant, when you saw Wesker’s true colors. When you would’ve died without him. Could you live with him? 
“Wesker come on,” your voice spoke, breaking him from his thoughts. “I think I found something.” 
He followed you like a lost dog. 
“Let me see.” 
Final Part !
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thatbxolivia · 7 days
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could you do one where the reader regresses during a mission? With clone wars era anakin?
🎀 anon
you have the best ideas omg
you woke up this morning feeling incredibly little. you pushed it down, not wanting to impede on anakin’s plans. he had this mission planned for weeks, needing you specifically as your father, a political figurehead on Tattooine, was making issues for the senate and giving troubling signs of separatist sympathy. you had no contact with your family, especially not your father, and preferred to keep it that way. however, you were beginning to feel useless and when this opportunity arose, you jumped at the opportunity.
you had tried sending a message to your father, asking him to PLEASE stop this madness, but you received no response. you knew he would be angry with you when he saw you, but anakin would be with you the entire time.
you sat in the passenger seat of anakin’s ship, silent as he manned the controls. he looked over at you.
“i will turn around right now, i’ll take you home. i’ll find someone to watch you, just say the word.” he told you, smiling softly. you shook your head.
“i feel kinda weird… but not enough to regress.” you lied. “i’ll be okay to wait til we both get home.” you told him, giving him a small smile. he nodded, you thinking he believed your lie. you felt better knowing he wasn’t worrying about you instead.
soon enough you landed on the desert landscape near mos eisley, departing the ship and tracking through the market to your fathers workshop. when you found it, you stood in front of the door, sighing.
“i don’t want to do this.” you muttered to yourself, hoping anakin didn’t hear. he did.
“i’m serious. anytime, even if we’re in the middle of speaking, just tell me. give me a sign, i will take you home and have someone watch you. i don’t care what the order says, you do NOT have to do this.” he said, grabbing your shoulders and making eye contact with you. you shook your head, not wanting to be a big baby. you stood your ground before, you would now as well. you were going to do this.
“no, anakin.” you said, and he backed off hearing his name. he nodded and smiled sadly at you, not used to hearing anything other than “daddy”.
“okay.” he said. “then let’s go, baby.” he said putting his hand on your back and guiding you in.
the workshop was small. roomy, but small. it was well lit with multicolored lanterns and lampposts, giving the room a very colorful view. you remembered it. you remembered being young, before your parents separated, and spending many a night in this workshop. you loved it. loved.
“most people use common sense when they don’t get a reply to a message and leave the recipient alone.” you heard a man scoff behind you. you turned around and deadpanned at him; lo and behold, in all his glory, your father. “then again, guess you weren’t very bright.” he grumbled.
“i’m very intelligent, thank you.” was all you said in response. “we’re here to talk about-“
“ugh.” he cut you off, exiting the room. “boring.” he called over his shoulder, making you scoff. anakin spoke up.
“you know of me?” he asked, holding his head high.
“the great hero of the order.” your father said sarcastically, not actually impressed. anakin’s response was to use the force to drag your father over to him, choking him in the process.
“i’m not as kind as your daughter. if you refuse to speak with her, you get me instead.” was all anakin said, keeping a dead serious expression. your father nodded, gasping for air when he was let go.
“these the kinda people you hang with?!” he asked incredulously. you on the other hand just shrugged.
“they’re nice to you when you’re nice to them.” you replied, earning a small snort from anakin. at least he thought it was funny, unlike your father.
“what do you even want?! why do you care where my allegiance lies?!”
“because your dragging this entire planet down a separatist sinkhole, i won’t have it, none of us will!” you said, raising your voice. “tattooine has for far too long been engulfed in war and slavery and the LAST thing it needs is separatist ownership. for fucks sake, dad, what the hell happened to you?!” you yelled, anakin behind you being dead silent. he’d never seen you this way. “you are my father-“
“i gave you life and that’s IT! you are no daughter of mine!” he yelled back, making you cry immediately.
“fine! die then! take the whole planet with you and die a lonely and miserable old man. i HATE you!” you screamed louder than anyone. the room fell dead silent.
“glad the feelings mutual.” he said with venom in his voice. “get out!” he pointed towards the door and kicked over a box. the noise startled you and you cried.
“daddy..” you sobbed.
“i’m not your father!” he screamed, pointing at the door again. “fucking go!”
you ran out into the streets, earning a few weird looks, but most people seemed sympathetic. your heart was breaking. what a stereotype, a young girl needing her boyfriend to be her caregiver because she has daddy issues. for fucks sake.
“i’m here. i’m not him, i’m here and i always will be.” you heard behind you, feeling a hand on your shoulder.
“i never should’ve come here.” you sobbed, shaking your head. anakin wrapped you in a tight hug from behind, his chin resting on top of your head.
“even when you’re just a baby, you’ve always wanted to do everything yourself. i see it now, you don’t want to be big or anything like that. you want to be independent so if someone leaves you, it doesn’t hurt. but you can depend on me.” anakin said. “you can always depend on me, i am NEVER going anywhere. not without you.” he said, whispering the last part. you cried at his words.
“daddy,” you began. “i lied. i shouldn’t have come here i’ve been feeling off all day.” you fessed up. your daddy was not angry or upset with you, he had a very calm look on his face, very sympathetic.
“i know.” he said. “you needed to come to this conclusion yourself, there was nothing i could’ve said.” he told you. “but i’ll tell you what we’re gonna do.” he began, walking you forward, back towards the landing spot. “we’re gonna go home, i’m gonna get you in a bath and changed, then we can have kol come watch you, or maybe obiwan, whoever. and i’ll come back here and deal with this, and you’ll never have to hear about him again.” you both stopped. “sound like a plan?”.
“yes.” you said, kicking a rock. you felt better already, in your headspace and your daddy already making plans to help you out. your shoulders relaxed.
“good.” he said, continuing forward with you in tow.
“i hate him.” you said.
“no, you don’t. you love him and that’s why it hurts. you won’t heal until you acknowledge that fact.” your daddy told you softly. you knew he was correct.
“why is he so mean?” you asked, feeling tears form again as you walked. you could see the ship ahead of you in the shipyard. you sighed.
“i don’t know, that i wish i knew.” he said sadly. “but i do know that it gets better, losing a parent. or in your case, going no contact. the first few days are hard,” he confessed, not wanting to lie to you. “but i’ll be there. then, it’ll get better. and better, and better, until you learn to live with that loss. it will always hurt if you think too long about it.” he said. “but you learn to live with that pain, and you learn ways to cope.” he said, smiling and reaching the ship. he opened the door and let you enter first.
“daddy?” you called out, looking back at him. he had walked in and was packing something.
“hm?” he hummed, stopping packing and looking up. he always gave you his full attention. always.
“am i too much?” you asked and he smiled.
“never.” he said, knowing you needed to hear it. it was the god’s honest truth, and he’ll tell you any day you need to hear it again.
🎀🎀🎀🎀🎀
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TBB as Taylor Swift Songs Character + Song Analysis Part Five
(Part One) (Two) (Three) (Four)
Today we’re doing something different, instead of a character, we’re doing two characters and their relationship(not romantic please don’t take this that way).
Here we go!
Hunter & Crosshair - My Tears Ricochet
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I’m sorry, in advance.
If I'm on fire, you'll be made of ashes too Even on my worst day, did I deserve, babe All the hell you gave me? 'Cause I loved you, I swear I loved you 'Til my dying day
The song itself uses funeral imagery to show the death of a relationship, and it's no different for Hunter and Crosshair. As the first season progresses it becomes more and more clear that the bond they once shared is dying, as they betray each other continuously throughout the season, Crosshair hunting them down, Hunter refusing to go back for him.
I didn't have it in myself to go with grace And you're the hero flying around, saving face And if I'm dead to you, why are you at the wake? Cursing my name, wishing I stayed Look at how my tears ricochet
Neither of them were sparing each other from their misery, and they both convinced themselves that they were the ones doing the right thing, Hunter taking care of his other brothers, Crosshair because he was a loyal soldier, and therefore everything they did to the other was justified through that. And yet despite their growing resentment for each other, they still missed them. They both still tried to rekindle that brotherhood they once shared but they were such different people by then that it didn't work out.
I didn't have it in myself to go with grace 'Cause when I'd fight, you used to tell me I was brave
"used to tell me I was brave" They're no longer supporting each other. And Crosshair is able to cut wounds in Hunter now that only Crosshair could cut. Only because he knows exactly how to hurt Hunter. He used to stand by Hunter, his leader, no matter what. But now hes accusing Hunter of failing, of being too weak to lead. And it hits Hunter so hard that he struggles with crosshairs words a year later in S2. And those words hurt him so much because Crosshair knew him so well he knew exactly how to hurt him.
And I can go anywhere I want Anywhere I want, just not home And you can aim for my heart, go for blood But you would still miss me in your bones
Despite the fact that Crosshair is on Kamino and Hunter is on the Marauder with the rest of the batch, neither of them will really be home because their family isn't complete. Not while theyre separated. And no matter what, no matter how much they hurt each other, no matter how much they try to hide it, they miss each other.
I didn't have it in myself to go with grace And so the battleships will sink beneath the waves You had to kill me, but it killed you just the same Cursing my name, wishing I stayed You turned into your worst fears
And in the end when they both had the chance to come back to the other, they both turned it down. And everytime they hurt each other they hurt themselves because they don't want to hurt each other. They're stuck in a cycle of using their own pain to justify causing each other pain, which brings themselves even more pain from hurting the other. They've lost each other and they've lost themselves in the process. Neither are the lighthearted, michevous brothers who trusted each other more than anything in S7 of TCW, they're colder and reserved, and they've left each other, something they used to think was impossible.
Thanks for suffering with me, always a pleasure. Happy Bad Batch Day!
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snffbeebee · 9 months
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Poison Apples Chapter 2
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{ Catch up with Chapter 1 }
Word Count - 2,620
Warnings - Swearing, a little bit of sexy time...and well just the Mark of Cain doing what it does best. Enjoy, because this baby is just getting started!!!!
“Alright, it’s time to explain,” you stated as you settled onto the bed of the hotel room he selected for the night. “Who the fuck are you and why are people trying to kill you?”
“Not people,” he reminded you. “Demons.”
“Whatever,” you rolled your eyes. 
“Alright,” he sighed out as he sat down the bags on the floor. “Let’s start over. I’m Dean.”
“Not Jonathan Cash?” you snarked.
“No,” he smirked. “Not Johnny Cash.”
“Seriously?” you scoffed at his amusement to his own poor joke. 
“It’s a thing I do,” he shrugged as he sat down in a chair across from you. “And I’m a hunter. I hunt ghosts, demons, all that supernatural kind of stuff that you probably don’t believe in.”
“And now they’re after you?”
“Because of this,” he pointed to that mark on his arm again. “It’s the mark of Cain. With this, I don’t die but I become one of them.”
“A demon?” you snarked. 
“Yes,” he replied. “And he’s not as nice as me.”
“So you were a demon and now you’re not?” you raised your brow. 
“Yeah, there’s a cure to make me human again,” he replied. “But that doesn’t undue its damage.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s hard to explain,” he breathed out deeply. “But fighting and killing… I like it. It’s like it wants me to do it and is always hungry.”
“Well that’s comforting,” you sarcastically stated. There was a long pause as your mind wandered back to the events of the night. “So why haven’t you just killed me?”
“You’re innocent,” he shrugged. “From what I can tell at least. You seem like a good person.”
“Thanks I guess,” you said softly. “So it’s just you?”
“There’s others like my brother,” he looked off. “We’re  not talking at the moment but he’s out there too, looking for me.”
“And you’re hiding from your brother?”
“More like, keeping my distance,” he replied, looking back at you. “He’s gone mad trying to find a cure and I can’t let him get anyone else hurt because of me.”
“I thought you said there was a cure?”
“To being a demon, yes, but to get rid of this? No.” 
“How did you even get that?”
He went on to explain the father of evil, Cain, and how he came to be the newest bearer of the mark and why. He discussed how he had died shortly after because of an asshole angel Metatron and turned demon to run around with the king of hell until his brother and their friend, who was also an angel, cured him. 
“You do know this all sounds insane right?” was all you could really muster out.
“I’m not an idiot. I know it does, but you’re just going to have to trust me.”
“And if I don't?”
“You’ll most likely end up dead,” he replied flatly. “None of them that are after me will care. You’re just another member of collateral damage.”
“Great,” you took a deep breath. “So it’s basically just a matter of time before I either die or go back and go to jail for the rest of my life?” 
“Like I said before,” his eyes met yours. “Listen to me and you’ll be alive.” 
After letting a large puff of air escape through your lips you got up from your spot. He watched you closely as you found the mini fridge. There were little bottles of alcohol inside and you were going to down each and every one of them. After twisting off the top of a vodka, you shot it back in one big gulp. 
You heard a snicker coming from him as you went to open another. You opted to ignore him as you chugged down the second one. 
“It’ll probably be at least a day before they find the bodies at your place, but it’s likely that someone from the hospital will notice your new patient is no longer there and review the cameras.”
“Most likely not until the 1st shift comes in at 8,” you replied. 
“What time does the bank open?”
“9 I think.”
“So that gives us,” he peered at the clock. “About 6 hours to sleep, and an hour to watch our backs til you can get to the bank, and to get the fuck out of town.”
“I need a shower,” you grumbled as you touched your neck. “I need to clean this up.” 
He got up from his spot and moved his hand to your chin to tilt your head back. You flinched for a second, but then allowed him to look. His hand stayed there for a while as he examined, causing a warm feeling inside you to start developing. Lust
or fear?  You did your best to ignore it as he stated that once you were showered he would help to bandage it up. You nodded as you pulled away from him, going to the bathroom to discard your clothing and enter into the shower. You weren’t in there long. You felt vulnerable with him and whatever else was now after you on the other side of the door. After getting dressed you walked out, he was now sitting on the bed with his own little bottle now empty in his hand. 
“Your turn,” you stated as you grabbed your brush out of your bag. “The water isn’t horrible.” 
He got up with a nod, but stopped himself as he approached the doorway to turn to you. 
“I’m sorry I got you involved.”
“Yeah, well you didn’t seem sorry when you had the knife in my back,” you harped back. 
“You mean this,” he pulled out a metal piece of the gurney he was on. It wasn’t a knife. You were never in danger. You felt the anger rise up.
“You asshole,” you seethed. 
“Yeah, I am,” he replied as he set it down. “I can understand if you want to run. I’m not holding you captive.”
“Not like I have a choice now,” you snapped back. 
“Yeah, well,” he sheepishly replied. “I just wanted you to know I never really meant any harm and I promise I won’t hurt you.”
With that he went into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. You were angry, but you understood and you hated yourself for that. You’d rather just be angry at him, but you couldn’t because you knew in that same situation, you might have done the same. 
______
His lips locked on to yours as his hands caressed your body. His fingertips tracing lines on every inch of you until they made their way down to your mound. Rubbing the lips of your entrance, you felt your wetness grow for him as his mouth moved to your neck, taking in your skin with his teeth gently. You were ready for him as he rubbed his digits on your folds before he twisted his digit inside of you, pumping you in and out slowly before he added another. It wasn’t long before he found the spot that made your thighs clench and shake as your orgasam grew. You felt it coming as his lips moved to trail down along your chest and further. You felt your knees buckle as he grew closer. One more second and you were seeing white spots. 
“Y/N,” you heard him speak. You let out a moan in anticipation. 
“Y/N!” you heard him again. “Wake up!”
You snapped your eyes open to see him standing above you all dressed and ready to go. Fuck, it was all a dream. You felt the wetness between your legs as you moved to get up, the slipperiness causing you to want to finish off the job. 
“What time is it?” you asked as you sat up. 
“About 7:45,” he replied. “You okay there? You seemed like you were having a bad dream or something.”
 “Yeah,” you muttered. “I’m good, just a little restless.”
“We’ll get dressed and all your stuff ready,” he instructed. “Be ready to move quick.”
You groaned at his directness, but eventually got up and made your way to the bathroom to get dressed, opting for simple jeans and tshirt with sneakers. You came out and everything was all packed and already looked like room service hit it. 
“Time to fly,” he stated. “How far away is the bank?” 
“Probably take about 15 minutes to get there,” you yawned. “Is there any time for food?”
“There’s coffee and donuts in the lobby,” he replied. “Where’s your phone?”
You pulled it out of your purse, no missed calls as of yet. He grabbed it from you and turned off the location services before handing it back.
“Once we hit the bank, phone is gone,” he warned. 
“Why?”
“911 can still track,” he replied. “I’ll get you a burner one.”
“No one but work calls me anyways,” you stated as you put it away. 
“ No boyfriend or anything that will miss you?”
“No,” you shook your head. “I’m too much of a workaholic for that.”
“Well that makes this easier,” he stated with a shrug as you gave him a hard glare. “Relationships complicate things.”
“This one sure has,” you remarked with a smirk.
“Oh this will be fun,” he chuckled to himself as you both exited the room to head to the next phase. 
“This may be my best one yet.”
______
He pulled up outside of the bank, stating that he would be a block down the street waiting. You were instructed to get as much cash that they would allow and the rest on multiple money orders. You understood the assignment. 
“Hey, I’m moving and would like to make a withdrawal please,” you said to the teller. 
“How much,” she asked as she started filling out the slip. 
“All my checking and savings,” you replied.
She glared at you as her eyes shifted to the screen. 
“That’s over $700,000.”
“I know,” you stated. “I need 10 in cash, if possible and everything else on money orders. Dividends of 25k will work and some odd ones.”
“I need my manager to approve that,” she started to get up.
“Wait,” you whispered. It was enough to stop her. She looked at you with concern. 
“My boyfriend, he’s stalking me and I have to get away,” you replied, acting the best that you could before showing the mark on your neck. “He’s dangerous.”
“Call the police,” she whispered back.
“He is the police,” you replied softly as you did a glance behind you, tears forming in your eyes. “Please help me.”
She was hesitant at first, but then agreed. Domestic abuse, no one really questions and everyone knows someone that has been through it. You won her pity as she finished up the transaction and gave you a gentle ‘good luck’ as you collected the money and checks and put them into your purse. 
As you walked out you heard your phone ring. You looked at it and saw that it was work calling. You wanted to pick it up and tell them what was happening, but was it really a person on the other end or another one of those things. You chucked it into the garbage can on the sidewalk and made your way back to the car. 
“You good?” Dean asked as you entered. 
“Yeah,” you replied. “They called. It’s time to go.”
“Which way?” you raised his brow to you. 
“South,” you replied as you put your purse in the back. “As far down as we can get.”
“Not to pry,” he clicked his tongue as he started to drive. “But how much did you end up being able to get?” 
“Enough,” you chuckled for a moment, remembering that you really didn’t know the guy next to you. “$50,000.”
His eyes widened as he drove.
“Seriously?” 
“Yeah, it’s not much-“
“You’re freaking rich,” he laughed. “No conning pool or cards for you.”
“I guess,” you shrugged. “We should probably find a place to get you clothes.”
“You sure?” he questioned you. “I don’t want you to specially spend your money on me or anything.”
“It will be a gift to myself to not have to smell you in the same clothes after a few days,” you smirked. 
“We will stop when we enter New York, " he stated. “Let's get out of the New England states first.” 
“Sounds good to me,” you said as you leaned back your head. The ride was nice and smooth along the highway. He had the radio on, but only at a muffle. You watched as the scenery went by and slowly, your eyes began to close again.
———
“Hey Y/N,” Dean shook you awake. “Time to get up.”
It was almost dark already when you opened your eyes. You looked around and saw that you were at a gas station. Where, you had no idea. You stretched out your legs as you got out. Your body felt like you were in the car for days. Dean started to pump the gas and asked if you would grab him water and something to snack on. You went in like a kid in a candy store, not knowing what kind of snack he liked and being hungry yourself, you opted for one of almost everything. At least the stuff you would eat if he wouldn’t. While checking out with the snacks and the gas, you heard the door open. You turned your head and saw two guys walking in, looking sketchy and their eyes roaming you. You thanked the cashier and got out of there. Dean wasn’t in sight where you sat in the car and waited patiently. The two guys came out, the one tapping his friend's arm and looking at you in the car. They started to approach you and you wished you had the keys to leave at that second. 
“Hey honey,” the skeezball stated with a grin as he leaned down to your open window. He rested his arms on the ledge causing you to not be able to roll it up. “What are you doing tonight?”
“Go away,” you replied while trying to not look at him or give him notice. 
“We’re having a party,” he continued. “Want to join us?”
You ignored him as best as you could as you noticed him inching in closer. 
“Nice car here,” he commented. “I’d love to take you for a ride in it. How much will it cost me?” 
“Go away”, you stated again. 
“Hey!” you heard Dean shout out. “We got a problem here?”
“My friend was just saying hello,” the other guy who wasn’t at your window responded back. 
“Your boyfriend?” the creepier asked you. 
“Time to say goodbye,” Dean warned.
“Why? We were just inviting her to a party. You can join us if you’d like. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind the three of us taking our turns.”
That was obviously the wrong thing to say to Dean as he punched the one guy and before you knew it both were now down on the ground. The one that had approached you was turning into a bloody mess as Dean sat on top of him, endlessly punching him in the face. 
“Get off Dean!” you cried as you tried to pull him off. “We got to go before the cops come!”
He spit down on the guy as he got up and made his way into the car. You checked the guy for a pulse first before you jumped in the car as well. He was alive, barely. Dean went animalistic on him. You started to have a million more regrets about your travel companion now. What would it take for you to be next?
The Angels & Demons - @ezilyamuzed @daughterofthenight117 @redlipstickandthewinchesters @chocolateheart @hazel-eye-coffee-shop-girl-blog@ain-t-bovvered @ladysparkles78@waywardbaby@nanie5 @ladywinchesterslibrary @candy-coated-misery0731 @stoneyggirl2 @deans-spinster-witch @globetrotter28 @@leigh70 @deans-baby-momma @akshi8278 @hobby27 @jaylarkson @ladywinchester1967 @sonotalice @krazykelly @drakelover78 @19agbrown @pisces-cutie @aloneanddesperate-blog @midnightsilver @dean-winchesters-bacon @waywardnerd67 @bobasheebaby
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Finally finished a little piece I've been working on for a while called Stop Soaking The Scabs:
After Crutchie’s arrest, Jack had been ready to bail on the strike. There was no chance he was putting his boys back in danger after what had happened; half of them had already been in the Refuge, and the other half Jack prayed never saw further than the exterior wall. He’d rather die than willingly put any of them in a situation where they could end up there.
But there was finally hope. His faith in their cause had been reignited by Davey and Katherine, and his motivation was in full swing. The other newsies had been overjoyed to see him back at the lodging house, and with an upcoming rally in three days time Jack had helped with the preparations, lending his artistry to a representative sign for Manhattan, as well as several picket signs.
The evening edition was being rolled out, scabs were no doubt still selling, but the Lower Manhattan newsies stood fast in their decision. Some of the older boys went out to try and convince scabs to join the cause, whilst the rest were laying low at the lodging house. Jack doubted there were many scabbers left, now that Brooklyn had voiced their support, but he was well aware Pulitzer and Hearst both had hired strikebreakers.
Davey, Racetrack, Albert, Mush and Specs were out, everyone else was supposed to be in: Smalls, JoJo, Mike and Finch were playing cards, Buttons was patching up Ike’s vest, and most of the other boys were dozing or talking softly. Sniper and Splasher, still recovering from their injuries from the riot, were sat by the window on watch.
But Jack had noticed two more absences. Two that worried him.
“Where are Elmer and Romeo?”
A few boys mumbled vague uncertainties, glancing between each other and shrugging. Even JoJo, Elmer’s closest friend, shrugged helplessly when Jack turned to him for an answer. He saw a look of guilt flash across Splasher’s face, and without even needed to ask Jack figured they weren’t in the lodge.
He stood up, straightening his vest and putting his hat on.
“M’gonna go look for ‘em.”
“Be careful, Jack.” Smalls said, not looking up from his cards.
Jack climbed out onto the fire escape, making his way down to street level. He wracked his brains, trying to think where the kids could be. They wouldn’t be selling, so it was no use checking their usual corners. If any of the protesting boys had found them, they would’ve brought them home.
Maybe Elmer had gone to visit his siblings? But why go without telling anyone? He doubted Romeo would’ve gone with him... and he knew Romeo would rather be dead than see his family again.
They were in trouble, Jack concluded. No other explanation added up. Heart quickening, he made his way down every street with haste, hoping to find them before things got too serious.
He’d expected to find the youngest boys in trouble. Not to find them being the ones causing it.
Romeo had another boy pinned to the ground in an alley, whilst Elmer paced back and forth by the boy’s head, a newspaper bag clutched in his fist. Ripped papers littered the ground around them. Jack felt frozen, not quite believing what he was seeing.
“We told ya we ain’t sellin’ anymore!” Elmer’s voice was louder than usual, and Jack could tell he was trying to put on a tough facade, “Not until Mr. Pulitzer and Mr. Hearst stop, uh.. stop...” 
“Screwin’ us around?” Romeo suggested. He readjusted his hold, pushing the scab harder against the ground. “Quit squirmin’!”
“Yeah, yeah! Til they stop screwin’ us around! So why’re you still sellin’?” Elmer emphasised his last word with a sudden kick to the boy’s shoulder. Their captive let out a squeal of pain.
“B-But I gotta feed my family!” He protested. Elmer’s eyes flashed angrily.
“And y’think the rest of us don’t?” The younger boy’s voice was steadily growing angrier, his fists clenched so tight his knuckles were white.
“I ain’t the guy to be talkin’ about feedin’ a family to.”
“We’re doin’ this so we can afford to look after ourselves and our families!” Romeo snapped, his tone colder than Jack ever thought possible for a twelve year old, “You scabs are messin’ everything up!”
And all at once, the two kids pounced. There was a shriek from the scabber, his legs kicking furiously in an attempt to get away. Jack heard a crack and felt a sick feeling in his gut; Elmer and Romeo were sweet kids, he’d never seen them act so ruthlessly violent.
“Alright, enough!” He barked, marching forward. He hauled the younger boys off the scab -careful not to grab them too tight or be rough- and knelt down. A SoHo newsie from the looks of him. His elbow was scraped and his nose bleeding; his eyes were blown wide in fear.
“Hey, hey... s’okay kid.” Jack soothed, “I’m sorry ‘bout my coworkers.”
He pulled out one of his old painting rags from his pocket, finding a clean corner before carefully dabbing at the other newsie’s bloody nose.
“Go on, get outta here.” He helped the younger boy to his feet, watching as he tore out of the alley and down the street. A sharp blow to his side made him wheel round, the next making contact with his stomach. He grabbed Elmer’s fist before he could throw another punch, and the kid let a wordless, agitated shout through gritted teeth.
“Don’t hit me.” Jack said softly.
“You messed everythin’ up-!”
“Don’t hit me, Elmer. You’re old enough to know better.”
Elmer made a few clumsy swipes at him, still making those angry little half-shouts he made when he was stressed or frustrated, but he very quickly seemed to lose heart. Jack released the boy’s hand, satisfied when Elmer let his arm drop to his side. He hated reprimanding the younger boys over anything, usually the younger kids could do no wrong in his eyes, but he had to nip this behaviour in the bud before it got his brothers in serious trouble.
Romeo’s kept his gaze fixed on the ground, fiddling with his hands. Elmer now looked on the verge of tears. Jack immediately felt his usual instinct to pull them close and soothe them, but he stood firm. He needed to figure out what had caused this.
“Naw, no tears an’ no lookin’ away.” He kept his tone firm, but was careful not to sound too angry, “You guys have got some explainin’ to do. We told you guys to stay inside, and you not only snuck out, but went to go attack some poor kid-”
“He was scabbing!” Elmer interjected shrilly. Jack raised a hand to silence him.
“-You guys attacked a kid, and at a time where the cops are more on our asses than ever. A bull catches you soakin’ some guy and you two would be joinin’ Crutchie in the Refuge.”
Jack ignored the sob caught in his throat, the pain in his chest when he thought of Crutchie.
“I already got one brother locked up, ain’t no way I’m havin’ you two taken away as well.”
Both boys had the decency to look suitably ashamed, although Jack could still see Elmer’s fists were clenched tightly.
“You wanna talk ‘bout anythin’, El?”
Any composure Elmer had kept until then suddenly exploded all at once.
“I’m angry, Jack! I’m angry at the scabbers, I’m angry at the bulls, I’m angry at the Delanceys an’ Mr. Pulitzer and Mr. Hearst and- and...” He paused to catch his breath, physically shaking with the emotion of his outburst. Jack saw his hand reach up to his head, and he swiftly -but gently- grabbed the younger boy’s fist before it made impact.
“We’s just trying to survive, and it feels like everyone’s against us.” Romeo finished. 
Jack couldn’t deny it. They were right, he hated how right they were. He felt a weight against his shoulder; Elmer was slumped against him, his breathing ragged and shaky. Jack instinctively wrapped an arm around him, inviting Romeo into the hug with his free arm. He didn’t agree with what they’d done, not at all. But his kids were scared and very rightfully angry, he couldn’t stay mad with them.
They stayed there for some time, holding each other tightly and surrounded by the scabber’s ruined papers.
“C’mon, we’re goin’ home.”
Romeo seemed content to walk beside him (although he kept a death grip on Jack’s hand), but Elmer seemed to have exhausted himself. Jack hoisted him onto his hip, and Elmer instinctively wrapped his arms around his neck. They walked in silence for the first block or two, before Jack had to have another question answered.
“Splasher looked like I’d caught him with his hand in someone’s pocket when I asked where you two where. D’you tell him where you’d gone?”
“We asked him,” Romeo said, still struggling to make eye contact, “Well.. Elmer did. He said he didn’t wanna come though, said it was dangerous an’ we weren’t s’posed to.”
“And he’s damn right on both accounts.” Jack said, “Shame on you for askin’ him to go out when he’s recoverin’ from a head injury. And so’s you, in fact!” He jostled Elmer slightly, making sure the eleven year old was listening.
“No wonder you got the idea to go out soakin’ scabs, your brain’s still all rattled after that knock you took.”
Elmer made a strange little noise, halfway between tired and agitated. He’d no doubt overwhelmed himself with this little escapade, and for once Jack hoped it would be one of the times he was exhausted for the rest of the day; at least he’d stay put if he had to rest. 
“We were tryin’ to help, Jack.” Romeo’s voice was very quiet, barely more than a whisper.
“I think what really happened is you kids are stressed t’your limits and don’ know how to cope. Y’knew the scabs were a problem, so you saw a chance to both get out some’a that pent-up anger and get a couple more scabs on our side.”
The silence from the younger boys was all the answer he needed. Maybe they didn’t know how to verbalise it quite that articulately, but he was fairly confident he’d hit the nail on the head. Romeo’s grip on his hand tightened a little, and he felt Elmer’s head push further into his shoulder.
Jack started humming to himself as they walked, one of the piano tunes they played at Medda’s theatre. It seemed to put the kids at ease.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“You found them!”
JoJo shot forward as soon as Jack entered the room, quickly scooping up Elmer and carrying him over to his bunk. Jack let him fuss for once; tensions were high enough, and the kids’ unauthorised venture had stretched everyone’s nerves to the breaking point. Romeo let go of Jack’s hand, heading for his own bunk and curling up into a ball.
“Yeah, found ‘em tryin’ to crack some kid’s head open.” Jack said, sitting beside Tommy Boy.
“Why?” Sniper asked, looking concerned. 
“They say they though they were helpin’. I reckon they‘re just gettin’ overwhelmed by the whole strike. Ro said he felt like everyone’s against us.. he ain’t exactly wrong.”
The room fell into an uneasy silence. Tommy Boy bumped his head against Jack’s shoulder, a rare sign of affection for the younger boy. Jack paused, before wrapping his arm around Tommy’s shoulders. 
The boys playing cards were hardly focused on their game anymore, tossing down and picking up cards at random. Ike was humming agitatedly, rocking back and forth, whilst Buttons kept unraveling and rewinding the same spool of thread. This latest incident had clearly unsettled everyone.
Jack glanced over to Elmer, already asleep beside JoJo. The whole idea seemed to be more his plan than Romeo’s, and that worried Jack somewhat. Elmer was usually a sweet, happy kid, but there was a lot of anger in the little guy, and he didn’t always have the healthiest ways of releasing it. He’d been in a lot of fights in the past.
“Once all’a this is over, m’gonna ask Spot if I can the kids over to Coney.” Jack announced to nobody in particular, “They need a break most outta all of us.”
There was a scattering of murmurs and grunts of agreement. Jack started running his fingers absentmindedly through Tommy Boy’s hair, suddenly feeling a swell of pride in chest. Despite everything, his boys still stuck together.
He made a mental note not to let a repeat of today happen again. At the rally, perhaps he could mention something. He doubted Elmer and Romeo’s attack was an isolated incident, and it wouldn’t do any good for newsies city-wide to be fighting amongst themselves. 
He didn’t want anyone else hurt.
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kristsingto · 5 months
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really appreciate how last twilight implies/drops small amounts of information without bein’ condescendingly obvious or trite about it in the ways some shows are. we get that mork is motivated to be better after his sister’s death because he regrets that he was off partaking in meaningless violence/crimes while she spiraled. we get what a lot of the lead up from athlete to present day of day’s life must have been like up til now, how he acted/felt, etc. and we don’t need to be TOLD everything, just shown it.
the car scene was a great example of how to portray information about a dead character and the living character’s relationship with that dead character without having to do flashbacks. it’s simple, it’s moving, and it works. this show in general COULD feel very melodramatic and emotionally manipulative if it was less careful, but it doesn’t. and i think that fits with how mork treats day a lot. these are people with baggage, and I don’t think we’re meant to pity them all that much. we’re going to learn to love them rather than feel bad for them or be weepy about it.
really promising beginning to a series.
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lunetual · 1 year
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♡ HAPPY CHANGKYUN DAY ♡ happy happy birthday to monsta x’s forever maknae, who despite turning 27 years old and fully being an adult, is still undoubtedly regarded by his hyungs as not-quite-grown-up yet. wishing him a lovely day and an even lovelier year as he so very much deserves!!
quick cc note: hehe here we goooo! buckle in we’re in for a long ride etc. you’re all used to this by now! changkyun is so very dear to me in such a specific way where i can’t think about him for too long or i’m at risk of crying. you know? he occupies such a particular place within the group and in my heart.
i definitely don’t claim to know what’s going on behind the scenes or pretend to exactly understand anyone’s state of mind except my own... but doesn’t changkyun seem lighter these days? i think in general changkyun loves the stage and loves music, and you can always tell that. he’s always been happy when he’s out there under the stage lights all mic’d up. but this past promotional period he has seemed so relaxed and happy and comfortable like he has been GLOWING!! that impossibly charming silliness that sometimes shows itself has been spilling out of him!!! and it makes me so so happy because he deserves that! like doesn’t it do your heart good to see him thriving!!
i have such a soft spot for him for a myriad of reasons but one of them is that it’s because i know that so much of this job kind of goes. against his instincts?? alkf;alsk. changkyun is by nature, so reserved a lot of the time and a lot of an idol’s job requires you to have your on switch flipped at all times. he himself has talked about it, how it doesn’t seem like a job suited for him and yet... it IS his job and it DOES suit him. and in a lot of ways, i think how introverted he is helps at his job, in that he is able to expend his energy when needed and ride that high, and then knows how to regroup and recover within himself. he’s talked about the come down from the rush of being on stage and how it’s a peculiar and acute loneliness, and how actually, he doesn’t mind it. that it’s something that you need to feel.
changkyun is just so thoughtful and introspective. i think he’d be such a good conversation partner. from now on when people ask that icebreaker question that’s like. which three people dead or alive would you want to have dinner with... i’m naming changkyun as one of the answers. i really admire the way that he can sit with his emotions and acknowledge them, and at the same time, the way that he’s like. fake it til you make it!!! like. so true king. me too. sometimes you just have to keep telling yourself that you’re fine and you just keep saying it and keep saying it until it’s true.
he’s a bundle of contradictions. he gives off this cool and fierce image while being so, so sweet to the bone, the group’s resident romantic. he quietly watches his groups antics from the side except for when his goofy sense of humor bursts out of him. he cares fiercely, so fiercely about what his people think of him — and nothing at all for his naysayers’ words. he’s incredibly introverted but loves standing in front of the crowd under the spotlight. :):
i think all the time about how changkyun really maintains a strong sense of self in an industry where it can be really hard, really brutal to do so. here are the things that stand out to me, especially: he is considerate of others, and endlessly patient with those he cares about. (thinking of: him sleeping in his studio for kihyun’s solo debut to make sure he didn’t disturb the sparse amount of sleep kihyun was getting. the way he always indulges hyungwon when hyungwon asks him to check his eyes.) he was raised with an appreciation for music and art and it shows so clearly in his identity as an artist. and along with that, growing up in a few different countries when he was younger gave him maybe a more international mindset than he would have had otherwise. he is honest in his music. he knows his worth and will make the decision that’s best for him, even when those decisions may not come easily.
i’m so excited for the future for him. like changkyun, i also believe that good times and bad times must both exist, and that one will naturally follow the other. but i hope that for him the good times always last longer than the bad ones, and that inner light that’s been shining from him keeps on dazzling us all.
im changkyun!!! i admire who you choose to be every day!! i’m really proud of you and the way you’ve had your cake and eaten it too, leaving the company and staying committed to the group and the members you love so much. i can’t wait for your solo ventures to come, i can’t wait for the group activities to come, i just can’t wait to see what comes next. this year i hope you stay happy, stay smiling. i hope you keep on betting on yourself, because you will never, never lose when you do. with all the love and support, always. rooting for you, cheering for you. with you every step of the way.
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dearheart42regenerated · 10 months
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bro (yes homo) ♡ - a Muckles fanmix
♡ playlist link: Spotify ♡ artwork used: @livelivefastfree
(do I dare tag this legendary amazing motorcity fanartist who hasn’t posted in a year?? yes. I do dare. I miss their stuff. I hope they make more stuff.)
anyway HAPPY PRIDE MONTH TO ME!!!
here’s a slow burn friends-to-lovers playlist for two dorks I miss very much. has a bit of a fanfic-y story arc to it if you pay attention. ;) LOTS of fun nostalgic dumb teenager I’ve-known-you-forever pop-punk vibes, with sprinkles of indie and pop, and just a dash of indulgent angst in the middle.
if any shippers still lurk in this tag, I hope you enjoy this~ 
(I’m always adding more songs as I find ‘em and I roped my sisters into helping, so there will likely be more than this on the tracklist lol)
--> ♡ main tracks & lyrics:
The Bro Duet - George Salazar, Jason Gotay
Remember that time we were surfing / And I almost drowned / (Heheheheh, yeah) / And you dragged me to the beach / And performed CPR?
You Told The Drunks I Knew Karate - Zoey Van Goey
I do the dumbest things for you / Why do I do the dumbest things for you? / I would be safer on my own / I didn't care, you were the most exciting thing I'd ever known
You And I - Anarbor
You and I, we've never felt so right / That just might be just what I need (to get me through the night) / You and I, we're the perfect fit, you've got me hooked / So lit I could never never quit, I just burn away
I’ll Be There - Walk Off The Earth
When your heart could use a break / And it's too broken to be open / I'll be patient, I will wait / Until you're ready to be open / Everybody / Needs somebody / And you got me
With You - Tricia Brock
Through it all / I'll go down to the bottom with you / They can take it all away / But I'll be alright with you / As long as you are by my side / I'll be okay
More Than Useless - Relient K
I'm a little more than useless / And when I think that I can't do this / You promise me that I'll get through this / And do something right / Do something right for once
My Pace - Stray Kids
(English translation) There's no need to rush, my pace / Don't compare yourself with others / It's okay to run slower / Just follow my lane, my lane / Take it easy / Just look ahead and run
A Daydream Away - All Time Low
I wish you could see your face right now / 'Cause you're grinning like a fool / And we're sitting on your kitchen floor / On a Tuesday afternoon / It doesn't matter when we get back / To doing what we do / 'Cause right now could last forever / Just as long as I'm with you
In Your Car - Big Deal
I got a friend who never lets me down / Driving in your car / I wanna be wherever you are / Asleep in the backseat / There's nothing more that I'll ever need / It's a secret, a secret, a secret
Sticking With You - Addison Road
Come on, it's me you're talking to / There's something going on inside of you / Don't have to say it, but I wish you would / 'Cause it would be much easier
Curl Up And Die - Relient K
Clinging to the remnants of perfection / Like most do after they break it / Not knowing which direction’s the correct one / Do I discard or remake it? / 'Cause if I don't know, then I don't know / But I may know someone who knows me more than I
Army - Besomorph, Arcando, Neoni
Seeing monsters out your window / I know you can't sleep, you pretend though / You don't have to play the hero / 'Cause I got you, like you got me / When the earth shakes / When the bombs scream / 'Til our last breath, every heartbeat / You know I'll come running / If you go to war then I'm going with you
Safe And Sound - Taylor Swift
I remember you said don't leave me here alone / But all that's dead and gone and passed tonight / Just close your eyes, the sun is going down / You'll be alright, no one can hurt you now / Come morning light, you and I'll be safe and sound
Hometown - Sheppard
Well, love just don't feel right / When I don't have your hand in mine / I'm scared you're slipping away / But once I'm homeward bound / From the moment that I touch down / I realize nothing has changed
Odds Are - Barenaked Ladies
Struck by lightning, sounds pretty frightening / But you know the chances are so small / Hit by the A-Train, crashed in an airplane / Better chance you're gonna buy it at the mall / But it's a twenty-three-or-four-to-one / That you can fall in love by the end of this song / So get up, get up, no I'm never gonna let up / So you might as well sing along / The odds are that we will probably be alright
I Would Do Anything For You - Foster The People
Every day is a battle I face / Strange life I live / But it's what you've decided / I'll give it all into your hands / Do what you will / With me
Must Have Done Something Right - Relient K
And I'm racking my brain for a new improved way / To let you know you’re more to me than what I know how to say / You're OK with the way this is going to be / ‘Cause this is going to be the best thing we've ever seen / If anyone can make me a better person, you could / All I gotta say is I must've done something good
I Melt With You - Bowling For Soup
Moving forward using all my breath / Being friends with you was never second best / And I saw the world crashing all around your face / Never really knowing it was always mesh and lace / I'll stop the world and melt with you / You've seen the difference and it's getting better all the time / And there's nothing you and I won't do
Boom! - Simple Plan
Don't worry about tomorrow / ‘Cause these walls will never fall / I just wanna let the world know / What we've got's unbreakable / We got it under control / We're good, we're solid, we're gold
Rock To My Roll - Anarbor
You are the rhythm to my rhyme / And you are my radio / Turn you up when I feel low / You are the soundtrack to all I know / You are the rock to my roll
Running Towards A Place - The Killers
And if we're running towards a place / Where we'll walk as one / Will the hardness of this life / Be overcome? / If I lay with you in love / Will you meet me there / And shake the lightning from the locks / Of your unbound hair / Can two become one?
Quarter Past Midnight - Bastille
It's a quarter past midnight / As we cut through the city / Yeah, yeah, yeah, the streets are getting restless / Good times, bad decisions / Yeah, yeah, it's a quarter past midnight / And the sirens are mending some hearts / But we're the losers on our back seats / Singing "Love Will Tear Us Apart"
Passenger Seat - Death Cab For Cutie
When you feel embarrassed then I'll be your pride / When you need directions then I'll be the guide / For all time / For all time
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phoenixkaptain · 6 months
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Honestly thinking that FNAF is ten billion times funnier if there’s some guy who they keep trying to call in to work, but who just. Won’t show up.
Like, they mention this mystical figure who they want to watch over things. Second game, night 5’s “we don’t have a replacement for your shift yet, but we’re working on it.” Pizza Sim where HRY talks about there apparently being someone the job was made for, other than the player character.
Who is this person? What are they doing? I like to imagine they’re peacefully pretending not to own a phone. They’ve been on PTO for the past six weeks. “Accidentally” dropped their phone in the goldfish’s bowl. Pizza Sim drops and they get sent ten job offers a day, only to make paper airplanes out of them.
Who is it? I want it to be the same person, and I really want “we’re working on it” to mean that they’ve been calling the guy’s phone over and over again, and they just sent Betty from payroll over to see if she can lure them out with either cookies or threats not to receive a paycheck. Who was HRY expecting to sign up for his job? Maybe it’s just some guy who’s an animatronic / dead kid whisperer. They just gently shuch and pap Bonnie’s face til he goes away. Who KNOWS.
And that’s why my favourite character is unnamed, forgotten extraneous character who nobody can find any conclusive proof on. Did they exist? Were they retconned? Is HRY just faceblind? Does 2’s phone call have different connotations?? (Almost definitely to that last one-) But I do not care, this character has the highest maximum comedic potential out of all of them and so tis my favourite.
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petalsprompts · 11 months
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𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐧: 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐦𝐚𝐧’𝐬 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐭  ;  𝑑𝑖𝑎𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑢𝑒 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑡𝑠  
       genre details inclusive.                  change pronouns and other details as deemed fit.
❝ I think it's bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding. ❞
❝ We are under the jurisdiction of the King's governor of Port Royal, and you will tell us what we are charged with. ❞
❝ Fifteen men on a dead man's chest, yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum ... drink and Devil had done for the rest ... yo-ho-ho and a bottle a rum! ❞
❝ Complications arose, ensued, and were overcome. ❞
❝ Is that how you're all feeling? That I'm not serving your interests as Captain? ❞
❝ If we don't have the key, we can't open whatever it unlocks, so what purpose would be served in finding whatever needs be unlocked without first having found the key that unlocks it? Honestly. Ninny. ❞
❝ Something's got [Name] vexed; setting a course without knowing his own heading. ❞
❝ Lord or not, you have no reason and no authority to arrest this man. ❞
❝ The charge is conspiring to secure the unlawful release of a convict, charged and tried for crimes against the Crown and Empire, and condemned to death. For which, regrettably, the punishment is also death.  ❞
❝ Why is the rum always gone? ❞
❝ Given a liberal definition of the word ‘pirate’... he's got an unhealthy streak of honest to him. ❞
❝ I'm sorry for the part I played in mutinying against you, [Name]. ❞
❝ And mostly I thought, even the tiniest hope of escaping this fate ... I would take it. Trade anything for it. ❞
❝ Davy Jones came, made the offer: I could spend one hundred years before the mast, with the hope that after, I would go on to a peaceful rest. ❞
❝ Funny what a man'll do to forestall his final judgment. ❞
❝ Jones' leviathan will find you and drag The Black Pearl back to the depths, and you along with it. ❞
❝ Run, mates, run, as if the Devil himself and itself is upon us! ❞
❝ I didn't say port, I said land! Any land! ❞
❝ For the love of mother and child, [Name], what's coming after us? ❞
❝ It's not a matter of how long 'til it comes after you — it's a matter of how long 'til you're found.  ❞
❝ We've had dealings in the past ... and we have each left our marks on the other.❞
❝ For some reason, I doubt [Name] will consider employment to be the same as freedom. ❞
❝ The world is shrinking, the blank edges of the map filled in. ❞
❝ We must find our own avenue to secure your freedom. ❞
❝ I never expected you would bear the consequences. ❞
❝ I'll start there, and not stop searching until I do ... and then I will come back here, and marry you. ❞
❝ If it weren't for these bars ... I would have you already. ❞
❝ Keep a weather eye on the horizon. ❞
❝ Do not ask me to endure the sight of you walking to the gallows. Do not! ❞
❝ This is no time for innocence. A fair trial for [Name] ends in a hanging. ❞
❝ No doubt, you've discovered that loyalty is no longer the currency of the realm, as your father believes. ❞
❝ I expect, then, we can reach an understanding. I am here to negotiate. ❞
❝ And what do you think you have to offer me, young lady? ❞
❝ I have been to Isla de Muerta. I have seen the treasure myself. ❞
❝ A marriage interrupted — or Fate intervenes? You are making great effort to ensure [Name]’s freedom. ❞
❝ [Name]’s life will end ... when the drums stop ... ❞
❝ Now that we're not immortal no more, we need to take care of our immortal souls. ❞
❝ After them! Don’t let them get away! ❞
❝ Put as much distance between us, and this island, and make for open sea. ❞
❝ Have you considered keeping a more watchful eye on her? Maybe just lock her up somewhere? ❞
❝ There comes a time when one must take responsibility for one's mistakes. ❞
❝ Well I'm sorry but an honest sailor I am. I make my living square and sleep well each night, thank you. ❞
❝ [Name] has run afoul of none other than Davy Jones himself. Thinks he is only safe on land. ❞
❝ Same story, different versions, and all are true. ❞
❝ Life is cruel. Why should the afterlife be any different? ❞
❝ Think of the worst fate you can conjure for yourself, stretching on forever ... and that's what awaits you in Davy Jones' locker. ❞
❝ Then you were a poor captain. But a captain nonetheless. Have you not introduced yourself all this time as Captain [Name]? ❞
❝ Love. You think that matters to me? ❞
❝ My story? Same as your story, just one chapter behind.  ❞
❝ I just wanted the pleasure of doing that myself.  ❞
❝ You look bloody awful. What are you doing here? ❞
❝ Are you certain? Is that what you really want most? ❞
❝ Impeding me in my duties? You'll share the punishment! ❞
❝ So I'm to understand what you did was an act of compassion? ❞
❝ For nearly a year, I've been telling myself that I killed you... to save you. ❞
❝ I think there's a bit more speed to be coaxed out of these sails. ❞
❝ Each man has a price he will gladly accept ... even for goods he hoped never to sell. ❞
❝ What was it you said about that which is dearest to a man's heart? ❞
❝ It was always in my blood I'd die at sea. That's not a fate I ever wanted for you.❞
❝ He must have been claimed by the sea. ❞
❝ My tremendous intuitive sense of the female creature informs me you are troubled. ❞
❝ One word, luv. Curiosity. — Someday, you won’t be able to resist. ❞
❝ You long for freedom. To do what you want because you want it: to act on selfish impulse.  ❞
❝ You’re going to want it. You won’t be able to resist... you’ll going to want to know ... what it tastes like. ❞
❝ And since you are a good man, I know you would never put me in a position to compromise my honour. ❞
❝ Everything you said to me ... every word was a lie. ❞
❝ Well I've had it with the lot of you! I've had enough of wobbly-legged, rum soaked, pirates!! ❞
❝ Leave him lie, unless you're going to use him to hit somebody with! ❞
❝ To arms! Load guns — defend the masts!  ❞
❝ Abandon ship! Abandon ship or abandon hope, into the longboat. ❞
❝ You came back. I always knew you were a good man. ❞
❝ Pirate. ❞
❝ Turns out, not even [Name] could best the Devil. ❞
❝ If you intend to claim these, then you must have something to trade. ❞
❝ Whoever controls the heart of Davy Jones, controls the sea. ❞
❝ But if you are to brave the weird and haunted shoals at world's end ... then you be needin' a captain what knows those waters. ❞
❝ Now tell me ... what's become of my ship? ❞
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dalgikiss · 1 year
Text
Til Kingdom Come
index
ii. be careful about what you give your voice to
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Oikawa stands outside, his fingers tracing nonsensical patterns into the balcony railing. The trumpets tha sounded in the distance signaled the arrival of the queen, the joyous sound traveling through the air. 
The wind blows through the trees in time with the melody, making the leaves dance on the branches. Oikawa catches a couple of flower petals that happen to make their way up on the balcony he stands on. The queen’s arrival meant the new princess was here, her name becoming the most talked about subject since the queen had departed.
Oikawa wonders what she was like, letting his imagination conjure up an image. No one knew anything about her, speculations of whether or not she was truly the late King’s granddaughter whispered in secret in bars and on the streets. 
Oikawa’s uncle is a man that doesn’t look like someone that makes many jokes. From his broad shoulders to his square set jaw, and the stern set way his eyebrows were almost constantly furrowed together, the idea his uncle would tell a joke was a comedic act in itself- which is why Oikawa wasn’t quite sure if he heard his uncle correctly. 
“Run that by me, one more time?”
“I said,” His uncle’s tone of voice begins to grow exasperated, “You are to take the crown from the new Princess. You are the true heir to the Aoba throne and I absolutely refuse to let some idiotic, ditsy girl from god-knows-where become the ruler of this country”
Oikawa stares at his uncle, you’re fucking kidding me. However, his uncle seemed anything but joking, dead set on his idea. In fact, he seemed rather pleased with himself as well, a satisfied smile on his face as he leaned back into the plush of the armchair he resides in. 
Sensing his hesitance, his uncle’s set smile slowly morphed into something disappointed, making Oikawa’s blood freeze in his veins. “You do want to rule this country, don’t you?” His uncle stands, making his way to where Oikawa was frozen in his spot in the room. 
“We’re not friends, so stop trying to fucking follow me around”
His uncle is in front of him, standing to his full height. Despite being taller than most, his uncle is still able to tower over Oikawa. 
“You don’t want to disappoint me, do you?” A rhetorical question, Oikawa knows this well but he can’t help but shake his head. “We’ve worked hard, think of everything we’ve sacrificed”
“A noble like you should not be friends with commoners who beg to lick the dirt off our shoes”
Oikawa smiles, the one he’s practiced in the mirror until he is sure no one can discern the difference between real ones and this one. His uncle is none the wiser, taking his smile as an agreement.
“Of course Uncle,” Oikawa promises, “I will do my best to uphold your wishes”
X.
The inside of the palace is just as grandeur as you had expected, long arching windows to show off the perfectly polished garden outside and intricate drawings hung up all around the walls. The maids bow as you walk past them with your grandmother right beside you. Her faithful guard, Akira, travels behind the two of you silently.
You can’t help but sneak glances at your grandmother, her regal presence somewhat baffling to you. You barely remembered the last time your parents had even brought up your grandparents, let alone actually seeing them in person. Your grandmother finally catches your eye when you make another glance towards her. 
“Is there something you’d like to say?”
You blush, ducking your head. Your grandmother shakes her head and fixes your posture again, “You are a princess now. You must never look down at your feet.”
Right, You think to yourself, hurriedly straightening your back, I have new rules to follow
“I was just wondering why my father never mentioned anything about being a royal,” your eyes flit over to a portrait of him, the warm facial features you were used to on the face of your father was nothing like the cold hardened expression the picture of him wore. 
Your grandmother hesitates before answering, brown eyes watching the way you stare at the portrait with unfamiliar eyes, as though you could not recognize that the man in front of you was truly your father. 
“Your father is a brilliant man,” Your grandmother begins, “But he was always looking for something else, always searching for something beyond the confines of his status. I don’t know if you know this, but he was quite the troublemaker when he was your age. He was desperate to be seen as someone other than his status”
She chuckles, “He used to sneak out of the castle in these terrible disguises. He would drive Akira crazy trying to figure out where he was hiding all these ridiculous colored wigs and fake noses” 
You snicker, picturing your somewhat strict father adorning a hot pink wig with glasses that have a fake nose attached to them, trying to sneak out of the castle. 
“Your father loves this country, but he loves not being under the public eye more. When the time came for him to come back from university, he chose to stay with your mother,” your grandmother begins to walk down the hall again, “I believe he made the right choice. He was a great prince, and he would have made an even greater king, but he is happier being a father and a husband than a ruler” 
She casts you a glance, “I hope that answers your question. Now come,” She gestures for you to walk a little quicker, “We have some… unsavory guests that have come to greet you”
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