#Trade Winds verse

[coldteaxspilledink]

The Mermaid & The Albatross

Trade Winds Verse: Bruce Miller x Colleen Murphy

"B...Bruce! Pull. Up! I SEE TREES! We almost HIT THAT EAGLE!"

Was all he heard from his terrified flight companion turned in flight entertainment. Her long dark hair was spilling down from it's plastic hair clip and her aviators were sliding down her nose as her hands waved wildly at the clear blue sky that matched her eyes.  He couldn't help but grin a slow easy grin at her. She was truly his fish out of water today. 

"Man...you're a mermaid, huh?"

"If I'm a mermaid then you're an albatross!"

The belly of the plane was mere inches from the pristine tree line as they roared along with the flight path of the local geese. He had to admit her hometown was a pretty little place. Pulling up they had a better view of some cozy houses along the coastline. In fact they buzzed Minnie's place as they spotted her in the back yard having a cigarette. He decided to show off a smidge and loop a hello before continuing on. The neighbor's grandson now things the Murphy house is the coolest place on earth.

He'd been born in Chicago, moved around to Indiana as a kid and then joined up to the Army on his 18th birthday. He'd been in Florida ever since after he'd come home from his three tours. The woman to his right was about ten years his junior, an internationally licensed boat captain named Mary Colleen Murphy, or Col as she preferred to be called. Currently marveling at the view her face lit up like a kid at Christmas.  He could count the dusting of freckles across the bridge of her nose and the fact that her eyes were now tinged a little spring green meant she's calmed down enough to enjoy herself. The fact that they could simply pack a bag and fly out to her hometown from their place in the Hatcher Keys blew her mind. To Bruce it was just another two hour flight that went smoothly. 

"I can deal with being a bird. Here's the part you hate..."

He figured ample warning would help settle her stomach. She knew that the most critical time was during take off and landing, it still didn't help her body to know not to gag at an angle normally not achieved. 

"I doubt I'll ever get my license. I've a feeling that's not looked kindly on during the final exam?"

Her dry reassurance to him that she was fine. They were traveling light this time, just some luggage and gifts for the family and friends she had to introduce him to. There had been talk to merging her mother's bar, The Gull's Nest and their place The Trade Winds but they had yet to put anything into writing. Minnie was setting to retire and move closer to her own mother in Miami so it only made sense to keep it in the family...unless Harvey Starling, Col's god father wanted first dibs at a turn key operation. Bruce knew Colleen would gladly do that over taking it over. Even though she lived down south nearly 1500 miles away she still cared about the town where she'd grown up. 

"BVY tower, N2789 5 miles west, inbound for landing."

The crackle of the controller picking up filled his head. Whoever it was had a hell of a head cold. 

"N2789 you're clear for landing. Welcome to Massachusetts."

"I can't just take it from them, Bruce. The Gull's Nest was built by my great grandfather when the town was founded. Second on the waterfront besides the old butcher and green grocer. Did you know the Starling's used to own that? That's how far back our families go...oh my god Harvey! Hel's florist shop is right there...perfect!"

He'd heard her last night as she'd packed for them both. He'd admitted to her that he didn't have a clue about packing for cold weather anymore so she had delighted in walking him through her process and parts of her family's backstory came out as she carefully rolled his shirts and pants up. She'd learned the military packing style. Bulky sweaters went on top to act as a cushion if you were bringing back souvenirs, or in Col's case, if you were bringing a stash of homegrown herb to share with your mother and best friends. Deep down his wife really was a pirate, even if she didn't realize it. 

"Who taught you how to pack?"

"Chief Petty Officer James Murphy Sr."

Bruce caught a glimpse of a pirate smile ghost across his companion's face. All he could picture for a moment was his wife in a plumed buccaneers hat with a dainty silver dagger between her teeth. Perhaps he'd just given himself a new tattoo idea. 

"He was a Navy man...then he came home became a cop and met my mom."

"All American boy."

"Guess you could say that. My mother was almost a nun until she met him."

"Damn beats Mel and Rita's story. She was a barmaid and he was bootlegger."

"Two sides of the same coin, Miller."

The tidy landing strip was fast approaching as the landing gear came out. Wheels touched down and all was well. Another one down in the flight logs. 

In their combined down time from the bar they did flight and boat charters together under the Trade Wind Tours name for the tourists. They weren't above doing a favor to a friend or two with flying in goods. Colleen was going to be needed if his buddy Whit ever gave up his wings. She had also expressed an interest in doing angel flights for sick and needy children. 

"You'd be surprised. My first time I puked out of a bird just straight up didn't care about anything except not wearing it. Bulls eye on an enemy from above. I can still see his face...I still feel bad about that."

"You were under heavy fire in a military war plane. Vastly different as I'm not open and exposed."

Reaching out to pat his jean clad thigh she sighed. 

"You'd be amazed at people can forgive. I'm sure you were the least of his worries back then. You both just wanted to get home."

He'd forgotten she'd been a nurse and just how deeply her compassion ran. He smirked and patted her back as they pulled upwards 

"If it makes you feel better I get sea sick."

A deep chortle sounded in his head that warmed him. 

"Always keep above deck where you can see the horizon and get fresh air or keep to the middle of the boat."

He heard the snicking flick of her lighter.

"You forget we're still in an airspace?"

"Nope. But I figured out my window. Until they come out with a flameless option I'm sticking with hand rolls. Helps my stomach and in all honesty I think you may need some when we're on solid ground. You're wide eyed and your eyebrows are touching your hairline. I love you, Minnie loves you...my Grandmother loves you, Harvey and Helene are going to adore you too."

Directing towards the hangar Bruce shook his head. 

"The last thing I need to do is meet the town chief of police smelling like your home grown, Col."

Wide innocent eyes met his as she held out the joint with a smile. Her next sentence made his face fall momentarily.

"But he's my god father...and I know the perfect spot."

Nimble tanned hands rolled two more joints as they were directed into the proper hangar by the ground crew, a rather an elderly portly white haired fellow wearing safety orange muffs with 'Willy' stitched into his green coveralls. Waving his sticks he looked almost like a Yankee blue collar ballerina.  A thankful two finger wave and they had some privacy.  

"Thanks Willy!"

Colleen called as she hopped out earning a Roebucker smile her way, Willy's teeth matched his shocking white hair before he hobbled back into the warmth of the hangar office. Col had grabbed her small shoulder bag and her flash light before taking off out of sight. Giving him a bird whistle he saw her crook her finger from inside what looked like a solid tree line. 

"Join me on a side quest brave traveller."

Snow crunched under their feet as he followed Colleen. She evidently knew exactly where they were going to end up. A twisting path lead to a rough stone walking path the lead to a rumbling sound. 

"Watch your step here..."

Her left hand reached out to touch a large pine tree with 'HS + JL' carved into the bark and it made him smile to see her reconnect with a tangible object from her past. The initials were newly carved into the bark, especially the JL. From the look on Col's face HS finally found a love well deserved. 

"Where...what...wow."

Looming overhead was a weather beaten lighthouse sitting at the mouth of the harbor. It's light cutting through the fog that was setting in. Between the two of them they'd planned the timing perfectly.  

"This is Tortoise Harbor light...or Turtle Point. I've mentioned it a few times in my stories of home but well...this used to be our secret spot. Me and Helene Starling. A little birdie told me that there's still heat in it."

Knocking the snow from their boots they ventured into and up to the top of the ancient lighthouse on the point. Outside the winds had picked up and the sound of rain was almost indistinguishable against the sound of the surf hitting the rocky coastline. 

"We used to come up here all the time watching for our Dads when they sailed away or came back in. I guess it was our clubhouse...in some way it still is."

The very top held a battered fold out couch upholstered in a rather interesting shade of pea soup green and outfitted with numerous blankets and throw pillows. A handmade three tier shelf held ancient paperbacks along with a wire spool coffee table with bar ashtray advertising 'the regal taste of Reinhardt beer'. tucked to the left hand side by the railing away from the light. The floor below still held a snug little alcove with a lamp and a few layered feather beds for the nights that were especially tough going home. 

"We used to have a working kitchen and bathroom downstairs but that's been boarded up since we were in our 20's. That's the past though."

Settling herself down onto the couch she sighed before inviting him to sit down as she lit the joint. He'd have wondered what she looked like young and carefree and unscarred but she seemed to bloom before him. Healed and restored. The smell of her homegrown hit him right between the eyes and he smiled as curled in next to him. The storm raging outside as they flew higher together allowing their inner teenagers to bond for the first time.

#Trade Winds verse#Colleen Murphy x Bruce Miller#The Mermaid & The Albatross

[sirludox]

please tell me all about your zosan pony verse i love them!

Oh my god it would be an honour! I'll start off by mentioning that the reason I chose Sanji as a pegasus was I see his more flamboyant personality fitting that better and i just could not imagine a horse wielding 3 swords without some sort of help so I tinkered how unicorn magic works slightly with it being more closely related to mental and physical strength rather than just being a sort of cheat code haha! Also it was fun imagining a more brutish unicorn compared to the usual elegance of one! Zoro did in fact lose his horn with his first meeting of Mihawk! I was debating making him lose it when he lost his eye but I felt like him dedicating himself even more to training and meditation to make up for what he's lost fit better with it occurring much earlier on than randomly off screen like his eye. Sanji also witnessing him lose his horn yet still declare his loyalty and never losing a fight again would push Sanji to join the crew since he cant fly Sanji, like I said, can't fly mostly related to a) the deformed genes from the poison and b) his wings were bound down when he was a kid by Judge while he was imprisoned much like how he had the helmet on. While their growth wasn't affected, having no prior training on top of the messed up genes means as much as he can do with "flying" is gliding off of tall places or high up but even then that's limited. His "sky walk" is still done with his legs like in the original, so while he can technically "fly", he can't feel the wind between his wings like he normally should for having wings and so he often enjoys spreading his wings out on windy days to ease the desire of "freedom"! He uses his wings primarily as he would hands now, using them to carry food and dishes out and express emotions with them, and absolutely hates having them constricted (it begins to freak him out slightly). Sanji then learnt to use his legs (mostly his back ones) for fighting from Zeff (whom im still debating lost a leg or a wing) and the rest is history! These two still bicker and are the exact same as they are in the original, just with the bonus addition of them bonding over them missing their core "features" of their kind, a broken horn and useless wings. They never ever bring these aspects up in a way to offend/insult the other, as they know they're both rather sensitive topics, but they both use what they've lost to their advantage and dont let any of it hold them back Some more unique quirks they have now are:

Sanji preens/grooms his feathers a LOT and takes a lot of care with them. These days (20's), he's allowed Zoro to preen him when he can't from injuries, and Zoro is good with it/surprisingly gentle after learning from Kuina

Unicorns usually rub/touch horns gently in a comforting manner between family or extremely close (wink wink) others, and butting heads/clashing is more aggressive (which is why zosan often bump heads when arguing). As a trade off for the preening Sanji will often gently touch his head to Zoro's as thanks, or when he's in a particularly bad spot (be it physically or mentally) as a way to comfort him without words being needed to be said. Sanji doesn't know the more romantic connotations of it <3

Sanji tends to "fluff up" during preening as subconsciously finding it extremely relaxing and pleasing and Zoro pokes fun at him for it a little but not too much to avoid scaring him away

40 year old Zosan here has Sanji much more comfortable asking Zoro for a preen or "demanding for it" and Zoro finds it "so annoying" but does it anyway (theyre grossly in love)

Sanji will tease Zoro for being so "brute" as a unicorn, and Zoro teases Sanji for being a "dumb peacock"

Sorry for so much of a ramble haha they're just so much fun to work with, and included a couple sketches to kind of go along with things and explore other characters! If you (or anyone) has any other questions I'll be happy to answer ❤️ (sorry if some of this doesnt make sense haha)

[resident-quilt]

Shrue’s descent into radicalism and what the Silt Verses says about our world today

(also, regarding the giant poem that the episode titles make) ITS A TUMBLR ESSAY BABYYYYYYYYY

Kill your gods. Starve them out, topple their statues, forsake their comfort— Kill the stories that gave birth to them. Tear away your flesh that bears their marks.  Adjudicator Shrue, Ep. 43

The Silt Verses is a story born of its time, to a 21st century world which is slowly decaying—and everyone in it is doing their part to help it decay just a little bit faster. It speaks of capitalism, of corruption, of power and belief and environmental destruction and the rift between generations. When Charles tells Val he can’t really stand behind the idea of a family (“You wonder about what kind of world we’re bringing children into, y’know?”) I had to pause and gather myself; it’s something we hear from so many Gen Z’ers today.

But then Shrue’s speech came, and it made no sense.

Shrue calls for an end in any form it can be given. They call for the loss of all faith and love and community in the world; they call for us to kill the stories of our history, to kill the figures we believe in and the ones that give us hope. Anything, everything, all we can give to stop the decay and degradation of the world. They demand us to defeat the corrupt system we have built by trading our lives to do so.

If our words and stories sustain them, let us fall silent. If our communities rely on them, let us drift apart and die, lonely, in the polluted wilds amongst the howling winds of long forgotten deities.

It made no sense because TSV, most simplistically, embodies “no ethical consumption under capitalism”—and this solidly did not fit. So I cast about for an answer to what it all meant, because TSV had grown to be more than the “folks, look where capitalism got us” which I thought it to be. And Shrue's “we can’t do anything to escape the system but die” was just too flat a conclusion. 

Then I fell upon the poem compiled from each episode’s title.

It begins with the start of humanity: a story of things that have happened, things people have believed, things which have roamed the land from then til now. 

Let me speak first of revelations, and next of dark deceit. Then I’ll speak of champions, of lovers, gods and beasts.

And so the poem continues in a description of this story, until it eventually twists to become entirely self-destructive around Chapters 18-24. It's a reference to how everything in the TSV universe seems to eat itself: their system of gods, sacrifices, even the characters themselves.

If I could trace with bloodless fingers, if my hands could shape the flow, I’d bear this song to the precipice and rend us both to dust below.  We’d both go plunging downwards, one final fall from grace— I’d howl, I’d scream, in victory, and we’d be gone without a trace. 

At Chapter 25, we get a respite from the story. We get a short poetic break which concludes that yes, we’re doomed to die—but we continue as we are despite it, and write our story even if it’ll be lost in the end. It’s a classic conclusion that a lot of literature and poetry fall to, because it’s so very human. It’s a cliche, and it’s a cliche for a reason. 

But we’ll never be rid of each other, my song, my sorrow, and I,  So I’ll bear it trembling onwards: to drift on, to dream, to die.

With that, the poem progresses forward until it starts addressing our end and what happens when we face that. It screams of last-ditch efforts keep on believing, even as we plunge down and down and the world just gets worse and worse. Shrue’s speech takes place in “One Last Song of Revelations” (the title is so fitting!), where they vocalize their realization that their pacifist attitude isn’t doing shit to change anything. 

But when they switch towards radicalism because it’s, evidently, the only way anything will ever get done—the only way anything will get the exposure to maybe make an impact—they speak of the destruction of society as a whole. Not the eradication of capitalism, nor the installation of kinder gods, nor the lowering of sacrifice ceilings. They speak of true destruction. Utter destruction.

Shrue’s speech isn’t some call to action, nor does it embody any concrete ideology which the writers are trying to convey. It’s just an expression of desperation. Nothing is working; no one is listening. 

What this poem sounds like is a story of how our world goes. It's its birth, its self-destruction, its philosophical revelations, its finale.

When we began following Carpenter and Faulkner in the reeds of the White Gull River, we were consuming a commentary on capitalism. Now, it’s more. It’s a commentary, yes, but it’s not only that—it’s an exploration. The Silt Verses is a tragic exploration of our world as it connects to theirs, of how we’ve been driven so far and been corrupted so deeply that only radicalism makes a difference because only radicalism is what gets the notice and attention to spark moderate change. And that same radicalism is going to destroy the society we have left.

But it’s all the same in the end, because society's collapse was going to happen anyways. So at least someone had it in them to fight for something.

GAHHHH I LOVE THIS SHOW

[carionto]

It's smaller on the Inside

I find myself going down the Warhammer 40'000 route of scale for this verse I'm apparently building. It's silly, and I like it that way. I don't want to give myself a ceiling for anything I might throw in here :p Continuation of this

__________________________________________

From the outside, the Human ships are astronomically massive. Most, we guessed, doubled as population centers, something akin to a floating colony fleet. With their planet as hostile as they come, we had no doubt most of Humanity had moved into orbit.

"Hmm? Oh, no. The colony ships aren't ready yet. They'll be bigger than even the Dreadnoughts. I'd say the entire Space Force has around 300'000 active members. The Space Teamsters Union has about 8'000 members, and us science ships house just under 2'500 employees. There's maybe a few thousand unlicensed folk out and about, no doubt that number will skyrocket once we get some trade routes going with you guys, or, err... you know. Sorry, just a common expression."

Captain Knoslark explained. This didn't make sense. The Coalition delegates were informed Earth was home to 12,3 billion Humans. By reasonable estimates, their current fleet should easily be able to accommodate at least half that.

Okay, fine. The revelation their reactors were stupidly massive would drop that to around 3,8 billion, but still! What were they using all this room for?

Perplexed, the Captain itemized:

"Well for one, armor plating accounts for between 20 and 45 percent of the total mass, depending on the ship. For that you need sufficiently strong engines, plus reactors to power them, so there goes another 15 to 35 percent of mass and upwards of 50% of space. Military ships tend to go for extra everything minus luxuries, so taking that and all their additional weapon systems, a Dreadnought has maybe 0.7% of its displacement left for personnel."

The delegates just couldn't. What? Why? Nobody is even pretending that Human ships aren't vastly superior to everything in known space. Even halving all their bulk and power, no-one could take them on.

Sheepishly, the Captain answered:

"Well, yeah... I guess I can't disagree since you're saying it yourselves. But what about the unknown space? What if someone comes up with something better? We're doing that constantly. I mean, that's some of the reason why we have the science ships like the one we're on."

"But I can see your point. If safety protocols didn't demand all these winding bulkhead hallways and modular room structure and all that other stuff, something like a standard issue 3km Cruiser could house a crew of 45'000 instead of a maximum of 1'400."

(continued)

[carlossainzwho]

do you get deja vu?

yep, it's part two time!

pairing/s: carlos sainz x ex!reader

warnings - swearing, not proof-read (sorry to my english teachers) and sexual references. (i sound like netflix help)

note - i'm really sorry you've had to wait so long for a fic!! this is part two, you can read part 1 for a little more background before reading this one. i really hope you enjoy! please reblog/like for support, it really makes me smile!!

car rides to malibu strawberry ice cream one spoon for two and trading jackets laughing 'bout how small it looks on you (ha-ha-ha-ha, ha-ha-ha-ha, ha-ha-ha-ha)

long long car journeys with carlos were the best, blasting out billie joe and queen all day, all night.

going to the same ice cream shop in mallorca

to get the classic ice cream

strawberry

with chocolate sauce

stuffing it all in carlos' face

ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

feeling cold

wind blowing

exchanging your denim jacket for carlos' much thicker one

he looked funny

and handsome

and

he was hers, she was his

oh, ain't it funny

ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

watching reruns of glee being annoying singing in harmony i bet she's bragging to all her friends, saying you're so unique, hmm

glee

making fun of his name

carlos science, carlos heinz tomato ketchup

singing 'smooth operator' till your throat hurt

but now rebecca's the one doing it with him

tight black dresses

at clubs

getting drunk

leads to

making out

leads to

the bed

So when you gonna tell her That we did that, too? She thinks it's special But it's all reused That was our place, I found it first I made the jokes you tell to her when she's with you Do you get déjà vu when she's with you? Do you get déjà vu? (Ah), hmm Do you get déjà vu, huh?

no amount of

kissing her

hugging her

fucking her

could change how he felt in his head

he knew

carlos knew

he did all that with y/n

with rebecca snoring by his side

he knew that the jackets

the singing

glee

he did it all before

with

someone

else

Do you call her Almost say my name? 'Cause let's be honest We kinda do sound the same Another actress I hate to think that I was just your type

rebecca, y/n

rebecca.

y/n.

they both had kind of similar accents

search her up

rebecca donaldson: model, actress and carlos sainz's new girlfriend!

y/n was nothing

she meant nothing to carlos

I'll bet that she knows Billy Joel 'Cause you played her "Uptown Girl" You're singing it together Now I bet you even tell her How you love her In between the chorus and the verse

how many more times should she say

how much she missed him?

through the singing

crying

laughing

he was there by her side

but now y/n knew

that carlos was singing and crying and laughing with someone else

Strawberry ice cream in Malibu Don't act like we didn't do that shit, too You're trading jackets like we used to do (Yeah, everything is all reused) Play her piano, but she doesn't know (oh, oh) That I was the one who taught you Billy Joel (oh) A different girl now, but there's nothing new

y/n drove past mallorca

past the same ice-cream shop

that sold the strawberry ice-cream

the wind blowing

clutching onto her denim jacket

the one that would never fit carlos

now he's doing all that with someone else

but she doesn't know

that

it was all y/n

and now

he probably seemed funny

and handsome

not long ago

he was hers

she was his

but not anymore

ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

taglist: @styles-sunflower @marsinout @queers-of-marybelltownship @alonsogirlie @hoeforevery1 @charlosgoggles @albonsluvr

hope you loved it! so sorry it took long :(

[quitealotofsodapop]

Hi! It's me again :3, I don't know (and remember) if anyone has asked this before but I would like to know:

How did OG!MK feel when he found out that SW is his father in another dimension (I feel like Mei would say something like "See? I told you he was your dad" or something)

If it happens before S4, I feel like Mk would be a little jealous of his other self seeing that he doesn't have the problem of not knowing who his biological parents.

(The idea occurred to me when I remembered a tiktok that said MK used any type of editing app to get an idea of ​​what his parents would look like 🥲)

omg if you have that tiktok I'd love a link XD

Think i did do a post like that ages ago, but only with an earlier draft of TMKATI and canon. Now I have like three more verses to torment MK with >:)

When the Canon verse and the other verses collide, the quickest thing the MKs would notice is their appearances.

OG!MK: "Whoa!! These me's are monkey demons!" TMKATI!MK: "And you guys are... human???" SlowBoiled!MK: "Yeah, why wouldn't him- I mean me be?" CenturyEgg!MK: "I don't know about you guys - but my parents are monkey demons. Then again my gūtā [dad's gender neutral older sibling] is human, I think???" JTTWEgg!MK: "My parents are monkey demons! The coolest monkey demons ever I may brag." TMKATI!MK: "Oh no way! My parents are monkey demons too! i have a bunch of adopted siblings though. Does your dad work with Bóbo[dad's older brother] Pigsy too?" CenturyEgg!MK: "No cus Uncle Pigsy and Tang lives in the city. We all live on Flower Fruit Mountain - but we visit as often as possible! Uncle Sandy ferries us across all the time." :3 OG!MK: "Wow!! You two live on the mountain!? What's it like?" JTTWEgg!MK, shrugging: "It's cool." CenturyEgg!MK: "Sometimes feel pressured by my role as Heir to the Stone Throne - but I wouldn't trade it for the world. I really don't like having to visit the Celestial Realm though. The nobles are kinda mean about my dad cus he caused a bunch of havoc a long time ago." The Other MKs: "wut" OG!MK: "Uh... Please explain who your parents are?" CenturyEgg!MK, confused by their confusion: "Sun Wukong the Monkey King, and Liu'er Mihou the Sage of Wind??? I thought you guys were too???" JTTWEgg!MK: "Yeah, mine are too. I thought you guys knew??" SlowBoiled!MK: "No- well kind- it's complicated! Ok!?" TMKATI!MK: "Not me. My parents are normal monkey demons, dude." OG!MK: "Oh my gods the Monkey King *is* our dad in another universe! Mei is never gonna let me forget this!" CenturyEgg!MK: "Well techinically he's my mom too so..." The Other MKs: "lol wat?" JTTWEgg!MK: "lol same."

The different MKs collaborate to tell stories about themselves (and get a solid PSA on Stone Eggs) while their respective Meis are snapping photos with eachother.

The different monkeys watch on nervously. The different monkey kings are sitting politely as their Macaques hiss at eachother from across the room.

OG!SWK: "So uh... did you tell him yet?" Other Monkeys: "Tell him what?" SlowBoiled!SWK: "About him being made by Nuwa, or the fact that we were forced to abandon him?" The CenturyEgg and TMKATI monkeys: "What." TMKATI!SWK, laughing nervously: "What? Oh gods no. I thought you guys meant telling him who we are!" The Other Monkeys: "Wut" CenturyEgg!SWK: "Your MK doesn't know that you guys are... Us?" TMKATI!LEM: "Nah, we've sorta been off-the-grid ever since genius here [thumb-points at his SWK] got me pregnant with our MK." The Stone Egg au SWKs: "Hah!" "Uno reverse card, plums!" Stone Egg LEMs: *all three have varying looks of horror, indignance, and bashfulness* SlowBoiled!LEM: "I said I was sorry!" OG!LEM: "Wait... what do you mean by sorry?" SlowBoiled!LEM, looking uncomfortable: "Cus of our uh... fight under the Mountain, and me not returning to feed him, I sorta caused Wukong's body to create a Stone Egg... and then I sorta died before I found out so..." JTTWEgg!LEM: "Ooof. Glad I learned early then." CenturyEgg!SWK, to his SlowBoiled counterpart: "Oh bummer, you got left with Stone Egg all the way back then? I started up the process willingly after I had to seal away DBK. When was the little guy born?" SlowBoiled!SWK: "Little lady actually. Yuebei was born about six months ago. Our MK was crafted by Nuwa - then again I did raise him the first year until I became too weak to care for him..." *looks sad* TMKATI and CenturyEgg monkeys: "Oh no..." :( "Stone eggs are super dangerous to the people around them. I don't blame you." JTTWEgg!SWK: "Odd. I got an Egg from the mountain too - but mine was born shortly after I completed the Journey. And mine was our MK. Did losing Mihou make the process longer??" OG Monkeys: "What?" "How many of you have MK as your kid!?" (*Cue them having to make a Venn Diagram of Whos' MK is What to Whom*) OG!SWK: "Ok so! Mine and the guy with the super-adorbs baby got our MKs dumped on us." SlowBoiled Monkeys: *proudly showing photos of their Yuebei* OG!LEM: "The me in sweatpants had him cus of a comet /slash/ stone egg soul mishap." TMKATI!LEM: "Oh, my Wukong was still responsible there. He sealed the Harbringer's soul inside me after using a sealing spell. TMKATI!SWK: "I panicked, ok!" OG!SWK, pointing at the remaining universes: "Annnd you two literally birthed him yourselves." CenturyEgg and JttwEgg SWKs: "Yup." "Stone shell and all." OG!SWK: "...is there anything else I'm missing?" The other universes: (*scratching their chins in thought*) SlowBoiled!LEM, slyly: "So are you guys back together yet, or what?" OG Monkeys: "What!?" "As if!"

Laughter just erupts around the room as the canon shadowpeach pairing realises that they're the odd ones out as *not* being together.

Complete and utter chaos reigns when the parent and MK groups reunite, and they recognise some sort of connection...

[something-tofightfor]

All I Ever Needed

Pairing: Joel Miller x female reader (Just Too Good To Be Gone pairing)

Word count: 12,330

Rating: NSFW / E. You’ve been warned.  

Warnings: Spoilers for the end of TLOU / TLOU season 1 - and the timeline that follows before the 2nd game. 

Summary: While on patrol and looking for the source of a distress call received by Jackson, you and Joel take a much needed detour. 

Author’s Note: Six and a half months later, and here we are with a Joel story that I’ve been picking away at the entire time. Sorry I stepped away for so long but now that this is done ... all bets are off.

This takes place just before TLOU 2′s timeline begins, and if you’re familiar with that, you’ll understand the significance of something mentioned in this story. 

This was directly influenced by conversations I had with @stealyourblorbos​, who encouraged me by providing some of the most *appealing* Joel visuals... so I hope you enjoy it, Jules. 

Fun fact: the location mentioned in this chapter actually exists, but the way it looks today is much different than it was in 2013 - see the link on the masterlist for more info! 

To get alerted when I post new chapters/stories, follow @somethingtofightfor-shares and turn on post notifications - you can also ask to be added to my tag list (link in bio or at the top of my taglist reblog)

Just Too Good To Be Gone Masterlist

Song Suggestion: “Enjoy The Silence” by Depeche Mode

“We should find somewhere to spend the night.” 

Looking to your left, you watched as he eyed the road in front of you, his horse’s reins held tightly between his gloved fingers. As always, Joel was entirely focused on what he was doing, the man on alert despite the fact that his posture was loose and you hadn’t seen anything out of the ordinary in hours. Not hours, days. 

“There are some houses at the 89/191 split, but a lot of ‘em are on the other side of the river, and I’m not sure we can cross.” 

He turned his head to look at you, the man’s eyes sliding over your face and then down before they rose once more. “We just need a roof and some dry wood to build a fire. We’ll find something.” You knew that he was right - that even if it was little more than the hollowed out husk of a gas station or one of the small houses, you and Joel would make do together - because you always did. “That leaves what, ten miles to get back tomorrow?” 

“A little under fifteen, actually.” Shivering at a sudden gust of wind, you nodded. “There should be a place for the horses there, too, just to keep them from being in the open.” He nodded once, in reply, a knit hat pulled down low over his ears. With a quiet click of your tongue, you eased your horse to a slightly faster gait, Joel following suit as he caught up. 

You were out on a long patrol, but that was nothing new for either of you. Tommy and Maria felt comfortable sending you further south than anyone usually went - Jackson to Bondurant, the two of you searching for the source of a call for help that had come in over the radio a few days earlier. 

You’d found nothing, despite a thorough search of the area. After a day of exploration, you decided to head back, armed with the knowledge that even though you hadn’t found anyone, all of the bridges and roads you’d traveled were still intact, even after the brutal winter you’d experienced. 

It was still cold - the thick blanket of snow on the ground just beginning to melt in places, ice in patches making it important to carefully lead the horses each steep of the way. But the company was good, and you weren’t about to complain. 

Especially when Joel broke the silence of the ride with quiet humming and occasionally sang a few verses from the songs, too. Especially since you knew that when you did stop for the night, you’d have the warmth of him to lean into until morning, the two of you trading off shifts of wakefulness and sleep until it was time to head back to Jackson. 

It had been four days on the road together. Even though being near him in the quiet of Wyoming’s rolling hills and valleys with the Tetons as your backdrop wasn’t much different than being with him in Jackson, you liked it. 

You liked the quiet and calm. You liked the solitude. You liked the fact that it was just you and Joel, and that while he could have had anyone else go with him on the patrol, he’d asked for you.

It wasn’t a surprise, but it still made you feel good about yourself - about the fact that he considered you an asset to the assignment, that he trusted you to take care of yourself and him if necessary. 

And you knew that there was more to it, too. You knew that if you had found the people that you’d picked up the call from, he’d wanted a face friendlier than his to be present - someone that would inspire trust and decrease concern in strangers in a way that even after a few years in Jackson, Joel couldn’t. 

But the point was moot because you’d found nothing. Even though the two of you had been wary of the distress call being a trap, it didn’t seem like it had been. You hoped that whoever had called had found safety, and that they were alright - that you wouldn’t be finding bodies during further patrols after the spring thaw. They probably aren’t, you admitted to yourself as you passed a sign for Hoback Junction, the tiny town coming into view on your left. 

Neither of you spoke as you bypassed the first section of it, Joel raising one arm and pointing to your right and the remains of a gas station and market. You’d stopped there a few times in the years before you’d known Joel, and it didn’t look any worse than it had then, aside from the increasingly weathered appearance of long abandoned vehicles. 

A few minutes later, Joel dismounted, telling you to stay on your horse, his voice quiet enough that you barely heard it. He handed over the reins and reached for the gun he kept tucked into his waistband, but you weren’t worried. Maybe we can sleep upstairs. 

You eyed the building as he advanced toward it. He kept the gun held loosely in one hand, his steps careful and measured. The market had been on the bottom level, and though the contents were long since gone and cleared out, there were a few rooms upstairs that had proven useful in the past when it came to staying there overnight out of necessity.

They offered little more than a bed and a roof, but the heat from the two of you and your sleeping bags would keep you much warmer than being outside would, even if a fire wasn’t possible. And we wouldn’t have to keep watch because we could just drag the mattress against the door.

The twinge of unease you felt as you watched Joel’s broad shoulders disappear through the main doors turned into a quiet anxiety for the long moments he was gone. The feeling buzzed in your chest and gave you the urge to reach for your gun, too. But when he reappeared a few minutes later, his weapon lowered, you knew that you could finally relax. “All clear.” 

He rolled his shoulders out as he headed back for you, pointing over his shoulder with one thumb. “Looks like someone already tied up horses in there at some point, because there’s a good place for it. We can walk over an’ get some water from the river before feedin’ ‘em.” 

“OK.” Nodding, you gestured toward the building with your chin. “Anyone been in there recently? Maybe those people that -”

“Nope.” He stuck a hand on his hip, shaking his head. “Everything was dry and closed up. Took the stairs and checked on the second floor, too. Nothin’. If they were here, the cleaned up real good after themselves.” He paused and then frowned. “You’re shivering.” 

“It’s barely spring, Joel. Wasn’t so bad when we were moving, but now…” You shivered again, wrinkling your nose. “Come on. We should get these horses stowed while we’ve still got light.” 

And so you did, Joel taking his reins back and leading his horse ahead of yours and through the doors, the two of you working in silence to get them situated before Joel spun in a slow circle, chewing on his lip.

“I’m gonna go get that water. Looks like there’s a place by the window to make a fire, we can open it a little to let the smoke out. Saw a woodpile out back, if you wanna use it.” Telling him that you would, you waited until he’d left the room again to move, feet carrying you out through the back door and to the wood he’d mentioned. 

You chose the driest pieces you could find and carried them inside, setting them in the location he’d pointed out. By the time he got back, you had a fire ready to go, kindling stacked and arranged in a way you hoped would quickly catch. 

Joel stepped next to you and then crouched down, hands hanging between his bent knees as he stared at your construction. But for long moments, he didn’t say anything. “Joel?” I know what that look means. Turning your head toward him, you narrowed your eyes. “What did I do wrong?” 

“Can I show you somethin’?” He met your eyes, a genuine kindness in them that he didn’t often expose to others. “Just one little -”

“Yeah.” Your lips twitched as you fought back a smile. “Of course.” He nodded once, drawing your attention with the extension of one finger. 

“You didn’t leave enough space for air flow at the bottom. Somea these tiny little pieces? The twigs? If you stick ‘em between the other ones, and point ‘em to the middle, you open it up more. Give the flame a chance to breathe.” He repositioned the wood as he spoke, the man’s fingers nimbly working to build up the bottom layers. 

You liked watching him do things, liked watching him show you what he knew, and though the gesture would probably have annoyed you coming from anyone else, from Joel it didn’t. Because he’s not making the point he can do it better. He’s making sure I know what to do next time. “There was a cushion back behind the counter. It looked like there was some cotton inside.” Jerking your head to the right, you sighed. “I probably should have grabbed some of that for -”

“Hey.” He turned his head to look at you before shaking it back and forth. “We would have been able to light what you built, no problem. I just -”

“I know.” You reached out, squeezing his bicep through the thick jacket he wore. “And I appreciate that, Joel. Thank you for showing me.” He watched as you stood up, slowly reaching for you before his hand wrapped around your calf - just above the top of the boot you wore. Then, he squeezed, the man giving you a single nod before letting go. “Let me see if that cotton’s going to help.” 

He stayed quiet when you turned and headed for the counter, smoothly rounding it and eyeing the torn seat cover. Fluffy strings of filling spilled out from it as though something had attempted to pull them free. Mice, maybe. Or squirrels. You lifted the whole thing, but before you turned to head back to Joel, something else caught your eye. Hmm. Transferring the pillow to one hand, you reached out with the other, fingers lifting the folded sheets of paper as you picked it up. 

“Take a look at this.” You spoke when you’d lowered yourself back to the floor next to him, setting the cushion down. “Remember going to rest stops and travel plazas before, Joel? All the maps and brochures for stuff you could do wherever you happened to stop?” You grinned as you flipped the tri-fold open, eyes scanning the faded pictures and words on the pages. “Looks like this place is no different.” 

“Yeah?” He was tucking small tufts of cotton between the branches, jaw set in an expression you read as concentration. “What kinds of things could you do here before the world went to hell?” 

“There are apparently some hot springs down the road to the west.” Tracing over the faded paper with one finger, you smiled. “Says here winter’s the best time to go, too, because everything around them is frozen, but the heat from the water keeps them exposed.” 

“That so?” He cleared his throat. “We had a place like that at home. Didn’t have to worry about it freezin’ though. And I guess it wasn’t really hot, kids used to swim there in the summer.” He smiled, the man’s lips briefly curving upward. “Me an’ Tommy would take Sarah.

The name slipped from his lips much more easily than it used to - the man’s memories of the girl still associated with pain and sadness, but also tinged with genuine nostalgia. Now it’s Ellie’s name he tries not to say. 

“This says that the water in these is… was about 104, so who knows what it’s like now, or if they still exist, but that definitely would have been nice.” Reading through the information, you shrugged. “Here.” You held the brochure out, waiting until he’d taken it from you to reach for the lighter that was zipped into the pocket of your jacket. “Wonder what else is -”

He stopped you with one hand on your arm just before you touched the flame to the cotton, Joel saying your name quietly. “Don’t. Not yet.” 

“Why?” Cocking your head to the side, you blinked in confusion. “We just -”

“We’ve still got plenty of light.” Joel sighed, frowning as he eyed the map. “And this looks like it’s only a couple miles down the road, if you want to go and take a look.” 

“Really?” Inhaling sharply, you widened your eyes. “Is that safe? We’d be -” 

“We haven’t seen anyone or anything in three days aside from those animal tracks. River’s on one side, hills on the other. I think…” He nodded. “I think I can watch your back for long enough for you to climb in for a couple minutes if you want.” 

“I don’t have a bathing suit, Joel.” Leaning in, you raised an eyebrow. “So you’re going to have to keep your eyes wide open.” 

In another move that wasn’t quite a surprise, Joel closed the distance between you, the man’s mouth covering yours for long moments before he pulled away and turned his head so that he could speak into your ear. 

“Gonna be a tough job, but I think I can handle it.” 

— 

The trip from the market to the springs took just over an hour on foot, you and Joel talking quietly almost the whole way. 

It felt almost normal - your conversation oscillating from the remainder of that patrol to what would happen in the coming weeks in Jackson. You brought up the annual spring dance that was set to take place two weeks later, and Joel questioned you about the greenhouses and the crop rotation that would start almost immediately after that.  

You talked about everything but Ellie. Joel changed the subject when she came up and so you didn’t linger on it, though you barely managed to hide your wince at the sound of hurt in his voice. 

It’ll get better. You sighed as you reached for his gloved hand, squeezing it tightly. It has to. The girl’s silence toward him had extended for much longer than you’d anticipated it would, though you couldn’t blame her for it. And you’d spoken to her often since their falling out, Ellie not often pushing you for information about the man, but hinting that she wanted to know every now and then. So you knew that somewhere, deep down, the possibility of their reconciliation existed - no matter how far into the future the girl continued to let the hurt linger. It’s gotta be on their terms. I can’t force it. 

“So what are we lookin’ for?” Joel said your name again, gesturing in front of you with his free hand. “Brochure said a boat ramp, but we’re probably not going to see that under all this snow.” 

“There was an actual pool, too.” You turned your head to look across the river, squinting. “But it said that closed before 2012, and I think it’s on the other side of the river, anyway.” What are we looking for? “So I guess we just look for open pools of water close to the -”

“Like that?”Joel stopped, pointing. “Looks like there’s some steam comin’ up off of that right there.” He was right - and so you stopped, too, the smile on your face growing. “That’s bigger than I thought it would be.” 

The pool was about fifteen feet long and roughly six or seven wide, the water clear enough that you could see the rocks on the bottom. The sight of it warmed you thoroughly, steam curling up from the surface and telling you everything that you needed to know about how warm the water still was. It’s going to feel so good.

“Come on.” You tugged on his hand, carefully beginning to make your way down the slope and toward the exposed pool. “It looks like some of these rocks are flat and dry enough that we can put our stuff on them and it won’t get wet.” 

“Or, I can hold your clothes.” He stopped when you did, the two of you mere inches away from the edge of the water. “Since I’m not -”

“Joel, you’re going in.” You exhaled, turning to face him. “You said it yourself, there’s been nothing but those tracks this whole time, and that was miles to the south. Nothing that can hurt us is going to cross that river before we see it, and look.” You pointed. “There’s an overhang that keeps us hidden from the road. We’d hear anyone and anything coming long before they see us. And…” Biting down on your lower lip, you winked at him. “I’m pretty sure your aim wouldn’t be worse because you’re not wearing clothes.” 

It took him a second, but he laughed at your words, the lines appearing at the corners of his eyes and the slump of his shoulders telling you that there was no way he was going to argue with you. Good, because he needs this. “You get in first.” He took a breath to steady himself, gesturing at the water. “Tell me how warm it is.” 

As much as you wanted to let him go first, the steamy air and low noise of the rushing water convinced you otherwise. So with no complaint or protest, shrugged off your backpack and unzipped your jacket, laying both down on the rocks behind you. From there, you reached for your sweater and pulled it - along with your undershirt over your head, dropping those onto your coat as you shivered in the chilly air, nipples stiffening into peaks beneath the thin material left covering you.

Joel didn’t look away when you tugged off your tank top, too, tossing it behind you and onto the other clothing before you sat down on one of the larger rocks, unlacing your boots one at a time. “Thought you’d be wearin’ more layers.” He finally spoke as you removed your socks, balling them up and stuffing them into the sleeve of your jacket. “It’s cold out here, and -”

“I have another shirt in my bag, but it hasn’t been that cold, Joel.” Looking up at him, you smiled. “I can guarantee that you’re not wearing anything more than I am, so I don’t … I don’t know what point you’re trying to make here.” He grumbled at your words, barely concealing a smile, and when you stood again, easing your jeans down and over your hips, you watched as he stared at you, the man’s tongue dragging slowly over his lower lip. I love it when he looks at me like that. 

Making sure your jeans weren’t trailing in the water, you stepped forward and groaned at the feeling of the warmth when you sunk your feet into it. “Warm?” His voice - low and deep from behind you - made you turn, Joel’s eyes focused on your face. “Looks like it.” 

“It is.” Stepping deeper into the pool, you were careful not to slip and fall, relishing the curve of the smooth stone beneath your feet. It had been two days since you’d removed your boots, and when you closed your eyes at the way it felt to wiggle your toes through the gently moving current, you didn’t bother stopping the sigh that escaped you. “It’s hot Joel. This is going to feel amazing.” 

Turning around when you reached the far side of the pool, you faced him again. You locked eyes before you lowered yourself into a sitting position, hands stretched out on either side of you for balance. Oh, this was a good idea.

The water came up to mid chest, and at the way it felt - the first time you’d truly been enveloped in so much warmth in nearly twenty years, you actually moaned, closing your eyes. Holy shit, this is… amazing. “I could watch you like this all day.” His voice forced your eyes open again, and you found that Joel was still standing in place, arms crossed over his chest. “Goddamn.” 

The need in his voice went straight to your belly, white-hot and focused. With a sigh, you stretched your legs out in front of you, keeping your attention on him. “You gonna give me something to watch, too?” 

He didn’t hesitate, unzipping his jacket and letting it drop to the ground next to his pack, his sweatshirt and undershirt following. Your eyes were drawn to the exposed skin of his upper body, shoulders dropping in another contented sigh at the sight of him. Doesn’t matter how many times I see him like this, it’s always better than the last. Joel dropped his hands to his sides and took a deep breath, holding it. 

You watched as he flexed his fingers, wrist moving back and forth a few times with nervous energy. Before Joel could speak, you beat him to it, lifting one hand and holding your palm out and toward him. “Bring the gun with you if it’ll make you feel better.” He visibly relaxed and nodded, reaching for his waistband and removing the firearm before setting it down on the rocks and undoing his belt and the button of his jeans. 

“This feels wrong.” He bent over, untying his boots and then using his right foot to anchor the left while he pulled it free. “Feels dangerous. It feels like -” 

“It feels like it’s going to be fine, Joel. No one’s going to sneak up on us. We didn’t even see tracks in the snow from people. We’re the only ones that have been anywhere near here since before it snowed last.” He lowered himself to the ground as you spoke, pulling his socks off and stuffing them into his boots before easing to his feet again, hands pausing at the waistband of his jeans. “C’mon, Miller. It’s nothing I haven’t seen before.” 

“Gimmie a minute.” He sighed, closing his eyes - and then pushed his pants down to his ankles in one smooth movement before stepping out of them and kicking them backwards. The denim joined the pile of other clothing he’d just removed and left him standing in front of you in only a threadbare pair of boxers, the elastic settled low on his hips. “If this ain’t warm, I -” 

Oh, it’s warm alright. He stopped speaking though, as soon as he dipped a single foot into the pool, his jaw dropping as your grin widened. 

You watched him relax - watched the way his posture loosened the deeper he got into the water, the man only opening his eyes when he twisted his body backwards to reach for his gun. 

But when he got to your side of the pool, reaching out to set the gun down atop a flat rock that was easily within reach, he closed them again as he turned his back to the river and sat down. The water wasn’t quite as deep where Joel was, and as you watched his torso disappear beneath the surface, the cotton of his underwear clinging to his thighs, you realized that it didn’t matter. Because this is probably the warmest thing he’s had in just as long.

Joel settled in and stayed quiet, jaw working as his breaths evened out - and you didn’t want to break the moment. 

Instead, you stared at him, watching as Joel slouched down in into the water, the liquid creeping further up his chest the more he stretched out. “Holy shit this feels good. Last time I was in water this warm was … shit, it was the shower I took the day of …” He trailed off, opening his eyes and looking over at you. The day of the outbreak. “Damn.” 

Your heart ached for him and for the look in his eyes - one of barely muted anguish - but it was gone only seconds later, replaced with an easy expression that you were much more used to. He wants to move past it? Ok. “Well it definitely wasn’t at your place in Jackson.” Giving him an exaggerated wince, you went on. “It would take a long time to boil enough water to fill up your tub.”

“Sorry that my 30 year old water heater can’t compete with this.” He lifted one hand, indicating your surroundings. “I’ll get right on that. Can’t have the princess gettin’ cold, or -” 

You interrupted him with a barking laugh, eyes squeezed shut and your head tilted back. After only a few seconds Joel’s laugh joined yours - and his hand shot out beneath the surface of the water, fingers encircling your wrist and pulling you forward. 

You realized what he was doing before he’d moved you far, and moments later you were tightly pressed against his side and chest, Joel releasing your wrist so that he could wind an arm around you. “What’s so damn funny?” He mumbled the words into your ear, his warm breath a shocking difference from the way the steam-filled air felt against your skin. “Are you laughing at me?” 

“I am.” You settled against the rocks, sighing. “Getting naked in the snow, calling me princess, making an actual joke… who are you and what have you done with Joel Miller?” You got a quiet chuckle in return, the man’s chest vibrating beneath your palm. When you tilted your head back and pressed your lips to the underside of his jaw, you went on. “I like you like this, Joel. I wish it could happen more.” 

“I do, too.” He tightened his arm around you, taking a long breath and holding it .”And maybe it can.” There was another pause and in confusion, you sat up straight, staring at him. What? “We’ve been in Jackson for what, almost four years?” 

It didn’t seem like that long - and at the same time, if felt like he’d been in your life forever, the time you’d spent in Jackson before he’d arrived a period of loneliness that grew hazier in your memories by the day. Four years. “Mhmm.” Rubbing your fingertips over the skin of the center of his chest, you nodded. 

“Four years is long enough to keep myself from believin’ it’s real.” He sighed, shifting next to you and sinking a few inches deeper into the water. “It feels… nice to laugh. I like not lookin’ over my shoulder every time I walk out of my house. Not worryin’ about Ellie all the time is … I mean I still worry, but…” He paused and then spoke again, voice low. “It’s not like when we were on the road, or when we first got to Jackson. I wish it all hadn’t happened like it did, but …” 

“Holding onto a secret like that … like those will wear you down quick, Joel. I get it.” Your fingertips traced over the front of his shoulder, following the divot in his skin from an old scar downward. “But what do you mean by saying that maybe it can happen?” 

“Maybe it’s time to stop punishin’ myself. For Nadine. For Sarah. For Tess. Salt Lake. Hell, even for Ellie. It ain’t fair to me and it sure as hell isn’t fair for you to have to -”

“Joel.” You sat up straight, your hand settled on his side. Waiting until he was looking at you, you took a deep breath before continuing. “This isn’t about what’s fair for me. I told you I wanted you no matter what, and however you’d let me have you, before I knew any of it, and I meant it. This is life now, and you -”

“Shouldn’t have to be.” He reached up with his right hand, the shattered glass on his watch catching the gradually fading sunlight. “I promised to do right by you, and I intend to keep that promise.” You already are. Drawing your lower lip back and between your teeth while you waited, you sighed. “I’m gong to try. Try real hard to stop overthinkin’ and worryin’ so much. Whatever time I… we have left, I’m gonna make the most of it.” 

He didn’t have to say any of it to you, and the fact that he was meant a great deal. He’s not saying it because he thinks I need to hear it, he’s saying it because he needs to make it real for himself. “If that means me getting to hear you laugh more, Joel?” Leaning in, you dragged your nose alongside his and nodded. “And see you smile more? Then good. That’s what I want, too.” He nodded, too, tilting his head enough to press his lips to yours. 

The steam rose around you, the gentle current of the water flowing over your legs and around your bodies. For long moments you and Joel stayed connected - the kiss lingering but not deepening, the movement of his mouth against yours purposeful as he kissed you thoroughly. 

You loved the moments like that with him - and were thankful that over the previous year and a half, they’d been coming more and more often - Joel’s affection for you more out in the open, though it was still mostly reserved for when you were behind closed doors or among friends. 

After telling you the truth about Salt Lake City, he was also gentler - almost more steadfast in the way he treated you. The days when he’d rebuffed your emotions and tried to ignore his, pushing you away whenever he got the chance had all but ended. And it’s… better this way. He’s better this way, even though it cost him so much. 

He still punished himself for what had happened - all the way back in Texas and as recently as with Ellie. But despite that, he’d stopped taking it out in the way he approached being with you and treating himself - and it was very apparent that deciding to make the effort had been a life-altering decision for him. 

You nipped at his lower lip and then pulled away, sighing. “You’re supposed to be relaxing, Joel. These pools are great for your muscles and circulation. The heat’s going to make it so that it doesn’t feel like we’ve been on horses for the last couple days.” 

“I am relaxin’.” Joel tilted his head back and rested it against the rocks behind him, turning slightly toward you. “But it’s kinda hard when you’re right here next to me.” 

“Well then.” You settled back, putting some distance between you and shrugging. “My apologies.” His lips twitched, the man’s smile brief, and then he nodded once and closed his eyes, chest rising and falling as he took in deep breaths. 

The significance of his closed eyes wasn’t lost on you. It was another instance of Joel trusting you to keep an eye out, of the man’s understanding that he was safe around you. And you are. I’d never let anything happen to you. 

You watched him for long moments, eyes on the way he looked in the water - the snowy expanse behind him along with the rushing sound of the river contrasting with how warm and cozy he looked, how quiet the rest of the world around you was. 

He had his left arm out of the water. That hand rested on the lip of the stacked rocks to keep his watch dry. Even though he occasionally tapped those fingers in a random pattern, low sighs escaping his lips, he didn’t speak and neither did you. 

Arguably, Joel needed the rest and comfort much more than you did. Sure, he’d suggested the walk to the springs for your benefit, you were glad he was enjoying it, too. Because he deserves good things. It was a nice break in your scouting mission, and despite the fact that you knew you couldn’t stay for long, you wanted him to enjoy the time that the two of you had in the bubbling pool. 

The water was warm - the steam and heat lulling you into a dazed comfort that made you press yourself back and against the rocks, eyelids drooping as you gazed over at the man next to you. Even the smell of sulfur dulled as the time passed and you got used to it, your deep breaths slowing as the water soothed your tired muscles.

His hand reached for you under the water after a few minutes, palm sliding over the back of it before he curved his fingers around yours and squeezed, thumb arcing over your palm. “Too bad these aren’t closer. We could come back.” 

“It’s not that far.” You sighed, rolling your shoulders back and opening your eyes, once again looking over at him. “But they’re so close to the actual river, once this snow melts and the water level rises, they’ll be almost impossible to find.” Reaching up, you scratched at the side of your neck. “Might be easier to find a hot tub and hook it up in your back yard, to be honest.” 

He scoffed at that and you smiled, eyes locked on the way a bead of water looked as it ran down his neck and over his scarred chest before it disappeared into the water, leaving a glistening trail in its wake. His hair was curling against the back of his neck, the steam dampening the ends of it and darkening them at the same time, the growing amount of silvery gray bright against the darker strands. “You’re starin’.” 

“I am.” The response was immediate, your free hand moving slowly through the water - back and forth, fingers dragging over the shapes of the rocks and pebbles beneath it. “Can you blame me?” 

“Can’t blame you, but I still don’t …” He groaned, his left hand curling into a loose fist. “Still don’t understand it sometimes.” Of course you don’t. 

“You don’t have to understand, Joel.” Shifting onto your knees, you moved closer and pulled your hand free from his, cupping both of them together beneath the water and filling them. “You’ve just gotta let me do it.” His jaw pulled tight beneath his beard, the man nodding once as you lifted your hands and reached out, letting the water flow over his shoulder and chest. “Wish this was deeper. The air is cold.” 

He dropped his gaze from your face to your chest, his eyes lingering there. When you glanced down, you saw that your bra was entirely see-through, nipples still stiff and visible through the soaked material. “I can see that.” He smiled - a tiny one that turned into a grin, Joel’s hands reaching for you - one wet, one dry - as he pulled you closer. “Lemme warm you up.” 

It wasn’t quite comfortable to kneel on the rocks, but once you were straddling his lap and had settled your weight on his outstretched legs, it was better, your arms both winding around his neck as one of his moved to your waist, the other hand pressed against the back of your shoulder. “What’re you doing, Miller?” Threading your fingers through his hair and then dragging your nails along his scalp, you waited. 

The air was still around you again, the only sound the moving water. For long moments you let yourself believe that you and Joel were on vacation - that the two of you would stand up and grab fluffy towels and walk a short distance back to a hotel where you’d hop in the shower, rinse off and then spend the rest of the night in a warm, comfortable bed, the TV playing some cable reruns in the background. 

And it was easy - or at least easier than you’d thought it would be to let your mind go to that place, especially with the way Joel looked at you. His dark eyes were sharp under the heavy set of his brow, the man’s attention entirely on you, like it had been for so long. “I’m relaxin’.” He cleared his throat, the warmth of his palm on your back anchoring you to the spot. “As much as I can with you sittin’ on my lap, anyway.” 

That made you laugh, your head tossed back as your grip on his hair tightened. “You’re the one that made it happen.” He mumbled a few words that sounded suspiciously like “I know I did”, and when you looked back at him, you found that his smile was gone, his lips set into a determined line. “Now you’re staring.” 

“Sorry.” He wasn’t, and you both knew it, but instead of replying, you leaned in, resting your forehead against Joel’s, eyes closing slowly as you took a deep breath. “When do you want to go back?” Never. “We should probably think about headin’ there before it gets real dark. The road’s easy enough to follow, but I still don’t want to be slippin’ around on the ice.” 

“Whenever you want, Joel.” Angling your head so that you you kiss his cheek, you nodded. “Just tell me when you’re ready.” 

You weren’t looking forward to getting dressed again, or to getting out of the water and exposing your skin to the late-winter air, but you knew that you had to. And we’ll get back and light the fire, and - “We can stay here a little while longer.” He spoke into your ear, his hold on you tightening. “Just a couple minutes.” 

Relief flooded through you and you went limp in his arms, shifting so that you could lower your head and lay it against his shoulder. One hand slid down and then stopped on his bicep, the other moving beneath his opposite arm to curl around his back.

Your fingertips found and followed the length of a scar there, the raised skin a part of his body that you’d previously mapped over and over. But I’ll always do it again. It was just another piece of his history that made him Joel, and something that you would have been able to identify by touch with no questions asked. Something else to love.

He relaxed beneath you, but you felt his muscles go taut as he tilted his chin up again, the back of his head pressed against the rocks and exposing the column on his throat to the open air. At that, you opened your eyes fully, immediately zeroing in on the freckles there - tiny spots littering his tanned skin like a faint splatter of paint. 

He had them all over, but the ones on his neck were your favorites. Just like you had so many times before, you couldn’t stop yourself from leaning in and pressing your lips to them, a smile curving the corners of your mouth upward at his intake of breath.

“Don’t start somethin’ you can’t finish.” Humming out a quiet laugh, you let your lips slide over his damp skin, parting them enough to let the edges of your teeth graze over the corded muscle on the side of his throat. He groaned at that, his grip on you tightening and the sound of your name escaping his lips. “C’mon, that ain’t fair.” We could make it fair.

You had one shot to convince him that you could continue, that the risk was truly low enough that it was outweighed by the benefits of following through on your actions. And I know just how to do it. 

“What if I let you finish?” Kissing his collarbone, you shivered as he began to circle over your skin with his thumbs, Joel’s hips shifting beneath you. “Let you decide.” He swore again, the hand on your back sliding down so that it could rest against the band of your bra, fingers splayed to cover as much skin as possible. 

There were times when he let you lead, no problem, Joel following your cues like he’d been doing it for decades. 

There were others when things were equal, choices made in the moment and based on everything that was happening between the two of you. 

But if anything else was going to happen that day, Joel had to be the one to lead. He needed to make the decision that it was safe, that he felt comfortable enough to let things progress - to lose yourselves in each other.

So what’s it going to be? You kissed along the line of his jaw, the man’s damp beard wiry against your lips. What’s he going to decide? Straightening up, you cocked your head to the right. “Hmm? We’re going to have to head back soon, so you’ve gotta pick fast.”

“We do this,” he started, nostrils flaring as his breaths quickened. “We do this and we’re gonna have to be quick, alright? This ain’t… it’s not like we’re at home.” You saw the desire in his eyes, the heat in them warmer than the water you were sitting in. But you also saw the twitch in his jaw, the man fighting with himself at the idea of what he was on the borderline of agreeing to. 

“I know.” Releasing his curls, you nodded, one hand sliding over his cheek to cup it, that thumb moving slowly over his lips. “I know we’re not at home. But…” You trailed off, not breaking eye contact as you used your tongue to wet your lips. “But that doesn’t mean we have to rush.” He groaned as you pressed on the fullest part of his lower lip, his eyes closing halfway. “How many times have you told me that if you’re gonna do something, you should take the time to do it right?” 

“Prob’ly every damn time.” Eyes opening again, Joel looked back up at you, the steam from the pool you were sitting in gathering on the skin of his cheeks and dampening his beard further. “So I guess I should follow my own advice.” He took his hands off of you for long enough to remove his watch, undoing the band before setting the device carefully next to his gun. He paused for a few seconds and then returned his hands to you, the man’s fingers trailing lightly over your shoulders and upper back.

You didn’t want to speak and risk ruining the moment, so you just nodded slowly, keeping your eyes on him. Joel’s hand dropped further, his thumb sliding beneath the band at the center of your back. In one motion, it came undone, his lips twitching as he fought back a smile at your surprised gasp when the sodden material loosened. “Joel.” 

“Lean back.” His voice low, there was no room for argument with the words. You did as he asked, moving one hand down so you were holding onto the back of his neck and keeping the other on his arm, fingers curving around his shoulder. 

He looked down and you watched his gaze as it traveled from your face to your chest, the man’s tongue dragging over his lower lip the same way your thumb had only moments before. What’s he going to - You found out soon enough, Joel’s head dropping as he leaned forward, his mouth landing first on your collarbone and then moving down, the hand he’d had on your waist sliding up your side. 

He pushed your bra up, his palm covering one side of your chest, and when you gasped he groaned, his thumb arcing over your nipple, the warmth of his skin shocking against the chilled peak. 

Shamelessly, you pushed your chest out, Joel understanding immediately what you wanted and continuing to work his way down your body. When he reached your other breast, he didn’t bother moving the material out of the way, his lips sealing over the peaked nipple and sucking, the pressure a welcome surprise. He flicked his tongue over it then, combining that with the flex of his fingers on the other side of you, squeezing the muscle there. 

You knew that you should have kept your eyes open and on the opposite side of the river, but you couldn’t. You closed them and let yourself get lost in the feeling of him beneath and in front of you. If he was worried, he wouldn’t be doing this. The thought comforted you and so you let yourself relax, fingers stroking the back of Joel’s neck as he continued to mouth at your chest. 

You inched forward on his lap, feeling him between your legs as you settled on his upper thighs. When Joel’s hips jerked at the contact you hummed, smiling. I can work with that. Letting go of his arm, you reached between your bodies and nudged your fingers into the slit of his underwear. The man jerked again at your actual touch, and when you pulled him free, fingers wrapped around his base, Joel backed off, staring up at you. “That’s what you want?” 

“It is.” You stroked him a few times, the feeling different than anything you’d ever done before because of the water. “Always want you, Joel. You know that.” 

His hair hung over his eye, and without pausing the motion of your hand, you released his neck and reached up with the other one, dragging your fingers through it and pushing it away from his forehead. His hand was still on your chest, the man slowly kneading at your flesh. This is it. The last time we can put a stop to this. The final… our final off ramp. 

“Good.” He nearly growled the word, surging forward and surprising you when he released your chest and reached for your neck, gripping it and holding you in place. He pressed his forehead to yours, the man saying your name so softly it was almost a sigh. 

And then you were kissing him again, Joel wasting no time in urging your lips apart with his tongue. You shifted your hips, changing your grip on him. When Joel bit down on your lip, the sting of his teeth hot in the cold air, you squeezed, his hips jumping up and forcing himself even deeper into your hand. 

“Can’t…” He groaned, kissing you quickly. “Can’t reach you like this. Got no room.” You gave him two more strokes before you replied, sighing as you moved your lips toward his ear. 

“Want me to get up?” Taking the lobe between your teeth, you smiled when he nuzzled against the side of your neck, his lips pressed to the place where it connected to your shoulder. “Make it easier?”

“No, I want you to move backwards.” He pushed you away gently, forcing you to release his ear and sit up. “Woulda done it myself, but I didn’t want to scrape your knees on these rocks.” He raised an eyebrow, the look in his eyes changing with every word coming out of his mouth. “How ‘bout it?”

You didn’t speak before moving. Cautiously, you backed away from Joel, the grit of the rocks and sand beneath your knees present but not uncomfortable. You didn’t let him go, either, your eyes dropping for long enough to watch as your hand moved beneath he bubbling surface of the water. 

For a few moments, you wondered if what you were doing was a good idea, and then you looked past Joel and at the river and the water rushing by. Beyond that, the foothills and white-coated landscape stretched on to the horizon. We’d see anything or anyone coming. We’d see it all. 

Sighing as you leaned in, you continued to stroke him beneath the water, fingers flexing as you paused between each motion. You braced yourself on his shoulder with your other hand and pressed a kiss to his cheek before ducking your tilted head down. He moved both hands to your hips, steadying you - and when you made contact with his skin again, it was to kiss his jaw, your lips lingering for long seconds. 

“It’s alright. I’ve got you. Always got you.” His voice a low rumble in your ear, you felt him nod. “We’re safe.” 

That confirmation was all you needed, and you continued to mouth over his skin, leaving kisses over the taut column of his throat. 

Despite the chill in the air, the man’s skin was blazing hot, and when you backed off enough to look at him, you let yourself stare, eyes locking with his for a few seconds before dropping down to his mouth and then to his chest, one thumb arcing slowly over the large scar on the front of his shoulder. 

The steam was beading heavily on his skin, and your eyes followed a few of the droplets that got too large to stay in one place before they ran slowly down his chest. Your lips curved upward as you caught sight of a few more, and then you leaned in, parting them and extending your tongue to lap at the moisture, dragging the muscle over the man’s skin as he tensed beneath you. “What the -” 

He tightened his hold on your hips but didn’t move his hands until you hummed quietly, licking your way up and over his clavicle before following the line of it to the hollow at the center of his throat. Joel’s groan vibrated against your tongue and when you felt his skin pull upward, you couldn’t keep the grin on your face at bay. 

He was exposing his throat to you again - Joel’s fingers digging into the meat of your hips as he rested the back of his head against the rock behind him for a second time. You took advantage of it, teeth grazing over every inch of him until you said his name again, imploring him to look at you. 

Joel locked eyes with you only a few moments later, one large hand rising and cradling your cheek, the tip of his thumb moving slowly beneath your eye. You leaned into his touch, still stroking him from root to tip without breaking stride. “Please, Joel. Right now.” 

Typically, that would have been when he snuck a hand between your legs, using at least one of his thick fingers to open you up. It would have been when he batted your hand away and pushed you to lay back on the bed so that he could kiss his way down your body and settle himself at the apex of your thighs; his lips and tongue and the ridge of his nose sending you sailing over the edge at least once before he even thought about burying himself in your heat. 

But that day, you didn’t want any of that. You wanted him - wanted him to take you without delay, wanted to him to worry only about himself and what he wanted and needed before he worried about you. He won’t, not completely, but… 

“I’ll hurt you.” He frowned, looking down briefly. “Haven’t even touched you yet.” 

“Maybe.” You paused your hand’s movement, circling his slit with your thumb. “We’re in the water, Joel. It’s not going to be like normal no matter what you do.” His surprise was evident, both of the man’s brows shooting up. “I’m ready to go if you are, and …” You looked down, too, watching the movement of your hand as you resumed it. “And you feel like you’re ready.” 

“Been ready, darlin’.” His voice dropped lower than usual, and at the endearment’s use, it was your turn to gasp, your head rising again to meet his gaze. “Oh, I think you liked that.” He smirked, his thumb sliding over to trail over your lips. “Gonna have to remember that one.” 

“I did.” Without breaking eye contact, you rose onto your knees and then moved forward again. “Please do.” He nodded, the hand at your waist moving inward and hooking beneath the elastic of your underwear, easing it to the side, Should have taken that off before. “I’m gonna go slow, alright?” Joel’s hand moved from your face to slide down your arm, pausing at your elbow.

“Whatever you need.” He licked his lips and then flexed his wrist, his knuckles brushing over you briefly. Your hips bucked forward at the touch and you saw the gleam in his eyes, the man barely containing his amusement. You know what you do to me. Don’t pretend like you don’t. 

You aligned your body with his, glancing down long enough to make sure that the position would work. We’re good. We’re… Widening the spread of your legs, you felt the gravel biting into your knees as you sunk lower, the sting of the tiny rocks replaced by the slight discomfort of Joel inching his way into you. 

It was a stretch - moreso than usual - and even though you hissed at the feeling, you kept going, closing your eyes and then tipping your head back. Another quiet whimper escaped when he was as deep as he could go, but that was cut short when you felt his lips on your neck, the man’s beard tickling everywhere it touched. “You feel good,” he mumbled, lips puckering against your skin. “Always do, but especially like this.” 

Praise from Joel was something that you hoarded in your memories. The words from his lips were ones that you always longed to hear, especially when it came to the way that you made him feel - and what he said that day was no exception. 

You wound both arms around his neck, and when he raised his head again, you nodded. “You do, too.” It was barely there and then it was gone; the smirk on his lips replaced with a contented look that you knew well. “Even when I have to do all the work.” 

You began to move before he could react, a slow roll of your hips only pulling you back and forth a few inches at a time, but it was enough to get you started. He repositioned his hands on your body, fingers spread wide to cover as much of your waist and lower back as possible - and then Joel curled them inward, his grip grounding. 

But he also used it to guide you, encouraging the angle of your movement. He paired his hold with small, shallow thrusts of his own hips, the man pushing them forward to meet yours - over and over, his eyes locked on yours and never wavering aside from his need to blink. 

“Never done this in the water before,” you groaned after a few minutes, the pain completely gone and replaced with only a feeling of fullness as your bodies moved together. “It feels…”

“Different.” He grunted out the word, holding you in place. “Air’s kinda cold, though.” You chuckled at that but nodded in agreement, leaning in and kissing Joel deeply, the man’s response immediate. 

“Then warm us up, Joel.” Speaking against his lips, you closed your eyes again. “I know you can.” He took instruction incredibly well, and soon you and Joel fell into a comfortable rhythm. Aside from the added warmth of the water and the grit of the spring’s floor below, it was no different from the other times you’d been with each other in a similar position. 

The cold kept you alert though, the breeze chilling the droplets of water on your upper body. It gave you focus - ears attuned to the sounds Joel made; tiny grunts with each snap of his hips, the goan that stuck in his throat when you sunk all the way down and circled your hips against the short, coarse hair at his base. 

“Tell me what you need.” He sighed the words into your ear, one hand still resting on your back beneath the surface of the water and the other flat between your shoulder blades. You rocked against him a few more times as you contemplated his words. A couple things, but … 

Slowly and without breaking your rhythm, you slid your hand down and over Joel’s arm, moving it until your hand was atop his. Fingers curling around his wrist, you tugged it between your bodies. When you backed away enough to look into his eyes, you nodded twice, taking a deep breath. “Angle’s no good without you touching me, Joel.” 

You released his wrist, still staring at him - and then Joel spoke. “Stop movin’.” You froze, one hand resting on his thigh. Is everything alright? Are we - “When we get back to that old rest area?” You nodded, the ends of your fingers running through the damp hair at the nape of his neck. “I’m gonna drag one of those mattresses down the stairs and show you a good angle.” 

Biting back the response you wanted to give him, you nodded and settled for a quiet hum. “Alright.” You rolled your hips, laser-focused on the way Joel responded - the tic of his jaw, the hand on your shoulders sliding down more than a few inches. “Want me to get off of -”

“No. But I’m gonna get you off.” He leaned closer, mouth landing on yours. “And we’re gonna go from there.” 

As he kissed you, the man’s tongue sliding over your lower lip and then past it to meet yours, Joel began to touch you too, the pad of his thumb seeking and finding its target with no difficulty, despite the odd angle and the presence of the soaked fabric of your underwear. He moved it in slow, small circles, the kiss continuing as you began to move again, too, rising enough to feel the drag of him through you on your retreat and a push into you with each downward motion. 

There was more pain as you dug your knees into the grit beneath them, bearing down on the man. But you ignored it, the building heat in your belly occupying almost all of your thoughts. 

He knew just how to touch you, had learned your body almost as well as you knew it yourself in the time that you’d known each other. And I’m so goddamn thankful for that. You broke the kiss, tilting your head downward to watch where your bodies connected through the water you sat in, the clear liquid swirling slowly around your legs. 

It was usually a chain reaction - when one of you came, the other followed suit, but part of you believed that Joel wouldn’t give himself the chance to finish in the water, instead preferring to bring you to and over the edge and deny himself until you were back inside for the night. But that’s not what I want. 

You sped up as much as you could, clenching around him when you paused before rising each time, and that seemed to do the trick. Joel grunted and reversed the direction his thumb was moving in. He increased the pressure and you nodded as you turned your head toward his neck, mouthing at the skin there. “Keep going, Joel.” You closed your eyes, focusing on him. “Please.” 

The hand on your back moved lower, following the line of your spine until just before it reached the water and then stopped, his roughened fingertips replaced with the edges of his nails - and when he dug those in, he thrust upward at the same time he switched from his thumb to two fingers, the added pressure immediately working to make you come. 

You cried out, his name the only word you could think of, the sound of it carrying away from you and far across the barren landscape. Instead of stopping what he was doing, Joel continued, prolonging your pleasure with his hand and body. 

You bit down on his shoulder, the motion of your body stuttering as you rode out your climax - but when Joel attempted to slow down, you didn’t let him. “No, Joel.” Tonguing at his ear, you took the lobe between your teeth and tugged. “Don’t you dare make me do this alone.” 

The aftershocks of your orgasm urged him in deeper as your muscles contracted around him, and you reached backward, behind your body with one hand, continuing to roll your hips. Bracing yourself on his thigh, you leaned back, taking a deep breath. 

You rolled your hips over and over as you wound your arm around his neck, and Joel did his part to hold you up - one arm firmly around your shoulders, the other one pressed to the center of your back. His hand supported your head as you kept it upright, heavy lidded eyes focused on his face. 

Squeezing for balance, you used your legs to lift yourself higher. The change in position gave him more room to move and the warmth of the water made the odd angle feel better, even as you slipped on the surface beneath you. Ah, shit. You regained your balance thanks to the tightening of his fingers against your back and your not-so-gentle tug on the hair at the nape of his neck. “C’mon, Joel. You’re close.” Humming as you met one of his shallow thrusts, you nodded. “I can feel it. Let me feel everything. Please.” 

He grunted again, nodding. You let go of his leg and straightened back upright, increasing your pace as you moved up and down. It took him by surprise but Joel matched you thrust for thrust after only a few moments, his bearded chin pressed against your shoulder as his chest rose and fell, each motion a mirror of your own. “Oh, shit.” He swore, hips bucking upward twice in quick succession, surprising you and forcing you all the way down, your oversensitive skin grinding against his base. “Oh, shit, I…” 

The man’s nails dug into your skin, and you were almost certain that you’d have visible marks once he let go - but you didn’t care. “That’s it.” Speaking quietly into his ear, you nodded, your cheek pressed to his. “Right there, Joel. Give me everything. Give it all, I want -” 

He came with a lurch of his body, the water splashing as his knee broke the surface when it jerked upward. 

Even though the water was already warm, you felt him filling you, the man’s hips bucking in short, quick bursts and he emptied himself inside of your body. He spoke while he did it, the words mostly unintelligible, though you caught a few as you tried to focus on anything but your heart pounding in your ears and how harsh your breathing was.

“Nobody else.” He shuddered the words out, still holding you tightly. “Nobody else has ever -” 

“Made you come in a natural hot spring? Yeah, I can say the same.” You interrupted, needing to break the tension. 

It wasn’t that you didn’t want to hear him say things like that to you - because you’d waited your entire adult life for someone to love you enough to mean it. It wasn’t even that it was the wrong place for it. The wide open expanse of Wyoming’s sprawling landscape provided the perfect backdrop for a man like Joel to bare his soul. But if he keeps talking like that, we’ll get carried away, and it’ll get dark, and …  

Tugging on his hair, you eased his head upright, waiting to see what the look in his eyes was before you decided what to do next. “That too.” He was gawking at you, the day’s lay rays of sun turning his irises a warm brown. “But -” Oh, Joel. 

“Yeah.” Nodding, you leaned in. “I know. Nobody.” That kiss started slow, building as he softened inside of you. The steam from the spring curled around you while Joel pulled you even closer, wrapping both of you in a warm blanket that helped to mask the chill of the air. I wish we could stay right here.

You were chest to chest, no space between your bodies, and as he moved to deepen the kiss, you let him. The last one. Then we have to go back. But he prolonged it, pulling away enough to take in a break and then he kissed you again, your fingers relaxing in the damp strands of his hair as his touch turned less possessive and more reverent, the way things so often did between you. 

“We have to go back.” He finally broke away, his thinly-veiled disappointment not at all a surprise to you. “It’s gonna be dark soon, and it’ll get real cold.” Wordlessly, you backed away, knees dragging over the tiny stones as you eased off of him. “There’s an extra blanket in my bag. Not real thick, but it’ll dry us off.” 

Shivering as you rose from the water to stand upright, you appreciated his thoughtfulness. Brushing the pebbles and silt from the skin of your legs, you turned for his bag, knowing full well that Joel was staring at your almost-nude form. Let him. Because I’m gonna stare at him, too. 

Removing your underwear so that it didn’t soak your jeans, you dried off as quickly as possible, pulling your layers back on as Joel began splashing in the water behind you. “What a view.” He stepped behind you, resting his chin on your shoulder even though he kept his wet body away from your mostly dry one. “And I ain’t talkin’ about the Rockies.” It made you warm all over, but before you could turn around and tell him, he was gone, the man hissing as he stepped on a large rock. “That’s what I fuckin’ get, hmm?” 

You laughed despite yourself, turning and handing him the blanket, though you were sure to get an eyeful before he started drying his skin. “I agree with you on the view.” Zipping your coat, you finally looked up, meeting his eyes. “It’s excellent out here.” 

He grumbled but you saw the red rising in his cheeks as he pulled his underwear off, too. The man let it drop onto the rocks next to yours, turning his attention to his legs. “You’re fulla shit.” It still stunned you sometimes, just how far Joel had come in the years he’d spent in Jackson. If anyone had told you that the man you’d met for the first time at Tommy and Maria’s dinner table that refused to speak to you for most of the night would have turned into the man standing before you, you would have called them a liar. But I’d be the liar. Because he’s… 

Joel bent to pull his jeans on, the faded denim sliding up and over his muscular legs, and you paused again, tongue poking out between your lips. Fuck. He’s so… “You definitely didn’t grow up in Texas.” Raising a brow, he ran one hand through his hair, slicking it back. “Because apparently no one ever told you it ain’t polite to stare.” 

“You had no problem looking at me a couple minutes ago.” It’s not even a question. One hand on your hip, you shook your head. “So deal with it.” 

Joel only laughed in return, propping his feet up one by one on a small boulder to lace up his boots, and you followed suit. “It took us what, an hour to get here?” You nodded, zipping your wet clothes into a smaller bag before stuffing it into your pack. “Let’s beat that going back.” 

“Fine by me.” You stepped past him, bending over and reaching one hand back into the water. He didn’t question you, but you felt his eyes on you as you thumbed through the rocks on the bottom of the pool, finding two - a smooth black stone threaded with silver and one that you were almost positive was jade - and then slipping them into the front zip pocket of your bag. 

“Since when are you a rock collector?” Joel finally spoke a few minutes later as the two of you made your way back toward the road. “And what’re you gonna do with ‘em?” 

“I’m not. Usually, anyway.” You fell into step side by side, eyes sweeping the land in front of you. “Today’s special.” He hummed in agreement but didn’t press the issue - so you continued. “But you’d be surprised at what you can find in the water around here. Tommy actually found a giant diamond a couple years after he got here while he was out on patrol while they were watering the horses, and couldn’t get back fast enough to give it to Maria.” 

Joel laughed, briefly turning his head to look at you. “Sounds like Tommy, alright.” 

“They’re all worthless now, and there’s so much damn jewelry in the stores that you can have pretty much whatever you want, but … it’s still fun.” You scanned the horizon, staying on high alert thanks to the adrenaline still rushing through your body. “The kids pan in Flat Creek sometimes, but that’s mostly just rocks. I guess … I don’t know, Joel. I just wanted to remember today.” 

He didn’t respond right away, the two of you continuing back toward the horses and the rest stop - but when Joel finally spoke, his tone of voice was matter of fact. “We’ll put ‘em on the shelf in the hallway, with all my carvings? If you want.” 

We’ll see them every time we come in or leave. “Yeah, Joel.” You nudged him with your arm, unwilling to take your hands out of your pockets. “Sounds good.” 

— 

Later that night, the two of you were tucked next to each other on the mattress, a small fire burning a few feet away. He’d blocked both doors from the inside, and the creaky building was almost cozy. Especially with him right there. 

He’d made good on his promise as soon as he was satisfied with the evening lockdown and the two of you had eaten. Joel pressed your naked body into the thin bedding, the angle - as he’d said it would be - a good one. 

As the flames flickered, you stared up at the ceiling. “Joel?” He hummed from beside you, turning his head. “I think you should go to the dance. Ellie’s going to be there, and even if the two of you don’t talk, you’ll still be able to see her having a good time.” He didn’t say anything right away, and for a few seconds, you thought you’d overstepped. But he should go. He should know. “She actually asked about you the other day.” 

“What? Why didn’t you day something?” He rolled to face you, brows knit together. “What did she -” I didn’t want to get your hopes up.

“She asked if you were alright. Said you seem off lately, and that Tommy told her to get her shit together instead of… this.” You reached over, tracing over the scar on his nose. “I told her you were OK and reminded her that I don’t want to be the middleman forever.” Giving him a quick smile, you closed your eyes. “She looked a little guilty, so I dropped it. I wish the two of you were talking, but it’s … it’s not my decision when she -”

“It’s not. It’s hers. Thank you for tellin’ me.” He reached over, pulling you closer. “Even if she’s not talkin’ to me, I’m glad she’s got you.” You were, too. The circle of people that knew her secret - and Joel’s part in keeping it and keeping her alive was limited to five in Jackson. And since she’s not talking to Joel right now, there’s only three people she can trust. “I’m glad she didn’t push you away becausea you an’ me.” 

“I wouldn’t have let her.” You wrinkled your nose. “I know she’s stubborn, but … after spending a year on the road with you and living with you for two more, I’d be surprised if she wasn’t.” He laughed at that and the corners of his eyes crinkled as the sound filled the room, warming it up almost more than the fire. “She’s got a limit, though, Joel. And I think she’s getting close. So you should be ready, just in case she -”

“I’ve been ready.” He stopped laughing, taking and holding a deep breath. “Been ready since the day we got back from Salt Lake for the second time, if I’m bein’ honest.” You knew that he was serious, but you also knew how much he loved the girl. And that’s why he’s been so patient about this even though it’s killing him. 

Joel didn’t say anything else and neither did you, the sound of crackling logs and quiet whinnying from the horses creating the perfect background noise. You wondered what he was thinking - if his thoughts were about Ellie or Tommy, if they were focused on you, or on the fact that your patrol had been the second one in two months to turn up no sign of anyone, despite the distress calls. Maybe a little bit of everything. 

You weren’t taking turns sleeping that night. Joel had deemed it safe enough for both of you to rest at the same time - and so you let yourself doze, your head drooping forward to rest against the broad expanse of his chest. He smelled like the outdoors - the mountain air set deep into the material of his jacket, and that made you even sleepier - but Joel’s voice brought you back to full consciousness, the man sighing out your name. 

You opened your eyes so see his face inches from yours on the balled up material you were using as pillows. He looks … nervous. “Yeah, Joel?” 

“I haven’t done this in a while, so forgive me if I’m a little rusty, but …” His hand moved from your side up, Joel’s warm fingers trailing over the skin of your throat before he ran his knuckles gently over your cheek, the firelight flickering deep in his eyes. “Can I interest you in bein’ my date to the Spring dance?” 

—

 tag list coming soon!

[fourtyfourcatss]

୨⎯ "for @immagirlfailure " ⎯୧

✑ from what i’ve read from you, you seem like the type who wants to fit in for your securities but you also have the want to be out of the ordinary — so you show this in more inconspicuous ways. i can tell you want to make good impressions on people too. in no way am i judging you of course! this helps with my matchups. alongside all of that, and the information you have sent me, these are who I have picked for you!

GINTAMA ✑ TATSUMA SAKAMOTO

✑ this man right here will make you feel so special, and so right to yourself. he’s the type of person who sees you at your worst and most vulnerable — and the first thing he does is wind his arms around you and whispering tenderly into your ear, “are you ok, love?” and he rubs your arms and embraces you whole for who you are truly. he’s compassionate, extremely so, even though its hidden behind many of his other words and actions. thats why, i think he will be able to nestle deep into your heart and let you release your laughs <3

✑ tatsuma is very goofy and silly yes, he wants to enjoy life and what it has to offer with you by his side, the air around the two of you light but affectionate. but he is also he thinks you are truly someone endearing, someone worth the endearments. if you choose to stay on earth, it would sadden him greatly to not have you be at his side, but like the gentleman he is, he sees you off with a brave face and kisses at your hands and temple (and lips but sometimes hes so clingy with you that mutsu has to drag him before kiss 😞)

✑ he dresses up as a fucking penguin for halloween

✑ slowdancing at night with your voice as the music. it feels idyllic as he grasps your waist and the two of you sway to the music. sometimes it would be traditional western ballroom dancing for romanticism, and diluted movements so he can look at you. his gaze is very intense and tender during this time, his hold heavy, and you really start to think, “is he really not in condition to hold a sword?” from how he grasps your waist. he is one of the joui four. he’ll sweep you away with his words and expressions on his every action.

✑ as a trading company, politics and mingling is very important! he will be counting on your assistance, since you seem well versed with banquets and the like.

✑ if you do go with him, you share a large bedroom with him and your own private study for reading. he’ll stock you with all you need and more ❤︎₊ ⊹

TWST ✑ JADE LEECH

✑ eccentric? jade is a man well abled dealing with whatever ails you; be it physical or whatnot. he is very intrigued by your tastes and attitude, making a point to tap you on the shoulder and peering down at you. he’s too fucking tall compared to you, and delights in lightly teasing you regarding it since you made a point to bring it up. you trying to make this happen constantly or something? 😭 floyd talks enough with that constant reminder of shrimpy! almost nobody believes you when you tell them this courteous man likes to poke fun of you sometimes. he’s a very observant man you see; he sees right through you many times before you get a word in. he’s going to play dumb subtly and take advantage of your denseness at first, playing you off as a lady who has been raised in a well off family with a refined culture yet with a naivety that comes with being dense itself. ah, he finds it very interesting indeed! but as he warms up to you, the more tangled he is without even noticing. the definition of stepping onto your own trap, what a doofus he is sometimes

✑ penguins are very cute creatures yes, but did you know….moray eels are cooler?

✑ he gives you food when you visit the mostro lounge - discounted. even later on in your relationship he still makes you pay, though a very small amount. money needs to be earned and you are a customer all the same if you go to the lounge! however if you go to his dorm, that is another story. and then he brings you gifts and the like visiting your dorm, every date with a fresh banquet of flowers in his hands, and some tuna for grimm! despite that, he really, really isnt that good with animals. its the one thing he’s never been good at. is it because his hands are too rough when petting? or his eyes are too much like a predators? you’ll have to show him the right way to go about animal care

✑ procrastination? we cannot have this here. jade will show you The Way of efficiency while you can feel like you are flourishing - he’ll convince and give you the motivation that is needed to complete whatever matter you must. if help is needed, he would be of assistance!

ONMYOJI ✑ KIDOUMARU

✑ you are normal compared to this fucker right here. kidoumaru demonstrates to you how romantic genetics apparently passes down from father to son with how he acts around you. not a single day of rest comes by with this guy around, suddenly appearing from the shadows behind you and talking directly into your ears. life will never be boring with him around you for sure - your blend of optimism and realism is something that isnt easy to see in humans, and it fascinates him greatly.

✑ you can fix this man in particular. your relationship does not start off romantic in any sense at all - he probably kidnapped you whilst looking for something to entertain himself with and chose the human who had the most interesting gaze at the moment. thats you. he has this sadistic feeling knowing he’s stealing you away from your family, but at the same time, he can see that you are a person who seeks happiness - chasing it with a fervent that makes him smile. wait, smile?

✑ kidoumaru cannot see himself around someone gloomy or silently pained all the time — thats why someone vibrant like you is perfect for his company. many times he will internally fall into some solemn mood, and he lets himself rely on you for feeling more upbeat.

✑ he has a growing interest in zoology after learning your likes for it — more likely he digs fun facts out of you for them. especially if they are grotesque or weird or vulgar in some way, he particularly enjoys those. he never held much interest in worldly things, but you are the start of his further deepening interest in them.

✑ it will be hard being in a relationship with him. i do not think he would his deny adoration for you, no, quite the opposite. he falls into it headfirst out of curiosity, and is prepared to accept the consequences whatever it may be. hes not like other demons.

✑ picnics, lots and lots of them. just sitting under a tree in the evening, spring wind brushing the trees and sitting together.

[a/n]: i hope you enjoyed these matchups!! ive given you a lot of sadistic men, i hope youre fine with that. even read the descriptions and asks over and over while writing to get better ideas lol. i appreciate this exchange and i cant wait for mine!

[colleenmurphy]

"I dunno about you Helene but when I opted for the all inclusive package I didn't know that meant our husbands were piloting our private plane. Is he still dancing with the captain's hat on?"

Colleen cast a side long look her husband's way and then shook her head laughing before letting out a startled squawk as a tiny denim speedo hit her square between the eyes and landed in her lap. Her cheek flamed a shade of red usually reserved for fire trucks or city hydrants.

"I hope you have a room 'cause you're not rooming with me!"

"Already booked the presidential! I'll leave a key at the desk for you my lovely lady."

A fumbling stumble and then a hushed hurried discussion.

"It's not funny gimme my pants, Joey. Did they pay you to do this?"

A tanned weathered face popped up from behind the cockpit curtain an embarrassed smile spreading as a pitchy voice requested his speedo as well as the remains of his dignity back.

"I seem to be having some technical difficulties in the clothing department so I'm going to have to ask for you to return the Captain's drawers back...please."

From somewhere in the cockpit next to a snickering copilot Joey Larsson saw a sight he never thought he'd have to. His wife's best friend's husband, virtually his brother in law for God's sake was try color. A deep tan from the outdoor work he did, white from the covered bits, and whatever wasn't tan or white was a deep scarlet shade of red.

"Hey Bruce...anyone ever tell you about a full body blush?"

[coldteaxspilledink]

Tied With a Silver Chain: Trade Winds verse

Bruce Miller x Colleen Murphy

"I plan on doing a lot of beach combing and crying at night under the stars smoking a shit ton of weed…and I know now that I'll be ok.."

Not once did she mention Dave. She didn't have to, she already knew how it was going down around their tiny town. He was probably holed up in his mother's basement only going out at night and taking a job over in Annis Island, looking for a place in Maine up near Derry. He's thinking of taking that care taker position for a writer's summer place on Dark Score Lake but he's waiting on a call back. He's regretting every second of it now and she's not. She was done a long time ago and now the excuses had run out. They were two completely different people then when they'd first met, Colleen had carried their relationship the entire time while he had Peter Pan-ned his way through life. She'd let him go about three years ago when she found out about Kelly, the dancer over at the Razzle Dazzle Room over the county line off the highway. Her time away from home became more and more frequent as she traveled for work, slowly building her family's fishing company around the trip state area then over to her family in Ireland. Jimmy would have been proud.

'You gotta tell the folks back home you're ok, Colly. They love you even though he didn't. David Sullivan's getting what he's got coming. Don't you worry. Just call Helene.'

Anchoring herself off in Bermuda nearly a month since she'd stormed out away from home waters. She'd left long detailed notes for each of them, trying her very best to explain why she needed time to herself. She hoped they understood.

Except Sully. Fuck Sully.

Sighing she stared at the empty co captain's seat in the wheel room. Plopping down in the opposite one she lit her hand rolled cigarette and inhaled deeply. Cradling the satellite phone on her shoulder she double checked the windows to make sure she was completely enclosed. She wasn't about to give herself away by the smell to a curious local looking for the good stuff.

"It'll be just me and the boat and water. It's time for a change but I don't want you or your Dad or my mother to worry. I love you Helene and please don't worry, I'll be ok. Pinky promise and this joint's for you."

Leaving a noisy smacking childish kiss into the phone she hung up and cackled to herself. She was pretty much stocked for dry goods and the perishables were in cold storage and deep freeze in the galley. She hadn't had much of an appetite for food at the moment and good grief, she'd opened the her parents liquor cabinet and found a treasure trove of mixers and booze. She was set for a bit to get herself straight. Sully be damned. Gone was the Black Velvet and Diet Coke with a cherry, that was Sully's mother's Doreen's favorite drink. Not hers. Right now called for something different. Ice in a tall glass with light rum and ginger beer with an orange wheel. Out on the deck she sighed as she sat in a fisherman's chair. She was set for deep sea fishing and the poles weren't much these days, especially on an island like this. Perhaps she's offer her bartending services at some local dive for cash. Maybe she'd go back to Florida? She'd had a hell of a good time out there and she'd learned about herself. Something about how open it was had surprised and delighted her.

That bartender was a sweetheart, Bruce.. and you still owe him a fishing trip.

"Whatever I decide to do I'm going to do it and I'm going to be happy."

Somewhere overhead the stars twinkled as a large one streaked across the evening sky. Her favorite shade of red painted the sky, a true sailor's delight as her Dad used to say. The universe was giving her a sign to allow herself some happiness, some peace.

Raising up her drink she cranked the radio and smiled.

'Talk about perfect timing…'

Dave had gifted her a locket on their second Christmas together after they, or rather he, had decided to finally tell other people they were officially together. A Spanish sterling chain with a heavy locket containing a photo of them together posed for her nursing school graduation. He looked smug even back the and she looked like a ghost in her traditional nurse's uniform. All of that changed her and yet here she was, still bobbing along.

And my love is an anchor tied to you Tied with a silver chain

The necklace had begun to feel like an anchor around her neck, but at this moment it had never felt so heavy until right now. She hadn't had the heart to sell it and put that energy back out into the world. It felt unbearable now. Especially after feeling so alive after meeting Bruce. It was time for another change, she'd decided. Yanking off the chain with one good solid pull it gave with a satisfying snap as she hurled it overboard with a sigh. Her neck no longer ached and her shoulders felt loose for the first time in a decade.

"FUCK YOU, SULLY!"

Downing the rest of her drink she curled up below deck and fell asleep to the sound of the ocean lapping against the hull.

[elliespuns]

What songs do you associate with Joel and Ellie's relationship the most lyric-wise? I understand that there are so many songs to choose from lol, but the ones I can think of, especially from their respective POVs, are: "She is The Sunlight" by Trading Yesterday (Joel's POV), "The Story" from Brandi Carlile (Ellie's POV) and "Love You Blind" by BAILEN (a mix of both POVs depending on the verse). What about you?

First, let me say that "She Is the Sunlight" by Trading Yesterday is one of my most beloved songs. This is so Joel to Ellie. I worry I might not connect it to anything else from now on. Thank you for making me see this song this way.

Joel's POV:

Trading Yesterday - Fall Into You Oh, my child How I have longed For you to come home To where you belong All of your life if you could just see All of my joy when you are here with me

The Paper Kites - Arms My heart's no good 'Cause it's split in two What can I give that is all for you These arms are all I have But I'll hold you like I do love you

Red - Pieces Then I'll see your face I know I'm finally yours I find everything I thought I lost before You call my name I come to you in pieces So you can make me whole

Tyler Brown Williams - Never Stop My heart is yours You can have it all You showed me how Without looking down It's okay to fall

Ellie's POV:

Red - Hymn For the Missing Thought you were beside me But I reached and you were gone Sometimes I hear you calling From some lost and distant shore I hear you crying softly for the way it was before

College ft. Electric Youth - A Real Hero Against the grain of dystopic claims Not the thoughts your actions entertain And you have proved to be A real human being and a real hero

Lists - Haven Lea Out of sight, though never far from our thoughts. In my heart, you're on the shore With the waves at your feet, the wind in your hair And in my dreams, you're with the birds As they take to the skies and their song fills the air

Both POVs:

The Hope Arsenal - Dreams That Were Always Meant to Be The forest in summertime And fires when it's cold Spending time with you Never gets old

Okay, these are the most important songs that I connect to Ellie and Joel. I just love them so much it physically pains me (in a good way). Thank you for sharing your music, means a lot!

[lavenderfairiez]

Fair by Remy Zero - a Valgrace Analysis

The gist of it is Leo grappling/coming to terms with Jason's death.

Also a lot of my analyses and thinking when it comes to songs is very visual and I can't quite get it all into words so I did my best :)

VERSE 1:

"Hey, are you lonely? Has summer gone so slowly?"

Leo talking to Jason after he died, not knowing that he's dead. (This also fits into my hc that sometimes Leo will just like talk to himself, imagining that he's talking to Jason.)

"We found the ground and that damage was done"

Everything crashed and burned when Leo died to destroy Gaea, and then he and Jason never saw each other again.

"it's cold as you fade into the sun"

Leo feels cold for the first time, the sun is Apollo.

"Where'd you go? To me?"

Basically Leo asking himself why Jason had to die and why he couldn't come back to Leo.

VERSE 2:

"But you're alive! Well, it's only fallen frames, they told me"

Leo in denial about Jason's death. Fallen frames... Like frames of Jason's glasses?

"You stand out, it's so loud and so what if it is"

Leo remembering how Jason was like this bright light in the dark and always stood out to him.

"It's cold as you face into the wind"

Whenever Leo feels the wind or a breeze he feels cold and empty without Jason when previously the wind has always felt warm to him with Jason.

"Where'd it go to?"

Again, asking why

"Tonight the sun shall see it's light"

Jason telling Apollo to remember being human when he returns to Olympus.

CHORUS:

"So what if you catch me, where would we land?"

Basically, Leo falls for Jason, he catches Leo (in love)

"Somebody's life for taking his hands"

Jason's life, in trade for Leo coming back. Leo thinking he could outsmart the prophecy by dying and coming back to life to be with Jason.

"Sing to me hope as she's thrown on the sand"

All of Leo's hopes are gone.

"All of our work is rated again"

Judged based on their powers and defeating Gaea. How everyone was skeptical of Leo because of his fire powers except for Jason.

"Where to go?"

Leo feeling lost without Jason.

VERSE 3:

"And you were somehow the rain this thing could allow"

The storm of to storm or fire.

"I tried but it's all wrong"

Leo trying to move on but can't.

"You're so strong"

Leo thinking about Jason's superhuman strength, but also how he had to be strong emotionally and couldn't show weakness.

"And this life and work and choice took far too long"

Leo waiting too long to tell Jason how he feels and now Jason's gone.

"Where'd it go? Tonight the sun shall see it's light"

Same as before.

CHORUS: same

OUTRO:

"When I was sure you'd follow through"

Leo thinking Jason would come back to him.

"My world was turned to blue (so thin)"

His world is nothing without Jason.

"When you'd hide your songs would die, so I'd hide yours with mine"

Jason and Leo never talked about their feelings for each other and now they never will.

"And all my words were bound to fail"

Leo, speechless and heartbroken after Jason's death.

"I know you won't fail, see I can tell"

Jason could never fail Leo even in death.

So yeah that's pretty much it :) lemme know what you think

[muraenide]

Thread/Plot Wishlist

Updated as of 9/3/2024

Merfolk extinction (canon verse). A few years or a decade into the future, merfolk gradually come to the brink of extinction. The ones that remain either do not have the interest to produce offspring or refuse to. Jade gives up some of his genetic samples for the labs to produce copies or clones of himself as part of a trade. Eventually, he meets his "son" or someone else who happened to adopt him. || Status: Open

Floyd (canon verse, mid-chapter 7). Floyd develops a terminal illness that gives him a limited amount of time to live. Jade suddenly becomes incredibly interested in the spell used on Silver that preserved his youth, condition, and the state of his body for thousands of years and Briar Valley. || Status: Open

Hostage Situation (canon verse). As part of his plan to usurp King Triton, Antonio seizes the chance to have King Triton adopt Jade, then subsequently trades him with another prince from a rivaling kingdom and calls it "Friendship Exchange" but in truth, Jade's there to be a hostage. The princes and princesses in the rivaling kingdom were not fools themselves. Jade grew up being an object of discrimination and becomes twice the monster people think he is. || Status: In Discussion.

Vampire Hunter AU (modern verse). A time travel spell gone wrong caused Jade to be transmigrated into a time in the past where vampires existed in the victorian era. This leads to Jade joining the vampire hunter's guild, imposing as one, while he secretly captures vampires to conduct experiments on them and their blood in order to find a way back. || Status: Open

King of Gamblers (canon verse, post NRC graduation). In the heart of a bustling city on Earth, a mysterious casino sprung up to fame overnight. The owner was rumoured to be one of the merfolk, as well as several of his employees. They have been running the casino business for as long as half a decade and have never broken any rules, yet the amount of discourse surrounding it regarding its hidden identity as a hub for criminal activities has reached surreal levels. Jade Leech has always been cooperative with the police, offering them unconditional passes for introspection and searches, but the smile that accompanies his eyes whenever he watched them searching through his belongings suggested he knew more than he lets out. || Status: Open

The Eternal Engine AU (canon verse or independent verse, futuristic/sci-fi, actually a romance plot though it's possible to not be shippy between our muses). A thousand years from now, the world crumbles from the influences of mankind. Their actions have led to fatal climate changes and pushed nature to fight back, turning incredibly hostile. The new world is highly hostile against all former lifeforms, for all humans, merfolk, and beastmen. The Faes managed to withstand longer in the now seemingly eternal winter that blanketed the world, but there were still hostile particles in the wind that could be potentially fatal to a Fae over a long period. Almost 70% of the world's population has been wiped out. The numbers were close to 90% for non-human species. On the side, a once powerful organization decides to unite all living things who were still present and build a main facility amid the apocalyptic setting to sustain life on earth and at the same time, conduct experimentations on various living organisms to find a way to allow life to adapt to their current environment. Jade and Floyd were elected to be part of that research team. They created a large base next to the facility and placed various human beings/other species inside for specific experimentations while having complete control of its environment. The base was set up to mimic the last time in the past before Earth turned hostile, while scientists such as Jade and Floyd, who control the environments in the base would periodically release scheduled hostile changes and study how life forms react to it. One day Floyd got bored, and without Jade's knowledge, he created an NPC, Jacques Leech, based on Jade's personal data and released him into the stimulator. One of the test subjects somehow managed to fall in love with Jacques, before finding out that he's not real. The day when the experiment finally succeeds comes. The world moved towards rebuilding their homeland after the research facility was shut down and all test subjects were released. Jade runs into that test subject who falls in love with a stimulation of himself while being assigned to factions of people in charge of rebuilding the new world. Both are weirded out simultaneously and respectively by the real-life existence which Jacques is based off of, and someone who knows almost everything about himself who is otherwise a total stranger. || Status: Open

[lovesongbracket]

Reminder: Vote based on the song, not the artist or specific recording! The tracks referenced are the original artist, aside from a few rare cases where a cover is the most widely known.

Lyrics, videos, info, and notable covers under the cut. (Spotify playlist available in pinned post)

Call Me Maybe

Written By: Carly Rae Jepsen, Josh Ramsay & Tavish Crowe

Artist: Carly Rae Jepsen

Released: 2011

“Call Me Maybe” is a song by Canadian pop icon Carly Rae Jepsen. It initially served as the lead single for her original second studio album Curiosity, which was cut down to a 6 track EP just days before its release. After the immense success this song had, managing to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart the week of June 23rd, 2012; as well as being named “Song of the Summer” for that year by several publications, she embarked on a quick journey to make her second full-length studio album (and first worldwide release) Kiss, for which Call Me Maybe also served as the lead single. Lyrically, the song is about a crush. The writing is straightforward and visual, with lines such as “Ripped jeans, skin was showing”. The simplicity of the lyrics, as well as their relatability, makes the song easy to latch on to and enjoy. Sonically, the song is mainly held together by a four-on-the-floor style drum pattern, as well as string sounds that shine from the very start of the track until the end, where they slow down and get pitched to bring the energy to a stop. The song has been described as being “Bubblegum Pop”, referring to it’s light and sugary feel.

[Verse 1] I threw a wish in the well Don't ask me, I'll never tell I looked to you as it fell And now you're in my way I trade my soul for a wish Pennies and dimes for a kiss I wasn't looking for this But now you're in my way [Pre-Chorus] Your stare was holdin' Ripped jeans, skin was showin' Hot night, wind was blowin' Where you think you're going, baby? [Chorus] Hey, I just met you and this is crazy But here's my number, so call me, maybe It's hard to look right at you, baby But here's my number, so call me, maybe Hey, I just met you and this is crazy But here's my number, so call me, maybe And all the other boys try to chase me But here's my number, so call me, maybe [Verse 2] You took your time with the call I took no time with the fall You gave me nothin' at all But still you're in my way I beg and borrow and steal At first sight and it's real I didn't know I would feel it But it's in my way [Pre-Chorus] Your stare was holdin' Ripped jeans, skin was showin' Hot night, wind was blowin' Where you think you're going, baby? [Chorus] Hey, I just met you and this is crazy But here's my number, so call me, maybe It's hard to look right at you, baby But here's my number, so call me, maybe Hey, I just met you and this is crazy But here's my number, so call me, maybe And all the other boys try to chase me But here's my number, so call me, maybe [Post-Chorus] Before you came into my life, I missed you so bad I missed you so bad I missed you so, so bad Before you came into my life, I missed you so bad And you should know that I missed you so, so bad [Bridge] It's hard to look right at you, baby But here's my number, so call me, maybe [Chorus] Hey, I just met you and this is crazy But here's my number, so call me, maybe And all the other boys try to chase me But here's my number, so call me, maybe [Post-Chorus] Before you came into my life, I missed you so bad I missed you so bad I missed you so, so bad Before you came into my life, I missed you so bad And you should know that So call me, maybe

Like Real People Do

Written By: Hozier

Artist: Hozier

Released: 2014

Alternate version included: Live in America, 2015

This song is a metaphor. Hozier uses “bog bodies” in Ireland, bodies which are exhumed after centuries of natural mummification, to describe a new relationship.

[Verse 1] I had a thought, dear, however scary About that night, the bugs and the dirt Why were you digging? What did you bury Before those hands pulled me from the earth? [Chorus] I will not ask you where you came from I will not ask and neither should you Honey, just put your sweet lips on my lips We should just kiss like real people do [Verse 2] I knew that look, dear: eyes always seeking Was there in someone that dug long ago So I will not ask you why you were creeping In some sad way, I already know [Chorus] So I will not ask you where you came from I would not ask and neither would you Honey, just put your sweet lips on my lips We should just kiss like real people do [Chorus] I could not ask you where you came from I could not ask and neither could you Honey, just put your sweet lips on my lips We could just kiss like real people do

[danger-xylophones]

A Reprieve (Elrond x reader) [ROP]

Hi, I have a new comfort character apparently - look at himmmmm

warnings: none? none.

Gender neutral

masterlist | elves

"The sun is fast fallin' beneath trees of stone." Your voice was just above a whisper as you sang to yourself. Your eyes looked to the west, to the immortal light of Valinor. The same light you would be returning to soon. But not because the Eldar had finally laid the evils of Middle-Earth to rest, no.

"The light in the tower, no longer my home." Because Middle-Earth was draining the light of Valinor from the very sinews of every single elf. "Past eyes of pale fire, black sand for my bed."

So, you sang beneath the shade of a lone Lindon tree to ease the melancholy that seeped into your bones. "I trade all I've known for the unknown ahead."

A quiet footfall behind you bid your ear to twitch of its own accord and made you turn your head over your shoulder to see who was approaching. "That is a beautiful verse." Elrond called softly.

A rueful smirk danced over your lips as you returned your gaze to the horizon. "It's considered rude to lurk, meleth nin."

You could hear him chuckle to himself, a single faux-amused huff that betrayed his own weariness, before he approached. "I did not wish to startle you, indil." Elrond murmured when he reached your side. "I could sense your mind was preoccupied."

"And yours isn't?" You scoffed. He did not answer. "Thank you," you sighed after a long moment of silence, "It's not mine though."

"No?" Elrond hummed.

You shook your head and finally turned to face him. "I heard it on the wind some years ago while traveling with my company."

"Really?" He asked, turning to you as well. "I wasn't aware the wind could sing such things."

You had to fight the urge to roll your eyes. "You're lucky you are as charming as you are, meleth nin, because your sense of humor could use some work."

A small grin lifted the tired shadow from Elrond's face for just a moment. "It seems to have swayed you well enough."

At that you did roll your eyes. His smile grew and Elrond reached out a hand for you to take. Which you did. He brought you to his chest so that your back was turned to the west and wrapped you in his arms. "Dwell on it no longer, meleth nin." He whispered, lips pressed to your temple. "We will figure something out."

Your own arms wrapped around his waist. "It is hard to put it from my mind," your lips found his neck and you took comfort in the warmth of his skin against them, "When it feels as though we are retreating from a battle we haven't finished fighting."

"I knew I should not have let you spend so much time with Galadriel." He huffed, the puff of his breath tickling the finer hairs at your hairline.

"Elrond - this is serious." You pulled your head back to look the half-elf in the eye. "If we leave, I fear there will not be enough light to protect these lands."

"We are not retreating, indil nin. Have faith in Lord Celebrimbor-"

"It is hard to when even he, the greatest of our smiths, cannot find a solution to this problem." You pressed, grip shifting to his hips to put more space between you.

"If you cannot put your faith in him," his voice took on a seriousness you had only had directed at you a few times in your life, "then put your faith in me." Elrond's gaze was imploring and you saw in his eyes the true weight of his worry. "Trust the hope I have."

"Elrond-"

"Indil, trust me." He emphasized, bowing his head to yours.

You tried to hold his stare but the heaviness of his gaze wore you down. "Fine." At length, you sighed and wound your arms around him once more. "Fine, I trust you."

"Thank you, meleth nin." He breathed, relaxing his gaze. "We will figure this out." Gently, he pressed his lips to yours in a chaste kiss. When he pulled away you could still taste the honey from his morning tea on your lips.

Rolling your lips in to kiss your teeth for a moment, you allowed a thought you'd been suppressing finally have its moment in the sun. "Elrond?" you began, disliking how uncertain you sounded. He made a little hum in the back of his throat as he flicked his eyes back up to yours. "If...if we do have to go back-"

"Beloved-" he warned, lifting his head off of yours.

"Let me speak, lissi." He fell silent at your admonishment. "If we do have to go back, will you?" Elrond's brow furrowed at your question. "I only ask because..."

"Disa and Durin?"

You nodded. "If you stayed, I would as well, meleth, for however long. I want you to understand that."

"It won't come to that." Elrond's voice was firm whether to reassure you or himself you couldn't say. But his face was pensive. "But, with that thought, I have an important question for you, indil nin." With a tilt of your head, you encouraged him to continue. "I am remiss to not have worked up the courage to ask sooner but," he retracted his arms to take your hands in his, "in our time together I have come to realize that you are the only elf I ever want to love. And I would be truly honored if you would give me your hand in marriage."

You gaped at him. "You're lucky I find your eloquence attractive, Elrond Peredhel, or I would have kissed you before you could finish."

The smile that broke out over his face was blinding and you were swift to pull it to your own lips so that his joy might join yours and banish all traces of darkness in either of you.

When at length you parted, you found your lips attaching to his jaw instead and trailing along wherever you could reach. "Am I to take this as a yes, indil nin?" Elrond laughed, the sound bright and lifting.

"Yes," you breathed into him, laughing all the same.

And for just a moment, the fate of Middle-Earth didn't seem so perilous.

Translations

Indil - flower, lily

lissi - honey-sweet