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SportDOG Upland Hunter 1875 - Dog Training Collar & Beeper Review

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tintin: experiences minor inconvenience

tintin: where is my ak47

[pencil-n-pen]

TONGUES AND TEETH

₊˚ʚ 🌲₊˚✧ . °🍂 ೃ���*

jackson! joel miller x fem! loner! reader

masterlist | ko-fi

summary: Joel refuses to acknowledge the part of him that aches to be a protector. That is, until you come crashing into his life.

cw: canon-typical violence, reader had a rough go of things before Joel, nightmares, medical inaccuracies (oh the horror!) uhhh reader has a broken nose and it gets set, unspecified age gap, daddy issues but we all saw that coming and it’s vague, as an ellie lover and defender until the day i die, it pains me to say no ellie-au IM SORRY I COULDN’T MAKE IT WORK bella ramsey as ellie they could never make me hate you

tags/tropes: hurt/comfort as always, age gap, nightmare comfort, honestly just two messed up people loving each other

a/n: proof that i will find a way to write an eldest daughter fic for any fandom/universe

not officially writing for him !! just had this idea

another long(ish) fic. if you're here from my masterlist, now would be a good time to go pee, get some water, and maybe a snack or two :) same things for those of you scrolling. i see u

title taken from tongues and teeth by the crane wives (GO LISTEN TO THE CRANE WIVES !!)

✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡˚🦴⋆｡°✩

Jackson living isn’t all Joel thought it would be cracked up to be.

Don’t get him wrong- objectively, it’s great. Running water, electricity, a clinic- three hallmarks Joel was sure he’d never see again. Not since the outbreak.

So by all means, he should be content. He goes out for hunting parties and patrols. Has his own house. Has a permanent place to keep his boots and his knives and guns and a bookshelf to make his way through. He has a bed. He has his brother.

But he’s restless.

Joel spent a long time walking. Searching. Surviving. You don’t quite slip back into easy civilian life just like that, no matter how perfect the conditions are.

At first, he solves this problem but going on more hunting parties, more patrols. He stays up late doing guard rotations and helps out his brother with projects when he can.

It doesn’t solve the itch, though. That sharp little thrumming, just beneath his skin: the need to protect. To have a job. To have something or someone to look after.

He denies this part of himself as much as he can, because he’s not that man anymore. Not after Sarah. He’s not. You don’t stay somebody dying to help and protect when you kill people. Because they’re still people, under the fungus. Under the parasite. Their brain’s still work. They still feel pain and anguish and fear.

He’s heard them cry before. Hunched over a corpse, body acting with somebody else at the reins, faces covered in blood and gore crying “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

So Joel isn’t a protective guy anymore. Had to take out those parts. Replace them with solitary and meanness and a distinct lack of sympathy.

It’s turned him into an angry thing. Like a gaurd dog; snarling, circling an empty pedestal it refuses to acknowledge is there.

He knows Tommy see’s it. Try’s to involve him in things whenever he can, invites him over to dinner. Hangs out at his house. Makes sure Joel isn’t alone-alone.

So Joel really, really should’ve seen it coming when he and the scouting party find you in the woods.

You’re just as surprised to see them as they are to see you. They thought they were tracking a deer— although some of the tracks and patterns of disturbance in the underbrush didn’t add up.

They’d entered a clearing, guns poised, just to see you, handgun leveled at them, perched in a tree. Way higher up than Joel would’ve dared.

“Stay the fuck away from me.” You’d hissed, voice carrying on the wind and rattling just like the leaves on the tree you’re in. How you managed to scale a tree that high in a busted pair of Doc Martens and lugging a backpack clearly full of supplies is beyond him.

But he doesn’t need medical credentials to know you’ve clearly had a rough go of things.

You’re young. Not young-young, but young. Dressed in clothes clearly pilfered, you’re wearing a thick brown jacket that probably would’ve belonged to a construction worker or something like that. It’s a few sizes too big, and the cuffs are frayed and there’s a hastily sewn patch on the elbow he can see. Your face and hair is littered with tree and other plant debris- though if this is a new addition from your tree climbing escapade, he’s not sure. Your nose has dried blood crusted under it, your lip is split, and there’s a cut above your eyebrow. Your knuckles and hands are equally torn and split, old and new scars and scrapes littering your skin.

In short: you look rough. And feral, in that way that cats that live outside a little too long and a little too far away from people end up looking.

“I said stay back!”

He remembers, abruptly, that you’re probably scared out of your mind and the rest of the scouting team is still pointing their weapons at you.

He makes the motion for them to lower their weapons, and he lowers his own, raising both hands in the universal “we come in peace” gesture.

You don’t lower yours, but your grip on it is looser.

“We’re from the Jackson settlement,” He shouts, hoping you don’t hear the gruff anger in his voice that Tommy always complains he needs to work on. “There’s running water and electricity.”

“I’ve heard that one before,” Your hands have begun to shake on the gun, ever so slightly. “So what’s your guys prerogative, huh? Cannablism? Religion? You planning on burning me at the stake? Or did you have something else in mind? I am a woman.”

Joel takes a step forward but stops when a bullet hits the ground right where his foot was about to be.

“If you take one more step you’re gonna find out exactly why I’ve survived alone this long.”

“Look,” He says, dropping his hands to his hips. “You can shoot us, and one of us will shoot you, and it’ll all be fine and dandy—“

There’s a chorus of whispers behind him.

“Or you can stay in that tree and not shoot us, and we won’t shoot you, and that’ll also be fine and dandy.”

He turns, jamming a finger in the direction of the settlement. “Jackson’s that way. Go or don’t go. I don’t really give a shit, but you look like you could use a bandaid.”

He jerks his head, and the rest of the party follows his lead, leaving the clearing —and you— behind.

—

A few hours after he returns, somewhere in the late evening when twilight is starting to set in and the crickets are chirping, Tommy knocks on his door.

“There’s a girl here for you.”

He raises an eyebrow. “Someone asked for me?”

“Well, not so much as for you. Her words exactly were “that gruff, mean looking asshole,” but I got the picture.”

He sighs, deep in his bones. A small part of him —the part that’s still connected to that dog, still circling— had hoped you would show up. However, it’s hopelessly overshadowed by the sheer exasperation of it all.

He’s silent save for non-committal grunts and hmm’s the way over to the front gates where the evening rotation’s guards have you standing between them.

You’re slightly worse for wear since the last time he saw you in that tree. Your jacket as a new rip in it, and your nose is sluggishly bleeding again. Up close, he notices it’s a bit crooked.

Gonna hurt like a bitch to set, He thinks absentmindedly.

He slows as he approaches you, hands in his pockets and shoulders back.

“See?” He huffs, gesturing with one hand behind him. “Not cannibals. Or whatever else you’re worried about.”

Your face is hard set as you look around. “That remains to be seen.”

“Hello!”

Joel looks back to see a pregnant Maria waddling over, a concerned Tommy at her side.

“I told you I’d handle it—“

“And I told you I’m fine. Now,” She props her hands on her hips. “Who’s this young lady now?”

You (hesitantly) stick out a hand to shake and introduce yourself.

She shakes your hand with a smile. Leave it to Maria to be able to read people with such ease. “I’m Maria Miller. I’m one of the settlement councilors. The golden retriever fussing next to me is my husband, Tommy, and the angry looking bear next to him is his brother, Joel. I understand a scouting party found you?”

You nod, eyes flicking this way and that, cataloguing the area.

“I’ve been on my own for… awhile. I don’t have any supplies to offer, but I’m smart and strong. I’m willing to work in exchange for a place to stay.”

Maria hums, assessing. “I’m sure we can work something out. You’ll need to come with me to speak to the rest of the council, for our safety and yours.”

You tighten your grip on your backpack but follow Maria and Tommy, only sparing one backward glance at Joel.

He spends the rest of the evening trying to forget the look in your eyes.

—

He fails spectacularly.

This doesn’t mean, however, that he’s anywhere near pleased when his nightly reading-as-a-poor-attempt-at-normalcy routine is interrupted by a knock on the door. One that sounds suspiciously like Tommy’s type of knock.

Only he hears two voices as he walks up to the door, and the other one isn’t Maria.

Joel opens the door with a glare already fixed on his face.

“There have to be other places.”

Tommy rolls his eyes. “It’s only temporary. The council agreed to let her stay so long as she’s watched by a trusted Jackson member, and well. You vouched for her.”

“And when exactly did I do that?”

“In the woods, when you met. You told her where you were from and how to get there. Honestly, Joel, you’re getting off light here. Some of the council members were not happy you told a random loner —no offense— where to find us. Kind of defeats the whole point.”

You huff a quiet “None taken.”

He can’t help the way his body tenses. “So this is a punishment?”

“Yes and no.”

“I don’t—“

“Look,” you interject, clearly fed up with the conversation. “It’s not the end of the world. I’m not going to murder you in your sleep and I don’t leave dirty clothes lying around. It’s only for three weeks. Get over it.”

Another sigh threatens to release itself, but he stamps it down, figuring he’s hit his sigh quota for the day.

“Fine. But take her down to medical first. I don’t want her blood all over my house.”

Tommy shrugs. “No-can-do. Maria needs me back at the house. You know where medical is. I’m sure you’ll manage.”

And with that, Tommy leaves, abandoning Joel and you at the doorstep.

Joel scrubs a hand down his face. “Wait there. I’ll grab a jacket.”

The walk to the clinic is awkward and silent, and just when Joel thinks it can’t get any worse, one of the staff tells him that since he’s your assigned supervisor/watcher/whatever, he has to accompany you. To everything.

To your credit, you don’t look very happy about the arrangement either.

Still, you bear through all the exams, a grimace fixed firmly on your face. Apparently (and not surprisingly) you’re malnourished, dehydrated, running a small fever, deficient in several vitamins, have two cracked ribs (most likely, no x-ray machine) and some run of the mill scraps and bruises.

You’re cagey enough on the details of the cracked ribs and nose that the doctor eventually moves on to the fixing you stage of things.

It takes awhile. There are a lot of injuries to cover.

When it comes to resetting your nose, the second the woman pulls out a needle and syringe, you go rigid.

“No.”

The doctor blinks. “This is just lidocaine, it’ll numb the area so—“

“No.”

“You wanna feel all that?” Joel asks, the first time he’s spoken during your entire exam, “It ain’t gonna feel great. Crooked nose like that won’t set with one go.”

“No needles. No numbing.”

Joel rolls his eyes. “What, you got a pain thing or something?”

Your hands go white-knuckled on the exam table. “Fuck. Off.”

You’re shaking, he notes.

Ah, He says to himself. Not a pain thing.

Fear.

The doctor shrugs. “Not like I won’t take the chance to save what we have. You’ll want something to bite down on. Or squeeze.”

You wrap your fingers around your own hand, a pathetic attempt at self-soothing.

He decides annoyance is the emotion he feels at your small movement. Nothing else.

He rolls his eyes as he grabs your hand, maneuvering it in place of your own.

“Good luck breaking it.”

You don’t respond. He wasn’t really expecting you to.

He knows without looking the exact moment the doctor starts resetting things because your grip on his hand quickly turns from barely there to crushing. You make no sound.

The doctor, to her credit, works fairly quickly, though by the time she’s finished a single tear has carved a path through the blood and grime on your face.

He thinks about how someone learns to cry without sound.

The doctor moves on quickly, cleaning and bandaging the wounds that need it and telling you detailed instructions for how to take care of your nose and cracked ribs and what things you should be eating to avoid staying vitamin deficient. It’s all a lot of words Joel is glad he doesn’t have to memorize.

They stick in his head anyway.

You don’t let go of his hand. You’re no longer squeezing the life out of it, but you’re not holding its gently either. When you do finally let go (after the doctor’s left and you can leave) you practically tear your hand away, as if burned. Like you’d left your hand on a stove as it was heating up only you just now noticed it was hot.

He doesn't say anything about it. He figures you're liable to literally bite his head off, or some other violent action close to that.

Besides. This is all awkward enough.

The walk back to the house is just as silent and strained as the walk to the clinic. Only now your breath is just a little more labored. Steps a little shakier. Your hand's twitch at your sides like they're reaching for something, and you don't quite manage to hide the way you look around every now and then, a restless, nervous action.

He knows what you're doing. He was you, back when he first got to Jackson. Granted, he wasn't as twitchy as you are. He kept his distance, stayed mean and scary (as possible.)

He holds the door open for you when you arrive back to the house, because his mom raised him to be a gentleman no matter the circumstances.

You toss him a look of confusion and annoyance but step into the house, looking around the modest living room with something almost like wonder.

He toes off his shoes, sets them by the door, and takes off his jacket, hanging it on the hook. "Shower before you touch anything. You're filthy. And don't think I'm giving up my bed."

"I wouldn't have taken it even if you had," You sneer. "Where's the--"

"Down the hall on the left. You got clean clothes?"

"...I have less dirty ones."

He pinches the bridge of his nose. "Wait here."

He grumbles all the way upstairs, all the way through picking out clothes that'll fit you well enough until you either wash what you have or find something else.

He silently glowers as he comes down the stairs, thrusting the clothes out to you and turning on his heel when you take them.

"I'm going to bed. Don't wake me up."

When he lies in bed that night, he can't even pretend he's not thinking about you. In his defense, it's less about you and more about the new, strange, stand-offish person he's just supposed to live with for the foreseeable future. All because he had the bad luck of feeling bad for the battered, flighty, loner girl sitting in a tree.

He stares at his ceiling, internal clock (yes, he's old, he has an internal clock. Sue him) letting him know it is decidedly an hour he should be asleep. He refuses to go downstairs, on principle alone. He could get up and go find one of his books, but he knows that if you're anything like him, coming off of however long you spent alone, you're a light sleeper. You're probably awake now, listening to him toss and turn and being unnerved by the unusual silence of Jackson and the particular brand of night-noise it produces. That's what the first two weeks of Joel's life in Jackson consisted of, before he moved in here.

Maria had decided that Joel would stay with the two of them until he integrated in Jackson society. Perks of your brother marrying a council member, he guesses.

So he's not going downstairs. Not going to walk down there just to see a person, an entire person in his house looking like, looking like--

Fuck.

He throws his blankets off and angrily (but not loudly) marches downstairs to get himself a glass of water and the book he knows he left on the table by the couch when he was so rudely interrupted by you. This is his house, dammit, he refuses to be put out by a random girl.

Woman, his brain corrects.

The living room is completely dark when he makes his way down the stairs and he truly, honestly wishes he was surprised when there's a whoosh of air to his right and a knife embeds itself in the wall about a half inch away from the side of his face.

The living room is still and silent.

"I thought they took your weapons when you got here."

"I lied about what I had."

He scrubs a hand down his face, yanks the knife out of the wall, and tosses it back. If you can throw it, you can dodge it.

He doesn't hear any screams, yelps, or grunts of pain, so he assumes you caught it fine. Or at least dodged it.

He makes his way over to the kitchen, grabs the teapot, and takes down two mugs.

"You know they can kick you out for harboring weapons during your probationary stay."

He hears a rustle of blankets behind him. The sound of you stashing your knife, no doubt.

"Are you going to tell them?"

He snorts, filling up the teapot. "No. There's been a knife in my boot since the day I got here."

He hears more rustling, and decides against turning around. He's not quite sure what you've been doing down here all night since it's clear that you weren't sleeping.

He doesn't hear any footsteps, but when does turn around to set the mugs on the table, you're sitting at it, knees pulled up and head resting atop them, your cheek smushed. Now that his eye's have adjusted to the darkness of the living room, he can almost make out your features. They're easier to discern, now that you're not covered in blood and grime. You look... softer. Haloed in the glow of moonlight shining through the gaps in the curtains.

Your face isn't the only thing glowing. The tell-tale glint of a knife --a different, smaller knife than the one you'd thrown at him-- shines from it's spot, resting oh-so innocently on the table.

Joel just huffs.

"No weapons on the table."

He blinks, and it's gone.

He doesn't ask why you're still awake or what you've been doing instead of sleeping. You don't ask why he's down in the kitchen at all.

"What are you making?"

"Tea."

He gently places a teabag in each mug. He isn't really sure why he's doing this for you. You've done nothing but hiss and spit since he's met you.

But tonight, right now, blanketed in the not-quite calm of the night and the apparent unease you both drown in--

It's tolerable. You're tolerable.

So he takes the kettle off the stove and pours the water and places the steaming mug on the table in front of you.

To which you ignore, and snatch the mug out of his hands instead.

"Did you think I put that one," He points to the mug in front of you, "There for giggles?"

You cradle the mug in your hands, seemingly entranced with the warmth and steam. "You might've poisoned mine."

"Maybe I poisoned both."

You take a sip, then grimace when the too-hot liquid hits your tongue.

"You don't look like the kind of person to have built an immunity to poison."

"You also watched me make both beverages."

"So? It's dark. You could've slipped something in. Or maybe it was already in the teabags."

"What use would I even have for you dead?"

You shrug. "I don't know. You tell me."

“You’re a deeply mistrusting person.”

“And you’re not?”

Touché.

Joel remains in the kitchen, leaned against a cabinet sipping your tea, while you stay hunched at the table, sipping yours.

If he removes the irritability and the uncomfortable-ness of everything that involves you living with him, the moment is almost… companionable. Pleasant, even.

It… soothes that nervous part of him. Not the sad nervous. The angry nervous. That built up crack of anger.

There’s another person in his home that is neither attempting to perceive his problems nor actively attempting to kill him. Your belief that he might poison you aside, you still accepted the tea.

He firmly believes that Tommy isn’t right about the loneliness thing though. His brother being right is just a world Joel can’t live in.

Besides. It’s too early to tell anything anyway.

—

Unfortunately, the following few days do not go… terribly.

That isn’t to say they go well, though. Since he’s looking after you (read: making sure you’re not an axe-murderer or something) he’s not allowed to go out on scouting or hunting trips. Or solo guard rotations he’s come to covet.

It’s boring, and having you around is strange.

It’s interesting, when he gets bored enough, because if he focuses hard enough he can guess what events happened to you based on your reactions to certain things. He’s pretty sure you were drugged at some point based on your reaction to the doctor with the lidocaine. You’re general skittish and flighty nature can be easily attributed to the conditions in which everyone in the world is living in, but your particular brand of distrust and aggression says that humans, not the infected, have been the ones to hurt you the most. Your general unease in open areas or areas with not easily accessible exits leads him to believe that there have been several extremely close calls in several points of your survival.

He knows you’ve been shot before, but that one was an accident. He’d come downstairs, rubbing bleary sleep from his eyes and accidentally stumbled across you changing. Well, finishing changing. He’d quickly closed his eyes and turned around, and thankfully you hadn’t startled, but he had caught a glimpse of the stretch of skin not covered by the long sleeve undershirt you favored. On the left side, just above your hip and a few inches towards your bellybutton, there’s a jagged, raised, circular scar. Still pink.

He knows you have a very slight, very subtle limp. He’s not sure what causes it, but he knows you have one. It tends to act up when you do a lot of strenuous exercise for an extended period of time. Some days you wake up and it’s worse. On those days, you’re a little more mean, and a little more skittish.

He’s yet to see you actually, legitimately sleep.

He’s starting to think you haven’t, since arriving.

Which is insane, because it’s been four days.

The bags under your eyes are horrific, even to him. You’ve gotten clumsier and clumsier, your attention span and memory are terrible, and he thinks you might’ve started hallucinating, if the times he’s seen you staring off into space with concerned, fearful, or twisted expressions on your face and mumbled rambles he can’t make out are anything to go by.

On day five, when Joel comes downstairs in the morning and the knife you throw at him bounces harmlessly off the wall and clatters to the ground and you just stare at it, eyes foggy and unseeing, he decides to talk to Maria.

“I don’t really care,” He says, because he has a reputation to uphold dammit, “But I’m not sure how much longer she’s gonna last, and what she’s gonna do when she wakes up.”

“Mmm,” Maria hums, hands clasped on the table and staring at Joel with her best ‘I don’t believe you don’t care’ look. She’s really perfected it, “Well the truth is, she can’t go forever. It’s fear keeping her up now. Happens a lot with the loners that come in. Especially the women. She’s afraid that no one’s there to watch her back and terrified she won’t be strong enough to fend off any attackers.”

Maria looks at her hands. “The fear is exacerbated by the fact that the council took most of her weapons.”

“You knew—“

“She was lying? Of course I did. So did several of the other members, I’m sure. But she’s not a threat. She’s scared.”

He thumbs the thin scar on his cheek from the knife came just a little too close to hitting the mark when he sneezed in the kitchen. “She’s got a funny way of being scared.”

“Fight or flight, Joel. She knows flight isn’t an option.”

“Why are you lobbying so hard in her defense?”

“I’m not. I’m explaining her actions. Also,” She gives a knowing smile, “You’ve started to care. Otherwise you wouldn’t be coming to me about this.”

“Yeah, yeah,” He grouses. “So what am I supposed to do? Just wait for her to pass out?”

“You could. It’ll happen eventually. She very clearly doesn’t have that many hours left in her. That’s probably freaking her out more. Or, you could subtly show her that she can sleep around you. She needs to know that she’s safe from whatever it is she’s running from.”

Joel keeps his eyes locked on the kitchen table, tracing the grain in the wood with an absent-minded finger.

“I know you pushed for her to stay with me.”

“The council wanted a punishment that fit the crime.”

“Look, I appreciate the thought—“

Maria’s expression flattens. “Joel. Do not sit at my table and lie about how you don’t need anyone and you’re fine on your own. You need this.“

“I don’t need this,” He scoffs, “She’s practically half-feral. No one needs that.”

Maria stands, shrugging. “Then I guess you’ll have to file for a name change, No-One Miller. Until then, make sure she’s not alone when she wakes up.”

—

He did leave you alone for the duration of his conversation with Maria, because fuck if he was bringing you to that, and he figured you both could use some time away from each other. He knows he can.

He’s not very surprised to hear the familar whoosh of a small, sharp object sailing through the air that tends to accompany his arrival into rooms you’re occupying (he’s pretty sure it stopped being a fear response after the first two times and now you’re just messing with him) but he is suprised to see that this time, the knife doesn’t even make it head height. Or to the wall.

It clatters uselessly to the ground near his feet. He stares at the metal between his boots and then up at you—

“Why are you sitting on the kitchen counter?”

“I don’t remember.”

He leaves the knife on the ground and makes his way over to you, watching with mock disinterest at the several-seconds-delayed flinch you make when he stands in front of you.

You look up at him, eyes glassy and unfocused and you just look so, so tired.

There’s a curl of protectiveness in his chest that keeps trying to spread, keeps trying to grow. Here, in the kitchen, your legs dangling over the edge of the counter, bathed in the glow of the mid-day sun, it takes root. Right in the center.

He looks down at your feet. “What happened to your other shoe?”

You scrunch up your face. “I don’t… I was getting in bed, I think. But it wasn’t my bed. I forgot that things aren’t—“

That things aren’t the same anymore.

He crouches down, untying the laces of your boot and shucking it aside somewhere.

“Alright, come on.”

You slide off the counter, clumsy and uncoordinated. He takes your hand in his, leads you up to the bedroom.

The stairs are difficult for your tired, barely working brain. He has to stop multiple times to physically lift your legs or stop you from falling over and cracking your head open.

You finally make it up there, though, and he realizes that you probably won’t want to sleep in your everyday clothes.

“One last step.”

He can’t help but notice how intimate the moment is. Not intimate-intimate, but. He instructs you softly to lift your arms so he can tug your shirt over your head and replaces it with a soft shirt of his own.

Staring into your eyes is too charged and allowing his eyes to wander is bad for obvious reasons, so he keeps his gaze firmly fixed on the junction of where your neck meets your shoulder.

He keeps his eyes there as he helps you out of your pants and into a pair of flannel pajama pants. The same ones he’d given you the first night you came. You’ve never slept and he’s never seen you go to any of the places he knows have extra clothes, so he’s almost positive you don’t have any pajamas at all.

His fingers work quickly to tie the drawstring on the pants, and even then, they hang low on your hips.

He doesn’t let his eyes linger.

“Come on,” He says taking your arm and tugging you toward the bed. “Time for sleep.”

“It’s the middle of the day,” You mumble, standing in place. “And I can’t, what if they—“

“I’ll be here the whole time. I’ll keep watch.”

You mull his words over in your head for a few moments before stumbling the final few steps into the bed. You practically collapse into it, shuffling for a just few seconds before your breath evens out.

You’re asleep.

He reaches over, adjusting the blankets a bit, before grabbing the book he’d left on the bedside table and settling down in the chair by the bed.

The hours tick by quietly, accompanied only by the quiet rustling of pages turning and your soft snores.

For the first time in awhile, he doesn’t feel restless.

—

You sleep for a full eighteen hours straight before you stir.

He’s a good portion of the way through his book before he see’s your body tense in the corner of his eye. Your breathes are still even and deep, so if he couldn’t see you, he probably wouldn’t notice you’re awake.

“You’ve been asleep for eighteen hours,” He says, voice rough and scratchy with disuse, “You got in bed voluntarily.”

“You changed my clothes.”

“You didn’t seem all that capable of doing so yourself and I didn’t think you wanted to sleep in jeans. You mind?”

“…No.”

“Good. Go back to sleep.”

“I can’t just—“

“You didn’t sleep for five days. If we’re going by the eight hours a night average needed or whatever, that’s forty hours. You’ve still got twenty-two left to catch up on.”

You roll over to face him with a grumble. “I don’t like how good you are at mental math.”

“Get better, then.”

You shimmy out from under the blankets, tossing him an “I have to pee,” as you make your way out of the room.

It’s early morning now, weak sunlight behind to strain its way through the curtains. He figures it’s a good enough time to make some food (and coffee) if you’re going to be going to back sleep, so he meanders down to the kitchen and throws together a small breakfast.

“Did you make us breakfast?”

He never really gets used to how quietly you move through rooms.

“Jesus— yes. Here.”

He hands you a bowl with oatmeal and a small plate with a slice of toast— toasted in a pan, because electricity aside, he doesn’t own a toaster. Why waste time scavenging for an appliance when something else works just as fine?

He sets a jar of jam on the counter that he’d picked up awhile ago in exchange for fixing the hinge on somebody’s door.

“You got any allergies?”

“None that matter.”

He nods to the table. “Go eat. Then get back in bed.”

“You’re so bossy.”

“And you’re annoying. Eat.”

You eat quickly and quietly, then wordlessly follow him back upstairs, climbing back into bed.

“Joel?” You whisper.

“Hm?”

“Thank you.”

He tucks the blanket up over your shoulder. “Go to sleep.”

You obey easily.

—

Things between the two of you… soften after that. He slowly sees more pieces of your personality than the wild thing he met that day in the woods.

He learns that you love peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, but miss peanut butter and nutella sandwiches more than anything. He learns that on good days, you like drinking coffee straight black, but on bad days, you like it with milk and sugar.

He learns that your limp is the result of one careless mistake you’d made when you first surviving on your own.

“I thought the house was abandoned. It wasn’t,” You’d rolled up your pant leg to show horrific, deep, jagged scars circling your ankle, “Guy had set out a bear trap to slow down some of the clickers in the area. It was dark. Didn’t notice it until too late.”

He learns that you, despite your snide remarks and sarcastic comments, like having him around. He feels a bit like earning the trust of a stray cat.

You begin to grow more comfortable with life in Jackson, though not by much. He’s sure you weren’t a people person before the outbreak, much less so now that he knows some of the horrors you’ve been through before you got here.

He’s even started getting used to how quietly you move.

It’s easy to fall into a rhythm, from there.

He wakes up, goes downstairs. Sometime’s there’s a knife thrown at him, sometimes there isn’t. You’re usually sprawled on the couch, drool coming out of your mouth and grumbling incoherently about “old men and their stupid early mornings.”

It’s almost endearing.

Since Joel spends a lot of time helping Maria and Tommy get ready for their baby, you, in turn, get to know the both of them by being stuck with Joel. Maria set you on edge at first, Tommy slightly less so, but through continuous interactions your prickly nature smoothed.

One night, you were all seated on their couch after enjoying a dinner together —not the first and definitely not the last— having quiet conversation. You’re totally passed out on Joel’s shoulder, dead-asleep and quite content to use him as a human teddy bear.

Maria smiles over her mug of tea. “She’s grown on you.”

Joel rolls his eyes. “Yeah, yeah. She’s not all bad.”

“High praise coming from Joel Miller.”

You have grown on him. And in turn, your relationship has started to grow into… something else. Sometimes his eyes linger just a little too long, and the looks you share feel just a little too charged.

Tommy sends him a look full of words only true siblings can understand.

“No, Tommy.”

“Oh come on Joel! You both clearly—“

“We are not having this conversation right now.”

“Why not?”

“Because—“

You fling an arm out wildly, smacking him in the side of his face and grasping around until your pointer finger finally finds his lips.

“Shhhh. M’ sleeping.”

He wraps his hand around your wrist, prying your fingers off his face. “You know that’s what bed’s are for. Or couches. Or any number of surfaces I’ve found you sleeping on.”

“You’re a surface I’m sleeping on.”

“I shouldn’t be.”

“Why not?”

“Because I’m not a bed. Come on, up and at em’.”

You whine at the loss of warmth when he stands, scowling as you haul yourself to your feet. As he’s putting on his boots by the door, he hears you thanking Maria and Tommy for their hospitality, and he can’t help the little smile that twitches on his face. Seems like his parents weren’t the only ones who made sure he had manners.

You meet him at the door, hopping in place to put your boots on and getting frustrated when they don’t slide on immediately.

“You know, it would help if you untied the laces—“

“Fuck off.”

He blinks. That seems a little more mean than you usually say nowadays.

So Joel takes a step back. Watch’s your legs and your shoes and your hands—

There.

Your hands shake as you fumble with the laces, unable to get a good grip on the thin cords to untie and re-tie your shoes.

He shoos your hands away from the singular boot you haven’t managed to get on.

“Sit.”

He’s thankful that he built the shoe bench for Maria a few weeks after he got to Jackson. It serves Maria well for not having to stand while she attempts to put her shoes on while heavily pregnant, a feat she bemoaned a few times, and now it’s serving you.

You plop down on the bench with a huff, crossing your arms as Joel crouches, undoing the laces of your boot and sliding it on.

“I can do it.”

“I know you can.”

“Why’re you doing it?”

“Because.”

“That’s not an answer.”

He secures the tie on one boot and moves on to the next. “It is tonight.”

Once both shoes are on, you both bid Tommy and Maria good night, and make your way home.

If your hand find’s Joel’s, then that’s not anyone’s business.

—

He notices things after that.

You’ve started snapping at him more often. You’re not sleeping as much. You’ve started flat out refusing to go with him on daily chores as tasks, which either leads to an argument or the both of you staying at home all day.

It all comes to a head when you wake up screaming.

He thunders down the stairs, ducking on instinct for a knife that doesn’t come. You’re not on the couch. He whips his head around, the screaming stopped he can’t find you—

A thud. A panicked gasp.

He moves on slow, apprehensive feet towards the kitchen, crouching down to see you huddled under the table, knife clenched in your hand and pointed toward him.

“Hey, hey, what’s going on?”

Your eyes are wide and shining with tears.

“You died.”

“I didn’t. I’m right here.”

You shake your head, breaths coming short and shallow.

He settles on the floor, crossing his legs. “Here, take my hand. Come on.”

He extends his hand into the space between you two. Achingly slowly, you put down the knife, and take his hand in yours.

“See? I’m still here.”

Eventually, your breathing slows, and the fear begins to leave your eyes. You drop his hand.

“I’m sorry.”

“Nothing to be sorry for.”

“No, no it’s just—“ You break off with a strangled noise.

He waits. Lets a few minutes tick by.

“Does this have anything to do with the fact you’ve been avoidin’ me?”

You look down. “You noticed?”

“I do have eyes, sweetheart.”

You grab the knife again, twisting it this way and that in your hands.

“I’m scared.”

“Of what?”

“Of you.”

He tilts his head. “How come?”

You’re silent for a little while again.

“I feel… okay with you.”

“And that’s scary?”

“Yes,” You breathe, “You could leave, or die, and it scares me that I’m already attached to you. That having nightmare’s of you dying affects me so much. That they happen at all.”

He hums. “Seem’s were at an impasse.”

He taps a finger on his knee.

“It’s not all bad. To care.”

“Who are you and what have you done with Joel Miller?”

He huffs, shaking his head. “You know, against my better judgment, I’ve come to tolerate having you around.”

“Tolerate?”

“Mhm.”

“Nothing else?”

“No.”

“So you’ve never thought about kissing me?”

Heat rushes to his face. “Is that really a question you want to be asking right now?”

“Yes.”

“Mm,” He stands, “Well I don’t answer that kind of question at this hour. Come on.”

He reaches under the table and pulls you out.

You clamber to your feet, still a little shaky after your nightmare.

You turn to go back to the couch, but stops when he tugs on your arm.

“Mm-mm. No couch tonight.”

You look up at him, a question in your eyes he doesn’t know how to answer with words.

He steps forward, rough hands coming up to your face, thumb swiping the crest of your cheek.

“Tell me to stop.”

“I won’t.”

He leans down, capturing your lips in a kiss, soft and slow.

He pulls away after a few moments, searching your face for any sign of negativity or displeasure or disgust or, or—

You surge up, kissing him again, all the same fiery passion he saw the day you met.

“I suppose that answers my question.”

He chuckles. “You think?”

“I hope so.”

His hands slide down to your waist. and he can’t resist the little squeeze he gives the skin there.

“Alright. Back to bed, let’s go.”

“I forgot how tired old men get.”

“Please don’t call me an old man right after we kiss.”

He can hear your quiet snorting laughter as you climb the stairs, socked feet silent as always.

You climb into bed first, shoving yourself into the side by the wall and then making grabby motions for Joel.

“Am I just a pillow to you?”

“Yes. Come be a pillow.”

He rolls his eyes but slips into bed next to you and quietly relishes in the pleased hum you let out as you wrap your arms around his waist, practically smashing your face into his chest.

“You comfortable there?”

“Mhm.”

He curls one arm around you, his other hand coming up to cup the back of your neck. This close, he feels the shudder run through your body at the motion, and curious, he gives your nape a little squeeze.

Your reaction is instantaneous. You go limp- completely boneless.

“I got you, I got you. Go to sleep, now.”

It doesn’t take you long. And with you asleep so soundly in his arms, he follows right behind you.

☆⋆｡𖦹°‧★

[yanderedrabbles]

Yandere Movie Week

Day 1 - Fear (1996)

Male Yandere x Fem Reader, 1.7k words

 Your dad doesn't like your boyfriend.

Hardly breaking news. The amount of boyfriends who are chummy with their future father-in-law is in decidedly short supply. Like, national crisis level shortage.

Still, you aren't sure why your dad has such a problem with him.

Your boyfriend is sweet. He's charming. He takes your dog out on walks and gets along with your ancient and sour tom cat. He picks you up from school and keeps his hands to himself whenever your pops is around.

He's smart, in his own way. Good with his hands, the top student in your school's auto shop class.

A catch really. Out of your league, if you want to be honest.

But your dad doesn't want to hear any of it.

"Home before ten, not a second later."

"Don't you dare leave the living room when he's here. Either you stay where I can see you, or he doesn't come over at all."

"You're only allowed to drive home from school with him. I don't want you in that deathtrap of his any longer than you need to be."

Your boyfriend takes it in his stride. The only sign that it bothers him is the slight strain in his voice.

"Yes, sir. I'll get her home on time."

"No, sir. We won't leave the living room."

"I drive under the speed limit all the time, sir."

A different man would have given up on you ages ago. It isn't pleasant, being subjected to scrutiny and barley veiled menace every time you want to take your girl out on a date.

Somehow, he manages.

"It's easy," he tells you after yet another uncomfortable dinner with your father, his arm around the back of your seat as he pulls out of your driveway.

"I just keep reminding myself that I'm going to marry you. He'll have to soften up once I have a ring on your finger."

You can't ignore the way your heart jumps when he says that.

"Don't joke about stuff like that."

He grins at you. "Not joking. Gonna make you my wife someday."

You twist your hands in your skirt and tell yourself he's just pulling your leg. You're too young to be thinking about marriage. You need to focus on picking out graduation gowns, not wedding dresses.

Still, it's a nice thing to think about. A silly little fantasy to keep your smile in place when you get home from your date and your dad insists on grilling you. Something to dream about before bed, when the sheets are cold and you want nothing more than to have your boyfriend between them.

He brings it up again on your next date.

"Gold or silver?"

"For what?"

You're at the gun range, your boyfriend polishing up his skills. The crack of gunfire only slightly muffled by your ear protection.

He's reloading his pistol, fingers quick and fast.

"For your engagement ring."

You freeze for a second, and then start giggling.

"Yeah, right. Are you going to ask me if I want cream or ivory tulle next?"

He shrugs, cocking his pistol with a practiced, easy pull.

"I say cream. Looks better with your skin tone."

He gets into a firing stance and aims at the cut out.

"My dad might not even say yes. Have you thought about that?"

He fires. One bullet after the other until the clip is empty. The veins and muscles on his forearms stand out; he's gripping the gun that tight.

When it clicks on an empty chamber, he sets it aside and pulls off his ear protection. The retrieval system whirs as his target gets pulled towards you.

"I've thought about it," he says quietly.

You're about to say something when you catch sight of his target. Bullet holes straight through its forehead, a stray or two lodged in its throat. You count them up in your head and compare it to the amount of bullets you saw him load.

He didn't miss a single shot.

He's good with guns, but you've never seen him this accurate before. What the hell is he focused on, to land every shot?

You look up to find him watching you.

"Your dad will say yes. I know he will."

Your dad doesn't say yes.

You aren't aware of it. All you know is that your boyfriend stops walking you to your front door after school, and that your dad is awfully quiet at dinner for a few weeks.

Your dad doesn't say yes the second time either.

It's a late Friday afternoon. You're at study group with your friends while your father and your boyfriend square off against each other. Sun slanting through the big bay windows and spilling in golden stripes across the carpet.

"You're too young."

"I love her!"

"You don't even know what love is!"

"I know enough. I want to be with her. Is that so wrong? We won't get married right away."

"Not. Happening."

Your father is as tight wound as a hair trigger. Your boyfriend not much better. For a second, your dad thinks the kid might actually be stupid enough to hit him.

Go on, give me a good reason to kick you to the curb, you little shit.

He doesn't. Just pulls in a deep breath and turns to leave, door slamming hard behind him.

Your father sits down with his anger still coiled tight in his chest. Anger, and fear too. There's something about your boyfriend that unnerves him. That hair raising feeling of nails on a chalkboard. Not logical at all, but too strong to just be gut instinct.

Kid looked like he wanted to kill me.

You father has to make a conscious effort to unclench his fists.

When you get home that day, he kisses your forehead and prays that you change your mind about the whole thing. Date someone a little less... strange.

No luck. He hears you on the phone with your boyfriend all evening.

Is the kid really going to let it go? Or is he going to keep asking?

Your dad doesn't get his answer. Two days later, his car goes off the road.

Brake lines wore out and finally snapped, the cops tell you.

It's raining hard when they give you the news, little droplets of water on their uniforms despite their oversized black umbrellas.

You're too cold and stunned to answer them.

It's only when your boyfriend comes over that you manage to speak, to think of a sentence or two beyond, "But I just saw him. How can he be dead if I just saw him five minutes ago?"

He pulls you onto his lap and let's you cry into his shirt, smoothing your hair away from your face.

"It's okay baby, I'm here. I've got you."

It's only after the funeral that he asks the question he's wanted an answer to for months. The funeral parlour is almost empty. Your dad's coffin long gone.

He keeps his arm curled around your waist as you bid the last of the mourners goodbye.

"You never gave me an answer."

You blink at him, thoughts mired in molasses.

"An answer to what?"

He smiles, head tilted in that boyishly charming way of his.

"The only question that matters. Gold or silver?"

Day 1 - Fear (1996)

Day 2 - Secret Obsession (2019)

Day 3 - Hush (2016)

Day 4 - The Perfect Guy (2015)

Day 5 - The Boy Next Door (2015)

Day 6 - The Invisible Man (2020)

Day 7 - Til Death Do Us Part (2017)

[bisexualiteaa]

actually dying for a cooper howard x vaultie!reader smut where they have some slow burn longing steaminess, but coop thinks she’s too good for him UNTIL she comes in contact with a sex pollen-esque chem and he finally gives in to save her 🥵 please work your magic and elaborate however you want

A Flame in Your Heart

Cooper Howard x Fem Reader (SMUT!!)

CW: NSFW like absolutely filthy y’all, you’ve been warned. 💀 unprotected sex, irradiated cream pie, p in v, p0rn w/ plot, slow burn, flirting, cursing, perverted thoughts, dub-con (because of chem usage though consent is asked and given!) rough sex, dirty talk, choking, praise kink, degradation, squirting, mention of fingering, FEELINGS!! Slight deviation from TV series, possible grammar/spelling mistakes, cooper starts off mean but slowly warms up to reader

AN: I absolutely LOVED this request! I was up all night writing down all my ideas and spent all this morning perfecting it, and this has to be my longest one yet! I thank you for your patience anon and my lovely readers as I finally post this! Hope you enjoy and that I have done your ask justice! ❤️

Life outside of the vault was difficult to say the least. You felt hunger and dehydration in ways you’d never experienced before, going out of your way to do desperate things you would normally never do in order to get said food and water. The heat was unbearable, every stretch of land you walked across had a danger lurking around every corner, and worst of all, you’d never felt so alone. You weren’t sure what it was about you, maybe it was because you were new to the surface, maybe it was your nearly perfect skin, but everyone seemed to stare or glare at you when you would walk through. It wasn’t until you’d passed through Filly, meeting Ma June that you realized people didn’t take kindly to people like you. “Vaulties” she called them, an audible disdain in her tone, making you look down to remember you were in your blue and gold Vault-Tec suit. “I’ll be going then, have a nice day!” You said skiddishly, offering her a kind smile before turning and exiting the shop. You just wanted to make friends, why was that so hard up here? So when your eyes set on a man clad in classic Wild West cowboy clothes, watching smoke settle after a stand off, you weren’t sure why but you knew that was who you needed on your side in this world. Before you knew it, your feet were already moving and mouth speaking to him, grabbing his attention.

“I ain’t no charity case sweetheart, I don’t take on strays” The ghoul spoke, his southern drawl making him even more memorable than the marred texture of his skin. You looked to the dog that trailed not far behind him as he walked, changing its pace to keep up with the man. “The dog there with you tells me otherwise” you quipped. “Ain’t my dog” he responded harshly as he continued walking. “I can make it worth your while!” You yelled, making him stop in his tracks for a moment, a scary sight at first before you worked up the nerve to come closer once he turned back to you. “And how you suppose you’d do that?” He asked, and at first you didn’t know what to say, the words leaving your mouth before you could really think of a good enough reason. Did nobody like company anymore these days? “Well…I can be your scavenger! Pretty good at collecting stuff” you offered, shaking your bag and making things rattle around inside to prove it, making him give a huff of a chuckle. “‘f I wanted a pack mule I’d‘ve found a brahman” he shot you down. “Okay, then I can be good company to talk to!” You offered. “They make radios for when I want to listen to someone yack” he shut down once again. “I’m a good cook! Even with shitty supplies, I can make a stew that’d put a smile even on the meanest son of a gun’s face” you said, hopeful that he’d at least take you for something, but you had a feeling he’d probably turn you down again. “Iguana on a stick’s just fine” he said, though he had to admit the stew sounded good. Reminded him of home before all this wasteland bullshit. “Oh, umm…” you said awkwardly, your tone growing quiet and my how it put a sad look in your eyes. The evil part of him liked it, seeing your sweet innocent face all downturned but the part that was still human deep down, the part that hardly ever saw the light of day anymore, had half a mind to let you.

“Got a lotta nerve walkin’ up t’ me, girly. If you somehow been lucky enough that you ain’t met dangerous yet, you’re lookin’ at someone who could put you down before you’d even mutter your last words” he threatened, motioning to the double barreled shotgun in his hands. “I know, I saw it first hand. You hold yourself well, I envy that. I’m new to all of this and just really want someone who can help me hold my own the same way” you explained. “Look, I know I don’t look like much but please just give me a chance” you begged, looking up at him with a fighting spirit in your eyes that he had to admit, he was pretty impressed in seeing in a vaultie. “You help me, I help you, however that ends up being” you offered, standing strong on this and damn if he didn’t see a little bit of himself in you at that. He gave a sigh, tilting his head down before shaking it, not believing himself for the words he was about to say. “Alright, but the minute you start draggin’ you’re out, got me?” He said, and he hated the way his cold heart seemed to pump a little faster upon seeing your eyes light up with joy and a smile stretch to your face. “Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!” You said, opening your arms up to hug him but being met with the barrel of his gun poking your stomach to keep space between you. “I don’t do hugs” he spoke gruffly, making you back up enough to where he’d drop the gun back to his side. “R-Right…sorry” you apologized, embarrassment washing over you but still glad to finally have someone in your company. “C’mon, I ain’t got all day now” he said, motioning you to start walking, so you joined him.

Your travels with him certainly weren’t at all what you were expecting them to be. From being used as bait, to being tied up with rope most of the time you’d traveled together, or being sent in as his scavenger, you weren’t prepared for a lot of the reality you faced with being up on the surface. Most nights made you question why you’d ever left the comfort of the vault, why you’d abandoned a trusty food supply, regulated temperatures, a safe place to sleep that wasn’t riddled with radroaches or had the likely hood of waking up to a raider with a knife at your throat for no reason. Then you would remember the experiment in your vault, why you left that awful place for arguably a worse reality on the surface but at least you had freedom. Out here you were free to say what you want, do what you want, consume what you want so long as you could defend yourself incase that supply wasn’t unclaimed. You’d gotten pretty handy with a gun in the most recent weeks. Cooper, you learned one night was his name, using empty glass bottles as targets to help teach you accuracy and how to hit things from a longer range. In exchange, you came a little more useful than he had first thought. You had some useful stuff on you for trade like chems, ammo and food, were a good extra bag to hold stuff in, and you were a better cook than you’d talked about. Sure you had a tendency to talk too much, and you weren’t great with a gun, but you were getting there.

“Might I suggest takin’ them clothes instead of wearin’ that suit?” He said, making you look at him weird for suggesting you strip a dead raider of their clothes. “Why would I do that…?” You asked, genuinely confused and not sure what he was implying either, he was a hard man to predict. “Because, people see that shit and get real mad. People up here don’t like vaulties or the ones that run ‘em” he said and it made sense, it helped you understand why you kept getting evil glares each time someone would look at you or talk to you. You figured he knew best, so you took the shirt and pants from one of the female raiders, tucking them into your bag to change into at a better time. He gave a chuckle watching you do so, apologizing to the dead body profusely as you took their clothes and whatever valuables they had on them for the betterment of your own survival. You were still so naive, part of him was hoping he could slowly start to break and corrupt your way of thinking, but that was a thought for another time.

Before you knew it, night finally began to fall. The sun setting across the horizon gave the air less of a hot, harsh bite as the temperature began to cool rapidly across the sands of the Mojave. All you managed to grab was a pair of beat up, old jeans and a tank top, so as soon as the sun set, the chill set in. As you both set up camp for the night just outside of an abandoned rest stop, you started a fire to cook some of that stew you talked about being good at. He had to admit, it was pretty damn good, likely the best thing he’s had since before the bombs went off. Though even the kindling fire couldn’t manage to chase the chill away, watching you run your hands up and down your arms to try and warm up some by it. He felt a slight pang in his heart, watching you shiver like that, how your eyes lit up by the blaze of the fire and your hair seemed to be tousled just right. You were pretty, too pretty to be trekking this wasteland, and certainly too pretty to be trekking it with him of all people as your company. Even he had a heart still, as cold as it was, so out of kindness he shrugged his duster from his shoulders, draping it around you. You looked at the fabric pooled around you, pulling it over you better before looking to him as he sat down across from you again. “Ain’t no use if the cold gets ya” he said, making you smile appreciatively at him as you realized what he did. “Thank you” you replied, a slight blush fanning to your cheeks as the chattering of your teeth finally died down and you grew warmer. It smelled like him, sure it had splatters of old dried blood and was rather worn, but it had that gunpowder and smoke smell to it that you associated with him. “Don’t say I never did nothin’ for ya” he replied, trying to sound cold but it didn’t come off that way, making you chuckle. “What do I owe you?” You asked, making him fall silent for a moment as he pondered the answer to your question. He looked you over for a second before tipping his hat down to cover his face a bit, the signal that he was about to try and get some sleep. “Just keep watch for a bit, I’ll be up in a few hours” he responded, and while it wasn’t what you were expecting, you’d take it.

He was startled awake a couple hours later when he heard a commotion, you yelling at someone telling them to back off that this place had been claimed. The raider you were up against didn’t seem to like that very much, claiming that wasn’t how it worked up here. The altercation took a turn for the worst when the man reached for his gun but you were quick to fire and kill him before he could let out a shot. A shaky feeling set in your hands and a horrified expression across your face at the realization that you just killed someone. Cooper, who was certainly wide awake now, was rather impressed by your quick timing and precision, coming up behind you to lay a gloved hand to your shoulder. “Well would ya look at that, looks like them lessons been payin’ off after all. How’s it feel?” He asked, looking down at you as you stared at the gun in your hands. “He was yelling at me but…he was aiming at you. I don’t really know what came over me, I didn’t like that he was going to shoot you so I just…I killed him” you said, recounting the encounter to him as if he hadn’t seen it himself. He didn’t really know what to think in that moment as you explained how your mind worked, he was proud for sure at your show of improvement with a gun, yet also touched at the same time. No one ever really looked out for him since he started his bounty hunting, he was a well hated man by many but you defended him without really any reason to. You’d just learned his name not but two weeks ago, and before that he was dragging you around with rope yet you still defended him, had you two really gotten closer in the time that’s passed since? He wasn’t sure, but it was something he could mull over while you were sleeping. “Get some rest vaultie, sun’ll be up soon” he said, knowing you likely wouldn’t get much sleep with the adrenaline still coursing through you, but it was at least worth a try, you two had a long day ahead of you.

When you woke up that next morning, things felt a little different between you two. You weren’t some annoying little dog following him anymore, you were an equal. He no longer looked at you and treated you like you were lower than him as you both set out across the wastelands, he had respect for you. Hell, he even started talking with you now when you were out traveling which was almost unbelievable. You learned through those conversations that he used to be an actor in Wild West themed films, explaining his outfit, and that he was married before the bombs dropped. You of course told him bits and pieces about yourself in exchange, after all it only felt fair but it was also nice to just finally talk to someone after all this time.

When night time fell again you two sat enjoying a meal by the fire together, only rather than across from each other, he sat next to you, making a blush come to your face as you’d smiled sweetly at him. “Glad to know I don’t have germs anymore” you said jokingly, making him chuckle. “Give an old man some credit. It ain’t exactly all peaches and marmalade out here darlin’, even cute can be deadly” he said, the nickname and him calling you cute sending a deeper blush to your cheeks despite knowing it’s just how he spoke. Whether it was the lack of contact with other people for so long, or just his charm you couldn’t quite tell, but it always seemed to have an effect on you. “Just teasin’ you, I get it. I’d tie me up and use me for bait too if I’d been doing this as long as you have. It’s a shit hole out here” you said, making him look at you as you dropped the first curse word he’s ever heard from you. “Well I’ll be damned, either I’m a bad influence or you’re finally growin’ outta that naive shell there, vaultie” Cooper replied, making you laugh as you saw a smirk stretch to his thin, marred lips, the first one you’d seen in a while that wasn’t brought on by drugs, chems or that first sip of a good bottle of alcohol. “Probably both” you quipped, making him chuckle. “Yeah, probably. Been told I ain’t easy to stomach” he said, making you hum. “You’re alright in my book, Coop” you replied with a sweet, genuine smile that matched your tone and was that butterflies you felt in your stomach? Did you just call him Coop? No ones called him that in ages, why did it make his heart start to flutter a bit? “You ain’t so bad yourself, vaultie” he responded, still affording you that small smile before turning back to his food. “Keep making food this good and I just might have to keep you around” he joked, making you giggle and break the slightly tense silence. “It’s not much but I certainly try. I’ll definitely make sure to stay good at it, I like traveling with you” you said, unintentionally coming off flirtatious and fuck there it goes again, that feeling in his chest and his stomach like he needed to hit his inhaler but he felt great. What were you doing to him?

“Hey, if it isn’t too much can I ask you a sort of…personal question?” You asked, holding the beat up bowl in your hands as you looked over at him. This was normally the part where he would say no, absolutely not, he wasn’t here to be questioned on his personal matters. Yet, with you, it was different. Ever since last night he hasn’t been so on edge with you, it was like he’d warmed up to you. “Depends on what you’re askin’ there, sweetheart” he said, the nickname once again making you blush. “Do you…miss them? Your wife and daughter?” You asked, not sure if it was a good subject or good question to ask but after finding out, you were genuinely curious. He looked down at his bowl again, thinking of the proper response to your question. The old him would have been defensive, told you it was none of your business, but now? He wasn’t sure. “Ain’t a day that goes by that I don’t think about ‘em. About the way I ran out on ‘em when them bombs dropped” he answered, making you give him a sad look as genuine guilt filled his tone. This was the most honest and open he’s been with you this whole time. “I feel guilty. Not sure if I feel guilty for runnin’ out and leavin’ ‘em behind or guilty for the way I ran out, been tryin’ t’ figure that out for quite a while now and I still ain’t sure” he added, and you sympathized with that. Everyone has regrets, things they’ve done in the past that they aren’t proud of, people up here were no different in that aspect. “Well, in the short time I’ve gotten to know you, I’ve come to understand that everything you do has a valid reason behind it. So even if you feel it was a shitty thing to do, you obviously had a reason for doing so. No one can blame you for trusting your gut, and I don’t think you should blame yourself for doing so” you responded, your hand falling to his as a comforting gesture, your words ringing in his head almost as if you’d opened something in his mind, something he’d never really gave himself to think about before. He looked down at your hand that rested on his, noticing the way you didn’t flinch away from him like others did, the way you were brave enough to walk up to him, talk to him, *trust* him when he made it very clear that you shouldn’t. It was smaller than his, softer for sure, but warm all the same, then he looked up to see that caring look in your eyes and smile on your face that told him that you cared. “Guess you’re right, still wonder sometimes if it was the right choice to make” he replied. “I understand. Everyone has regrets, we all look at the past and hold at least something that we’ve done before in regret, it’s what makes us human” you said, making him give a huff as a chuckle. “You got anybody?” He asked, making you look down as you moved your feet along the dirt. “An ex-husband, but not anyone I really care about, no. My parents passed a few years before the bombings and he and I split up when I caught him cheating on me with some other woman in the vault..” you explained, not sure why it hurt you to tell the tale still, but you felt it was only fair considering what you’d asked of him to share. “Sorry t’ hear that” Cooper said, making you chuckle weakly, a somber look coming to your face that made his heart wrench. “I haven’t exactly been in love since, and considering he and I split up just a little over ten years ago, really says something I guess, huh?” You asked, trying to laugh to bring up the mood, knowing you sounded pathetic. “He was the fool, not you darlin’. He was the one skippin’ out on one hell of a woman” Cooper said, making you look to him and blush a bit as you gave a chuckle at his response.

“Thanks” you replied appreciatively and with a smile before casting your gaze down to see your hands were still connected and it left you blushing harder with embarrassment, you’d been holding his hand this entire time without realizing it. “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable if I have I-“ “relax vaultie” he cut you off, pushing your hand back down onto his to assure you that he was far from uncomfortable. “It’s…rather nice actually” he admitted, making you feel relieved but your heart fluttered in your chest from it. A thick tension soon began to set in between you both after that night, something of an unspoken, kindling romance beginning to develop. “Then there it can stay” you said, making him smile softly at you, tipping his hat at you as a silent thank you.

Months passed on like this, where you’d spend the days scavenging, picking the land for its resources you could find and hunting bounties by day, then spending your nights by a fire growing closer and closer with every passing day. Through your shared meals, jokes, deep conversations, and plenty of near death experiences, you started to notice your fondness of the ghoul you traveled with. The way you’d hang onto his words with that southern accent that seemed to pull at your heart strings, or the way you’d go out of your way to stand between him and a stray bullet. You’d helped him on more than one occasion in getting out of a sticky spot, or getting him the stuff he needed to keep from turning feral. In return, he started to notice he was feeling the same towards you. There was this sudden need to keep you safe, to do nicer things for you, to speak better towards you, even flirt with you at times. Some nights there’d be so much tension in the air, it’s a miracle you haven’t jumped each other yet. Though in his eyes, as much as his heart yearned for you, he knew you were too good for him. You’d been hurt before, and he had a reputation for hurting people, feeling undeserving of even just the sweet smiles and company you afford him even now. You didn’t need someone like him, you needed a good man, someone who didn’t kill for a living, someone who could treat you right, someone who didn’t look the way he did. You were soft and warm, he was rough and cold, though he supposed that’s where the term “opposites attract” came from. So even when he was a whole bottle deep, he was sure to hold his tongue to a certain point.

Some of those nights around the fire were spent sober, others not so much, and this night happened to be one of those nights spent under the influence. You two had stumbled across a mini-mart, doing your best to out run the radstorm that had been trailing you guys for hours, coming in just to find whatever supplies you could to make it through the next week and possibly hunker down for the night. So imagine your surprise when you seemed to have found the largest chem stache you’d both ever laid eyes on. “Coop! Come here, you gotta see this” you said, making him run towards you to make sure you weren’t hurt or in trouble. His nerves were eased once he saw you, fully intact. “Tell me I’m not seeing shit” you said, pointing to all of the supplies sitting in a box on the table, joined by other supplies around it. You both looked at each other in complete and utter disbelief, this would keep you stocked for months, maybe even a whole year if you conserved it well. “Well ain’t that just the prettiest fuckin’ sight” he said. There was no way a horde of chems this large and this valuable was just completely unprotected you reasoned, so you routed around the place, scoping out for any raiders, straggling traders or ferals who happened to still be around. It was as if heaven was shining down on you both as you found no one around, seemed like no one had been here for days. So you did the most logical thing anyone would do in this situation. Stuff each of your bags to the brim of drugs of all varieties! Seeing as you had food, chems and even some clean water and alcohol lying around, Cooper locked and barricaded the door shut, proposing it could be a good spot to sleep for the night. With a radstorm approaching, it was best to have a roof over your heads to keep out the rain and potential radiation sickness that came with it. “This is the closest fuckin’ thing to a slice of heaven I’ve seen in ages” he said, aside from you is what played in his mind but he couldn’t speak that out loud, no matter how much he wanted to. “You said it!” you replied, and it’s even better with you here you thought, but thought it best to keep it to yourself. He plopped down on the couch, kicking his feet up to rest on the small table that seemed to be in shambles, enjoying a tape that was playing on the TV that he was surprised to still see functioning. “Holy shit, this thing still works?” You asked, amazed to see working technology out in the wastelands, sitting next to him as you watched it with him. He gave a smirk at your reaction, thinking it was cute the way your eyes would light up when you got all excited over something. Deep down it made him want to give you everything you laid eyes on like that just to see it pointed towards him. “Guess so” he replied, enjoying your excitement only to see you turn and look his way, which was his signal to stop staring holes into you before he gets caught. “I dunno about you baby doll, but I ain’t about to spend tonight sober with this stache sittin’ here ‘n front of us” he said, making you laugh as he routed through all the different drugs and chems til he found what he was looking for.

In the process of searching through it all, a small metal box fell to the floor at your feet. It looked like a box of mentats only the design was different, instead of the characteristic green and white box was a red one covered with hearts labeled DN-Chem. You supposed the worst that could happen was turn into the man sitting next to you, which you figured wasn’t the worst fate to succumb to all things considered, so you went against all better judgement and said fuck it, popping two of the mentat like chems and chasing it with the vodka he’d found to wait for it to take effect. “The hell is DN?” He asked, looking at the box, wondering what it was you took. “Don’t know, guess we’ll find out here soon because I took two” you said, taking another sip from the bottle of vodka he passed your way, and he gave a chuckle as you handed it back to him. “You come a mighty long way, little lady” he commented before setting the metal pill box down. He took the bottle from you, taking a swig, then placing one of the small viles into his inhaler before taking a hit of it then lying back, breathing a sigh of relief as it and the alcohol entered his system like the perfect remedy to any ailment. As about a half an hour rolled by, you waited for the high to set in but it never came, instead you were just getting hot, like really hot. There weren’t any windows open, and it was night time so you shouldn’t be this uncomfortably hot for how it was but you felt like you were on fire. “Shit, it’s hot as hell in here…” you complained, shaking off your jacket that you’d picked off of some raider a few weeks back, making him look to you curiously. “Lightweight” he quipped, making you chuckle. “Accept I don’t feel anything, I just feel hot” you said, making him hum with intrigue before turning back to the TV. “Give it some time, you’re new to all this. ‘m sure your body is wonderin’ what the hell you just put in it” he said, and he had a good point, maybe it was just a side effect of not doing them so often compared to his every day use.

As time went on, you began to notice the way your eyes couldn’t help but be glued to him, more specifically glued to the way his legs were now spread as he sat back. You wondered to yourself what he looked like beneath all that cowboy get up, what his reaction would be like to see you getting on your knees for him and slotting yourself between his spread legs. You shook your head to try and rid yourself of such inappropriate thoughts, but what you couldn’t stop no matter how hard you tried was the feeling of arousal beginning to pool in your panties. Sure he flirted with you every now and again, but you doubt he felt towards you the same way you did for him. To him you were sure you were likely more akin to a pet than a friend, useful and nice to have around, but not anything further. At least so you thought. You’d rather hoped you were wrong in assuming so, that maybe he saw you the same way you saw him. You bit your lip as you tried bouncing your leg to relieve the ache between your thighs, a light pink dusting your face and neck even up to the tips of your ears, but nothing worked. Even as you closed your eyes, all you could picture was you laid out on the couch beneath him, or bent over it with him behind you, or you riding him on it. “Been awful quiet. You doin’ alright over there, sweetheart?” Cooper asked you, and the audible whimper you let out from the nickname left you completely embarrassed. You clasped a hand over your mouth, god you were horrified but he gave a grin and a chuckle in response. “I’m so sorry, I don’t know what’s gotten into me all the sudden. I feel so…weird?” you said, unsure if that was really the proper word to explain it but it was the only way you could really word it off the top of your head with how much your brain felt as if it was turning to mush. “Ya took some chems, it’s gonna feel a bit fuzzy” he said, trying to assure you that feeling a little funny was normal, but this? This didn’t feel normal, not even for a chem high. You tried your best to swallow harshly, doing everything you could to try and relieve the dry ache you felt in your throat at the moment upon looking at him. You grabbed the bottle of vodka, taking a few sips but even that couldn’t grant you bliss from it. The throbbing in your core was driving you absolutely insane. You swore up and down that it was like you could feel your heartbeat in your chest, stomach, and in your cunt all at the same time. “No, this is different…I don’t think what I took was a normal chem, Coop…” you said, trying not to panic at the effects that were setting in but god you felt like you were absolutely feral. He turned to look at you, watching as you clamped your thighs together and the red that fell over your face. “I feel like an animal in heat” you said bluntly, making him go into a near coughing fit as you took him off guard. However that piqued his interest enough to pick up the little metal box again to see what it was you took. “I ain’t ever heard of a chem that does that, was that DN shit the only stuff you took?” He asked, growing slightly concerned for you and whether he had a possible horde of laced chems, or just an extremely horny woman on his hands. Speaking of hands, you were lost in thought staring at them, at the way they gripped the couch like you wanted him to grip your thighs, at the way they looked in those leather gloves he always wore. You wondered how it would feel wrapped around your throat, or how it would feel if his fingers were buried deep inside of you. Shit. This was getting out of control.

“Hey, ya with me still?” He asked, snapping to try and get your attention back on the matter at hand, making you shake your head yes as you broke from your perverted thoughts. “Is that DN shit the only thing you took?” He asked again, making you shake your head yes once more, because you knew damn well your voice was going to betray you the moment you tried to speak. That had to be it, it was the only thing that was different out of it all and the only thing he’d never heard of before. He knew it wasn’t the vodka either because he was drinking it with you, so if it was affecting you, it would have affected him and it hadn’t.

It took him a minute to put two and two together before he finally realized the abbreviations stood for Date Night, reading the instructions and effects on the inside of the tin’s lid. “Shit..” he said as he read it, realizing this was a hand made thing thrown into the bunch by whoever was running this place. “Did you read the lid before you popped them pills?” He asked, making you go wide eyed. As if this couldn’t get any fucking worse, this shit show could have been avoided had you just read the inside of the lid. “There was instructions?? Oh my god…what the fuck did I take?” You asked, concerned for yourself and the tone he had while reading it. “Somethin’ that the creator of it called Date Night. Looks like it’s a…well looks like it’s a handmade sex chem” he said, making you cover your face with your hands out of sheer embarrassment, you’d never wanted to die out in a radstorm more than you did right now. “Please tell me you’re fucking joking, cooper…” you whined, watching him read it more. “How much of it did you take?” He asked, almost scared to know and you were scared to know why. “Two?” You replied, making him whistle at that as he read it. “Fuckin’ hell sugar..” he said through a chuckle, and that nickname made a shiver run through you, sending electric bolts straight to your throbbing cunt. You did your best to bite back the whimper. “You’re only s’possed take one, and with you bein’ new t’ all this, I wouldn’t have taken more than half” he said, making you just wish you could just dig a hole and die in it already. “Fuck me…wait, shit! N-Not literally fuck me I- well I mean I’d like if you did but…FUCK! Forgive me Cooper, I’m so sorry, I can hardly think straight” you said, making him chuckle. “Well sweetheart, I think you and I both know there’s only one good fix for this situation” he said, making you whimper pathetically at the thought, your thighs squeezing together even more as you tried to fight to stay sane. Your eyes cast downwards to his lap once more, seeing the tent forming in his pants, clearly you weren’t the only one all worked up here. “I don’t want to make you feel like you have to, Coop. I can run off and take care of myself if it makes you uncomfort-“ you rambled but before you could finish, his hand cupped the side of your face, pulling you in for a long awaited kiss. You moaned into it without meaning to, feeling the way your body immediately relaxed upon wrapping your arms around him with no hesitation as the sweet innocent kiss turned passionate and dirty rather quickly.

“I won’t lie t’ you, doin’ this with you has passed my mind more times than I’d care to admit, but I don’t wanna cross that line unless you really want this” he said, looking into your eyes and making sure that this was truly what you wanted, that you felt the same way he did. “Coop, I know I’m under the influence of whatever the fuck this drug is, but trust me when I say, I’d be just as good with it sober. Been thinking about it for probably just as long as you have, if I’m honest with you. I want this, I want you and right now I want you so fucking bad that I might lose my mind if you don’t fuck me” you answered bluntly, taking him by surprise at just the sheer amount of absolute filth that left your otherwise innocent mouth, making him chuckle at your use of curse words and how desperate you were for him. “That so sugar?” He asked with a grin, enjoying teasing you at your neediest moments, including now. “God yes, Cooper please..” you begged, nearly moaning in reply and he’d spent time mulling over it before, denying himself the chance but just as the chem stache was a pot of gold, he took this as one of the best opportunities being placed in his lap by whatever higher power existed out there, making him waste no time in kissing you once more. “Good, because I don’t think I’d be able to hold myself back once we’ve started” he said, and the idea made you moan. “Don’t want you to hold back, want all of you” you said, and your wish was his command.

By the time your brain could finally catch up with you again, your clothes were strewn out all around you, your tank top hanging over the back of the couch, your jeans thrown haphazardly on the arm rest behind you, his pants on the floor, his hat on the table and shirt and duster having fallen somewhere behind the couch. By now, you’d already cum on his fingers twice, and on his cock once, this was your fourth round and this shit still had you on fire. “Yes!! Oh fuck, Cooper!” you moaned as your legs wrapped around his hips, keeping him as close to you as you could get, your fingers digging crescent shapes and puffy red lines into his back that unfortunately he knew wouldn’t stay long thanks to his ability to heal stupidly fast. “Doin’ so good for me, baby doll. Look so pretty like this for me, all splayed out like a needy little whore” he praised and degraded through his groans, making you moan and roll your eyes into the back of your head at the praise mixed with degradation as his cock was drilling deep inside you like tonight was all you guys had. “Yeah, you like that, huh sweet thing? Like it when I tell you how good it feels and call you names?” He asked, making you nod your head yes because there wasn’t a single thought in that brain of yours other than his name, which you spoke like a mantra. “Never knew such a sweet lil’ thing like you would be such a dirty little minx. Fuck…enough to make a man like me go feral, ya know that?” he said, making you giggle as you moved his free hand up to your throat, urging him to choke you, and he groaned at the sight. Your kiss swollen lips all puffy and shining with spit, your cheeks dusted a constant pink that grew darker anytime his cock brushed that spot deep inside that made you cling to him, your eyes half lidded, looking up at him like he was your savior. It made him absolutely rock hard knowing you’d pick him over anyone else in this god forsaken wasteland. “My, you are just a little freak, ain’t you? Oh we are gonna have fun together, you and me honey” he promised, squeezing your throat tight enough to restrict your airflow but not enough to hurt or cause any damage. Just enough to get that puddle of a brain of yours all fuzzy as you got closer to your fourth orgasm of the night. “Cooper…’m so close, so close please!!” You begged, feeling the heavy drag of his cock as he pounded into you, leaving you damn near screaming as it nudged your cervix and that spongy little bundle of nerves deep inside. “Go on honey, I gotchya. Let go for me, wanna see those pretty faces and hear those pretty noises you make” he said, angling his hips just right to hit that spot over and over again. “Oh fuck, oh fuck I’m gonna cum again, I-“ you warned before your moans rose in pitch as your walls clamped around him, gushing on his cock as your orgasm hit you like a freight train. Your body arched off the couch, stars filling your vision for a moment as you felt your release gush out and coat your inner thighs, screaming his name like it was your only chance at salvation. “Well ain’t I just the damn luckiest man in the wastelands right now, got me a pretty little vaultie and she’s a gusher” he said, making you whimper at his teasing but judging by the way he emptied himself inside you for the second time, you took it as a sign that he liked that about you. “Holy shit, I-I didn’t know I could do that” you said, thoroughly shocked with what your brain and body were doing as they almost seemed to almost be working against each other. “Do it again for me” he said, grabbing you and moving you both to where you were straddling him this time. His hands rested on your hips, helping guide you as you speared yourself on his dick with ease from how absolutely soaked you were, making you both throw your head back and moan. “Now that’s a damn good sight” he said, making you lean in to kiss him once more as his hands helped you start and keep a steady rhythm with your hips. It was definitely going to be a long night, but one you two have been needing for months, maybe even longer.

It’s a good thing ghouls have remarkable recovery time, because in order to finally get you sated and back to normal, you both had to spend all night going at it. Granted, it was aided by the mix of pent up sexual tension and pent up sexual frustration, but it was dawn before you both had gotten to a point where you could even *try* and fall sleep. First few times was on the couch between missionary, doggy and you riding him, next was you bent over it, with your pretty legs spread and ass in the air for him. Then, you used the arm rest of the couch as a pillow beneath your hips as he stood up while you laid out on the couch. He liked that one a lot for the way your tits would bounce with each and every forceful thrust into you, jolting your body. After that, it was done standing up with your back pressed against a wall, your legs and arms wrapped around him to keep him deep inside of you and fill you til he had nothing left to give you. From that point on, the rest of the night was all a hormone-hazed blur, but you knew well that he took care of you. You woke up unbelievably sore, your joints aching in places that you had no idea could even ache, a swollen, angry throb between your legs for the harsh, almost punishing treatment to your pussy followed by bruises, bite marks, scratch marks, hand prints etc. littered your skin as you woke up curled into Cooper’s side. You gave a gravelly groan as the sun shone in your eyes through the windows, making him chuckle at the way you were such a ray of sunshine except in the morning. Coming to learn that you absolutely *hated* mornings. Though you suppose you started to enjoy them more since traveling with him. “Mornin’ sunshine” he said coyly, making you groan disapprovingly at the way the sun was in your eyes, making you hold your hand up to cast a shadow on your face and grant you some relief. “Morning” you answered, your voice hoarse and half gone from sleep and all your activities that transpired the previous night. “Ain’t that a pretty sight” he said, turning and seeing you curled up to him, naked, your hair all messy from sleep and the hickeys and bite marks littering your skin, making you chuckle. “Last night was definitely something, can’t believe you’ve been holding all *that* out on me” you joked, making him give a dry laugh. “Could say the same thing about you, sugar. Had no idea that mind a yours could be so filthy. You’re a wild thing to party with, lil’ lady” he teased, sliding his arm around you to keep you close, making you hum as you lay soft, appreciative kisses to his collarbone and chest. “You’re fun too, and thank you for taking care of me last night. I’m sorry that it ended up happening the way that it did, I wanted to work up the courage and tell you some other way, I really did, but I guess life had other plans” you said making him chuckle as he saw you blush when he kissed your head. “Drunk words are sober thoughts they say, so I’d say I made out pretty good. But don’t sweat it, not sure how I deserved someone as good as you, but it’s good to know I ain’t as hard to stomach as most people say” he said, pulling you in for a soft, heartfelt kiss. “I think you are just perfect, Cooper” you said, your hand resting on his scarred chest as you looked at him with that gaze he swore he’d do anything to see pointed his way.

“You really wanna be my girl?” He asked softly, sounding shocked and with some self doubt still lacing his tone, but he had to be sure this was what you wanted outside of the drug’s effects. He cared for you deeply, in a way that he hasn’t felt in a very long time, but maybe you were just the right person for him to finally open his heart up to. His question made you giggle as your heart fluttered in your chest with excitement. “I absolutely do, I meant it when I said it last night, I mean it just as much now. I think we’ve danced around it for long enough, don’t you?” you replied, making him smile the most genuinely happy smile you’ve seen him wear since you’d met. “Just checkin’” he said, before laying a sweet kiss to your lips, wishing every morning could be like this one. Maybe it could, now that you were here with him.

[ovaryacted]

JAGGED EDGE

─ QZ Joel Miller x f! reader || WC: 900

CW: MDNI/18+. NSFW. Age gap implied. Possible dub-con. Rough sex. Degradation. Dom! Joel. Dom/sub elements. Hair pulling. Daddy kink. Joel is a meanie & a big scary man. Ambiguous/toxic relationship.

A/N: This is literally something I wrote and typed out based off of this singular picture that was shown to me. I had to do this, for the people! Proofread by moi.

NAVIGATION | MASTERLIST | AO3

Joel was pissed.

Coming back to the QZ with less supplies than he’d like had him on edge, a shit deal led to two less bullets in the magazine of his gun. A waste of his time, a waste of his energy and whatever fucking else he managed to have left in this dying world.

The parasitic things around him continue to take, and take, and take until he’s a dog fighting for scraps again. He’s already worked for the current rations he has, bribed or killed for the rest, did whatever he had to do just to get by and ignore the stench of rotting bodies he has to dig up and burn. He’s already dealing with enough, he doesn’t need to lose any more of what he had.

At least he had you.

Steady. Solid. Real. The only constant in his world, something so tucked away from other people's grasp they couldn’t tell the difference between their Joel and your Joel. He holds you at arm’s length, just close enough to let you touch him, but far enough to consider you an outsider, another survivor amongst the rest of the poor unfortunate souls that seek purpose with death creeping around every corner.

Though the moments where he grants you closeness, you don’t take it for granted.

Pliant. Malleable. All for him to have and to hold. You’ve come to learn that Joel was a naturally rough man, all of him was. You can’t blame him, he was a product of the losses that haunts him in his nightmares, slowly chipping away at his wavering humanity one death at a time. A predator with razor sharp teeth containing a bite full of jagged edges. You just happened to fit the role of his prey, a lamb that has ventured too far from the herd, ensnared in his grip with no way out. Not that you’d ever want to leave.

His molars grind in his mouth as he growls from behind you, the pistoning of his hips filling the dingy apartment with an audible slap of skin. Large hands kept you pinned by the neck underneath him against the tattered mattress, your nails digging into the comforter as Joel pummeled into the arch of your back. Every brutal thrust he gave you sent you inching higher up on the bed, spine curved to keep your ass high in the air, right where he could see you at your best.

The glistening skin of your pussy wrapped tight around him, clutching at his cock every time he slipped out just to punch back into you with a snarl, your body wishing to keep him inside for as long as he allowed. His heavy balls slammed into your pulsing nub with each resounding drill of his hips, amplifying the sensations and sending you closer to your impending release.

Joel fucks without mercy, his touch as ragged as the rest of him. But this was your Joel, and you loved him in any way he came, in any way he’d allow. After all, you weren’t given any other option.

“Joel, please…” your gasp was followed by a moan, eyes rolling to the back of your skull when the tip of his length kissed your cervix with precision. You shrieked as your head was quickly yanked backward, thick digits pulling on the strands of your hair, now wrapped around an iron fist.

“Please what, hm? What does my fucking slut need from me this time?” He bit harshly beside your ear, the tone of his sharp voice forcing your walls to clench around him.

“I need to cum,” you cried out meekly, his unforgiving pace had your eyes fluttering, wishing you could look at Joel at this angle, but he wouldn’t let you get more than what he decided was enough. He tugged at your head harder, the pain rushing to your sensitive nub between your thighs, throbbing from his intensity.

“What you need is to take what I give you. You fucking got that?” Joel muttered next to your temple, your heart pounding in your ribcage at his command.

“Yes.” Another forceful jerk to his body made you jolt, deepening the curve of your back.

“Yes what?” The gears in your head began to turn, finding the right words in the back of your mind to avoid pissing him off any further.

“Yes daddy.”

He slams you back down to the mattress with a groan, grabbing hold of your hips and fucking into you with such force you know you’ll be left with an ache in your pelvis afterwards. You know he doesn’t mean to be so aggressive, that’s just who he is, it’s within his nature. You understand him despite others viewing him as anything but human. A man with so much blood on his hands shouldn’t have the ability to make you cry for him, to make your body sing and crave him when he deserves nothing of the sort.

Yet when the textured tips of his fingers reach your slick pearl to circle it with intention, sparks fly under your eyelids and you spill around him with a loud wail of his name, tears stinging the corner of your eyes as you fall apart. You’d consider it an act of kindness on his end, the only time you’d ever think the man, or any man, touched you with such reverence.

He’s rough all around, but perhaps you’ve always liked them that way.

©️ ovaryacted 2024. Please don’t repost, copy, translate, or feed into any AI. Support your fellow creators by reblogging, commenting, and liking!

[couldnt-think-of-a-funny-name]

random percy headcanons:

wants to be the photographer friend SO bad and he technically is but like 70% of the pics come out blurry or weird bc there was a monster attack in the middle of them. his instagram is truly so chaotic looking.

literally always has seashells on him someone will ask him for a pencil or spare change and he has to empty all his pockets of shells to find it. drops his backpack and a bunch of shells fall out. kicks his shoes off and sand and shells fly out and his mortal friends are like percy What the Fuck

his eyes glow underwater!! bioluminescent king. no one told him though and he didn't find out until he joined his school's swim team and terrified everyone (he managed to convince them his contacts were having a weird reaction to chlorine lmao)

he really likes art!! he doesn't just pretend to for rachel's sake he genuinely enjoys painting with her. he likes splatter paint, collages and pop art styles the best. one day after splitting some edibles they realized percy could manipulate water colors and went CRAZY with it

will ask to be excused during class and comes back like an hour later with scorch marks all over his face bleeding from one of his ears covered in dust missing three fingernails rips in his jeans and a fat lip and the teacher is like percy what the actual hell were you doing in the bathroom all this time and he's just like uhhhhhh I have ibs

the brand from camp jupiter did unfortunately (for sally) Unlock something in him lmfao he keeps getting shitty little tattoos. usually stick-n-poke but someone's friends cousin's girlfriend's brother has a gun that gets brought to parties every now and then. most of them are sloppy but you can tell what they are HOWEVER he has one that was supposed to be a seal that came out looking like one of those shitty ms paint crying memes. annabeth laughed at him for ten minutes straight when she saw it.

he wanted to dye his hair blue but he was too chicken to bleach his entire head so he just did the tips. his hair is curly though so it looks absolutely ridiculous but he loves it

percy and annabeth get a crusty little yappy white dog in college and he carries it around like a baby lmao

back to his chaotic instagram, he's got so many pics of him like, relaxing at the bottom of the mariana trench or hugging a giant squid or riding on a whale shark and his mortal friends all think he's just really good at photoshop and this is a very specific bit he decided to commit to. they're always like lol percy where do you even FIND these pictures are you subscribed to like scientific journals for the laughs? but no he just took them all on his shell phone

has an ongoing prank war with annabeth's little brothers bobby and matthew but like it's Unhinged. they're playing 5D chess and she has no idea whats going on

weird tshirts!!! he loves them! like

shit like this or those 'women want me fish fear me' shirts, anything with a funny or incomprehensible slogan is going in his closet right along with his band tees lmfao

bought estelle a panda pillow pet when she was born 🥺

can NOT bring himself to eat seafood no matter how many times poseidon has told him its fine. he's like NO these are my FRIENDS JONATHAN WAS TELLING ME ABOUT HIS GRANDDAUGHTERS WEDDING LITERALLY YESTERDAY WHY IS HE ON A PLATTER DAD. they had to give up and just start eating normal land food at the palace every time he comes to visit lmfao

gets into horsegirl antics with hazel she NEEDS to know everything the horses have to say. they spend hours gossiping in the stables.

movie nights in the poseidon cabin were 10000% a thing and when he was missing annabeth and thalia and grover (and a few others) would still sleep in there every now and then and talk about how much they miss him :(

percy and beckendorf had the worlds most elaborate handshake

he DOES impulse buy stuff just because they're ocean-themed. stuffed animals, home decor, school supplies, clothes, you name it he bought it if theres like a fish on it

has more scars from crashing off his skateboard than he does from monster attacks

grover is somehow the only person who's ever noticed percy is severely claustrophobic

has a deep passion for adele. I can't explain this one I just feel and know it to be true.

he and annabeth both proposed to each other at the same time and they were SO mad about it they kept yelling over each other's speeches lmao

he can SING but he doesn't know it. sally keeps trying to record him singing to himself but something always happens to the camera and she loses the evidence

called chiron a brony one time and mr d thought it was so funny he was nice to percy for an entire week

the camp keeps trying to convince him to teach sword fighting lessons to the younger kids but he can NOT bring himself to swing a sword at a 9 year old so he keeps getting injured

has the most complicated iced coffee order in the world his go-to local coffee shop finally just put the damn drink on the menu and named it after him

he IS the quiet kid in the back of your math class that always has his hood up to try and hide his headphones and eats increasingly elaborate meals out of his backpack when the teacher isn't looking. one time someone caught him with a rotisserie chicken in the middle of a geometry final.

he argued that he DID have enough to share with the class

currently obsessed with the image of him knocking back a container of sea salt as if it was a shot and his mortal friends being like hey! what the actual fuck! and he's just like uhhhhh anemia kills!

its his birthday<3

[bring-forth-his-sac]

Sugar, Spice and All Things Nice

summary: After his stunt with the Whisperers, Negan thought the Alexandrians would finally come around to him… but it seems like you’re the only one who’ll happily put up with him

word count: 3.4k

tags: sunshine reader, swearing, some serious potty mouth lmao, food/ eating mentioned throughout

A/N: Hello to the anon that sent in the request for a Negan x reader fic based on Discord and Fluttershy's relationship! This is for you my dear anon <333 I really hope I did ok! ... although I may have made the reader a little more vulgar than Fluttershy lmao

Well, shit. Isn’t this just like high school?

Looking around the makeshift cafeteria, Negan can feel daggers being glared his way in at least three different directions. As if he wasn’t already public enemy number one, most Alexandrians saw his heroic attempt to infiltrate the Whisperer’s as his way of trying to regain some power with the enemy. 

It didn’t help that Carol seemed less than willing to reveal her part in the plan.

Negan sighs, his eyes dropping to his tray of food. Given the recent destruction of Alexandria—oh, and let’s not forget, he’s also getting blamed for that—supplies are running dangerously low. Most buildings need some kind of reconstruction before people can move back in, the walls have never been weaker and the food is sparse. 

“Negan?”.

His tray looks like someone's poor attempt at a dinner. A small bowl of watered down soup. A sad heap of green beans. And some meat. What meat exactly, he’s hesitant whether he wants to know.

“Neeeegan?”.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Negan half expects to see a bowl of soup flying his way but instead, he sees your smiling face. You sit smack bang in the middle of the cafeteria, at a table where Negan only vaguely recognizes the other people. 

In case he still hasn’t spotted you yet, you shoot your arm up and wave. “Negan!” you call again “Come sit over here!”. He can’t quite tell if you’re oblivious to the dirty looks or if you’re just too damn cheerful to care.

How you do it, Negan isn’t sure. Even when he still had his dear old Lucille… the bat, that is, and he strutted though Alexandria with his Saviors, you were the one who told Carl not to gun them down as they ransacked your community. You kept your composure, staying civil and sweet without letting anyone push you around.

And here you are now, being the utter definition of sweetness once again.

Negan hesitates for a second. He could easily sit alone and keep his head down but there's something about you that has always pulled Negan in despite himself.

With his sad tray of food, he begins making his way towards your table. You pat the seat next to you. "I saved you a seat,” you say once he’s close enough, that bright smile never fading.

Negan grunts as he sits, setting his tray in front of him with a loud clink. “I was wondering where you were today! Wasn’t sure if you’d have time for dinner. I heard they’re working you like a dog,” you take a sip of soup before gesturing to the woman across from you “but then Dianne told me you were helping—“.

Before you can continue, Dianne stands suddenly, her chair scraping sharply against the floor. Without a word, she grabs her tray and walks off, taking her dinner to a different table. A few people glance at each other, clearly noticing the tension. The others remain seated but they subtly shift away from Negan, lowering their voices as they avoid making any further eye contact.

You sit there, frozen for a beat as you watch Dianne stalk off. Negan wonders if this’ll be a wake-up call for you. That maybe now you’ll realize that his bad name can affect how people see you too. 

You chew on a green bean, feeling the awkwardness settle in. As you swallow, you lower your voice just for Negan to hear. “She’s still uh… well, she’s not over the whole Hilltop fiasco,” you explain somewhat sheepishly “just give her time”.

Clearing his throat to ease the heavy tension, Negan pokes and prods at his dinner with a fork. “The green beans are nice,” you make casual conversation “the meat is… unpredictable but the soup can be tasty, once you season it a little”.

“You got access to a whole pantry of seasoning?” he teases. With a lopsided grin, Negan takes his chances with the mystery meat. 

You shrug coyly, not wanting to reveal all of your secrets. “Maybe I do,” you smirk playfully.

Negan doesn’t notice how you subtly dip your hand into the pocket of your jeans, clutching something small in your fist. He takes a bite of the meat, chewing thoughtfully as you nudge the side of his thigh.

As much as Negan hopes you would give him a secret handy under the table, he knows that isn’t your kind of thing. You’re all things pure and thoughtful, not lewd sexual acts. 

Trying to push away his risqué thoughts of you, he looks down at his leg and watches as you carefully open up your hand. “Holy shit,” Negan chuckles amusingly “where’d you get that?”.

Bringing his hand down to yours, Negan watches as you gently place the salt sachet into his palm. “Found a whole container full of them a few weeks back… my own secret stash” you reveal, bringing your hand back up to the table as you try to act normal.

“Well, fuck me” he muses, carefully tearing the top open “and here I was thinking you were a goody two shoes who couldn’t kill a walker without apologizing to the damn thing”.

“Hey I’m still good!” You protest, careful not to straight out call yourself a goody two shoes “I’m sharing my stash, aren’t I? And sharing is caring”.

He can’t argue with that. 

Being as nonchalant as possible, Negan sprinkles some of the salt over his soup, adding a little to the mystery meat before passing the sachet to you. As you mimic his subtle movements, Negan scans the surrounding area. 

Thankfully, most look away, not wanting to catch his eyes. But that doesn’t mean he can’t feel the judgement practically radiating off them. He can’t even have a damn meal without these people frowning upon it. 

No matter what he does now, Negan knows they’ll always see him as a monster. It doesn’t matter how many people he saves, how many strenuous jobs around Alexandria he does or how many times he puts himself in harm's way; they’ll never move on. This isn't anything new but it never really gets easier either.

You notice it too but decide not to say anything. The way the discomfort hangs in the air, the uneasy shift people do in their seats when he looks around, and who could forget the way they shake their heads disapprovingly as if that’ll show Negan who’s boss.

But instead of letting it simmer, you dive back into the conversation like it’s just another day, talking to Negan the same way you’d talk to any friend of yours. You make a deliberate effort to keep things casual, focusing on the mundane as you both eat your dinners. 

“So, what’d you do today?” you ask “More repairs or did you get a break for once?”.

Negan looks over at you, a grateful flicker in his eyes. Your voice is a lifeline in a sea of sideways glances, pulling him back into something resembling normality. You’ve always been good at that, helping him navigate the weird, tense spaces where everyone treats him like he’s a ticking time bomb. 

“Fixing damn doors and floorboards again,” he mutters with a dry chuckle. “But honestly, I’m happy to be working… keeps me busy, ya know?” his lips tug into a half-smile. 

“I was supposed to spend the day on guard duty with Gabriel but I kinda pretended I was doing other stuff” you admit, taking a small sip of the soup “I mean, I like Gabriel, don’t get me wrong… I just… I don’t know, sometimes he can come off a little preachy. Does that make sense? Is that mean?”.

Negan hides his smile with a spoonful of green beans, chewing slowly. As if you could ever be mean. Still, he hums as if he needs to think about that being a possibility.

"I know Gabe can be a pain in the ass, but I don't think he deserved to get stranded," Negan says just to mess with you.

You sigh in defeat as you watch Negan slurp down his soup. “I know, I know, I just…” You pause, trying to find the right words “I think I’d rather shit in my hands and clap than spend a whole day with Gabriel”.

Negan blinks, totally thrown off by the sudden confession. The soup almost gets stuck in his throat as he chokes, his instinct to spit it out clashing with the urge to just swallow the damn thing.

He barks out a cough, a small dribble of soup escapes his mouth before he can stop it. A few people glance over, clearly startled by the loud, unexpected sound. It’s as if any loud noise from Negan’s direction draws all eyes to him, people acting as if he has a loaded gun at the ready. 

“Oh!” You quickly gather the sleeve of your sweater and bring it up to his mouth, trying to shield him from the prying eyes.

“Here, just… um…” You hesitate, unsure how to help, but slowly begin dabbing at the side of his mouth. “You’ve got a little something there... and there… oh, and a bit by your chin”.

Negan’s mind can’t catch up with what’s happening. How did it go from the most innocent person in the world giving Gabe an almighty diss, to him almost choking to now you’re wiping soup off his face?!

You dab it away, ruining your own sleeve for the sake of him. “Just lemme…” you give one last dab by his lip “there! All gone”.

Negan meets your satisfied smile with a slight pout. His gratitude is there but it’s quickly overtaken by the twinge of embarrassment creeping up on him. 

“You’re like a mama bird wrapped in a blanket of sweetness and sprinkled with sugar, spice, and all things nice,” he mutters, his voice low and teasing as he accepts the situation with a resigned grin.

“Are you okay? I wasn’t sure if you needed the Heimlich!” You ask, worry evident into your voice.

Negan chuckles and brushes off your concern, the only thing hurt being his ego. Dribbling in front of a pretty girl doesn't exactly leave the best impression—unless it's on a basketball court.

“I’m fine,” he waves it off “I just didn’t think you had such a fuckin’ potty mouth.”

“Well, I try not to let it run wild,” you admit, feeling a little bashful as you nudge him. “But I figured I’m in good company”.

Negan laughs, the deep sound rumbling in his chest. He leans back in his seat, finally catching his breath. “Well, I’m not sure the rest would agree with that assessment, sweetheart” he says with a smirk, feeling more like himself. 

You shrug, deciding to tease him a little in your response “Hm, yeah I guess you got a way of bringing out the worst in people”.

He raises an eyebrow, clearly enjoying the banter. “Worst? Nah darlin’ it’s not the worst. It’s just a little… unfiltered. Like a good whiskey. Strong, bold, but doesn’t go down smooth unless you know how to handle it”.

Giving a laugh, you continue to eat your meal “I guess I’ll take your word for it”.

You and Negan relax into a comfortable silence as you both eat. Eventually, the dirty looks dull, people’s initial amped up hatred leveling out when they realize Negan won’t scatter that easily.

The tension never fully vanishes but it becomes background noise, swallowed up by the mundane act of eating. 

After dinner, you find yourself walking along the streets of Alexandria with Negan. “How do you do it?” he breaks the silence, stuffing his hands into his pockets “Make all this shit feel less like… well, shit?”.

“I’m not sure,” you reply honestly “I just try to be nice. I don’t see why I shouldn’t be when the world is already so cruel”. 

Negan huffs a quiet laugh, his footsteps slow and deliberate. “Nice, huh?” He glances over at you, something almost contemplative in his gaze "Guess that’s one way to keep your head above water. Doesn’t always work, though. The world’s pretty damn good at crushing people”.

You nod, feeling the weight of his words. There’s a rhythm to the way he talks, a calmness in his voice that contradicts the chaos he’s lived through. How he's still able to be so witty with his jokes and always willing to help, you're not sure.

“I don’t think being nice is about keeping your head above water,” you say after a moment “It’s something everyone can do and it costs nothing”.

He lets a few beats of silence pass, making sure there’s no one else in earshot before being more specific. “Ok but why be nice to me? After all the shit I’ve done” Negan gets to the point.

You look at him from the corner of your eye, a small sigh escaping you. This question isn’t new. He’s asked versions of it before, although he’s never been this direct.

“I don’t really have a good answer,” you say "Maybe it's because I think people are too quick to judge you. You’re not all bad, Negan. You can do good when you want to".

Negan lets out a surprised huff “So you think I need saving, huh?”.

You shake your head almost immediately, not wanting him to get the wrong impression. “No," you say firmly "I don’t think you need saving. You’re not helpless, I know that. I think the others like to think that you are now, without your Saviors or lieutenants or… um, other things. But you’ve always been a capable guy”.

He falls quiet for a moment. You wonder if he’s even hearing you or if he’s just lost in some thought, some memory you’ll never understand. Then, as Negan exhales a long breath, he looks at you with an unreadable expression.

“That’s some real heart warming shit,” he says finally, his voice not unkind, but laced with a touch of something that might be regret, or maybe just old wounds. “Guess I’m just asking because they all fuckin' hate me. Other than you, Carol was the only other person to give a shit- and that's only because she had an agenda”.

“Maybe my only agenda is to be your friend,” you say softly, your voice steady but sincere. “We’ve all done ugly things to survive—things we’d rather bury. I don’t see why we have to parade you around as some kind of example of remorse. You’re more than that”.

Negan chuckles at that. As much as he hates to admit it, when Negan first met you, he didn’t think you used your brain much. He was one of the idiots that took your kindness as a show of ignorance, thinking that you just floated around like you were living in some fairy tale.

But now? Now Negan knows how wrong he was. Underestimating you was one hell of a mistake and a massive misjudgement of your character.

He glances up, his eyes lingering on the damaged homes around. Then, without warning, he asks, “Would you stay here?”

You blink, surprised by the abruptness of the question. “In… Alexandria?” You try to follow his train of thought. He nods once, slow and deliberate.

You take a moment to consider, weighing up your options. “I don’t see why I’d leave,” you wager “It’s safe here. Not just with the walls keeping things out, but there’s safety in numbers too”.

Negan lets a silence linger after your answer, taking your insights to heart. Some others pass by but they pay no attention to either of you, unaware of the risky conversation that’s taking place.

While the Alexandrians have tried to oust Negan in the past, that was under their terms. They wanted Negan to stay in a cabin they decided upon, somewhere they’d know he is if they ever needed him again. If Negan was to leave in the morning and not look back, you don’t know how the Alexandrians would take that.

You glance at him, curiosity piqued. “Why are you asking me that, though?” you wonder, unsure if he’s serious or just toying with the idea.

Negan has never been one to beat around the bush and now is no different. Keeping his voice clear but low, he reveals “Just curious whether I should ask you to leave with me when the time comes”.

The words hit you like a punch to the gut, worry washing over you. You stand there, momentarily speechless. Would the Alexandrians let him leave so easily? 

You blink a couple of times, trying to regain your composure. "You... you don’t have to leave," you finally manage, trying to de-escalate the situation “Things will get better. More people will come around, eventually. They’ll accept you. It’s just... it’s gonna take time”. 

Negan can’t tell if you’re trying to rationalize this for him or for yourself. You’re just too damn caring to realize people won’t change. 

Negan’s expression stays the same. “It’s been years, hun,” he breaks it to you as gently as he can “It’s still the same and it’ll always be the same. You know it, too”.

The way he says it carries a heaviness, a truth he’s known for a long time. And even though his words sting, you can’t help but see that small, almost imperceptible shift in him. It’s as if he’s tired of pretending, tired of waiting for something that feels like it’ll never come.

You hold his gaze when no words come. You know Negan’s right but how can you agree with a truth that’s so awful?

Negan has always worn a mask of tough bravado, his smile twisted in a way that hinted at danger rather than warmth. But in this moment, as he watches you, someone who has quietly but consistently shown him kindness, there is something different in his eyes.

He didn’t know how to process it at first, the warmth that spreads through his chest and the fluttering in his stomach that makes him feel alive. It’s something he hasn't felt in years. Hell, maybe even decades. But now he feels it every time he looks at you.

Negan watches you, his heart tight with the weight of your silence. He had been hoping for something, anything. Negan hoped for assurance, a simple confirmation that you’d be there, that you'd go with him. 

But you don’t respond. 

The air between you both thickens and the words he had been longing to hear are nowhere to be found. After a long pause, he exhales softly, trying to mask the disappointment creeping in. 

His voice takes on a casual edge, the bravado slipping back into place. “Well, guess the workday’s not done yet” He nods toward one of the houses being repaired, offering a strained smirk that doesn’t quite reach his eyes. Then, with a shrug, he begins to turn away. 

The moment hangs there, unspoken and unfulfilled, acting as a space neither of you dare to cross. But just as he’s about to walk away, your voice breaks through the silence.

“I’d go with you”.

Negan freezes, his heart stumbling in his chest. “What?” He asks, not quite sure if he heard you right.

You shift from foot to foot, your gaze drifting away from his for a moment, as if the vulnerability of the moment is too much to bear. 

With a simple shrug, you reply "Well... if you weren’t here anymore, who the hell would I use my potty mouth around?". The words are teasing but there’s a thread of sincerity weaving through them.

Negan lets out a chuckle, though it’s tempered by the way his gaze softens when it lands on you. His eyes linger on you for a moment longer, and in that instant, the playful banter fades. There’s no jest in the air anymore, only the quiet understanding that when it comes down to it, you'd go with him. 

No matter the wreckage of the world or the mess that surrounds him, you would go.

Negan studies you, as if trying to read between the lines of your words. He doesn't pry into your answer, not asking you why or teasing you. Instead Negan gives you a small, almost nonexistent nod, before heading back to his work.

You don’t take offense, knowing that Negan’s starting a new game now. This isn’t him stalking off because of your answer. This is Negan playing the long game, maintaining his role of the solemn workhorse to the others as he secretly bides his time until his— no, your eventual escape.

Negan keeps his head down as he gets back to work, knowing that disappearing will be tougher now with an extra person, but it’s something he’s more than willing to put up with. 

In that moment, Negan wonders if there really is a future that doesn’t feel so damn lonely after all.

[blackcatplushie]

Yandere in an Apocalypse

warnings: gun, blood, some violence

male yandere x reader

You run as fast as you can into the forest night. It's so dark outside you can barely see what's in front of you. Your feet hurt so much but you can't stop running, not while he's not far behind. It's colder outside than you remember. Or maybe it's because you're only wearing your pajamas. You didn't have the time to worry about dressing appropriately. 

Your lungs burn from running so hard. It's been a while since you've been so active. Hope springs into your chest as you see the fence come up on the horizon. You quickly throw your bag over and climb over not being aware of the jagged rocks behind the fence. You slip and slam your leg hard against a sharp rock. 

Blood oozes out and spills over your leg like a curtain. It's a large cut, from the middle of your calf down to your ankle. You whimper in pain and sit on the ground for a moment, cursing at the world for being so unforgiving.

Panic starts to rise as you look around for signs of any ghouls nearby. Zade went out often to "clean" the area and look for supplies but you weren't so sure about that anymore. The familiar groaning and stench of rot grows near as you struggle to get up.

You quickly try to wipe the blood away with your shirt but it's too late. They wander towards you with lifeless eyes and their jaws unhinging unnaturally, ready to devour. 

Your legs move before you can think. You try to run, ignoring the burning pain in your leg and the gush of blood that comes every step you take. You have to get to the edge of the forest no matter what. You remember seeing a motorbike rental shop there when you and Zade first came to this forest. It wasn't the greatest plan but maybe you could take a bike and get away from here. 

As you run, the smell of rot doesn't seem to go away leaving you confused. You realize too late that you're being surrounded by ghouls. They had been coming from ahead and behind you. They crowd around you hungrily. A crooked and manged hand shoots out towards you. Before it can touch you, a bullet whizzes past, shooting the ghoul in the head. 

You tremble and look behind you to see the man you've been running from. "Get down!" Zade yells. You get down and cover your ears. Bullets rain down on the ghouls taking them down quickly. You shake in fear hearing the gunshots. When did this become so commonplace? You wish you could go back to life before all this mess. When things were normal and you didn't have to spend everyday on edge. 

The bullets stop and you look up slowly, still trembling in fear. Not because of the ghouls but because now Zade is here and you know he isn't happy with you. His footsteps trudge towards you and you can't help but look down again. He sighs deeply before crouching in front of you and yanking your injured leg towards him. 

You yelp in pain and surprise which he scoffs at. "So fucking stupid. You did all this just to need me to save you. Do you know how pathetic that looks?"

You look away, not able to say anything. If he notices your fear, he doesn't mention it. Or maybe, he just doesn't care anymore. His rough fingers trace the edges of your wound. "Shit... I think you might need stitches," his eyes soften and the edge in his tone lightens after seeing the look on your face. "Don't worry, I'll fix you up as soon as we get home."

He pulls out a cloth and wraps it tightly around your leg. It hurts but you try not to let it show. He notices anyways. "It needs to be tight so you don't lose too much blood."

"I-I know..."

"You're so clumsy, how could I ever let you out?" he mutters to himself. "You could've died."

"What's that?"

"...Why can't you just let me go?" you mutter bitterly. 

"Why do I have to live like this? E-everyday I'm stuck waiting for you that facility for you to come back like some sort of dog... Or even worse I have to play nice and sweet so that you don't get upset and punish me!" you begin to sob, the resentment overwhelming you. "I'd rather die, but that's not allowed either! I hate you... I hate you so much!"

A unfamiliar expression appears on his face. At first it looks like anger and then guilt. He sighs, getting up slowly. "... Let's just go home. If you want to throw a tantrum right now, do it at home where the ghouls can't get you," he says. 

There's a rustling sound to the side of you and Zade. A ghouls stands up among the pile of bodies. Zade reaches for his gun, about to shoot but stops and looks back at you with a strange expression. "Huh, I guess I left one alive..."

He steps away from you leaving you confused and scared as the ghoul creeps near you following the scent of fresh blood. 

"Z-Zade? W-what are you doing? Hurry! It's coming closer!"

"Hm? Yeah... So what?" he says blankly. He tilts his head to the side smiling. 

"Please..! I-I'm sorry, just please kill it already!"

Your mind races, thinking about what he wants to hear. There's no time to think about being shameful right now. You want to get away from Zade of course but getting mauled by a ghoul is a painful way to go. Your pleading eyes dart frantically between the ghoul and Zade. In the end you spit out whatever you could think of, "Please help me, Zade! I'm sorry for running away, I-I just—Please I-I love you!"

"Hmm, okay, but only if you say what I want you to hear. I'm feeling a bit petty. You were just so mean to me." He puts his hand over his heart with and looks at you with a deep frown while wiping his nonexistent tears. You can't believe how annoying he's being right now. You're about to be mauled by a ghoul and he's sitting there joking around. 

In a swift motion, Zade pulls out a pistol and shoots the ghoul in the mouth right before it could chomp down on you. Its blood splatters on your face. You shake and sob, feeling tired and miserable from this whole mess. Zade comes down next to you and wipes the ghoul blood off your face with his sleeve. He's smiling down on you, a warm and satisfied look in his eyes. 

"Oh, you poor thing," he says softly, "Let's get you home, yeah? Get you a nice warm bath and some rest."

He picks you up and holds you tight for a moment. His brown hair tickles against the crook of your neck. You can feel him trembling a little before kissing your cheek and making his way back home. "I love you too... more than anything."

You lift your head slightly and see that the sun is starting to rise. Trails of ghoul bodies are littered across the trail. Ignoring the bodies, the forest looks beautiful in the morning. "Am I going to be punished?" you ask Zade tearfully. 

You sniffle, your cries easing into shudders as he carries you home. You can't help but feel comforted as he holds you. He's the only one you have left after all. The people you loved and the world you knew before has withered away into nothingness. You wrap your arms around him and cry into his shoulder. He pats your head softly. 

He laughs softly, his dimples showing. "Of course you are."

[largemouthbassnation]

Original Tip-Up Bird Releaser for Gun Dog Training

Find the Original Tip-Up Bird Releaser at The … source

[himeshifts]

THINGS TO SCRIPT - apocalypse dr . . .

SKILLS.

— i never miss when using guns

— lock picking is really easy to me

— i am strong and can fight really well, even without weapons

— i can sense zombies from a distance

— i can easily use any weapon

— i have good first aid/medical knowledge and can easily take care of any kind of wound

— i can easily kill a zombie without hesitation

— i am very intelligent

— i am a fast runner

— i have a lot of stamina

— i am flexible

— i have quick reflexes

— i high pain tolerance

— i can survive long without food or water

──────────────────

OTHER.

— using knives doesn’t disgust me

— i can only die bc of old age

— i am not afraid of heights

— i am immune to getting bitten or turning into a zombie

— i don’t get disgusted seeing the zombies, blood, intestines, corpses, wounds etc.

— i never get held hostage

— i never have to fight zombies when i am alone

— i never have to experience huge herds

— i don’t get any major injuries

— i don’t have to eat animals like dogs or squirrels, i always have normal food available and i don’t feel disgusted eating it

— my water is always safe and clean to drink

— when running for supplies, i don’t encounter a lot of zombies and never a herd

[gremlingottoosilly]

It’s my birthday today, and all I think about is König having fun with his secretary and them getting caught😔🙏🏻

Happy birthday!! CEO!Konig is probably working in the defence sector or weapon manufacturing. He is just enough of a fucking sociopath to never care about who is going to get the weapons he is selling, but he is also not quite social enough for the job that requires less action and more social contacts. Maybe sprinkling in some charity work, just to get the public off his ass - like he isn't thinking about the ways of blowing up his enemies twice as much as he thinks about supplying the nearest puppy shelter with dog food. You're his cute social butterfly - adorable enough to make the clients talk to you instead of Konig, who would rather delegate all conversations to his assistants but also firm enough to set him in place whenever he becomes a bit too violent in his desires and contracts. You know how to keep him in line - his obsessive nature is being swept off its feet whenever you show a bit of cleavage and cockwarm him for a gruesome paperwork session. You also know what to do when he snaps - just be his good girl and let him lock you in his office for s few hours, fucking you until you can't stand straight. He will promise to make you his pretty housewife, holed up in his mansion with zero responsibilities...but both of you know it's impossible - especially with how much he relies on having your sweet body available to him at all times. Horangi honestly didn't want to walk on his boss and the pretty secretary having sex, but, in his defense, he also didn't know they would actually do it in the fucking office. With Konig's hips slamming against yours, your moans only muffled by biting his hand as a form of foreplay, you were a sight to behold...and Horangi beheld, watching you like a teenager who saw porn for the first time. He is getting thrown out of the office for a few days at least - but now he has proofs of what you're actually doing as Konig's secretary. Honestly, having CEO!Konig obsessed over you in insanely hot and weird at the same time...this man will use guns and other weapons instead of normal gifts - would talk your ear off of how you should learn how to shoot and get your gun license, but would also assign at least two bodyguards for you at all times, just because he is too fucking paranoid of you either cheating on him, or being kidnapped by his business rivals.

[darknight3904]

All Too Well

Joel Miller x Fem!Reader

Summary: You and Joel get revenge for your beloved pet cat.

Warnings: Violence, guns, death, non-described torture, mentions of scars, pet death, language.

Word Count: 2.1k

Previous Part / Series Masterlist / Main Masterlist

May 2024 

The pistol that was tucked into Red Laces’ pocket comes free easily. Joel turns to his right and shoots the one with bad breath first. He stands up, straightening to his full height, ready to kill Oliver but Brett has gotten there first. 

His companion has straddled Louis’ killer and his currently beating him bloody. Joel leaves him to it and sets his sights on the other two remaining men. One of them is fumbling with his gun which appears to be jammed. The other has begun to flee the camp, he must know he’s fucked. Joel fires before the gun can be unjammed and then turns to shoot the running one down. It’s easy, pulling the trigger and watching a man fall into the dirt, covered in his own blood. 

Joel could hear the leader cursing from that tent he’d disappeared into, surely he knew that his men were dead. He approaches the tent, his boots sinking into the mud as he goes.

“Stay the fuck back!” The man snarls. 

If he were smart, he’d have a gun pointed at the tent flap, that's what Joel would do if he were him. Of course, Joel would never let his men die like dogs while he hid in a tent. What a fucking-

“Joel!” 

Joel barely gets the chance to turn around before you’re slamming into him nearly knocking him off his feet like you’re some professional linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys. Your Python is dropping to the ground with a thump as your arms wrap around his torso. 

“You alright?” You bury your face into his shirt and mumble into his chest. 

“Been better.” He motions to his still-bleeding shoulder, “Where the hell did you run off to this morning?” 

You untangle yourself from him and fix your focus on his gunshot. Ignoring his question, your hands push his jacket off his shoulder and stare at the wounded flesh. It’s not bleeding so bad anymore, hurts like a bitch but the blood has trickled off into a thin stream.  

“We should get you back to Jackson. Dr. Hill can fix you up.” 

You take a step towards the tent and Joel catches you by the arm. 

“Sweetheart, there’s somethin’ you need to know.” Joel starts, “That man you mentioned he’s…” 

“He’s in the tent, Joel.” You say looking at the halfway unzipped flap, “That missing teeth, cat-killing motherfucker is going to die. Let me go.” 

You must’ve been hiding somewhere, watching this camp, no wonder he’d conveniently been saved when Laces tried killing him. You rip your arm out of Joel’s hand and take another step to the tent. 

“Alright, Alright,” Joel says, looking at Brett who has dragged an unconscious Oliver over, “Let us bring him out here.” 

You watch as Joel and Brett disappear into the tent, the sound of a punch being delivered followed by a couple of grunts fills the air and before you know it, they’re back, dragging The Walrus out by his arms towards you. Joel tosses a hunting knife at your feet before he and Brett drop The Walrus face-first into the ground. 

“Didn’t even have a gun. Guess he thought his men would do all the killing for him.” 

It seems that The Walrus has gotten lazy, years ago when you were the one tied to a tree he always had a gun tucked into a holster on his side. He’s gotten complacent, this good-for-nothing sack of shit was seriously expecting his little group of 20-somethings would be able to protect him from you and your wrath. 

You watch as he pulls himself up, sitting back on his knees it dawns on you that you don’t know this man’s name. He was responsible for the many scars that crisscrossed your back and sides, he haunted you in your dreams and you didn’t even know his fucking name. 

“Listen. I can pay you. I got another man who will be back in a few days. There’s this settlement a few miles north, you three can have your pick of the supplies, food, women, whatever you want. Just let me live.” 

He can’t be serious, trying to weasel his way out of death like this. Did he not recognize you? You’d know his face anywhere, even now covered in mud and a shaggier beard, you knew it was him. 

You glance over at Brett whose eyes are fixed on that beaten bloody body he’d dragged over. You realize Louis is missing and come to the conclusion that Brett was staring at his friend’s now-deceased killer. Joel gives you a pointed look, his pistol is shoved into the back of The Walrus’ head, all it would take is one pull of the trigger and he’d be dead.

“You said you have another man?” You say, your voice devoid of any emotion 

“Yes. He’s out scouting a community. We’re going down to Kansas and getting the rest of my men, then we’re taking it. Come with me, I’ll pay you all well.” 

You scoff at this, a small laugh escapes your lips, what the fuck was wrong with this man. You knew he was a psychopath but seriously actually asking you to work with him? One of his men had killed Louis, another was about to shoot Joel, and for crying out loud he had four people tied up just 4 yards away. He must be delusional if he thought you, Joel, and Brett would want to work with him. 

“What’s so funny, bitch?” 

Joel smacks him in the back of the head with the butt on his gun, “Watch your fucking mouth.” 

“Or what? Is she gonna order you to shoot me? That how you live your life? Dickless, commanded by some whore with big tits?”  

You watch as Joel grabs The Walrus by a fistful of his greasy hair before slamming him into the ground so hard you’re pretty sure you heard the crunch of bone. Joel’s voice is deadly as he speaks directly into your captor's ear. 

“You’ll hold your tongue around my woman or when she tells me to shoot ya’, I’ll make sure you’ll go out real slow.” 

Joel hauls The Walrus back up into his previous position on his knees. 

“S’ that we did to Adam isn’t it, sweetheart?” 

The Walrus’ eyes flick to yours, trying to discern if Joel is lying. You nod suddenly feeling a bit small. Joel was good at this, intimidation. The man kneeling in front of you doesn’t give a shit what you do, it’s Joel he’s worried about.

“We got your second in command. See, in Jackson, we ain’t stupid the way you think we are. Caught him and that girl he was with right away.” 

“You’re full of shit.” The Walrus says in disbelief that he’s truly alone, his allies thousands of miles away in Kansas. 

Joel shakes his head, “You see, I wanted to draw it out some more, got some good hits in, even ran a knife across his skin. That sound familiar to you? Well, Adam, he cried a lot, pissed himself too, begging for his life in the dirt, “Joel raises his free hand, the one that's not holding his gun, and taps The Walrus on the forehead three times, “She put a bullet in his head with the same gun that's sitting there at her hip now.”

“Fuck you, man. You didn’t know him, he was a good guy.” The Walrus fires back 

“See that’s where you’re wrong. Good men don’t rape women.” Joel says, “Another thing a good man doesn’t do is feed em’ their pets for fun.” 

The Walrus’ eyes flick to yours, and a beat of recognition flashes. Now, he knows who you are. 

“That was years ago…I shouldn’t have…” 

You feel your voice returning, you want to speak to this man to listen to him grovel. 

“But you did.” You say softly, “You made my only friend in the whole world into bowls of soup and a bag of jerky.” 

The Walrus shakes his head like he doesn’t quite believe he did that. 

“And then, whenever we were alone you cut me up for fun, just like my cat.” Your hands shake a bit as you push your long-sleeved shirt up off your right arm to the elbow. You point to the long scars that are nestled into your skin forever, “Remember these?” 

“I-I’m sorry…” He says plainly, staring down at your arm

“Sorry isn’t going to cut it.” Joel snarls 

Joel motions for Brett to take his gun before he takes a step to his left, scooping up a big roll of duct tape that’d been sitting on top of an open bag of one of the men. He walks to you and turns your focus to him, 

“I’ll kill him for ya, sweetheart.” Joel, “Let me question him first though, Jackson needs to know about these men he's got down in Kansas.” 

You nod and feel hot tears fill your waterline. Why were you crying? You should be jumping for joy that Joel was going to put him down. Joel takes a step back and tells Brett to tape The Walrus up and drag him off to another tree where he’ll meet his end. A warm hand comes up and Joel brushes a stray tear off your face and presses a warm kiss to your forehead before moving towards where Brett is dragging your tormenter off to. 

“Joel?” 

“Hm?” 

“Make it hurt, okay?” 

The screams go on for what seems like hours. You’ve tucked yourself away under the shade of a tree that's bigger than the rest. The four captives, sit a few feet away from you. You’d cut them all loose and let them devour the bits of food the men had stashed away in their bags. Now, they sit and listen to The Walrus beg for his life as Joel works his magic. You still don’t know his name but you don’t want to know it anyway. 

Brett came back about twenty minutes ago and offered you a sandwich from his bag before plunking down beside you. You don’t know him well but you can tell he’s freaked out whether it was Joel or whatever had happened to Louis you knew Brett was scared. 

“How long do you think it’s going to go on?” He asks quietly 

Hopefully forever. 

“I dunno.” 

Another twenty minutes go by before Joel returns. He’s wiping at the blade of the knife he had initially tossed onto the ground for you to pick up.

“Let’s get goin’. We’ll send some people out to pick this stuff over later.” 

Joel reaches down and offers you his hand, you take it and he pulls you to his feet with a grunt. 

“I want to bury Louis,” Brett says as you leave the raider's camp behind 

Doubled up on the horses Joel leads you and the newcomers back to where Louis’ dead body lies, an arrow in his face. Brett rigs something up to drag the body back to Jackson and you’re on your way again. 

You press your cheek against Joel’s back and let your eyes flutter shut. Joel had insisted that you ride with him, giving Pepper’s reins to the mother and daughter you had freed. They’re a few feet behind you, the woman struggling a bit to keep Pepper walking straight. 

By the time you reach the gates of Jackson, it’s late at night. The gates groan as they open and you let a woman named Joan take the horses and charge of the newcomers. You lead Joel off to the clinic and sit by his side while Dr. Hill works her magic on Joel’s shoulder. 

You rest your head on Joel’s good shoulder, listening to the way his breath hitches a bit when the bullet finally comes out. It has to hurt yet he makes no move to cry out, always acting so tough. 

A few stitches and clean gauze later, Joel is pulling what's left of his t-shirt back on while you try to focus on anything but the skin he’s got exposed to your greedy eyes. Shame on you for thinking like that right now. He’d just been shot and you were thinking about how his chest hair had started to gray.

“Can I stay at yours?” 

Fuck, you hadn’t meant to blurt that out, god you were pathetic, not even wanting to sleep in your own home. You were 44 years old, not some toddler who needed coddling! 

Joel lets out a warm hum, slipping his old tan coat under his arm for safekeeping, 

“Course ya’ can sweetheart.” 

Next Part

...And now we can commence the romance. Joel can you and Sweetheart just kiss already, gosh!!?

How I felt last night when Tiktok wouldn't work:

Comment to be added to the tag list. This tag list is not chapter by chapter, I carry the tags over to each part.

Tags:

@lunaticgurly  @orcasoul  @snowlycanroc  @freythecrazyfae

@person-005 @greenwitchfromthewoods

@elli3williams @yawnzzzzzzzz @am-3-thyst  @concrete-jungleeee

@cherrypieyourface  @kanyewestest @bambisweethearts

@sarahhxx03 @loveisacowboyyy @amyispxnk @lou-la-lou @dancinglotusbud @superblyspeedydragon @heartpatch

[yanxidarlings]

YANDERE TWD

REUNITED (yandere! big brother! merle dixon x male reader x yandere! big brother daryl dixon) (yandere! gareth x male reader) (rick grimes x male reader if you squint) NOTES: fair warning, this is some descriptive disturbing shit merle dixon counts as a warning on his own as well. this went in many directions i originally set out for yandere headcanons for the two, then got into the terminus arc, and ended with some pretty vague alluding to yandere. might write a part two)

imagine obsessive! possessive! big brothers! merle and daryl dixon. the dead begin to walk and they keep the darlin safe, meeting up with the atlanta camp. but the brothers won't let anyone get close to the darlin, not dale, not carl, certainly not shane or lori.

somehow, the darlin ends up going with glenn into the city on a supply run, only for it to go horribly wrong. the darlin insisted they head into a chemist to "look for medications" in case anyone in the camp needed them. but it was a lie. the darlin just wanted to find something to help merle with the inevitable withdrawal he'd go through once his supply of drugs ran out. the chemist is overrun by walkers but the darlin insists. "we can clear it!" they say to glenn "it'll be worth it for m- everyone" the korean gave the other a skeptical look. in the end, there was just too many, glenn thought he saw the darlin go down and reluctantly returned to camp.

"oi! shitface, you think you're a big boy now? can do whatever you want now everything's gon' to shit!" the raspy, harsh voice of merle dixon echoed through the camp. the redneck tramped over to the SUV glenn was parking. he remained silent as he turned the engine off. taking a deep breath, the young man exited the car, staring at the grass.

the older dixon stormed over, aggressively opening every door of the vehicle until he reached the boot. filled with supplies. "where the fuck is m/n" he growled, coming closer to the asian "he better be pullin up in another car" merle spat out. "i- it was" glenn stuttered out, looking like he was about to piss his pants "it wasn't my fault, m/n was being reckless, i had no cho-" CRACK glenn's face was soon bloodied and bruised, merle now on top of him, yelling out profanities as he beat the younger man. "merle!" the others quickly ran to pull the redneck off glenn.

"you fucking ch*ng-ch*ng bastard i'll rip-" merle was pried off glenn, who was now rolling around in agony, his face a bloody mess. "what the fuck happen'd" merle rasped out, although to glenn it sounded like a croak "where is he" merle was still being held back by t-dog and shane as he continued yelling. glenn avoided the rednecks furious gaze "the walkers got him" he finally spoke, looking down.

for a moment it looked like merle was about to cry, for a moment merle himself thought he was going to burst into tears like a sissy. "no he ain't" but instead he picked up his shotgun, and got into the drivers seat of the SUV.

that was how andrea, t-dog, jackie, glenn and morales ended up in the city. that was how merle got handcuffed to a roof by "officer friendly" and that was why daryl yelled in agony on that same roof. in the course of a day, he had lost the two most important people in his life.

but merle had survived by cutting off his left hand, and the darlin had survived by covering himself in walker guts.

"china- no- glenn- don't- help!" the h/c-et screamed, the sound of his own gun firing defeaning his ears. as one went down, another lunged at him, rotten teeth clanking together, desperately trying to knaw into his flesh. but he wouldn't die here. he couldn't. not when merle was 'relying' on him to get drugs. maybe then, the dixons would start to treat him as less of a clueless child and more of an equal.

after taking down a few, m/n jumped behind the counter, rummaging through the medications, looking for anything that might help with the withdrawal, or better, give merle his next fix. more of the dead came at him, but he just kept shooting, stabbing, hitting, anything to cause the fatal damage needed to end the dead's miserable 'life'.

BANG one was down BANG another BANG BANG BANG .. the slide didn't move forward as he shot his way through another round. shit. he was out of ammo "glenn!" he yelled out as a walker fell on top of him, wrestling it's way closer to his skin. all the korean could hear was m/n's screaming. which only attracted more walkers. he saw the medicine that m/n had thrown over the counter before going down, stuffing it into his bag, he creeped up closer to the group of walkers that had acculumated, following the sound of m/n's scream. until it stopped. "m/n?" he uttered under his breath, but the pile of walkers on top of each other told him the other was dead. with tears in his eyes, glenn ran out.

m/n struggled against the strength of the walker. it was freshly turned, he could tell. otherwise it wouldn't be so strong. kicking, punching, reaching for his knife, anything to save himself from becoming one of them. plunging his blade into the side of the walkers head, he quickly slit the once-man's throat. covering his face in the blood. before moving down to the abdomen. cutting it open, letting the walkers rotting insides pour out all over him, the ones that had piled on top soon couldn't distinguish the smell of living flesh from rotting blood.

he went silent, breathing shallowly, hoping, praying, they'd move off him and he could silently slip out. but when he was finally free of the chemist, glenn, the supplies they had gathered, and the SUV were gone.

he walked the dead-ridden streets of the once bustling city, covered in blood, hidden in plain sight. he kept walking (which then turned into a limp after getting hit in the ankle by a flying bullet) becoming weaker with each step, hoping to make his way back to camp. only to come to the end of the trainline leading into suburban atlanta. TERMINUS the building read "those who arrive survive" he heard a feminine voice call out from the speakers. maybe they have gauze. he glanced down at his leg, the sleeve of his shirt he had tied around it now dyed red.

"community for all; sanctuary for all" he saw a young man- perhaps just a little older than m/n was, staring down at him from the window. something felt amiss, off, but m/n had lost so much blood he didn't care. he stumbled towards the train station, stopping and starting as he debated his decision.

daryl, merle.. they'll be wondering he thought to himself, stopping for the 5th time, but i won't make it back he began walking again but they'll be looking for me he stopped, nearly tripping but the sudden lack of motion if i found this place they'll find it too he picked up the pace again, frantically moving towards the gates but- as he stopped himself once more, he finally tripped over. right onto the walker trap the train people had set up. his left ribcage was pierced by the sharp metal pole sticking out of the ground, causing the h/c-et to let out a loud screech.

before he knew it people had come out, the same man that had stared at him through the window moments earlier put his hand on the wound, causing m/n to flinch "we're you trying to get yourself killed?" the man mused, seemingly unphased by the active bleeding out that was happening in front of him. the man spoke more words that were muffled as m/n fell out of consciousness.

it was pitch black when he opened his eyes. not a shred of light to allude to the location. pitch black. m/n's hands brushed her his torso, feeling the gauze that was tightly wrapped around his chest. it all came back to him. the chemist, the walkers, glenn, the train people. he shifted his arms, feeling the thin material he was lated on, and the cold metal it covered. attempting to hoist himself up, pain shot through his body.

letting out a groan, he laid back down, closing his eyes. is this death. it certainly felt like it. the nothingness, the pain, it was all he had ever imagined death to be like. what felt like hours passed, the nothingness was almost comforting, how long had it been since he could lay like this and do nothing with no worries. it was all ended when the creaking of the door signaled to m/n that he was not in-fact dead.

the sudden brightness was blinding "you awake?" a masculine voice spoke. m/n's eyes began burning from the light, "i guess" he replied quietly, his eyes closing. "good" the male put down a plate next to where m/n laid "eat up. i know this isn't the warmest welcome, i would have liked to show you around first" the man chuckled, leaning down, seemingly to get a good look at m/n.

the man- who introduced himself as gareth, began speaking about the community- terminus. that they did whatever they had to for survival, that m/n would have to prove himself loyal if he wanted to become apart of the community. he wasn't sure how to tell this gareth guy that he was leaving as soon as possible to find his group.

the discussion started off normal as m/n finished his food, until gareth started talking about how lonely he was, as the leader of this terminus community. it only got creepier as gareth started to call m/n pretty boy, edging closer to him. m/n doesn't want to know what would have happened if that middld aged lady (gareth's mother), hadn't called the man away.

it quickly became evident to m/n that he was never going to leave. gareth locked him in the pitch black train car for hours on end, opening the door when there were armed men to prevent m/n from trying anything. gareth would sit with him and talk, running his hands over the male's body, stealing kisses, it was a reprehensive routine m/n had become forcibly accustomed to.

it all changed the day the hunters attacked. m/n was in his train car, as usual, listening to the outside screams, wondering if the attackers were dead or alive. he knew they were alive when one pried open the train car door, and threw them self on him. he was then thrown into a cramped train car with other terminus residents, where the hunters hand picked who to assault and slaughter each day. he and gareth spent their days huddled up together, talking about their lives before. had m/n not accepted the hunters offer to leave the train car if he worked for them, gareth wouldn't have lost his mind. but m/n was desperate to get away. from the train car. from terminus. to find his family.

but the hunters caught him trying to leave. they did their absolute worst to him and then threw him back in. when the termites took back terminus, gareth locked the leader of the hunters and m/n into the same train car. "this is what you deserve" he told him, before locking the door shut.

perhaps it was years, perhaps it was months, maybe it was only a few hours. the horrors of the train car began to unfold, as the man who had once led the attack on terminus lost his mind: pouncing on m/n at random, screaming for hours straight, trying to eat m/n alive when they'd be deprived of food, ripping his ear off in hungered insanity. as m/n laid there bleeding from his ear, he decided either i escape or i die. had running worked before? no. was he willing to die trying? not really, but a man would do anything for freedom, and that's what m/n did.

the hunter had fallen asleep, a fatal mistake, as m/n wrapped his hands around the mans unshaven neck and squeezed. within second the man awoke but m/n was relentless, not letting go until the other went limp. i just have to wait now he cried to himself, hands shaking. calming, he began to strip the man of his clothes and use the fabric to restrain his limbs.

waiting for the termites to open the door with the meal made of human flesh felt like an eternity. the familiar sound of metal scratching and creaking filled m/n's ear, who quickly sprung into action.

grabbing the reanimated hunter by the hair, he guided it in the direction of the door, throwing it towards the woman holding their plates. she screeched as the hunters corpse sank it's teeth into her flesh, blood pouring from the wound.

m/n grabbed the woman's gun and bolted as the nearby workers aimed their guns at the walker, taking it down swiftly, but m/n had already gotten out of the train car. hiding behind what once was his cage, he shot at every person who came into view. eventually making his way to the fence, through the woods, he didn't stop running until the sound of gunshots stopped entirely. even then, he kept running. he ran for what felt like hours until his lungs couldn't take it anymore. collapsing onto the dirt, heaving in and out.

woodbury had fallen, it's entire population now living in the prison nearby. rick had relinquished his leadership, insisting the prison be governed by a council. he often went on runs by himself, to get away from it all, to look back on his actions, to find lost survivors. it wasn't everyday rick grimes came across a twenty something perhaps younger male covered in blood, breathing like he had never tasted air before. well, usually the young men were walkers. but this one was very much alive.

"please don't" the male groaned out, eyes wide, as rick approached with a knife. "who are you" he drawled out, kneeling down to get a good look at the other. the young males face was bruised, his hair covered in blood, an ear was missing, and the male was emaciated. "uh" the male seemed to have to think about it, as if he hadn't spoken to another human in years "m/n" he finally puffed out, bringing his hand up to his head, where the left ear once was.

rick's hands brushed m/n hair out of his face, causing the male to flinch away "how many walkers have you killed" the older man finally asked after several moments of silence. m/n just stared at him, as if to say he hadn't been keeping track "how many people have you killed" still, the same look. "water" "what" rick narrowed his eyes. m/n used his free hand to shakily point to the man's bag, where a bottle of water was latched on to the side.

rick was silent as m/n chugged the water down "do you have anything sweet?" "no i don't" "oh" something about the boy felt familiar. didn't glenn mention originally going into atlanta to find a boy with a similar description? maybe it was just that the male reminded him of his own boy in a way, or maybe he had already developed a fondness for m/n. "i have a camp" rick looked m/n in the eye "we have walls, food, a community, a doctor that can look at your wound" he added.

the h/c-et shook his head "not again" rick furrowed his brows "what" the boy started to pick himself up "i gotta, um" he started feeling around the ground for his gun, "gotta go" he finished as he felt the handle of the gun. stuffing the weapon into his belt, he stood up, using a tree as a crutch. "c'mon kid, you're going to die out here" rick leaned forward and took the gun out of the others hand "no im not! give it!" m/n lunged forward, only to awkwardly fall into rick's chest, sinking down back to the ground.

"you've got two bullets left" m/n looked up at rick with a glare "either you come back to my camp with me or i just wasted my water on a dead man" m/n held his glare until the sun got into his eyes. "whatever" he looked down, hoisting himself back to his feet with the help of rick's hand.

daryl squinted his eyes as the evening sun glared down, merle had stolen his motorcycle. again. the older dixon was always going off on fun runs without informing anyone beforehand. perhaps because the redneck had never really been accepted into the group like daryl was.

taking another bite of his pork chop, daryl grunted at carol who told him to go in and get some rest. but why would he want to rest when all he could think of when his mind was unoccupied was his baby brother, the boy he had pretty much raised, who was now probably a rotting corpse in atlanta. but daryl still held out hope that m/n had gotten out, that he was safe, that he would find him oneday. this was why he never rested, these thoughts would creep up in the younger dixons head.

the sound of his motorcycle rumbling told him that merle was back. the older dixon sauntered over to daryl, a cigarette sat between his thin lips, "look what you're big brother merle got you, darylina" he pulled a pack of cigarettes out his pocket, sliding it into daryls pocket. daryl said nothing, staring into the distance; was that rick? the figure was too far away to discern.

"dad!" carl called out, jogging down. "look what i- m/n?" the young grimes exclaimed as he came closer to the pair. rick carried the half-conscious boy through the gates "you know this guy?" rick looked at carl, who flicked the hair out of m/n's face to get a better look "he was with us back in atlanta, we thought he died on a run"

daryl's heart stopped, did he hear carl right? they were pretty far away. standing up, he threw the pork bone aside and marched towards the two- three. when he finally came close enough to see the persons face, he had to stop himself from tearing up in front of carl and rick "m/n" he uttered out quietly. the father and son came to a halt as he approached "you knew this guy back in atlanta" rick nodded at daryl "'course i did. he's my brother" daryl was quick to take m/n off rick. he wanted to cut the mans arms off just for touching his precious brother.

daryl rushed m/n into the prison, settling him in his cell, "go get hershel" he told carol, who looked just as perplexed as merle did as he walked into the cell. "m/n!? i thought you was dead" he breathed out, shoving daryl out the way, who was quick to push back, both wanting to be as close to their younger brother as possible "where'd you find him" merle looked over at rick, who was standing out front the cell "in the woods, looked like he'd been running"

rick moved aside as hershel came in, merle reluctantly stood up as hershel sat to access m/n's condition. "he's lost a lot of blood" hershel examined the ear hole where the flesh and muscle had been ripped from "we should have bob look at him, but from what i can see he needs bandaging and antibiotics" daryl grunted "i ain't letting no stranger touch him" he ushered hershel away, taking m/n's hand in his own "i found antibiotics on last weeks run, that gon' be enough" merle looked over at the old man, who nodded "we'll have to see how he reacts"

neither daryl or merle left m/n's side whilst waiting for the antibiotics to kick in. it was strange. no one in the prison had ever seen either of them so worried for or attached to someone. but for the six days and nights m/n spent unconscious, his body fighting off the infection from his wounds, recovering from the months of maltreatment.

when m/n finally opened his eyes, taking in his surroundings, daryl was leaned against the wall at the edge of the bed, eyes locked on the boys face "sleep well?" was the first thing he said after the two had stared at each other for what felt like an eternity "yeah" m/n spoke softly.

"i should have never gone hunting that day" "am i dead" the two spoke in unison. daryl breathed out "no, never gon' let that happen" he shuffled closer, laying down next to the youngest dixon.

daryl stared at m/n intensely, until merle was roused from his sleep "m/n, i told you not to go out of my sight" he grumbled, sitting forward. m/n looked up at the metal frame of the top bunk "i just wanted to get you some narcan" merle stared at him, blinking away tears "didn' have to risk your life for it" he pursed his lips "i ain't worth you dyin'" he added quietly, sitting back, his eyes not leaving m/n's.

the room went silent for a moment "maybe not, but you're my brother" m/n closed his eyes for a moment "do you guys have pop or candy here?" he questioned hopefully. merle let out a chuckle "i found a can on my run today" he chuckled out, before going quiet "i chugged it on the spot"

"you piece of shit!"

[edgeray]

CREATURE | HALLOWEEN EVENT FIC

Arlecchino x GN! Reader

Link to my Halloween Event Masterlist. Check out amazing works done by other blogs <3 there!

A/N - I know this is extraordinarily late, but the sunk cost fallacy got to me. Can you tell I’m American from this? Also, not finished because I couldn't find any more ideas for this, so have this semi-baked story because I don't want it to catch dust. Content warnings - Alien AU, Alien! Arlecchino, a gun is there but not used, semi-graphic violence, mentioned deaths but not shown, could be seen as platonic or romantic, 6.5k words

It starts with a streak across the sky. Or, it starts with the rushing of the wind. No, it starts with a reverberating boom that shakes the Earth. Whatever the case, it's around 2 or 3 AM when you're startled awake. Lurching from your bed and trying to blink the sleep out of your eyes, you stumble out of your blanketed sanctuary, cursing out whatever was the origin of the disturbance under your breath. You hear the jolted protests of your animals: the squealing of pigs, the barking of your cattle dog, and the squeaking of chickens. Damn it, you'll have to calm them down too. 

You slip on your boots while you grab your flashlight, hastily grabbing handfuls of treats in a bag for the various animals in order to help placate them. You hesitate as you're about to exit your home, the shotgun laid against the wooden frame of the door. Deciding against using it, you rush out to soothe the animals by feeding them the treats by hand, gentle brushes along their hair and shushing them tenderly. 

“There, there,” you whispered to your dog who was barking her head off, standing boldly towards the fields. There was nothing you could see beyond the road and the tall grass beyond it. You run your hand down her back as you give her chin scratches. “It's okay. It's okay, you're okay. Good girl. It's alright. Thank you for protecting us.” 

Still, she didn't persist until another half hour when her voice grew tired. You stay there, petting her in an attempt to ease her distress, but your efforts were futile. The Pyrenees still has her ears pinned back and her tail tucked, quivering like a leaf in the wind. You've never seen her like this, even with coyotes. What could possibly terrify her like this? You don't know–and you don't want to face whatever creature was out there. No matter how much you try, you couldn't budge her from her spot, her gaze fixated before her. Sighing, you decide there's nothing you could do, and after giving your animals one last check you return to your bed. Nearly in the comfort of slumber's arms, you're pulled away with the screeching of your alarm clock. 4:30AM.

You nearly cry. 

After wiping your unshed tears in front of the mirror while you brush your teeth, you make some quick buttered toast, pouring food in your dog’s bowl before heading out. She'll come get it when she wants. You go around your farm, feeding your animals, letting them graze, checking their wellbeing, ensuring the fences are secured, and tending to your garden. You're thankful your parents left you a small farm–not too big for it to be overwhelming, yet still sustainable for you. You only have to go to the market for supplies or when you want to get more baking ingredients. 

A sloppy kiss to your face from a calf wrenches you away from your thoughts, and you giggle, petting it. You give one last pet to the baby cow until you venture to your chicken coop. You successfully pocket a few eggs with only a few pecks to your hand. Once the sun really starts beating down on you, you head inside to make lunch. An egg sandwich later, you're out again, this time to make sure your horse gets properly groomed and some exercise. It's around sunset when you herd your animals to their respective shelters after their last meal of the day. Finally able to settle down from a hard day's work, you laze on your couch, reading a book you just picked up last week. 

Your ears don't pick up on it first, but then you hear it again, a sound that causes you to shudder involuntarily. It's the kind of sound that makes your heart sink all the way into the depths of your stomach, as if hiding from the source of the noise. The kind of sound that cuts through the tranquility of your farm–an eerie, off-putting sound whose origin is inexplicable. The kind of sound that makes you freeze in place, while your thudding heart roars to life, thumping through your eardrums but not loud enough to drown out that archon-awful sound. 

It's a harsh, chilling thing. It's how you imagine a knife scraping alongside a chalkboard sounds like, and it persists for another moment or two before disappearing. You're paralyzed, still enough to have blended into your sofa, waiting, anticipating another damning sound, for it to grow closer to you. Then, there’s some scuttling sounds, fading out just as suddenly it appears to leave behind silence. The thing, whatever it is, is gone now. 

With bated breath, you check through the window of the door to your fenced garden, seeing that nothing seemed to be there. Opening the door, it’s almost a relief that nothing really seems out of place. What's left is little dents into the ground with bits of dirt uprooted from said holes. You examined the area to see what caused the scraping sound, before spotting your metal garden bed. There's a thin, long white line that extends from one side's end to the other. Shuddering at the sight, you turn to examine the fences. You have wooden and wire fences tall enough that no people or animals can climb, yet something got in. It's evident by the dirt tracks on one side of a wooden pole that this thing has the physical prowess to climb–or jump–over five feet. 

You examine further for any more damage around your property. Your gaze spins around your crops, stopping at your bell peppers. 

Or at what remains of them. 

— 

“Some folks are saying that there's some creature, sneaking around their yards and stealing their vegetables. You know anything about that?” the store clerk says as a greeting while he bags the juice cartons along with your other groceries. 

You almost let out a sigh. After the incident, it never repeated, though you're always anticipating the next time you'll hear that damning sound. Your bell peppers weren't much of a casualty, but if it returns, what more will it take? 

“It's true,” you whisper, filing through your wallet for the appropriate amount of bills. “Last week Tuesday, I heard something, scampering in my garden. When I checked it after it left, all my bell peppers were chomped off. I thought I was going crazy, making things up. But every archon-damn morning my peppers aren't there.” 

“Well, I heard someone tell the local authorities to hunt it down–animal control wasn't very helpful,” he remarks, taking your money, and you raise an eyebrow.

“You reckon they'll catch whatever it is?” You inquire, gathering the bags of grocery. 

“I better hope so. Who knows if that thing will stick to just fruits and veggies.” 

You're afraid of that thought too. Yet… “What do you think they'll do when they catch it?” 

The man gives a shrug of his shoulders. “Dunno. Probably kill it. Things like that shouldn't be thieving around.” 

You frowned. “Thanks. Have a good day.” 

—

Coincidentally, it's a Tuesday when it happens again. This time, it's a loud, distinctive crash that makes you drop the bowl of batter from your arms. Like last time, every muscle of yours seize to move, subjecting yourself to the sounds that come from your garden. This time, the creature is more clamorous, all kinds of thumping and thudding accompanied by that dreadful, shrill scraping. Spotting the shotgun perched against the front door, you will yourself to make the short distance to it. As your hand wraps around the cool wooden grip, you gulp considerably. 

Perhaps you should have asked your parents about practicing a shot or two with this before they passed. You hadn't even expected inheriting the farm so early, nonetheless having to use this. You had always hoped there wouldn't come a time you'd need to use a lethal weapon on someone or something. 

You load the chamber of the shotgun, the small, satisfying click of it nearly a reassurance compared to the thrashing still among your garden. Damn it, your hands are shaking. Confronting that thing? You? The shy, lone farmer, left behind by their parents? You, who's susceptible to the faintest pleading from your dog for table scraps, despite having been fed? You, who's entire day of plans is derailed at the sight of a newborn animal? You, who can barely wake up to press snooze on your alarm clock? 

No, you need to do this. You don't know what that thing is, or what else it'll decide to destroy. Step by step you approach the door, tentatively peeking through the window.

By archons, what is that? 

It's not normal, closer to an extraterrestrial creature than something a part of this planet. You’re hesitant to even call it a creature, rather a child’s crude creation made from shoving different bunches of playdoh together with a faint semblance of a human. It has too many  different features jutting from the main body for it to be any normal thing, maybe about the height of the bear, though it's hard to judge from its crouching and writhing. Unsure of what could be the cause of its writhing, you decide if it's in such an agitated state, you shouldn't confront it yet. 

You squint your eyes, attempting to piece together feature by feature to even pretend what you're looking at. 

Its back is turned towards you, but you can see at an angle their limbs. Nestled on top of its snow white hair with black strands are tall, white, black-tipped flattened ears–like the ears of an erect-eared bunny. From there, you make out pitch black hands (wait, are those claws?) that are clutching the sides of their head–is that a face? Pointedly skirting your eyes away from the facial features, your peer travels lower. Its skin–or fur? You're not quite sure–fades from a white to a darker gray the further your sight goes, with crimson splotches dotting across the spine. Six jointed appendages protrude from the vertebrae, three each on the right and left side. The limbs, reminiscent of a spider (minus two legs), appear as a vibrant, scarlet color in comparison to the darker red spots (which you now realize are crosses, and not just specks) with a midnight outline. 

Connected from its spinal cord is a lengthy, thin charcoal-colored tail. At the end of the tail is what can only be compared to a scythe blade. It whips around wildly, as untamed as the beast itself, adding more casualties of your produce with each manic swipe. Suppressing your urge to wince at every revoltingly audible drag of the blade end of the tail you study the rest of the creature. Beyond the spine, it becomes evident that this a bipedal creature, with sable slender, furred (you're more certain it's fur now) legs, and similarly colored feet, though around the ankles breaks up the color with a strip of red. 

Even if you were dreaming or hallucinating, you didn't have the creative ability to imagine whatever is in front of you. From its spasming and the guttural groans escaping it, it reminds you of a wild, injured animal. 

Then it'd be better to put it out of its misery… right? 

Summoning all your courage, you deliberately unlock the door before turning the door in the same manner. No longer behind the closed barricade, you feel as if a piece of armor was stripped from you, your protection peeling off the wider you open the door. It seems so much bigger, so much closer to you now, so much more tangible. Your footsteps over the wooden porch are masked by its pained groans, and you maneuver your shotgun to be held in both trembling hands. Inhaling deeply, you step behind the creature, lifting the barrel until you aim at its head. Your finger finds the trigger. 

“I’m sorry,” you murmur to it, though your speech is drowned by its agonizing sounds. 

One second passes by. Then another. You give the trigger a miniscule press, before stopping. 

Your stupid, idiotic heart is pounding in your chest too hard, and your thoughts are scrambled. Two sides of yourself are at conflict, and it's clear the more soft-hearted one is winning. You're taking a life, alien, mutant creature, or whatnot, it's instilled in you to preserve every life as much as you can. Throughout your entire childhood, you've been taught on the farm by your parents that every life is worth preserving. Even the gophers that eat your crops, or the wasps that occupy a corner of the barn, or the spider you find in your bathroom have a right and place to live. Because they too are struggling to live as much as you are. Perhaps it's your cowardice finding an excuse, but the longer you watch its grotesque twitching, the more your expression contorts from grim to that of sympathy. 

You can't pull the trigger. Not even to save it from pain. 

Your finger moves away from the trigger and you lower the gun, your heart both lighter and heavier. A voice in your head keeps repeating ‘fool’ and ‘coward’ to add further insult. You can't argue against it. Shuffling away, you make your way back to the open door with the intention of pretending that nothing happened. There's no creature, there's no screeching, and your garden is not tarnished. You'll simply just go back to hiding in your house, hoping that the creature will disappear soon. 

You turn, stepping back onto the porch, making your way to the door. The wood underneath you creaks. Loudly. 

You don't even turn around fully when red-crossed pupils grab your sight, and then your body is struck with a heavy impact. Tumbling onto the floor, a sharp pain erupts at your back from your landing while a heavy weight now rests on top of your body. Large claws prick your skin as it grips your neck, tightening with each second, restricting your breath. 

You futilely try to kick away the thing above you, but it’s too sturdy, or perhaps you're too weak. Either way, it doesn't budge on top of you, so you attempt to pry away the hand. You scratch it hard, desperate nails finding the skin underneath the fur and piercing into it–a fruitless and provocative action given the rumbling growl you receive. It refuses to let up despite your efforts and your strength diminishes with each passing second. Your hands lose the ability to move anymore and your body involuntarily concedes, stilling in place.  

“Please…” you attempt to mumble, pleading into eyes that hold no humanity, eyes that don't know of mercy. Does it even understand you? The notion slips from you like fish, and your thoughts begin swimming, comprehension ungraspable just like your breath. The heart beat that used to pound in your ears like crashing waves begins to slow, until it is reduced to nothing more but ripples. Cloudiness fills your mind, and your eyes unfocus. As if injected into, exhaustion seeps throughout your form, lulling you to sleep. 

Then you're ripped away, your windpipe free from the crushing pressure as you greedily suck in air, choking at the abrupt intake. Lurching up, you grasp at your chest as the oxygen rushes back to you in rapid huffs. Adrenaline pumps through you once more, making you frighteningly aware of the beast still there. Its head is tilted, like a confused dog, upright ears perked up and pointed towards you. That's when you finally realize you were peering at it, face to face. 

It's almost human–if you subtract the ears, the pupils, and the fangs that cover its mouth. Fangs, like those of a spider, are on either side of its mouth. Ignoring those features and isolating the face from the rest of its body, it can pass as an androgynous person. Just another face you could see in a crowd and think nothing of.  

Its fangs clack together, the sound invokes shudders from you. You have no doubt that they could crush bones between them. Perhaps that is what it will do to you. It's still observing you, a curious red glint in their inky pits. It finally settles in that you are alive–rather, the creature decided to let you live. 

Was it mercy? You can't help but wonder–is it as animalistic as you make it? If it was nothing but that, then you're certain that it wouldn't waste time to sink their fangs into you. It attacks you, then releases you without harm; it's a clear threat, a concept that no wild thing can really possess. If a wild beast was threatened, they either attacked without restraint or cower away. It did none of those. Then, in that case, it would suggest that it is more intelligent than you previously thought–for all you know, this thing can possess emotions and rational thinking like all humans. It's indubitable that this creature is not from this world.

You slowly scoot back, away from the creature, observing if it would strike again. It does not. You finally have the chance to stand up, viewing its hunched form fully. That's when you notice that the spider legs-like appendages were actually folded wings. That explains how the creature was able to intrude into your garden so easily.

You have half the sense to book it, run away as swiftly as you can, yet it's your curiosity that stops you. Why was it screaming and jerking the way it was? Tentatively, you step to the side, and flinch as it shifts its head to track your movements. You take another step, and begin circling the creature, before spotting a silver liquid cascading down its side underneath its middle appendage where there is a noticeable wound. Revealing pale, almost white flesh, and a gaping hole, the size of a coin. A bullet wound?

The voice of the grocery store cashier rings through your head. 

Did the authorities do this? Was this a result of them hunting this thing down? You look back at it now. 

It's too human-like for your liking. It chatters, fangs clanking against each other again, and it raises one ear. It reminds you of your dog when she's seen something new. Inquisitive, keen, gentle. Swallowing thickly, you edge closer to it, raising your palm to tender stroke around the wound. It tenses, its tail dragging across the dirt irately. You pull away with a flinch, gazing back towards its face.  

“I'm sorry,” you find those words tumbling out for a second time, but this apology holds a different meaning. You know it doesn't understand. It blinks at you in response, giving a low chattering with their fangs. There's a standstill between the two of you, observing the other with mutual wariness. 

The hard thudding against a door sounds through your house and yard and you snap out of your trance. Someone was at the front door? A deep snarl comes from the creature beside you, and you note its response. Who could possibly be there? 

You make your way from the garden to the front door of your house. The creature scuttles behind you, and while the sound makes you cringe, you ignore it. It is harmless… you hope. 

You make your way to the door, looking through the eyehole. A sheriff and who you presume his deputy stood just outside. You gulp, shifting your eyes behind you before deeming it safe enough to at least greet them. You can't fathom what they wanted, but their presence currently is certainly inconvenient. What would happen if they spot the alien creature thing currently roaming around your interior house? 

“Gentlemen… how could I help you?” you question tentatively, cracking the door open just the slightest bit. 

“Good evening,” the sheriff greets gruffly, flashing a polite smile. “We just wanted to question if you’ve seen or heard of any… disturbance around your property.” 

Your heart leaps out of your chest, and you clench your hand into a fist behind your back. Feigning a puzzled expression, you cock your head. “A disturbance? Not that I know of, sirs. It's just me and my animals. What kind of disturbance are you referring to?” 

There's a single pause that allows both of the men to scrutinize your face. “We're wondering if you've seen a creature prowling around lately.” 

“A creature? Well, I haven't seen any coyotes or those damn things around. We're not a bear nation, are we?” You let out a fake chuckle. Something thumps in the kitchen, and you swear you will kill that thing with your bare hands if it outs the both of you. 

“No, we're not a bear nation. Well, that is all we wanted. Thank you for your time,” the sheriff states as they both turn. You nearly cheer in victory, but something stops–a minority voice that rushes to the surface of your thoughts just as you watch them leave.

“Wait, gentlemen,” you exclaim, stepping out of the doorframe and into your yard. You shut the door behind you. Both men pivot to face you again. 

“What, what kind of creature are you looking for? Hasn't someone shot it down yet? Or doesn't animal control usually wrangle it in? Why would some stray animal get your attention?” You inquire. You knew the answer already, but you couldn't help but wonder if there was more to the foreign creature in your household. Evidently, questioning the creature itself is out of the question, so perhaps the sheriff and deputy would know more. 

Their gazes meet one another as if they were telepathically communicating to one another before the sheriff sighs. “This creature isn't at all natural–it's been raiding and destroying people's homes. It's responsible for the mauling of two people. That's why it's imperative that we catch this thing as soon as possible.”

Everything stills at that moment, and your blood runs ice-cold through your veins. Your body trembles, and your surroundings fade from your consciousness. That thing killed two people? The very thing that's likely scavenging your cabinets? The creature that spared you, showed you mercy? It's taken two innocent lives, and you were nearly the third. How can this be? No, rather, you weren't sure why you expected anything more from it when you knew nothing. The knowledge that you're housing a killer weighs heavily on your shoulders. You shouldn't be sheltering this thing, not with what it has done. You should tell them, confess that a wild beast invaded your property and assaulted you. 

You open your mouth to speak. You have the sudden urge to gag. You swear bile rises up in your throat. 

“That's… terrible. I hope you catch it soon,” you state. 

“We surely will. Have a good day,” the sheriff responds.

You watch their backs grow smaller as they trek their way back to their cruiser. When they finally speed off, you collapse against your door, your back sliding down until your bottom meets the ground.

You clutch your chest, heaving gasps escaping from you as you stare at your shaking hands. It's as if something is actively prying the air from your lungs, and every inhale is never enough for yourself. Your heart thrums and thrums with a deafening beat in your ears, threatening to wrench out of the cavity of your chest. Each hammering of the organ creates a pang that wracks through your body. The air is chilling, so frigid that you can't help but bring your knees to yourself, preserving any body warmth you can. Your stomach protests against the movement, squeezing and constricting so intensely you fear that it'll burst like a balloon. Your very reality seems to cave in, and every sensation you can feel is too much. 

The thing in your house is a killer. It nearly killed you. It can kill you. You're as good as dead, and yet you're shielding it. Why are you protecting it? Don't you care for your life? For the lives that it killed? Can you call yourself human? How could you do this with the knowledge of the atrocities it's done? Are you stupid? Probably. Do you have a death wish? Why would you let the sheriff leave? He was right there, just one word away from saving you from this predicament. And yet you watched him turn his back, when you know that his job would have been able to protect who knows how many lives. Are you a terrible human? Are you heartless? What's wrong with you? Why are you like this? Why didn't you just tell them? Why are you still here? You should have never inherited your parents’ farm. You should have never been here. Do you even deserve this farm? Do you deserve anything? Why–

Oh. It's warm–incredibly warm, actually, like your back is against a fire. But that's impossible, not when your back is against something solid and there's no crackling or smoke. Instead, there's a low constant humming, like that of a ceiling fan, but also different. It's almost like the purring of a cat. Your vision slowly returns to you, and within some moments of blinking you realize you are face planted into your knees. How long have you been in that position? Your overalls have a wet patch–you must have been crying. You release your knees from your hold, letting them straighten out. That's only when you notice larger legs surrounding your form, midnight in color. You don't quite question them yet until you let your eyes traverse more. Clawed hands are gripping your sides comfortably, heat emanating from the contact there as well.  

It's the kind of warmth you sink in after an exhaustive day, sapping away all the heavy weight on your shoulders and securing you in its soft embrace, shielding you away from all that is harsh. It's nice… You lean back further, feeling a subtle rumbling from the rigid wall. Strange, but no matter. All you know is that you're tired, your eyes are stinging, and your body demands rest. 

Just as you're about to bathe in the warmth, a revelation hits you: this isn't your bed. You sit up in an instant, prying away from something's grasp as you scramble away. Adrenaline courses through your body as you pivot around, and it sits there, just right where you were as if it had always belonged there. You see its very claws, and all you can envision is how crimson liquid drips from them, wondering when will that be your blood that it draws. When will those fangs pierce into your flesh? Was that what it was about to do? How long has it held you there? What was it waiting for?

You urge your body to move, to do anything but stare at the thing, but the numbness in your legs protests against your mind. The more your peer remains on the thing, the further you're drawn in by its crossed-pupils–you can't look away. Why can't you look away? All you see is the red, the red of blood, rivers and pools of it that forms beneath your person, coming from you and two faceless bodies that lie next to you–victims of the creature. 

Even though your limbs couldn't find the courage to move, your lips could. 

“Why… why did you kill them? Are you… are you going to kill me too?” You start, rising onto your knees and standing above the creature. The longer your stare lingers, the hotter you seem to get, like an inferno slowly manifesting in your chest. A boldness, empowered by the rhythmic drumming of your heart surges you onward, twisting every strand of fear into something unknown to you.

“Why did you kill them?” You repeat again with a foreign callousness, standing straighter as you approach the still sitting creature. It only stares at you, blankly, emptily, and you've never seen someone–something–with such a punchable face. For once, you are glad that this creature has a more humanoid form; it certainly made any hostility towards it a bit more justified. But for how human this creature may appear, the expression on its face is nothing of one–how can something appear this apathetic? 

A part of your mind lashes against your action, reminding you not to provoke the beast. What could you do against this thing, especially now that you don't have your shotgun? However, with a willful shove, the warning is dismissed in an instant. 

“Tell me! Was the produce you stole not enough?! How many homes have you broken into? How many people's lives have you ruined?! Don't look at me like that!” You exclaimed, your hands gesturing wildly and your face contorting to that of fury. “Are you going to kill me?! What are you waiting for?!”

All the creature does is cock its head, and the mere movement makes you pause. The hare ears twitch and the tail swishes gently. 

Right. It doesn't even understand human language. How could you expect it to? Why were you just aimlessly talking to it? How could it have known? How could you have expected it to?

… How could it have known better?

And suddenly the blaze crackling inside of you is snuffed out in an instant. Once more you find yourself lost in its pupils, only this time you can not see apathy written on its face. Perhaps it's the bleeding heart of a ranch farmer, but before you is only a creature trying to survive. No, it's someone trying to survive. Is it foolish to believe that it was sitting with you out of comfort? And did it spare you out of their own consciousness? It appears human-like… then is it so far fetched it too has its own sensibility, just like other people? 

It's not human. But… It is alive, sentient. Feeling. That does not mean it understands.

But maybe it can. 

—

It still weighs heavily on you. Not surprising, given that it's been a week since you have met the creature… person… thing. It's still too human-appearing for you to comfortably label it as an animal. You really need to give it–them (because finding the sex of the creature is difficult, if it had any at all. Or maybe you just did not know what it looked like. You did not want to know the answer or go searching for one)–a name.  

At night, the knowledge that you house a killer of two people haunts you. Two sides of yourself are at war, though it's largely your guilt festering inside of you. It's this, added with the paranoia that they'll decide to do the same to you, that makes sleepless nights common now. Tossing and turning, just waiting and lying for your death, only to realize that morning has once crept up the sky. Dawn breaks through and by then, you feel like death given the lack of sleep. 

You did not have the strength to shoo them away. And they did not make an effort to leave–they left whenever they pleased. To do what, that evades you, but whatever they did was given how fast they return. You find that outside of eating, the creature lounges about, usually occupying your couch. They sleep a lot. You reckon that it's because they're still recovering from the wound. It had taken you a few days to reassure them that you were trying to treat them, but the language barrier was difficult to cross; bandaging the wound seems out of the question. Besides resting, they follow you, watching your everyday activities. For hours throughout the day, your hair would prick up and for several moments, you find yourself anticipating with baited breath for something, anything that would trigger them to assault you. But just like the nights before, nothing ever happens, and all you've done is stall your routine. 

Unexpectedly, your routine hasn't changed much besides that, though there comes the bouts of unease with their presence and now you have to cook for two (well, more like three, since they can eat at least twice your portions). 

Why did you start cooking for them? You don't know. (Whenever you are reminded that you, in fact, do not live alone anymore, you hear the faint voices of your parents, telling you to treat your ‘guest’ properly. ‘Guest’ is a bit generous, but you did not want to incur your parents’ loving wrath beyond the grave.) But on the day of your encounter, you decide against your instincts and make more pasta than you usually do. 

When the bowl of pasta was presented to them, they gave you that usual chilling stare. They remained like this until you stuck a fork in it and ate some of their portion. That swayed them to take the bowl (with the utmost tenderness, likely mindful of its sharp talons–the behavior had you in awe for a little while) and eat it, digging their face into the bowl and ravaging the spaghetti. You bit back your tongue when specks of sauce and meat flew out, dirtying your carpet. Safe to assume that extraterrestrial beings did not have table etiquette. 

That reminds you, you still haven't quite figured out what they are. You're almost a hundred percent sure that they do not belong to this world. Earth and its animals may have its oddities, but even this creature surpasses all of it in its uniqueness. 

It eases you a bit that they act more bunny-like than their other arthropodic counterparts. It tricks your brain into thinking they are more docile than they seem to be. Sometime during their second day of their stay, they snatched your extra rags and towels from the laundry room before making a nest-like structure on your couch. During midday when you re-entered your home to make lunch, they were curled contently in their nest. Never again have you approached the couches of your living room, nor turn on the television. For all you know, they may be territorial or something. 

As far as you know, they are not predatory animals–odd, given their fangs. All of your animals have never been touched by them, and as far as you know, not a single wildlife creature near you has been slaughtered. Actually, they are not opposed to eating anything. Whatever you have made, they have scraped your dishes clean, and there has been no strange– well, stranger–behavior exhibited by them afterwards. Either they have an especially strong stomach or they really can like humans. But based on their first appearance when they have snacked on your bell peppers, you can assume they lean more towards vegetation. After all, if they were carnivores why do they not prey on the nearby forest animals and instead barge into people's gardens? In fact, if they can eat vegetation, why not eat the wild vegetation, like grass and such? 

They are so close to being human, it is terrifying.

You are no biologist, but many of their features do not make sense for them to possess. Animals have evolved with almost every bone, muscle, fur, organ, and limb altered to give them the best survivability. Rabbits do not need fangs because they eat vegetation, and spiders do not padded feet or even ears since they can sense vibrations. For archon's sake, it has three pairs of wings. What creature needs that many wings? Their tail is a weapon, a freaking blade. The main purpose of tails for Earth animals is for balance and stability, not to be swung around like that. Biologically, they should have neither of these combinations as features, and thinking about how it naturally came to be is enough to drive you crazy. 

…Are they even natural? Were they conceived as is like any other wild animal in their own world, or…  

A croak comes across the table and you glance up from your bowl of stew, your spoon having already sunk into the liquid depths. Damn it. The creature makes the noise again, their crossed pupils peering at you expectedly. You raise an eyebrow and note that their bowl is empty before sighing, picking up the ladle again to scoop more soup into their bowl. They go back to consuming the contents ravenously, clawed hands scooping up the meat and vegetables in their clawed hands before shoveling it in their mouth. 

As the liquid contents drips from their hand, the color flickers, a deeper hue setting into the stew. 

You cringe as specks of the liquid drop onto the wooden table. You bite back a sigh, knowing you will have to wipe the table. 

Damn it, you have had enough with this.

Pushing back your chair, the wood screeches against the floorboards but you pay no mind. You grab a spoon from a drawer, and stomp around the table towards the creature. The creature pauses midchew, turning their head towards you. Cross pupils mark across you, brimming with wariness. For a moment the two of you are locked in eye contact before you break away. You reach over the table to grab a napkin, wiping your other hand with it despite it being clean. Then, you offer the napkin to them. 

Their hand takes the napkin and they still a bit, seemingly confused, glancing back between the napkin and you. Slowly, they mimic your action, cleaning their hands, though clumsily so, likely not knowing the purpose of the napkin. After they do it for a few seconds, they peer back at you. 

You offer it a gentle smile, a bit of warmth settling in your chest. You pluck the dirtied napkin from their grasp, taking a new napkin to wipe the rest of the remains of stew on their skin. They bristle at the contact, but relax. Raising another hand to grasp onto their wrist, you turn their hand to swipe across their palm thoroughly before retracting the napkin. In its place, you place a spoon in their now clean hand. 

When their hand closes around the utensil, the spoon dents underneath their fingers, the handle contorting around their fingertips. 

You gape at the cutlery. That is–was–a metal spoon. 

Tentatively, you pry the tableware from their grasp and replace it with another spoon, a wooden (and less expensive) spoon. Thankfully, they seem to have gathered that they needed to control their strength. This time, they were successful even without your instructions! You assume that they have been watching you and learned to mimic you because they begin eating from the bowl like you do, spoon in hand. After their first bite, they turn from the bowl to you with a placid expression, a wordless question of affirmation. You nod. 

They still chew loudly. 

Despite this, you scoot your chair from across the table to beside them.

Behind you is the scratching of something, the floor it seems like. When you turn, it is their tail, swishing like that of a dog's, and the sharp end of it gently drags across the floorboards. It is an irritating sound, yet you cannot find yourself too upset. 

if anyone has more ideas of their interactions please send through inbox so i can finish this oneshot. i have been banging my head on my desk for months now.

[millermenapologist]

random things i think baby ellie loved:

huge fan of all insects and bugs. joel has to stop her multiple times from touching various beetles, bees, and pine processionaries. one night they shack up in the lockers of an old gym, and the mornign after he wakes up to see ellie try to make friends with a stray scorpion

mice and rats. back in the QZ, she was taught to have a deep distaste for them, told that they'd get into the school's food supplies and ruin rations for everybody, but once she gets to jackson she discovers that they're exceedingly smart animals who make for great pets in case your father-figure weren't to let you get a dog. since she works in the stables, she manages to get close to three of them and names them all, and then starts teaching them tricks. one day joel finds her crying her eyes out because now she feels so guilty for having shot at them with a BB gun, back in the QZ

victorian language of flowers. she finds a book about it little after the disaster of pittsburgh, and reads it all out loud in order to better commit the information to memory (joel lets her yap all she wants because he considers this to be a good distraction from what happened with henry and sam). this is how she ends up tattooing ferns on her arm (protection, secrecy) and bringing blue hydrangeas (devotion, forgiveness, regret), tiger lilies (rebirth), white roses (eternal loyalty), and verbena (hope in darkness) to his tombstone

electricity as a whole. she bullied tommy into teaching her how to do electrical work once she was settled into jackson, and even if her work with it never became perfect, people around knew they could give her a call and she'd find some way to fix the problem with their tabletop lamp and the defective hallway flicker