#fhis is so long i just

[bylroos]

gotta love having zero privacy right now because i’m sleeping on my parents couch for my visit (as there’s some fucking dude sleeping in my bedroom,) to the point where i had to go drive and sit in a parking lot because i needed somewhere to fucking scream.

[shaadowmilkcookie]

One of Shadow Milk’s many prop replicas of himself, left behind. Even though the eyes are forever staring straight into the distance… Oddly enough, you still feel like you’re being watched.

But surely, though, it won’t hurt to take it home and touch up the colours, right? :)

[spacecrows]

honestly? i'm ready for the rotting and the insects and the skin splitting and falling away for something to bud and grow and take root. i'm ready to sit out in the sun and to slowly lose mobility and let nature take over

[foxgirlplushie]

I don't fit it anywhere

[moe-broey]

Alfonse voice (having yhe worst stress migraine about it) PLEASE stop trying to have sex with my corpse. Sentences I should never have to say. But more importantly it always goes So Poorly for you it's so fucking hard to watch and I just feel really bad for you

[bartandthesimpsons]

Lost a pregnancy, my grandfather, and had a really scary time with my mom in the hospital this year but since I don't care to tell my coworkers my whole life story I get to deal with even more bullshit !!!!

[like-butterflies-and-glitter]

every day my father says and does shit he will later justify as anger that makes me wonder if sandeep reddy vanga at some point knew my father personally

[ciderbot]

omfg dogyu . i need to kill myself

[vrystalius]

Can I ask Sanemi a question? You finally asked out teacher Kanae on a date (Sanemi is also a teacher), but she declined because she has a boyfriend.The art teacher found out that Kanae refused your request for a date ,so the art teacher asked you out on a date (she's had a crush on Sanemi for a long time/she's beautiful and kind), reaction?

Lunch in the teacher’s lounge

Sanemi got rejected by Kanae after finding out that she already has a boyfriend. But suddenly, you sit down across him during lunch break.

Here’s pt.2!

Pairing: teacher!Sanemi x teacher!reader

Sanemi has been a little harsher with his students lately. Somehow, it was possible for him to be stricter, even more short-tempered and giving out even more cursed and hell-like homework! What’s up with this guy?!

After finishing his math class and heading to the teacher’s lounge, Sanemi eyed a from his desk. He asked her last Friday if she’d like to go out on a small date with him, nothing too special, just to grab a bite and talk. She declined and revealed to him that she actually already has a boyfriend. Shame and embarrassment cut deep into his pride, and he let it out on his kids. And right now, his food.

Sanemi has been poking his bento box for a while now, moving his rice side to side. He wasn’t really in the mood to eat right now, Kanae’s talking to her boyfriend over the phone, and he couldn’t help but try to eavesdrop a little. But as he lifted his head in an attempt to hear even more, the chair across him moved and somebody say down. He turned his head and wanted to glare at the person. Probably Tengen or something who’s going to tease him for staring too much. But his eyes widened slightly and he closed his mouth again once he saw you sitting across him.

You had a soft smile on your face, holding your bento box. “Shinazugawa-sama, aren’t you hungry?” You eyed his still fully present meal. Sanemi grumbled and picked some rice up with his chopsticks, stuffing it into his mouth “Not really.” He eyed you while poking his fried veggies. Your smile faltered slightly. “You have been a little sour lately, so-“ “What’s up with you? Can’t ya leave me be?” Sanemi glared at you after interrupting your sentence. You sighed and opened your bento box, grabbing an ohagi with your chopsticks, putting it down in Sanemi’s box. Then you moved another, and another. “I heard you liked ohagi, so I made some at home. I’m not sure if they’ll taste good though, it was my first time making them.” You gave him another warm smile, watching how Sanemi’s expression changed from annoyance to confusion. He looked down at his meal.

After a couple seconds of awkward silence, he picked up one of the ohagis you made and took a bite. They actually tasted quite good. “Thanks.” Sanemi mumbled with his mouth full. A piece of the red bean paste stuck to his cheek, making you giggle. “You have something there-“ You pointed at his cheek. Sanemi’s face flushed a little and he grumbled, wiping his cheek with his hand. “What do ya want anyway? You sat down across me just to give me ohagi?” He was eying you while finishing the first ball.

“Actually, I was wondering if you’d like to join me to go to a movie.” Sanemi choked and started coughing loudly, a light blush tinting his cheeks. A couple other teachers eyed you two, but Sanemi glaring at them back made them look away quickly again.

He lifted his gaze again and stared at you. “What made ya think I’d like to watch a movie with you?” You shrugged. “Well, the movie is actually quite interesting! It’s a school-based movie with a lot of different elements that might interest both of us! I don’t want to spoil you too much! Would you like to join me? It’s fhis Saturday evening.” Your smile was bright and genuine, making Sanemi avert his eyes.

“Sure, whatever. Won’t hurt I guess.” He grumbled, grabbing another one of your ohagis. Sanemi lifted his gaze and eyed you, noticing your big grin and soft blush on your face.

Suddenly, all the thoughts about Kanae disappeared, replaced by your blushing face and soft smile. Damn, he really does fall inlove too easily…

💠

Thank you for saving me out of my brainrot! This was perfect <3 I hope you enjoyed this!

Anyways, make sure to EAT, SLEEP and DRINK enough.

Take care of yourselves <3

[riotlain]

PLEASE BILLY LENZ LOVE LANGUAGE HCS PLEASE IM STARVED OF BILLY LENZ MLM CONTENT PLEASE PLEASPELAS

WOMEN DNI

Im getting on my fanfic grind yall look at me <33

also fhis is short😭

He is very much a physical affection boy. I guess verbal too kinda sorta??

Its hard to tell with verbal. You just have to assume he's complimenting you half the time

He's not the best with yknow, going outside, so he gets you random things already in the house. Also if he does ever go out he probably stole something

Very, very long cuddle and nap sessions together. Especially after you had a long day

Does staring count as a love language? How about biting?

He has bad separation anxiety..

Dates are usually at night since he's like

nocturnal??

He likes movie nights with you or just sitting there in silence next to you

Baking dates except like 7/10 it turns out bad

[kaciidubs]

OK OK LISTEN TO ME TWIN FLAME BBY TELL ME WHY

tell me why Hyunjin is the “hit it like it’s all mine” type

* not me listening to all mine -plaza on repeat with the image of Hyunjin drenching me with his spit and cum*

WHY DOES FHIS MAN HAVE TO BE SO FUCKING INSANE!!!!!

P.s love you

Estee I am clutching my PEARLS- OF COURSE YOU ATTACK WITH HYUNE OH SWEET MERCY--

No cause you're right, you're so right, he's the "hit it like it's all mine" type, and it especially comes out if you're in a friends with benefits situation.

Hyunjin is a lover, doesn't matter the scenario, he's making sure he's putting his all into the experience so even if you both agreed that feelings wouldn't get involved, he's still fucking you like he's in love with you.

It's the worst when it's after a night out, him catching the way a guy was staring at you the whole night while you were hanging off his arm - your favorite, tried and true tactic of getting free drinks from a man who couldn't think past his dick.

Back at the dorms he'll have you bent into the prettiest arch, bite marks and dark hickeys decorating you from your shoulders down, lips pressed to the curve of your ass with whispers of how beautiful you are, how you're his and his alone to have.

Of course you're drunk off of his touch, mindlessly replying with breathless whines of "All yours, Hyune" and "Only need you, baby".

He doesn't need to know if you actually mean those words, he doesn't find himself caring if there's truth behind them when he's sliding his tip through your wet folds, smirking when you buck your hips back.

"I'm the only one who can have you like this, hm? I'm the only one who can make you this wet, this needy, isn't that right, my muse?" when you merely let out a wanton moan, he chuckles, "It's okay, love, cause you're the only one who can make me this hard - get me this riled up over simply being you; irresistible, beautiful, smart, kind, it makes it that much more special making you crumble just from my lips, my fingers, my dick."

That's when he finally enters you, long and hard and so, so satisfying, you think you're already on the brink of an orgasm without him having to do anything more.

"I'll show them who you belong to," he hisses, slapping your ass before gripping your cheek in his hand, "I'll remind you who you belong to, love. You're all mine, remember that."

[unedited]

[lazyneonrabbitt]

Daryl liked being around her,

out here whwre no one would bother them as they kept each other company around the fire.

But he hadn't seen her in a long while. He had tried to visit her place but with the herd of walkers roaming the area lately it had been extremely difficult to get close on his own and he wasn't going to bring others into her territory without your permission. She had trusted him enough to let him stay the night, sleeping curled up next to him in her nest of pelts.

He cursed to himself as he found yet another animal torn apart by walkers. It was getting colder and more difficult to hunt. He was getting tired and sluggish so for yet another day he called it quits and went back home with just one tiny squirrel he managed to shoot.

But the worst part for him was being unable to see her since springtime.

Two days passed before he made his way back to the gate on his bike, hoping to travel a bit further out and hunt a different area this time but he never made it far as the gate stood partially opened and he spotted Rick talking to someone. The guards up top standing at attention.

He rolled up with the motor running just as the lower gate guards on either side of the people moved away and a dead deer came into view.

He shut off the engine and stepped off to go investigate, only to be met with the woman he met in the woods. He had to keep himself in check and approach carefully, if she came here out of her own free will or not, it didn't mean anything good.

He slowly stepped up to the people and pretended not to know her. He saw her moving one arm around, grumbling and looking around in hopes od making herself understood without speaking. And before either of the men could speak a word to the other she had padded over to Daryl.

"Hey. Whatcha got there?" He nodded over to the deer pelt you still wore which looked like it was draped over sonething she held onto underneath it.

As she slowly pushed the pelt away it revealed more bundled up fabric. Daryl recognised it as the wrap you wore as a skirt before. He gave her a confused look as she reluctantly looked around at the other people and stepped closer to Daryl as to hide something from view.

She then took a piece of the wrap and pulled it aside, revealing a small child, dark hair on its head and deep blue eyes staring right into his.

Daryl looked up from the baby back to her, pointing a finger at himself with raised brows and she nodded.

With a small nod she took a step back and held out the child to him, which he accepted into his arms. "Ya wanna stay here with us?" He nodded his head at the homes behind him, unsure of what her idea was.

She gave the people near her a glance and pulled the pwlt closer around her as to hide. "So tha's a no?" He was only given a small whine in response before Daryl got called over by Rick.

"So they're staying here with you?" It was a relief to him that she had found who she was looking for so quickly, but the idea of Daryl having a hidden relationship and a child felt strange. "She found the kid's father, it seems."

"How did ya.." Daryl glanced over at her, who still wasn't speaking. "She did her best impression of you so I guessed." Rick gave him a shrug and patted him on the shoulder to pull him closer.

"D'you love her?" Rick's question caught him off guard. Yes he was fond of you, yes. But he felt like he hadn't gotten to know enough of you for love. "M'sure I will if she decides ta stay."

Rick accepted his answer and called over the woman he didn't know the name of, who was unsure but followed through as Daryl said it was okay. "You understand us, yeah?" The responded nod meant yes. "So, yes or no questions work?" Anofher nod. He was satisfied with fhis knowledge and moved on.

"D'you love Daryl?" He pointed at Daryl who gave him a look as to kill him later, but as he looked at her she was happily nodding and gesturing at him and the baby as well as herself.

Rick looked over at Daryl, wondering if he spoke erratic hand gestures and grumbles.

"Ya she loves me. And the kid, all'a us together." She nodded again and snuggled into Daryl's side, who looked at her. "So tha's a yes on stayin' 'ere?" His pleading look was enough for her to agree so she nodded yes at both men.

"I'll go make sure the people know we have a new resident who needs space to adjust." Rick announced as Daryl handed his son back to his mother and places an arm loosely around her shoulder to take her back to his home.

~~☆☆☆~~

A/N: Oh look a part two!! This was fun ♡

Part one HERE | Part three HERE

[mangoposts]

that anon that said something about creepy stalker bsf matt is onto something...

hear me out......

matt is so sweet around you, but his looks always linger for too long and make you lose your breath at the intensity of them.

he'll follow you to like work or something, allways a fw steps behind or just off to the side, just watching you.

he's in awe of you. you two have been friends for what feels like forever, but's always been obsessed with you. stalker obsessed. like im talking, if you go out on a date, he's seeping with rage as he follows you to the restaurant, but obviously when you first told him about it he acted like he was fine.

he'll put a camera in your room or something, "to make sure you're fine". he know's damn well you're fine on your own, he jus likes looking at you. has one in just about every room of your house or apartment, even the bathroom.

he follows you to hangouts with your friends, listening to you talk about wanting whatever it was you wanted. day or so later, matt's handing you whatever you were talking about, covering it up with the same old bullshit excuse he always used when you said you were just talking about wanting it.

"it reminded me of you."

and despite your suspicions, you always fell for it.

anytime you're hanging out with nick over at their house or a group hangout, whatever, he always had to refrain from staring at you. had to act like he didn't watch you get yourself off the other night, or watched when you got fucked by some random dude. matt wishes he were him.

but he's always so loving and very good at covering up what he does. man is the master of persuasion too, always gets you to believe whatever bullshit lies he makes up about anything.

loves getting off to like your instagram or something. always going to the same post, the one of your birthday. when you wore a really short and tight dress; he loves that dress.

(this awoke something in me i didn't know was there omfg)

MEOW MEOW MEOW MEOW MEOW MEOW MEOW MEOW MEOW MEOW MEOW MEOW MEOW MEOW MEOW MEOW MEOW MEOW MEOW MEOW STOP IM NOT MENTALLY NORMAL WHY DOES FHIS TURN ME ON IM ACTUALLG OMFGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

Bye stop this is actually making me panic this is … Hollon 😂💯Hollon….😂😂😂Sum is cooking 😂😂💯✍️Hollooonnnnnnn yall 😂😂💯✍️✍️👩🏻‍💻👩🏻‍💻👩🏻‍💻👩🏻‍💻📝

𝕬𝖓𝖔𝖓 𝖞𝖔𝖚’𝖛��� 𝖆𝖜𝖔𝖐𝖊𝖓 𝖘𝖔𝖒𝖊𝖙𝖍𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖜𝖎𝖙𝖍𝖎𝖓 𝖒𝖊.

[sparklingpax]

HEADMASTER JUNIORS IN THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY MUSIC VIDEO

!!!!!!!!!!!!! I KNOWWWW I SAW FIRST THING WAKING UP TODAY I LITERALLY FLIPPED TF OUTTT 😭😭😭‼️‼️‼️ LIKE NOT ONE BUT MULTIPLE MASTERFORCE REFERENCES IN 2024.....WHAT A TIME TO BE ALIVE FR 😭💗💗💞❤️✨‼️🔥🫶✨

wait I'm gonna take fhis opportunity to gush about the video its 1 am im only half awake there will probably be typos sorrY

..

Genuinely would have been ecstatic with just a god ginrai in the bg and I honestly didn't even expect as much but man oh MAN did they give us so much more than that 🥳🥳

oh but lemme say ginrai SLAYEDDD HE LOOKED SO AMAZING AND COOL I was literally squealing "YES GO MY SILLY GOOOO" like the Dork that I am when he was out there doin the exkaiser sword pose w the others 🫶🫶🫶🫶 EEEEEE

and also!!! Let us NOT forget ofc all the other TF series and leaders and characters and such getting their time in the spotlight and the MANY little references to all kinds of stuff everywhere and.....!!!!!! Like I have so much respect for that video 🥹 it's such a detailed, wonderful tribute to everything transformers has been, is, and continues to be. Themes of connections literal and metaphorical and the power and beautythat comes from it. UFFF and Everything was so pretty and wonderful to look at and (⁠ﾉ⁠≧⁠∇⁠≦⁠)⁠ﾉ⁠ ⁠ﾐ⁠ ⁠┻⁠━⁠┻!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Very happy with it <3333

and also Yes I did have the thought It would have been cool to see the Pretenders (😭) but I also understand its probably hard enough to tastefully fit in all thr characters they did (and plus! Masterforce Mentioned At All is such a huge W youre not hearing Complaints from me 🫡) and also y'know what. maybe. maybe that was for the best because I might have simply combusted into fucking flames if they did that. Like you all think I'm annoying about those guys NOW but if I saw them animated all pretty and shape andshiny and sharp like that.........or.GOD if they had put their human forms in there...........I would need to be restrained is all I'll say

AND y'know what too it actually also fuels me with even MORE willpower than I already have to work for and eventually finish this illustration degree, somehow hopefully make it to a position where I too can make masterforce references in 4k except OFFICIAL and also have the opportunity to be insufferable about my blorbo of all time and space <333333 stupid silly ass dream of mine that may never happen but mark my WORDS if I get even the slightest opportunity y'all.....I want to do a masterforce centric project someday. Like a real one. Something for the world to see at large. I want to do something with it I really really feel like I could......,! I would achieve one of my few life goals/dreams fr......

GOSH ok anyway sorry I went on for quite a while there and then started derailing the topic at hand SORRYY 😭😭😭 but yea man I love transformers I love being a fan of this franchise I love how many thousands of characters and all the stories and universes and stuff there is and how crazy and cool it all is and that it's been a part of my life for most of my life and it's the reason I'm an artist and god that video will have me emotional for a long ass time *wails* good NIGHT 😭🫶❤️❤️🫶💖✨‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️

(-kuni 🫣)

[lauronk]

I know I'm probably late for the whole ficlet thing, but I couldn't waste the opportunity to participate in something my favorite author is involved in❤️🙈firstz fhis is inspired in ellie and jesse being bros in the second game (🥲) and that scene where ellie says to jesse that joel liked him a lot.

So, maybe a funny ficlet where ellie got to get the cure for the fireflies without dying, joel and ellie get back to jackson. The ficlet would set two months after they get to jackson and ellie is starting to get better from the fireflies (making a vaccine demanded a lot of her body) and she's starting to go out more. Joel wanted this, you know? He wanted her to get friends, encouraged her to go out here and there and dragged her with him every chance he could... but what if joel wasn't so ready to share ellie as he thought he was? He was so used to have his ellie always a little too fragile and dependent on him like a baby bird, that now he can't help to get worried everytime she leave his side on a jackson event, can't take his eyes of her like a hawk when she's with other kids because he's afraid they somehow break some boundery with her or upset her, (not to mention when these boys keep trying to talk to her all the time, like they never seen a girl before. Joel has a hard time dealing with that, and tommy is always getting a kick out of it...). Jesse tho? He notices the way tommy miller's brother seems overprotective of the new girl like she's gonna break, but jesse likes to be responsible for his own family too, gets it: he understand Mr. Miller is scared that the kids in this town may not be good influences for his daughter, but jesse wants to show him that ellie is in good company with him and his friends, and that there will be nothing to Mr. Miller worry about. Joel eventually thinks jesse is a good kid and appreciates his efforts in including ellie in everything.

hello! thank you for you patience anon, i hope it was worth it 😘😘😘

it's nice to have a friend

length: ~1.9k words tags: joel & ellie; alternate universe - canon divergence; fireflies make a cure; joel is ellie's (overprotective) parent; jesse & ellie as buds; jesse's just a good kid

He’s not sure what had given him the idea that getting them back to Jackson would mean he could start to relax a little, but at some point that idea had firmly taken root in Joel’s mind.

The trip had been long, arduous, exhausting; the hospital scarcely less so. In all their work towards their damn vaccine, the Fireflies had about bled Ellie dry. Taken blood and spit and bone marrow and spinal fluid and left her crying into her pillow from the discomfort most nights. She’d never let him take her out of there though, even as she’d lost weight and struggled to keep food down and tired when walking further than the bathroom.

“There’s no halfway with this,” Ellie would say, over and over again. “We finish what we started.”

Joel desperately never wanted to hear those words in that order ever again.

But they had. They’d finished it, the Fireflies had found something in her spinal fluid - or maybe it had been her plasma - that had finally allowed them to make their precious vaccine. Months of sitting by and feeling useless, watching Ellie suffer for what had seemed like a goddamn pipe dream, and they’d left with Joel just as protected against cordyceps as Ellie herself.

They’d had to wait three more weeks before they could actually go, long enough for the Fireflies to make doses he could take back to Jackson, long enough for Ellie to begin to recover even the barest amount of strength.

Now they were here, in the house across from Tommy and Maria, Ellie down the hall but within shouting distance. It had taken some adjusting to, her being out of his eyesight for more than ten minutes at a time after nearly a year glued to each other’s sides. Even now, two months after they returned, Joel still sometimes has to fight the urge to get up and walk down the hall to poke his head in her room. Just to lay eyes on her, just to make sure she doesn’t need anything.

She’ll roll her eyes and tell him to stop hovering, Joel knows that. So instead he makes himself go downstairs and get a start on dinner.

—

This was what he wanted, Joel reminds himself three days later. He watches Ellie throw her head back and laugh at something her friend Dina is saying, rocking on her heels. He wanted her to go and make friends, be a little more independent. She’d been fiercely so when they first met, reluctant to take so much as an extra helping of rabbit if she hadn’t caught it herself.

That had faded, after their cross-country hike, after Silver Lake and the Fireflies. They’d become necessarily dependent on each other, to a level that Joel knew couldn’t be healthy. So her regaining some of that independence, that strength and surety of herself after all she’d been through, that was a good thing.

He just hadn’t expected it to ache quite so much.

Tommy steps up next to him, hands him a glass of the Jackson whiskey they break out for these little town gatherings. This time - the corn harvest. The ears had to be shucked, so why not make a party out of it?

“She ain’t gonna break just because you look away for more than a second,” Tommy mutters under his breath, taking a small sip of his own drink.

Joel nudges him with his shoulder, tilts his chin to where Maria is making the rounds with TJ strapped to her chest as Tommy watches like a hawk. “No,” he replies teasingly, “she ain’t.”

Tommy gives him a wry look, and they clink glasses. Immediately, Joel’s gaze drifts back to Ellie. She’s still standing with Dina, cheeks pinked and stray hairs falling from her ponytail. But it’s no longer just the two of them.

Dina’s boyfriend Jesse has joined them now - or at least, he thinks Jesse’s her boyfriend. It’s real damn hard to keep up, as often as Ellie seems to come home and announce that the two of them have split, they’re back together, they’re fighting, they’re madly in love.

Joel looks at him appraisingly, swallowing another bit of whiskey. The kid’s tall, damn near head and shoulders above Ellie. Seems nice enough, always respectful when interacting with Joel or Tommy.

But Joel doesn’t go trusting just anyone with his kid.

“What do you know about Jesse?” He asks his brother quietly, and Tommy’s brows shoot nearly to his hairline.

“‘S a good kid,” Tommy replies slowly. “Hard worker, never late for his shifts. Real eager to get out on patrol, helps his mom out a lot whenever she needs it. Why?”

Joel shrugs, like the words don’t matter to him one way or the other. “Just tryin’ to learn a bit more about people, that’s all. Seems like he’s becomin’ friends with Ellie.”

Tommy hmms, eyes flicking back and forth between Joel and Jesse before they settle on Maria again. “And is that…all you’re worried about with regards to him?”

Joel catches his meaningful look, the way his head tilts towards where Jesse is tugging on Ellie’s ponytail affectionately. “Oh, I don’t think there’s anythin’ else goin’ on,” Joel assures him. He might be old, a little out of touch, but he ain’t as blind as Ellie thinks. He’s caught the way she looks at Dina sometimes, the way her cheeks pink and her hands clasp behind her back.

But she ain’t said anything about it to him directly yet, so Joel doesn’t say anything either. Doesn’t explain it to Tommy, even when his brother shoots him a skeptical look. Not his business to discuss.

Jesse turns back at that moment, catching Joel’s eye. Whatever he sees on the older man’s expression has his shoulders inching up towards his ears, shuffling until he’s a few more inches away from Ellie. She doesn’t notice, too wrapped up in whatever Dina’s telling her.

And for the rest of the evening, Joel catches Jesse looking worriedly towards him every few minutes.

—

The knock on the door the next morning has Joel squinting at the clock on the wall, reading it twice to be sure. It’s a bit early for visitors, especially on a Sunday; Ellie’s still asleep upstairs and he’s just barely poured his first cup of coffee.

Probably Tommy, or maybe Maria. They’re usually up early, especially with TJ teething right now - chances are he’s bawling up a storm across the street and one of them just needs to give their eardrums a break.

Except when he swings the front door open, it’s not his brother or sister-in-law on the porch. It’s Jesse.

Joel blinks at him, brows tugging down in confusion. “Can I…help you?”

The kid straightens, his shoulders pulling back as he looks Joel dead in the eye. “I just wanted to let you know that I saw you watching Ellie all night last night, and I know that you worry about her because of health stuff. But I wanted to reassure you that Ellie’s in good hands with me and Dina, so you don’t need to worry about her with us.”

Joel can’t quite suppress a chuckle, and he sips his coffee slowly for a second, turning Jesse’s words over in his head. “You plan to have kids one day, son?”

Jesse startles, clearly not expecting that response. “I…uh, I think so.”

“Well,” Joel steps fully out onto the porch, tugging the door shut behind him. There’s a bench that he fixed up when they first got back, one he and Ellie like to sit on in the evenings. He waves Jesse toward it, watching as the young man lowers himself apprehensively. “If you ever do have kids, you’ll learn real damn quick that there’s just about nothin’ in the world that’ll make you stop worryin’ about ‘em.”

Jesse doesn’t seem to know what to say in response; his hands brush uncomfortably up and down his thighs for a moment. “I just meant…” he blows out a breath. “I know adjusting here hasn’t been easy for her. She didn’t tell me or Dina anything, but we know she’s been through a lot. And some of the kids haven’t exactly made it easy on her.”

Joel knows they’re both thinking of the same incident - some shit-for-brains named Sam grabbing Ellie from behind a few weeks ago. He’d meant it to be playful, kids roughhousing and whatnot, but Ellie had freaked. Swung around, clocked Sam in the cheek, sent him sprawling in front of half the teenage population of Jackson and left him with a pretty damn impressive shiner.

The other kids had given her a wide berth after that, and Ellie hadn’t had to tell Joel how badly that had weighed on her. But Dina and Jesse hadn’t - if anything they’d been more fascinated by her, more determined to be her friends. Always inviting her to hang out, work on homework together, grouping with her for foraging trips and trainings.

Jesse presses on when Joel doesn’t say anything. “I know you probably won’t believe me, but I swear - we’re looking out for her.”

It’s surprisingly easy, looking at the kid’s earnest expression, to believe him. And he’s seen Jesse with Ellie plenty of times, enough to know that he’s careful with her but not so much that she feels coddled. Fuck, he’s learned how to handle Ellie faster and easier than Joel did.

“I appreciate you comin’ here to talk to me,” Joel says, taking another sip of his rapidly cooling coffee. “And I appreciate you and Dina helpin’ Ellie adjust here, means as much to me as it does to her.”

Relief suffuses Jesse’s face, but any response is cut off by the opening of the front door and the emergence of a rumpled and yawning Ellie. “Dude what the fuck are you –” She comes to an abrupt halt at the sight of Jesse, eyes flicking between them with confusion that rapidly shifts to suspicion. “What’s going on?”

“Oh, uhh –”

“Me and Jesse were just chattin’,” Joel interrupts smoothly. “Didn’t wanna wake you, so we came outside.”

The suspicion doesn’t change. “Chatting about what?”

“Whether you wanna go out to the lake with him later,” Joel says blithely, wishing he could tell Jesse to stop gawping like a fish at him right now. “Said he was gonna go try some fishin’, thought you might wanna come. Told him I wasn’t sure, sometimes you get a little weird about handlin’ ‘em and –”

“I wanna go,” Ellie cuts him off, a stop talking now look in her eyes as she glares at him. “When?”

Joel looks to Jesse, eyebrow arched. “Oh, uh. Around noon? Wasn’t sure when you were free today, so…”

“Noon’s good,” Ellie replies, whacking Joel on the arm when he opens his mouth.

“Cool.” Jesse doesn’t seem to know what to say next, so Joel takes pity on him.

“I’ll go make myself another cup of coffee. Y’all are welcome to hang out here, but just keep in mind,” he aims the words at Ellie, “that if your uncle sees you sittin’ out here he might rope you into babysittin’ for a bit.”

Ellie lights up like a Christmas tree. “You think?”

He chuckles. “Yeah, probably.” He’s not the least bit surprised when Ellie then plops herself in the seat he’s just vacated. “You kids have fun, I’ll be inside if you need me.”

Over the top of Ellie’s head, he meets Jesse’s eyes one more time, lifting his mug to him like a toast. He gets a solemn nod in response from the boy, and then Joel shuts the door behind him and leaves them to it.

Jesse’s a good kid.

thanks for reading! you can find the full ficlet collection on my ao3

[moe-broey]

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