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asapeveryday · 7 hours ago

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noctuary pt.3 - p.b + tlou au

noc·tu·ary ˈnäkchəˌwerē

: a collection of a single night's events, thoughts or dreams

--part two

pairing: Paige Bueckers x reader

AU: The Last of Us 2 x Wbb crossover

warnings:

synopsis: you meet her on the brink of giving up. she’s suspicious, too nice, too charismatic. you know you should be on guard, but you’ve got nowhere to go, and she’s eager to have nobody to be.

notes: sorry its been a hot second, i wrote a chunk of this from a hospital bed while i was half delirious so honestly it kinda sucks, even with the editing i managed to do later on. reader in jackson + how we react to the environment will be fleshed out more next chap, ik a lot of u guys were interested in how it would play out.

THE POWER of a name is one that you feel you'd be better off without.

Trees sift and rustle against wind, morning doves coo, water flows from beneath the cliff. The fire's gone out, there's no more crackle, no more warmth. The butt of the joint you shared last night lay dead by your feet.

Her heart beats under your ear, her chest rising and falling with every breath. You can't help but blink in disbelief, once, twice, three times before practically jumping off of her, scampering backwards, staring at her like she's alien.

She stays asleep, lips slightly parted. You watch as her eyelids flutter as if she notices your absence. But she doesn't stir much past that.

You take the moment to calm yourself.

You'd met her two days ago. She'd saved you from being eaten, tested your state, and deemed you savable. She held your backpack for ransom. Used her resources on you, and cleaned your wound.

It took you longer to recall the events of day two, the stalkers that attacked you, the sick-inducing fear, your half-naked swim in the waterfall, the shared joint, the head you foolishly allowed to rest on her shoulder, the questions and their answers.

Those two days were long. Long enough to delude you into being too trustful. You look at her longer, at her pale skin and shut eyes, and realize she doesn't scare you as much as she did the days before.

The thought alone only makes things more dangerous. Not just because of the way your guard has fallen, or the way you've relied on her.

It's because she isn't just she anymore. She's Paige.

It makes her real, more human. More than a blessing born of shitty circumstances. It makes her the girl around your age, the one with stark blue eyes, three siblings, and the incoherent need to be your saviour.

It all leaves a bitter taste in your mouth.

It didn't matter that she'd been kind, it didn't matter that she'd stare too long, or lick her lips before talking, or clench her fists at the thought of your mistreatment.

You decide then that she's a fool. A fool for sparing you her sincerity, her soft touch and patience. A fool for wasting her supplies, for doubling her travel time to accommodate you.

You feel stupid for melting for the first person to give a damn. You almost consider grabbing everything and leaving, finding your own way, deserting her with nothing.

But passing up the opportunity to lean on a new community would make you a fool, too.

You manage to tear your eyes away from her at that, getting up and carefully making your way down the cliff. You take your shoes off as you reach the foot of the cool water, instantly flinching at the contact.

You make your mind up in that moment. You'll stay by her side and integrate into her community. You'll express your gratitude, and you'll smile. And then you'll stay the fuck away from her.

As the cold water runs over your feet, you take the moment to stare at your reflection. Your bare, clean skin. Your messy hair, your wrinkled top thats only slightly stained with blood now. Things will be fine. You'll just have to be careful.

When you walk back up to the cliff, albeit shakily, you're met with the sight of her back facing you as she packs everything up. The firewood is gone, the pit barely visible, remenants of food nowhere to be found. As if nobody was ever here.

When her eyes turn to meet yours, she sends you a lopsided smile that you falter to reciprocate.

Finally, she puts everything away and shoulders the two backpacks, hopping to adjust them before fishing something out of her pocket.

"Morning." She hums, voice still raspy. "Eat this."

She places the wrapped item in your hand—another pre-made sandwich like the one she tossed you a few days earlier.

"Thank you." You mumble, and she simply nods.

"Ready to go?" She asks.

"Yeah."

"Good." She grins. "We've got a few hours to go."

“Your leg’s holdin’ up pretty okay, huh?”

“Mhm.” You hum, glancing at the wound as you walk. It’s mostly scabbing over, still raw around the middle. It hurts when you touch it, but walking isn’t as troublesome as before. She—Paige—doesn’t have to stop or slow as much as she did the days before.

There isn’t as much talking this time around, and there are no more questions. Maybe she’s gotten her fill of you, asked everything she wanted to know. Maybe it was all out of courteous intent, and since the journey was ending soon it no longer served any purpose.

Whatever the reason, it relieves you in some ways. It means you don’t have to awkwardly hold yourself back from leaning into her words too much. There aren’t any words after all.

Despite that, the silence also seems to disappoint you.

Paige still hauls the two backpacks, and she still turns her head ever so slightly to make sure you're okay, but she walks farther ahead. All you have to look at is the line of her broad shoulders, and the mess of her blonde hair.

“Careful, now.” She says, cutting through the quiet with a subtle glance behind her. “It’s gonna get a little harder from here.”

“I’ll be fine.” You shrug, and she nods in return.

You keep walking, trying to keep your mind off of her. The terrain is changing with every step, trees becoming sparser, oaks being replaced by evergreens. The ground becomes rougher, more uneven. The route she leads you through requires more than walking, you find yourself having to bring your knees higher, push yourself harder.

While you’re left panting and stumbling, she walks like it’s no problem, like she’s done it a thousand times over.

“You good?”

“Great.” You say through clenched teeth, exhaling heavily. You’re not out of shape, but your balance is off centre and you’re trying your hardest not to put too much weight on your left leg. You hadn’t eaten much the past two days despite her olive branch of prepared sandwiches that she keeps forcing on you, so you were admittedly lacking in strength. Still, you didn’t want to keep taking handouts. You threw the sandwich she gave you away again a few miles back.

“Need me to slow down?” She asks.

“No.” You huff, unable to hold down the attitude. You wished she would just leave you be, let you suffer like she had when you first met her, when she wanted to test your endurance.

“Okay.” She raises a brow. You know she can feel your change in mood, but she doesn’t push past it.

You follow her in silence as she hops and scales angled grounds like it’s nothing, backpacks jingling. You wonder if it’s labour that’s made her so fit, or if she trains like many do if they have the resources. Your best friend from home, Caitlin, used to train whenever she got the chance.

“Watch your step.” She cuts into your thoughts, and you watch as she gracefully maneuvers herself off a little cliff onto the ground. She turns to watch you as your feet meet the edge.

“You okay to jump?” She asks, and it irks you further.

You want to say yes, but the jump is a little tough. You might risk opening the wound again, or landing funny on your legs.

“Should I help you?” Paige continues.

“Can you just relax?” You shoot back. “I can manage.”

“I am relaxed.” She snorts infuriatingly. “You had no problem with my help before.”

“Well I’m not bleeding out everywhere now, am I?” You retort, and she simply scoffs, hands gripping the straps of her backpack. Her biceps pop as she does so, much to your dismay.

“Go for it then.” She shrugs, still watching you.

With a furrowed brow, you sit down at the edge of the rocky bed and opt for slipping down feet first rather than jumping. Her eyes stay on you as you carefully lift yourself up with your hands, letting your legs find the proper footing to step down.

It hurts a little, not as much as it would’ve if you jumped, but the dull throb does make an appearance. She notices your flinch, you’re sure she does, but she doesn’t interfere.

When you’re down from the cliff she lets out a low whistle.

“Thank god there aren’t any more of those. It’d take us all day to get there.”

“You could’ve kept walking, if it’s such a problem.” You frown.

She just considers you for a moment. You’re not doing a good job of hiding your newfound discontent. Perhaps she’s wondering about the change of heart compared to your apparent warmth the night before.

If it makes any difference to her, she doesn’t show it.

She just turns and keeps going. And you follow.

Dawn turns to bright morning within the next hour or so, Sun blazing hard on your skin. The weather is hot today, enough to require Paige to wipe her forehead of sweet every so often. Your mouth goes dry a few times, but you don’t ask for water. For once, she doesn’t offer.

The terrain gets rougher and rougher, and it takes you longer and longer to get step to step at her pace. You can feel her impatience radiating but she doesn’t shed a single complaint. For whatever reason, her silence irritates you.

And then the landscape begins to roll and peak. Mountains large enough to block giants fill your sight.

And then you see it.

Large, looming walls, water towers and electrical lines, crops and gardens, buildings on buildings.

It's not just a community, definitely not a camp.

It's a whole damn city.

You can't help but stop dead in your tracks as you peer at the sight, heart already beating fast. Paige pauses ahead of you, turning to see why you've stopped.

Her eyes wash over your expression, every feature on your face. She turns to look at the landscape, and then turns back to you with a small, amused smile.

And finally, she says something that does irk you, but rather fills your gut with an excitable tightening, half nerves, half wonder.

"We're here." She says, stating the obvious with a proud look on her face, "Welcome to Jackson."

—

JACKSON IS a whirlwind of unintelligible things that your brain can’t comprehend, there’s too many things to focus on, and not enough energy in your body.

It’s massive, you can see it even from the entrance she tells you to stop in front of. Weathered adults with salt-and-pepper hair stand guard near the opened doors with rifles hanging around their backs.

The town is lived in and bustling, you can see people coming and going through buildings, children running and playing through the streets. The air smells like smoke and grass, it's not stale or tense like the air you're used to. String lights hang from the banisters that wrap around bars and shacks that line the open road, not yet illuminated.

And then come the masses.

“What the hell, Paige.” Someone squeals, practically galloping over to you and her with speed you haven’t even seen in a bloodthirsty runner.

The girl, with shoulder-length twists thrown in a half-up hairstyle, pummels into Paige like a bull to red fabric, somehow punching and hugging her at the same time.

A large group of women follow close behind her, some running fast while others have no urgency, like this is all a part of routine. As they draw closer you realize they’re all around the same age as you. They barely even shed you a glance, opting to circle around Paige.

“You’ve been gone like, three days!” One chirps.

“We’re lucky she came back in one piece this time” Someone snorts in return.

“You left your horse here again, I swear to god one day you’re gonna be stranded out there.” Another says.

“I don’t like riding much.” Paige shrugs, and you notice the immediate change in her demeanour, the way her low voice rises and her smile widens.

“Please.” A sharp looking girl with her hair pulled back in a ponytail scoffs, “We both know that’s not true.”

The group bursts into laughter at that, shrill hollers of ew’s and calm downs! ringing in your ears as Paige coughs out a loud guffaw. Her eyes dart to you, cheeks reddening with both embarrassment and happiness. There’s a glint in her stare, something playful and curious. Eventually, the others seem to follow her gaze.

In an instant, the sharp looking one’s eyes find yours too. Her thick brows furrow in thought, and she saunters up to you with an analytical look.

“You found someone.” She says, still talking to Paige, who clears her throat.

“Yeah, just outside of the forest. Had at least three clickers on her ass.” Paige nods, and her friends all seem to gasp at her words. Suddenly, their eyes feel ten times heavier. It takes everything not to shrink under their gaze.

The sharp one drags her eyes up and down you, catching on your bloodstained shirt and ragged pants, before narrowing in on your wound.

“Damn.” She snorts, “What the fuck made that.”

She looks up at you, eyes wide and expecting, and you realize she’s actually talking to you now.

“Saw.” You say curtly, and the girl lets out a scoff of disbelief, turning to look at her peers.

“Saw,” She repeats, “this girl said she got sliced by a saw.”

A little ripple of mumbling breaks out, and you’re unsure how to respond. The strangers share glances to speak words you can't understand, so you immediately feel out of place and on guard.

You glance at Paige for some guidance, but she doesn’t seem too bothered.

It's only natural--you once had that same solidarity, albeit it was with a much smaller group of people. Those stares are the kind that can't be broken through by any outsider, the kind that spread warmth in your chest when reciprocated.

You'd thrown it all away now, or had it stolen, more accurately. There isn't much more to do but hope that whatever silent words they exchange, they lean in your favour.

“You checked her?” Another asks, a taller, darkskin girl with her hair up in a bun asks.

“She’s clear.” Paige nods. “She made it all this way, didn’t she?”

"Who're you with?" The sharp one continues, "you alone?"

You nod, and she chews the inside of her cheek. "Someone get Geno and Dawn over here." She says, and one of the girls runs off in the opposite direction direction.

A lot more people have stopped to watch the reunion now, and you notice a common reaction of happiness at the sight of Paige, and curiousity at the sight of you. No animosity or cold-hearted looks. The stares, while definetly guarded, are more observing than defensive.

"Did you guys manage okay?" Someone asks Paige, another tall girl with longer, black hair and tan skin.

"I killed the ones that were on her." Paige nods. "We ran into some stalkers in the forest on the way...it caught us off guard, but I managed."

With a small glance your way again, she shrugs. "She held her own too, even with her leg all messed."

It's a simple comment, but her words seem to hold a lot of weight within the group. They drink her information like it's ambrosia, you can see the way it infiltrates their opinion of you. This is her way of putting in good word, and it works.

There’s another mumble within the group, this time one of approval. The sharp one turns to you again, eyes cutting through you like a knife. She holds her hand out after some consideration, and you watch it like it might reach out to hit you.

It doesn’t though, it’s outstretched and open. A peace offering. You take it.

“Nika.” She says.

You nod, trading your name in return.

“S’ gonna leave a badass scar.” She smiles, and the expression makes you feel a little less uneasy. With those words alone, the rest of the group comes running, circling around you like they did with Paige.

“Paige, what’s in that other backpack you got?”

“Yeah, why d’you have two?”

One thing's for sure, their questions are going to make your head spin.

PEOPLE IN JACKSON are nothing like what you're used to, and you realize quickly that if Paige's kindness is dangerous, you're gonna be in for a lot more trouble.

Dawn and Geno are older, rugged around the edges with warmth you can feel festering beneath their tough exteriors. They drill you with questions until they're satisfied with their responses before leading you from building to building.

One for a medical checkup--doctors are rare, but experience has given people enough knowledge to help around the place. Three people poke and prod at your leg as well as any other blemishes and scars you bare while Geno mumbles aside to Paige, who's suprisngly still tagging along.

"You don't have to stay." You hear him say, and you don't hear what she says in return but you know she doesn't leave. She watches as people ask you questions while they apply ointments and bandages. You try not to notice, or care.

Geno leaves once that's finished, leaving you with Paige and Dawn.

Dawn, a worn but wise-looking woman, takes over from there. As she leads you through the busy roads of Jackson, you can feel Paige occasionally glancing over at you. You don’t turn to meet her stare.

“We work through a bartering system for the most part.” Dawn says. “But a lot of it is based off how much you contribute, too. What you give, you get back in equal amount, more or less.”

“What’ll I be doing?” You ask.

“Whatever we find that fits you.” She smiles. “You can work in the bar, the green houses, the shops. You could go on patrols like Paige and a few of the others, though I doubt you’re eager to be out there again so soon.”

She doesn’t give you much time to answer, her eyes sliding down to your leg and back up again. “You’ll have time to rest up before you have to make a choice though. Just take things as they come.”

It’s easier said than done. You can tell just by brushing past these people that here’s an avid gap between you and them, it’s too soon to know what that gap holds, exactly, but you feel it. Maybe it’s the sense of belonging, maybe something deeper, less solvable with time.

Still, you try to perk up. You shed a laugh when two kids run into each other head first, too busy gawking at Paige and Dawn to pay attention. You try not to shy away from any stares or whispers that graze your skin as you pass. You admire the wooden houses and stores, some run down while others have been coated with fresh paint in warm hues.

Eventually Dawn stops walking, turning to you and Paige.

“Show her the important stuff.” Dawn says to Paige. “Then take her to her place.”

Your ears perk at that, but you manage to keep your interest under wraps.

“Yes ma’am.” Paige smiles, and Dawn flicks the girls shoulder. “Don’t get smart.”

With that, you’re alone again with her. She’s got this natural brightness to her now, like she’s exactly where she wants to be. She starts walking again, nodding for you to follow, and you do.

“This is The Clay Pit.” Paige points to one building. “Best barbecue in town.”

“And that one’s Nubuck Leather.” We get our good leather from there, they do us miracles for winter clothes too.”

You nod politely, eyeing every building her finger points to. You can feel the smile in every word she says, like each location reminds her of some fond memory.

“Main Street is where we get our clothes.” She motions to a large building, wooden exterior painted blue. “Mostly through trading. Gets harder and harder to find new stuff these days.”

You nod again, looking around the town square till a larger building catches your eye. It’s built interestingly, with a white circular roof over the entrance. The white panels have words on them, surrounded by blinking lights.

“What’s that?” You ask.

“Oh, yeah.” Paige hums, following your gaze. “That’s the theatre.”

“Theatre?”

“Yeah. For movies.”

“Like…for real?” You gape.

Paige falters for a moment, searching your face in disbelief. “You haven’t heard of a movie?”

“I have.” You snort. “Just never watched one. Didn’t think we could anymore.”

“We can.” Paige says. “We only have a few that still work, but it’s great. The theatre is a good spot to hang out too.”

“Hang out?” You raise a brow.

“Yeah.” She winks, holding her thumb and index finger pressed together and towards her mouth, mimicking an inhale and exhale. “If you know what I mean.”

“Right.” You roll your eyes. “About that. Dawn said that what people give here, they get back. What exactly does one get for contributing drugs to the community?”

“Glad you asked.” Paige hums, smiling slightly. “It’s already taken care of. Look we’re almost here.”

The buildings are different now, a little wider, more shabby on the outside, more uniform. There’s bigger spaces between them, and a lot less people running through the gravel roads. You realize these are houses.

Paige checks each one out carefully till she stops in front of one with a grin. She sidesteps, motioning you to walk ahead.

“Go on.” She smirks, and against your better judgement you obey her.

As you push open the rusted red door of the house, you’re met with the sight of a bigger space than you expected. It’s two levels, living room and kitchen on the first floor while the basement narrows into a small bedroom and bathroom. You can see from your spot by the door that there are people downstairs, chatting and laughing idly.

“S’not much, but it’s more than most newcomers get when they come here.” Paige hums from behind you, shutting the door.

“This is where I’m staying?” You ask, wholly bewildered. For a moment you think it’s some sort of trap, a gaping hole in your stomach beginning to form as you take a 360 glance around the place, bare but alive and breathing.

“Sure is.” Paige nods. “N’ that’s not all.”

She grins with excitement as she heads down the short flight of stairs, and you follow soon after her. Your bedroom is filled with more things than you expected compared to the first level, the bed has mismatched sheets and the walls have hastily stuck posters.

There’s also a lot of women in your room.

“She’s here!” Nika smiles, coming over to you with an armful of clothes. “I got you a decent amount for now…a few thermals for when it gets colder, new pants, shorts for home, oh- and a lot of flannels. You’ll fit right in with those.”

You’re still in a daze as she plops the mountain of clothes into your arms.

One of the other girls smiles at you—the one with half up hair who ferociously pounced on Paige—as she sets down some rolled up posters against the wall of the room.

Many faces turn to smile at you, some even say your name. You don’t know if you want to go crazy and accuse them of something, or break down an cry.

You opt for setting down the clothes instead, and sending Paige a very wary look.

She picks up on your discomfort immediately, rubbing the back of her head with a subtle nod. “I’m gonna show her something outside real quick.”

The others nod, or call out words of acknowledgment, too engrossed in the decoration of this bedroom. You dart up the stairs fast, Paige close behind you, and practically bolt out of the door.

The fresh air should refresh you, but the new smell of sweet smoke and healthy grass throws you off. You sit shakily on the front porch of the house, rubbing your eyes with your hands.

You used to go outside a lot. You shared rooms back at your old community, they were suffocating and loud. People fought all day, fought all night. You spent many nights outside, sometimes it felt safer. The air was cleaner, colder, enough to distract for the thick, sweaty feeling of deliberate hate and frustration under the covers you shared.

Paige sits beside you, not saying much. She lets you breath in and out, waiting patiently as you recall everything before in an attempts to deal with the now. When your hands part from your face, she finally sets her eyes on you.

You feel pierced by them again, they’re so light, so trained on your face.

“Too much?” She asks.

“Too much.” You nod. “The whole thing is mine?”

“This is your house.” She says. “That’s your room. This is your front yard.”

“I don’t need a front yard.” You say sullenly. “Or a living room. Or any of this.”

“You don’t need it, but you can have it anyways.” Paige says quietly. “Living here isn’t about necessity. We have everything we need. We’re allowed to be a little greedy, or really, we earn it.”

“What exactly did I do to earn it?” You bite.

“The minute those girls found out about what you brought for us, they weren’t gonna let it be any other way.” Paige snorts. “We haven’t sparked up in ages, Dawn n’ Geno are crazy about patrollers being on that shit.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. It’s tough love. Anyways, they insisted that you live close to most of us. We haven’t had a newcomer who is around our age in over five years, just forty year old men or the odd little kid. They’re pretty excited. They wanted to decorate your room too, they each brought something of their own to liven it up, Nika practically handed you half her wardrobe.”

She keeps saying they. They’re so excited, they wanted to help. You finally turn to look at her, and you catch as her tongue darts out to wet her lips.

“What about you?” You ask.

“Me?”

“What do you think about…all this?” You mutter.

“I think this place is gonna be good for you.” She says, a sideways grin breaking out onto her face. “And that we’re all excited to have you.”

Your stomach tightens familiarly as she says it, as her lips quirk upwards, as her eyes glint mischievously. You feel your guard slip again, you feel your common sense waltz out.

You straight up before you can get too comfortable, recalling what you promised yourself before you reached here.

“Thank you, Paige.” You say with a smile, and you mean it. “I’ve been meaning to tell you I’m grateful.”

“Don’t be. Anyone would’ve done it.” She smiles, finally breaking away from your stare as her cheeks flush slightly.

She sits beside you for a bit longer, and both of you watch the sky as it begins to darken. It was morning when you arrived, but now evening is approaching, and dark clouds are rolling over the sun.

You wonder if you’ll be able to manage. If these girls are as nice as they try to be, if you were better off alone in the wilderness, or as clicker feed. You wonder if it’ll be easy to avoid Paige in a town this tight knit.

She gets up first, stretching her legs with a huff before turning towards you, hands on her hips.

“You good?”

“Yeah.” You nod.

“Good.” She nods, giving you a once-over. “I’ll see you around then?”

You falter for a moment. She’s going away, presumably to her own shabby home somewhere around these parts. It’ll be the first time you’re apart from her in days.

“Yeah.” You nod, swallowing tersely. “See you around.”

She turns with a grin, and you watch her walk away as the sky continues to darken. It starts to rain after a few more moments, after she’s of sight.

YOU LAY AWAKE in your new bed. The mattress is creaky, the sheets cold around your limbs. Your room is full of posters from movies you haven’t watched, and basketball stars you don’t know. Little trinkets glint against the slight light from the moon.

You'll stay by her side and integrate into her community. You'll express your gratitude, and you'll smile. And then you'll stay the fuck away from her. That was what you decided on, back at the waterfall.

You fall asleep with that plan in mind.

—tags

@juumecca @cowboybueckers @sweetbcgs @rishofkf @yailtsv @bueckers2fudd @syraxsbigfanfr @azziswrld

#fanfiction #paige bueckers #fanfic #uconn wbb #paige bueckers x reader #paige x reader #tlou #tlou2 #the last of us #dallas wings #nika mühl #kk arnold

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