#bcdpunsvtoo

[keepfight1n]

@bcdpunsvtoo asked: ❝ you want your jacket back? ❞

ㅤhe looks down at her, noting how big his jacket looks on her shoulders. he didn't mind. mornings were always a bit colder than he anticipated, but the sun peaking over the horizon promised warmer weather. she didn't need to shiver in the meantime. he shakes his head. " no, keep it for as long as you need it. " that jacket had survived a lot; keeping her warm was low on the list of tragedies. "next town we hit, we should find you somethin' a bit warmer. nights are gonna start gettin' colder. " marlene probably didn't want a frostbitten teen returned to her, anyhow.

[keepfight1n]

@bcdpunsvtoo asked: ❛  are you still mad at me?  ❜

ㅤto say that he hadn't been mad at all would have been a complete lie. to say that he hadn't been mad at her . . . well, there was some merit to that. he'd wanted to keep a gun out of her hands for as long as he possibly could. maintain some of her youth; keep her protected. and when she'd ended up saving his ass, gun held out with steady hands, of course he'd reacted in anger.

ㅤnow, in the still of a quiet & cautious night, he wasn't surprised that her mind was still turning those thoughts over: his was, too. with a sigh, audible only through his nose, he turns from laying out his own sleeping bag to face her. " i wasn't ── i'm not mad at you. " he keeps his voice low in an attempt to emphasize his point. he was angry at a lot of things, but this . . . this wasn't something he needed to hold on to. they still had so far to go. " i was mad, but ── not at you. wouldn't still be here to get mad if you hadn't been there. " it's a thank you in far too many words.

[keepfight1n]

ㅤ" hmm, no way. " he shakes his head, though a smile still lingers at the corner of his lips. air between them felt light, easy. " there's gotta be somethin' better in that book. can't be givin' nines to everything; it'll lose it's meanin'. " as if the philosophy of the scoring meant so much to him. " gimme another one. a nine quality one. "

Mouth opens in a light, mocking gasp at his judgement to the joke, huff of a breath escaping her as though nearly upset by the ranking. “Oh, come on - you know that one was good, at least like, a nine outta ten.”

His laugh. . .it was still something so new to hear, but it always served to bring a bigger smile to her features. 

[iwritemilfs]

"You're breathing for now." Always a realist. Ellie was immune, so sure, she had a better chance of survival than most. But people were killed by other things than the infected every day: hunters, raiders, FEDRA, good ol' stupidity...

"You might think you're untouchable because you can't get infected. But you're not immune to being reckless, or just unlucky."

“You’re going to get yourself killed, you know.” (From Tess)

“-well, I’m still breathing, so guess I’m doing ok.”

Least, considering the few times she’s been bit by now, nothing occurs ti her compared to others; either some kind of blessing or a hell of a curse.

@iwritemilfs

[keepfight1n]

ㅤ" good grief, " he murmurs, a subdued laugh rumbling in his chest as he waits for whatever horrid joke she has for him. he wondered how many volumes of that damn book existed & whether or not he had to worry about stumbling across more.

ㅤA WAIST OF TIME. his answering laugh is really more of a snort accompanied with a shake of his head. " i guess that one's pretty clever. i give it . . . a seven. seven outta ten. "

small smile is revealed further on her features, a thought arising that has her reaching towards her bag, withdrawing the small volume too. "Oh, I know exactly what'll make you happier, then." A pause as she skims through the pages, a small laugh escaping her at the page she reaches.

"I was going to make myself a belt made out of watches, but then I realized it would be a waist of time."

[keepfight1n]

ㅤhe wondered if it was even worth bringing up. he didn't want to push her away, to draw her farther from the person he knew her to be. it wasn't like he didn't understand; he just wanted desperately to fix it.

ㅤhe raises a hand to grab at the arm she'd nudged, feigning offense. that smile may have been small, but it was there. " keep callin' me old & you can guarantee i'll be grumpy. " he teases. " just like seein' you happy, that's all. "

"Your laugh is so... I missed it."

It’s the first steps to what felt like coming back to normality; well least, her sense of normality. After the events of David, & the hospital…

Elbow rises to give a light jab to his arm, twitch of a small smile rising on her features. “You gettin’ all soft on me now? Cause I’m gonna miss the grumpy-ass old man vibe.”

@keepfight1n

[keepfight1n]

ㅤhe stifles a groan, though it still shows itself as a sigh. he could practically feel time etching more lines onto his face, more gray strands in his beard. this child may very well be the death of him. " not until i know you ain't gonna shoot yourself in the damn foot. " she needed to be able to protect herself, and the fact that she'd so willingly done so for him was the only thing swaying his decision. " you know how to use it, or was that just beginner's luck? "

she listens to his words carefully, expecting him to state something different - admit that he was agitated at her, but not quite in the sense that she had initially believed. His small thanks doesn’t go fully acknowledge, but it’s certainly one she’ll remember, one that has her shifting her backpack back onto her back, supplies replenished as much as they could be from their recent endavors. 

“. . .soooooo, does that mean I can carry a gun now, or-”