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dreamwritesimagines · 8 months ago

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The Eye of the Hurricane [14] - Wedding

A.N: Here’s the new chapter my loves! ❤️ Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback, you made my day! ❤️I hope you’ll like this chapter as well and please don’t forget to tell me what you think! ❤️

Summary: A wedding can be a good place for clarity.

Word Count: 3400

Pairing: MobBoss!Bucky Barnes x Reader

Warnings: Violence, stabbing, death, guns, crime, blood, explicit language, dysfunctional relationship. This is an AU, friendly reminder that I don’t condone any of the actions depicted on this story and please read with care.

Series Masterlist

Well, this was going to be fun.

The wedding was tonight and your phone already had way too many text notifications. You would be meeting Becca and Sarah today to get ready, so you had woken up way too early just like Bucky. After taking a quick shower, you made your way downstairs to see him in the kitchen, making coffee.

“Morning.”

Bucky's head snapped up and he turned around to look at you better.

“Whoa,” he said, “This is a surprise."

You pulled your brows together.

“Um, we've been staying in the same honeymoon suite for a while now, in case it has escaped your notice.”

“No no, as in— am I allowed to see you?”

You blinked a couple of times. “What are you talking about?”

“I mean—” he said, motioning between you. “Isn’t it bad luck? If I see you before the wedding?”

You shrugged your shoulders, then jumped to sit on the kitchen island.

“We’re going to get a divorce anyway,” you said. “That whole tradition is for actual couples, not us.”

Bucky pursed his lips and cleared his throat before holding up a mug.

“Coffee, my romantic wife?”

“Stop calling me that, and yes.”

He chuckled, filling the mug with coffee before handing it to you.

“There you go.”

“Thanks,” you said. “So, we’re getting married then.”

“Mm hm.”

“So I’ve been thinking,” you said. “There’ll be a lot of important guests there as well as alcohol. A good way to start alliances.”

“You’re going to use our wedding to make business deals?”

“You’re not?” you asked back and he thought for a moment, then shrugged his shoulders.

“Yeah I see what you mean.”

“And I need to talk to Stark tonight.”

Bucky grimaced.

“I did that earlier this week,” he said. “Would not recommend, it’s not a nice experience.”

You stifled a laugh.

“Well, we need him,” you said. “As much as I hate to admit.”

“I mean—” he started but was cut off when someone pounded on the door, making both of you turn your heads before Becca’s voice reached inside.

“You’d better not be seeing each other right now!”

Bucky threw his head back and you made your way to the door to open the door, smiling already. When you opened it, you found Becca and Sarah standing there and Sarah looked amused already while Becca let out a gasp.

“Just as I thought!” she said, walking past you to step inside and you hugged Sarah when she stepped inside.

“Hey!”

“Hey there,” she said. “I held her back as long as I could.”

“Appreciate it,” you said and pressed a kiss on her cheek, then turned around to see Becca who made her way to Bucky.

“Are you trying to get bad luck? Why are you seeing the bride?!”

“Ask the bride,” Bucky said and you rolled your eyes.

“Come on, everyone in this room knows that this is more of a business deal than a wedding.”

Sarah shook her head slightly and you stole a look at her.

“It is,” you insisted and she held up her hands.

“I didn’t even say anything.”

“And where is my coffee?” Becca asked and Bucky nodded at the coffee machine.

“It’s right there, help yourself.”

“Did mom teach you nothing?” she asked while you leaned your head on Sarah’s shoulder, watching them bicker. “Is this your first time interacting with a guest in your place?”

“We don’t have the time to get coffee Becca, we can get it on our way to the weekend house,” Sarah stated and you checked your phone when you received another text, then heaved a sigh.

“Why is everyone texting me?”

“It’s just my theory but maybe because it’s your wedding day?” Sarah asked and motioned at you. “Give me your phone, you’ll be busy the whole day.”

“Oh my God thank you.”

“I already talked to Steve and Sam and I know when exactly you’re supposed to arrive there,” Becca said. “Which means, if you’re late as you like to be all the time—”

“It’s my own wedding Becca, I couldn’t be late if I tried.”

“Well forgive me if I don’t trust you,” Becca said. “I’m serious, my brother or not, I’ll shoot you if you’re late.”

“Does this have something to with the fact that you don’t know if your girlfriend is coming to come to the wedding so you’re channeling all your anger to me?”

“Bucky!” you hissed and he shrugged his shoulders.

“What?”

“Maybe worry less about my relationship and more about yours since we’re still not sure your wife who happens to be my best friend won’t kill you in your sleep,” Becca said airily and Bucky scoffed.

“She won’t kill me in my sleep.”

“She might.”

“She won’t— Y/N, tell her.”

“My dad raised me better than that,” you pointed out. “You don’t even kill enemies in their sleep, let alone allies.”

A happy smile lit up Bucky’s face as if you had just proclaimed your undying love to him on a bent knee and he motioned at you.

“See?” he asked Becca, pride clear in his voice. “We’re allies.”

“You’d have to be awake for it,” you added and Bucky’s head whipped around so that he could see you better.

“Come again?”

“Because honor—”

“Alright!” Sarah cut you both off. “Let’s go. Bucky, Sam and Steve are on their way here.”

“Yeah they just told me on group chat.”

“You have a group chat?” you asked and shook your head. “Of course you do.”

“Come on,” Becca said as she walked outside and Sarah followed her. You lingered there for a moment before you nodding at Bucky.

“I’ll see you at the wedding then.”

“See you, wife.”

“Stop calling me that!” you said and quickly left the suite before he could reply, trying to ignore the way your heart skipped a beat.

The majority of the day had gone pretty fast. Thanks to your wedding planner, everything looked exactly how you described her. Barnes weekend residence and its huge yard were already gorgeous, and as the night fell, it looked almost magical. All the guests were seated, Becca and Sarah were already by the altar and so was Bucky, Steve and Sam. Even though you had tried to keep this wedding simple and with as few people as possible, it still looked like there were too many people and you brushed a hair over the skirt of your wedding gown, shifting your weight from one foot to other.

“Y/N?”

Your head shot up and you smiled at your father.

“I’m fine,” you said before he could ask, leaning your back to the wall, waiting for your cue. He kept his gaze on you before giving you a teary smile.

“Your mother would be so proud of you.”

“I haven’t done anything to make her proud yet,” the reply left your mouth before you had a chance to stop it and he pulled his brows together.

“Sweetheart,” he said. “You don’t have to do anything.”

No.

No you did have to.

You hadn’t done anything at all to prove yourself yet thanks to your father pushing you out of the picture so that Ian could be his heir instead of you, but you were going to fix that.

Whether he liked it or not.

“Right,” you managed to say. “Sorry. I’m just kind of nervous, that’s all.”

“That’s understandable,” he said. “But I assure you, tonight will go the way you’ve always dreamed of.”

Well, you had dreamt of actually being in love with the groom when you dreamt of your wedding but your father didn’t need to hear that.

This was going to be yet another thing you would keep from him, along with the car chase incident.

“Your aunt texted me by the way,” he said. “She sends her apologies for not making it to the wedding but she’s going to visit soon, she says.”

You tried not to roll your eyes and nodded your head.

“Great.”

“Y/N, I know things haven’t been great lately but I—” he started but was cut off when the music started and you pushed yourself off the wall, rolling your shoulders back. He offered you his arm, and you took a deep breath, trying to calm your wild heartbeat down.

“Ready?” he asked and you bit inside your cheek, then took his arm.

“Ready,” you said and you both started walking down the aisle.

It was alright. This whole marriage was just going to last until you took over, and then you were going to get a divorce and you and Bucky would go your separate ways.

Bucky, who was now looking at you like you were the most beautiful woman he had seen.

You averted your gaze from his as your father and you reached the altar, and he squeezed at your arm before nodding at Bucky, then took his seat. You let out a breath and stole a look at Becca and Sarah, then turned to face the priest, forcing yourself to focus.

Fine, from an objective viewpoint he did look very handsome today.

Not that it changed anything. He was still the most arrogant man you had ever met.

Your heart was still beating so fast that you could hardly focus on what the priest was saying. You and Bucky had informed him earlier on that you would skip the speeches, considering that you had nothing to say other than lies, and you didn’t want to risk people seeing through your lie.

You could swear your head was spinning but you tried to see through the nervousness making its way through your system. You just needed to do this to take over, and then you’d get a divorce and you were hardly going to think about Bucky after that point, except for—

Well.

Technically you were going to have to do business with your ex-husband but that slight detail aside, it was going to be fine.

Blood was muffling your ears as you heard Bucky speak and you dug your fingernails into your palms, then your head shot up when you heard your name.

“Y/N?” the priest said and you blinked a couple of times, then cleared your throat.

“I—I do,” you said almost automatically and Bucky let out a relieved breath as the priest smiled calmly.

“I now pronounce you husband and wife,” he said. “You may now kiss the bride.”

Fuck.

Fuck, this right here had escaped your attention while planning the wedding and from the look of surprise on Bucky’s face, it had escaped his attention as well. He stared at you for a moment as if he didn’t know what to do, and the priest coughed as if trying to signal him.

“You may kiss the bride,” he repeated and you gave a small nod of your head, making Bucky swallow thickly before taking a step to you. Your heart skipped an excited beat as his arm sneaked around your waist and he pulled you closer, the warmth of his body pressed against yours, then he dipped you slightly backwards, then leaned in to capture your lips in a kiss.

…Oh.

You would be lying if you said you hadn’t dreamed about this before. Back when you still had the biggest crush on Bucky, you would spend hours thinking about how it would feel if he kissed you, even imagining your wedding sometimes but—

You hadn’t thought that his kiss would feel this good.

Before you could even stop yourself, your arms wrapped around his neck as he pulled back slightly, resting his forehead against yours like he wanted to make the moment last. You exhaled, your breath mixing into his but when the applause started, you both snapped out of it. Bucky helped you gain your balance as you tried to catch your breath, then rolled your shoulders back and stepped back from him to smile at the crowd, ignoring the way Bucky’s eyes were glued to you.

You were quite certain you were the first bride who was going out of her way to avoid the groom on her wedding, but in your defense, you had a lot to think about.

Not that kiss.

You had to think about anything and everything except that kiss.

You passed through the huge garden to approach the bar, stealing a look at Leila and Becca who seemed to be in a deep conversation but judging by the small smile on Leila’s face, it was going well. Bucky was talking to Steve and Sam by the corner and Sarah was listening to Winnifred who seemed very enthusiastic to tell her something, motioning at the garden.

Probably something about the wedding.

You ordered your drink and smiled at Ryan who was sipping his drink by the bar and he smiled back.

“Ma’am.”

“Hi Ryan,” you said and looked around. “Please tell me Ian left early.”

“He’s in the bathroom ma’am,” Ryan said and you rolled your eyes.

“Great,” you said. “So are you having fun?”

“I am, thank you,” he said and looked down to his glass. “It’s a nice wedding and you…you look very nice if you don’t mind me saying.”

“Oh thank you!” you said. “You know, if you ever—”

“Mrs. Barnes,” another voice cut you off and you looked over your shoulder, then turned around to see him better.

“Mr. Stark,” you managed to say and the bartender put your glass on the counter. You took it into your hand and leaned back to the counter.

“Tony is alright.”

“Y/N is alright,” you quipped and Tony smiled at you.

“Very well.”

Ryan’s phone beeped and he cleared his throat, then put his glass down and walked away from you to make his way to the house.

“How do you like the wedding so far?” you asked and Tony thought for a moment.

“No one is shooting at anyone,” he said. “I’d say it’s going well.”

“The night is still young,” you said and he chuckled.

“I suppose,” he said. “But the drinks are pretty good.”

“Food is gonna be better,” you said. “We just figured people shooting at people would be less of a possibility if we made them drink first.”

“Your idea or Bucky’s?”

“Mine.”

Tony hummed and ordered his drink while you sipped yours.

“My father says you’re not exactly happy about this wedding,” you told him and he shrugged his shoulders.

“I’m thinking about how it will affect the balance of things now that you mention it,” he said. “Your father is a very powerful man, and you and Bucky uniting families…”

“I understand your concern perfectly,” you said in a calm tone even if your heartbeat sped up. “But I assure you, this will change nothing.”

“Is that right?”

You clicked your tongue.

“In your business it will change nothing,” you corrected yourself. “I’m quite familiar with your deals with my father, and the Barnes family. I’ll make sure they remain as they are.”

“As Bucky’s wife or as your father’s new heir?” he asked back and you arched a brow, but managed to keep your expression straight as the bartender gave him his drink as well.

“Is that what people say?”

“Well you’re marrying into Barnes family, your father still hasn’t announced his heir, and you have a way of making people talk about you lately,” Tony pointed out. “Not to mention, Natasha seems impressed with you.”

Your eyes found Natasha who was drinking with Clint before you turned your glances to Tony again.

“But you are not?”

“I don’t know you enough yet,” Tony said. “I mean I’ve had the time to figure Ian out and let me tell you, I am absolutely not impressed. But you? You’re a mystery.”

“I’m not,” you told him. “I want the same thing as you do. To keep the truce going, and to keep the town safe.”

“So you claim,” Tony said. “Even you can’t admit, this wedding gave you a huge advantage in power and allies.”

“Let’s be serious here Tony, it didn’t give me any advantage over any of the bosses here.”

“Yet,” Tony added and you hummed, then shrugged your shoulders.

“Yet.”

“But you want it to.”

“I want to make sure my family continues the truce after my father retires,” you stated. “I think that’s what we all want, no?”

Tony huffed out a laugh and raised his glass slightly.

“It is,” he said. “But we also want to make sure your fight for the crown doesn’t hurt the town.”

You opened your mouth to say it would never happen, but heard Pepper calling out for Tony so you both turned your heads before Tony cleared his throat.

“I should go,” he said. “I’ll be in touch. Maybe a dinner with the newlyweds?”

“We’d love to host you and Pepper,” you said and he downed his drink, then put it on the counter and walked away. You let out a breath, then finished your drink as well before motioning at another.

“Aren’t you supposed to be with your husband?” Ian’s voice reached you and you rolled your eyes, then leaned sideways to the bar.

“What do you want?”

He held up his hands, gesturing surrender. “I come in peace.”

“As if.”

“Come on Y/N, it’s your wedding,” he said. “I would have thought you’d be in a better mood.”

“I was, then you started talking to me,” you said and he hummed.

“Listen,” he said. “I’m being completely serious here. Congratulations for the wedding, I’m happy for you. I know we’ve had our differences but we both want your father to be happy, and this wedding is a huge relief for him.”

You pulled your brows together.

“A relief?”

“Yeah,” he said. “It’s a relief for me as well. Now you can just be happy with Barnes and focus on your marriage and your family.”

That bitter taste climbed up your throat but you managed to scoff a laugh and motioned for another drink.

“Is that what you think will happen?” you asked him. “Me and Bucky get married and… then what? I get out of your hair?”

“We’re family,” he reminded you. “That’s not what I—that’s not it. You’ll just have different priorities.”

“Did you give the same speech to Bucky or is it just for me?” you asked and he rolled his eyes.

“You know how the business works Y/N, you don’t need me to tell you.”

You bit inside your cheek hard enough to hurt, then reached out to grab your glass of drink the bartender just placed on the counter.

“You’re the daughter of one of the most important men in the business,” he said. “This marriage will be good for the family, uncle knows that. Not to mention…”

You lowered your glass and tilted your head.

“Not to mention?”

“You’re a wild card,” he said. “It’s hard to play you.”

Your grip around the glass tightened and you shrugged your shoulders.

“Maybe I’ll play you.”

“Spouses don’t get involved, you know the rules,” he said with a snort and your smirk widened before you took a sip, keeping quiet. That confident look on his face faltered when you didn’t reply and he pulled back slightly.

“You can’t,” he said as if trying to convince himself. “You wouldn’t.”

“Here you are!” Bucky’s voice cut through the momentary silence between you and Ian and you turned your head to give him a smile. “Was wondering where you were sweetheart.”

“Time for the food?”

“Mm hm, let’s go.”

Ian gawked at you in silence while you narrowed your eyes at him, dragging the tip of your tongue over your teeth.

“You wouldn’t,” Ian repeated, making Bucky looked between you before he casually stepped closer to you without saying a word, as if making sure you knew he was there to interfere at the slightest sign of you wanting him to. Your stomach did a pleasant flip and you downed your drink, then put it on the counter to turn to Ian.

“Enjoy the wedding, Ian,” you said, grabbing Bucky's hand. “And make sure to rest tonight, will you? Tomorrow will be a new day for both of us.”

With that, you walked away from Ian with Bucky right behind you, a proud smile warming your face.

Chapter 15

#bucky barnes #bucky barnes x reader #mob!bucky barnes #mob!bucky #mob!bucky x reader #mob! bucky #mafia!bucky barnes x reader #mafia!bucky barnes #mafia!bucky #mafia bucky barnes #mafia bucky x reader #mob bucky barnes x reader #mob bucky barnes #mob bucky x reader #mob bucky #mob boss!bucky #mob boss bucky barnes #mob au #mob!au

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miss-oranje-disco-dancer · 3 months ago

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blue butterflies

pairing: jackson! joel miller x reader

cws/tags: 1st person pov joel, angst, discussions of sex trafficking/sexual assault, death, mild smut, au where nothing bad happens between ellie and joel, author has not played tlou 2 yet (donate to kofi lmao), guns, alcohol consumption, light enemies to lovers, cordyceps works different in this one (more predictable and slower-acting)

summary: joel's letter to reader

a/n: i watched the beginning of tlou (joel playing guitar) and it made me cry so hard. so, this is inspired by that, but also i listened to funeral by arcade fire and for emma, forever ago by bon iver while writing this. neighborhood #4 (7 kettles) by arcade fire makes me cry so hard.

wc: 5.7k

taglist: @gothcsz @harriedandharassed @withonly-sweetheart

thank you to @jennaispunk for beta reading/proofreading !

join my taglist | purchase a commission

divider is from @danowh0re

playlist for fic: required listening!!

I thought therapy was a bunch of bullshit - a scam at worst, a waste of my time at best. But, since you left us, Tommy’s been making me go. He keeps saying, ‘it’s what she would’ve wanted’, and I think it is. But, that doesn’t mean I like it.

My therapist told me if I’m not gonna talk to her about my past, I should at least talk to someone. I told her I’d talk to you, if you were here. She told me it was a good idea, that I should write it out in a letter. She told me I could write to you, or to Sarah, but I figured I’d better write to you ‘cause there’s some things a daughter shouldn’t hear about her dad. Even - especially - the most fun times he’s had. I’ll get to those later.

Did you know I hated you when we first met? I never told you, but I think you knew. I thought you were a self-important, entitled bitch who acted like she’d been through hell when I knew she hadn’t because of how well-adjusted she seemed. I thought you had some sort of unearned valor. I know that’s not the right way to put it. I think the word I’m looking for is ‘respect’. Tommy, Maria, even Ellie were so quick to respect you when I had to earn it.

“The reason people don’t like you is because you’re an asshole,” you told me. “You’re fucking scary when you’re mad, too.”

“What’s that saying? It’s better to be feared than to be loved?”

“That’s what Machiavelli said, but that doesn’t mean he’s right.”

I think he was wrong. I was jealous of how much everyone loved you, and they didn’t love me because they feared me. You were so fucking right, and that was one of the things that I hated most about you.

I used to think about how young you were in comparison to an old man like me, how you were only a little younger than Sarah would’ve been, and how stupid I would’ve felt if Sarah was always outsmarting me. Until I remembered all the times that Sarah did just that, and how much I loved her for it, rather than in spite of it. (Note to self: tell Sarah this in your letter to her).

That’s not to say I loved you, not yet. I did love you, but I realized that a little later. I had to learn to like you first.

Do you remember our first day out on patrol together? I begged Tommy to change my schedule. I would rather have spent my time with anyone else in the community -- Hell, I would’ve asked Tommy to give you a day off if it’d get me out of having to work alongside you.

You overheard me talking to Tommy, and said to me, “You could at least wait until I’m out of earshot to bitch about me, you know?”

“I know,” I said.

And we didn’t talk for almost the whole shift. Well, I didn’t talk, but you kept on talking, almost like you were talking to yourself. You didn’t even care that I was ignoring you.

“It’s okay. I don’t like people either.”

“Who says I don’t like people?”

“Your face, your voice, basically your whole demeanor.”

You were so honest, and you had every right to be. It shut me right back up again. I don’t know if that’s what you wanted. Maybe you thought provoking me would make me talk, but I’m a stubborn, old asshole. I don’t think you need me to tell you that.

“What did I do to piss you off?” You asked, after I gave you what you viewed as the silent treatment, and what I saw as peace and quiet.

“Nothing. I just think you’re a little bit... egotistical.”

“So are you. You think you know everything.”

“No, but I know more than you. You haven’t got half the experience I have, and believe me, kid, you don’t want it.”

“You’re so melodramatic. And for what? Has the brooding bad boy behavior gotten you laid yet?”

For your information, yes, it had absolutely gotten me laid.

But before I could tell you that, you stopped me, looked me dead in the eye, and said, “and by the way, you have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Tell me, then.”

“Tell you what?”

“About all the horrors you’ve experienced. If I’m so wrong, then prove it.” I challenged you because I thought you wouldn’t be able to come up with anything. I wouldn’t have said that if I’d known what I do now.

You were so angry that you laughed at me. “Fuck you. You don’t deserve to know shit about me.”

A couple weeks later we knew each other’s whole life stories. I told you more than I’ve ever told anyone else, more than I think I ever will tell anyone else. It started when we got lost in the woods together. We were arguing as usual, and we only got ourselves even more lost. The sun was starting to go down, and I could see it in your eyes - you were getting scared. Maybe, for a second, I took some sort of satisfaction in knowing that you were the one who couldn’t handle it, but I’m still human - it feels a little cruel saying that now - so I wasn’t gonna let you suffer.

“It’s not gonna do us any good to keep arguing, so can we agree to drop it?”

“Truce,” you said, holding out your hand, and when I shook it, you added, “but let it be known that you surrendered.”

“Don’t push it. You know if we stay out here long enough that we have to resort to eating each other’s flesh, you’re gonna be my dinner, not the other way around.”

“I hope I taste good.”

You did, baby. You’re the sweetest thing I’ve ever tasted.

I think we had our first date that night. Sort of. It was late when we got back. Most people were asleep, and the bar was closed, but you had the key.

“Tommy gave you a spare key?”

“Uh-huh. I assumed you had one too, but I guess I’m the favorite.”

“You’re prettier than me. Of course, you are.”

I still can’t believe I said that -- I wasn’t even drinking yet. I can be a real idiot when I’m talking to a beautiful woman.

“Don’t be so hard on yourself. You looked very pretty when you bothered to wash your hair last week.”

“I wash my hair, okay? Sorry I’m old and don’t wake up looking like a supermodel.”

“Who does?”

“I know you want me to say ‘you’, but I’m not taking the bait.”

“That’s okay. I know you’re thinking it, and that’s what matters.”

I was thinking much more than that, darling.

You walked behind the counter, and asked me, “what do you drink?”, and I think that was the moment I knew I liked you. You could’ve --should’ve -- told me to fuck off. You had other friends (not that we were quite ‘friends’), but you chose me that night. I was a real fixer-upper of a companion, but maybe you liked a challenge.

“Whiskey. Neat.”

You gave me that look -- that fuckin’ look -- that raised eyebrow and a tiny smirk. And it made me feel like a teenager caught staring at his crush.

“Please and thank you," I added.

You got up on the stool behind the bar, grabbed the bottle on the top shelf, and said, “you deserve it.”

“No, I don’t,” I said. “But I’ll take it.”

You sat beside me, and sipped your whiskey. (And you looked pretty hot doing it.) After a good minute of silence you said, “thank you for not killing me and eating me in the woods.”

“I’d get pretty goddamn bored if I didn’t have you yapping in my ear constantly.”

“I thought you hated it.”

“Only sometimes.”

“Then, why don’t you ever talk to me?”

“I’m talking to you right now.”

“Barely.”

So, I turned to you, put my elbow on the counter, laid my head in my hand, and gave you the same face you were giving me. I tried to pretend I was mocking you, but I think you knew I was trying to practice being more likable, being more like you.

“Tell me something,” you said.

“What do you want me to tell you?”

“Tell me about you.”

“My name is Joel Miller-”

“We’re not at AA.”

“You’re goddamn right we’re not. This would be the shittiest AA meeting ever.”

“Okay, okay. How about you tell me when your birthday is?”

“September 26th, 1981.”

“So, you’re a Libra.”

“Oh c’mon, tell me you’re not into that shit. I was finally starting to tolerate you.”

“I’m a Cancer.”

“Tell me something I don’t know.”

“Cancer like the crab, not like the disease!”

“Mm-hmm. I’m sure you’re familiar with crabs as well.”

I got a laugh and a smack on the arm in return, and the laugh was worth the smack.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. I know you can’t help being an asshole, so at least you’re making me laugh.”

I didn’t realize your hand was still on my arm until you asked me, “What’d you do before this? You’ve got nice arm muscles.”

“I worked in construction, I was a contractor.”

“Like a carpenter?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s what Jesus was. I bet he had good arm muscles.”

“I don’t think that’s his most notable feature, but sure, why not?”

Despite the fact that we were talking all things Jesus, you were feeling me up. And you weren’t subtle about it at all.

“Do you wanna play darts?” you asked, breaking the tension.

“Okay.”

You walked up to the dartboard all confident, and I expected an instant bullseye. You’d only had one drink and you were focusing so hard, practicing the swing of your arm like a golfer would. The first shot missed the board entirely.

And that’s when I learned you were awful at darts.

“You’re terrible at this.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“Then, why’d you ask me to play?”

“For fun. Plus, how else am I gonna get better?”

You weren’t even close to the bullseye. You weren’t even hitting the board at all half the time. Over the next couple of years, you got better, not a lot better -- I still won every game we ever played -- but you got closer. But, close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades, as they say. It probably counts in terms of people too -- I like to think our closeness counted for something, even if it couldn't last forever.

“You’re lucky you’re pretty," I said.

“You’re lucky you’re good at darts," you fired back.

“Is that an insult? Because I’m holding a sharp object and I’ve got good aim.” And with that, I threw the final dart, hit the bullseye, and won. “What do I get?”

“For what?”

“Winning.”

“You get to keep your pride.”

I was happy with that, but you turned back to me, stepped closer and whispered, “and this,” before you kissed me.

I don’t know which one of us was more nervous. All I knew was that I liked you a lot more when you were quiet. All I heard from you was a little gasp when I lifted you onto the counter so I could keep kissing you without having to lean down and hurt my back ‘cause I’m an old man. I really thought my brooding bad boy look was gonna get me laid again that night, but you stopped me before I could get your top off.

“Uh-uh,” you said. “You’re gonna have to do more than beat me at darts if you want more than a kiss.”

“Fair enough. What’s your price?”

“I’m not a hooker.”

I didn’t understand why you looked so upset until that day by the water when you told me. I’m sorry I said that, I really am.

“Sorry. What I should’ve said is, ‘Can I take you to dinner on Friday?’”

You gave me a nonchalant ‘sure’, and I assumed you’d keep it hush-hush, but you bragged about getting asked out. Why would you brag about me? That's something I still don't understand.

The next day, I went and asked Tommy for advice because I hadn’t dated in a long time, and he’s more of the romantic type. I thought our dinner date would be news to him, but you’d already told him.

“Yeah, I know. She came in here asking for advice too actually.”

He’s got a bigger mouth than you do. That’s why you two got along so well -- you were like those little old ladies gossiping at the hair salon.

“What’d she say?”

“I’m sworn to secrecy.”

But Tommy always had a certain loyalty to you. He keeps your secrets to this day -- some of ‘em.

“Give me some advice, please.”

“You were married once. You won a woman’s heart. Just do what you did back then.”

“I think you’re forgetting the fact that my marriage ended in divorce.”

“Just be yourself.”

“That’s bullshit.”

“Yeah, it is. How about smiling for once?”

I tried, but I’d almost forgotten how to over the years.

Tommy feigned disgust and said, “I take it back. Keep your usual pissed-off look.”

You taught me how to smile again. I don’t know that you meant to do it, but you did. Tommy says he knows when I’m thinking about you because of the way I smile.

When I came over to pick you up for dinner, you opened the door wearing a bathrobe with your hair in curlers. I guess I was looking at you funny because you made sure to tell me, “Don’t worry, I’m not wearing this out. Go sit in the living room.”

“I’m not worried. You look beautiful already.”

“I do not. I look like my grandmother.”

“I imagine she must’ve been a hot commodity then.”

“She was actually -- or at least, that’s the story she used to tell us. She was Prom Queen and all that jazz.”

You could talk for hours, about anything. I could say one word and you could give me a tangentially related 20 minute long monologue. You were a good storyteller. I don’t think I ever told you this, but I used to think about how you’d be great at making up stories for our kids one day -- if we ever had them. I know I told you I didn’t want to have any, but that’s one of the few lies I told you. I was too scared to imagine that kind of a future with you.

I had you in the present, and that’s what I cared about. I don’t remember what you wore that night because I spent most of our date looking at your face, trying to memorize every dimple, freckle or scar I could see. All the details.

I’m sure your dress fit perfectly, but what I cared about was how your hand felt when I took it in mine as we walked to the restaurant -- it felt right, more so with our fingers intertwined on the way home.

It was one of the longest dinner dates in my not-so-long history of dating as it took you quite a while to finish your meal because you don’t talk with your mouth full (usually). I think our waitress was mad that we were there for so long. They were cleaning up by the time you were done eating.

I don’t remember all the things you said. Even if I did, I don’t have enough paper to write it all down. But I do remember when you asked me, “Can I tell you a secret?”

“Sure.”

“This is my first date.”

I would’ve been less surprised if you’d told me you’d killed someone.

“Mine too,” I said.

“Liar! Tommy said you were married... before all of this.”

“Does Tommy tell you everything about me?”

“No. He wouldn’t tell me when your birthday was. That’s why I asked you.”

“That’s ‘cause he forgot it.”

Really, I wanted to know if he told you about Sarah, or if I’d have to do it myself. Both. As it turned out, he told you before we ever really met. I told you by the river, but that came later.

When I walked you home, we lingered by your door, and when I leaned in to kiss you goodnight, you turned your head, and I should’ve realized how special you were to me ‘cause I felt my heart sink. But, you asked me to come inside. You were always shy about kissing in public, but not on your living room couch.

When we were inside, you let me take off your dress, but only after I agreed to take off my shirt.

“Jesus,” you said when you watched me undress.

“We talked enough about Jesus last time. It’s about you and me now, baby.”

I learned to be a gentleman growing up in Texas, that wining and dining a lady includes putting her first in the bedroom too. But you called the shots -- that night and all of the others we had together. You got down on your knees and gave me the most irresistible face. It was embarrassing how quickly I came. It’s still embarrassing, and you’re not even here to tease me about it anymore. I thought I’d get the chance to prove myself to you that night, but you stopped me. I remembered what you said, ‘this is my first date’, and I assumed you were a virgin.

It was about a week later when I was trying to teach you how to skip rocks in the river that I asked you if you were one.

“It’s not a big deal if you are -- not to me, I mean. I just figured maybe because you said that was your first date.”

“It’s kind of a long story, so take a seat if you want the answer.”

I don’t know what I expected you to say, but I already felt like I’d fucked up by asking. I didn’t want to make this mess I’d gotten myself into worse than it already was, so I sat next to you and waited for you to speak.

“It’s not actually a long story, I guess. Just a sad one.”

It was the first sad story you told me, and you told me more stories than I’d ever been told by anyone else at this point. It was impressive how many happy ones you held onto, especially after everything that you told me that day.

You didn’t look at me while you spoke. You mumbled and picked at the grass beneath you. Like a child.

“I’m not a virgin, but I wasn’t lying when I said that was my first date. There’s just some stuff that you don’t know about me... ‘cause I didn’t want you to know these things about me. But it’s not like I was ever gonna get away with not telling you. It’s better that it happens now anyway.”

You started to cry, so I put my hand on your shoulder, but you shrugged it off. I was so used to the one doing the pushing away that being pushed away was jarring.

“Before I came to Jackson, I used to do things for money. Those sorts of things. It’s not like I wanted to, ‘cause I’m not like that, you know.”

You explained how you’d lost both your parents by the time you were 16 and didn’t have any siblings, so you ended up with whatever friends you could find. Some of the few good people that were left.

“There was a group of men who killed my friends just to loot their pockets, but they realized that it’d be more profitable to keep me alive.”

“So they forced you to...”

“Have sex for supplies, yeah. One of them was my first time, I guess. They did that stuff for a while, but once I’d been with a decent amount of men, they decided I was too ‘used up’ or something to be worth having sex with. I can’t decide if that made me feel better or worse. On the one hand, I didn’t have to have sex with them anymore, but I was also too gross to be wanted.”

“’Used up’ is bullshit. Back when the world was a little more civilized, those bastards could’ve gone to jail.”

“They’re dead.”

“Did you kill ‘em?”

“No, but I thought about it all the time. I remember thinking about strangling a man once. He was alone, so no one would’ve seen me do it, and the guys could’ve taken all of his shit too. They probably would’ve been happy if I had. I think that’s why I didn’t.”

“If you didn’t kill them, then how did they die?”

It probably wasn’t appropriate for me to pry, but the sadistic part of me needed to know that they got what was coming for them. I needed to know there was some justice left in this world.

“They wanted food from some guy who’d gone hunting and they tried to sell me to him, but he said ‘no’. He looked so offended that I thought I was pissed off ‘cause they’d given him a bad deal... but he shot the one standing in front of him. Then, he yelled at me to turn around and I was sure I was gonna die, but I heard him walk into the other room, another shot, and when the third walked in from outside, another shot. He walked over to me, and I started crying and begging him not to kill me. He told me he wasn’t going to, but he made me close my eyes while he led me out of the house.”

“’Cause he didn’t want you to see the bodies.”

“Yeah... and I still thought he was going to kill me, even when he took me with him on his horse, and said he was taking me back to some place called ‘Jackson’.”

I don’t know if I would say you got a happy ending, at least, not the one you deserved, but I saw a hint of a smile when you mentioned Jackson. And you didn’t have to tell me who the man was -- I know him well.

“Tommy,” I said, confident in my guess.

“Yeah.”

After I dropped you off at home, I went by his place and thanked him. And then I went home and cried. For the first time in a decade.

“You know it doesn’t change how I feel about you, right?”

“How do you feel about me?”

“I like you… most of the time.”

What I meant was, I love you. I just didn’t know it yet.

“I guess I owe you a story too, then.”

“You don’t owe me anything... but you can tell me whatever you want.”

I think part of me wanted to tell you, or at least, part of me wanted you to know. “I had a daughter.”

“I know.”

I should’ve known, considering how close you and Tommy were.

“Tommy told you, didn’t he?”

“To be fair to him, he told me he had a niece.”

“Yeah, he did. She’d be a little older than you. It’s crazy to think that she’d be in her 30s when the last time I saw her she was 13.”

“I know saying ‘I’m sorry’ doesn’t really do anything, but I’m still sorry”

“In a way, I’m glad she doesn’t have to see all these things. All the infected. She died before we ever had to go to a QZ.”

When you told me about the first QZ you lived in as a kid, it confirmed that for me. It pained me to hear about you watching your dad get bitten and leaving him behind, saying goodbye without knowing he was dying -- in one way or another.

You told me later about how the only person you’d ever killed was your own mother, how she used to sell herself like you did, how you missed the first shot and you saw how scared she was to die. I think you had it worse than I did.

“I think she was mostly scared because she knew I couldn’t do shit with a gun, and that I’d end up surviving the way that she did... and she was right.”

“Neither of you deserved it, and I bet she’d be proud of you now.”

“Why?”

“’Cause I’m proud of you.”

You cried, but you finally let me hold you. You cried so long that I thought you’d never stop.

Do you remember your last day? I told you I wanted to be with you until the end, but you reminded me about your mother. You told me that even if a shot to the head had to be the way you went out, I wasn’t going to be there to give it to you. We had two choices: either wait until that day came or let you go before then. I said I wanted to go with you. I wanted to ask Tommy to give me the same cocktail he was gonna cook up for you. You said no. It was your last wish that I stayed.

“I don’t wanna live without you.”

“I don’t wanna die, but I don’t get to choose. If I could live longer, I would. But just because I’m dying doesn’t mean you get to leave everyone else behind.”

Yeah, you brought Ellie into it. I wanted to tell you not to bring her up. I’m glad you did because as much as it hurt to think about her watching me die the way that I watched you die, it made me stay. I’m glad I stayed. Things are okay, but our last day is still my favorite day.

We got up early and watched the sunrise, and I told you I loved you for the first time.

“I know,” you said with a smile on your face.

“How?”

You just lifted your coffee cup. When you moved in -- something I didn’t realize was happening ‘till it had already happened -- I started making coffee every morning before you woke up, and I started buying that French Vanilla bullshit creamer. I hated it. It was so sweet it made me nauseous. I could’ve gone and bought my own, but I’m still stubborn, I’m still a cheapskate, I’m still me -- even without you (which is something I thought I’d never be able to say). But that wasn’t why I started taking my coffee the same way you took yours.

It was one day when you’d already left for work but my shift didn’t start until later. I hadn’t slept at all the night before -- and not for any good reason, not for more time with you -- so I was tired when I woke up. I made myself some coffee, but I wasn’t even thinking straight, so I hadn’t noticed that I had put that creamer in my mug until I tasted it. But I wasn’t disgusted. I thought maybe you’d left yours behind and I’d absent-mindedly picked the wrong one up off the counter -- I very well could’ve gotten caught up in putting the toaster on the right settings (that’s something we could never agree on) -- but when I looked down, it was my mug. Yours was dirty in the sink. You were gone for the day. I was stupid to think otherwise. I was fantasizing. That was new.

So, just as I am right now, I take my morning coffee like you took yours. It tastes like you, like you kissing me.

I waited anxiously for you to say you loved me too.

“Are you not gonna say it back? Do you not-- do you feel the same?”

“What do you think?”

“I hope so.”

You gestured for me to come closer so you could whisper in my ear and I thought maybe you’d give me a wet willy. But you said, “Joel Miller, I have loved you for a long time.”

I didn’t say anything. I don’t think I’ve ever been very good with words -- talking was your thing. I grabbed your hand and squeezed. We went out onto the porch and sat in silence. I wonder what you were thinking about.

“Will you sing me something?”

You know I don’t take requests, and you know I don’t like an audience, no matter how small that audience is.

No one would refuse the wish of a dying woman, but I couldn’t refuse you even if I knew you’d be there tomorrow and every day after. I only protest because you look cute when you beg. Not in that way -- you look hot when you beg like that.

“What song do you want?”

“Surprise me.”

I sang Peaceful Easy Feeling because, as much as a part of me felt a sense of urgency, knowing our time was running out, most of me was just thinking about you, and I love you. Simple as that.

You gave me a standing ovation just to see me blush.

We all planned something special for your last dinner. I know you like simple things, so I tried to make it as simple as I could while still making it special for you. Maybe it was selfish to make it a night to remember when I’m the one who gets to remember it.

Tommy and Maria were chef and sous-chef (you can guess who was who in that scenario), and Ellie was the waitress.

“What are your specials tonight?” you asked.

“We have either the steak and baked potato or the steak without the baked potato.”

“In that case, I’d like it with the baked potato.”

We probably lit a hundred candles to fill the room with enough light to see each other -- we had time while you were getting ready, since you’re a bit of a slowpoke. We picked flowers from the garden and put them in an empty wine bottle because we couldn’t find a vase, and conjured up a decent tablecloth. We had ice cream sundaes for dessert -- or at least, you did. You know what I had for dessert.

“How about you, sir, would you like anything for dessert?” Ellie asked.

“No, I think I’ll be having dessert when we get home.” I tried to subtly wink at you.

“Ew! That’s disgusting. I don’t wanna hear about your sex life.”

“You’re the one assuming I was talking about sex. How do you know I don’t have a tub of ice cream waiting for me in the freezer at home?”

There was ice cream in the freezer, but the sweetest thing I’d ever tasted was between your legs. The moment we got home I picked you up bridal style and carried you up to our bedroom.

“Baby, I know how long you spent getting ready, and I’m sorry to do this to you, but this needs to come off,” I said before I yanked down the zipper of your dress. You laughed as I ripped off your clothes.

You gently undid my tie and when I watched you fumble with the buttons on my shirt, I said, “Just rip it, baby.”

“I don’t wanna ruin your clothes.”

“I don’t want you to worry about me or my clothes tonight. I want you to have me however you want me.”

“You’ll do whatever I want?”

“Within reason.”

“How do you feel about roleplay?”

“I suppose it depends -- what are the roles?”

“Husband and wife.”

“As long as I can be the husband.”

And then you kissed me -- with your typical tenderness but a new level of dedication. Slow and passionate, showing me what our lives could’ve been like.

“I’m an impatient husband, and I want my beautiful wife to lie down because I think I’m gonna lose my mind if I don’t get to taste her.”

My mouth is useless when it comes to talking, but we both know I have other uses for it. I tried to go slowly, but I couldn't help myself. I swear your pussy was so perfect it made me reconsider my views on God. Though, I don’t think I am a man deserving of an angel. I think I just got lucky.

That night I couldn’t care less about how loud you were. “Joel- fuck- you’re gonna have to slow down, or, or, put your hand over my mouth ‘cause - oh!”

“’Cause you don’t want anyone to hear? What’s the problem with them hearing, darlin’? Married couples make love all the time, it’s what we’re supposed to do.”

Without a condom, too. We weren’t worried about you getting pregnant, so we went out with the best bang of ‘em all. I think the last time I’d done it like that was when Sarah was conceived, and based on how easy that was, I was always cautious.

Husband and wife roleplay wasn’t very different from the sex we typically had. I guess we were really only a piece of paper and wedding bands away from being those ‘characters’.

Earlier that day, I was worried I wouldn’t sleep that night. I didn’t want to sleep. I wanted to savor every moment with you but when you curled up in my arms I fell asleep before I could even consider staying awake.

Waking up next to you was my last clear image, even our goodbye kiss was a little blurry ‘cause I was already a little teary-eyed.

But before that, over breakfast, you mentioned something that I’ve thought about every day since.

“You know how sometimes people see a bird or something and they’re like ‘oh, that’s my dead relative’?”

“Yeah.”

“I’ll come back as a butterfly. One of the blue ones. You don’t see those too often. I don’t want to be something too common, like a bird, then you’ll probably mistake someone else for me.”

I don’t think I had seen a blue butterfly in Jackson until after you’d left us, but there’s one outside my window right now.

In case it’s you, I’ll read this all aloud.

Forever yours,

Joel

#joel miller x reader #joel miller x you #joel miller x y/n #joel miller fanfiction #joel miller smut #joel miller fic #joel miller #tlou fanfiction #joel miller angst

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outermaybanks · 2 months ago

Text

Out of the Woods - ch 12

a/n: sorry for the break college is whooping my ass :( series masterlist

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When I woke up, it was once again to the feeling of being suffocated, JJ’s head nestled into my neck. “JJ we gotta get dressed.” I whispered, starting to move him.

He let out a whine as he rolled off me, allowing me to get up.

“JJ, c’mon, today’s the day, John B is gonna come by right after his fishing trip with Ward.” I said, looking for a shirt. I found one near my bag and threw it on before looking in my bag to find some pants.

“I was having such a good dream…” JJ mumbled, I pulled some shorts on as he finally sat up. JJ watched me for a moment before a smile crept onto his face.

“What?” I asked, buttoning my shorts. “By that mark on your neck, I don’t think I was dreaming.”

I furrowed my brows before digging deeper in my bag for my compact mirror, and when I held it up, sure enough there were hickies scattered on my neck. “I’m gonna kill you, Maybank.”

“You’re wearing my shirt.” JJ countered, making me look down. “You look better in it.”

I rolled my eyes and quickly threw him his clothes. “Get dressed, I’m gonna make some breakfast.” I said before leaving the room to head for the kitchen.

My friends slowly joined me, first Pope, then Kie, and JJ last just in time for me to make some plates for everyone. He was shirtless, which only drew more attention to the fact that I was wearing his shirt.

“Thanks mom.” Pope teased, grabbing his plate. “So… did you guys hear any strange noises last night?” Kie asked as she made hers. “Nope.” I quickly answered, keeping my head down, focused on my plate. “What noises?” JJ asked with a smirk. “I can’t be too sure. A thudding. But it only lasted like… 15 minutes.”

“Hey! 15 minutes is long for some thudding noises,” JJ defended and I hit his arm, making Kie and Pope burst out laughing.

“Fine, next time, make your own damn breakfast,” I said, sitting on the counter with my plate in my hand. “Oh c’mon mom,” Pope said. “Yeah, we’re just teasing. It’s not our fault you're practically waving it in our faces.” “What’s that supposed to mean?” I questioned.

Kie’s eyes widened before she looked to JJ, so I looked to JJ, with his shirt off, you could see faint scratch marks along his shoulders and back.

“What can I say? The lady couldn’t keep her hands off me,” JJ said, earning groans of disgust from our friends. “Go put a shirt on, JJ, please, before John B and Sarah get here,” I instructed. “Yes ma’am,” JJ replied, putting a piece of bacon in his mouth before getting up from the table.

After breakfast, John B still hadn’t shown, so we all decided to wait outside for him, Me and JJ laid together in the hammock, while Pope and Kie tested out the rig using the tree.

“John B pullin’ a Houdini,” JJ spoke up as I fidgeted mindlessly with his fingers and the rings on them. “Yeah, where is he?” Pope asked. “He’ll show,” I said, loud enough for Kie and Pope to hear. “I got my scholarship interview tomorrow, we gotta get this done,” Pope added.

“Speak of the devil!” JJ chimed, and I sat up to see John B walking over. JJ got out of the hammock to greet him, but he ignored JJ and Pope’s bickering over who set everything up, and just walked into the house. Me and Kie exchanged looks then quickly got up to follow after Pope and JJ, already following after John B. He was searching for something. He ignored all of us as we asked what was happening, but he stopped looking after he pulled the gun from under the pull out couch.

“John B, what do you need the gun for?” JJ asked, but John B ignored him, and when JJ tried to stop him, John B flipped him onto the couch.

“Jeeb, what the hell?!” I scolded, but he just pushed Pope out of his way. “What the hell is his problem?” I asked, helping JJ back up. Kie steadied Pope, then chased after John B. “John B what the hell are you doing?” Kie called. When we got back outside, John B was JJ’s motor bike.

“Ward knows about the gold. He killed my dad,” John B said, making all of us stop. His voice was cracking, and before we could process what he said, he drove off.

“What the FUCK?” JJ shouted, running a hand through his hair. “What do we do? Do we follow him? Go to the police?” I questioned. “Cops are useless,” Kie said, exasperated. “Junie, June- where’s your gun?” JJ asked.

“In my bag-” I said pointing behind me before heading back into the house, the three of them right behind me. I grabbed my bag from the room, but JJ took it out of my hands, digging through my clothes, pausing to pocket a pair of my underwear before finally finding the gun.

“I say we go find Ward,” JJ said, holding the gun up. “JJ, stop.” I scolded, grabbing my panties from his pocket. “We can’t kill Ward Cameron, we need to find out where John B went.” “Who knows where he went?” Pope pointed out. “Sarah… He’s gonna go find Sarah,” I said. “How do you know that?” Kie questioned. “‘Cause it’s John B, we should take the boat over there, see what we can see.”

Everyone agreed, and we got in the boat, Pope driving us across the water over to Figure Eight, pulling up right next to Ward’s boat.

“So what now? We just go up to the front door and ask, ‘Hey, have you seen John B?’” JJ asked. “He lives at Tannyhill now, it’s plausible. We can play dumb,” Kie said. “Play dumb?” JJ questioned. “It’s pretty late…” Pope said. “What?” I threw at Pope’s readiness to give up. “Look, I’ve never seen John B like that. Maybe Junie is right, maybe we should go to the cops.”

“The cops- and say what, Kie? We’re worried about our friend because he’s going off on a rampage because Ward Cameron killed Big John? They’re not gonna believe us!” JJ countered.

Pope picked up the binoculars and looked through them. “Hey, I see Ward.”

Kie quickly took the binoculars to look through.

“Doesn’t look dead to me. Let’s go home,” Pope said, moving to get back to the wheel. “What?” Kie asked. “Look, obviously Mr. Cameron is fine, and even if John B was here, he isn’t now, okay? Plus I have the biggest, most important moment of my life in six hours,” Pope explained. “Yeah, well, our friend is in trouble.” Kie argued. “I’m in trouble! Guys, I haven’t been home in three days. My dad’s probably put all my shit on the street by now.”

“Guys-” I tried.

“So that's it? You're gonna turn your back on your friend?" Kie accused.

“Okay, yo, guys, can we not do this right now?” JJ asked.

“I have a scholarship interview in the morning. I can’t-” “What about John B?” Kie asked. “Why is it always about John B?” Pope threw back. “It’s not always about John B, don’t be stupid, it would be any of you guys in this situation,” Kie shouted.

“Guys-” JJ spoke up, making me turn to him, but Kie and Pope kept arguing.

“Oh, bullshit!” Pope argued. “This is about friendship!” Kie continued.

“Bring it down…” JJ said.

“Look, this is about Pogues for life.” “What about forensic pathology?” Pope countered. “Forensic pathology?” “It’s my life. Everything I’ve worked for-” “That’s your priority?” “Stop the moral high ground bullshit-”

“Pope!” I interjected quickly, I was all for making sure Pope made it to his interview, but I could tell this argument was heading in a bad direction.

“Dude!” JJ spoke up.

“Yeah. You forgot about us. Now you feel guilty.” “Don’t talk to her like that!” I shouted, standing from where I sat on the bench. “Give me a break!” Kie shouted, pushing Pope, but he pushed her back. JJ quickly jumped up to get in between them. “Hey! If I’m the one mediating, we’ve hit rock bottom. Bow, now.” JJ said to Pope, separating the two. “I’ll drop you off.”' “Okay, yo, guys, can we not do this right now?” JJ asked. “I have a scholarship interview in the morning. I can’t-” “What about John B?” Kie asked. “Why is it always about John B?” Pope threw back. “It’s not always about John B, don’t be stupid, it would be any of you guys in this situation,” Kie shouted.

“Guys-” JJ spoke up, making me turn to him, but Kie and Pope kept arguing.

“Oh, bullshit!” Pope argued. “This is about friendship!” Kie continued.

“Bring it down…” JJ said.

“Pope!” I interjected quickly, I was all for making sure Pope made it to his interview, but I could tell this argument was heading in a bad direction.

“Excuse me?” Kie questioned. “No, no, she has no room to talk.” Pope turned to Kie. “Where were you when Big John went missing? You weren’t there. You weren’t there for John B, you weren’t there for any of us. Remember your Kook year?” “Dude!” JJ spoke up. “Yeah. You forgot about us. Now you feel guilty.” “Don’t talk to her like that!” I shouted, standing from where I sat on the bench. “Give me a break!” Kie shouted, pushing Pope, but he pushed her back. JJ quickly jumped up to get in between them. “Hey! If I’m the one mediating, we’ve hit rock bottom. Bow, now.” JJ said to Pope, separating the two. “I’ll drop you off.”

JJ dropped Kie off at home, then Pope. Then it was just us.

“Where to now, princess? Back to the Chateau?”

I looked over the skyline, from the way the blue was filling the sky, it had to be maybe four in the morning. “Something Pope said reminded me of something.”

“What?” “The rest of my stuff, I told my mom I’d come back for it.” JJ raised an eyebrow. “I really don’t want to go back there alone, JJ.” I said softly. “I’ll take you, as soon as the sun rises.” I forced a smile and then looked back out on the water. “JJ?” “Yes darlin’?” JJ asked, preparing to turn the boat around. “That was really hot, how you handled the situation.” I could practically hear his smirk. “Just let Papa J handle things, baby girl.”

We had nowhere to go, no idea where John B was. JJ drove the boat to the dock he used to pick me up from, and tied down the boat, but the sun was just starting to rise. Me and JJ sat across from each other on the front of the boat, I kept my knees up, my stomach churning at the thought of what I was about to face.

“Hey…” JJ said softly, making me look up at him. “You alright?” “Yeah… It’s just a lot… Big moment, y’know?” I replied. “Just ‘cause it’s big doesn’t mean it’s gotta be heavy. I’m here.” JJ said, letting his fingers twitch closer to touch mine. I smiled to myself before reaching out to interlock our fingers. “For the guy who took my virginity, you seem awfully hesitant to touch me.”

JJ chuckled nervously, before pulling me closer, letting me lean on his chest. “I just… I don’t want to mess this up, bug. Finally have something worth holding onto.”

I looked up at him before putting a hand on the back of his neck, pulling him down to press my lips to his.

We sat like that for a while, watching the sunrise with his arms around my waist. Then, the sun was high enough to justify showing up at my mom’s door.

JJ insisted on being the one to knock. Cody was the one to pull back the door.

“Junie!” Cody practically shouted, before my mother was quickly in the door frame. “Now isn’t a good time-” “What did I tell you? She’d come running back with her tail between her legs.” I heard Theodore shout before he appeared behind my mom. “We’re here for her things.” JJ spoke up. “They’re in my house.” “Her mom’s house.”

Theodore’s jaw clenched, but JJ wasn’t scared. He turned around to hold his hand out for me, and I took it and he opened the door, causing everyone to back up as JJ led me into the house. He pulled me in front of him and walked right behind me into my room.

I could barely remember what I was supposed to be doing, and the talking didn’t help.

“Mommy, is Junie leaving again?” Cody’s small voice asked. “Shh, sweetheart.”

I shook myself out of my thoughts and started grabbing handfuls of clothes, making a pile on the bed.

“Let me guess.” Theodore’s voice boomed from where he stood in the living room. “This guy knocked you up and you need to sell all this shit, right? Well, I’m telling you right now, no hand outs, and your mom won’t babysit for free.” My eyes closed in annoyance.

“Man, do you ever shut up?” JJ replied. “JJ, stop, he’s not worth it.” I muttered, shoving the pile of clothes into a garbage bag. I moved over to my desk and started clearing out the essentials.

“You’re cocky now, son, but I’ll tell you what, being a father? A lot harder than it looks.” “How the hell would you know?” “JJ don’t.” “What the hell did you just say to me?” I could hear Theodore’s footsteps booming. “Teddy, not in front of Cody!” My mom’s voice chimed in, cracking like it always did when this happened. “I want you off my property, now.” “She’s getting her things, and then I promise you we’ll stay far away. She’s never coming back here.”

“JJ, stop.” I said, shoving the garbage bag of clothes into his chest. I looked up and saw my mom staring at me with tears in her eyes as she held Cody in front of her. “But he’s right. I’m not coming back unless it’s to take Cody with me.” I stood up straight and looked out the doorway. “Until then, be a fucking mother for once.”

My mom practically crumbled while she sobbed.

“Don’t you speak to your mother like that. You see, Tiff, I told you she needed more discipline.”

Then, before I knew what was happening, JJ rushed past me, past my mom and had Theodore against the wall.

“JJ!” I shouted, chasing after him. “June, you tell your little boyfriend-”

JJ smacked him back against the wall. If I wasn’t standing so close, I wouldn’t have seen JJ press the gun into Theodore’s side. “That’s big boyfriend to you. Now here’s what’s gonna happen. Junie is going to grab her stuff, and then we are going to leave, and you will not say a word to her the entire time. If you think you can do that, I won’t kill you for putting your hands on my girl, sound good?”

Theodore nodded, his hands held up in surrender.

“Bugs, go get your stuff, I’m just gonna stand right here.”

I quickly backed up, turning to go back in my room, grabbing shit at double time, grabbing stuff I wasn’t even sure I needed before I tied the bag off and went back out into the living room where JJ still had Theodore against the wall.

“JJ, c’mon.”

JJ let go of Theodore to take the bag from me, then had me go out in front of him

Once we were out of the trailer, we ran back to the boat.

“Holy fucking shit, I can’t believe you did that.” I said between pants. “I told you, bugs, let Papa J handle it.”

I bit back a smile before jumping up to wrap my arms around him. He turned his hat around before dipping down to press his lips to mine.

taglist: @lilliebellee

#jj #outer banks fanfiction #outer banks #jj maybank #obx #jj maybank x reader #jj maybank x oc

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softspiderling · 7 months ago

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hi lovely!! would you be open to writing something about rafe + sofia? i would love to see your take on them. maybe how they met, how they are with each other, or how she ends up in his bed?? or just to hear ur thoughts!! i love ur insta profiles tooo

wdym you want to hear my thoughts?😭 ILY!!!

okay, so what i'm thinking is: we know sofia works at the country club as a bartender, they clearly know each other judging by the way they were talking to each other at a party, and she knows him very superficially ("You'll come to it." "You don't even know me." "I know enough, Rafe. You're not like everyone else from the club with their golf shoes and their shiny watches.")

they probably know each other from the country club (we also see sofia pouring rafe a drink in 3x8) and he invited her to the party bc she's pretty (also bc he's a hypocrite bc he keeps going on about pogues and shit and sofia is clearly not a kook) and gives her a tour of the estate (before barry interrupts them). rafe tells sofia to meet him upstairs and they clearly hook up (she wakes up in his bed, in a shirt that looks boyish and very diff to the dress she was seen at the party in) and he seems pretty smitten when she wakes up and flirts with her.

but what i also want to point out is, sofia is not dumb. she knows that something is going on and she's probably heard the rumours about peterkin's death, she looks visibly worried/upset when she sees him tuck his gun into his waistband. he tries to play it off, tells her to feel free to hang out at his place

when we see her next, she's sleeping in the bed AGAIN while rafe is having a complete meltdown over sending an assassin after ward and when she wakes up, she's dressed in her work clothes and says "thank you for letting me crash".

sofia is also the first person who rafe opens up to (besides kie and sarah) (everyone who thinks that rafe/kiara will become a thing: wake up), and he opens up WILLINGLY. yes, he does hide details, wanting to seem likable, and she tells him what he needs to hear, so he can grow as a character. sofia is the first person who tells him he's a good person and that she believes in him and means it. how fucked up is that?

anyways long story short, i think they can set up sofia to be a pretty important character if they decide to bring fiona back. I really do like them together, the only thing i'd hate to see is if she only exists to better him, because that would be a waste of her character.

i hope this is what you meant when you said you wanted to hear me thoughts. also super sorry that this took so long, ily

#i think rafe really needs someone who's on his side fr #and is genuinely a good person #rafe cameron #rafe x sofia #rafe cameron x sofia #drew starkey #fiona palomo #obx #outer banks #elle talks #anon #correspondence 🫡

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alicepao13 · 28 days ago

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Hudson and Rex S03E04 - Under Pressure

And that is literally.

Charlie: *"casually" drops that he's a dive master because he thinks this will make him look cool* Sarah: *treats this information as teasing material* "So, are we talking higher or lower than a Jedi?"

He caught Covid, didn't he? Unless some writer got inspired by zoom meetings.

"Why don't you do that with groceries?" Oh, so it's not enough that he solves every case for you?

One more explosion.

Charlie having some trouble with the board. Rex is missing Jesse.

"Jesse I am not." "No, you are not." And then they flirt shamelessly.

Joe: "They were responsible for the bombing last year of the Canada Pipeline which successfully resulted in a 12-month delay of the project". Sarah: "Thank god". Joe: *exasperated look* Sarah: "That we're finally going after these hoodlums".

This scene is so funny because Joe is like, do I have an ecoterrorist supporter on my hands, while Charlie is just amused and somewhat proud.

Millennial shade. Tread lightly, Joe.

Rex just recognized someone's personal handwriting from the way they were dotting the "i"s. Everyone is fired. Rex takes over everyone's jobs.

Sarah: "You're getting pretty good at that". Charlie: "Yeah. Who needs Jesse?" More flirting.

Sarah: "And you can see how it's by a thermocline". Charlie: "Oh, am I expected to know what that means?" Even more flirting!

"Who needs a warrant when you have a Rex?" No, Charlie. We're trying to change our ways, Charlie.

You can call her a geek all you like but we know you're into that. Charlie is getting turned on by Sarah explaining scientific phenomena because that's less weird than him saying that Sarah is sexy when she's trying to intellectualize an irrational fear (S5).

So, this is about gun smuggling now?

"Please, kind sir, will you tell us what you know?" When everything fails, send in Rex with the puppy look.

"If I ever go full eco-terrorist, I am so working for Barry". Okay but you're currently at a precinct working for the police. Also, Charlie's open fish mouth reaction is hilarious.

The guns are coming from the US. That I can believe.

Time to dive!

"I'll be back". Famous last words.

Rex doesn't like this at all.

"Charlie's a dive master, I'm pretty sure he'll be perfectly fine". Unless another master is trying to murder him underwater.

I really thought he'd stabbed him the first time I watched. Sadly, no.

"Like hell I'm gonna sit there and listen to you about where Charlie should and shouldn't have been while my buddy is in trouble. Adios!"

No offense to Joe, but I'd have wanted Sarah on that. For maximum angst.

"I think you owe someone a trip to the butcher shop, get him a t-bone". He owes Rex a million t-bones at this point.

I've read a fanfiction in which Charlie gets the bends from surfacing too quickly, which is probably more realistic than what happens here. Fun whump stuff.

"You know when you left me to die down there, it was indescribable fear. Worst way to die. Only thing worse would be knowing I was going to be behind bars for the rest of my life because my plans were ruined by a dog."

We're getting deep into what I call Charlie-trauma episodes, by the way.

"I'm glad to see you alive". Instead of in the morgue, you mean. Why didn't she hug him? This episode is a failure. (Just kidding.)

I've watched the episode like fifty times and it's the first time I'm noticing Jesse's costume has a J? And of course Jesse would want to go to Comic Con. Let the nerd live.

Fun experiment: Show these screenshots without providing context to people and ask them what's happening in this scene. I'm sure the answers won't even come close to "she's trying to convince him to help clean up the ocean and he wants to hear her call him 'dive master'".

That was a lot of flirting. And some whump. Favorite ingredients for an episode. Featuring a very different Rex save.

#the great hudson and rex rewatch of 2024

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lulu2992 · 7 months ago

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Who is the voice of the female Deputy?

When I saw this question, I decided to try to find an answer.

I looked up all the actors listed in the credits, listened to their voices (in interviews, demo reels, or other videos), and… I’m still not sure who played the female Deputy.

While I usually find it relatively easy to recognize voice actors in French, my native language, it turns out that’s much harder for me to do in English. Also, it doesn’t help that they’re usually very good at changing their voice/accent and that, in real life, most of them don’t sound like the characters they play.

I still believe the person who played the female Deputy is also “Cult Follower Female 5” (CFF5), but it seems to me the actor used a different accent and tone so the cultist sounds a bit “villainous”. In any case, I didn’t find anyone that sounded exactly like the two characters…

According to my ears, though, the female Deputy and the female Captain from New Dawn have the same voice. Outside of cutscenes, the Deputy has 314 lines in Far Cry 5 (which you can listen to here, here, here, here, and here) and the audio files were all reused for the Captain. In cutscenes, so the “lines” that were specifically recorded for New Dawn, the character sounds exactly the same to me, which means the voice actor must have worked on both games.

I looked at the names that appeared in the credits of the two games and narrowed the list down to the 15 (+1; see below) likeliest candidates, so here are the people who, in my opinion, could potentially be the voice of the female Deputy, as well as, when the information was available, either in the game or on IMDb, which character(s) they played:

Claire Armstrong

Kailea Banka

Carolina Bartczak (Cult Follower in FC5; apparently not in FCND, but you never know)

Kimberly D. Brooks (Gun for Hire)

Nicki Burke (Cult Follower in FC5, Selene in FCND)

Lucinda Davis

Stacey DePass (Nana in FCND)

Amber Goldfarb (voice of Faith’s Priestesses, “Cult Follower Female 3”, and, I believe, Rae-Rae)*

Julianne Jain

Mara Junot (Sherri Woodhouse, “Civilian Female 6”)

Helen King

Erica Linbeck (voice of Anne, but also this and this)

Cynthia Kaye McWilliams (Resistance Soldier)

Debra Wilson

Kim Yarborough

Mayko Nguyen, who plays Kim Rye, was credited a second time as a “voice talent” in Far Cry 5, which implies she may have also played one of several NPC. Since she worked on New Dawn, she too could be the female Deputy’s voice.

Again, English isn’t my first language, and after spending two days listening to all those voices, everyone started to sound the same to me :’) If you’re a native English speaker and/or have a great ear, though, maybe you’ll be able to more easily solve the mystery! We can do it!

*IMDb says Amber Goldfarb played “Noodle’s owner” (the woman who called Ms. Mable for her pet snake) but the files tell me the voice is actually “Civilian Female 6”, so Mara Junot.

And under the cut, just in case, I included all the other female voices who appear in the credits.

FAR CRY 5

MAIN CAST Beryl Bain (Tracey Lader) Sarah Booth (Tammy Barnes and, according to IMDb, a “Civilian”) Luisa D’Oliveira (Deputy Joey Hudson) Jenessa Grant (Faith Seed) Debra McGrath (Nancy) Tasya Teles (Mary May Fairgrave)

VOICE TALENTS Carolina Bartczak (Cult Follower) Lauren Jackson (Skylar Kohrs) Erin Mathews Julie Nathanson (Jess Black) Kristen Peace Murry Peeters (Grace Armstrong) Claire Rankin Cara Ricketts (Dr. Sarah Perkins in FC5, Mickey in FCND) Charlotte Rogers Paula Shaw (Ms. Wilhelmina Mable) Jane Wheeler (Adelaide Drubman)

PERFORMERS (I’m not sure they recorded voices and they apparently didn’t work on FCND) Michela Cannon Roanna Cochrane (Cult Follower) Athena Karkanis Karen Knox Janet Porter Melissa Robertson Alyssa Trask Brandi Marie Ward

FAR CRY NEW DAWN

MAIN CAST Reina Hardesty (Carmina Rye) Leslie Miller (Lou)

VOICE TALENTS Rylee Alazraqui Mary Faber (in the “Additional Thanks” section in the FC5 credits and in Lost on Mars according to IMDb) Camryn Jones Rachel Kimsey Melanie Minichino (Gina Guerra) Carolyn Ratteray Marisha Ray Nadia Verrucci

PERFORMANCE CAPTURE PERFORMERS (again, I don’t know if they recorded voices in FCND) Ava Augustin Tamara Brown Jenny Raven Ajanae Stephenson Lydia Zadel (also credited in the “Additional Thanks” section in FC5 and a voice in Lost on Mars according to IMDb)

Good luck!

#if you need voice samples to help you you can request them on vohc #but this was harder than expected for me…#far cry 5 #the deputy #the junior deputy #far cry new dawn #the captain #the security captain #we can solve this I believe in us!

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samantha-chicago · 2 years ago

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Meet The Boyfriend

Summary: Your family meets your boyfriend and his family

Pairing: OC x Dante Torres

Warning/s: Mentions of officer down?

A/N: I don't know anything about Dante so I made basically everything up. I've not caught up on Chicago PD and it would take me far to long to catch up and I wanted to write it while it was still in my head so hear it is.

It was just a met each others family thing. Like before a wedding they've got to meet each other except for the fact that we are not getting married and we're only doing this because our families are massive. Dante was the best boyfriend I could ever ask for. I just hope that my brothers can actually see that.

I stood in my bedroom redoing my make up almost like an anxiety thing. My brothers and parents downstairs in the living room and Dante coming with his family and siblings. I had heard my brothers coming in but I hadn't been down to see them yet. I looked over as my bedroom door opened honestly expecting it to be my niece and nephew. I was surprised when I saw my sister in law standing there.

"So I'm coming to get some information without James being about" Donna chuckled standing next to me as I fixed my make up.

"What kind of information do you want?" I asked looking at her

"What's he like? Is he good to you? All that kind of stuff" She answered as there was a car pull up outside the house. I looked out the window thankful I didn't have to answer all of those questions

"Oh is that him? Is it?" She asked looking out the window. I nodded

"Your brothers got you a gift for passing the detective test" My mother explained as I walked into the living room. I sent my brothers a weary look as they passed the brown gift bag between them. I looked at Donna who was smiling. The gift was definitely her idea then that makes me less worried. I walked over

"Yeah. Him, his brothers and mother." I replied and Donna basically ran out of the room. I shook my head with a chuckle as I looked at my Lock Screen. The picture of Dante and I from the day that I passed my detective test.

I walked downstairs once I heard that everyone was already in the house. I had already met Dantes' family when he had a panic that his family wasn't answering their phones. I walked downstairs absolutely terrified of what my brothers were going to say.

"Come on then Sarah" James chuckled as I took the wrapped box out of the bag and started opening it. I opened the box looking between my two brothers and then my two sister in laws. All of them were laughing at the mug they had got me. I shook my head

"Let me guess. James and George decided on it" I chuckled, shaking my head as both of my brothers pointed to each other. I walked through to the kitchen with it

"No making out in the kitchen" George called and I turned around pointing to Dante on the couch before his brother who was in the kitchen helping our mom make tea and coffees.

"What?" He asked frowning

"So Sarah, how did you two meet?" James asked and I sent him a look

"Boyfriend" I started pointing to Dante

"Boyfriends brother" I finished sending him a look as George shut up. I put the mug in the sink before walking out

"Two words. Police officers" I answered, sending him a look as if to say are you dumb. Both Dante and I were on call out today. Both wearing our badges. Dante had his gun on his hip and his radio.

"Well sorry I don't listen to the boring details" He mumbled as I sat next to Dante

"We met while Dante was on patrol. Then he moved up to intelligence. There the boring details" I replied

"Sarah you're looking healthy" Dantes mom smiled

"Thank you" I replied.

"Auntie Sarah can you take us to the park please auntie Sarah" Maya begged looking at me

"Why don't you go get your coat on and Dante can come with us" I nodded. Basically leaving the house so that my brothers can definitely argue about who's going to protect me more. Even though they're both mechanics and I'm the detective. I got up looking at Dante

"Do you have your radio love?" I asked him as he got up

"So how did that go?" Dante asked me

"I do. It's in my coat" He smiled and I nodded, pulling my own coat on with my heeled boots.

Maya and Milo ran over both taking a hand of mine and pulling me out the house. I am the fun auntie mainly because I am the youngest. They pulled me over to the park which was thankfully over the road. Dante followed behind us that goofy smile on his face. The kids let my hands go as we got to the park, the pair of them instantly running over to the slide. Dante wrapped his arms around my waist as I smiled up to him as he leaned down kissing me.

"I don't know to be honest. My brothers are hard to read unless they're happy. Quite funny when they thought that you were your brother" I chuckled seeing his face

"Had to hide how jealous I was" He whispered and I smiled

"You're the only Torres I want" I hummed and he kissed me leaning down. Our moment interrupted by his radio

"10-1 10-1. Officer down. 5021 Henry is down. I repeat 50-21 Henry is down" Dante and I looked at each other before running back over to the house. I ran inside to the living room.

"James look after your kids" I ordered opening my gun safe grabbing my gun and putting it in my holster before grabbing my radio

"50-21 ocean responding plain clothed officer responding " Dante radioed

"50-21 Frank responding. Plain clothed officer" Both of us ran out of the house jumping in my car as Dante had come with his family. I started driving to the address that came up on my screen. Dante put his bullet proof vest on keeping one in my car as we were partners before putting mine on as I drove.

"50-21 ocean and frank on science. Alert all resounding officers plain clothed officers on scene." Dante radioed as we both got out of the car. I ran over to Hailey while Dante ran to help Jay.

"I'm fine. It's the vest" Hailey pushed my hands away

"Upton I'm going to check you out anyway" I replied taking her vest off to make sure it just caught the vest and nothing else

#chicago pd imagine #chicago pd x reader #chicago pd #dante torres #dante torres x reader #reader x dante torres

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raygirlramblings · 11 months ago

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The fact we still don't know HOW Eden got a new Rayman to be their spokesperson after the real one rightfully called out racism on live broadcast is pretty nerve wracking. We know Rayman's the last of his kind thanks to the Rabbids (heh, meta commentary) so WHERE did they get this one?? Is he a clone? Some kind of advanced robot? And if he's either of those two then what does that mean for the resources Eden has and is fully capable of???

Well that's just it! we have so many QUESTIONS. Like...this hyper capitalistic corporation has it's hand in universal finances, media control, medical experimentation and the military AND the scientific resources to create a gun that can open portals into other dimensions? They literally have a Power Rangers team and a GUNDAM as part of their defence force. It's bananas the power and reach of Eden, and yet there is also a level of flimsiness to them where their whole board of directors can be taken out by one gun wielding madman.

Considering the medical/tech advances they have to produce Dolph's cybernetic enhancements it's not out of the realms of possibility that they would have cloning or advanced cyborg capabilities.

...though this does bring up a theory I have had about S2....which I'll put below the cut ;)

With Dolph dying at the end of S1 and ending up in some kind of cyber network space with Sam Fisher the question of how they're going to bring back the lead for a second series is an important one.

Either you can follow the theory that Eden and everyone in it is part of a simulation, Matrix style, and Dolph dying in Eden isn't actually real so it's easy to just pop him back into the world like in a video game.

Eden has cloning technology and they have a clone of Dolph just waiting in storage.

This would explain the Rayman clone. Eden developed the means of cloning certain important or vital people to keep them safe, and when a person dies the new clone is brought in, implanted with a backup of memories (OR fabricated memories as Eden sees fit!) and sent back out to carry on in the world.

Dolph used to be a highly celebrated and respected member of Eden's military. A marvel of science and biology and a formidable soldier. It would be logical for Eden to keep a clone of him handy just in case he died in conflict. Just like Rayman they could use his prestige as a propaganda tool.

'But Raye! If they had a clone of him why didn't they bring it out to use when Dolph went rogue?'

Because Eden wanted to subdue Dolph first. They couldn't just roll out a clone with the real Dolph running around committing crimes with Alex Taylor. Far better to detain him, kill him, and then roll out the clone with a 'look we fixed him he's good now!' narrative.

They didn't have to do this with Rayman because they believed he was too weak and powerless to do anything, and they needed him immediately to maintain his TV appearances and public image. They could just send Red to get rid of the original whenever (lolololol).

SO my theory is once Dolph went rogue Eden started preparing his clone for a time when they could catch the real one and then take him out. But Sarah Fisher got in the way and snapped up OG Dolph as her personal plaything for the Ghosts, and because of her influence on the board they let her do it. So his clone is just chilling in storage at the moment.

With Dolph seemingly dying in the wasteland fighting Red it's the perfect time for Eden to re-introduce the clone to the city, but my guess is that Sam is going to use his hacking powers to basically shove original Dolph's consciousness back into the clone body (don't ask me how, just say VR did it XD).

Eden is going to end up with what they think is a perfectly reformed and clean Dolph, all the while his original memories and consciousness are riding piggyback in the clone brain waiting for a chance to fight back. Or waiting for a trigger* which will override the clone's mind with original Dolph's (*BULLFROG I MEAN BULLFROG).

That's my theory :3

#captain laserhawk

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adiduck · 5 months ago

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👀👀👀👀👀

Retirement au :DDDDDDD

This is essentially a whole scene, so I think I can probably combine these two together LOL Thank you for the encouragement, everyone <3

“I just—I don’t know,” Maverick said that night, rubbing at his face. “I feel like I can’t really say anything about it. It’s none of my business, it’s all stuff he has to decide for himself. And he has been deciding it for himself for so long—”

Ice hummed. “Yeah,” he said. “Know how that is.”

Maverick looked up, raising an eyebrow. “How so?” he asked. “Not like you’ve ever fucked up so badly that the kids stopped talking to you for fifteen years.”

Ice shrugged. “No,” he agreed. “But I’m not sure just not being around for them to talk to is much better.”

Maverick’s second eyebrow joined his first up near his hairline.

“Don’t give me that look,” Ice grumbled. “It’s an objective fact. I wasn’t around.” He looks—tired, all of a sudden, a bit sad.

“You were—I mean, you were climbing to COMPACFLT,” Maverick said. “It’s not like you weren’t there on purpose.”

“Isn’t it?” Ice asked, cracking a bitter smile. “It’s not like anyone had a gun to my head, Mav. I made the choice what to prioritize.”

“You—”

“I did,” Ice said over him, voice grinding out, final as a gavel. “And I didn’t pick them.”

Maverick—

Well. He wasn’t sure what to say to that, honestly.

“You love them,” he said finally. “They know that. You were there as much as you could be. I watched you do it, Ice.”

Ice sighed. “I did try,” he allowed. “Which, I guess, is better than my dad did. But—I didn’t really know what I was doing, Mav. My examples of fatherhood were pretty thin on the ground, and making it up as I went along wasn’t ever really my strong suit.” His smile got a little bitter. “And then Sarah and I were divorced, and—there wasn’t really even a question who’d be getting custody. But that’s not the point.” He waved it away. “Point is, I didn’t really do much of the raising involved in Dani and Nick becoming adults. And now that they are adults, it’s not really my place to butt in with advice.” He shrugged. “Doubt they’d want it.”

Maverick thought about Nick asking about Ice just that morning on the phone, about both kids dropping everything to get on a plane and come out when Ice got out of the hospital. About Dani’s red eyes after she stormed up to Ice’s office, and the way they’d spent every damn minute here the next day that they could, before they had to get to their planes.

“I don’t know, Ice,” he said. “I think you’re being too hard on yourself. They love you too, you know.”

“Yeah,” Ice said. “I know. That doesn’t mean they want me butting in. I remember that from my own dad, too.” He shook his head. “You’re right that it’s a bit different with you and Bradley, though.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah.” Ice cleared his throat, the sound cracking painfully in the quiet living room. “You picked wrong, and he left, but he’s back now. I think it’d be alright, if you offered him some advice.”

“What if it’s shit advice?” Maverick asked.

“Then he won’t take it, I guess,” Ice said. “He’s a smart kid. He knows what he wants. I don’t think that’s gonna happen, though.”

Maverick snorted. “Because my track record’s so great.”

“You don’t make the same mistake twice, usually,” Ice said. “And your problem wasn’t that you talked to him too much about what he wanted.” He shook his head. “You’ll be alright, Mav. You’re good at this, even if you fuck up occasionally.”

“Good at this?” Maverick asked.

“Fatherhood,” Ice said.

“Oh, bullshit.”

Ice’s smile went a little less sardonic. “You are,” he said. “Believe me. I know I said my examples of a good father were thin on the ground, but they weren’t non-existent. I had at least one.”

Maverick’s eyes burned. “Bullshit,” he said again. “I drove him away.”

“Yeah,” Ice said. “But he came back. Take it from a son who didn’t—you’re a good father, Mav. You’ll figure it out.”

Maverick shook his head. “Only way out is through, I guess.”

“Wrong way to think about it,” Ice advised.

“Hm.” Maverick sat back, blinked hard at the ceiling until the burning feeling went away. “Only one requirement for a good landing.”

When he looked back at Ice, he was smiling, small and sad but genuine—the way that made his face light. “Yeah,” he said. “Walking away from it. And only one requirement for an outstanding landing.”

Maverick smiled. The requirement for an outstanding landing—flying the airplane the next day.

Maybe there was something left to fly here, after all.

#Retirement AU #adi is a writer #wip snippet #ask game

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where-is-my-whump · 1 year ago

Text

Hudson and Rex whumpy fanfiction

Wrong turn

Summary: A new case is messing with everyone. Charlie tries to take down the killer on his own and ends up missing. Sarah, Joe and Jesse don't know where to start. They need a plan but what if they choose the wrong one?

Two days ago a dead body was found. The victims name was Max Blake. Someone shot him. They couldn't find any bullets nor any prints or a hair that could be linked to the killer. But one important evidence the team has. The killer got away with a blue Nissan. Jesse couldn't run the plates, yet there is one strange detail. The passengers door is in a lighter shade than the other part of the car. A security camera recorded the killer driving away.

It's pretty early...even for a Charlie Hudson. The sky is still dark and the stars reflect in Rex's eyes. Charlie took him on a walk. Back at home the detective gets ready for work. Puts on his new suit, takes his weapon and badge. Shortly after they both leave the house and get into Charlie's car.

After a few minutes on the road he resives a call from Jesse.

Mornin Jesse. What you've got?

Good Morning Charlie. Rex barks.

Good Morning to you too buddy. Says Jesse laughing.

So...What's up?

Oh yeah. Sorry. I found out that the car belongs to our victim and that he had an accident...which leaded to the broken door and that-...

Jesse...take a breath. I know what I need to know.

Oh, yeah, of course. I thought you might-

Jesse!

Yeah. Sending you the address from the car repair right now.

Alright thank you. I'm gonna ca-. Wait...I think I see it! The plates number is HVC 306. But I think you don't need that information anymore...I'm gonna follow the car. Don't send any backup yet. I'll call you when I know more.

But they could be armed, Charlie. You sure you don't want any assistance?

No. If they see a police car they likely get away...Like I said Jesse...Gonna call you back. Bye.

Ok. But be careful. Charlie already hung up.

Of course this isn't the best idea. Chasing after a possible killer all on your own but what choice does he have?

Where. Are. You. Going? Charlie is still behind the car and calls Joe.

Hey Charlie. Any news?

No. Not really. Jesse found out that the car belongs to our victim...Max Blake. Hold on. They are turning left. They are leaving the highway. They are now heading northwest.

Alright.

Is Sarah there?

Yeah. I'm here.

The victim bleed out right?

Looks like it, yes. One shot in the shoulder and one in the lower abdomen. He must have died pretty quickly. He was laying in a pool of blood. Please be careful Charlie. I don't want to see you laying in one either.

Don't worry. I got this. Allright I'll call you back. Bye.

Jesse, Joe and Sarah bye.

The blue Nissan stopped on the side of a small path. Hudson couldn't see any movement so he watchfully steps out of the vehicle.

No Rex. You stay in the car. I know. I know. Next time okey? Rex barks silently.

Charlie takes his gun out of the holster. Slowly he approaches the car and opens the front door. It's empty. The detective is confused. He didn't see anybody leave. His lips form the word How?

Charlie wanted to grab his cellphone but the universe had different plans. Without noticing a man got close to Hudson. He straight of knocked Charlie out with a bat. Immediately he falls to the ground. Blood starts pouring out of the back of his head.

There are two guys. One seems like the big boss and the other one is the short man for the dirty work.

Come on. We gotta move. Get him in the car. Throw away his phone.

I think I got a better idea. His eyes slowly move to Hudsons car.

Whatever. Just. Just don't do anything stupid Alex. You know where to meet.

The undersized man heads over to Charlie's car while the boss drives off with the detective on the back seat. His shirt went from a light blue to a dark brown. His hands tied together with his own cuffs. A grayish tape around his legs.

Meanwhile Alex opens the door and flinches. Rex isn't in the best mood. But it seems like Rex met the first bad person, that isn't afraid of dogs. What? You think one bark an I'm gone? Hell nah. Get out you little pice of shit. Get! Out! He grabs Rex by his fur and throws him out of the car.

Well that was easy. Okeyyy next step.

The suspect turns the car around and drives a few kilometers back in the other direction, where Charlie came from. He found a little parking spot and left the car there, with Charlie's mobile phone in it. He went off with another car.

Just a few minutes later Joe calls. Well...he tried to.

He isn't picking up. Sarah's and his eyes met with a worried gaze.

JESSE!?

Joe leaves his office apruptly.

You need to track Charlie's location. RIGHT NOW. Something isn't right.

On it. He said they were heading north west right?

Yeah he did.

But why is his location in the south east?

Let's find out.

Shortly after leaving the Police Station they arrived at Charlie's location. Sarah had a strange feeling since she last spoke with Hudson.

He's gone. Said Joe

And so is Rex. Completes Jesse

Sarah joins the conversation..

That's not good. He even left his mobile phone behind. Something must have happened to him. I'm gonna call my team and look for any hints.

I saw a cctv camera on the way to this place, maybe I can find anything.

Yeah. Good Idea. I'll drive back to the location where Charlie first saw the suspects vehicle. If you two got any news please call me the moment you find out.

Sure.

Of course Joe. Stay safe.

Charlie is still out. His kidnapper drove deep into the woods. Nowhere near civilization. The tall man dragged Charlie a couple meters across the mossy ground. He suddenly stopped on top an old trapdoor and reaches for his phone. He even got service and tiped in a number.

Is it done?

Yes Boss. I bet his friends already found the car. Nick we gotta move.

Yeah I know. I'm already at the Bunker. How far away are you?

Give me 10 minutes.

Make it 5.

Nick grabbed the handle and opend the trapdoor.

Finally. There you are. Come on, grab his arms.

Why don't we just drop him?

We need him alive...for now.

Alex and Nick managed it to get the detective into the Bunker, without dropping him. The Boss already tied Hudson to a chain on the wall.

His arms are hanging a few inches above his head but the other part of his body is lying on the cold floor.

While the detective is out Nick records a video of Charlie.

Well who do we have here...isn't it the poor little detective. The detective who ows us something. We want 1 Million Dollar or your cute detective dies - he points at the gun in his hand - Tomorrow 11am at the old library in St. John's. No backup. If I see a cop...bang.

He moves his gun closer to the camera and stops the video.

Shortly after Nick anonymously sends the video to Joe Donovans private email address.

Joe still can't realize what he just saw.

Oh my God. That's a lot blood. We need to do something!

I think we all know that Sarah. Jesse is there anything you can do? Any background noice? A specific area?

I'm sorry boss. All I could find out is that there must be a second guy. You can hear someone breathing and I'm pretty sure that sound doesn't come from Charlie. Also there are no windows. This could be everywhere...a basement, a container, an old building or something like a Bunker. We need more information.

But how? You nearly can hear Joe thinking.

It's pretty easy...we give them what they want.

And then? Do you really think they will say where they hold Charlie? I don't think so Sarah. It's the exact opposite. We need to wait and hope we well get another video.

But this could take days. Days we -Sarah holds in for a second- Charlie doesn't has.

Sarah did your team find anything in Charlie's car? Nothing abivous. Just a few scratches and furr from Rex.

No prints? No. Nothing.

Jesse? Yeah. Hold on. I just got the footage from the cctv camera. There he is. Jesse points at Charlie's car. They can see how the car is being parked. The door opens. That's not Charlie. Who is this Jesse? Give me a second.

His fingers dance across the keyboard.

Joe reads out loud. Alex Winter. 25 years. He has an older brother...his name is Nick. Both have been arrested multiple times for mayhem, robbery and illegal possession of guns. This could be them? Right? We don't know that for sure. Joe I will say it again and again we NEED to go there. Donovan doesn't look happy with what Sarah just said but there is no other choice. Ok BUT we do it my way.

Slowly Charlie finds his way back to reality. He hasn't even opened his eyes yet and the pain already jumps into him. He silently groans in pain. His eyes flimmer open. There is nothing but darkness around him. Just a small light spot on the ceiling. After a short amount of time Charlie realized what happened. Scenes from the kidnapping are appearing in front of him. He tries his best to shake them away. The wound on the back of his head however won't go away this quickly. He tries to locate it with his hand but the chains are not really a help.

With heavy steps he tries to form a word.

R...Rex?

He hears something but definitely not Rex.

Hellou there sleeping beauty...god I wish I could sleep that long. ALEX! We have business to do. No time for you talkin shit. Sorry brother.

Sooo Charlie Hudson. Nick grabs Charlie's head, which is half covered in blood. He winches.

Remember us? You blamed us for something we didn't even do. But now you did. It would have been better if Hudson didn't say that. Nick forms his hand into a fist and punches Charlie in the face. His eyes remain closed.

Motherfucker!

While Hudson was unconscious, Alex installed a camera on the ceiling, pointing directly at the detective. The recordings can be viewed at any time via a link. This link will be send to everyone at the police station St. John's, tomorrow 11am.

Alex you do exactly what we talked about. No changes. If I tell you to shoot...you shoot. Alright?

Yeah and if something happens to you I shoot again.

Good boy.

I'm so nervous Joe. What if-

He's alive. I know it. He has to be. We planned every outcome, we'll find him. There he comes. It's Nick. The older one. Of course would it be him. You think Alex is with Charlie? Could be, yeah. Alright guys. Let's do this. Be carefull. Joe gives Jesse and Sarah a little nod and leaves the vehicle.

Step for step he comes closer to Nick. A few meters infront of Winter he stops.

Give me the money. Not until I know he's still alive.

If your little girl in the car is planning something he isn't. She is a friend and is unharmed. She just wants her boyfriend back.

Joe's cellphone chimes. Go on...you might want to see this. A little bit confused Donovan opens the link. So do Sarah an Jesse. All three of them can see a hurt but living Charlie. He stares at something but it's not possible to say what.

In the meantime Nick called Alex. He's still on the line.

Now...give me the money. Joe can now see Alex standing infront of Charlie. His back is facing the camera. What he can't see is, that Alex already has a gun in his hand.

Nick is getting impatient and also reaches for his gun. Give. Me. The. Money. ALEX SHOOT. You could hear a lout bang. Joe is in shock. He thought he was the one that got shot and so did Sarah. She got out of the car and pointed her gun at Nick. She didn't even hesitate and pulled the trigger. Alex did too but for the second time. Nick smiled while fallingto the ground. His last words where: Have fun finding your boyfriend.

Sarah rushes to Joe. JOE are you ok? Yeah. Yeah I-I think so. Wait. Your not bleeding. Joe, Sarah and Jesse realize...Charlie is the one that got shot. They look at their phonescreens. No no no noooo. Charlie. Is he alive? I can't tell. There is so much blood. Jesse can you track Alex's phone? Or the camera? I need my computer for that. Charlie's time is running. How long are we talking? From the video I can't really tell where exactly he got shot but I think they choose the same spots as with our victims...Max. Maximum 1 hour. We need to move. NOW.

Blood. Everywhere Charlie looks is blood. He coughs but there is pain. He breathes but there is pain. He does nothing there is pain.

Alex speaks to him while walking up and down. You know...now that my brother is dead, I'm free. I can be a different person. You might think...then let me go...yeah I'll...well you will on your own.

Alex takes a key out of his pocket and opens the chains around Hudson hands. They fall to ground like a stone in the water. He crys out. Just like Max Blake he now has two bullets in his body. One in his right shoulder and one in his lower abdomen.

Charlie is shaking. It's so cold. He had no food nor any water since 28 hours and there will be a few more to go...or not. If he dies soon. That's what he's thinking about right now. Am I gonna die here on my own? Will I see Rex again? Can I say Sarah one more I love you? Can I meet my friends again?

The pain wears off with time. There is no feeling in his right arm. With his other hand he tries to stop the bleeding on his torso. The darkness around Charlie comes and goes in waves. His eyes get heavier every minute.

Jesse what's your status?

I couldn't track Alex location. His phone must be switched of.

What about the camera?

No luck either. They use good equipment.

Sarah wanted to say something but she just stares at the door. Jesse and Joe look at her and wanted to ask if she's ok but they already got an answer.

REX!?! How? Come here pal.

A police man is standing behind Rex and says. I found him on my tour around the woods.

Where exactly. Can you show us? Maybe he can track Charlie's scent.

Good idea Jesse. Let's go.

Sarah is sitting on the back seat. She didn't even took her eyes off Charlie for a second. He hasn't moved in a long time but Alex is still with him. I think he is talking to him right now. She informs her teammates.

You must know...I don't want to be here either. I already booked a flight.

Alex speaks like Charlie would say something but he just lays there. His body slowly relaxes. This causes his hand covering the wound to slip off. It was nice talking to you but now I gotta go. I even got a little present for ya. He grabs something out of his pocket.

It's an old cellphone. No touchdisplay just numbers you can press down. I hope you remember the number of your little girlfriend.

Alex comes closer to Hudson and places the phone in his hand. Take your time...oh yeah...sorry I forgot...you ain't got no time. Anyways see ya in hell.

With his last sentence he left the bunker.

Joe, Sarah, Jesse and the police officer have been driving through the rain for nearly 1 hour now and still no sign of Charlie. Hey Sarah, what's going on there? It seems like Alex left but he gave Charlie something. I can't really tell what it is but it could be a mobile phone. A mobile phone? Yeah. Let me see. Maybe I can track it. Jesse looks disappointed to the floor. What is it? I'm sorry this is an old cellphone...definitely not Alex's. What if we call every number Nick has called in the last few days. Not a good idea, if Charlie tries to call us he can't reach us.

In the meantime they arrived at the location where Rex was found.

Joe couldn't even finish to open the door. Rex already jumped out. Looks like he picked up Charlie's scent. Hudsons friends all start to follow Rex.

Oh no. What's wrong? I've lost connection to the camera. You need to concentrate right now. This thing will definitely not help you. Put it away and look around. Any little detail could be important. Your right Joe. CHARLIIEEE CAN YOU HEAR US? CHAAARLIE.

After trying four times Hudson finally succeeded in opening the mobilephone. He has no more power. Every little movement let's him feel like he run a marathon. A shaking hand, blood loss and a big concussion aren't the best requirement for making a call. He starts to type in Sarah's number. 128-3003 The number you tried to reach isn't available. Come on Charlie. He thinks. Again. 128-3006. He did it but he can't even hold the phone anymore. He put it on his chest. It didn't take long until he heard something. Charlie? Is this you. Sarah can't hear anything. Just breathing sounds. Charlie can you hear me? We are coming! She turns to Jesse. Please tell me you can track this number with your tablet. I'll try my best. Keep him on the line. Jesse talks like Sarah would hangup anytime. Of course not. Charlie! Come on. Speak to me. Charlie tries hard. S- Sar- I- I- lo- love you. Sarah starts to cry. I love you too. Hudson can bearly breath. He goes in and out of consciousness. Charlie? You there? Please don't leave me.

A tear drives down Charlie's cheek. His battery is empty. He has been strong for such a long time. He needs to rest. His breathing slows down until he takes his last breath. The bunker fills up with memories from his life. Meeting Sarah for the first time, going on long walks with Rex, game nights with Joe and Jesse all these moments end with a bright light, slowly faiding into darkness.

Charlie? CHARLIE? Can you hear me? She realizes. Her legs can't hold her anymore. She breaks down in tears. Joe is trying his best to comfort her but he also has to pull himself together. Jesse. What's taking so long. I GOT HIM.

Sarah gets up, runs to Jesse and grabs the tablet from his hand. Sar-. Joe places his hand on Jesses shoulder and says It's ok. Let her go.

They where so close but will they be there on time? Sarah found the right coordinates but she can't see Charlie. CHARLIEEE? Her voice brakes. Suddenly she can hear a small creak under the wet leaves from the rain. A trapdoor. It's heavy. Her teammates come to help. Let me go in first. She couldn't hear what Joe was saying. Not a second after Jesse and Donovan opened the door she got down into the bunker.

And there he was. Charlie Hudson. Pale. Cold. Covered in blood. But he looks so peaceful.

Sarah rushes to her boyfriend. Charlie!?! Can you hear me? No no no.

She sniffs. With shaky hands she tried to find a pulse. He has no pulse. Starting chest compressions. 1-2-3-4...28-29-30. Air streams into Charlie's lungs. Sarah checks again. Nothing. COME ON CHARLIE. DON'T LEAVE ME!!!

Again. 1-2-3...30. Still nothing. Sarah. She's not reacting. Joe speaks louder. Sarah! He's gone. She wipes away her tears and starts again with chest compressions. SARAH! STOP. Donovan gets closer to Sarah and tries to pull her away. I said stop. Sarah punches him. THAT'S ENGOUGH! Joe pulls himself to Sarah and holds her very close in his arms. She trys to get away from him, screams and punches him until she just cries...cries in pain. Watching Rex laying beside her dead boyfriend. We did anything we could, Sarah. It's not your fault. He just lost to much blood. He was so strong and I hope you know that. He will be with you anywhere you go. Rex. Rex will be there with you. You are not alone ok? He gets no answer. What did he expect. His bestfriend is dead. Now it hits him and Jesse to. He is really gone.

With Charlie's dead the rain intensifies. A fresh, mossy smell finds his way in the bunker and brings Charlie his peace.

It would stop raining by morning at the latest, the day would be cool and bright. And this will show, it was finally time to go.

The End

Please let me know what you think about this story and turn the heart red and a reblog would be sooo nice too👉👈

#whump #fanfic #hudson & rex #charlie hudson #kidnapping #unconscious #knockout #head injury #shot #waking up #character death?#yes or no #you need to find out #this took so long

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decaffinatedfrog · 2 years ago

Text

In his eyes PT.4

Joel Miller fanfic.

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When your sister and her husband died, your left in charge of your niece. What happens when you encounter a man and another teen on a quick supply run?

PT.1 PT.2 PT.3

Hi everyone, This chapter might be a little long, sorry about that! Hope you enjoy. :)

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You werent sure how to responde to his blunt answer. " were here" you heard Sarah say. Joel and Ellie shared looks at the house in front in front of them. It was clearly abounded, no protection on the doors or windows, just a plain old house that had been worn over time. "Are you sure this is safe?" asked Joel, holding is gun a little tighter. You and sarah shared a laugh. You had created a system that kept you alive for years.

You stepped in the house first and Sarah followed you. Joel was about to walk in but you gently put your arm on his chest, stopping him from entering. He looked confused, but your eyes motioned down to a small wire that was connected to a string. His eyes followed the string, that was connected to pans and pots on the ceiling. "It lets us know if someone is here" You mentioned quietly. "Smart" he mumbled back.

Once everyone entered the house, you led them to a room that was fully furnished. Sarah pushed the bed over, revealing a small hole that led to a bigger room. "Its the basement" said Sarah, casually jumping in. Ellie jumped in next but Joel hesitated jumping in at all. "Holy shit, Joel, you need to see this" said Ellie. That's all Joel need to hear to get in and you followed next. After closing the slot, you made yourself comfortable.

Joel looked around at your setting. there were two makeshift rooms, a small kitchen and a small living room. you had a shelf filled canned goods, and it seemed cozy to live in.

"Feel free to take whatever is on the shelf to eat." you said while walking away to Sarah's room. you could hear Ellie and Sarah talking about what to eat but you still needed to take care of your face, along with a couple stiches on your eyebrow. "Sarah Get me the kit!" you yelled from her room, but she was too busy interacting with someone that wasn't you. You heard a heavy footsteps coming your way. "She's uh, talking with Ellie. You can use mine" he said as he handed you their kit.

"Thank you. Its been a while since something like this happened. " you responded. Taking the kit from his hands, you started off by trying to stich your wound. It was going unsuccessful. "let me do it" said Joel, taking the needle from you. You flinched a little at his touch, but couldn't help but stare at his face. "Sorry for attacking Ellie. I didn't know she was a teen. not that it matters but, at the same time, I'm doing everything I can to keep Sarah alive." you explain with caution, considering he has a needle in your face. "I get it. Sorry about your face " he responded. Its clear that he doesn't want to keep the conversation going, so you stop. "Its a nice set up you have here. its .. cozy' he said while finishing the stich.

"Yeah, I'm trying to give her a good life. At least as good as it gets. Wherever we go, I try to make wherever were staying homey. We have been at this house for 6 months now, but were leaving soon. " you said back to him. He wiped his hands on his jeans, putting everything back in the kit.

Night time approached and you made sure to double check that the slot would be closed tightly. The girls had fallen asleep but you stayed awake. The pain on your face was barley bearable, but that was not your worry. Your next worry was where were you going next? What if the bullet would have hit Sarah? Will you be able to keep her safe?

Your thoughts were interrupted when Joel appeared next to you.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you" he said, turning around to walk away. "wait" you called out. Grabbing four cans of peaches, you gave him two and motioned him to sit. You both ate them in silence until he spoke first.

#joel miller fanfiction #joel miller x reader #joel miller x female #tlou hbo #joel miller fic #joel miller angst #ellie williams

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purplecatghostposts · 2 years ago

Note

Uhm… maybe write some nice Bramth (Bram + Seth) if you feel like it…? I think there needs to be more stuff about those four together… Thanks for reading and have a nice day / night…!

Ooo, I’ll give it a shot! Take some Canon Divergence Snippets!

I. Really didn’t need to make this as extensive as it is but the words just kept going.

Tags: Blood, Guns (Only Implied), Canon-Typical Behavior, Memory Loss, Gunshot Wounds (Not graphic), Hurt/Comfort (Emphasis on Comfort in this one), Canon Divergence With A Happy Ending, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, Bad Self-Care, Fluff, Everybody Lives/Nobody Dies, and Kissing. (Tell me if I missed anything!)

Word Count: 6k (Yeah, I don't know how that happened. It just did)

�� —

Jay Merrick calls him out of the blue, asking to do an interview of all things. That’s the first sign Seth has that something is off.

He’s trying to finish Alex’s film for him, he claims. He has a lot of questions about Marble Hornets— a lot of things that Seth has not thought about in a long time.

“You helped Alex with a lot of editing, right?” Jay asks. He’s fidgeting with the pen in his hand, writing down things on a notebook he pointedly keeps out of Seth’s sight. Seth nods, trying to piece together what he’s missing. It feels like Jay isn’t telling him something but he can’t place what. “Did you ever notice anything weird?”

“Weird?” Seth echoes, eyebrows furrowing. “Weird how?”

“Just uh, visual tearing, audio distortions— stuff like that.”

A frown forms on his lips. Jay seems so visibly nervous about the whole thing. He’s not sure why— true, they weren’t as thick as thieves back during shooting but they were friends (are friends?). Seth doesn’t think he’s done anything to make Jay uncomfortable. He hopes he hasn’t at least.

Something isn’t right. It nags at him in a way he can’t explain. Seth tries not to let it show.

“Yeah, that happened a lot.” He says at last. His fingers tap idly on the table. “I couldn’t figure out what was up with it. The cameras would work fine one moment and the next, something would go wrong. It was weird— I took apart one of the cameras just to try and find something wrong with it but it was fine. Never stopped bothering me though.”

Jay writes something in his notebook. Seth tries to guess what he’s writing but Jay asks another question soon after, distracting him before he can. “And— was there ever anyone who shouldn’t have been there in the shot?”

Seth huffs. “All the time.” They shot in public plenty of times. Alex was a nightmare when they had to stop for other people. It was like he was always in a rush to finish— but Seth was in that class too. They were a little ahead of most groups even. He could never wrap his head around why Alex was so antsy about it.

“Anyone specific?” Jay presses. There’s something almost intense about his gaze— like Seth has something he wants. “Like— I dunno, a guy in a business suit?”

The nagging feeling gets more prominent than ever. Seth takes a silent breath in order to fight the sudden anxiety that hits him and says as steadily as he can, “You know, I can’t quiet remember?”

Seth hasn’t thought about the Summer of 2006 in a long time. Everything and everyone involved in those few months— he couldn’t explain it. The moment he would think about calling up Sarah so they could vent about their days or heading over to Brian’s place for some company, it was like there was a barrier there. Terror and uncertainty kept him from seeking out anyone, and eventually, Seth let it all fade into obscurity and couldn’t remember why he let that happen.

Now… Now he thinks he knows why. Not all the details, not all the answers, but enough to tell him that something is deeply wrong.

And Jay probably knows it. He’s just not saying anything about it.

Seth knew he had been lying about something; Jay was never a particularly good liar. He just needs to put the rest of the pieces together.

Jay asks a few more questions, getting a few locations out of him and ultimately ending off their little interview by telling him to contact him if he remembers anything else.

Seth keeps his realization to himself for now and just smiles and makes a false promise that he will.

—

All it takes is a quick search to find it. All Seth has to do is look up ‘Marble Hornets’ and he’s immediately met with a YouTube Channel. Jay’s YouTube Channel.

The entries make him feel sick but they provide answers. He remembers— editing videos and seeing a figure appear again and again. He used to skip over it but soon enough, it began to haunt him, both in and out of the tapes. He remembers, but not how it ended. Not how he got here.

He clings to the newfound information and can’t help but feel alone in a world that has gotten much bigger than before.

But then he remembers that he’s not. And there’s another video of an interview on Jay’s channel that sparks Seth’s attention.

It’s how he ends up at Tim’s house, trying not to shake apart from pure adrenaline, with Tim staring at him like he doesn’t know where to go from here.

Seth gives the best smile he has in him. “Long time, no see?” He greets him weakly. “Listen, I— I have to show you something. Because if you’re anything like me, you probably just had the most off putting interview of your life and— I have answers as to why.”

Tim lets him in. They watch the entries together and by the end of it, Tim looks like he’s seen a ghost and is one strong yank away from tugging a good chunk of his hair out.

“What the hell?” Tim manages, his voice hoarse and scratchy. Seth can’t help but feel a little responsible but he can’t be kept in the dark. He should know too.

“Yeah, that was about my reaction too.” Seth tells him. He hopes he’s coming across as sympathetic but watching the entries a second time did not put him any less on edge. “You don’t have to follow me or do anything with this information at all but— I was planning on confronting Jay directly about it. You could come with me if you want answers.”

Tim swallows thickly. He doesn’t meet his gaze but after a long moment says, “I need to think.”

Seth leaves but not without giving him his number so they can stay in touch. He doesn’t want to do this alone but he doesn’t want to drag Tim into this either. Ultimately, it’s up to him.

But three days later, Seth gets a call and a confirmation that Tim wants to confront Jay with him. His chest feels a little lighter for it.

—

They confront Jay. After cutting through a few bad lies, Jay finally comes clean. They talk about the entries, what they remember, but then Jay shows them another YouTube Channel. One that’s been replying to him.

Seth is immediately entranced by it.

Puzzles, codes, and cryptology has always been a hobby of his that he enjoys immensely. ToTheArk, whoever they are, fills their videos with hidden messages and meanings and while he can’t deny its eerie, he also loves every bit of it. Ironically, it makes more sense to him than anything else.

Some are easier than others, but solving the codes give him something to do. Especially when he’s trying not to think about other things.

“This first one is pretty simple, you just correlate the number of slashes to the letter in the alphabet it represents. The message comes out to be ‘Look Closely’ which— is pretty vague but I get the idea behind it.” Seth rambles, ignoring the way Tim is staring at him with concern. “Second one is easy too. Take every capitalized letter and you get ‘Listen’. This third one was a little harder but I played around with the audio—”

“Seth?” Tim interrupts, eyebrows furrowing together. “Have you been at this all day? Because I left like eight hours ago and you’re in the same place that I left you. Have you done anything else?”

“Well—” Seth pauses. “I got up to use the bathroom.”

Tim sighs. “I’ll see what Jay’s got in his kitchen then. Speaking of, any idea where he is?” Seth shakes his head. “Jesus. He better not have gone to Brian’s house again.”

Seth swallows down a lump in his throat, gaze dropping to his computer again. He can feel Tim’s gaze burn into him before he says, “One second.” And disappears into Jay’s kitchen.

It wasn’t a planned thing for them to all temporarily live in Jay’s apartment. But Tim lives out of town and was only visiting for personal reasons so it was better than him spending more money on a hotel, and Seth felt like he was being watched at home and took to safety in numbers. None of them were used to living around other people so there were a few adjustments but there weren’t a whole lot of options at this point.

Seth can’t deny it’s nice being around his old friends. He just wishes it were under better circumstances.

Tim returns a couple minutes later. “Gonna make some pasta for all of us.” He tells Seth when he settles down beside him. “Nothing fancy but still good. Now— is this about Brian?”

The lump in his throat is back again. Seth runs a hand through his hair, swallowing it back down again. “His place was trashed, Tim.” Seth murmurs. “Jay found a bullet casing and a lot of blood in the sink. The outlook isn’t great.”

Tim looks away. There’s a haunted look in his eyes when he says, “I know. Believe me, I know. I’m holding onto hope that he’s okay but— fuck, I don’t know. But— we have to keep going. No matter what, we can’t fall apart, alright? So I know you’re the code breaking expert here but you gotta take care of yourself too.”

Seth rolls his eyes. “Says the guy who smokes regularly.”

“It’s a bad habit.” Tim winces but agrees. “I’ll… I’ll work on it if you promise to work on this. Sound fair?”

Seth nods after a beat. The bitterness drains out of him slowly. “Fair. Sorry, I don’t mean to come after you. I just get lost in this stuff sometimes.”

Tim holds up his hands. “No judgement here. I’m no stranger to losing time either. We just gotta help each other from here on out if we’re gonna do this.” A frown tugs at his lips. “Speaking of, you mind calling Jay while I cook? We should probably know where everyone is.”

Seth tells him he’ll take care of it and Tim returns to the kitchen. He calls Jay but the phone rings out with no answer. He calls again after ten minutes. Then after the pasta is done. Then at various other times as it shifts from evening to night, and not once does Jay so much as shoot a text in response.

The pasta grows cold. Seth and Tim try not to worry too much— Jay can take care of himself, can’t he?

At 6:58 in the morning, Seth finally gets a call back. He fumbles for his phone when it wakes him up but sobers up quickly when he sees the contact on the screen.

“Jay?” Seth asks when he finally answers.

“Hey, um…” Jay says. He’s out of breath and it takes him a minute to respond. “I uh, I just woke up in my car on the side of the road. I don’t know where I am— or how I got here. I… I think I need help?”

Seth is on his feet and grabbing his keys in an instant. “I’m getting Tim up. Tell me your surroundings, we’ll be there as soon as we can.”

��

Jay has his head in his hands by the time he’s finished. He keeps a steady tone but there’s a layer of panic in his eyes that betrays it.

Seth doesn’t blame him. They might’ve warned Jay about going back to Brian’s house, even in the daylight and even if there might’ve been something important there, but he wouldn’t expect anything like Jay described.

“So the house was— jumbled?” Tim repeats slowly. “Like you kept entering rooms you didn’t go into. And there was someone else there?”

Jay nods, swallowing thickly. “Yeah. Yeah, he was uh— he was wearing like a mustard yellow hoodie and had this mask covering his whole face. Red frowning face was on it. I don’t know what his deal was and uh, didn’t see much of him once it— teleported me? I don’t know how it happened but it took me to this basement or something. There were blood on some of the rocks there— it’s all on the tape.”

Jay gestures to his camera, now in Seth’s hands. Seth eyes it, taking the tape out to watch later. Jay probably doesn’t need any more reminders though.

In fact, Seth thinks maybe Jay needs to get home more than anything.

Handing Tim his keys, Seth motions for Jay to give him his. “Let’s get you out of here.” He tells him. “We can do this back at your place.”

Nobody argues. Seth has Tim lead, glancing at Jay every so often to check on him. He just stares vacantly out the window though, eventually causing Seth to clear his throat. “I don’t know what’s going on exactly.” Seth admits. “But you’re not alone in this. So next time— take one of us, alright?”

“It might not make a difference.” Jay mumbles, still not looking at him. “Maybe you’ll just wake up in my car in the middle of nowhere too.”

“Better than doing it alone.” Seth tells him. “And hey, I don’t know about Tim but I’m willing to look through some of the tapes if it means you get a break. A lot of them are a whole lot of nothing, aren’t they? I’ll just tell you if anything interesting happens.”

Jay noticeably hesitates but nods slightly in the end. “Okay.” He says. He doesn’t quite smile but there’s a lighter look in his eyes. “Thanks— it’ll go a lot faster with more people.”

Seth shrugs. “Something weird is going on and it involves us as much as you so— it’s no problem. We’ll figure it out, one way or another.”

—

Most of the tapes are, predictably, dull. Alex recorded a lot of his day to day life, especially while he was sleeping. Seth feels a little odd for seeing it all but he skims for anything interesting as best he can.

One tape however, catches his eye, but not for any reason it would for Jay. Rather, it’s a cast recording. He can hear himself behind the camera, making sure it’s all recording properly but never turning it off— definitely halfway through the summer then. Alex got on his case so much for it that Seth learned to just hit record and keep going, even during breaks.

During one such break, everyone is off camera except for Tim and Seth himself. Both are eating lunch— Seth brought takeout while Tim has a sandwich of some kind. They’re talking while they eat, laughing at a few jokes, nudging each other playfully. Seth feels his body completely relax watching it. He missed this— he doesn’t know how he lived without it.

He doesn’t know how he forgot being such good friends with everyone either. Watching it now he’s reminded but before, the only people that stuck out were Sarah and Brian. He thought they were the only ones but clearly he was wrong. At the very least, he had fun with Tim too.

One joke he can’t quite hear in the tape has Seth laughing so hard that he nearly topples over but Tim grabs him before he falls off the bench. In the video, Seth is still laughing as he seems to subconsciously lean closer for support but he trails off when suddenly, something seems to hit him. He’s close to Tim— very close, and he watches as Tim and himself in the video visibly realize this, causing them to stare at each other.

The stare lasts a minute, then slowly, Seth watches him bring a hand up, curl it around Tim’s neck, and gently bring his face closer until there’s no room left and they’re kissing.

Seth pauses the video. Stares at the freeze frame.

He doesn’t remember this. He doesn’t think he would’ve forgotten as something as important as kissing a guy in the cast. In fact, Seth knows for sure he kissed Brian once or twice, remembering it vividly. But Tim? He doesn’t remember that.

But the tapes don’t lie. And there’s no way something like that could’ve been edited.

Seth carefully removes the tape and keeps it separate from the rest. He needs to process this before he brings it up to anyone else— Tim especially. He’s always found him attractive, true, and he knows their whole friend group is polyamorous so it’s not like the fact that he definitely has some lingering feelings for Brian is as big of a deal but…

Seth needs to know where he stands first before he brings it up.

(Though, he can’t help but wonder how it felt to kiss Tim the first time.)

—

Jay starts recording everything. Seth can tell Tim isn’t a big fan of the camera being a constant now but they both know he’s on edge, so once it becomes clear that Jay isn’t willing to stop, they don’t bring it up.

But Seth starts finding excuses to drag Jay away from the tapes when he can. Not that he’s much better whenever ToTheArk has another cipher for him to solve, but Jay and Tim return the favor when they can.

Tim starts talking about needing to head back home for work soon. Seth isn’t really sure if they’ll all head up there or if they’ll meet up with Tim again later but they’ll work it out somehow, that much is clear.

—

There’s a tape at the red tower. Seth is in it. He doesn’t remember any of the events on it either.

He doesn’t know why he and Alex are in an abandoned building at night and he sure as hell doesn’t know what happened to him that makes Alex say that he’s ‘Gone’, whatever that means.

What he does know is that it bothers him. Everything about it makes him feel sick in a way he can’t explain. It makes him feel wrong— like he’s seeing something he shouldn’t.

Seth stares at the screen long after the tapes stop. A hand on his shoulder makes him jump, to which Jay murmurs an apology. Seth lets out a breath and tells him it’s alright.

“You okay?” Jay asks, then winces. “Actually— ignore that, you’re probably not. I uh… Do you want a hug or..?”

Seth thinks about that. Then turns and nods. A little awkwardly, Jay pulls him in for a hug. It’s not the best, but the sentiment makes up for everything else about it. It’s only for a few moments before Seth pulls away but he does feel a bit better for it.

He doesn’t know what happened to him on the tape, but they’ll figure it out. Jay won’t stop now at the very least, and Seth is right behind him.

—

Everything changes over the course of three days.

On the first day, Jay’s YouTube Channel gets hacked. A single video is uploaded— an eerie one, clearly from ToTheArk, stating that they will no longer wait for them, and how they will lead them ‘to the ark’. The figure appears in it— the one in the hoodie with the frowning, cloth mask, and it sends chills down Seth’s spine.

It’s enough to spur them into packing up and spending the night somewhere else. And thank god for it because on the second day, Jay’s house is set on fire and it’s all over the news.

Jay got all his important things out but it’s no less harrowing to see. All three of them are shocked by the turn of events and carefully, they come to a conclusion about their next steps.

On the third day, they pack up and Tim leads the way as they had out of town and miles away to Tim’s place instead. They take a few detours in order to make sure they aren’t followed but in the end, Tim helps them settle in to his place.

The next few days are quiet. Tim goes back to work, Seth pokes around to see if there are any job opportunities for him and Jay, and Jay copes with the loss of his house.

At the end of the week, Jay tells them quietly that he thinks it might be better if they stop investigating. Both Seth and Tim find themselves agreeing.

—

A tape arrives at their doorstep around a week later.

—

The sound of the TV static going haywire wakes Seth up. He can’t see very well through the thick darkness but he fumbles around for a remote until he finds one and swiftly turns it off. A sigh of relief escapes him once he does and Seth rolls over, right back into the warm arms he had been cuddled up with before.

Then he stops. Backtracks. Sits up and squints through the darkness, causing the other person in the bed to stir.

It’s hard to make out but he thinks it’s— Jay? Seth blinks, trying to take in his surroundings but— this doesn’t look like Tim’s place at all. There are two large beds— one with Jay and the other with another sleeping figure passed out on the bed that he’s pretty sure is Tim.

Seth eyes what he can through the dark but gets up and heads for the curtains covering the window in the end. One look outside has his heart sinking.

“Hey. Hey! Tim, Jay, wake up!”

It doesn’t take very long. Both stir, then quickly snap to attention when confusion takes hold. Seth pulls back the curtains slowly enough that they don’t flinch too badly at the sudden light and asks, “Anyone have any idea where we are? Because I don’t remember a thing.”

Evidently, neither of the other two do either. And the situation only gets worse when one look at the date has them all realizing that the last memories they have were from seven months ago.

It’s enough to send them into a collective panic and scramble to figure it all out.

They don’t know the hotel they’re in. They don’t know how they got here or why they have a safe they can’t get into or any idea of what happened in the past seven months. They also don’t know why the only other person checked in is right next to them.

Jessica Locke. The name is familiar but Seth can’t place it. None of them can.

Jay makes a shitty lie about hotels when she sees them carrying around a camera. Seth hates that this is the lie they’re going with but gives a strained smile and ‘Mmhmm’ right alongside with him.

The lie falls apart pretty quickly but for the better. Jessica has been having the same problems they have. They make a plan to leave and figure it out together.

Then the Hooded Guy shows up, Alex not too far behind, and all hell breaks loose.

—

Seth and Tim wake up in the middle of the woods. There are about a dozen missed calls from Jay on Seth’s phone but unfortunately, it dies before he can think about so much as shooting a text to him.

Seth has a few scrapes here and there but he’s okay. Tim on the other hand has a bullet wound in his leg. It seems to have been haphazardly patched up already but Seth has him sling an arm around his shoulder for support as they slowly make their way out.

A little ways in, Tim mumbles out, “Rosswood. We’re in Rosswood Park.”

Seth pauses. “You recognize it?”

Tim nods. “Came here when I was a kid a lot. I think I know the way out but I might be wrong.”

“Better than nothing. Tell me where to go, I’ll get us there.”

It takes a while but they make their way out to the parking lot. There’s no car in sight because of course it couldn’t be that easy. Seth does manage to find a payphone however and sits Tim down in order to dial Jay’s number. Though, as the phone rings, he swears he sees a figure in the treeline. Not tall enough to be that thing that follows Alex, but a person. But Jay picks up soon after, Seth takes that as priority over it, and once he’s done talking and hanging up, the figure is gone.

“Jay’s okay. He woke up a little while away in his car, no major injuries. He doesn’t know where Jessica is either but hopefully she’s safer than we are right now. He has all the tapes and stuff we got from the safe too.” Seth sits down next to Tim, sighing. “Maybe it can get us some answers as to why we’re in this whole mess.”

Tim nods but his face is pinched. Seth gives him a sympathetic look. “Jay has the ibuprofen. It’ll help but it’ll take him a while to get here.”

“I’ll last until then.” Tim tells him, like he’s reassuring him. “Don’t worry.”

Seth scoffs. “You got shot in the leg, I think I’m allowed to worry, Tim.”

“Well— if Alex were around here, he probably would’ve made himself known by now so we’ll probably be fine for now.”

It takes Seth a minute to decipher his words. His scowl only deepens when he does. “Tim.” He says, lower than he means to. “I don’t give a flying fuck about Alex right now. I’m worried about you. Nothing else.”

“I told you, I’ll be fine.” Tim waves his hand dismissively.

“I disagree so when we get a chance to rest, you’re staying off that leg. For a long time.”

“I have work, we still need—”

“I’ll work.” Seth shuts him down. “We’ll get you crutches. I’m not taking no for an answer.”

Tim opens his mouth, thinks better of it, and snaps it shut. “Alright.” He murmurs. “We’ll figure it out.”

“We’ll figure it out.” Seth agrees.

—

They divide the tapes and the hard drive among them. There’s quite a bit of footage, especially seeing as not only do they have some from Alex’s chest mounted camera, now in their possession, but they acquired a second handheld one at some point.

Apparently the second one was for Tim and Seth’s own use, though Seth finds himself using it more on the tapes.

There are still some mundane things they catch seeing as they were still recording everything, but there’s plenty of interesting things as well. Apparently Alex wanted their help in finding Amy but there also seems to be an awful lot of Alex ignoring their attempts at contacting him.

There’s also a lot more of the Hooded Guy. None of them seem to know what to make of him.

One tape catches Seth’s eye however. It’s one of him, visiting Rosswood alone at night. Why the hell he would do such a thing isn’t clear until he seems to be calling out for someone. And soon enough, he catches movement and runs towards it, putting him in a wild chase for the Hooded Guy.

The Hooded Guy outlasts him and Seth slows down in the video when he runs out of breath but he manages to shout between breaths. “I— I think I know who you are but— I need to be sure! Please— are you him? I have to know, I can’t— I can’t get my hopes up.”

The Hooded Guy does appear on video again. Something about his body language screams curious, but a little static shows up in the video and abruptly, the Hooded Guy tenses up and rushes forward to grab Seth by the wrist and pull him away from the danger. The tape ends soon after, telling Seth nothing as to what he was talking about in the tape, or what happened after.

He shows it to Tim and Jay, telling them to keep an eye out in case it gets mentioned again.

Unfortunately, the loss of the seven months also means Seth has no idea who he thought the Hooded Guy was, and more importantly, whether or not he was right.

—

It’s a cliche. One straight out of a cheesy romcom they might’ve watched once during a Marble Hornets Cast Movie Night.

They move around from motel to motel to make sure they’re not being followed. One of the motel is fully booked, save for one room, that only has one bed. A pretty big one too.

They’re all too tired to think about anything else other than sharing it.

It’s a cliche, Seth thinks, but cliches are overused for a reason. And with Tim’s arm sling around him on one side, warm and comforting, and Jay so close that he’s fitting together like he was born to one day sleep in Seth’s arms, Seth knows it’s a cliche because it’s a damn good one.

—

It’s a gradual thing. Knuckles brushing up against knuckles. Gentle hands combing through their hair as they give each other haircuts because it’s cheaper. Sharing meals at a restaurant.

It turns into holding hands and not just because it’s cold out but because it’s a comfort. It turns into all of them sharing a bed because they all sleep better when they do. It turns into longing looks, lingering touches, and wondering if it’s mutual.

And after a certain point, Seth can’t stand the way they look at him and not doing anything about it so he fishes out a few tapes from his belongings and shows it to them.

Because there wasn’t just one. There were a couple, telling Seth it wasn’t just him and Tim and it sure as hell wasn’t just a one time thing.

And by the end of it, the tension is so thick that Seth says to hell with it and kisses Tim. Then Jay. Then they’re kissing each other and they’re both kissing him at once and Seth thinks he should’ve done this ages ago.

—

ToTheArk starts being active again. Seth takes a little time to decipher some of the videos, telling Jay and Tim the messages so they can figure it all out together.

One particular code has Seth stopping. It’s different than the others— it’s not an existing cipher, or at least, Seth thinks, not an official one. But it looks familiar. Achingly familiar.

Seth tries a different cipher— one he knows from memory. Slowly, he decodes the message, and is shocked when it works. The actual message is glossed over as Seth’s heart pounds through his chest at the realization.

“Seth?” Tim asks, frowning. “What is it? What are they saying?”

“I…” Seth swallows. “It’s not the message. It’s the code.”

“The code?” Jay prompts, looking up from his camera.

“It’s made up.” Seth explains. “I— we made it up. It was for our Cryptology class, we had to make our own code and then we just kept it around because it was fun— like a secret language— and—”

His heart leaps in his throat. Seth stands up, getting wary looks from the other two.

“There are only two people who know that code enough to use it.” Seth tells them slowly, hardly able to believe it. “I know it and… And Brian knows it. Because I made it with him. Because we took that stupid class together and had fun while doing it.”

“Wait.” Jay’s eyes blow wide.

“Are you saying..?” Tim’s mouth drops open.

“Brian is alive.” Seth says, and can barely believe it himself. “Brian is alive and he’s that Hooded Guy.”

—

They track him down to Rosswood. It’s a big park and a confusing one but they’re determined and on a mission so together, they comb through the park, searching in every nook and cranny.

It takes most of the day but eventually, they stumble across an abandoned house deep within. Rubble and dirt cover the floor and there’s only a single broken mattress in one of the rooms.

The Hooded Guy is there too. He startles badly when they find him, backing up like he’s ready to go out the nearest window should they prove to be a threat. But he’s not gone yet, which means there’s a chance.

“Brian.” Tim says, and the Hooded Guy goes still.

“We know it’s you.” Seth tells him. The Hooded Guy doesn’t so much as twitch. “I don’t know if you realized what you were doing but you used our cipher. You’re the only other person who knows that, Bri.”

“We want to talk.” Jay says. “We want to help.”

“But you got to come home with us first.” Tim finishes, and holds his hand out for Brian to take. “Let us help. You shouldn’t be on your own like this.”

For a long minute, nothing happens. But slowly, carefully, the Hooded Guy— Brian— steps forward. He closes the distance, taking Tim’s hand, and Tim immediately pulls him in for a bear hug.

Brian stiffens but eases a little a moment later. Jay and Seth are quick to join, giving hugs of their own.

He isn’t dead. That’s all that matters at that moment. Brian Thomas isn’t dead and they can worry about everything else later.

—

One shower and a warm meal later, and Brian is talking. Quietly and scratchy, but if it bothers him, he gives no indication of it.

“The Operator spreads the disease to one person, then that one person unknowingly passes it to others. Alex learned this and took it to mean if you kill all the infected, it stops the sickness from spreading further.” Brian’s eyes narrow. “But it would only stop it temporarily. The Operator would just start over again— we’re almost certainly not the first.”

“So that’s why Alex went after all of us?” Jay asks.

“It’s why he does now. I’m not sure if that’s why he was doing it the first time. He acts differently than before. Either way, he needs to be stopped.”

“And— has he..?” Seth finds himself asking, desperate to know.

Brian seems to catch on immediately. “I don’t know about Amy but Sarah is alive. I know she survived the first attack and she’s hidden herself well enough that I can’t find her, meaning neither can Alex, so she’s still alive.”

A knot in his chest eases. Seth deflates in relief and without thinking, lays his head on Brian’s shoulder. Brian stiffens and Seth backtracks immediately, to which Brian shakes his head dismissively. “I just wasn’t expecting it. It’s fine, really.”

Seth pauses at that. His mask is off now, betraying bags under his eyes that scream how much he needs to rest. And remembering Brian, Seth gets an idea.

“Do you remember how you used to call for everyone to dog pile someone when they needed to take a break or sleep?”

Brian catches on immediately, eyes widening. Tim and Jay are right behind him, and shoot Seth a confirming look.

Brian is dragged to the biggest bed that have and surrounded in seconds. Seth himself is on one side, Tim on the other, and Jay lays on his chest to keep him down without suffocating him.

“This isn’t really necessary.” Brian tells them, but something in his eye betrays that maybe he needed this more than he let on. “I’m fine, really.”

“Nah.” Tim tells him, letting out a content sigh when he finds the perfect position, using Brian’s arm as a pillow. “This is good for the soul, you told me yourself. You wouldn’t lie about something like that, would you, Bri?”

Brian struggles with his words. “This is entrapment.” He decides on in the end.

“Mmhmm.” Jay hums. “And what are you gonna do about it?”

Brian has nothing to say about that. Seth ruffles his hair. “You looked like you needed it so you’re getting it.”

Brian doesn’t say anything to that either but he does fall asleep pretty quickly after.

He looks pretty bad, even now, but they can fix that. As long as he’s alive, they can fix anything that gets thrown their way.

— —

That’s what I got because I have no idea what happens after that other than a lot more Hurt/Comfort and a happy end. Nobody dies in this AU, not even the Tunnel Guy! Amy is fine, Sarah’s got her.

Anyways, I hope this satisfied your heart’s desire! Sorry it took so long, been working on a lot of stuff, but hey it’s pretty long so hopefully that makes up for it! Requests are still open so go wild if you want and I hope you enjoyed! :)

#marble hornets #SB Speaks #SB Writes #Bramth #marble hornets fanfiction #requests status: still open #I love thinking about canon divergence so I just kinda went nuts with it #as you can probably see #mind the tags!#not a lot of intense stuff but still important #Jay Merrick #tim wright #brian thomas #seth wilson

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