#AND WHERE IS DINAS BEAUTIFUL NOSE.

[worstamericangrl]

crazy that a cast full of zionists couldn’t even cast a jewish person

[mimasroom2]

“But you’re like…. real pretty.” A Mean Girls Ellie au

Mean girls Ellie au but it’s only up until the burn book scene bc I do not wanna be writing the whole ass thing😭 Janice & Damian don’t exist in this au shhh we don’t need them.. we’re focused on Ellie. Also! Don’t worry ab the ages of characters plz LMAO just pretend they’re all in high school unless said otherwise. This took me a long time to write 2 be accurate 2 the movie so pleaseeeee show it some love ! Literally just mean girls but then I take my own route & they fuck😇

C/w: Regina!Ellie & Cady!reader have secret sexy time but that’s later 😋. Ppl are judgmental but it’s mean girls what did you expect. Uhh Ellie curses a lot ig. Strictly lesbian reader. Allusion 2 reader masturbating to Ellie but no details. David is their classmate (still a pedophile) & Ellie breaks his finger😘! Ellie is VERY morally grey. SLOWWWW BURNNNN.

You as Cady

Ellie as Regina

Dina as Gretchen

Jesse as Karen

W/c: 5k

𓆟. ° .• .𓆝 .• ° . 𓆟 . ° .• .𓆞

“Here’s your lunch. I put a dollar in there so that you can get yourself some milk. Ask someone where to do that, okay?”

“Dad, I’m fine. I can find milk by myself.” You roll your eyes playfully at him.

Today was your first day of high school. Well, actually public school in general. You had been living with your parents in Africa until you moved to the US, and that meant no more homeschooling for you.

You wave goodbye to your parents as they drop you off. “Yeah, I’m not worried. High school is gonna be a fucking breeze.” You think to yourself, turning around to walk into the school and you almost run face first into a bus. You look back at your parents and you swear to god your mom almost had a heart attack.

Great start.

~

“Thank fucking god.” You sighed to yourself. Finally the first few classes were done, and you could eat. You thought it was weird you had to eat on a schedule now, you could practically have lunch whenever you felt like it back in Africa, just like the grazing animals.

You can finally relax, kick up your feet, enjoy some nice quiet you time and-

“Holyyyy shitttttt.” You slowly take your headphones off as you walk into the roaring cafeteria. This is seriously where they expect you to eat? Sounded more like 100 dying elephants to you. You scoff and slowly start walking around, watching all the people at each different table converse with one another. There’s so many different cliques, and it seems like they just get worse as you go deeper into the cafeteria.

You stop in the very center of the cafeteria. You’re in front of a table with three people sitting side by side, not across from each other. There’s an Asian guy counting on his fingers, a girl with her hair in a bun and a really pretty smile, and a girl in the middle. She has her hair in a sort of half up half down style, freckles all over her face, and the cutest fucking nose you’ve ever seen. She looks up at you from her seat in between them, and you two make eye contact. Your heart practically jumps out of your chest. You’re completely mesmerized by her, but unfortunately the beautiful stranger keeps you from looking where you’re walking, and you run right into a guy carrying a lunch tray.

“What the shit-“ he starts, but then looks up at you. “Oh damn. Never seen you before. The names David.” He reaches his hand out to shake yours, and you catch him looking down your low cut shirt. He makes eye contact with you again and smirks, “How bout you pay me back for my lunch that’s now on the ground. Come with me to the tech booth after school.”

Suddenly you hear a voice coming from behind you, “Ew. Fuck off, David. No one wants to hit that.”

You turn around and it’s the girl you had locked eyes with before. You manage to say “Uh, hit what?” worried you’d somehow manage to get into a fight on your first day of school.

“You fuck off, Ellie. I’m just bein’ friendly. Plus, I bet she’d wanna hit. You see the way she’s lookin’ at me?”

You look between the two of them, still trying to figure out what they want you to smack. “Sorry, hit what exactly?”

The girl named Ellie looks you up and down, slowly. You gulp. “Do yah wanna have sex with him? Yes or no.”

Your eyes widen and you shake your head ‘no’ vigorously, earning yourself a laugh from the cute brunette defending you.

“Kay, it’s settled. No one wants to sleep with you. Move along, David. Can’t believe you’re in the same grade as us and yet you still somehow manage to be a pedophile.”

He scoffs and walks away. You smile politely at her, and try to wander off to find somewhere to sit. However, you can feel her eyes burning holes into your back, or maybe your ass, and she suddenly calls out to you, “Wait. Sit down. How come I don’t know you?”

You look around, point to yourself and say “Me?” Then mentally slap yourself. Who else could she be talking to?

“Yeah, you. Sit down, babe.” She nods her head at the seat in front of her, the way you’ve seen guys do. You sit down. You’re not going to say no to anyone defending you on your first day of school. And you’re definitely not saying no to the beautiful stranger beckoning you to sit with her.

The other two people at the table don’t smile as you sit down, they just look at Ellie and back at you. Ellie repeats herself, “How come I don’t know a pretty girl like you?”

You’re caught off guard, blinking at her while trying to think of something to say. “Oh, I’m new.” You shift in the uncomfortable plastic seat. “I just moved here from Africa.”

She raises one eyebrow. You notice there’s a scar through it. “Huh?”

“I was homeschooled.”

She grabs the chain she’s wearing around her neck and starts fiddling with it. “Huh?”

Do people not know what that is? You try explaining to her, “My mom taught me at home-“

She interrupts you, putting one hand in the air in a ‘stop’ motion. “No, fuck, I know what homeschooling is, I’m not stupid.” She leans in closer like she’s studying you. “So you’ve.. never been to a real school before?”

You shake your head ‘no’

“Shut the fuck up.” She scoffs and looks between the two people by her side, “Shut the fuck. Up.”

“I didn’t say anything..” You laugh awkwardly.

“Huh. That’s so interesting. But you’re like…. real pretty.” She raises her eyebrows.

“Oh! Uh thank you.” You look down, trying to hide your blush.

“Ahh, so you agree. You think you’re real pretty?” Ellie has this shit eating grin on her face, and for a second you think she’s no better than the guy who was hitting on you.

“Oh, uh, I don’t know-“

“Wow!” Ellie’s eyes suddenly light up. “Love the bracelet you have. Where’d you get it?” She grabs your arm without permission and looks at your wrist. She rests her chin in her palm and looks at you with beautiful twinkling green eyes, waiting for you to reply. Somehow you didn’t notice her tattoo until just now. It’s really nice - ferns and what looks like a moth. Fuck, that’s hot.

“My uh-“ You swear you can’t speak. You’ve never had a stuttering problem and yet here you are tripping over yourself in front of the most enchanting girl you’ve ever seen. “My mom made it for me.”

“Ohmygod it’s just like mine!” The girl to the side of her finally speaks up, then giggles cutely, “That is soooo fetch.”

Ellie suddenly frowns. She turns to her side to face the girl and scoffs. “What the fuck is fetch.”

“It’s like slang! Uhm from Jackson.” She looks down, away from Ellie like she’s ashamed of what she just said.

“So if you’re from Africa….. why are you white??” The one guy of the group suddenly says, staring at you, almost like he’s disgusted.

“Holy fuck, Jesse. You can’t just ask people why they’re white.” The other girl scolds him.

“Let me talk to Dina n Jesse privately for like one second, would yah, dollface?” You swear she actually winks at you.

You gulp, and nod, looking around trying to avoid making any more eye contact with Ellie. She whispers briefly to the girl, who’s Dina, and then to the boy, who’s Jesse.

She turns back to you, “Alright, jus’ to let yah know, we don’t do this very often. So consider this a big deal, alright?” Ellie grins at you. You just nod.

“We’re inviting you to have lunch with us every day for the rest of the week.” Dina chimes in, smiling widely.

You put your hands up, “Oh you don’t have to-“

“Fuck yeah. So I’ll see yah tomorrow.” Ellie interrupts you again. You really should get used to that if you’re going to spend more time with them.

“On Wednesdays we wear pink.” Jesse winks at you and gives you a big thumbs up.

~

The next day you enter the cafeteria and Ellie immediately flags you over, making a ‘cmere’ motion with two fingers. “There she is.” She grins. She’s wearing a low cut tank top, a little pink cardigan and leather pants. The tank top has writing that says ‘a little bit dramatic.’ You smile to yourself, somehow it makes no sense and fits her perfectly at the same time. You look down at your own clothes, a simple button up pink shirt you borrowed from your mom and jeans. Suddenly you feel way less cool, even though you’re somehow sitting with the most popular kids in school.

This time, you’re sitting next to Jesse, with Ellie and Dina across from you.

“Yknow how many calories are in this? Doesn’t say.” Ellie hands you some sort of bar and you look at the numbers on the wrapper. 48/120.

“Yeah, that should be 40%.” You hand it back to her, but your fingers touch hers accidentally. There’s butterflies in your stomach again, you realize they’re the same ones from yesterday. You thought it was just first day jitters.

She stares at you and keeps her hand there a moment too long, before clearing her throat and saying, “Fuck it. I’m getting cheese fries.” She pulls her hand away and stands up swiftly.

Dina watches her walk away then turns back toward you. “So. Are there any boys you think are cute?”

You try to think of the first girl your mind remembers that’s not Ellie. “Well, there’s this girl in my calculus class-“

“Who is it?” Jesse interrupts you, and Dina’s eyes widen.

You clear your throat, “Her names Cat.”

“No!” They both shout in unison, and it actually makes you jump a little.

Dina actually fans herself as if she’s going to faint. You swear you’ve only seen that in movies. “Ohmygod you can’t like Cat! That’s Ellie’s ex girlfriend.”

“They went out for a year. She gave her the tattoo on her arm.” Jesse chimes in.

You try to hide the confused yet pleased look on your face when you find out Ellie likes girls too.

Dina continues, “Listen, any exes are off limits to friends. That’s just like, the rules… everywhere.” She crosses her arms and Jesse nods. “Oh, but don’t worry. I won’t tell Ellie what you said. It’ll be our little secret.” She smiles at you.

~

At the end of the day, you’re walking back to the parking lot, just thinking to yourself. Jesse seems probably the nicest, but he’s basically got no head on his shoulders. At least from what you could tell. Dina’s nice too, but there’s something off about her. Maybe because she’s closer to Ellie than Jesse? You felt like you couldn’t trust her entirely. And Ellie. Fuck man, she’s absolutely gorgeous. You can’t get her out of your mind no matter what you do, you stayed up later than usual last night thinking about her… but that doesn’t matter right now.

Suddenly, you hear a car beep from behind you. You turn around to see all three of them in a classy convertible, with Ellie driving. “Get in, fuckface, we’re going shopping.” you hear her say, and well, you can’t really say no.

Ellie’s like.. a hot masc bratz doll. You never had any dolls. Especially not bratz. Your mom hated them. She’d probably hate Ellie too, thinking about it.

~

You four end up walking through a mall, and there’s actually a lot of people from your school there. The three of them are just.. passing by all these cool looking stores. You haven’t had the chance to actually shop yet since you’ve moved, and you don’t want to feel any more alien than you already do, so you don’t ask Ellie to stop by any of them. You’re all walking side by side, but Ellie’s the farthest away from you. She points at a shop labeled ‘Spencer’s’ and whispers something to Dina. Dina laughs and has to hold onto Ellie’s arm so she doesn’t fall over. You feel your face grow red, and you’re surprised to see that you actually feel jealous. Whatever she said must’ve been really hilarious.

Suddenly, Ellie stops walking and holds out her hand. “What. The. Fuck.”

You look across the way and see the guy who was hitting on you yesterday talking to a girl who looks about 14.

“Holy shit! Is that David?” Jesse steps forward.

“Yeah. It fucking is.” Ellie crosses her arms and scoffs. “And look who he’s talking to.”

This time, Dina steps up, her jaw dropped. “You’ve gotta be fucking shitting my dick.” Even from knowing her only two days, you can tell she never cursed like that, so it must be serious.

“Dina, who is that?” You ask her.

She answers you, but doesn’t look at you. She just keeps staring at the scene playing out in front of her. “That’s one of the damn kids I babysit. Practically my own sister. And fucking pedo David is talking to her.”

“Wait, what makes him a pedophile?” You ask, looking between the three of them.

“He’s been caught talking to girls who are reallyyyy young. Like, even though he’s 17, that’s still fucked up.” Dina answers. “Not just normal talking too. Like, full on crazy shit. Keeps telling them they’re special.”

You shudder and turn to look at him again.

“Yknow. I wouldn’t be surprised if he turned out to be a cannibal too.” Jesse states and looks at you.

Ellie huffs, unfolding her arms, “Follow me.”

You three speed walk behind Ellie as she makes a beeline straight towards David and the little girl. Dina and Jesse are muttering about how they don’t think this is a good idea, which makes you curious as to what the hell Ellie’s going to do to him.

“Who’re you talkin’ to, David?” Ellie asks in a sing song voice, which actually makes her sound way scarier.

He turns around and throws his arms up, immediately annoyed at Ellie for ruining his creepy actions yet again. “What the fuck do you want, Ellie.”

She puts her hands on her hips, “Don’t make me repeat myself. Who the fuck are you talking to?”

Shit.. you really shouldn’t be thinking about this right now, but that was really hot. You glance at the girl and she looks visibly relieved she’s not talking to him anymore, which says a lot. Ellie and David continue arguing while Dina comforts the girl and tries to pull her away from the situation.

“Ohhhoho shit.” Jesse says and points to Ellie slowly taking a few steps back from David while she’s still talking to him, which makes him follow her.

“What’s going on?” You ask him.

He shakes his head, “Just watch.”

“Cmere, David. Pretty boy like you got nothin’ to lose.” Your blood would boil at what she said, but it’s pretty obvious she’s faking it. Well, obvious to everyone but him.

She beckons him to follow her into a small hallway which nobody’s paying attention to. If there was one thing about Ellie, it’s that she could get anyone to do whatever she wanted.

You and Jesse subtly walk closer to them so you can listen. David’s so entranced by Ellie he’s not paying attention to anything else.

Ellie twirls a lock of her hair around her fingers, looking up at him, trying to appear cute and innocent. “Yknow I thought they were all just rumors.. but, I guess it’s true.” She looks him up and down, and makes it obvious she’s looking at his crotch.

He smiles at her, “What?”

She pretends to think, and gently holds his hand with both of hers, “Hmmm..” She looks away bashfully. You almost laugh at how oblivious he is. “Oh, I shouldn’t say..” she eggs him on.

“Nah, quit playin’. Just tell me.” He’s actually grinning so wide, he looks like he’s in a candy store. Does he really think people are raving about his dick that much?

Ellie’s face falls flat in a second, “I guess it’s true that you’re a fucking pedophile.” And she swiftly twists his hand in one motion, and you hear a crack.

Your eyes grow wide and he yells and curses at her, falling to his knees on the floor. She just taps her foot impatiently, waiting for him to shut up so she can talk.

“You’re gonna go and tell that little girl’s parents what you were doing. Everyone saw you, and now everyone can hear you screaming in pain.” She actually laughs. “There’s no hiding now, David.”

He looks up at her and yells, “WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU WANT ME TO TELL THEM!??”

“Tell them that Ellie is the girl who broke your fucking finger.”

And then she walks away.

~

Ellie drives the four of you to her house to hangout, you try texting your parents you’ll be home for dinner, but you’re honestly not sure. And it’s only Wednesday. As soon as you get there your jaw drops, this place looks like it’s out of a damn movie.

“Wow, Ellie. Your house is really nice.” You say, not looking away from it.

“I know right.” She smirks at you.

Dina leans in and whispers to you, “Make sure you check out her dad. Damn, he’s hot.”

You guys walk in and her dad immediately greats you. He’s holding a small chihuahua and it’s almost comical considering how big and muscular he is.

“Hey, Mr. Miller. This is Cady.” Dina motions towards you. He shoots you a little finger gun and puts the dog down.

“Jus’ wanna tell yah.. if yah need anythin’ don’t be shy, okay? No rules in this house. I’m not like a regular dad. I’m a cool dad.” He winks and turns toward Ellie, “Right, baby girl?”

She’s leaning against the counter. Her face is completely blank as she shuts him down immediately, “Please stop talking.”

Ellie leads you all upstairs to her massive ass room. You thought the outside was impressive, but this is crazy.

“This is your room?” You spin around.

Ellie sits down to take off her shoes. “Mhmm. It was Joel’s room… but I made him trade me.”

You take off your shoes too and look around. There’s pillows, posters, and pictures everywhere that are just adorable. You can see a selfie printed out of the three of them that Dina took.

“Hey, someone put on Take On Me.” Ellie says.

Ellie takes off her little pink cardigan. You don’t mean to stare, but how could you not? Her bare arms are so toned and defined..

She snaps you out of your trance, “Cady, do you even know who sings this?”

“Umm.. Weezer?”

She looks you up and down slowly. She sure loves doing that. “Ugh I love her. She’s like a martian.” She says to Dina.

Jesse walks over to a bookshelf and picks up a hot pink book. It’s the size of a photo album. “Holy shit, I forgot about this.” He laughs.

Ellie glances over to look at what he’s holding. “Damn. Haven’t touched that thing in forever.”

“Look at this, Cady. It’s our burn book.” Dina motions you over to look at it. “See, we would cut out pictures from the yearbook and write little comments.”

Jesse starts reading, “Abby Anderson has sex in boats.”

“Still true.” Ellie chimes in.

“Owen Moore is a fat virgin.” Dina reads.

Ellie snorts. “Still half true.”

She sighs and looks at you. You’re immersed in the burn book and yet, you can immediately feel her eyes on your skin. You look up at her. She has a completely different look in her eyes. Her stance isn’t as strong, she’s fidgeting with her fingers, and her eyes are glossy. She looks almost.. vulnerable.

You keep looking at her, puzzled, when she walks over to you and takes your arm. She’s gentle this time, opposed to when she did the same thing to look at your bracelet when you first met her. She leads you over to her ginormous closet. Dina and Jesse are still giggling at the burn book, they don’t even notice you two left. She steps closer to you.

“We need to get you some new clothes.” Ellie says. But her voice is lower and not as loud as when she usually talks. You try your best to control your breathing, you swear you could get off on just her voice alone.

It’s that weird stage or moment in time. Where you’re not entirely sure if the other person is feeling and thinking the same things as you. It makes you nervous, especially because you haven’t done this kind of thing a lot before. And especially because it’s Ellie fucking Williams.

She steps even closer to you. “Fuck. Needa help you out with clothes.” She mutters. You can barely hear her, she may as well be talking to herself.

She calls Jesse and Dina over with a few snaps of her fingers. “Can you two go make the four of us some drinks. Virgin margaritas.” She turns towards you. You’re just inches away from her face. You’re way too close. “Cady, what do you like?” She asks, making direct eye contact with you. “Lemon lime?” She asks, furrowing her eyebrows almost like she’s pouting, before you can answer her.

Jesse nods and heads out of the room. Dina gives Ellie a weird look, but pulls out her phone to look up recipes and follows Jesse downstairs.

You wait a few moments before you stop hearing footsteps on the stairs, then attempt to ask Ellie what’s going on, “Ellie, why-“

She cuts you off before you can finish, like how she always does. Usually it annoys you, but right now it’s different. Right now it means that she’s really the one in charge. She reaches up and fiddles with the collar of your shirt.

“Cmere, baby. I like you.. okay? You’re cute.” You weren’t sure if she was talking about you platonically or romantically. Her tone was so casual, like she was talking about what to have for dinner, and yet the way she was caressing you made your knees weak. Well, you weren’t sure until she pulls you in by the shirt and smashes her lips against yours.

You immediately gasp and whimper at the action, and become embarrassed at how inexperienced you are. But she fucking loves it, kissing you deeper and unbuttoning a few buttons at the top of your shirt. When she uses her tongue, it’s over. You moan into her mouth and your hands desperately grab at her. She laughs and you can feel the same shit eating grin she gave you when you first met her.

You break away, suddenly remembering that Dina and Jesse are downstairs and could be back any minute. “You sure they’re gonna be gone long enough?” You didn’t know how far she wanted to go… but you could guess.

She nods. “I’m sure. Between the two of them, yeah. Jesse doesn’t know how to make anything and Dina’s gonna spend at least 15 minutes making it perfect after she finds a recipe. Plus they’ll probably both spend another 7 or so minutes arguing wether they should really make it virgin or not. And my dads playing one of his shooter games. Trust me, having a big house comes in handy.” She leans in closer to you, “In any case, with how good I’m gonna make you feel, you won’t be lasting very long.”

And with that she immediately starts making out with you again. It’s sloppy and desperate and not something you would expect from Ellie. But this vulnerable side just seems so much more like her. You pull at her hair, and she fucking moans, the slutty sound sending heat straight down to your pussy.

You pull away again, and she looks up at you like she’s about to cry if she doesn’t touch you. You shakily nod and she bites your neck hard. Thank god you’re wearing a high collar button up.

“Fuck, Ellie.” You yelp, a little too loud, so she shuts you up by soothing the bite marks with her wet tongue. You whine for more, trying any way you can to pull her closer.

She hits a particularly sensitive spot, you gasp and open your eyes. You remember where you are, and look around in her closet. It’s a decent sized walk-in one. Everything’s sorted by color and style. Gorgeous shoes are on racks on the side. A nice fancy chaise is in the middle. You see a few name brand purses throughout. Between Ellie’s teeth and your envy for her life, you feel on fire.

“You always get what you want.” You seethe through your teeth.

“Shut your fucking mouth. Right now is about you.” She pulls away from your neck and reaches straight down to your jeans. She pauses, looking at you to ask for permission. You gulp, nodding to tell her you want her to. She unbuttons your pants and lets them fall down your legs just a little bit, to give herself better access to your panties.

She pulls those down too, and places two fingers to where you’re wet. She gasps, and you cover your face with your hands. “Shit, no.” She pulls down your arms with her non dominant hand, and quickly places a kiss on your cheek. “You’re not gonna hide from me, baby.”

You nod, swallowing. You can feel her making circles around you, wanting to push in. “Please, Ellie.” You beg. You’ve never sounded more desperate in your life.

With one swift motion she pushes two fingers inside you, and pushes you back so that you land against the wall. You gasp and are about to retort, but you accidentally cut yourself off with a moan as Ellie starts pumping her fingers in and out of you. Her other hand is up against the wall above you. You whimper as she picks up pace, this kind of stuff only happens in fiction. You don’t want to cover your face again, so you try turning away from her. She immediately grabs your chin with her spare hand and forces you to face her. “You better look at me when I’m fucking you.” She stares directly into your eyes.

You moan at how rough and fucking gentle she is at the same time. You don’t know why you’re surprised, but you can tell she wants you to enjoy this. Thinking about it, this actually doesn’t benefit her in any way. She’s not the one getting off. In fact, she’d be in major shit if anyone walked into the room.

With each passing second, she’s getting faster. Picking up her pace and making no attempt to be quiet, grunting in your ear. You look down and see her tattoo flexing as she uses her whole arm to fuck you.

“Yeah, you’re gonna fucking cum onto my fingers like you know what’s good for yah. Making a fucking mess on me, shit. So wet, dollface.” She mutters through her teeth. You knew she loved to talk, but she especially loves to talk when she’s making you feel so good.

Just a few more sentences and you’re coming undone, your legs shake and she has to hold your hip to keep you in place.

“Uuugh.. mm. ‘M gonna cum, Ellie.”

“Fucking give it to me.” She huffs out and curls her fingers up into you. Immediately white hot pleasure takes over you. You’re cumming on her fingers just how she wanted. She’s still holding onto you, making sure you don’t fall as she fucks you through your orgasm. She’s fucking magical, making your orgasm last as long as she can, until your eyes are rolling back and you’re whining that it’s too much.

You’re finally able to slow down your breathing and take in what just happened. God, that was good. So much better than when you fucked yourself to the thought of her.

Ellie brings the two fingers she used on you up to her mouth and sucks on them. She even makes eye contact with you until she’s done cleaning them. Your jaw was already on the floor. Now it’s 6 feet below.

You hear Jesse say “Fuck” from downstairs, so you quickly pull your pants back up and button up your shirt in a mirror. Ellie fixes her hair and walks out of the closet, meeting Jesse and Dina as they come into the room.

“She spilled one.” Jesse says, nodding towards Dina who’s holding a tray of now three margaritas.

“Are they actually virgin?” Ellie crosses her arms.

“For once, yeah.” Dina says. “So. Who’s not getting one?”

You practically march out of the closet, “I want it. I’m fucking thirsty.” You greedily grab the drink from off the tray and take a large sip. All three of your friends are staring at you, and you bring it down from your lips. “What! Trying on clothes gets tiring okay?” You whine.

“Fuck it. ‘S my house. I’m getting one.” Ellie says.

“And I’m not the one who spilled it.” Jesse sticks his tongue out at Dina, who rolls her eyes.

The four of you sit down on the couch in Ellie’s room. You’re sitting next to Ellie, she crosses her legs and puts her arm around you.

Dina and Jesse give her a look, but she handles it so smoothly, you swear she’s prepared for anything. “Fuck it, you’re officially part of our group now. Gon’ stay by my side longer than just the rest of the week.” She announces, lightly punching you in the arm.

Jesse holds up his drink, “To Cady?” He prompts, looking between you and Ellie.

She nods, holding hers out to meet Jesse’s. You bring yours up too. “To Cady!” All four of you say, and Dina squeals and claps her hands.

You look over to Ellie. She’s still holding you in her arm, she smiles softly, grabs your side and brings you in a little closer.

𓆟. ° .• .𓆝 .• ° . 𓆟 . ° .• .𓆞

[nico-the-newt]

Enemies to Lovers - Ellie Williams x reader

summary: you and Ellie had hated each other the moment you stepped foot in Jackson. Others disagree.

warnings: swearing, Ellie's a bit of a dick, mentions guns

You could honestly say that you had no idea how it happened. One moment you were scanning through the old, abandoned supermarket with Jesse for supplies, laughing at something stupid he had said. And suddenly, in an instance, you found yourself being ambushed by a hoard of runners.

Patrol had started off as it usually did when you were grouped with Dina, Jesse and Ellie. The four of you were walking down the old, dirt road to the abandoned supermarket that Maria had assigned you to patrol. As usual, Jesse and Dina were being coupley and affectionate - arms wrapped around each other, hands linked, noses bumping, as you and Ellie grumpily walked beside them, shooting each other looks and making snide remarks. The pair of you had had a strained relationship since your arrival in Jackson two years before. You thought she was rude and cocky. She thought you were obnoxious and demanding. In fact, the pair of you despised each other so much you weren’t even aware that you were very similar - personality-wise.

You still cursed Jesse for forcing you on patrol with Ellie. He and Dina had some sort of weird idea that you and Ellie secretly liked each other, enemies to lovers, as Dina put it. You had laughed in their faces.

“Not if she was the last person in the world,” you had scoffed, but that did not change their minds in the slightest.

When you finally arrived at the old building, you were extremely tired and grumpy. Ellie had spent the first ten minutes of the walk complaining about how late you had been that morning (she had arrived twenty minutes early to patrol just to give you a hard time), which sparked an argument that lasted for the rest of the trip. You could tell Dina and Jesse were completely  over the pair of you and it secretly made you pleased to prove them wrong.

“Jeez, look at this place,” Ellie sighed in admiration when you entered the supermarket. You couldn’t deny that you shared her admiration. There was something so beautiful about the place being covered in vines and sunlight streaming in through a big hole in the roof, lighting up the entire store. You wouldn’t let that be known though.

“‘Jeez, look at this place’” you imitated in an annoying voice that sounded nothing like Ellie.

“Hey, what’s your fucking problem, man!” Ellie exclaimed, storming towards you.

“You are-!”

“Okay!” Dina called, coming between you and Ellie before the shoving and arguing began again. “This place is pretty big - why don’t we pair up and split off. Ellie and I’ll look on this side, you guys look on that side.”

Ellie shot a scowl at you, which you gladly returned, but you followed Dina’s orders nonetheless and trailed off after Jesse.

“You and Ellie need to chill,” he said, after a period of companionable silence.

“Ellie needs to stop being an asshole,” you grumbled, causing Jesse to let out a laugh.

“You’re just as much of an asshole as she is,” he chuckled, shaking his head  in amusement and slipping a bottle of disinfectant he had found into his bag.

“No one is as big of an asshole as Ellie is,” you said pointedly. “Except maybe you~”

“Oof, low blow,” Jesse grinned, placing a hand over his chest in mocked hurt. “However will I get over that one?"

“Please, you’ll get over it,” you had laughed, finally starting to feel at ease for the first time that day. Unfortunately, the feeling had left as soon as it came due to a loud crash coming from the loading dock behind you.

“The fuck was that?” You muttered, instantly grabbing your gun and pointing it in the direction of the loading dock.

“Dunno,” Jesse hissed, drawing his gun too. When there was no other noise after a few minutes, you both slowly started edging your way towards where the original sound had come from. You practically hear your heart beating out of your chest. A cold bead of sweat dripped down the back of your neck and you almost found yourself holding your breath. However, the anticipation was all for nothing, as when you had poked your head around the corner, there was nothing there but old, dusty boxes and a rusty hand truck.

“Nothing,” you shrugged, a frown crossing your brow. “Weird.”

You stepped back towards Jesse, unaware of the runner that had been coming up behind you until its hands were grasping your shoulders and it was trying to bite your neck off. You didn’t even have enough time to be scared as several gunshots went off and caused our ears to ring like crazy and your vision to fog over.

“Come on!”

Jesse grabbed your arm and dragged you away from the area and back into reality. It was only when you could hear again and actually heard the screams and groans, along with the sound of rabid footsteps behind you, that you finally found control of your legs once more and began to run. Jesse and you crashed through a door and into a small office at the back of the store. Jesse pressed his body up against the door and you quickly copied, as there was nothing to barricade the door with. This is how I die. We’re gonna die. You couldn’t stop these morbid thoughts from bouncing around in your brain as you used all your body weight and strength to push against the door, despite the fact that the strength of the infected easily overpowered you and the door had begun to come off its hinges. You were certain they were about to break the door down completely, and was preparing for the worst, when you suddenly heard a series of gunshots outside, followed by some grunt and yells, and finally, silence. The pressure you had been fighting off against the door had stopped, though you and Jesse remained pressed against it for a few minutes - neither of you sure if it was actually safe. It was only when you heard Dina anxiously yell for the both of you that you realised it was over and cautiously moved back from the door - just in time for her to practically kick the door down and throw herself at Jesse when she realised you were both still alive. You closed your eyes and leaned back against the desk to catch your breath, completely oblivious to Ellie’s presence looming towards you at speed. It was only when she practically shoved you over and cupped your face to see you for herself that your eyes flew open and you stared at her, confused but not disliking the feeling of her hands on your face.

“You fucking idiot!” She exclaimed, letting go of your face and wrapping you in a hug. You were surprised at the contact but didn’t care and hugged her back, simply grateful to be alive and not bitten. And that Ellie was hugging you

“It’s okay. It’s over,” you sighed, rubbing her back comfortingly and raising your middle finger towards Jesse and Dina when you saw them smirking at the pair of you.

“Enemies to lovers,” Dina mouthed with a smug smile.

Part 2 can be found here:

[pantheresssy]

Spending Nights (Abby Anderson/ Reader)

Hello!

This is part 2 of ‘casual’! You can find part 1 in this masterlist! It took me so much time to write this but i did it, im rlly sorry, studying is making my creativity go away. Enjoy!!!

Synopsis: Your friendship with Ellie becomes stronger as you both get to know each other better. From the other side, Abby wasn’t dealing with this too well.

warnings: marijuana use (els), non graphic smut, too much abby and not much of els, angst angst, getting into toxic!abby.

“It smells like shit,”

Blowing the smoke on the air and, for consequence on your face, Ellie looked at you with a smirk. Her eyes were blurred and couldn’t stay in the same place for too long, in a trance with the sensations of marijuana. “But it makes me so fu-cki-ng good. Try.”

You pushed her hand away from your face and twisted your nose, feeling that the smell would make you sick and stick to your hair and clothes. You were in her dorms, with the notebook where she writes her songs open on your lap. Somewhere in the middle of your reading, you discovered a few more things she wrote. Small poetry’s. Most of them were sad, about unrequited loves, death, sadness of abandonment and the loss of a parental love. They were tragically tragic, but still beautiful.

Ellie looked over your shoulder, following your reading. Smiling when you turned your page to see the sweetest song you had ever come close to. She was a real talent, just like you had imagined when you first meet her. “I’ll write one for you.”

“If it’s as good as this one, I’ll say please.” She made a face and leaned back on her seat, taking the marijuana into her mouth.

Ellie blowed and talked at the same time. “This is the worst I’ve written since I started.”

You dismissed her words, outraged by what she had said. When you told her it was the ‘best one she had so far’ she looked a bit offended and gave you a full list of why it was her worst composition. Ellie explained to you all of her creative work and, by the end, you thought you knew more about songs than about your own classes. It was interesting seeing how her eyes shone and her voice became more happy. You could see that she really loved doing what she did.

When you went back to your doorms, not long after, you did with a smile. She really was a great friend, person, and writer. It was curious for you how she gad opened up about what she liked so quickly after knowing you for barely a whole week. But it was good.

The rest of your day, you enjoyed with one of your many books. Laying in bed with it on your chest, being dragged by the words. That’s why, when a knock sounded on your door, you opened it without checking who it was. Thinking it could be Dina — (or Ellie) — you never looked away from the page you were reading, only finding out who truly was when she spoke for the first time.

“Can we talk?” Abby said. At that moment, you regretted not asking who it was first. It’s been days since you last saw her, and you would be laying to yourself if you say that this wasn’t broking your heart even more, but you tried to ignore.

Holding your breath, you swallowed hard before answering: “No. I… I’m not in the mood for talking right now.” Deep down you wanted it, so when you kept talking, you wanted to slap yourself. “Maybe later.”

Abby stepped closer when you make a move to close the door, quickly trying to stop you. And it worked. “I saw you at the party.” There it comes. “Who is she?”

You raised an eyebrow. She had no right to be there questioning you, as if she deserved something. “I’m surprised you went, you never liked those things.” A small pause, “But I guess I should’ve had imagined, you have changed so much in a short time.”

She bit the inside of her cheek and you knew she was looking for what to say next. “Owen invited me”, And oh… oh.

Of course he did. You felt silly, a completely idiot. She never went with you when you asked, always making sure you knew how much she hated going to these things. But with him, that part never really mattered. “I’m glad he managed to change your mind.”

“He didn’t,” She said quickly. “I hated going there. You know this, Y/n. I… I hated even more when I saw you with her.”

An ironic laugh escaped you and you looked at the ground already feeling the tears filling your waterline, obstructing your vision. Abby was the proudest person you had ever seen and, when she said that, you realized that she was there not because she missed you, or because she wanted to apologize for everything she did, but for some jealousy of seeing you with someone other than her. You had to mourn her for the time she thought it was necessary, waiting until she wanted to come and talk to you correctly. Like at that moment.

It was a cycle that she had created and you couldn’t leave. On other occasions the same had happened, but not like that, with a fight so big as that one. You two have never been more than a few hours without talking to each other, and it’s been a long time.

You started poking your thumb, an attempt to keep everything you felt inside you through the soft pain. “You don’t own me any explanations.”

Abby denied. “I do, yes.“

“Look…” You started, letting transpire in your voice and face how tired you were of going around so many times, only to ended up in the same place. “We had the same conversation that day, you said what you wanted to say, what you felt-“

She interrupted you. “I didn’t.”

“So i am asking you to leave.”

As the last word came out of your mouth, you saw her posture fall. She looked sad, worried and younger, totally vulnerable and open for you. And you hated that you felt yourself softening. “Abby,”

She reached out for you and took your hand. You felt the urge to pull off her grip, but gave up in the last second. “Give me one chance.”

Swallowing, you watched as her fingers went to the inner part of your pulse, and you squeezed your eyebrows together. She was close, so close and God, it was good to feel her there. Your walls and anger were down as soon as she stepped even further after seeing your reaction, her lips touching yours.

And you did no move to push her.

Abby was fully inside of your room and closed the door with her feet while her hands gripped your wrist. You joined your lips more to hers, sighing heavily when you realized that you would not be able to let her out, even if you fought with all your strength against your will. Your arms wrapped around her neck and you two walked blindly to your bed, you sitting on the end while she was still standing in front of you, her back bent the kiss wouldn’t end. And you moaned, a sound that came from the back of your throat that seemed so desperate, wanting. But Abby smiled in enjoyment — (and proud).

Your shirt quickly came out of your body, then the rest of your clothes. She pulled you to the middle of the bed and started to kiss, lick and grope each part of you she could reach. Your noises only got louder, this time being followed by hers. And when her fingers went inside you, touching that spongy place that made you see stars, you felt your body shake with goosebumps. You couldn’t deny it anymore, you loved her and loved the way she made you feel.

You were lost on the fog of your orgasm, your mouth was open, trying to catch air for your lungs. She fell at your side on the bed, one of her arms supporting her head while the other supported yours. With the corner of your eye, you could see the smile she held and turned for her, placing your hand on her chest. You could regret it later, being so close to her, so open, letting yourself go so easily. But at that moment, you couldn’t think of anything else but being with her like that for the rest of your days. That’s why, when the words came out of your mouth, you didn’t stop them.

“I missed you,”

She hummed, taking your chin and pulling you into a light kiss. “Me too.” She said. “It was a torture, being away from you and seeing you with… Ellis… Ellie?”

You licked your lips, feeling her taste. “Ellie. Dina introduced us at that party. She’s great. She showed me the songs she writes today.”

Abby’s face fell into something darker, heavier. Jealousy shone back on her and you sank your nails on her skin, trying to pull her back. You knew that if you allowed it, that moment would turn into a discussion just like the other day or worse. She was territorialist and you hated it, especially after having fought with you because of your jealousy and insecurities. “I don’t like her.”

“Do you like anyone?” You asked, fun shining in your eyes and voice.

She kissed you one, two, three times. “You.” With her statement, you smiled big. Abby stroked your cheek, whispering her next words: “Just… can you stay away from her? For me, please.”

Just like that, your expression twisted in a grimace. “That’s why you’re here? To fuck me and try to say with who you want me to hangout with?” You got up and started to put your clothes back on. “Get out, Anderson.”

She faced you. “She clearly wants you, Y/n.” You laughed indignantly. “I won’t let her fuck with you.”

“Like you did that day? She won’t do it, Abby. And you know why? Because Ellie doesn’t hide what she feel, she doesn’t yell and curse when a problem pops up.” Your chest gasped with your words said in one breath. “Leave, now. You’ve stayed too much already.”

You pointed to the door, lowering your head and listening to her wear her clothes. Abby walked up to you and stopped in front of you. “I fucking tried to do this better. You can’t blame me now.”

How much you hated that situation, to be dragged by those words. The pain you felt before was nothing compared to the one you felt at that moment. “That’s all that matters to you, isn’t it? Making me feel bad so you can go over me?”

“I fucking like you, Y/n! That’s why I don’t want you with her.” Her finger wrapped around a lock of your hair and gave a slight pull.

You walked away and rubbed your hands on your face. “And you show it by trying to put someone I like as a friend away? Just go, Abby.”

“I ain’t giving up on you.”

She left with one last look and you closed the door as soon as she passed through the threshold, sniffling when the tears fell and your body was shaken with strong hiccups. You felt nothing but stupid. You knew that at some point everything would go down, but you didn’t knew it would be so quick, — not after everything.

You really thought that things would settled down, after just a few minutes and a moment with her at the bed. You thought you would go back to spending nights with her, smiling and kissing. Abby could make a fool out of you so easily. Sometimes you think you might hate her.

And this is the end!

I really wish I could write more than 2k but at some point I just start to repeat words/expressions and I have a tick with this. Hope you had enjoyed this ride and be patient with me for part 3 plss it will come out! Thank you for all of your comments!! As always, I’m sorry for any mistake.

taglist: @pinkpanther-44, @elsmissingfingers, @sofi4v13, @bready101, @mattxxamryli.

[sundownpromises]

potato, potato, my little baby potato...

Pairing: Ellie x Dina

Tags/warnings: fluff, pregnancy, childbirth, domesticity, motherhood, slice of life, pregnant dina

Word Count: 1766

Synopsis: A peek into Ellie and Dina's life before JJ was born.

Author's Note: wrote this back in june of 2022 and posted it on ao3, decided to post it here too bc why not <;3 here is the ao3 link!! also idk how well this will do bc I know this site mostly has x reader fics but I love elliedina with my whole soul OKAY. please enjoyyy comments are appreciated!!

When Dina first noticed her small baby bump, it filled her with pure joy. She remembered standing in front of the bathroom mirror, gently rubbing her stomach, eyes full of admiration. Ellie was behind her, hands wrapped around her waist, experiencing a fluttery feeling in her stomach at the thought of her being a mother – which is something she never would've imagined in her wildest dreams. In a dangerous world like the one they navigated, she never believed parenthood would be an option for her, nor was she really interested in it. Ellie thought children were cute, sure, with their contagious giggles and chubby faces, but she knew taking care of one would be more responsibility than she felt she could handle. But with Dina being with her, she felt this unbridled sense of confidence. Dina was caring and loving by nature, and Ellie had a hunch motherhood would come to her easily – with Dina by her side she had someone's footsteps to follow in.

Despite being pregnant, Dina was still very active around the house, much to Ellie's disapproval. Anytime Ellie saw Dina on her feet, whether she was doing the dishes, taking out the laundry, or even getting up to put her plate in the sink, she always made a face similar to that of a displeased mother who couldn't get her sick child to lie down. But Dina always retorted with "It's not like I'm completely immobile yet, so don't worry." 

Dina also spent a lot of time preparing for their baby's arrival, with the help of Ellie and some fellow Jackson residents. 

Maria had connections with a lot of people in Jackson. Random strangers were kind enough to give Ellie and Dina a ton of baby-related things, like a crib, toys, and even books. They spent a whole day setting things up and figuring out where to put certain items, and when they had finished, Dina began to cry, feeling overwhelmingly grateful. Ellie was right there with her, rubbing her back in a soothing manner and holding her close, almost being brought to tears herself as she gazed upon the empty crib.

A few more weeks went by, and Dina's baby bump was getting pretty large. Dina started complaining more about her back hurting, and she couldn't be on her feet for very long. Nevertheless, she still helped Ellie around the house when she could, with small breaks in between. She began using the bathroom more frequently, which quickly began getting on her nerves, as it disrupted her sleep, or interrupted a good reading session. Ellie would always chuckle whenever they were in bed together, her nose buried in a Savage Starlight comic and Dina practicing her embroidery, when all of sudden Dina would groan loudly and reluctantly get out of bed, angrily making her way to the bathroom for the seventh time in just thirty minutes. 

Then, of course, it got to the point where walking was something Dina did only when she needed to. It had been eight months and her stomach looked like it was ready to burst. Ellie found herself helping Dina walk up and down the stairs, getting out of bed in the morning, and even getting up and off of the toilet. Jackson residents also gave away some maternity clothing, which Dina often lounged about in. Even though pregnancy was miserable for Dina, Ellie couldn't help but notice how beautiful she had gotten. Dina had always been attractive in Ellie's eyes, even since they were kids, but Dina really seemed to glow now. 

Before, Dina's hair was always in some sort of up-do, because she was always doing various tasks around the house and needed it out of her face. But since she's been lazing about more often, she usually wore her hair down, and Ellie was in love with how thick and long it had gotten, her unruly curls framing her face in the most breathtaking way. Her skin was brighter, and it almost seemed to shine in a way that totally captivated Ellie. Sometimes, Ellie would find herself ogling at Dina whenever she was doing some random, mundane task, to which Dina would always notice and turn into the prettiest shade of red.

Right on the cusp of her delivery date, Ellie and Dina had a small baby shower. They had a wonderful time, Dina spending hours unwrapping cute onesies, even more toys and a couple parenthood books. It all felt so normal, so domestic, that it almost made Dina cry again, but she kept it together for the sake of her guests. 

It was late at night when their child decided to arrive. Ellie was wide awake, reading her comic book, while Dina was trying to figure out a crossword puzzle. It was quiet and the room was basked in the cozy, soft lighting of the bedside lamp. Dina couldn't seem to figure out the last word of her crossword and decided to give up and try again tomorrow morning with a fresh mind. She turned to her side, groaning at the heaviness at her stomach, and shut her eyes. Ellie glanced at her briefly, smiling softly and whispering "Goodnight, babe." 

The room was quiet once again, Ellie getting immersed into the fictional world of Savage Starlight, but after about five minutes, Dina was startled awake, feeling wetness trail down her legs. She sat up rather quickly, as quickly as she could, anyway, and Ellie turned to her with a confused and slightly concerned expression. 

"Do you need to use the bathroom again?" Ellie asked, ready to get up and assist her girlfriend. Dina shook her head, her eyes having widened ever so slightly, cheeks flushed, and heart rate steadily increasing. 

"Ellie… I think… I think it's time." Dina said. It took a little bit for the words to register in Ellie's mind, but when they did, she was immediately kicked into action, setting her comic book down and getting out of bed. 

"Okay. Let's get you comfortable, yeah?" She said, peeling away the damp comforter that was on top of Dina. She had Dina lie down a little bit while still staying somewhat upright. Dina instinctively opened her legs, trying to get started on removing her underwear. Ellie helped her, pulling them completely off and discarding them haphazardly. Afterward, Ellie quickly ran to the bathroom and grabbed a towel, aiding Dina in rolling over so she could place it under her. She had also grabbed scissors and placed them on the nightstand.

Ellie's palms were sweaty. She remembered asking a mother at the baby shower how to prepare for birth, and Ellie tried her best to recall the woman's advice. It was stressful, trying to think while Dina was screaming at the top of her lungs, holding Ellie's hand so hard that her knuckles had turned white as bone. Ellie just tried to be as encouraging as possible, keeping her tone of voice even and steady throughout the whole process. 

Eventually, the room was no longer being filled with Dina's cries of pain but instead her labored breaths and the shrill sound of a baby crying. Their child had finally entered the world.

Dina, with tear streaked cheeks, immediately reached out for her child. Ellie held him briefly, smiling so hard her cheeks were growing sore. He was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen in this ugly, ugly world. Ellie made quick work of cutting the umbilical cord before carefully handing him to Dina.

"Hello handsome." Dina spoke softly, grinning tiredly. Ellie was overjoyed at the sight in front of her. They were mothers now. For Ellie, this was the most nervous she had ever been. Not even fighting hordes of infected had her this scared. But she was also excited to step into this new era of her life. She knew that motherhood was going to be a bumpy ride, but so long as Dina was with her, she knew that she'd get through all of the trials and tribulations just fine. 

"I think I've got a name." Dina said, bringing Ellie out of her thoughts.

Ellie raised an eyebrow. "Oh, yeah? Whatcha got?" She replied, a small smirk resting on her lips.

"How does JJ sound?" Dina asked. Ellie's smirk grew into a wide smile of approval.

"I like that. Suits him perfectly." She said. 

After JJ was born, life for the two new mothers definitely became more hectic. 

JJ would start crying late at night, and Ellie, wanting her beloved girlfriend to get all of the sleep she could get, was always the one who got up to calm him down. She would gently bounce him, humming some random tune to get him to relax, before lying him back in his crib. Ellie missed out on a few hours of sleep because of this, but she didn't mind it one bit if it meant Dina would wake up well rested (sometimes, though, Dina would pretend to sleep just to hear Ellie sing).

Feeding JJ could be nightmarish too. He was a picky eater sometimes, and would throw food on the floor or spit it out onto his bib, causing Ellie to roll her eyes and Dina to giggle at the sight. Dina was definitely more patient when it came to JJ but she knew Ellie would get there – slowly, but surely. 

Changing diapers was mostly a Dina thing until Ellie got the hang of it. Before, she would always put them on backwards, much to Dina's confusion. 

Aside from all of the difficulties, there were plenty of joyous moments that the two mothers shared with their son. Often, Ellie would play guitar for him. Whenever Ellie was out hunting, or doing some general sweeps around the outer perimeter of the house, Dina would spend that time coloring with him, or playing with wooden shapes. She tried to get him to participate in activities that would not only be fun for him but educational as well. If Dina was busy, Ellie loved to (carefully) run around the house with JJ on her shoulders, his contagious laughter bouncing off of the walls. 

At night, Ellie and Dina loved to read him bedtime stories, both playing multiple characters and doing the silliest voices they could come up with until JJ slowly drifted away into a peaceful slumber. 

The both of them would then climb into bed together, exchanging "I love yous," after which Dina would continue to read her parenthood guidebooks and Ellie would begin yet another chapter of Savage Starlight, the both of them sitting in a comfortable silence.

[lovers-rck]

Can you do a fluff where like Ellie gets you flowers 😭 idk why I just think it’s so cute

it's so cute!!!!!!!!! i want ellie as my gf so bad it's embarrassing

☆

the idea had been lurking in the back of her mind for weeks.

ellie didn't consider herself the kind of person who gives her partner something new every week. she was, indeed, in love with you, but her love expressed itself through her touch and words more than through gifts. but whatever, she thought, once in a while doesn't hurt anyone.

so she went, and when the flower boy (is that how he is called?) asked ellie wich kind of flowers she was looking for, she felt like and idiot i don't know man she almost said the ones she likes?

ellie even considered calling you to ask you what kind of flowers you liked, but she realized it was a dumb idea that would ruin her whole surprise plan. so she spent about 15 minutes picking out a bouquet made up of different flowers, choosing and regretting every time she picked a flower of a color that didn't match the rest. she could feel the flower boy's (she decided to call it like that) hateful look on her, but she was going to pay him anyway so fuck it.

then she walked a few blocks back with the flowers in her hands. she cringed. she didn't know how to hold them without feeling embarrassed and like a total loser.

"i saw dina and jesse on my way here" you said, laying in ellie's bed a couple hours later "they looked suspiciously couple"

ellie nodded "right" ellie mumbled as she paced the room, playing with her fingers.

"do you think they're together?"

ellie cast furtive glances toward her closet from time to time, trying to keep the thread of conversation going but failing in the attempt "huh?" she replied.

"dina and jesse" you repeated, looking at her "do you think they're together?"

she pretended to think about it, imagining her best friends together. then shrugged "i don't know. maybe"

you leaned back on your stomach, your hands supporting the weight of your head thoughtfully "they look good together"

ellie nodded absently, her body so restless that she couldn't stay in the same place for more than three seconds. if you saw the situation from afar, you'd think ellie was performing some kind of strange dance.

"i bought you something" ellie said after a few seconds.

you furrowed your eyebrows and sat down on the bed. you noticed how ellie was restless since you arrived, quieter than usual, not commenting much on your stories like she used to do practically all the time.

"what's that?" you asked, watching as ellie turned away to look for something hidden in her closet "you didn't have to."

she shake her, opening the closet door "it's not much"

you waited silently, watching as the locks stealthily escaped from her half bun, adorning her face and matching her freckles.

"close your eyes" ellie said, more for her sake than for yours.

you obeyed and closed your eyes, trying not to laugh at the suspense ellie was creating.

ellie laughed uncomfortably. her footsteps echoed in the room, indicating that she was approaching you "don't peek"

"i'm not!"

"i know" Ellie murmured, standing in front of you with the bouquet in her hands "i just wanted to make sure".

you let out a giggle, the excitement pouring out of your pores.

"okay" ellie took a big inhale "open them up"

a feast of colors and scents rose in front of your face. yellows, oranges, reds and pinks danced in your eyes, showing their ephemeral beauty. ellie hid behind the bouquet, her gaze intent on you, trying to decipher what your expression meant.

"ellie..." you murmured, getting up from the bed and stroking a yellow petal.

"i don't know what flowers you like" ellie replied "in fact, i didn't even know there were that many flowers. there were a million there, i thought maybe you'd like these."

you were still admiring each of the flowers. their smells permeated your nostrils, making your nose itch but you wanted to smell them one more time.

"i put the bouquet together all by myself" ellie continued, a hint of pride in her voice "that guy at the flower shop didn't even help me. he didn't know shit about anything. i bet it was his first da..."

you gently took the flowers from ellie's hands and laid them on the bed, wrapping ellie's body in a hug.

"thank you" you murmured, your arms wrapping around her neck.

ellie took a few seconds to reciprocate your embrace, but when she did you could feel a weight lift off her shoulders. ever since you arrived she had a feeling that a wolf was inhabiting her stomach, ready to devour every organ in her body if her gift didn't go as she had planned.

now she was relaxed, her mind didn't feel the need to babble on about everything that was going through her head to avoid the nervousness. she was so awkward and you loved it.

she hid her face in the space between your shoulder and your neck, her arms around your waist in the softest way.

"did you like them?" she murmured against your skin.

you laughed lightly before nodding fiercely "they're beautiful"

ellie released you from her clutches after a few seconds, sitting on the bed and indicating you to do the same next to her, to babble randoms data she had taken care to learn about those flowers a few hours before your arrival.

the sun went down and gave way to a sunset of the same colors as those flowers, while you told ellie where the flowers would go, she listened to you attentively while she left delicate kisses on your skin, some more wet than others. the reality is that ellie couldn't care less about those flowers when she had you in front of her.

[pawnshopbleus]

These Are the Days Eight - Melted Away

Abby Anderson x Fem!Reader High School AU

For the summary, warnings, and more, please visit here.

Previous Chapter.

Another day of history class meant only one thing, more busy work. The entire class was silent. The only thing you could hear was the scratching of pencil on paper and the occasional cough from a student who definitely shouldn’t have come to school today. 

Class goes by faster than usual and the bell rings. Students gather their things, and you're leaving with them for the first time in a while.

Mr. Miller stops you at the door. “I was hoping I could speak to you for a moment.” 

You nod, bidding Abby farewell, and lean against the door frame. 

“The school board is having a meeting next Tuesday. They tasked me with finding the perfect student that could provide them with some ways to help make the school better and I pointed them in your direction.” 

You? You’ve been in Washington for less than a year and at Lakeview for less than five months. Although you’ve gotten accustomed to the school, you don’t know everything about it. 

“Mr. Miller, I appreciate the thought but I barely know this school. How would I be able to tell the school board what they should fix?” “That’s why I thought you would be perfect for this. You’ll be able to give them fresh ideas. Not to mention some of the people on the school board are also admissions counselors at The University of Washington. Having a letter of recommendation from them could get your foot in the door.” 

You press your lips together. Before moving to Washington, USC was your dream school. It was right in the middle of Los Angeles, just a thirty-minute drive from your old house and right in the middle of the city. It was where your parents went to school. You felt like you’d somehow get closer to them if you went to their alma mater but as you explored Seattle with Ellie, Dina, Jesse, and Abby, you fell in love. It was a beautiful metropolitan oasis that you would surely thrive in. You mentioned wanting to go to The University of Washington to Mr. Miller in passing but you never expected him to remember that. 

You gulp. “I’ll do it.”

Mr. Miller nods. “Good, I’ll let them know that you’ll do it. You should invite your parents. I noticed that they weren’t at back-to-school night.”

“They work a lot so I don’t think they’ll be able to make it.”  

“Well, that too bad,” Mr. Miller returns to his desk, letting you make your exit. You set off for the library where Dina, Jesse, Ellie, and Abby are all waiting for you. 

You sit in between Abby and Jesse, take out your math book, and start studying. You occasionally ask Abby for help but the rest of the group stays silent. It’s unusual for Dina, Ellie, and Jesse to be this quiet. Usually, Dina and Jesse would be bickering about something small or Ellie would be gushing over how good Dina smelled, but today, they all sat with their head down, focused on their schoolwork.

As if he could sense everyone’s discomfort, Owen saunters into the library with a smug smile dancing across his face. You have to restrain yourself from plugging your nose as he pulls up a chair next to Abby. 

Owens's hands paint their way toward the back of Abby’s neck and pulls her in close. He kisses her in a way that you know doesn’t feel good but despite that, Abby sinks into the kiss, her hands finding their way towards Owen’s letterman jacket. 

Your mouth drops and you look at the other’s for confirmation that this is happening. Owen and Abby are kissing. They’re kissing as if the past week didn’t happen. Abby’s kissing Owen as if you didn’t see her after they had their argument in his car. Owen is kissing Abby as if he didn’t get another girl pregnant. Abby is kissing Owen as if you didn’t comfort her and provide her direction when she needed it most. And all you can do is sit there and stare at them. 

The one time you want the librarian to come up to your table, she’s not here. 

They break apart after what seems like forever and Abby clears her throat and gathers her things. 

Owen throws his arm around Abby’s shoulder and pulls her in close. He leans down and kisses her on the forehead, looking you in the eyes as he does so. Owen ushers Abby out of the library, leaving the four of you behind. 

“What the fuck was that?” Jesse’s the first one to say anything. The librarian shushes him and you roll your eyes. 

“I thought that him getting another girl pregnant would finally end it for them but I think she’s in deep,” Dina sighs as she leans her head on Ellie’s shoulder. 

All you can do is stare out into the window. You thought that you were going to get Abby back but as you stared into the eyes of the devil, you knew that she was gone. The version of Abby that you knew had melted away like snow does at the beginning of spring. 

You grab your bag and leave the library. Ellie, Dina, and Jesse watch as you solemnly leave the library. They give each other a knowing look and then return to their schoolwork.

Next Chapter.

Taglist: @colbyweirdo, @rew1nds

Thank you for reading!

[writerseclipse1]

rewarded [joel m.]

inspo: somewhere only we know (keane)

summary: does death look you in the eye before you die? or does life flash your memories in your mind? aka: joel's on death's doorstep; he reminisces your time together

warnings: angst (flashback fluff), canon-typical violence, blood and gore, dialogue follows joel's death scene, vivid descriptions of joel's death, major character death, flashbacks, abby (if u hate her ig), guns, knives, and a golf club as a weapon, crying ellie, cursing, no use of y/n. pls tell me if i missed anything!

word count: 2.7k

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾ a/n: am so excited to be back into writing! ik i promised a 505-inspired fic w joel but i couldn't help it!

“Joel Miller.” The sadistic sneer in her voice is what causes him to look up at her, groaning in pain as his leg throbs. He can feel the bullet she lodged into his skin.

“Why don’t you say whatever speech you’ve got rehearsed and get this over with.” He said, annoyance evident in his tone, anger flooded his veins as he stared at her with a look that made it clear he was in no mood to mess around. Neither was Abby and she made that clear, especially when she barked out orders to tourniquet Joel’s leg.

He groaned, eyes shutting tight and tilting his head back. He cursed under his breath, leg pulsing and hurting like a bitch. “God damn it!” He started seeing spots of black in his vision, the figures in the room turning into dull, blurry colors.

His chest heaved, trying to regain control of his breathing and his entire being, seeing Abby flip the handle of her weapon in her hands, his blood ran cold, colder than the metal of the golf club she raised in the air.

Her chuckle was a deep rumble in her chest, the corner of her lip twitching upwards as she murmured. “You don’t get to rush this old man.”

Whack.

“Hey!” The plastic material of the frisbee dug into his palms slightly as he caught it. Jackie, one of the bigger kids in town, inched carefully to Joel and he handed the disc back, but not without a pointed look. “Watch where you’re throwin’ next time.” She uttered out a meek apology, all but running back toward her friends and almost instantly resumed their game.

Snow crunched under his boots as he walked, his feets leaving tracks in the snow. The sound of children laughing and birds chirping filled his ears, a beautiful memory he had come to love. The wind whipped at his face as the chilly air bit his skin but he paid it no mind. Not when she was right there, full of warmth even in just the palm of her hand.

His hand reached out to grasp hers once more as they continued walking, his grip a slight squeeze but if she noticed anything, she said nothing. His eyes were restless, occasionally sneaking a glance to get a glimpse of her, in all her glory. The way her eyes rivaled the stars in the clear night sky, the way she graced passersby with her smile, the way her presence warmed up his heart, the heart he once thought was trapped under all these layers of ice, only to be melted by an unexpected yet welcome gift.

His train of thought derailed once he was pulled back, almost colliding with a child who looked no older than seven. After muttering out an apology and a small ‘I told them to watch it”, his eyes rolled and glared at her playfully when he heard her get engulfed in a fit of giggles that she tried hard to control.

“Think that’s funny, do ya?” He pretended to be offended, turning around to poke her in the ribs and smirking as she let out a squeal.

“Joel!” He laughed as she tried to chase him down the street, his longer legs taking him further and her voice getting distant. It wasn’t until his legs slowed down to a step that she caught up, wrapping an arm around his waist as she saw his somber expression. Following his gaze, you saw Ellie on Dina’s front porch, the two focused on each other. Ellie had her arms wrapped around Dina, her head atop the girl while Dina’s nose brushed the skin of Ellie’s neck, her sniffles being muffled by the material of Ellie’s sweater.

From the corner of his eye, he could see your lips spread out into a grin, closing his eyes with a sigh when he felt your lips brush his cheek, muttering a small “Thank you.”

“For what? You got nothin’ to thank me for, darlin’.” Eyes now on the woman beside him, he noticed your focus stray from the two girls back to him, your walking only slowing down but not stopping.

“For being a lover,” you whispered back, pulling back to look up at him. “Maybe your fighter days are over.”

He shook his head as they passed Ellie and Dina yet his eyes never left her once. “I ain’t stoppin’ my fightin’ days, baby. ‘Cause I fight for you everyday.” His eyes wrinkled at the corners as he smiled when he heard you laugh, not noticing that the attention of the two girls moved to you and him, watching as you walked further away.

Good thing Dina buried her head in Ellie’s shoulder just in time for you to look back and send Ellie a wink, a soft pink hue spreading on her cheeks as yours and Joel’s footfalls started to fade.

Thud, thud, thud.

It was all that echoed in his ears as his heart pounded in his chest, his ribs taking the damage Abby’s boot was inflicting on his body, all while he lay helplessly on the floor. He felt bile crawl up his throat and out his mouth when the girl kicked his stomach. His eyes widened slightly when he realized that it wasn’t bile, but blood.

Abby let out a huff, pacing in front of his body and if Joel could let out a sigh of relief, he would, but it hurt to even breathe. He choked on his own blood, his head lolling to the side as he spat out blood, the red liquid coating his lips and dripping to the floor. She looked at him with a mixture of anger and disgust, the former more evident as she readied her weapon again.

Yet her intentions were the farthest thing from his thoughts, feeling a familiar warmth spread across his body as his mind brought him back to a time of safety, of care, of arms wrapped around him and lips pressed to his skin.

Before he could feel the shattering impact of the metal club, he closed his eyes and thought—

“This is stupid,” he muttered and you only shook your head. The two stood on the front porch, in front of the wooden column on the right. Digging your hand into your pocket, you flipped open your pocket knife and he watched you flip it in your hands. He still remembers the time you first held it in your palm.

There was nothing to your relationship at first, with the exemption of watching each other’s backs during patrols outside the walls. He took the reins during missions and when he first saw it, untouched and sitting pretty in a gardener’s shed they passed by, his first thought was to give it to you to make sure you had a weapon that “didn’t let you shoot your goddamn ass off.”

Never would he expect that the same sharp blade that has sliced a man’s throat and lodged itself in an infected’s chest would be the same blade that would carve your initials on his front porch.

“Come on, Joel, stop being such an old grump,” you pouted, taking his hand and wrapping it around the hilt before your own came up to rest on his. He let out a chuckle when you guided his hand, from the curve of the J to the lines of your own initial. Both of you stepped back slightly to admire your work but he tilted his head at you when he heard you hum.

“Something’s missing,” you murmured, eyes casting downward as you thought. He always admired you when you were deep in the recesses of your mind, how your eyebrows pinched together and how your lips pursed. He fought the urge to kiss your lips until you were giggling against his. “Aha!”

He watched you move forward, your body covering most of the carving as you added a detail. When you stepped back, he couldn’t contain his chuckle. You had added two hearts that sat beside each other, one bigger than the other. Your eyebrows furrowed again, this time not in thought but in mock indignation. “And why are you laughing?”

“Nothin’ honey, it’s cute!” He reasoned but you only huffed, facing the opposite way. He let out an audible scoff but he licked his lips, a mischievous smile taking over his expression. Wrapping his arms around you, he carried you into the house, ignoring your protests and your wriggling motions as he laid you down on the couch, kissing you deeply.

It shut you up for the rest of the afternoon.

“What? Cat got your tongue now?” Abby scoffed, hitting him again and again without abandon. Joel didn’t speak, every inch of his face covered in blood. He felt like he was drowning, swimming in a pool of his own blood with each drop of the weapon.

BANG!

At first he thought it was the club, striking his head hard that his skull cracked open but when he opened his eyes, he saw Ellie, a hand wrapped around her gun tightly as she tried to shoot but to no avail. Pinned down, the girl could only watch as Joel struggled to breathe, his chest rising and falling with every shaky breath.

A man who was certainly younger than him started talking, barking out orders to people in the room but Joel couldn’t hear a single thing with the ringing in his ears and the pounding in his head. But he could guess what it was when Abby snarled down at him, her hands wrapping tightly around the club as she raised it. And just as quickly as it rose, it fell.

“JOEL!

“Joel!” He turned his head, closing his eyes as he tried to gain his composure, breathing in like how he was taught by his momma when he got mad. Slowly in, slowly out. In through the nose, out through the—

“Joel Miller! Don’t you dare walk away from this conversation!” So much for composure.

“And what? Huh? I’ll let you go out there on a stupid horse with a stupid partner Tommy paired you up with and then what? What if you get hurt, what then? What’ll I do? Beat ‘ em up for not keepin’ an eye on you? It wouldn’t be his fault, wouldn’t it? No it wouldn’t, because you,” he pressed his finger against your chest, “Didn’t listen to me!”

“Why are you already assuming I’ll get hurt? Do you think I’m that helpless?” Your jaw ticked and from the corner of his eye, your hand twitched and balled itself into a fist. Everything was going so well for him but he had to hit a bump in the road somewhere. “I asked you a question.” His thoughts were out of order but Joel was a patient man to the right people, he didn’t want to say the wrong thing.

“No! No I don’t but—”

“Then why are you so—”

“Because if something happened to you, I dunno what I’d do with myself!” He yelled and his heart froze when you stepped back, surely taken aback from what he did. He didn’t mean to do that, he didn’t mean to yell.

“I know.” His eyes locked with yours, scanning your expression. He didn’t mean to say that out loud. Seeing the guilt in your unshed tears he sighed, shaking his head. His fists unclenched and he stretched his fingers as he took in a breath, closing his eyes. In through the nose, out through the mouth. In through the nose, out through the—

Arms snaked around him, like vines creeping around an abandoned brick house that has definitely seen better days, fingers interlocking behind him so that he couldn’t escape. Like I want to leave in the first place, he thought as he felt your cheek fall against his chest and your ear press against his heart.

When Joel would encounter danger and violence, his heart wouldn’t beat like a sinner’s caught in church, fast and swift, no. His heart followed a rhythm. Du dum, du dum, du dum, always steady and strong. It reflects how he is, always biding his time, saving his energy until he’s ready to strike. 

He could practically feel your shoulders slump as you heard his heart beating, steady and strong. Du dum, du dum, du dum.

“I’m sorry,” you choked out and he only realized the tears that dripped like water from a broken faucet; dripping one-by-one yet loud and clear. His body moved on autopilot, arms wrapping around you before he could even clear his head and rubbing his hand up and down your back, resting his chin on the top of your head. “I didn’t mean to make you feel like—”

“I know.” He smothered kisses into your hair and he felt your shoulders lighten and your chest rumble with a sniffle before a chuckle. He could feel your pout through the thin material of his button-up, putting a hand on your cheek and tilting your head up, staring into your soul like it was a window without blinds. “I only want you to be safe. You’re the reason why I wake up in the morning, why I sit on the porch and wave to people I barely give a damn about, why I water the flowers outside our house because you love it when the house looks so lively even from the outside. You’re the reason why I care about the little things. I don’t want you, my reason to come back home, not come back home.”

He felt you sniffle into his chest, nodding as you pulled slightly back. “I get it. I just…”

“Hey, let’s talk about it in the morning, yeah? We got plenty’a time,” he whispered, brushing back a strand of hair wet from your tears, giving you a kiss on the forehead. “We got plenty’a time.”

For the first time in Joel’s life, he lied to you that night. He just didn’t know it yet. 

He was sorry.

He’ll always be sorry.

Even after his dying breath, he knew that sorry can’t reverse his mistakes. That was like trying to put a bandaid on a porcelain plate. He was an idiot.

A Stupid. Fucking. Idiot.

He thought it was safe.

It was winter, it shouldn’t’ve even been there. It should have been freezing in one of the fucking rivers or something.

It was his fault.

All of it.

“Baby?” His breath caught in his throat as he watched your body, his figure as unmoving as you were. He inched closer, crouching down to you, looking away from the infected he killed with its mouth open and brains splattered everywhere. He saw red, maybe it was the blood on his shirt. Whose was it? He didn’t want to know.

“Baby?” His voice echoed, asking again and foolishly enough, he expected an answer. He only saw your eyes staring back at him, distant, unwavering, unmoving.

Gone.

He shook his head and shut his eyes, unwilling to see, unwilling to believe. “Baby? You–you gotta wake up for me, honey. No, no, you can’t—” He choked, covering his mouth with the palm of his hand as his eyes filled with tears. Tears you’ll never get to wipe with the pad of your thumb. He cradled your face gently, like you were still sleeping but with your eyes open, like you didn’t see the infected coming at you and he didn’t see it too, like you were lying in a pool of your own blood, like he was the cause of it.

Like he didn’t know what he was going to do.

His chest was engulfed in wracking sobs, sobs that would make the merciless merciful, sobs that would make the follower the leader, sobs that would make the dead live.

He prayed that was the case. It wasn’t.

And it never will be.

Not even when Ellie cried at his chest, her eyes screwed tight and muttering apologies, recounting old memories, anything to get Joel back, yet even the man knew he himself was already gone. Ellie was wrapped up in her anguish and her pain to notice the distant but hopeful look in Joel’s eyes, shaking his body like it would shock him back to life. But life rewarded the patient, not the vengeful.

Joel had been a patient man all his life and he knew it.

And when he saw you, surrounded by a circle of light and an arm outstretched, he knew he had been rewarded.

[larvaem1lk]

cookie stand

ellie williams x fem reader <3

🦋 hellooo, this is my first time publishing a fic to tumblr! i’m like really nervous and scared and !!!!!! i wrote this in mid march which was one of my first times writing for the lovely & beautiful ellie, so please forgive me if she’s kind of like. not characterized well. i hope there aren’t any errors & pls forgive my overuse of the words ‘pretty’ and ‘CDs’… i’ve been holding this one out for tooooo long so. please enjoy

🦋 warnings: none really :) there’s cursing and my… no so good writing though… overall this is just cute and ellie is like so nervous because why are u such an angelic being!?!?

other than that, please enjoy & thank u to anyone who reads!! :-* i hope u like it or at least someone out there does. feedback is so appreciated, promise my fics from here will be better <3

It was your scent that first consumed her mind full of wonder… the unfamiliar sweetness filling her nose and leaving her woozy. She didn’t know what it was, or who it was. She just assumed the pretty flowers were emitting nectar to attract insects that she just so smelled, too.

The sky was sunny; the weather was warm, and it was near the middle of spring. Obviously, the blooming flowers would make the most sense. Though she was wrong.

She wasn’t aware of the pretty girl a couple of feet away standing at the cookie stand. She didn’t notice the swarming bundles of children and parents that crowded the tiny baby pink stand, eager to try the sweets. In fact, she wasn’t paying attention to anything else around her.

No, Ellie was only here because Dina said there was supposed to be some guy selling CDs of Ellie’s favorite band that disbanded years ago. She could barely locate any of their music, so this was her only opportunity. Sure, she had the internet, and different media platforms, but that same Dina had bought a boombox for whatever reason and didn’t want it to collect dust. 

So here Ellie sat on a bench, sketchbook in her lap, while she drew random doodles of things around the park near her college—squirrels, butterflies, and dog poop. Or she would scribble random thoughts down, like, “Where are my CDs????” and “Why do dogs squat like that to shit.”

She looked up every few minutes for a sketchy man with a duffel bag, or whoever she thought would have potentially had the stash of CDs.

Yet out of all of the people that walked through, nobody matched the appearance. Maybe she missed them? Was it possible that a group of grannies carried CDs of a long-forgotten band? Or the young moms pushing strollers? She was giving up hope. She almost felt like she had just gotten played.

It wasn’t until she heard your lighthearted giggle in the distance that stopped Ellie from packing up. She looked at the entrance. Nobody. She looked to her right. There you were. A huge smile was on display and your eyes were a bit crinkled. You were squatting to talk with the… many children that surrounded you.

There was confusion at first, her eyebrows pinching inward as she watched you. Were you some type of… teacher? Caregiver? Wait, no. She didn’t even notice the baby pink stand behind you. It looked kind of cute. She squinted, and saw a pear-green sign that read, “HOMEMADE cookies!! $2.50 each… + random FREE CDs! :)”

Hold the fuck on. Random “FREE” CDs? This might just be where she finds the discography of her favorite band. But it was weird, a cookie stand selling random CDs? hell, she didn’t even care at this point. She’s been in need of some music to jam out to while she drew. Plus, she was interested in learning a few on the guitar just for herself.

Without a second thought, Ellie was stuffing her materials into her bag and throwing it over her shoulder as she stomped over to where your stand was. There was a bit of a line between children and parents. She was disappointed to be all the way in the back, but it would be worth it once she got what she was looking for.

Though it wasn’t a guarantee that you’d have what she wanted. She had been to so many music stores, even searching sketchy websites. Everyone told her the band never existed or we haven’t had them in our catalog for years, so how would you be any different? The small bit of hope was starting to fade again, but, she couldn’t say no to a cookie. Plus, you were pretty.

In the meantime, Ellie stood, waiting. She watched insects in the grass, watched people walking, but she was mostly watching you, from the way your eyes crinkle when you smiled too hard or how caring you were towards the children.

The spring sun was shining over your body, your skin glowing under the soft beams. You had such a pretty smile, and your lips looked so soft. They were shiny with gloss and Ellie wet her own with her tongue at the thought of feeling your lips on hers.

You stood behind the stand, talking and laughing with what seemed to be a guy with his younger sibling. You two seemed to be catching up, as the conversation went on for a good 5 minutes. Or maybe he was flirting. Hopefully not.

Ellie laughed when she heard a kid whine about how badly they had to pee and how long the cookie girl was taking, and Ellie silently agreed. The cookie girl was holding everyone up.

Ellie stood in line for a good 10 minutes before she was behind one more parent-kid duo towards the front. She had watched as kids walked away with large chocolate chip cookies while parents reminisced about CDs from their prime.

She watched as you talked to the child and practically made friends with their mom. But then she was next up as she saw the duo disappear.

This is it. Just do it.

With shaky legs, and a quiet exhale, she took a step closer to the stand, and damn, you were even prettier up close. Your eyes were so pretty under the sunlight and and your face was just—pretty. Ellie felt her mouth dry at the sight.

But why at that moment did a breeze have to blow by? That’s when the dangerous smell of sweetness filled her nose again, and she realized she had been mistaken before. Those weren’t flowers, it was you. You were the one with the dreamy aroma engulfing her in your essence. Now that she was closer to you, it was stronger than before.

Lost in your eyes, she didn’t catch the way your mouth moved in a greeting. And the way you smelled wasn’t helping either. Those same eyes filled with kindness were now glazed over with confusion, and it hit Ellie that you were waiting for her response. She blinked and glanced over her shoulder to make sure that nobody was behind her, sighing in relief when she saw no one.

You spoke up again, tilting your head with concern as your expression. “You okay?” You asked and fuck, your voice. It surprised her that she was still standing with how weak her knees felt.

Ellie cleared her throat and nodded, sniffling out of anxiousness but all that did was nearly slip her back into the clouds again. “Yeah, I’m good. I, Sorry, I just—totally blanked out there,”

She was relieved to see you smile in response. She hoped you didn’t think she was weird for staring at you like that, but how could she not when you looked like… you?

Your gaze lingered on Ellie’s face for a little while, taking in the sparkle of her green eyes and the freckles that decorated her cheeks. Under the brightness of the sun, there was a subtle sheen to her auburn-colored hair. You couldn’t lie. She was pretty. Really pretty. You noticed her drawing by a tree not too long ago when you came to set up your stand.

Ellie felt herself get a little warm at the way you were looking at her. Or maybe that was the weather. The forecast said 60, but it felt more like 80.

You looked down at the table and motioned toward two pink plates of large chocolate chip cookies. “How many would you like?” You clasped your hands together before placing them behind your back.

You were so sweet. So nice. The first thing she had done and couldn’t stop doing was stare at you, yet all you did was smile and ask her how many cookies she wanted. You were a dream.

Ellie’s eyes flickered down to the table in front of you to admire the cookies for a second. They were large, perfectly round, and she didn’t want to seem dumb for thinking this, but the chips seemed to be placed perfectly, too. Of course. With everything balanced, they almost looked damn near store-bought. “Are these really homemade?” She looked up with her eyebrows raised and you nodded.

“Yep! You know these were almost a failed batch, but I fixed them last minute. I was so pissed, but the people love ‘em, so I ain’t too mad about it.” You shrugged and Ellie smiled. She loved hearing you talk.

She pulled her lips to the side and fiddled with her fingers before speaking, “Well, I’d love to have one. How much are they?” You leaned forward to tap the pear green sign with your nail. Ellie instantly felt dumb as she read the large bubble letters, $2.50 each…

She mentally face palmed herself. “Oh… yeah, that’s right. Sorry. Again.” You laugh as she digs into her bag to bring out three crumpled sheets of green. “Can never keep track of coins,” her words were in a whisper as she handed you the dollar bills.

She watched your every movement, somehow finding everything you did fascinating. You were like some ethereal being that she’d come across, entrancing her with your mesmerizing aura. She had seen plenty of girls before, able to woo them with her charm and exude such a confidence with ease. But what was it with you?

You folded the dollar bills toward you before sliding them into your pocketbook that sat on top of a large bin beside you. Inside were rows of colorful CDs and Ellie’s eyes lingered there for a moment as she remembered what she was actually there for. Gotta stay on track.

You grabbed a pear-colored napkin from the pile that sat beside the cookies, and Ellie noticed the matching with the the sign. You handed it to her with the cookie inside, and when Ellie took a bite she almost passed out.

“Wait, whoa, holy shit…” her words muffled as she chewed. You couldn’t read her expression, but her brows pinched inward, and you weren’t sure if the taste surprised her or… if it was bad. Dammit, this batch. Maybe she had gotten a particularly bad cookie out of the hundred you hadn’t sold yet.

“Do you like it?” You squinted with a bit of hesitancy, feeling nervous. Her eyes shot up to you from the cookie immediately. “What do you mean? I love this. This is so fucking good! And you’re telling me these were almost a failed batch?”

You smile at her reaction. “Oh my gosh, thank you! I’m glad you like it. Do you want a CD?”

Ellie stuffed the rest of the cookie in her mouth and chewed a little before stuffing the napkin in her pocket. She swallowed hard before nodding. “Oh, uh, yeah. That’s actually what I was here for, but I don’t regret that cookie.”

Ellie felt her heart skip a beat when she heard you giggle. “Well, who are you looking for? I have pretty much everything… I think… I dunno. My gramma was just an insane diehard music fanatic, and I thought it’d be nice to let people have a little bit of that too. You know? But, now that I think about it these aren’t really ‘random’? All the artists are pretty well known and I sorted them into different genres so—what would you like?”

Ellie watched as you sighed afterwards, and she could tell you felt a little embarrassed because of your rambling. But she thought it was cute with the way you moved your hands and how you looked up to the left when you got sucked into your thoughts.

“Hm, let’s see if the cookie girl has what I’m looking for.” You smile at the name “cookie girl” and Ellie cringed once the name of the band came out of her mouth in fear that you would say the same thing everyone else did. And she was tired of searching.

But when your face lit up, she almost felt confused because she had never received that reaction before. She was more familiar with confused or sympathetic expressions.

“Are you serious? I definitely have them. I swear my grandma talked about them all the time before she passed.” You turned to the large bin and rummaged around. “You want their EP or—“

“Yes! Yes. Yeah. Gimme everything you got of ‘em. Please.”

You smiled before you were quick to search for what she wanted. Ellie studied your every movements in anticipation as your fingers walked over the tops of various CD cases. But once you stopped, she felt a sense of relief. Finally.

You pulled out CD after CD, almost dropping some when you turned to the table. You cautiously set them down and Ellie grabbed one to examine the cover.

“Oh man… holy fuck! This is really them…” she whispered while turning over the CD to look at the backside. She read the different titles of the band’s songs and looked over the faces of each member in the picture.

You take in how excited she is as she looks through the disks and stuffed each one into her bag. She looked cute. There was a sparkle in her eyes as you watched her look over the last one.

“Do you know how long I’ve been looking for them? Literally, nobody had their stuff for shit.” She looks up at you to be met with your beautiful smile. She almost got lost in your eyes again, and as a breeze just so flowed by, your scent mesmerized her once more.

You say something that Ellie doesn’t catch, but you say something again as a question and she has to force herself to blink to come out of her daze.

“Sorry—uh, what’d you say?” she squints, feeling a little flustered.

You blow a laugh through your nose. “I was just saying that I hope you have fun with your CDs. I’m gonna be packing up soon, so are you sure that’s all you want?”

Ellie frowned a little. “Oh, yeah, I’m good. I got what I was looking for… thanks to you. Really, thank you.”

You smile that beautiful smile of yours and nod. You turn away to rummage around in a larger bag and Ellie watches as you do. She’s not sure if she should say bye or if she should just walk away. She found the CDs, finally, but she had also come across another find, you.

The more she talked to you, the more she wanted to get to know you. She wanted to see that gorgeous smile all the time and look into your pretty eyes whenever she wanted to. She wanted to play songs for you on her guitar while you baked more cookies and she wanted to draw pictures of you and things you liked. The two of you didn’t even have to jump right into romance. She just wanted to be your friend and be around you all the time.

“Hey, um… do you—you go to the college right?” Ellie didn’t even notice when the words spilled out of her mouth, but it was enough to make you stop and look at her. She absentmindedly clutched the strap of her bag as she waited for your reply.

“Yeah, I do,” you answered. Ellie nodded and just stood there, wanting more words to tumble out of her mouth but she was worried she’d fuck up and say the wrong thing. Which is why she slid her bag off her shoulder halfway to dig inside. She opened up her sketchbook and ripped a corner piece of paper out before rummaging around for some type of pencil.

You watched as she leaned over the table and scribbled something down in a rush that you couldn’t quite decipher. When she was done, she scanned over it and handed you the paper. Her face was a light pink as she did so and it confused you as you took the paper from her.

When you looked down, there were some words along with what you think was a number that read, “thanks for the cookie n CDs…. call me sometime? - ellie w.”

You smiled like a schoolgirl and went to say something to her, but she had already left. You looked around the park before you to spot the girl with auburn hair and green eyes with the freckles but unfortunately had spotted no one. Though at least now you knew what you would do as soon as you got to your dorm.

You would call Ellie.

[cardierreh15]

Post Human

Hey yall 🫣☺️

***I do not give anyone permission to copy or repost my work!!!

Warnings 18+: Cursing , Mentions Of Parental Loss , Violence , Gore , Other than That— Great Conversation between the two 🥰

Pairing: August Walker x Roslyn (Black!Female Oc)

Description: Roslyn gets caught up with training August on becoming a Herding Master.

Word Count: 4.1K

Song: Pretty Places by Aly & AJ

Taglist: @drewharrisonwriter @kingliam2019 @imaslutforcuddles @headcannonxgalore

II

Knock, Knock.

The sudden knocking caused Roslyn’s head to pop up tiredly. She snapped her head over to see if Ellie was here but her bed was perfectly made. Clear evidence that she hadn’t even been there the previous night.

Rolling her eyes, she grumbled tired gibberish and rubbed her face. The knock returned.

‘Ugh! I’m coming, I’m coming damn.’

She shoved the comforter off of her lap and stumbled her way out of bed before dragging herself tiredly to the door.

‘Goddammit, Ellie! I ain’t gone keep—‘

Roslyn pulled the door open to see Maria standing there with her arms folded across her chest with an eyebrow raised.

‘Maria!’ She said surprised as she quickly looked back and stepped down to shut the door behind her. Now she would have to make up a quick lie to save her sister’s ass. ‘I didn’t know you were… making house calls today!’

‘Right…’ Maria said as she stepped back and placed her hands on her hips, ‘Ellie in there?’ She asked, jerking her head towards the door.

Roslyn looked back once again, ‘Y-yeah! She’s sleeping. Y’know— us girls gotta get our beauty rest!’ She gave Maria a gentle punch on the arm as she tried to keep up this facade. If Ellie wasn’t here, she knew exactly where she was and she wasn’t going to sell her out like that.

‘Hmm. Whatever, look. I don’t care if she’s not here. I’ll just simply give you the job.’ She shrugged.

Ros raised a brow, her face instantly hardening. ‘Job? What job?’

‘Oh. It’s nothing you can’t handle! I’m gonna have you riding with August today.’

It had been about 2 weeks since the boys arrived and from what Ros gathered, they were pretty level headed and respectful. They did any and everything Tommy and Maria told them to do. They were almost like the kids they never had!

Even with Mike’s injury, he did the best he could.

Since the day at the bar, August and Roslyn haven’t really spoken. Just when they’d walk past it was always a “hi” or “bye” but they never stuck around for casual conversation.

But that was all about to change.

‘What?! Why can’t he ride with Jesse?! Dina?’

‘Because I have them on different projects today.’

Roslyn let out an annoyed, soulful sigh. As much as she loved her sister, she wanted to wring her neck like a rag.

‘Besides, it’ll give you a better opportunity to get to know him. He’s a very nice guy, Ros. You can’t be hard on everyone who shows up here. His past may not have been great but— we can use him and his brother. I just need your help.’

‘Oh? I know Ms. “I don’t beg anyone for nothing” ain’t beggin’ right now?’

‘I ain’t beggin. It’s a demand. Now, go on now. Meet him at the gymnasium. He spends most of his mornings there.’ She retorted before spinning on the toes of her boots and walking down the steps.

Roslyn grimaced, holding back the litter of curse words that so desperately ached to burn her lips but instead she shouted, ‘Maria! You owe me for this!’

‘More like Ellie does! Hurry up! Y’all better be gone by 10!’ She hollered back.

***

Roslyn was lacing up her boots when she heard the knob turn. Ellie had just walked into the door with the silliest grin on her face.

‘Hello big sis! Anyone came by lookin’ for me?’ Ellie chimed.

Ros breathed through her nose as she stood up and grabbed her coat off the bed. ‘Yes! In fact, someone did!’

‘Who?’

‘Maria.’ She hissed at the name, it bringing her great disdain in the moment.

‘Maria?! What the hell she doin’ here on a Tuesday for?’

‘She sendin’ me on training patrol with August. She was here for you… but she insisted I did it instead.’

Ellie’s green eyes grew slightly at the impactful news. ‘No shit! Well…’

‘It’s fine… don’t even worry about it I guess. It’s said now.’

‘Hey, quit it! Look,’ Ellie sighed out as she pushed her hair out of her face, ‘I’ll make it up to you. Somehow.’

Roslyn’s head fell to the side slightly. She tried her best to remain serious but Ellie began to make silly faces. A smirk managed to curl up on her face and eventually, a laugh escaped her.

‘Alright. Fine. I forgive you I guess! But when I get back, tell me about your night with Dina?’

‘It’s a deal!’

***

Roslyn walked into the training center, smiling as she walked over to the desk where Dan sat snacking on what had seemed to be a breakfast burrito.

‘Top of the morning’, Dan!’

‘Heya kiddo! How yer’ doin’?’ He asked with a grin spread across his lips.

‘Maria’s got me pulling patrol three days in a row.’ She huffed out, ‘You can only imagine how I’m feelin’.’

‘Mmm. I am sorry to hear that but whatever boss lady says, goes.’

‘Yeah. Anyway, is Walker around? Maria told me I could find him here.’

‘Yup. Sign in for me, he’ll be in the weight room.’

Roslyn picked up the pin and signed her name along the line. ‘Thank you, Dan.’

She walked into the weight room of the gymnasium, her eyes scanning the room only to find him pulling his body up over the pull-up bar.

A thin sheet of sweat covered his arms and back with a few droplets sliding down his skin. His trapezius muscles flexing and pulling with every movement. She’d also taken note of those familiar pink star-like scars on his shoulder and back. Then, there was another scar on his lower waistline that had to be 3 inches long. All of them had seemed to be stitched and patched up pretty clean so they must’ve occurred way before his rebellion.

Curiosity befell her. She’d be sure to ask about it later on. But right now she was admiring what God had created. A single drop of sweat cascaded down his spine and she felt her chest tighten at the sight.

Sure, she’s seen men like this— in their prime and what not but he had it all!

For now, she balled all of that up and puffed up her chest. Roslyn walked over to him with her chin high and unphased. ‘Walker!’

August glanced down when he heard his name being called. He was not expecting to see her here. ‘Roslyn!’ He’d let go of the bar and turned to face her, revealing his thick curly chest hair that was drenched in sweat. And this detailed moth tattoo right below his sternum resting at the center of his torso. That was an interesting choice.

‘I wasn’t expecting to see you here. Where’s Ellie?’

Roslyn held her breath for a second, keeping her eyes on his which somehow equally melted her all the same.

‘Ellie couldn’t make it. So I’ll be accompanying you today.’

‘Oh! Well, gimme a few minutes and I’ll meet you at the Stables?’

‘Fine by me.’ She gave him a small smile with a nod.

***

She’d been pacing back and forward, creating infinite tracks in the snow until he heard her name being called.

‘Roslyn!’

She lifted her head to see August jogging in her direction. She then looked at her watch. It was 9:55AM. At least he made it before 10.

‘You’re late, Walker!’

‘Yeah! I know. I’d figured you wouldn’t want to be training some funky dude so I took a quick shower.’

Well, at least he cared about his hygiene. A lot of dudes in this day in age ain’t care too much bout it since everyone was on death row.

She looked up at him as she tried to fight that smile, but it fell through when she giggled, ‘You’re right. I don’t want to be smelling onions, garlic and horseradish. Thanks for the consideration. Let’s go.’

The pair chuckled as they walked together inside of the stables to retrieve their steeds.

Roslyn greeted her horse with a beaming smile as he neighed and nickered.

‘Kentaro.’ She placed her hand on his jaw and gave him a firm pat on his shiny jet black coat, ‘I know you’re tired my boy. But, one more day?’ She whispered as she gently rubbed at his black snout.

He let out a huff of air and nudged her gently.

‘Thank you.’ She giggled and placed a kiss on his jaw before unlocking his stable and grabbing his reins.

Once she made it to the saddle rack, she placed hers on Kentaro’s back and strapped it down.

Suddenly, she snapped her head over at the aggressive neighing, squealing and nickering in the stables.

August was trying to calm down his horse along with others but she was anxious.

Roslyn handed off her reins to Jesse and jogged back into the stables. She snatched the reins out of the keeper’s hand and raised her hands to let her know that she was not a threat.

‘Shhh. Shhhh. Hey, girl. Shhhh.’

Once she began to calm down, Roslyn rubbed at her brown spotted jaw. ‘Shhhh, it’s okay girl. He is no threat. See? Look— Walker!’

August’s eyes grew before he looked at the trainers and keepers. He pressed his index finger at his chest, mouthing the word, ‘me?’

Roslyn let out a gentle giggle and nodded, ‘Gimme your hand.’ She lend out her palm to him, watching as he stared at her then the horse skeptically. ‘I promise she’s sweet when you get to know her.’

He hesitantly placed his large calloused palm into hers and allowed her to guide his hand over to the side of her neck.

The horse let out a gentle whine before letting out a heavy huff from her snout.

‘Shhh. It’s okay girl…that’s it Hera. That’s a sweet girl.’ Ros looked over at August with a gentle smile as his nervousness seemed to fade but was replaced with relief. A gentle smile curled on his lips. ‘I told you. She’s never really been great with men. I guess the more testosterone you carry, the more you give her the ick.’ She giggled before throwing him a wink.

August chuckled as he scratched beneath her jaw, ‘Well, that’s quite the ironic name. Don’t worry, Hera. We’re going to be the best of friends ya?’

Roslyn smiled softly, placing the reins in his hand. ‘Go head and get your saddle. Meet me by the gate when you're finished.’

August gave her a gentle smile, ‘You got it!’ He watched her spin off and walk off towards the gate. Even a blind man could see that he was checking her out. Watching as her hips swayed and her glutes tighten and relax, followed by a jiggle with each step.

She was quite dreamy.

Hera nudged August’s chest, causing him to let out a winded grunt then a chuckle, ‘Alright girl. Let’s get out of here.

***

Roslyn climbed Kentaro and sat down comfortably. She then leaned over to give him an encouraging clap on his neck. ‘Such a good boy.’

‘You talk to all your men like that?’

She looked back to see August well acquainted with Hera; sitting high and mighty on his brand new saddle. She could admit, he looked damn good on top of a horse. With his straight posture and broad shoulders. He belonged there. And she had a gut feeling that he belonged here too.

‘Maybe I do.’ Ros retorted with a sly smirk. ‘I see you finally got on with Hera. How she holdin’ up?’

‘Just fine.’

‘Good.’ She nodded before she looked over at Jesse, ‘Get that gate open, we outta here.’

‘Alright. You guys be careful out there and August, stay vigilant.’

August waved his hand once, ‘No need to warn me. I’ve witnessed enough to make an Army Ranger cry.’

Jesse stared at him with a blank glare. As if that was something to be proud of. But at least he knew how to deal with the dangers beyond the compound.

‘Alright.’ Jesse turned and waved his arm towards the guards at the gate, ‘Open ‘er up!’

Roslyn smirked and looked over at August, ‘Army Ranger huh?’

He gave her a gentle shrug.

She shook her head with her smirk unwavering, watching as they pulled the large wooden gate apart. ‘Seem to shut him up pretty good. Nice one.’

‘Hmph. Thanks.’

The both of them gently kicked at the ribs of their horses, causing them to trot on with their handlers at their reins.

‘Wow!’ August breathed out gently, ‘Look at that incredible view.’

‘It is breathtaking isn’t it? You guys didn’t have views like this in Washington?’

‘We did. It just rained a lot in Seattle. And if we weren't on patrol then we weren’t spending our time looking at the wonders of the world. It was too fucked up out there and we didn’t need that constant reminder… or at least that’s what Isaac lodged in our heads.’

‘Mmf. Sounds like a master manipulator at its finest.’

‘You don’t even know the half.’ August scoffed and rolled his eyes, ‘If only my father knew. Stubborn old fool.’

She pressed her lips together, ‘I’m sorry… about your loss.’

August looked over at her with a perplexed glare, ‘My father’s not dead!’ He hissed.

‘Oh! Oh my god, I’m sorry! I shouldn’t have—‘

An exaggerated cackle left August’s lips, startling Roslyn in the process.

‘Wh—what’s so funny?!’ She barked back.

‘You should see the look on your face!’ He laughed so hard, one would think he’d fall off that damn horse. ‘I’m kidding. He’s been dead for quite some time now.’ He added, recovering from his heartfelt giggle.

Roslyn rolled her eyes, holding back a giggle of her own, ‘You’re such an ass.’

‘Maybe but hey, at least I know how to make light out of situations. Y’know? Sometimes I forget he’s dead.’

‘Why?’

‘He was hard on me and Mike after mom died. It was like… something snapped inside of him. He used to be a good man. I believed a lot of his choices were for the greater good but… at the cost of our sanity. I’d prefer him not to be there honestly.’

She hated to hear these stories. It was repetitive really. It appeared more and more people had shitty parents than the good ones.

Perhaps this world just created shitty people.

‘That… sucks.’

‘Meh. I think I turned out pretty good.’ He said daft with this goofy grin spread across his lips.

‘Something tells me you didn’t though.’ Roslyn laughed out, ‘But you have to be some kind of crazy to survive nowadays.’

‘Exactly! You get me.’ He chuckled softly. ‘So what about you? Where are your people?’

She should’ve braced herself for that one. Roslyn didn't like talking about what happened to her parents but over the years, the more she spoke of them, the more healed she felt.

‘They’re gone too. Apparently my parents knew Joel and Tommy from way back when. Used to work together I guess. Apparently they were ripped apart by a bloater.’

‘Jesus.’

‘Yeah. In my parents' written will, they wanted Joel to be my Godfather… If anyone believes in that shit nowadays…’ she sighed out, ‘So— he’s my dad!’

‘Fucking hell. Were yall close at least? Got good memories together?’

‘Yeah… some good ones. I mean it’s hard to create anything good in … this.’ Roslyn gestured her hand out towards the open, referring to what this world had become over the last 15 years.

‘I hear you there.’ August added in a remorseful manner. ‘I’m sorry to hear about your parents. It sucks that all the good people have to go. Unfortunately I’ve been a part of the problem.’

Roslyn’s head snapped over at August, her pretty hazel eyes narrowing as she processed his words. ‘You’ve killed innocent people?’

He parted his lips to speak but hesitated as if he’s trying to find the appropriate words.

‘Not because I’ve wanted to. The way we were trained… anyone beyond those walls were a threat and had to be eliminated if found insufficient of use.’ He shook his head softly, ‘And if we failed to follow those orders well… you know the rest.’

‘Damn. That is rough. At least you're here though… you’re already turning your life around. I say… A win is a win!’

August smiled and nodded, ‘I guess you’re right.’

***

The pair scaled up the worn down path on the side of the mountain. From this point on, they were quiet and kept their eyes peeled.

Luckily, they made it all the way up to the small town’s grocery market. One of Jackson’s checkpoints.

‘Alright.’ Roslyn pulled her reins to a stop and hopped down. ‘We —‘

Suddenly, a loud screech and clicking echoed on the other side of the aluminum door.

The pair snapped their heads over towards the supermarket. Both letting out a shuddered breath in angst.

‘Grab your shotgun. Ain’t no telling what’s behind that door. We need all the fire power we got.’

August gave her a nod and quickly snatched up his weapons off of his steed and made sure they were loaded up.

Before the horses could grow restless from the constant noise and attract more infected, she smacked the rump of Kentaro and did just the same for Hera. They took off running with only the sound of hooves echoing in the space around them.

‘OK.’ She let out a shuddered breath, taking a step closer to him. ‘Don’t let your guard down. I was just here in the past few days and they’re back again. There has to be a nest nearby but it’ll take more than just us to clear it.’

‘Alright. What-whoa…’

‘Yes?’

‘Are you ok?’ August asked in concern.

‘Yeah. Another day in paradise am I right? Come on. The sooner we can clear this out, the sooner we can reach our final checkpoint. Cool?’

‘Cool.’ He gave her a reassuring smile, ‘Good Luck to you.’

Roslyn returned the smile and nodded before turning around, ‘You too… we’re damn sure gonna need it.’

Once the two carefully made their way into the space, she did a head count of two clickers and three runners. ‘Alright,’ she whispered, ‘You take those guys over there. And I got these three.’

‘What?’ August hissed quietly, ‘That’s three on one!’

‘I’ve handled worse! Plus, I’m here to train you remember? Just if I get hemmed up, help me out!’

August let out a long deep breath through his nose as he peaked over the counter to see the runners groaning in anguish. ‘OK. I got you. Just watch your ass!’

‘Of course.’ She whispered, ‘Now, go!’

The two skulked down the aisles. Making sure not to step on any glass or slip on any water. And one by one, they began to take out the runners first. They could be very overwhelming in numbers, but once removed from the equation, Clickers would have their undivided attention.

Roslyn pulled out her dagger slowly, letting out a shallow breath. ‘Here. We. Go.’ She whispered as she once again began to creep behind the infected to catch them by surprise.

But her luck had to run out eventually right?

With her being only 3ft away, she stepped on a thick piece of glass, causing it to crack beneath her weight. The sound caused the cordecyp’s host to stop clicking and stand up right from it’s hunched over posture. In that moment, she knew she fucked up.

‘Shit.’

The clicker turned to face her in record time, screeching in her face before knocking the dagger out of Roslyn’s hand.

‘Aah! FUCK!! WALKER!’ She exclaimed as the clicker found a grip on her and tried to sink its strangely structured teeth into her.

She pressed her hands into its chest, trying to combat that unnatural strength and fight back but it was unmatched!

But before it could take that fatal chomp, August shot it with his shotgun.

It didn’t kill the clicker, but August had all of it’s attention now.

‘Come get me you ugly son of a bitch!’

Flailing its arms and shrieking to hell, the Clicker limped over towards August before blowing its head to smithereens; pieces of Cordecyps growth, brain matter and blood splattered on anything that stood in a close proximity.

Once it had collapsed, it continued to click and twitch but not for long.

‘Fuck, I hate those fucking things.’ Roslyn grumbled as she glared down at the host’s lifeless body.

‘You alright?’

‘I’m OK.’ She said.

‘You bit?’

‘Not today.’ Ros sighed, ‘Thanks for the help.’

‘Yeah, anytime.’

Finally, when she felt like the air was circulating in her lungs she placed her hand over her chest, ‘Whoo! No matter how many times you do this shit, no matter how trained you are— every day is a different day with these fuckers.’

‘Ain’t that the truth.’

‘You get these bodies thrown in the ditch in the back. There’s some matches and lighter fluid on the grill out back. I’m gonna go get us signed in.’

‘Copy that!’

She gave him a firm nod before walking in the office and signing down their names. Then she jotted down how many infected she and August took down today.

Roslyn plopped down in the office chair and ran her hand over her face tiredly. ‘I’m getting too old for this shit.’

Pfft, poor girl ain’t even 27 yet.

***

13:49 (1:49PM)

The last 2 checkpoints were a breeze. A couple of stragglers here and there but nothing they couldn’t handle.

Roslyn and August sat in silence, feeling the weight of the day settling on their shoulders.

She was sitting on a milk crate looking down at her watch as he walked over and pulled his weight on top of the counter.

‘What time do we head back to the compound?’

Ros was filing her crooked fingernails, ‘We head back around 14:30. We’ve got to beat nightfall and the cold.’

No one ever really stayed the night in the mountains. The frigid cold was enough to literally kill someone, even at the end of summer. Plus, no one ever wanted to find out what lurked in the shadows of these woods.

‘Hey, can I ask you a question?’ Roslyn asked as she stopped filing.

‘Sure. Go head.’

‘What happened to you?’

August blinked at the question, trying to process it just like anybody else would in this time. This life was heavy and she didn’t know a lot about him. But he was open to tell her anything she was curious to know.

‘What happened to me meaninggggg?’ He scoffed.

Realizing that he could’ve possibly taken her question offensive, she waved her hands in disarray, ‘oh! No, no. That’s not what I meant…’ her face heated up in embarrassment.

‘I saw— the gunshot scars and the other one… I was just curious about the story behind them.’

‘Aaah.’ August said aloud, ‘You mean those.’

Roslyn nodded with a soft smile, ‘Yeah. But if you’re uncomfortable with sharing you—‘

‘Oh no! It’s fine. The gunshots I had gotten just a year ago with a run in with the Scars and that gash was from my dad.’

Her eyes grew in shock, a lump sitting in her throat. She couldn’t believe what she’d just heard.

‘Yo-your dad? As in your father?! How could he do such a thing?!’

August glanced off to the side and let out a heavy sigh, ‘I don’t know. He was drunk and he attacked my brother who was just 15 at the time. I guess I was beating his ass too badly, he had to take a knife to me.’

‘Wow. Holy shit August!’

‘Mmm. Sometimes bad things happen to good people.. I know I was doing the right thing.’

‘You were protecting your brother! Of course you were doing the right thing!’

‘Yeah, I know. I never doubt that. I’d just wished he wasn’t the man he was before he died.’

Roslyn’s brows tugged into one, her face showing all the signs of empathy and even feeling it in her heart.

And he was right. Bad things do happen to good people. But at least he was here and not with his father.

‘Wait!’ He exclaimed, sitting up straight; his face now beaming bright as the sun.

‘What?’

‘You just said my name! Looks like I’m warming up to you after all!’

She didn’t even realize it until he pointed it out. Maybe it was just a heartfelt moment with him being vulnerable and all, she didn’t need to keep it professional any longer.

Letting out a small giggle, Roslyn shook her head and shrugged, ‘Maybe I decided that I don’t need to address you as if I’m your boss or something but a friend instead.’

‘A friend huh?’ He repeated, his deep blue hues gentle and welcoming.

‘Yeah. A friend.’

.

Very important Side Note: From The River To the Sea, Palestine will be free. I’d like to make it clear that in no shape or form does this page support Israel or Zionism. The creator of the game, Neil Druckmann is a Zionist and I would like to make it very clear that this page stands in solidarity with the people of Palestine 🇵🇸. Boycott the game, boycott the show! CLICK HERE to find links to support and donate to Palestine & please continue to Boycott! Palestine will be free.

[cowgurrrl]

Heya. Love the work, could we please get some Joel with the twins?

Hi! Thanks for the sweet words!! I hope you like this!!

Beautiful Girls

Pairing: rockstar!joel miller x actress!reader

Author’s note: oh I love them

Summary: Your first night at home with your twins

Warnings: slight description of birth complications, NICU stay :(, new parent exhaustion, mention of Sarah’s husband!!, breastfeeding, idiots in love

When Sophia and Violet are born, they're small. Of course, you knew they would be. They're twins, and they were likely to be born earlier. Besides, Sammy was small too. You thought you had it handled. Sophia is born first at a whopping five pounds three ounces. Small but not too scary. She cried on your chest the second she entered the world, her little hands feeling your skin for the first time as she got acquainted with being outside your body. But Violet weighed four pounds eight ounces, and she didn't immediately cry. Your doctor put her on your chest, rubbing her back, as the nurses suctioned fluid out of her mouth, but she was silent. You looked at Joel, terrified, before looking down at her and watched those big brown eyes open and heard her wail. You sighed in relief and kissed her head, and you thought that was it.

To make a long story short, Violet spent a day and a half in the NICU because her lung function wasn't what it was supposed to be. Chump change compared to some of the babies that have been there for months, but seeing her hooked up to oxygen to stabilize her breathing ate you and Joel alive. Meanwhile, Sophia wouldn't breastfeed because she had a lip tie which made the entire process difficult for both of you and required intervention. You both cried for a long time, bouncing back and forth between the NICU and your recovery room as you scrambled to make the best decisions for your daughters. Needless to say, by the time you're discharged to go home a whole four days later, you're both exhausted.

Sammy falls in love with the girls and takes turns holding each of them even though he barely looks big enough to hold a baby. Daisy cautiously smells the girls' heads before giving them the gentlest kiss on the cheek and lying back down. She never was very interested in Sammy when he was this small. You give it six months before the three of them are partners in crime. Sarah, Ethan, Ellie, and Dina come home to meet the girls, which is no small feat considering how busy their own lives are. Hank and Lucia are scheduled to fly in later next week to help around the house and meet their newest granddaughters. Your house is a mess, and there's basically nothing in your fridge besides dinosaur chicken nuggets and apple sauce packets, and you would stress out about it if you didn't watch the love of your life interact with the lives you created.

After the older kids settle in their bedroom and Sammy begs to crawl into bed with Sarah and Ethan, you and Joel stay in the living room where you've sat since you came home from the hospital. He's holding Sophia on one knee and Violet on the other, and he just looks at them. You don't say anything because you're watching him watch them, but you wonder what he's thinking about. You wonder if he's memorizing their features to see if they're truly identical or not. You wonder if he's remembering when Sarah and Sam were babies. You wonder what he sees when he looks at them. Does he see the way their noses curve exactly like his? Or the way their cupid's bow bends like yours? Or the way that you can already see the wavy pattern in what little patch of dark hair they have?

He's gorgeous like this. His hair is a beast from all his worried tugging and playing, and the bags under his eyes are dark even though his frames cover them. He's wearing a loose flannel so he can unbutton and do skin-to-skin with the girls if he so chooses, and his soft smile is almost gentle enough to make you forget about the pain throbbing through your body.

The trance breaks when Violet fusses and wakes up Sophia. Like clockwork, you and Joel step into action. You take Violet in your arms, already unbuttoning your shirt to feed her, as he snuggles Sophia to his chest to get her back to sleep. There's a mess of tangled limbs and caught fabric, making Violet cry in that shaky newborn tone you were so used to when Sammy was born. You shush Vi and get her latched while Joel hums a song you can't make out. In seconds, both girls are content and quiet again, but Joel is still humming. You tune into the melody and try to place it, smiling when you can, even through the baby-shaped fog in your brain.

"Are you humming Van Halen to our daughter?" You ask, and he smiles, all bright and shy. You can't help but smile too.

"Gotta start 'em young, right?"

"Whatever you say, Miller."

Being a family of seven was never on your radar when you met Joel, but now that it's here and it's real, and you're each holding a perfect baby girl while your other three kids are sleeping upstairs, you can't imagine anything else. You're almost positive you would take this as sleep-deprived and pain-ridden as you are over anything someone could ever offer you. How could you not when Joel looks at you like you made the oceans and the stars while holding one of your newborns, his wedding band catching the lamplight as he hums Van Halen to her? And you're almost positive this is what love is meant to look like— not just perfect dates or surprise flowers but the long, hard nights spent rocking babies to sleep and still finding ways to hold each other even when you're on opposite sides of the couch.

[partofmycharm]

The Cosmic Dance (Ellie Williams)

Abby.

Ellie never imagined that a two-syllable word could have such an effect on her life.

Some stars burn out instead of fading. They end their lives with a cosmic explosion, a supernova.

There was a small part of her that regretted sparing Abby. The thoughts only came in the quiet when the distant rustling of the leaves in the wind could be mistaken for the crunch of bone. Sometimes, when Ellie closed her eyes, she could still feel the blood that trickled down her nose; such a light, feathery, forgettable feeling, but she remembered it the most. She remembered the look on Abby’s face right after she had killed Joel.

Confusion. Ellie didn’t care for it much, not until she was left alone in the water that day. And, suddenly, she understood. When she sat there, the salt burning her open wounds, her skin throbbing with waves of pulsing pain, and the distant noise of the boat’s engine, Ellie understood. Killing Joel hadn’t fixed anything for Abby.

The death of a star precedes the creation of nebulae, remnants thrown by the explosion into space.

Ellie still cringes when the faux sensation of blood trickles down her face. Some days, she’s not sure if she’s going to see Abby pummelling Dina’s head into the concrete like it was a porcelain doll, or if she was going to see Abby cracking Joel’s skull open one last time.

She felt guilty when she realised she couldn’t remember what Joel looked like anymore. She felt guilty when the only thing she remembered was the way his skull caved like it was made of clay. She felt guilty when she saw Dina unconscious in her memory, dying, vulnerable, a mere toy of brutality.

Either way, whether it was Dina she saw or a faceless man, the noises were still the same. Ellie hated the sound of breaking bones now. Her heart skips a beat even at the mere thought, because sometimes her brain thinks it’s still happening. And when the birds sing at morning light, she hears not the melody of Mother Nature’s most beautiful creations, but the distant call of a wounded voice. And every time, it’s not Joel nor is it Dina, but it’s herself, pleading, crying, screaming her own woeful song of agonising paroxysms.

When the star is large enough, it will leave behind a blackhole, a volatile vacuum that will take without bias.

Ellie hated Abby. That was without preamble. But that’s not to say she didn’t understand her.

They experienced parallel walks of life. But Ellie hated the way Abby couldn’t let go, because if she could, why couldn’t Abby? Abby was a violent storm, an unrelenting force that could move immoveable objects. She was a black swan who danced with crimson; she brought only pain and misery because she could not let go of her own pain and misery.

Ellie had been struck with the distinct notion that life was unfair. She wasn’t like Abby, or so she told herself. But she knew there was one paramount difference that separated them: the ability to forgive. Ellie let Abby go not because she forgave Abby, but because she forgave herself.

Some nebulae are nurseries where new stars are birthed, a cycle of life.

But there was something else Ellie hated Abby for. And it wasn’t because she had tried to kill Dina and Tommy, or because she killed Joel and Jesse. And Ellie didn’t really understand, because, for some immutable reason, Abby always won.

Because Abby had something.

And Ellie has nothing.

[abbysleftbicepp]

The Thief And The Fairy

An Ellie Williams x Maleficent!Reader Au. Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5

An: I can’t lie i’ve been putting this off for so long, and for some reason i decided it would be a brilliant idea to start this at 4am. Considering it is very early in the morning, the quality may not be that great. Not proof read. Enjoy my loves!

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Four months had past since Ellie had stolen the fairies wings, and Abby was checking in on activity at the castle. She saw the maids of the Queens making a fuss down in their quarters of the castle and knew she needed to find out what was going on.

“A girl! It’s a girl!” One of the maids announced, practically squealing with joy. Queen Dina had given birth to the prior kings baby.

Abby flew back to Y/N as soon as the news had landed upon her ears.

“Into a man.” Y/N spoke when she sensed Abby was close to her. “Well?” She asked impatiently.

“Well i saw nothing..but there’s been a, um…” Abby spoke nervously before Y/N interrupted her.

“What?”

“Child.” Abby spoke, “Queen Dina and Queen Ellie have had a child.” She finished.

“Oh.” Y/N spoke, not knowing what to say.

“There’ll be a christening, They say it’s to be a grand celebration.” Abby added, trying to break the silence.

“A grand celebration for a baby. How wonderful.” Evil tones laced the sound of Y/N’s voice.

At the castle, hundreds of people had traveled from far and wide to attend the newborns christening. It indeed was a grand celebration as Abby had said. There was so many people that they barely fit on the large staircases, let alone inside the throne room.

All Manor of folk came, even a trio of fairies, who sought to foster peace and goodwill.

“Oh look! There’s the baby!” Flittle spoke with excitement.

“I love babies!” Thistlewit responded with the same amount of joy.

“Can you just concentrate, please.” Knotgrass corrected them both. “Im not telling you again.” She finished.

The three fairies found themself hovering in front of the two Queens.

“Greetings, your Majesty. I am Knotgrass of the Moorland Fair Folk.” Knotgrass introduced herself.

“I’m Flittle, your Queenship.” Flittle did the same before Thistlewit.

“And i’m Thistlewit, your Royalnesses.”

“They bring gifts for our daughter.” Queen Dina spoke to Ellie as she saw the distaste in her wife’s face.

“These are not just any old gifts,” Flittle started, “For, you see,” Knotgrass continued before Flittle finished, “We’re magic!”

“And very good with children.” Knotgrass added.

“Very well.” Queen Ellie spoke before allowing the fairies to bestow their gifts upon her child.

Knotgrass flew towards the baby before announcing her magical gift.

“Sweet Aurora, I wish for you the gift of beauty.” She spoke softly before sprinkling magical flower petals over the baby.

“My wish is that you will never be blue, only haply for all the days of your life.” Flittle spoke as her magical blue butterflies fluttered around Aurora. One of them landed on her nose, causing her to sneeze.

“Sweet baby, my wish for you is that you find…” Thistlewit started before a large draft of wind blew throughout the throne room, causing the candle light to be blown out. The fairies looked to where it came from.

A shadow of a woman with curved horns and a sceptre appeared on one of the walls of the throne room as she walked in. People watched in fear as they made a path in the middle of the room for Y/N to walk through, as she made her way towards the monarchy.

She stopped walking and banged her sceptre onto the floor. “Well well.” She spoke mischievously, continuing her way towards her old friend.

“What a glittering assemblage, Queen Ellie.” She complimented before petting Abby in crow form.

“Royalty, Nobility, the gentry and..” she laughed, “how quaint. Even the rabble.” She spoke towards the fairy trio.

“I must say, i really felt quite distressed at not receiving an invitation.” Y/N said innocently.

“You’re not welcome here.” Ellie finally spoke.

Y/N started pouting, acting sad before laughing again. “Oh dear, what an awkward situation.”

“You’re not offended?” Queen Dina asked.

“Why no.” Y/N paused for a moment. “And to show i bear no ill will, i, too, shall bestow a gift on the child.” She said with her innocent tone.

“No! We don’t want your gift!” Ellie yelled, standing up.

Y/N ignored her, and started towards Aurora.

“Stay away from the princess!” knotgrass yelled, guarding the bassinet. “Yea, stay away!” Thistlewit joined her along with Flittle.

Y/N effortlessly used her magic to throw the fairy trio across the stage into a box.

“Hmm..” Y/N thought for a moment. “Mm.”

“Listen well, all of you,” She started, her green magic appearing in front of the newborn. “the princess shall indeed grown in grace and beauty, loved by all who meet her..” She continued before Queen Dina interrupted her. “That’s a lovely gift.”

Y/N turned her head to look at Dina, then Ellie who spoke, “Don’t do this..”

In response, Y/N put her pointer finger to her lips in a way to tell her to stay quiet. She turned around and saw a spinning wheel, the needle shining in the light that peeked through the window. She walked out to face the Royal family, raising her arms by her sides, her green magic growing around her.

“But..before the sun sets on her sixteenth birthday, she will prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel and fall into a sleep like death! A sleep from which she will never awaken.” She yelled. Ellie watched in fear.

“Y/N please don’t do this..i’m begging you.” She spoke.

“I like you begging, do it again.” Y/N ordered.

Ellie got on her knees in front of the once winged girl. “I beg you.” She spoke again.

“Alright.” Y/N smiled.

“The princess can be woken from her death sleep..But only by…true loves kiss. This curse will last till the end of time! No power on earth can change it.” She yelled. Ellie’s heart felt like it had dropped to her stomach, she had made a grave mistake. Y/N walked out of the castle with an evil laugh.

Taglist (let me know if you wanna be added!): @seraphicsentences @hakandnsjoqmsn

[ask-the-good-creeps]

One word prompt: ancestor

Familiar features graced the unfamiliar face. The high cheek bones, small nose, and world-weary eyes framed by locks of dark hair that Dina had become accustomed to seeing in her partner every day now faced her on a completely different individual. She found it far from comforting – it was unsettling, if anything, considering who this man was and what he'd been doing.

"Such beauty...the eyes..." the man's raspy voice momentarily startled her, and she regarded him warily as he continued to ramble incoherently to himself. It was interesting, really, that the second person to ever compliment her eyes had so much physical resemblance to the first. Perhaps Helen and the Dollmaker had a common ancestor somewhere in their family histories to explain the coincidence.

She hadn't drawn her weapon yet. Maybe it was logic spawned from the information that had been passed around about this man; or maybe it was the feeling that he just seemed lost and almost...harmless, that caused her hesitation despite her own unease in his presence. She watched him continuing to mutter to himself across the room and hoped for Helen to arrive there soon. He'd know how to handle this. Dina wasn't well-versed in capturing people with minimal harm to them – quite the opposite, really. For now, all she could do was wait and keep an eye on him. If she let him leave this place, he'd disappear again and who knows how long it would be before someone caught up to him again.

There was a low creaking heard from above, as the old structure itself seemed to grow impatient right along with her. Waiting was not one of Dina's strong suits. She briefly considered engaging the Dollmaker in conversation, but he seemed to be quite engrossed in the words he was exchanging with his shadow. Besides that, Dina was well aware of her quick temper, and it seemed best not to open herself up to having her buttons pressed by the unsuspecting man. She started to fidget with her fingers while trying to tune out the insane ramblings of her prisoner. There were no windows in this old place, only a series of small skylights that let in some of the moonlight. She had no way of knowing what this building used to be – there were no signs out front, no furniture or divisions of space inside save for a stack of broken benches in the corner. It was just a large, empty, windowless space, and she was standing in front of the only exit.

Where is Helen?

She started tapping her foot now, and the sound echoed off the concrete floor and surrounded her – it even muted the Dollmaker's words. It couldn't cover up the sound of footsteps behind her. Dina turned around, expecting to see Helen walking up the steps; she was shocked to find nobody there. She walked closer to the doorless entryway and scanned the woods on either side. No sign of anyone. She drew her weapon then, silently, while she listened for movement. She didn't doubt her senses – somebody else was here and they were up to something. After at least five minutes of hearing nothing but the wind in the trees every so often, she suddenly realized that her captive had also gone silent. She turned back to the room to see where he was. Her eyes adjusted to the darker area rapidly, and she was horrified and confused to see that she was now alone.

How the Hell did he get out?!

She certainly would have noticed if he pushed past her out the door, and there was nothing to climb to reach the skylights, which she would've heard shatter if he'd somehow managed to go that route. She looked around the room in disbelief, trying desperately to find something she may have missed to explain the absurdity of the situation...to no avail. Her heart started to race and she wondered if the person she heard outside may have been an accomplice.

Almost as if on cue, she heard footsteps behind her again. This time she turned quickly with her blade poised to slice open the person's chest...and if Helen didn't know her well enough to read her body language and jump back, he would've been painfully bisected.

Her breath came in rapid shallow bursts as she froze, then slowly lowered her weapon. Helen looked at her with the barest hint of concern in his eyes as she slid the sword back into its sheath. Dina released a shaky sigh and ran both her hands through her hair.

"He got out. He got out, and I don't know how. I don't know who was out there, I don't know who would help him get away..." tears of frustration pricked at her eyes while she started to ramble. Helen approached her and held his arms open, and this was one of those times that she gladly embraced him.

"Who else was here?" Helen asked, and his calm tone helped her relax and think a little more clearly.

"I don't know. I heard someone walking outside, and I thought it was you, but it wasn't. I didn't see anyone, then I turned around and he was just...gone."

"Where was he when you last saw him?" Helen asked gently. He knew it wouldn't stop bothering her until they found out how he did it. She pointed to the corner where the Dollmaker had been muttering to himself. Helen pulled away from her and pulled out a flashlight. He shined it where she'd gestured, and she was the first to notice the footprints in the dirt. The beam of light followed the tracks.

"What the Hell...?" Dina said it, but they were both thinking it. The Dollmaker's footsteps stopped at the broken benches. The pile wasn't big enough for him to be hiding behind it, but they still approached with caution. The brighter light allowed them to notice the hole in the wall behind the scrap wood that was loosely cloaked by a dark tarp. Helen sighed, and Dina balled her hands into fists and gave a harsh kick to the broken furniture that had unintentionally assisted in the escape. The wood pieces gave way and clattered across the floor, and the noise of it startled a few birds that hastily flew away from the roof.

The couple left out the doorway and rounded the building, only to find that their escapee's footprints faded several steps from the building. It seemed someone had literally covered his tracks, which wasn't something the Dollmaker himself was known to do.

"He's clever, but he can't run forever. We'll find him again eventually." Helen reassured Dina, but she released a yell of anger.

"I had him! I had the bastard cornered and he has the nerve to do something so sneaky and underhanded? That damned dirty cheater! I had him fair and square!" Helen let her vent her rage without comment. Truth be told, he was a little frustrated by the situation himself. Everyone had been after the Dollmaker for months, and despite the increasing number of interactions that were had with him, the man always seemed to manage to slink away. This one severely mentally ill man was capable of what thousands of criminals had never been able to do, and Helen was sure he and Dina weren't the only ones getting tired of it.

"Why does he have to be so much like you?" Dina hissed, more to herself than Helen. It still caught his attention, and he prompted her for clarification.

"He looks like you, he thinks like you, and now he's smart like you," Dina huffed. It didn't really answer Helen's questions, but he didn't want to instigate another outburst. They reported their experience and sent it along...with the added insight that the Dollmaker may have found himself a silent partner somehow.

[stargazingellie]

lazarus is risen

chapter six: castor & pollux

(masterlist) (part 1) (part 2) (part 3) (part 4) (part 5)

hello beautiful people <3 here is chapter six !!

synopsis: After deciding to let Abby live, Ellie has returned to Jackson. But given everything she's lost, it no longer feels like home. She's sad, she's confused, and above all else, she is so, so very lonely. So when a group of strangers shows up and offers her a second chance, she might just take them up on that. Ellie must decide between staying in Jackson – and living with the ghosts of her past – or leaving in search of new meaning. Whatever she decides, her choice will have far-reaching consequences – not just for herself, or for Jackson, but for all of humanity.

Or,

Ellie saves the world, maybe?

(ellie williams x reader, post-tlou2, useless lesbians, slow burn, cross country road trip, lots of references to greek mythology, etc.)

Castor & Pollux: Legendary Greek twin brothers. Namesake of main stars in the Gemini constellation.

[Ellie]

Driving, driving, driving. Fields. Trees. More fields. More driving.

Though she loved being out in nature, Ellie decided that simply watching it was far less entertaining. Perhaps some of the more densely populated areas would be more interesting, but many long days on the road with only rural America outside had her eyes almost glazed over. Only the occasional old barn or run down farm equipment broke the monotony.

While her travel companions had thought to bring books, Ellie hadn’t had quite the same amount of forethought. While old CDs played and the others read quietly, Ellie tried making up little games in her head to pass the time – counting how many red cars they passed, trying to find shapes in the clouds. She was in the middle of counting fence posts when she felt something on her shoulder.

Without moving the rest of her body, Ellie turned her head to see what it was. To her surprise, she found herself almost nose to nose with Lucy, who had apparently fallen asleep and let her head fall to the side.. Lucy’s face was so close that Ellie could hear her soft, slow breathing as she slept. She looks so peaceful, Ellie thought to herself as she gazed at the girl next to her. Careful not to wake her up, Ellie slowly repositioned her shoulder so Lucy’s head wouldn’t droop at such a harsh angle. She smiled at the sight of the sleeping girl, then resumed counting fence posts.

Ellie had once again lost herself in thought when the truck hit a bump in the road, sending a jolt through the cabin. It was enough to stir Lucy out of her slumber and her eyes went wide when she realized where (or rather, on whom) she was lying. She immediately returned upright and covered her face with her hands.

“I – Oh my god, sorry,” she said quietly as a furious blush worked its way into her cheeks.

Ellie chuckled, amused by the embarrassment. “It’s okay,” she replied.

“You should have woken me up,” Lucy murmured, peering at Ellie through her fingers.

“You looked so comfortable, I didn’t want to wake you,” Ellie smiled. “Really, I don’t mind.”

Lucy sighed and lowered her hands in defeat. “Okay, well, you should still wake me up next time.” She returned to her reading and, perhaps subconsciously, scooted away from Ellie so they weren’t touching anymore. Ellie, unexpectedly, found herself disappointed by the separation.

By now, she had spent enough nights with these people to be familiar with their routine. Wake up, eat a quick breakfast, pack the truck, drive, drive some more, stop, set up camp, eat, sleep, repeat. She was so familiar, in fact, that she wasn’t surprised when the sun began to dip and Alvaro suggested they stop for the night at a farm house in the distance.

As they neared the property, more details came into view. It was a simple two-story house with aged white siding and a shaded front porch, not unlike the one Ellie had lived in with Dina. She felt a twinge of longing in her chest as she recalled the memories.

“We’ll make sure the inside is clear first, then we can bring stuff inside,” Alvaro announced as he and Jacobs hopped out of the cab. They were on the ground and inside the house so fast the other three didn’t even have time to think about following. 

As they stood idly outside, Lucy gazed up at the cloudless blue sky. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen this much blue in my entire life,” she said.

Dr. Reynolds gazed upwards. “It really is a remarkable color, isn’t it? Completely clear too, should be some excellent stargazing tonight!” He clapped his hands together and grinned excitedly.

A distant memory tugged at Ellie’s brain. A smile crept onto her face as she said, “What’s like blue, but not as heavy?”

Lucy looked at her with a furrowed brow. “Is that… a real question?”

Ellie laughed. “Um, yes, obviously. Are you gonna answer?”

“Um… I don’t know, what?” Lucy replied cautiously.

With an impish grin, Ellie stated simply, “Light blue.”

Lucy looked at her with a flat expression. “That was…” She shook her head and broke into a smile, despite herself. “That was horrible.”

“Nah, you loved it,” Ellie teased. Lucy rolled her eyes but continued to smile as she turned away. Ellie watched as Lucy kicked around in the hard, cracked clay beneath their feet and tucked a sliver of the reddish substance in her bag.

When the officers gave the all-clear, they all brought sleeping bags and food for the night into the house. There must have been some fuel left in the property’s propane tank, because they were happy to find the gas burners on the cooktop still functional. As they ate, the shadows in the room grew longer, indicating the sun was finally beginning to dip below the horizon. Through a back window, the colors of an approaching sunset were clearly visible.

Lucy made a small sound of delight and Ellie turned to see her gazing out the window with wide eyes. “C’mon, let’s go see it!” she practically squealed as she hurried out the back door. Ellie looked at the remaining three. Alvaro and Jacobs looked thoroughly unamused, while Dr. Reynolds sat smiling after his daughter.

“Every sunset feels important when you’re young,” he said.

“You wanna go see it?” she asked him.

“Maybe in a bit. You should go, though,” he replied, and Ellie could have sworn she saw a mischievous glint in his eye.

She smiled at him and followed the path Lucy had taken. As she walked out the back door, she spotted the other girl standing a few yards away, facing the expansive field of long grass behind the house. 

Lucy hadn’t noticed Ellie in the doorway yet, and Ellie took the opportunity to observe the girl in front of her. Backlit by the sun, only the outline of Lucy’s body was visible, and Ellie could tell from her posture that Lucy was completely relaxed. It reminded Ellie of how peaceful Lucy had looked when she had nodded off in the car earlier. Still unnoticed, Ellie found her eyes roaming along the soft edges of Lucy’s body. It only lasted a moment, though, before Ellie realized what she was doing and forced herself to stop.

I barely know this girl, she thought. And yet, this girl she “barely knew” made her feel seen, and understood, and comfortable, all in a way that people she had known for years never could.

“Hey,” Ellie said as she came to a stop in the grass.

Lucy briefly glanced over with a warm smile and softly replied, “Hey.” She gestured towards the colorful horizon. “Isn’t it amazing?” she asked.

Ellie shrugged her shoulders. “Eh, it’s alright,” she smirked.

“Shut up,” Lucy laughed, as she nudged Ellie’s shoulder. She paused, then said, “I think it’s the prettiest thing I’ve seen in a long time.”

Ellie looked at the girl beside her, now clearly visible. The rays of the setting sun cast a warm, golden glow over Lucy’s face, illuminating previously unseen flecks of gold in her brown eyes. Short pieces of blonde hair fluttered around her head. Ellie looked over her soft skin, her round cheeks, her full lips. Lucy stood with a gentle smile plastered on her face, entirely unaware of Ellie’s observations. The girl was completely, totally, utterly at ease, and she radiated joy.

“Me, too,” Ellie said softly. At this, Lucy turned and finally noticed Ellie looking at her. Time seemed to slow down. Their eyes met, and for a moment Ellie thought she saw Lucy’s gaze drift from her eyes down to her mouth. Ellie’s breath hitched in her throat. She felt her face get warm, and she knew it wasn’t from the sun.

“Hey, Luce!” Dr. Reynolds’ voice called from inside the house. “Can you come help me with something?”

Lucy turned away and called, “Y-Yeah, coming!” She hurried back inside the house, leaving Ellie standing in the field. Once Lucy disappeared through the doorway, Ellie felt like she could breathe again.

… What was that?

She heaved a deep sigh and looked around. Off to the side of the house, a long piece of fabric hung between two metal poles. She hadn’t seen many in real life, but an old word she’d heard before lit up in the back of her head – hammock.

 The fabric was old and weathered, but it seemed sturdy enough and she gingerly allowed her full body weight to collapse onto it. Despite some loud creaking, it supported her with no issue. She used one of her feet to propel herself back and forth as she watched the last remaining bands of color slowly fade into darkness.

She allowed her thoughts to wander, inevitably circling around to… whatever that was. To say she felt conflicted was the understatement of the century. Just a year ago, she was in domestic bliss with Dina, and had believed they’d spend the rest of their lives together. Fast forward to now, and Ellie knew she would probably never see Dina again. Despite knowing that, though, Ellie still felt a twinge of guilt when she thought about the life she could have had if she’d made different choices. But there was nothing she could do about it now; what’s done is done, there was no going back and changing it.

And – if she was being honest with herself – she wasn’t entirely sure she would change it, even if she could. If these people were going to show up either way, wasn’t it better to have a clean break? Ellie knew deep down she would have come with them no matter what, but maybe things with Dina being over made the decision easier. And Dina was very clear about things being over.

And then there was Lucy. She wasn’t hardened by life the way other people were. Though Ellie didn’t know the details, she could tell Lucy had been through more than she was letting on. The difference was Lucy was still excited about learning, and traveling, and being alive. When she smiled it looked easy, second-nature – not something that took effort. It was refreshing. 

It didn’t hurt that she was really pretty, too.

As Ellie sat in the falling twilight, a voice from behind her said softly, “Hey.”

Ellie craned her neck back to see Lucy standing above her. Speak of the devil.

“Hey,” Ellie replied shyly. “Everything okay in there?”

“Oh, yeah. They’re playing some card game and couldn’t remember the rules.” Lucy looked over the hammock and asked, “Can I join you?”

Ellie smiled and scooted over to make room as Lucy walked around to the other side of the hammock. She climbed onto the fabric and laid next to Ellie. Their combined mass weighed the fabric down in the middle, pressing the sides of their bodies together. Ellie felt her breathing become more difficult again.

They laid in silence together, the sounds of chirping crickets and a soft breeze surrounding them. A bright, full moon hung low in the sky, washing a soft, pale light over everything.

“What are you thinking about?” Ellie asked.

“Just… isn’t it crazy that this is the same moon everyone who’s ever existed looked up at?” Lucy replied.

“Yeah.” Ellie shook her head. “It’s even crazier that people have been there. Like, on it.” She noticed a small, bright dot next to the white orb and pointed. “Look, I think that’s Venus. And that other one –” she pointed a few inches away “ – I think that’s Mars.”

Lucy laughed in disbelief. “How the hell do you know that?”

“Well, this is the time of year those planets are brighter, and you can tell them apart since Mars is usually, like, reddish,” Ellie stated matter–of-factly.

Lucy turned to look at Ellie. “So what you’re saying is… you’re a giant nerd?”

“Wha– Hey! No… that’s, like, common knowledge,” Ellie retorted.

Lucy pursed her lips and nodded to herself. “Common among space nerds, maybe.”

Ellie rolled her eyes and laughed, giving Lucy’s leg a playful nudge with her own. “Shut up.”

“Hey, no judgment,” Lucy said. “It’s cute.”

Ellie felt her cheeks heat up at the comment, and found herself grateful for the darkness camouflaging the color.

“Okay, brains, what’s that?” Lucy pointed to a bright star to their right.

Ellie thought for a moment. “Probably Polaris, the North Star. It’s the tail of the big dipper,” she said, as she traced the rest of the constellation.

“Huh. What’s that?”

“That’s the moon.”

“No, smartass. To the left. That whole constellation.”

“Mmm… pisces, maybe? Yeah, look, you can see the two branches.” As Ellie recalled all she could about astronomy, something nagged at the back of her brain. Thinking about all these constellations, something seemed so familiar about them…

“Oh my god!” Ellie smacked her forehead with her palm. “I can’t believe I didn’t remember earlier. The tattoo on your wrist – it’s a constellation, right?”

Lucy lifted her left arm from where it lay between them and traced over the dotted ink. “Oh, yeah.” She smiled fondly.

“It’s Gemini, right?” Ellie asked. “The twins.”

“Mhm. We, uh… we had matching ones,” Lucy said softly.

Ellie gently reached up to touch Lucy’s wrist, idly tracing the pattern with her thumb. “I’m guessing there’s some old story behind it you’re itching to tell me about?”

“Uh, duh,” Lucy scoffed, which made Ellie laugh. Lucy continued, “So there were these twins, but they had different dads, so one was immortal and one wasn’t.”

“Hate when that happens.”

“Right, exactly. Anyway, they were these two brothers who were known for sports and sailing and general cool-guy stuff. So usually the constellation just represents brotherhood and all that. But since one of them couldn’t die, it’s also about the bond that connects two people after death.” She let out a small laugh. “I mean, we just got them done because we were twins, but…” Lucy paused for a moment, then continued, “It’s almost more accurate now that one of us is here and one… isn’t.”

Ellie considered what to say, knowing from personal experience that I’m sorry usually felt insufficient for everyone involved. Deciding not to say anything, she brought Lucy’s wrist to her mouth and placed a gentle kiss on the tattoo. Lucy watched her with wide eyes, but didn’t pull away. Instead, time slowed down again as Ellie watched Lucy slowly interlace their fingers together.

They had touched before, but never like this, never with this much intention. Ellie felt warmth radiate through her whole body. She smiled and gave Lucy’s hand a gentle squeeze, stroking the back of the other girl’s hand with her thumb.

Ellie looked down. “Can I um… can I ask you a question?”

“You’re scaring me, brains.” Lucy smiled softly. “Go ahead, then.”

“What happened to him?”

Lucy opened her mouth to reply, but no words came out.

Ellie’s eyes went wide. “Oh, you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to. It’s okay if you don’t. I was just… I was just wondering.”

Lucy shook her head and sighed. “No, no, it’s okay. He, uh… he was bitten. There were some wall breaches a couple years ago, and it just… appeared out of nowhere. I, uh…” Her voice caught in her throat and her eyes glistened. “I was the one who had to… y’know. End it.” She cleared her throat. “Anyway, after he died that’s when I really got into my dad’s research. I guess I wanted to keep that from happening to anyone else if I could, y’know?”

“Yeah, I get it.” Ellie held up her own tattooed forearm. “Something similar happened to me. It wasn’t a sibling or anything, but it was someone I… cared a lot about.”

Lucy unlatched their hands and trailed her fingers down Ellie’s inked-over bite. Ellie watched as the other girl gently traced the arc of the old scar. With anyone else, she’d never call attention to the wound. But with Lucy, it felt safe. Important, even. Lucy pulled Ellie’s arm down to give the tattoo a kiss of her own.

“I don’t know if there’s a reason for any of this, or if it was all just chance,” Lucy said, interlacing their fingers once again and turning to look at Ellie. “But I’m glad you exist, and I’m glad I got to meet you.”

Ellie felt her chest swell with gratitude. She nuzzled her cheek into Lucy’s shoulder and whispered, “Me, too.”

Sounds of playful arguing inside made their way into the night air. Lucy sighed and stood up from the hammock, still holding Ellie’s hand. “We better go check on them, make sure they don’t kill each other.” The moonlight made her look almost ethereal. She smiled and nodded towards the house. “C’mon, brains.”

Ellie smiled and let herself be pulled up to standing. She followed Lucy inside, hand-in-hand, grinning the whole way.

[theotherackerman]

COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER: Any recognizable elements belong to Attack on Titan, Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon, A Song of Ice and Fire

NOTES: Oh hey. Here's come the plot. It only took 12 chapters to get here.

TRIGGER WARNING: Discussion of attempted suicide

CHAPTER TWELVE: ALL THESE MINUTES PASSING

Walking the castle, late at night with her two guards following her, Carla’s mind was busy.

Before she had been Carla Jaeger, she had been just Carla. No last name, no one of any real importance. Unless you asked her mother.

“There’s old magic that run in our veins. They think it’s gone but we have it,” her mother had always said.

Carla never asked what she meant, she figured it was just her mother being craven. But Carla had never hoped, never dreamed to be much. She lived in the North, her father owned a small tavern that the Ackerman, the Jaegers, and the Arlert would frequent. All young, all beautiful, and all far above her station. 

Most people paid her no mind. She was just working the tavern, doing what needed to be done. 

But she heard things.

She heard the gossip. She saw things. Husbands cheating on their wives. Wives cheating on their husbands. Lovers planning to run away and marry. Deals being made. But did she say anything? 

Unless someone’s life was in danger, she didn’t. She stuck to her job. 

When her father died, Carla inherited the tavern. It changed nothing. 

She met and befriended Kuchel, Dina, and even Yui. 

A Lady, a Queen, and a Princess.

She kept Yui’s secrets. Just like the things she heard at the bar. 

Carla watched the moon as she thought of her now deceased friend. She had kept Yui’s secret, Mikasa’s birth. 

“Kiyomi can never know how she came into this world, where she came into this world,” Yui had warned as she handed Carla the baby. 

Carla nodded, pregnant herself with Eren. 

She had been no one then too. She was some woman Grisha had been with, lucky enough to become pregnant with a King’s bastard. 

Yui hadn’t wanted to leave Mikasa but she could not risk it. Carla thought it was awful. Hearing how Mikasa was dealing with the deaths of her family, Carla found herself not thinking kindly of her now dead friend. Carla had always assumed that Yui had talked to Mikasa, and told her why she left. It was disgraceful.

Making her way back to her room, Carla wondered if she should tell Mikasa what she knew. Maybe that would give the girl some peace. 

——-

A dragon roared as it flew over.

The hair on the back of Mikasa’s neck stood up. Something was behind her. A shadow cast over her. Slowly, Mikasa turned around to see the largest dragon she had ever seen. It was at least twice the size of Seaflames. Black scales covered the body of the dragon while gold eyes stared down at her. 

“Zaldrīzo ānogar,” a deep voice rumbled. Deeper than the one Mikasa had heard when she had been attacked, when she erupted into fire and ice, and when Rhaena had been hatched. It shook the ground.

“Aegon, I know you can speak common. The rest of us here aren’t blessed with the knowledge of Valyrian,” a man walked up to the two of them. He had dark brown hair and haunting hazel eyes. He seemed familiar.

“It is not his fault you are ignorant in your mother tongue. You’ve spent too much time with the First Men, Dōron,” a man with black hair and Mikasa’s gray eyes grinned. 

Dōron rolled his eyes. “What did he say?” 

“He called you the blood of the dragon. You are lucky Visenya is not here. She would have burnt you by now and I would be speaking to a pile of ash,” the second man teased. 

“I’m not the blood of the dragon. I told you. I will not take a dragon to ride. I do not need a target on my house. We are no one.”

The second man scoffed, “you’ll never be no one. They’ll know. They always know.” 

“No longer will I be Dōron. I will become something else, someone else.” 

The dragon told a step towards Dōron, smoke coming out of his nose. The dragon huffed. 

“Aegon, dohaerās,” the other man called. “You cannot fool a dragon.”

The dragon roared and released a plume of dragon fire directly onto  Dōron. The other man jumped dodge out of the way just in time.

A pile of ash lay where Dōron had been standing. 

“Aegon!” the other man scolded. 

“Ziry istan daor zaldrīzes. Perzys zaldrīzi sēnagon kostos daor,” the rumbling voice answered.

He was no dragon. Fire cannot kill a dragon. The same words Mikasa had heard that night, at least the last part was.

The dragon took a step towards Mikasa. 

The other man disappeared with the landscape of the North. Alone in some black void was Mikasa and this dragon. 

“Kivio dārilaros,” the rumbling voice said as the dragon stepped closer. 

From that memory, Mikasa was ripped into another. 

Ice and fire exploded through the castle of the Ten Kingdoms.

—------------

Mikasa sat up on the chaise,breathing heavily. 

Eren was asleep across from her.

Nightmares.

Again. 

There was no point in trying to go back to sleep.

She would just have another nightmare

Every night was the same, nightmare after nightmare. The attack. Her mother and her aunt.  Over and over again. 

Is this how the rest of her life was going to be? Haunted by things she had no control over. 

“Dohaerās,” Eren muttered in his sleep as he turned over.

Mikasa frowned. Why was Eren saying serve in Valyrian?

“Dohaerās,” he repeated.

Teach him valyrian, especially dohaerās . He’ll need it. 

The memory came to her. Her mother had said that to her in that….dream? Was that what it had been? 

Well, it seemed that Mikasa didn’t need to teach him that.

“Dohaerās,” he repeated yet again. 

Why would he need that word? 

Who would he be telling to serve? 

“Dohaerās,zaldrīzes,” Eren muttered.

“Serve dragon? What dragon?” Mikasa asked.

Eren didn’t answer. He simply rolled over again. 

Mikasa frowned. 

How would Eren even get a dragon serve?

Tiring of questions, Mikasa left the room, Rhaena trailing behind her. The library would be empty this time of night. It was better to be there than sitting in this room.

—-----------------

Sitting up, Eren realized he was alone in Mikasa’s sitting room.

“She’s in the library,” Levi’s voice made Eren jump. 

“I’m sorry!” Eren said as he jumped up, throwing the blanket off.

“Relax, Prince. I was the one who covered you up. I’m not worried about you doing anything inappropriate with my cousin right now. I am worried about her well being,” Levi said as he stood from Mikasa’s table. 

“I won’t hurt her. I haven’t done….I haven’t been good to her in the past, I know. I’m sorry for that. I know that's the last thing she wants to hear right now as well.”

“You think you can manage being her friend for a bit? I can’t be with her all the time. Relations between her and her ladies are strained. With time, they’ll repair. But someone needs to make sure she doesn’t destroy herself.” 

Eren nodded, “she told me what happened.”

“Good. Niccolo is preparing breakfast for her in the kitchen. Go get it and take it to her. Change your clothes first.”

Eren threw the blanket off and stood, Fenrir stood as soon as he realized Eren was up and moving.

As Eren went to exit the room, Levi called to him.

“And Eren? If you ever pull that shit on my cousin again, it’s not me you will have to worry about. It’s the dragons. They don’t forgive easily. The only reason they haven’t made you into a meal yet is because they sense something inside you is good. You wouldn’t want them to change their mind.” 

Eren gulped. 

Should Levi be threatening him as Eren was a prince? 

No. 

Would that stop Levi? 

No. 

Levi had a dragon and he let Eren live in his castle. He’d agreed to the princes coming to the North. 

“Understood,” Eren replied before he nodded and exited the sitting room. 

Zeke was still asleep when Eren slipped into his own room. There was little need for guards outside their room on this floor. There was only one entrance where the guard was stationed. So Eren, his brother, and friends had free reign over the floor. No one got in, not even servants without approval from Levi. If any of the knights wished to bed anyone, they would have to do so in the other person’s room as they would not be allowed in here. It gave an illusion of freedom.

After getting dressed, Eren checked on Armin. The knight was already up when Eren knocked on his door. Holding his head, Armin walked with Eren to the kitchen. 

“You have anything to tell me?” Armin asked him as they made their way to the staircase.

“When there are not, ears, yes. How are you?” 

“Whiskey is much stronger than I remember,” Armin muttered as they walked.

Eren snorted a laugh.

“Just because you can drink the whole town under the table doesn’t mean the rest of us can. Where are we off to?” Armin asked as they made their way to the first floor.

“We’re having breakfast with the Princess in the library.” 

“Oh? Are we?” 

Eren nodded. 

Fenrir let out a bark in response. 

“Well I suppose that settles that,” Armin laughed as they walked into the kitchen. 

“Niccolo!�� Eren called out, the servants parting as Eren and Armin walked through. 

“Over here, Prince!” Niccolo called out, waving from the other side. “What do you need?” 

“Breakfast. Princess Mikasa, Armin, and I will be taking it to the library.” 

“About time,” Niccolo beamed. 

“What do you mean about time?”

“Levi told me you’d be coming. I was worried the food would get cold. Better hurry up,” Niccolo grinned.

—-------------

Levi wasn’t surprised to see all the books that surrounded Mikasa in the library. He was here before Eren. 

“You know you’re going to have to start training again soon. You’ll get rusty,” Levi said as he pulled out the chair across from her. 

“I will,” Mikasa answered without looking up from the book she was reading. 

“You need to eat and sleep.” He placed his hand on the book, blocking her vision. 

Mikasa finally looked up at him. “I’m fine.”

“You look like shit.”

Mikasa rolled her eyes. “Didn’t realize my appearance was so important to you.”

“You know what I mean. You don’t sleep. You take all your meals alone. Your flights with Kayda aren’t that long. I am worried about you.”

“There’s no reason for you to be. I’m fine. I took care of everything while you were gone. I made sure to be the perfect heir.”

So that was what this was about. 

Mikasa was still in the same state of mind she had been when Kiyomi had been alive. Kiyomi had set unrealistic standards of what Mikasa was to do, say, act, and simply be. It was unachievable. Even if Mikasa did everything perfectly, it wasn’t enough. 

There was a large amount of rage inside Mikasa. Levi could feel it. He had never seen her act like this. 

Sliding his hand off the book, Levi leaned back in his chair. 

“Mikasa, you cannot continue to live like this.” 

“I am fine, Levi. I’ll be fine.” She waved her hand, like none of it mattered as she returned to reading. 

Levi stood and walked away. 

He was over his head. 

—--------- 

The princess was sitting at a table, books stacked around here. Armin had seen Hange and Erwin look like this far too many times. They had just passed Levi in the hallway. The Head of the Ackerman House just shook his head.

Eren placed the tray in front of Mikasa and snatched the book out of her hand. 

“Eren!” Mikasa called as she reached for the book. 

Eren chunked the book across the room. 

Armin just stared at both of them. 

“Eat,” Eren commanded as he sat down across from her. 

“I’ll eat when I feel like it,” Mikasa replied as she pushed the tray away. 

“When was the last time you ate? You’ve lost weight. Too much. I’d be surprised if you could pick up a sword.”

“I can still pick up a sword,” Mikasa muttered. 

“Will you just eat? You left early this morning,” Eren said as he picked up an oatcake from the tray. 

“So that’s where you were last night,” Armin smiled as Eren pulled out the chair next to him. 

“It was innocent. I was speaking to the princess and fell asleep on her chaise,” Eren replied.

Armin didn’t miss the blush on Mikasa’s cheeks. The mere suggestion of it not being innocent seemed to have warmed her cheeks.

“I wouldn’t say anything if it wasn’t. I know both of you kept my actions quiet,” Armin replied.

Eren was shoving biscuits onto a plate along with jams for Armin. He handed the plate to Armin. 

Armin took it and sat it in front of him. 

“I’m going to eat all of these oatcakes if you don’t eat them,” Eren said as he took the plate off of the tray and sat it directly in front of Mikasa.

Mikasa rolled her eyes as she lifted one of the oatcakes to her mouth.Armin and Eren both stared at her until she ate. 

“Where’s the hatchling?” Eren asked. 

“She’s running around here somewhere,” Mikasa replied as she took another bite of the oatcake.

“Fenrir, go find Rhaena,” Eren ordered the wolf.

Fenrir wandered off.

“What hatchling are you speaking of?” Armin asked.

“I hatched my brother’s dragon egg. Levi doesn’t want to introduce her to the court yet,” Mikasa explained.

“Understood,” Armin nodded. He was used to being told things that no one else knew. It was one of the perks of being both Eren’s best friend and the former squire of Erwin. “What are you researching?” 

Mikasa sighed before she took another bite of her oatcake.

“I’ll tell him. Eat your oatcakes,” Eren said before he launched into telling Armin everything.

Armin was surprised to hear about Mikasa’s explosion of magic, not to mention the memories and how the dragon had come to be hatch. Fenrir came with Rhaena running behind him. The dragon jumped onto the table and eyed Armin’s biscuits. 

“She wants a biscuit,” Mikasa remarked, interrupting Eren telling Armin what had happened the night before. 

“Can she eat it?” Armin asked.

“Kayda eats apples. Just watch your fingers,” Mikasa shrugged.

Armin picked up a biscuit and held it out.

Rhaena stepped closer to Armin. 

“Throw it at her. She can catch it.”

Armin did as Mikasa instructed. 

Rhaena blew fire, burning the biscuit before catching it in her mouth. The fire went out as Rhaena dropped it onto the table. Putting her feet on the burnt biscuit, she began to rip the biscuit apart and eat it. 

“Imagine if that were you,” Armin smirked as he elbowed Eren in the side. 

The prince glared at his friend.

Armin just laughed before looking at Mikasa. “If you want help with your searching for answers, I can help. I still have some of Erwin’s research.” 

“If you wish to,” Mikasa shrugged. 

“Might as well. My time isn’t being used for anything else,” Armin muttered before he bit into a biscuit. 

“If it helps, she’s mad at me as well,” Mikasa replied.

“She’s too busy taking walks with Bertolt,” Armin spat. He hadn’t meant for it to come out so angry. It wasn’t as if she was betraying him. They were nothing. They would always be nothing. Because Annie would never stand up to her father. “What’s the story of her father?” Armin asked as he leaned back, his arms crossed across his chest. “He seems more….annoying lately.”

“He’s always been annoying. He rarely spoke to me in the meetings. He doesn’t care for me much. He didn’t want Annie to be one of my ladies. I wouldn’t be surprised if he tries to petition Levi to have Annie released from her duties once I marry Eren. I doubt her walks with Bertolt mean anything,” Mikasa reassured him. 

Eren frowned, “why would you dismiss your ladies? Especially if we’re staying in the North.”

Mikasa just stared at him. “We’re staying in the North?” 

Eren nodded, “of course. You can add who you like from your household but these are the knights and court I’ve brought with me. I imagine Zeke will return to the capitol once we marry. We can stay in this castle if you wish or go to the castle that once belonged to the Jaeger family. The upkeep has been kept up by the Arlert so it is still in good condition. It’s up to you.” 

“Will you be a part of our court then?” Mikasa asked as she looked towards Armin.

Armin nodded.

“Will it be strange if Annie is as well?” Mikasa questioned.

Armin stared at her for a moment before shaking his head. Mikasa cared. Sure, she was a friend. She had always been kind to him but he had never imagined her considering such a thing about him. Mikasa cared about his feelings. She wanted to make sure he was comfortable. Mikasa may have thought herself not worthy of being an heir or a leader, nothing could be further from the truth. She was the most worthy of them all. 

“We could always betroth them to one another.That seems to be working well for us,” Eren smirked. 

“Oh yes. That's a grand idea. Then he can scar her and proceed to ignore her for how many moons?” Mikasa rolled her eyes.

Armin snorted which made Mikasa laugh.

—--------------------

Autumn bonfires were a tradition that were started by…..

No one really knows who started them. They had always been a large part of the culture of the North. The changing of the seasons always required some sort of celebration. It was also believed that the veil between the dead and living was thinnest, leading to strange occurrences. It was said that magic could be conjured on this night, even though most magic in the Seven Kingdoms was dead.

There would be two large bonfires this year. 

One in the North at the Ackerman’s castle and one in the capitol. Both would be lit by dragons. It would be Rhaena’s introduction to the court. Some of the minor houses would always have bonfires with their own celebrations. There would be feasts and dancing. 

It was a few days away now. 

There were smaller attacks in the capitol. Thankfully, there had been no more in the North. Eren and Zeke both found it very easy to be in the North. Eren looped his brother into what had happened to Mikasa. Of course he couldn’t be expected to keep this information from Pieck who had to tell Jean. Jean surely couldn’t keep a secret from Connie and on and on the information went until those from the capitol and Mikasa’s ladies knew everything. Then Eren made sure everyone knew of the War Hammer. Answers had not been found, not even with all of them looking.

So now Levi stood in his study, pinching the bridge of his nose. He trusted them. He had tested them enough. 

That wasn’t the issue.

The issue was the man who was now loudly complaining in his study about his daughter remaining Mikasa’s lady. 

“So my daughter is to put her future on hold indefinitely because your cousin cannot be bothered to find someone else,” Lord Leonhart went on.

The man who was pacing a hole into the floor of Levi’s study did not know how lucky he was that Vulcan could not find into the castle. Levi would have fed him to the dragon. 

“When is your uncle back? I want to speak to him.” 

Levi’s eyes snapped to Lord Leonhart. “I am the head of this House. My uncle has nothing to do with it.”

“Come on, boy. We both know…”

The thought was not finished. 

Something in Levi snapped. Lord Leonhart was thrown into the wall, a dagger at his throat.

“Choose your next words very carefully because they may be your last. I am not your boy. I am Lord in the North. I am the blood of the dragon and you will respect me. Kenny stepped down years ago and appointed me. So from now on you will refer to me as Lord Ackerman. The next time you don’t, I will remove your tongue. If you interfere or attempt to interfere with my house, your life will be forfeit. Do you understand me?” Levi threatened, the dagger biting into Lord Leonhart’s throat.

“Yes,” the older man choked out.

“Yes what?” 

“Yes, Lord Ackerman.”

Levi stepped back, releasing Annie’s father from his spot. “Get the fuck out of my study.” 

The older man straightened his tunic’s collar and exited. 

Levi collapsed into the chair at desk. 

“Bad time?” Mikasa asked as she stepped into the study. 

“What do you need?” Levi sighed as he sat up straightener. 

“Finalizing the menu with Niccolo. Care to take a look?” Mikasa held a piece of parchment out. 

Levi shook his head. “I trust you. That’s why I put you in charge of all things autumn. Just promise you’re not going to try anything stupid like try to connect through the veil with your deceased parents.”

Mikasa glared at him. “I can’t even summon fire yet you think I would attempt that.”

“It’s bloodmagic. You can go craven from that.”

“I don’t even know how to use bloodmagic. I just saw my mother do it! It was horrible! Besides, I doubt she would come if I called for her. She likes her secrets too much,” Mikasa scoffed.

“There’s color in your cheeks again,” Levi noted.

“Because Eren Jaeger has decided to track me down every time there is a meal. I don’t doubt that you had something to do with that.”

“Me? I would never. Is he staying in your room at night?” 

Mikasa shook her head. “Not since the first night they were here. I don’t see him much outside of meals. He’s trying to find information about the war hammer.” 

“How’s that going?” 

“There’s nothing except the war hammer the Tyburs have. You also gave me the responsibility of organizing the feast and the bonfire if you have forgotten.” 

“I’m worried something more is happening in the capitol.” 

Mikasa raised an eyebrow. “Why?”

“Kenny and Kuchel are not coming back. If they were safe….then there would be no problem.” 

“Is it meant to be a surprise that we are having information held back from us?” 

“No, I suppose not. I just…..feel something.” 

“Can you conjure fire?” Mikasa asked quietly.

Levi shook his head. He had never called upon fire or been able to. He hadn’t even tried, he hadn’t even thought to try. It was the Ackerman blood that caused Mikasa to be able to use it, that much was clear. 

“Have you tried?” 

“I haven’t,” Levi replied.

Mikasa sighed. “Maybe you should.”

“Your mother told you that Eren had raw magic. Maybe you should look towards that. See if he can conjure fire.”

“I doubt he can wield fire. He's not an Ackerman.” 

“See if he can do anything else. Check on Annie while you’re at it. Her father wants her dismissed. See if she wants that too.”

“She’s still angry with me.”

“Do it anyway. Now get out. I have to speak with Lord Braus in a moment,” Levi commanded.

Mikasa rolled her eyes as she left, closing the door behind her.

Levi leaned back in his chair again.

—---------------

Logs and limbs were being stacked for the bonfire.

Annie sat in the forge while Sasha was hard at work on more armor to go to the capitol. They were still catching up from what had been stolen.

Annie was hiding from her father. He was spending far too much time here. If she was being honest, she was hiding from Bertolt too. Their walks around the garden had been just that. The man hadn’t even tried to hold her hand or speak about if she could marry. Annie spent most of that time wishing he was Armin. 

Armin was no more upfront than Bertolt but….

She needed to not think about that. 

Men needed to be the last thought on her mind. She knew she needed to talk to Mikasa but Mikasa had pissed her off. It wasn’t just the attempt, it was that she lied to her. The fact that Mikasa thought that Annie would be mad or look at her differently because Yui was a kinslayer showed Annie that Mikasa didn’t value her. Mikasa didn’t know Annie at all. It enraged her. 

Now Mikasa seemed to spend all her meals with Armin and Eren. Mikasa sitting at the same table at meals, just talking with both of them. 

As if summoned by her thoughts, Mikasa turned up in the forge. She was dressed in black breeches and a tunic, covered with little flying dragons embroidery in red thread. Her hair down told Annie that the dragon was under there. 

“Your father wants you dismissed,” Mikasa said as her eyes met Annie’s. “Do you want to be dismissed?” 

Sasha stopped banging on the sword she had been working on. “You want to be dismissed? I knew you were mad but I didn’t think…”

Annie stood up. “I don’t want to be dismissed! I never said that. He knows I’m getting too old to be a squire. He wants me to go to the capital.”

“You’ll end up dead in the capital. Why do you think the Jaegers sent Eren and Zeke here?” Sasha asked.

“You’re not dismissed. Levi just wanted me to make sure it wasn’t something you wanted,” Mikasa answered. 

Annie nodded, “thank you.” 

Mikasa nodded. “I plan on keeping my same court when I marry Eren. If you wish to leave, you need only ask. I hope, however, you will stay. At least until the wedding.” 

“Have you set the date?” Sasha asked.

Mikasa shook her head. “Too many rumors. We’re not sure what’s going on in the capital. Of course the king and queens will have to be there. Then we have to work out where we will live…now is not the time to do such things.” 

“Niccolo was told not to deliver to the capital for the time being. There’s been reports of bandits. My father is speaking to Levi right now about it,” Sasha informed them. 

“Really?” Annie asked.

Sasha nodded, “yes. Levi told Niccolo this morning when I was getting a snack. They’ve slaughtered several people along the road from the North to the capitol.”

“That’s horrible,” Mikasa gasped.

“I know. It's why the bonfire tomorrow is going to have so many guards and knights. You should arm yourself as well,” Sasha informed.

“I’ll be with the dragons.”

“Still. It would make me feel better if you would at least take your daggers. I finished everything in valyrian steel. We’ll arm ourselves with ours if you do,” Sasha grabbed a rolled up piece of leather. “You don’t want the sword yet, fine. Please, take these.” 

Mikasa tentatively took it. “Thank you.”

Sasha waved her hand, brushing the comment off. “I should get back to work.” 

Mikasa nodded towards Sasha then she looked over towards Annie. “I’ll see you around?” 

Annie gave a nod.

Mikasa did the same before walking away. 

It was a start. 

—---------------------

There had been no plans to keep Niccolo in the Ackerman’s kitchen but the Arlerts were still here. So there was no need for Niccolo to go back. Not to mention he couldn’t deliver messages currently either. He met with Mikasa to go over the menu for the autumn bonfire. It was going to be a much smaller affair than normal. It made sense. Food would still be delivered to the smallfolk so no one would go without food. Small bonfires would take place as well. 

Bandits were the last thing they needed. 

Connie was often found trying to steal food from the kitchens. Sasha stopped by often to get a snack. However, it was the princess who confused him the most. She was often stealing raw meat. 

Well, it wasn’t stealing as it was her family’s. 

He wondered what the princess was doing with it. 

—---------------------------

“So are you going to dance with the princess at the feast after the bonfire or will cry to me about it all that night?” Zeke asked as he flipped through a book from the Ackerman’s library. 

Eren looked up from the book he had been reading to glare. “I spend every meal with her.”

“So? You messed up everything the last time you danced with her. Now is the time to fix it,” Zeke replied. 

Eren rolled his eyes. “I’m trying to be friends with her now. That’s what I’m focusing on currently. I’m getting to know her.”

“That is rather smart,” Pieck replied from her seat next to Zeke in the library. 

“Thank you,” Eren nodded before returning to his book. 

“I don’t think there’s anything about a war hammer in this book,” Pieck said as she turned the page. “When can I try and lift it?” 

“You can lift it in a box but you can’t lift it out. I’ve tried,” Zeke explained.

“Alright. Well let me try then.”

“Maybe we should learn what it is before people go and try to pick it up.”

Pieck rolled her eyes, “you’re becoming rather boring as you’re getting older.”

“I’m sorry. I’ll just let the war hammer suck out your soul or burn you alive.”

“Nothing happened when you tried to lifted it.”

“That we know of.” 

“What’s the stone deceiver?” Eren asked.

“No idea. Hange has been working on that so if that book mentions it, make sure they get it,” Zeke told Eren. “What does it say?”

“Just that magic ceased to exist once the stone deceiver was placed.”

“Placed? Does that mean it’s an object then?” Pieck asked.

“I don’t know. It’s not very clear,” Eren handed the book over to Pieck and Zeke. 

Both looked at the page, reading exactly what Eren had said. 

“I’ll make a pile for books for Hange,” Zeke said as he picked the book and sat it to the side. 

Eren nodded as he wandered over to the stacks, Fenrir trailing behind him.

“Do you think the hammer is the stone deceiver?” Pieck asked Zeke. 

Zeke shook his head. “No, I don’t think so. I think the war hammer is something different. Something we don’t know about.”

“And we’re sure it’s not the Tyburs’?”  

“I’m not sure of anything. If it is the Tyburs’, why did they give up? Why would they bury it in the keep? A place they’ve never occupied. There’s no description of their war hammer. It always just says it is a war hammer that can control The Others,” Zeke stated. 

“Eren, did you feel like you could control The Others?” Pieck shouted. 

Eren came out into the main aisle. “No. It just ices up and has lightning on the handle.”

“That’s interesting,” Pieck replied as she looked down at the book she was reading.

“Do we know for a fact that the Tyburs’ war hammer can control the Others?” Zeke asked.

“That was almost how many thousand of years ago? I don’t think anyone knows anything about that time for a fact.”

“You have a point, Pieck,” Zeke sighed. 

Mikasa walked into the library. Immediately, the dragon hatchling on her shoulder flew off and into the stacks. 

“Was that the dragon hatchling?” Zeke asked. 

Fenrir came running out of the stacks, the dragon hatchling sitting on his back. Vivica got up from her spot under the table. She slinked out and walked over to smell the dragon hatchling.

Mikasa nodded, “that is Rhaena. She enjoys Fenrir’s company.”

“I hope she lets Fenrir ride on her back once she is larger. It seems only fair,” Pieck grinned.

“That would be a sight,” Eren laughed as he came over to the table. “Princess.” 

Mikasa smiled as she looked down. 

“Any luck conjuring fire?” Zeke asked.

“You’ve been speaking to Levi. No. I haven’t,” Mikasa answered. “I came to see if you two are attending the bonfire tomorrow.” 

“I will be there. I always enjoy watching things burn,” Zeke grinned.

“There is something wrong with you,” Pieck mumbled under her breath. 

“I will be there as well. Kayda won’t be angry with me, will she?” Eren asked.

“No. My emotions are not negative towards you. She shouldn’t feel anything negative towards you,” Mikasa said. 

“Interesting. Does Meadow feel your emotions as well?”

“I don’t know. I don’t think he and I are bonded. I think….I can’t explain it. I never told him dohaerās. I don’t think I’m his true rider. I think he is waiting for them.” 

“That’s the word you say in your sleep all the time!” Zeke yelled at Eren. “What does it mean?” Zeke asked as he turned back to Mikasa.

“It means serve. When we bond with a dragon, we give that command. I did so with Kayda and Rhaena. I won’t with Meadow. If I’m not his true rider, it’ll end poorly,” Mikasa explained. 

“But you said a voice said the dragon must have three heads. So if you’re not Meadow’s true rider, then what does that mean?” Eren asked.

Mikasa shrugged, “I haven’t the slightest idea.” 

“Can one of these things be straightforward? This is ridiculous. We’re all running around looking for answers we can’t find due to everything being in some sort of strange code. The dragon must have three heads. The stone deceiver. The promised heir. A song of ice and fire. Can someone please just say what they mean?” Eren groaned.““Then who is Meadow’s real rider?” 

“Now that is the real question,” Zeke leaned back in his chair. 

“Great. More questions we don’t have answers to,” Eren said under his breath. 

There was no shortage of those, Zeke thought to himself.

—-----------------------------

All the major and minor houses of the North gathered around the large pyre of wood.

Mikasa and Levi were nowhere to be seen. 

Sasha, Annie, Eren, and Zeke were in the middle of all their friends. Eren had his valyrian sword in his scabbard at his side while Zeke had the valyrian axe strapped to his back. Both wore the jewelry made for them by the Ackerman family. Their wolves were on high alert at their side.  All of the knights had their weapons on display. 

Sasha and Annie wore their Ackerman leather armor. The dragon blazing in the middle of their tops. Two valyrian daggers were on their belt. Annie’s daggers had a pommel shaped like a lion head roaring while Sasha’s pommel was shaped like a rose. 

Drums began to play as a roar echoed overhead.

The dragons were coming. 

Vulcan flew over the crowd first, Levi standing up on his back. Circling the crowd from the air, the dragon let out a screech. If there was anyone who didn’t belong, Vulcan would sense them. 

After his circle was done, Vulcan landed with a roar that shook the ground. Levi sat down on the dragon's back.

The roar was echoed by two dragons.

Meadow and Kayda came into view with a small hatchling between the two of them. Mikasa was standing on Kayda’s back.

The crowd gasped when they saw them get closer. The dragons circled around like Vulcan had before landing on opposite sides of the pyre. 

The drums slowed. 

“Winter will come soon enough. Let us use this bonfire to burn away conflicts before the darkness comes. Any worries, any hatred, give it to the fire,” Levi spoke. “Let us be thankful for what we have. Let us have a joyous winter and bountiful harvest.”

Mikasa nodded as she looked at her cousin.

Levi returned her nod.

Then at the same time they gave the command, “dracarys!”

All three dragons released their dragonfire onto the pyre.

The drums began again.

The people cheered. 

Mikasa dismounted from Kayda 

The knights and Zeke began to wander towards the castle. Eren waved them off as Mikasa and Levi were still out here. He would be safe with them. 

The dragon Meadow turned towards Eren. 

Eren swore the dragon saw right through his soul. 

“Rytsas, zokla,” a deep rumbling voice said. 

Eren’s stomach twisted as the dragon continued to stare at him. 

Mikasa was walking towards him but he couldn’t look away from the green dragon. 

“Eren? Are you alright?” Mikasa asked as she touched his arm. “You’re pale.” 

“What does zokla mean?” Eren asked in a broken voice.

“Zokla? It means wolf. Why?” 

“Just…heard that word. I think the thinning of the veil is making me hear things.”

“Don’t you know not to answer any voices you hear at this time of year?” Mikasa teased him before she dropped her hand. “Sorry. I was just…”

“Don’t worry about it. Ready to head inside?” 

Mikasa nodded.