#i only watched apocalypse once so this could have been better but i hope this will do!

[weapon-xox]

may i request a cherik drabble?

en sabah nur doesn't recruit erik to his cause, he recruits charles, who is still heartbroken after the beach divorce. Charles follows en sabah nur, erik and raven find out and they're devastated + worried + want to bring charles home.

💕

Charles was his messenger.

Arguably, he was the strongest of the horsemen, but Apocalypse was using him as the fucking delivery boy. To send a message out to the people, spoken from his lips, transferred through Charles. Threats, warnings, to the people that their lives were about to become the survival of the fittest.

Let the best man win.

Magneto had been panicked, searching everywhere for Charles with Raven by his side. Thankfully, Hank had caught wind of where Charles was located, and the pair headed there immediately.

"Why would he do this, Erik? It just... It doesn't make sense. This isn't like him. Think he's brainwashed?"

He's still upset, Erik thought, but he kept that to himself.

When they'd reached Charles, Erik felt so many things. Relief, pain, anger, betrayal. Ironic, really, that after all this time Charles would be the one to turn his back on the mutants, the humans.

On him.

"Charles!" Erik cried out, thankful to see Apocalypse was seemingly no where in sight. He wouldn't have long to convince Charles to come back to him, to remind him that this isn't who he was, that he was still the same man that not long ago wanted peace and prosperity between both human and mutant alike.

Charles must've heard his thoughts, because suddenly Erik couldn't move, frozen in place, forced to plead with Charles from a distance.

"Let him go!" Raven yelled, running towards him, but Charles picked her up and threw her hard against the ground, far away from the two.

Charles focus on Raven had made him slip from Eriks mind, and he used the moment of freedom to move closer, quick and quiet, and by the time Charles noticed he stopped him again.

From this close, just feet away, Magneto could see that Charles was crying. Those brilliant eyes, red and puffy, his cheeks colored a spotty red from how hard he'd rubbed at them previously to hide the evidence of any tears. Erik wanted to hold him, soothe him, and tell him it'd all be okay.

Can you hear me, Charles? Erik thought, then added,

nod if you can hear me.

Stubbornly Charles didn't nod, but his eyes flickered away, and that was enough for Erik to keep going. He wanted to look back at Raven, make sure she was okay, but he still couldn't move.

I know you're hurt. I hurt you, I took away something very important and for that, my old friend, i am sorry. From the bottom of my broken heart. I did a lot of bad things, and I can admit that.

Charles wouldn't look at him, but Erik could feel his mental hold on him slip. Good, this was good. He kept going.

But please, my love. This isn't the way to get your revenge. If you want to kill me, then do it, if it will keep the entire world safe from you either getting them killed or killing them yourself, then please. I'm begging you. I hurt you, not the world, me. Kill me, Charles, do you undertand? Fucking kill m-

"ENOUGH!" Charles screamed with a sob, letting go of Erik with his eyes squeezed tight, gripping and clawing at his head, as if that could get Erik out of his mind.

"Charles," Raven coughed, holding an arm to her chest while limping towards the two, her blue body looking roughed up. "We love you, we miss you. Please, let us take you home... Let us help you stop this guy, is this really worth it?" Her voice was broken and rasped, and she coughed again, taking a deep breath in but finding it hard to do so.

"Everything you worked for. Everything we all fought for. What, does that mean nothing to you now? You're angry so you're going to take it out on the people weaker than you?"

Charles groaned, shaking his head rapidly, sobbing. "Get out of my head. Get out of my head!"

Raven shook her head, taking a single step, and Charles had her pinned flat to the ground with a thought.

"She's not in your head, Charles." Erik growled, growing angry, and Charles didn't stop him from stepping in front of him. He didn't stop him either, when Erik pressed a hand over his heart, and leaned in close. Charles let go of Mystique.

"Raven needs you, Charles. Your X-Men need you. The world and, if it still matters, I need you. I know I fucked up, I do, and I can never fix this. But if you come home, with me, and Raven... I will try, so hard, to get you to forgive me. And if you don't, I will leave, Charles. Forever. You won't ever have to see me again, but please. Spare everyone else."

Something switched inside of Charles. Maybe it was Eriks pathetic begging.

No.

No, it was Eriks pleading, for Charles to do the right thing. To remember who he was, what he stood for. Erik was right, he knew this, that if anyone were to be punished it should be him. For all the wrong he's done in this world, for all the people he's killed.

Despite all of Charles' begging. Pleading, for him to stop. It actually made him laugh now, and Erik looked hurt.

"Funny, isn't it? Why, I feel like I've got deja vu..." It didn't take a genius to understand what he meant.

"This is different."

"Is it? You believe that?" Charles laughed louder, throwing his head back to add to the theatrics. "Because actually, I don't think it is. Not one bit."

"I can't kill everyone with a single thought," Erik reminded him, and Charles just smiled, still so pretty despite how ugly he was acting.

"No, but if given the chance you would."

"Not everyon-"

"Ah! Silly me," Charles snorted, tapping a palm against his head in mock disbelief. "That's right, just the humans. That makes you so much better than me, darling, you're absolutley right."

"Don't-" Erik tried, but Charles brushed him off, literally, a flick of his hand had Erik flying back away from him, landing on the ground with a hard thud. Mystique crawled over to him, put a hand over his, and let out a small whimper.

"I think we lost," she whispered, and Erik closed his eyes.

"I think you're right."

[yanderenightmare]

TW: implied nsfw, implied noncon/dubcon, poly yanderes, sprained ankle, captive reader, apocolypse au, talk of fertility, murder of unnamed characters, mentions of potentially killing reader

fem reader

Just thinking about the apocalypse, the two army men who’ve long survived it in their shelter with barely any trouble, and then you, a poor girl trying hard to outrun your last captives only to run into them.  

You didn’t realize back then that it was like trading piranhas for sharks, too caught up in begging for their aid to think better of it. You should have just kept running, but your ankle was sprained badly, maybe even broken, and you were wearing so little you would most likely have died from the cold during the night if they hadn’t taken you in.

It seems unfair of them to have kept the giant bunker all to themselves, only the two of them, but you don’t judge. You would likely have kept it all to yourself as well.

This new world has bred new humans, and they’re all monsters. It’s honestly quite surprising they’d even let you in, given this is what they’re protecting, this sanctuary from the past, a comfort most people would kill their closest friend in exchange for.

Trust is all but dead, and so is honor or any other morality—you would know, you’ve lived out there for it all, only having survived by spreading your legs at the right moments. It’s a shameful tactic, and many times, you’ve wondered if it wouldn’t have been better to spare yourself and just die. What was the purpose?

This—you think. This must be it. They have showers and working hot water.

You don’t know how it’s possible—the original owners of the shelter must have been some type of millionaire. You haven’t had a warm shower since the world went to shit—years ago. It’s been a choice of waiting for rain or finding a lake, hoping it wasn’t rancid. Meanwhile, they have soap—scented soap, the lush kind you’d forgotten existed. It feels so nice you have to cry—rejoice—sobbing while lathering yourself, watching all the filth go down the drain, leaving you smooth-skinned once again for the first time in forever. You can’t remember having ever been so clean before, feeling reborn.

They have fresh clothes for you too—new socks and underwear, all clean fabrics, so much more than what you wore—pants, a shirt, and a sweater to keep warm. You didn’t know there still existed people who lived like the old days—you’d thought it was long gone, a bittersweet dream you sometimes have the pleasure of at night instead of the usual nightmares. Never had you thought you’d experience anything even remotely similar, but here you are—looking yourself in the mirror after so long, surprised to see a human looking back at you.

And they feed you. Not scraps, not leftovers, not rot, or days-old flesh from the last successful hunt—but freshly baked bread, vegetables, fruit—for fuck’s sake, they even have juice. You cry again while eating, and then you find yourself begging them again, “Please, let me stay—please, I’ll do anything. I can cook, clean, work—anything at all, I can do it, just please let me stay…”

You’re on your knees, forehead pressed to the heated metal floors—toasty and comforting, you think you could sleep better than ever right there.

“We’ll think about it,” one of them mutters as he gathers the plates. His voice was so harsh he might as well have said, not a chance. It’s clear by his frown that he’d rather send you right out again, leave you to the monsters.

“We’ll at least let you stay until your ankle heals, so don’t worry.” The other is more sympathetic, helping you up. “For now, let’s get you to bed. You must be exhausted.”

It hadn’t crossed your mind that they’d have beds—actual real soft downy mattresses and duvets and pillows. The two of you help make it together. It feels so foreign that you wonder if you might have died earlier. Some years back, you wouldn’t have thought heaven would resemble a prison cell, but now it only made sense—safe metal walls and a bed. What more could one possibly want in the world?

“I’ll wrap your leg for you if you sit.” He holds out a bandage roll, gesturing to your ankle.

Blinking, you can’t even register what he’d just offered until he’s getting down on his knees before you.

You panic, then. Bandages are hard to come by—it hardly seems worth it. “There’s no blood, you shouldn’t waste it—”

“It’ll heal better and faster this way,” he adds reassuringly. His voice is so soft and compelling that you find yourself sitting down without further quarrel, even when it makes you feel spoiled.

He’s gentle with you—holding you steady while wrapping it just tightly enough to be supportive. There hasn’t been a man who’s touched you like it.

“Does that feel okay?”

You can barely tell he’s talking to you. It’s all so lost on you that you can only wordlessly nod your head.

He fastens it just as carefully before standing. “Is there anything else you might need?”

You shake your head just as wordlessly. You can’t believe how nice he’s being. It makes no sense at all. Not in this world. Not anymore.

“I’m sorry, but I’m gonna have to lock the door,” he apologizes with a sheepish look once standing on the threshold.

You’d been stuck thinking about how warm the room was, trying to remember a single time you hadn’t been freezing during the night. “That’s okay, I understand,” you say. After all, what’s a locked door in comparison?

“Good,” he smiles—it’s likely the kindest smile you’ve ever seen. “Alright then, good night.”

Once again, you’re left stunned. The last time you’d heard those words spoken must have been from a loved one long since dead. It makes your lip wobble again as you say it back, “Good night.”

It's strange—they could have left you for dead but didn’t. They don’t seem gullible—they can’t be if they’ve managed to protect this place for so long—but you suppose there still exist men who have a soft spot in their hearts for helpless damsels in distress.

As you sink into the comfort, draping your duvet atop your battered body, you don’t even care about the camera in the ceiling—blinking red while watching you.

“Did you have to bandage her up?” he grumbles as the other walks into the bedroom after having said his goodnights to you. 

He’s already in bed, observing through the cameras on a tablet—you were currently curling into the duvet, wrapping it around you close for comfort. You’d likely not slept on anything so soft in a while—it wouldn’t surprise him if you preferred the floor. But no, you drift asleep quite quickly.

“You know how badly things can heal without proper support,” the other answers, regarding it as no big deal. “And besides, it’s not like we often need it—we have plenty to spare.”

He removes his clothes and crawls onto the bed as well, lifting the covers to slot himself right next to the other man, who still has a scowl on his face.

“Oh, come on…” he drawls. “She’s exactly what we’ve been talking about, isn’t she?”

The grump doesn’t answer, still with keen eyes watching you, even as you’ve fallen asleep—as if waiting for you to do something befitting a wild animal in a cage. The other’s eyes fall to the screen as well, but he only awes in delight.

“Look at her, already fast asleep,” he purrs while zooming in on your face. “I mean, did you see how she was begging earlier, what she said? I’d do anything,” he continues, almost whining. “So cute, I could have fucked her right then and there.”

The other man sets the tablet aside with a disagreeing sigh. “We’ll wait at least a week for her system to detoxify from the wasteland,” he says strictly. “I’m not touching her before then, and neither are you unless you want to sleep alone.”

The other groans then, flopping down on his back. “Yeah, yeah, you and your safety protocols,” he dismisses before a smirk creeps up his face, glee twinkling in his eyes as he looks up at his grouchy counterpart. “But then we keep her, right?”

“Tch—we don’t even know if she’s fertile. The wasteland could have made her barren as long as she’s been out there,” the other shuffles down into the sheets as well, turning to look at his partner and the awfully keen look on his face.

“So we test her. Give her a medical check,” he says, again as if it’s not a problem, even when it very well could turn out to be.

They’ve already broken quarantine rules by letting you in here—and who knows what your real objectives truly are.

“I don’t trust her,” he states.

The other pouts. “I don’t see what one little lady can do—she’s hardly a threat. And we already purged the group that was following her. I doubt any of them made it out alive.”

True, he had gone out and sent several gas grenades into the settlement. Surely, none of them managed to escape, but then again—

“Pest control only works when you kill them all, and we’ve just let one inside our own house,” he grumbles.

The other one sighs. “Okay, so if it turns out she isn’t as cute as she looks, we’ll deal with her like the rest. But if I’m right, and she really is just a harmless little thing, we keep her, and I get to have the first go.”

Suppose there isn’t anything better to do aside from killing you straight away, which would only have been a waste of food, water, clothes, and bandages. 

“Fine.”

The other grins at the agreeance, humming, “I guess until then, we’ll just have to make do with each other—I've been hard since we watched her shower.” He leans forward for contact but is shut down as his bedmate rolls around with his back turned to him.

“Tch—take care of it yourself.” Tonight has been too stressful to tug each other’s dicks. 

He can hear him whine behind him, but he settles down soon enough.

Suppose it would be nice fucking a woman again. It’s been so many years he figured he wouldn’t need it anymore. They’ve made do with each other so far. But even he can’t deny, once you’d washed all the blood and muck off, once he saw the dewy hue of your soft skin and the silk of your hair, all those plush curves, and not to mention that awfully sweet look on your face—he felt the tug in his pants too.

He'll do a medical check on you tomorrow. He hopes you’re fertile. But even if you’re not, he might give in to the other’s wishes and keep you anyway. After all, they might have many luxuries, but the comfort of pussy is one they haven’t had in a long, long, long time.

♡ BNHA – KiriBaku, BakuDeku, ShinKami, DabiHawks, EndHawks, ErasurMic ♡ JJK – SatoSugu, ItaFushi, SukuIta, ♡ HQ – Miya twins, KageHina, BokuAka, ♡ CSM – AkiDen, YoshiDen ♡ BLLK – NagiReo

♡ FEM x M INSERT masterlist ♡ GN x M INSERT masterlist

[runariya]

Part 2 of this | shout out to @slut4jeon who made this happen part of the prompt game pairing: metro inhabitant!Jungkook x survivor!female reader genre: apocalypse!AU, S2L warnings: survival after nuclear fallout, foul language, basically just smut, jealous JK, oral (f. receiving), a bit of handjob, boobplay, fingering, squirting, a bit of eating out and finger sucking, unprotected seggs, a bit of cock warming, spanking, body worshipping, they are just whipped for each other, rough possessive seggs, JK's a bit whiney, cum shot, lmk if I forgot smth word count: 1.336

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Living in the Metro is, to say the least, completely unexpected. It’s like stepping into an alternate universe compared to the outside world. Not that it’s entirely safe here, with certain stations better avoided, especially when you’re on your own, but it’s still so much safer than anything you could have ever wished for.

What’s also otherworldly is living with Jungkook. It’s not only a luxury but like living in a constant dream. You’d never have believed you’d find someone like him, not even when the world was green, and the skies were blue before everything fell apart. But here you are, living the dream because Jungkook is the best partner you could ever hope for.

There isn’t a single day that passes where he isn’t more than willing and eager to please you to the best of his abilities—abilities that are beyond heaven. If you’re sad? He fucks you. If you’re happy? He fucks you too. And if you’re angry with him for reasons you can’t even recall? He’s usually the one responsible for making you forget in the first place.

You’d never complain, though, and never would you deny him or the multitude of orgasms he grants you day in and day out.

Like right now. He saw a seller at Riga Station, the trading hub of the Metro, being a bit too friendly with you. The man even gave you a rare flower, despite everyone knowing you belong to Jungkook. Hoseok just wanted to wind him up, and you suspect he did it on purpose.

“Sit down,” Jungkook orders, pacing the small room while his jaw ticks dangerously. You obey, clutching the flower tightly, not at all scared but rather anticipating the ‘punishment’ you know is coming.

“So now you’re collecting gifts from every man in—”

“I’m not collecting anything, Kook, he gave it to me volunta—”

“Voluntarily?! You didn’t just say that.”

You nod, biting your lip to suppress a smile as you watch Jungkook spiral further into frustration.

“Are you still looking for someone better? Is that it?”

“You never give me flowers,” you pout dramatically, and when Jungkook gestures with both hands to the wall overflowing with flowers and other gifts, you almost feel guilty enough to stop the game and tell him how good he is to you.

Almost.

But you don’t, because his next words are exactly what you’ve been waiting for.

“Maybe I need to remind my girlfriend who’s worthy of her.”

And as Jungkook strides towards you, ripping his army shirt off, you toss the flower aside you don’t care about. In seconds, he’s on you, crushing his lips against yours, his lip piercings digging into your lower lip as his hands grip every inch of your body.

You’re both naked in the blink of an eye, Jungkook alternating between sucking and licking your nipples while you jerk his perfect, hard cock. The sight of him worshipping your body like this never gets old, and his touch is never the same twice.

“I’m going to make sure I’m the only one on your mind.”

Jungkook’s fingers glide down to your cunt, pushing two fingers inside once you’re wet enough. The way his thick fingers stretch you sends stars exploding behind your eyelids, and the pace he sets, combined with his mouth and free hand still working on your tits, is utterly intoxicating. 

It’s insane how he can fuck you so perfectly with just his fingers, knowing exactly where to touch you. When he adds a third finger, thrusting as deep as he can, you know he’s not messing around this time. The burn from the stretch only intensifies when he rasps into your ear, “I’m going to fucking ruin you.”

“Kook!” you cry as he presses particularly hard. You didn’t know he could be this possessive, but God, it’s everything you’ve ever wanted in a man.

“Scream my name, love! Let everyone in this forsaken hellhole know who owns you.”

“Jungkook!” you moan as his fingers thrust relentlessly into you, his wrist occasionally grazing your clit, sending you even higher.

“Fuck yeah. My goddess.”

Your tits and neck are littered with hickeys at this point, and you’ve forgotten all about his cock in your slackened grip, but he doesn’t care. He never cares—his sole focus is your pleasure.

It’s when Jungkook leans back, looking down at you with his lips swollen and shining, that it all undoes you. Your orgasm crashes through you, fast and hard, and even though he’s made you squirt before, it never fails to shock and slightly embarrass you.

But Jungkook doesn’t let you dwell on that. He pulls his fingers out, licks them clean, and then dives straight between your legs, licking up every drop like always.

You’re spent, completely worn out, but you know it’s far from over. His cock is standing proudly, angrily red and ready for its well-deserved attention.

You’d like to give him head, but you know you wouldn’t survive it after what he just did to you. Jungkook, knowing you too well, simply lines himself up and pushes inside without breaking eye contact.

Every inch of him makes your head spin, especially when he bottoms out completely, filling you in a way that makes you never want to be without him.

You’re confused for a moment when he doesn’t move, and then you catch his lazy, wicked smirk. His hands run up and down your thighs before hooking them under your knees and pushing you further into him, making you moan involuntarily.

“You’re going to accept gifts from other men?”

You hesitate. Should you tease him further or stop while you’re ahead?

“Yes?” you test, but it’s clearly the wrong answer.

Jungkook’s hand smacks your ass, making you yelp, moan, and clench around him, only causing that smirk to grow.

“What was that? I didn’t hear you.”

“I said yes.”

Another smack, another moan.

“You think this is funny?”

There’s something about a jealous Jungkook that hits differently, and despite knowing not to push him too far, you also know what’s coming is exactly what you both crave in this doomed world.

“Yes.”

Again, his hand strikes your ass, and this time you can’t hold back, your cunt squeezing so violently around him, coating his abs and thighs with a new wave of arousal. 

“How about I fuck that ‘yes’ out of you, huh?”

There’s no time to answer before Jungkook slams into you without mercy, stealing any possible words from your lips.

“Where’s your big mouth now?”

It’s gone, completely useless. You can only pant in time with his brutal thrusts, his fingers digging deeper into your legs as he forces you even closer, higher, as you cling to his wrists, tears forming from the overwhelming pleasure.

“Scream my name, ____.”

He thrusts harder, but your voice is stolen, only broken cries escaping your lips.

“Scream!” Another slap across your by now red ass, the only thing holding you together is his massive cock.

“Jungkook!” you finally cry out, so loud you swear it echoes not only through you both but through the entire Metro as well. 

“Again.” Smack.

“Jungkook! Yes!”

“That’s right.”

And with that, you’re gone, chanting his name with every thrust, every drop of sweat that falls from him onto your body. Your next orgasm washes over you without mercy.

You know he’s close, too, when he abruptly pulls out like he always does and starts jerking himself off. 

With his eyes locked on you, he comes with a desperate whine, spilling white all over your body like a masterpiece.

He’s beautiful, your gorgeous, perfect boyfriend.

Jungkook collapses onto you, and your fingers instinctively find their way into his hair while he catches his breath.

“You know there’s only you, right?”

He grumbles in response.

“I love you, Kook. Don’t think otherwise.”

“I love you too,” he grumbles again, voice still muffled, but you don’t mind. It just makes him even more endearing.

“Good, because you’re not getting rid of me.”

[whocaresstillthelouvre]

Golden Walkway

Pairing: Jackson Joel Miller x Female Reader (Reader is a teacher in Jackson, has long hair.) Rating: Explicit. 18+ (Minors DNI) Summary: It’s your birthday, Joel takes you out to the Tipsy Bison, kisses (and does more to) you in the rain, and takes you home to give you a gift (it's sex, the gift is sex). Also, the thought of Joel spitting whiskey in someone's mouth happened and I had to write it out. 🤷🏼‍♀️ Warnings: smut, drinking, consent first, degradation second, followed by so much praise, hair pulling, spitting, Joel calls you a slut, fingering against a brick wall, F receiving oral, I watched that doggy style Narcos gif (for research) a lot, unprotected p in v, apocalypse birth control (pulling out), Joel’s canon age, Reader’s in her 30’s. Words: 4,300 A/N: Hi! Welcome to my first published fic. I'm currently working on a grander scale fic with these two, I hope to have the first chapter out within the next couple of weeks. I just really wanted to get this out there! Thanks for reading and a big thank you to @ohheypedrito for all of her help and also to our phones for not overheating when I send 40 texts at once with ideas for fics. Hope you enjoy, can't even blame the feralness of this on the full moon.

Edit: I posted the Masterlist for Elks, my work these two are included in.

***

“Was turning 21 as fun as they’d show in movies back then?” You’re cuddled in next to Joel on his couch sketching in your notebook while Joel reads a book about Native Americans that you found him. You always do this, a random question or thought to break the comfortable silence.   

“Not for me, bought a 12 pack of Bud Light and split it on my porch with Tommy. Sarah was only a toddler then and I had work in the morning. Didn’t have the money or the time to go to a bar. ‘Course I don’t think a lotta people did anything the way they’d show in the movies.”

“I always wanted to have my 21st birthday at a bar, ya’ know? Wait until the clock strikes midnight and order a weird named shot.”

“Well, I reckon we could do that at the Bison tomorrow night. Might not be your 21st but I’ll get you whatever you want to drink, and the best part is you can drink before midnight.” Joel pulls you in closer and kisses your forehead, “What do you say, let me take you out for your birthday sweetheart.”

“Yes, please,” you sigh into his shoulder, “sounds amazing.”

“Wear that little blue dress I know you have hanging in your closet.”

The drinks flowing through you making you downright giddy, alcohol making you bolder, your body and your inhibitions becoming looser, your hands becoming addicted to touching Joel, first his leg, then his thigh, now his lower stomach, right at his waistband. You haven’t been this tipsy in a long time, your face feeling flushed and red more from your desire than any drink you’ve had tonight.

“You better knock that off before I take you outside in the rain and fuck you against the building, darling,” Joel huffs into your ear. His fiery warning massaging your neck causing your heart rate cooled by your inebriation to pick up. 

“Sooo, keep going?” You slur back. 

“If that’s what you really want,” Joel puts a forceful squeeze on your upper thigh, a layer of your dress laying between his skin and your skin. If you weren’t both sitting at the bar, and maybe in one of the more darker corners of the saloon you’d surely hike your skirt up and let him learn just how bad you want him.

It feels so good to let go with him, to giggle openly at his jokes, stare at his profile as he talks with a friend or two who stop by to say hello, or place your hand on his broad back just because you want to touch his soft blue denim shirt. 

You watch as his tongue darts out and licks the leftover whiskey off his top lip, Joel’s movements becoming a little slower thanks to the amber liquid he’s been drinking all night. Some droplets glisten on his mustache, you fight every urge inside yourself to not lean over and lick them up. 

“It’s what I want,” you respond as you move your hand back and forth across his waistband.

“Jesus Christ, I’m about ready to throw you over my shoulder and run home,” Joel says as he takes your hand into his and pulls it away.

“Not so fast. You told me you’d fuck me in the rain, that’s what I want for my birthday,” you whisper into his ear with a breathy giggle.

“Can’t fuck you out here in public. Small town ‘n all, but I’ll make you feel good,” Joel takes a last swig of his drink, puts the glass down and knocks his fist on the bar to let the bartender know you two are leaving. He leans forward and drawls into your ear, “Now finish your drink if you want me to show you just how happy of a birthday I can give you.” 

You nod and gulp your drink down. You’re so wet, you don’t know if you’ve ever been this turned on before. Joel grabs your arm with the perfect amount of pressure, you’ve never been so happy to get outside into the pouring rain. 

——

It’s absolutely storming outside, your footsteps sloshing in the puddles on the ground. The rain pelting your’s and Joel’s bodies as you walk through late night Jackson. It feels like you’re the only two people in the whole town as you make your way farther away from the bar. The bulbs of the string lights reflecting off the water gathering on the sidewalks making your path towards Joel’s house golden. You don’t rush, the two of you not scared away by the downpour, the drops cooling your burning skin. Joel turns down the street before his, pulling you behind one of the storage buildings, it’s darker back here, practically pitch black thanks to the rain clouds blocking the moon and the nearest light source being three buildings down. You’re pushed up against the brick, Joel’s hand gently cradling your head to block it from hitting the wall, he’s such a gentleman. 

“Happy birthday baby, I need you to tell me you want this, ‘n you’re okay with this, I have plans for you and I need you to tell me you want it.” Joel instructs you, all you can see is his eyes and the faint lines of his facial hair, the rest of him camouflaged by the darkness surrounding the two of you. 

“I want it, more than anything. Please,” your voice straining as you beg. 

“Tell me you want me to have my way with you,” Joel speaks into your slack mouth as he rubs his arched nose against yours. 

“I want you to have your way with me,” you moan against his wet shirt, “so bad.”

“Good girl, now, m’not gonna fuck you here, because I’m afraid I won’t be able to stop and I need to have you in my bed tonight.” Joel starts to move his hand down your body lifting the hem of your dress. “But, you are going to cum for me right here.” Joel captures your mouth with his. His hand starts to trace the outline of your panties, you mew out a cry as his fingers slip through and begin to pet you right where you ache the most. His hands are so big, his fingers so long and thick, always putting the right amount of pressure, moving the way you need him to move. Joel Miller is a capable man, everyone knows that, but nobody, except for you, knows just how capable he is. 

Joel sticks a finger in you, though his finger is thick and feels so good, you need more to fill you. 

“Another,” you instruct in between fevered kisses. Your pussy clenches as Joel pushes another finger in you. “Yessss,” you moan out against his lips.

“That’s my good girl, gotta get you stretched out f’me.” Joel begins to kiss his way down your chin and neck stopping at your chest, your hard nipples jutting through your wet dress. Joel takes one into his mouth, sucking the fabric and your tit deeper into his mouth. The sloppy wet sounds of Joel’s suctions making you want him more.

“Another finger,” you shudder out. “Three? You really want it tonight, don’t you?” Joel mumbles against your chest as he sticks a third finger in. It burns, it burns in the best way. You’re ready for him, it’s what you’ve been waiting for all night. You bite down on your lip as your legs begin to shake, Joel can tell you’re right on the edge and twists his fingers inside of you as he finger fucks you harder. 

Your orgasm bursts forward your whole body going stiff as you try not to wail out into the night.

“That’s iiiiiit baby,” Joel pulls his fingers out of you and softly pets your pussy from hole to clit.

He removes his hand from between your legs bringing it up between the two of you resting his finger tips against your lips, you open your mouth and begin to lick. His tongue meeting yours as you both clean his thick digits covered in you. He takes his hand away leaving just your mouths to taste each other. His kiss turns tender, your kiss turns desperate.

Joel pulls away resting his forehead against yours. “My beautiful birthday girl. Let’s get you home, my gift’s not done.”

——

Your body practically chills with the promise of what is left to come. Joel grabs your hand and you take it depending on him to lead you to his home. Every step you take you feel your wet core heavy with lust, you’re soaked from the rain and from Joel, if you could drown like this, you would go down with the sinking ship. His house comes into view, your body tingling in anticipation at the site as the both of you speed your footsteps up in perfect agreement. 

He throws open the gate, you’re following so close you almost trip on his heels making your way up the walkway and steps. He fumbles for his keys and unlocks the doors, you take the opportunity to run your hands all over his back and sides, rubbing the wet cloth of his shirt as it molds to his body. The door swings open and you both shuffle into his living room gasps escaping your mouths, both out of breath from your dash home and your mutual want for each other. You step out of your wet shoes and shake your hair out. 

“Take your dress off, right now.” Joel huffs out as he tosses his keys on the console table and begins to kick his boots off. 

You strip yourself of your baby blue frock as fast as you can. You’ve never had a reason to wear such a revealing piece of clothing. You don’t know why you held onto it, let alone grabbing it from the communal clothing rack, never thinking anything, or anyone, would be worthy enough for you to dress up for. Joel’s worthy, so worthy. 

“Feel like I’m a little underdressed here…” your words grab Joel’s attention as he moves his hands up to his chest to begin to unbutton his denim shirt. He gets one button taken care of before he rips it open. Shame, it’s your favorite shirt, you'll have to fix it for him later. You watch as a button rolls underneath a table, before you can note where it lands, your attention turns back to Joel to find him stepping out of his jeans and underwear leaving him completely naked. 

What a sight, what a fucking sight. There’s only a lamp on in the room, Joel’s body being cast in amber color and shadow, one side of him on full display glowing in the light, the other more difficult to discern. He moves forward stalking you. “Now I’m the underdressed one here. Take them off for me,” he says as he moves to pick up a bottle of whiskey from his shelf. 

You follow his instructions shucking your underwear down your legs and leaving them pooled at your feet. 

“Good girl,” Joel says as he begins to walk towards you unscrewing the lid off the bottle. He stands in front of you and takes a drink. “Open your mouth,” he orders as he grabs your hair and tips your head back. He takes another pull from the bottle, this time he raises his mouth over your mouth and begins to dribble drips of whiskey down from his mouth into yours. A moan raises from your throat, causing Joel to tighten his hold on your hair and arch your head back even more. He spits the rest of the whiskey straight into your mouth, you happily swallow his spit and liquor down. He unwinds his hands from your hair, takes another drink and kisses you, the whiskey and his tongue spilling into your mouth. Joel pulls back and takes his last swig before resting the bottle on the table. “Get upstairs.”

You don’t think you’ve ever run so fast in your life, tripping over your feet as you rush your way up, Joel’s naked form hunting you like prey up each step.

The sight of Joel’s bed brings a new wave of goosebumps to your skin. 

“Bend over on the bed darlin,” Joel turns on a lamp in the corner and pulls it closer. “Need to lick and fuck you with my tongue.” 

You move over to Joel’s side of the bed and bend forward, your ass sitting high in the air and your face in the sheets, you inhale the smell of Joel on his sheets. You swing your hips in giddy anticipation of what’s about to happen. 

You feel his body lean over yours, his erection laying over your lumbar. “Okay baby, once again, need you to tell me you’re good with me having my way with your body,” he tempts into your ear. 

“Fuck, y—yes, fuck, of course I am good. So good.”

“That’s my girl,” Joel’s heavy body lifting off of yours as he kneels between your legs. You feel his hot breaths on you where you’re aching for him the most, you widen your stance egging him on to touch you. “Look at you,” Joel licks your thigh, “so fuckin’ wet you’ve spilled out into your thighs.” 

You scream a pleasured yell as Joel’s teeth bite down into the flesh of your thigh and sucks your skin into his mouth. The pain is perfect. He loosens his bite, kissing and licking the spot, the sensation making your body quiver. 

“Okay baby?”

“Y-y-yessss,” you answer.

“Whaddo you need sweetheart?” 

“Lick me,” you beg out, “please.”

“‘Course. Where do you want me to lick you?” Joel questions as he nuzzles his head against your ass cheek, giving it a small bite.

“My pussy. Pleeeaaase,” you’d say you sound pathetic but you couldn’t care less, your lust overshadowing any type of pride.

“Mm, you sound so needy baby, you sound like you really need my tongue on you, huh?” His teasing drawl drives you crazy, your body won’t stop moving, absolutely radiating tensity from your want.

“Please,” you implore, sobbing out. 

“Alright baby,” his hands grab your cheeks and spreads them, widening his view of you. “Prettiest thing I ever seen, love your pussy.”

This act feels so depraved, everything on display for him, legs and cheeks spread wide, your pussy exhibited for him like it’s an art piece.

You literally scream into the bed, biting down on Joel’s comforter as his tongue finally meets your core. This, thiiiiiiis is what you’ve been wanting all night. Joel moans against you, not being able to hold himself back as he tastes you, his fevered licks exploring your cunt, his large tongue mapping every inch of you. He’s absolutely conquering you, the noises of his lips and tongue smacking against your wetness soundtracking his journey. 

He can feel you getting close your hips beginning to cant as your orgasm begins to crest. You knew it wouldn’t take long, between the alcohol buzz and Joel’s tongue lapping up your wetness and cum from earlier, you knew you’d be a goner. 

“Mmf, cum for me,” Joel speaks against you, his mouth full of you, too busy to pull away to clearly speak. You don’t think he can get any closer to you, his tongue working your orgasm up in intensity with each swirl and dash against your clit. You feel it, it’s here. Your legs instantly collapse, thankful that the rest of your body is resting on the bed. Your eyes tightly squeeze shut and then begin to rapidly blink as your orgasm shatters through you. Joel flattens his tongue against your clit as it pulses. You’re too turned on to make a noise, Joel stepping in for you and groaning as your juices seep out of you. 

“Did so good baby,” Joel says leaving one last kiss on your clit before standing up behind you. You want to flip over to look at him, you haven’t seen his face since you laid down on the bed. You have no energy, you’re just a shell of a woman, the only sensations you can feel is the pool of wetness in between your legs and your light inebriation.

Your attention gets pulled to the sound of Joel spitting in his hand, followed by a hiss coming out of his mouth. When you realize exactly what he’s doing, you summon the strength needed to turn over. You flip over, your back thudding on the mattress your legs still spread wide, feet resting on the floor. And there…. there…. THERE he is, standing in the middle of his room, one large hand wrapped around his hard cock softly stroking as he watches you with hooded eyes. You know you just came, but the sight makes your pussy clench with desire. 

Joel jerks himself off as his eyes roam your exhausted form. “Been thinking ‘bout this all day. You all laid out in front of me heaving for air after cummin’ all over my tongue,” slow strokes matching his lazing words. “Just about canceled our night out when you opened your door in that little blue dress, looked like you were wearing the sky, baby.” 

You bite your lip as all of your senses are so overtly overwhelmed by lust. The sight of Joel’s handsome face watching you, the hazel flecks in his eyes twinkling in the golden light of the lamp. The smell of the rain on your skin mixed with the heady scent of your arousal and Joel’s sheets. The taste of Joel’s whiskey tongue still in your mouth. The sound of Joel’s fist pumping along his hard cock. The feel of the aftershocks of your orgasm still quaking your body. It’s so fucking much, you need Joel inside you. The thought of feeling him stretch you causes a whimper.

“Yeah baby? Havin’ a hard time over there?” Joel stops stroking his hard length, his hand pauses on his shaft. “You want me to fuck you now?” 

“Pleeeease,” you keen out. 

“Alright sweetheart.” Joel confidently strides over to you, dick still in hand. He stops right at the edge of your feet. “Turn back around ’n get on all fours in the middle of the bed f’me.” 

You follow his instructions eager to please. The sooner you get this done, the sooner you can feel Joel enter you. 

“Good girl,” he praises as the mattress dips lower with his weight behind you.

Your heart is pounding so loud, your whole body thrumming, you gulp down a breath of air trying to calm your need. You feel Joel’s cock brush against your ass cheek, he’s so close to fucking you.

“Sweetheart, I’m gonna fuck you real good and hard now. Happy birthday baby.”

And just like that, Joel buries his cock inside of you, you’re absolutely stretched around him. Your clit already worked over by Joel’s tongue, now your hole deliciously stinging while it flutters around his cock. He begins thrusting, tender and slow full strokes. Entering and exiting, swirling the head of his cock right at the entrance before plunging back in because he knows you love the feeling. Joel’s groans and your cries join in song as he begins to pound faster, the sound of your bodies slapping together match the rhythm. 

“Feel so fucking good, always so perfect for me. S’a good girl, always take it so good,” Joel grits out. 

He grabs your hair and wraps it around his fist as he pounds into you. “No one knows how fucking slutty you get for me behind these walls. They think you’re one of those innocent little teachers.” Joel pulls your hair harder causing a scream of ecstasy from you. “You love this, don’t you?”

You do. It’s so rough, so different from how gentle he always is with you. It feels like a luxury to be treated this way by him. 

“Y-y-y-yes, God I love it,” you whimper.

“That’s right. That’s what I like to hear. So pretty so smart. So much smarter than me, now I’m makin’ you stupid with my cock, right baby?” 

Everybody knows Joel Miller as the strong, silent type, a man of few words, somebody who doesn’t do chit chat. But with you in his bed naked and wailing as he slams into you, Joel Miller won’t shut up.

“Doin’ so good for me. So pretty, so perfect f’me. So wet for me.”   

“You made me so wet earlier, I was afraid I was going to leave a mark on the barstool.” Your words coming out as tortured weeps, so lost in your ecstasy you struggle with every word spoken. 

“Fuuuuuck.” That got him good. He pounds you even harder, the bed frame shaking violently against his wall, your body and cunt acting as if it’s the only barrier between Joel knocking a hole in the plaster. “Had I fuckin’ known I would have made you stick your face on that chair and made you lick yourself up as I fuck you against it.”

That’s it, that’s the hottest thing you’ve ever heard. Joel’s deep timbered accent grunting those deviant words as he grabs you and begins to roll his hips into your cunt. Your body is strung so tight and rigid in all places besides your hips and core, pumping and rolling along with Joel’s as he fucks you. You’re close again, your panting breaths letting Joel know. 

“Baby, if you gotta cum, cum,” his grip on your hips pressure into you. 

“Going … going.. going to,” the only words you can say as your third orgasm radiates out of your body, your pussy is the epicenter, tingles firing through your veins, your hands fisting the blankets at your detonation. Slack jawed and fucked senseless you rally the strength to not disintegrate and fall into Joel’s bed. Your world has been shattered by Joel, but your body survives for him, your legs and arms shaking under gravity and your weight as they deal with the fallout. 

“C’mere baby, lemme help you.” Of course he can tell you’re struggling. He reaches his hands around, clutching your stomach and pulling you up against him. Your back up against his chest, his hand seeking out your breast, the other wrapping around your torso and clutching you to him. He holds you as he fucks into you, his nose brushing against your ear as he puffs and grunts against your neck. “Fucking. Love. You. So. Much.” Each word matching a thrust into you. Your hands find his and grip them, you’ve never felt more loved and protected. Joel Miller has got you.

You feel the familiar shudder in Joel’s movements as he edges close to his climax. His labored breaths getting louder and more fevered against your neck. You’re absolutely wrecked, but the angle of Joel’s cock inside of you mixed with the feeling of the shudder in his movements as he edges himself brings forth another orgasm. Words are gone, just sounds, whatever your throat can muster up and out of your mouth. 

“That’s it, that’s it, that’s it,” Joel repeats. His hands squeezing yours so tightly, his chest heaving against your back, his strong thighs straddling yours, his nose pressing into your ear. You feel his body tense as he pulls out. His release coating your pussy as his whole body surrounds you. Hot breaths huffing against the side of your face in between featherlight kisses. “Love you,” a whisper in your ear so delicate and sweet as he lets go of your hands. Your body falling forward without his support, your arms catching you before crashing down on the bed. Joel gets up with a groan as you lay yourself down on your stomach, taking the opportunity to stretch your legs out before rolling over on your side to watch Joel. He stands arms akimbo in the middle of the room. He’d look like a Greek statue if his shoulders weren’t rising and falling rapidly as he catches his breath. He’s gorgeous and he looks just as wrecked as you feel. 

“Probably shouldn’t have gotten up as quick as I did,” he chuckles. “Damn well feel like I’m standing in the middle of a earthquake.” You love the casual banter he puts forth seconds after being deep inside you, his cum still covering your core. This is love. 

You smile at him, your cheek resting on your hand as a makeshift pillow. You’re exhausted… the whole night and your four orgasms catching up with you. Eyes feeling heavy, matching your limbs you begin to drift off. 

A wet sensation in between your legs jerks you awake. “Sorry baby, just want to clean you up,” a whisper just as light as Joel’s tender attention as he washes you lulls you back to sleep. 

——

“Baby,” Joel’s low voice gently wakes you up along with a soft kiss to your forehead.

You groan as you stretch your sore muscles under the sheet, opening your eyes to find Joel gazing down lovingly at you. He’s backlit by the filtered morning sunlight shining in through his bedroom windows. What a way to wake up. “Happy birthday sweetheart, I’d let you sleep all day but I need to give you my present.” His face is so bright and cheerful, a boost in your confidence provided by just how happy he looks when he’s with you. 

“Thought you gave me your present already last night,” you yawn. 

“Sweet girl, that was a present for both of us. Now come on, get up.” You grab his offered hand and reluctantly get out of bed. Joel wrapping his arms around you in a tight hug, his hands splayed across your back as you nuzzle your face in his warm chest. “Happy birthday.”

A/N: THANK YOU for reading my first ever fic. My inbox is always open. :)

[carlsangel]

HICKEYS

carl grimes x fem!reader

(carl accidentally leaves a mark.)

tags: make out sesh!!!! slight smut.

masterlist here!

You and Carl always planned to wait for somewhere safe for you guys to properly establish your relationship. You wanted somewhere where you could be normal, to have a normal relationship. While that took quite a while, you two having met just after the prison fell, Alexandria was perfect. It was the exact kind of normal you wanted.

Being that your family had left you at the start of it all, the group was your new family. You stayed with Glenn and Maggie, you bonded a bit while on the road, especially with Maggie. You helped her feel better after losing Beth. Also while on the road, you spent a lot of time with Carl. He found you interesting, you remained the person you were after the turn. You were a normal girl.

You weren’t normal in the wrong ways, you were actually quite far from it except the apocalypse didn’t affect your personality in any way. You made it seem like dealing with walkers is just another boring part of your day. You made survival seem easy. He was practically infatuated by you. He loved how you focused primarily on what made you happy, it gave him hope.

He was always so sweet to you on the road as well, he talked to you when you were bored and stayed silent when you were tired. When you guys stopped to eat or find water, he’d drag you off into the forest where he kissed you for the first time. He’d only be affectionate towards you while you were away from the group, you guys decided that you wouldn’t have a relationship yet, you didn’t need any questions about it until it was the right time.

In your guys’ situation it seemed sort of inappropriate. Always on the run, scavenging, looking for water. You were worried no one would see your relationship out. Even then, you weren’t sure you wanted one. Being on the road was dangerous, you’d lost people before and you didn’t want to feel a huge loss.

Anyway back at Alexandria you two were ecstatic. Your activities consisted of reading at Carl’s house, swimming in the pond, or harassing people. Your favorite to harass was Tara, especially when she was on watch. “You guys are so weird, why don’t you go away and make out somewhere?” She teases. Your laughter sort of dies down as you think about that. She notices and looks at you oddly. “I was kidding…unless you guys actually have a thing for each other. I’d rather not know actually.”

So you ended up leaving her alone and going on a walk instead. No one expected the two of you to be dating, they actually felt the exact opposite. It’s not that they never wanted you to be together, it was more that you guys had protested every single time you were asked about it. But you thought that if you were together, it’d be just wrong. So you continued to keep quiet, you didn’t want any trouble.

Later that day, you two had been hanging out in Carl’s room and things slightly got carried away, maybe because Tara had eluded to it but you both had thought about it for a while. It started with the two of you just sitting on his bed, sat across from each other and leaned forward to give small and short kisses, slight smiles in between each one. It eventually led to him leaning all the way over to you, making the kisses longer and deeper. Then, he jammed his tongue in your mouth. By that point you were laid back and he was over you, running his hand up and down your side all while his tongue massaged yours in your mouth.

It got very heated, his kisses got sloppier and he sucked on your tongue quite urgently, letting small moans into your mouth that you could only reciprocate. He decided to move on and he pressed kisses to the side of your mouth and chin, along your jaw and down your neck. That was the first time he’d gotten that far along your body and he loved it. He loved kissing your neck, once he started he couldn’t stop. It was like a fresh obsession. The kisses were soft, although this hand trailed down and you could feel his fingers hook into your jeans where the button was. It’s like he was making out with your neck at this point.

You can feel his tongue and lips assault at your neck, there’s a small smile on your face, your eyes are closed and you just lay back and enjoy the feeling.

Eventually a knock at the door scared both of you into stillness, Carl’s hand quickly moving away from your jeans.The voice on the other side of the door was bright, it was Maggie who was over for dinner. Right, you were having a family dinner.

“Are you both in there?” She asked politely. You responded with a yes, she refrained from intruding so she stayed outside the room. “Dinners just about ready if y’all wanna come down in a minute.” She replied. “Yeah we’ll be down.”

He rested his forehead against your neck and sighed in frustration. He then decided he wanted to get one more in before you headed downstairs. So he pressed his lips to the center of your neck, although he started to suck at your skin, sort of harshly. At the time, he didn’t think of what marks he could leave on you, he’d completely forgotten he could even leave a mark. He simply just wanted to suck at your neck a little longer. “What’re you doing?” You ask, sort of giggling. He obviously didn’t respond but he tapped the side of your hips. After a moment he pulled back with a grin on his face, wiping the saliva off your neck with his hand.

“Was that necessary?” You inquire jokingly. He nods. “Yeah it was.” You roll your eyes at him and get up, pulling him with you. The two of you head downstairs, hand in hand and Carl helps with setting the table while you help with bringing the food over. The feeling of his lips on your neck lingered and you smiled at the thought. Eventually you were all sat and settled in. You served yourself and began to dine when Maggie cleared her throat. “Darlin?” She spoke gently, trying not to alarm you. You were chewing but you looked at her. “Hm?”

She gestured at her own neck, looking at yours and your eyebrows furrow in confusion. You swallow your food and place your fork down to press your neck, feeling a bit of sensitivity where Carl had sucked at you earlier. Carl looks over at your neck, mid-chew when he spotted the red mark on your neck. Everyone was silent and all the attention was on you. She gestured to another area of her neck and you pressed it, feeling more sensitivity.

“Um…” You say lowly, full of embarrassment. Glenn out of all people chimes in. “Are those…”

“Hickeys.” Rick speaks.

Everyone’s body language made it seem like some sort of interrogation. Maybe you owed them an explanation. Apology? If only someone would say something so you would know which one to give. “I heard about this from Tara.” Michonne states. You both look at her and immediately think back to the conversation you had earlier that day. Snitch.

“How long?” Michonne questions, the two of you look at each other nervously, then back at the adults. “Since the road. After the hospital. Didn’t start dating till we got here..” You reply, somewhat ashamed considering the events that happened at the hospital and the devastation that followed, meanwhile the two of you were distracted by each other. “You’ve kept it from us this whole time?”

“Given the circumstances there was never really a right time…we’re really sorry-”

Rick cuts you off. “Sorry? What’re you apologizin’ for? We already sorta knew.” He smiles a bit and your’s and Carl’s expressions are quite puzzled. “Well, we weren’t sure but…we had an inkling.”

You both just sat there unsure of how to continue the conversation. “So you knew and didn’t say anything?” Carl retorts, frustrated he’d put in so much effort to be sneaky.

“It’s not like it wasn’t obvious.”

a/n: hihiiii i hope ur all well, if you didn’t see my msg this is the last fic i’ll post before i get out my last match up! (prob tmr)

from there, i’ll be writing and posting a short series called ghost in the woods, that’s a fem!reader and i like the idea, i have the plot points all written out but idk how long that’ll take, ill be getting requests out as well throughout that!

anyway ily bye!!!

tag list: @zomb-1-egutzz @lunarnightt @ilikestrawberriesandwomen @hiro--aoki @h00d-tr4sh @callsignwidow

[1800-page-not-found]

Man my friend likes to tease me for liking kdj and she drew kdj being alone on his birthday and he looked so sad 😭😭😭😭😭 it was even worse when i realised his birthday was a day after valentines 😭😭😭 can i request reader celebrating kdj's birthday and making a surprise for him or something, spoiling him?

Yes ofc omg xx

its summer so i should have enough time to get through everyone's req yippee

-

Although the apocalypse took a toll on everyone's minds, you never forgot his birthday. How could you? After all, you cared for him so much.

When Kim Dokja first opened up to you, he told you that he never really celebrated his birthday. After all, who would he spend it with? Besides, even if he invited say, colleagues, they would all be busy, after all, it was the day after Valentines Day. Everyone had a lover but him.

It was you who changed his routine, and it was you who allowed him to look forward to tomorrow.

It was supposed to be the first birthday you'd spend together, but then his fantasy came crashing down onto his reality.

He was never the kind of person to hope for something...but maybe...maybe you would remember.

It was fine if you forgot...the apocalypse was more important.

The morning of his birthday, you told him to meet him in an alleyway after dinner for something special. It wasn't really a surprise, but it didn't matter, you remembered. What gift could be better than that?

-

Throughout the day, everyone had wished him happy birthday. Even Yoo Joonghyuk. (Who although actually didn't say it, once he found out it was Dokja's birthday, he acted a little less violent.)

Finally, dinner had been eaten. Everyone was getting ready to take a good nights rest. Kim dokja stood up and walked out.

"Hey! Where are you going?" Han Sooyoung shouted at Kim Dokja. He smiled and turned around. Although she couldn't see his face, due to the fourth wall, it was unmistakable that Dokja was very happy.

"Just somewhere." He smiled, humming to himself as he walked to the alleyway. When he turned the corner, he realized how clean it was.

Flower petals adorned the sides of the alleyway, and hanging lights swayed above him. A small green tent was at the end of the alley, a warm faint glow came within, and Dokja walked closer.

He opened the entrance to the tent, and you looked up at him, smiling with a warmth he would only feel with you.

"You made it." You whispered, beckoning him to sit on the pillow placed on the ground, across from you. Between the both of you was a small square table where a lovely cake sat on top.

"Of course."

"Happy Birthday, Kim Dokja. I hope I get to spend every birthday you have with you."

You place the sparkling candles on the cake, and light them. Gold sparks fly as Kim Dokja closes his eyes, making a wish.

I hope everyone will be happy in the future.

He opened his eyes, watching the sparks slowly calm down.

"I have a birthday gift for you." You reach beside you and hand him a box tied with a ribbon.

He pulled the tail of the bow, undoing the ribbon which kept the box together. The box unfolded, and in it were pictures and memories of the two of you.

"How did you capture this?" He asked, amazed. This was the first time he had received such a thoughtful gift.

"I used an item, Uriel had gifted to me when I prepared your gift."

At the bottom of the box, was a ring. "Think of it as a promise ring. Let's settle down after this apocalypse. I want my memories to be filled with you."

Kim Dokja started to cry, sniffling as he put on the ring. A description of the ring came up.

-

-Kim Dokja's Ring-

Rating:SSS

Description

Part of [L. Name] [Name]'s life essence is stored in this ring.

A powerful being's wish is stored in this ring.

Requirements

Must be Kim Dokja

When hit with a fatal blow, Kim Dokja will not die. [Uses, 3]

Stamina +10

Strength +35

-

"I...I...You did this just for me?..."

"Kim Dokja. You are not alone. The 'Dok' in Dokja stands for reader. Please, don't throw yourself into situations recklessly. We care for you."

"I'll keep that in mind"

"Promise?"

"Promise."

[cxrsed-angel]

I ♡︎ DILFS

word count: 3k

Warnings: smut 18+ only (minors DNI), Daddy kink (kinda expected), established relationship, age gap (reader is between 24-25, Joel is in his 50s), oral (male receiving), fem!reader

A/N: I've always thought Joel was hot but Pedro Pascal playing him really did it for me, trying to improve my smut so I hope this is better than my last one. <3!!

You were going through an old building as a short cut you didn't realize it at first from the decay and rubble, but the more you looked around, you could see that it used to be a mall. You looked inside a store seeing if you could find anything useful when you spot it. It was a sign from fate; you go and grab the shirt and hold it up to look at. Considering what it's been through, it was in pretty good condition, like it was saved for you. You quickly take off your backpack and put it on. It was a little small; you assume it was a baby tee from the fit of it, but you had a long sleeve under, so you were still covered. You hear Ellie call your name and grab your stuff and run over to them. Joel starts walking, leading you out once he sees you, “Took you long enough come on lets get out of here” You see Ellie looking at the shirt, trying to read it.

 “I heart-i heart, whats a DILF?” Ellie asks more so to anyone than directly to her you could see the gears turning in her head trying to figure out what each letter means. 

You wish you could take a picture of Joel's face when he heard that, he turned around so fast, “Where the hell did you find that at” “C’mon Joel you know this is my brand, my whole motto, this is me, it was fate that brought me and this shirt together and Im never taking it off.” 

“Dead I Like, Deadly I-ok I give up what is it” you both ignored Ellie trying to figure out what DILFS are. 

“I can't take you anywhere, how do you always manage to find the most ridiculous shit during an apocalypse.”

 “Hey! what is it, I don't get it.” You hear Ellie shouting at you clearly annoyed, but youre more focused on Joel at the moment. 

“Aw Joel don't be jealous you know you're the only DILF for me” 

“Can you shut the hell up.” You giggled slightly at the clear annoyance in his voice. You loved messing with him when you can, and when it wouldn't put you in danger of course, you added some much-needed fun to his life. 

You finally leave the mall and walk out onto the road; you were so excited about your DILF shirt, you had an eye for things like this. You knew you couldn't take back everything you find but if it was small or something you really liked you took with you like when you found an old hello kitty watch, it didn't work, but it was still cute. Another time you found a Britney Spears poster in decent condition that was currently hanging up in your room, but the DILFS shirt was definitely your favorite after the poster. You were happy to add it to your little collection. 

“Can someone please explain what is a DILF I don't get it and why is Joel one?” Ellie asks for the billionth time, getting frustrated at you both for not listening to her. 

“Its da-”  You were interrupted by Joel his deep voice, a little upset at you for almost telling Ellie, you didnt think it was too inappropriate but he clearly disagreed. 

“Absolutely not youre not telling her she doesn't need to know, way too young for that, Im surprised you even know what it means” he responded, looking back at you mortified at where you had learned it from. 

“Hey! I was born before the pandemic you know” you tell him, reminding him that you’re not that young. Although compared to him, you were. 

“You were what 4, 5 when it happened can’t have remembered much before.” you heard the sass in his voice but you continue trying to prove that it shouldn't be surprising that you know what a DILF is. 

 “Okay, Im not ancient like you but still I had older friends, and we would talk about-” He interrupts you again, staring at you with frowned eyebrows. 

“Please stop there I really don’t want to know what you and your friends talk about, can we just change topics please.” If they told you about DILFs, he really didn't want to hear what else teens talked about in this world. 

“Dude c’mon, why can't you tell me, Im not a little kid.” Ellie says again, trying to get both of your attention and get you to explain it to her. You know now she’s not gonna let it go since Joel told her no. But you decided you’ll explain it later, especially after the whole playboy magazine situation, and she was around the same age you first heard it from your friends so you didnt see the issue.

“Alright from here until we get to where we are headed we are quiet, no one says a word unless you're dying got it” you could tell Joel had heard enough, and considering that you were outside you told it was best to listen to him and not distract him or yourself. 

“got it” “yes sir” you lean towards Ellie. “He’s in a mood today huh” deciding to bother him one last time before you would have be serious. 

She was about to respond until you walked right into Joel, giving you a yet intimidating glare frowning his eyebrows at you.  “alright alright, i’ll shut up.” 

After a couple hours of walking, Joel found a small safe building to sleep for the night, and you had been talking to Ellie until she fell asleep; you walk over into the room Joel was in, deciding to tease him again.

 “Hey daddy whatcha doing?” you call out in his direction, watching as he rolls his eyes at the name. 

“Stop.” he responded flatly, clearly not amused by your jokes, but you decided to keep them going. 

 “What's wrong Daddy does it make you flustered?” You thought he was going to give you another flat response or tell you to shut up. But you were wrong, instead, he stands up and walks over to you, standing closer than you anticipated, you try to step back slightly, but his arm around your waist prevents you from going too far. You feel the blood rush to your cheek and ears, your mouth goes dry, not knowing what to say or how to respond.

“Oh look who’s flustered now, sweetheart.” His deep voice teases you back, having more of an effect on you than your teasing did on him. You feel yourself get hotter, your brain is unable to focus anything except on how close he was and his rough hand around your waist forcing you closer to him, though you didn't mind. You continue blinking up at him, speechless.

“Youre so quiet now what happened, thought you were teasing me baby?” 

You continue to stare at his brown eyes, the only thing you brain was thinking way, wow hes so hot. You look up into his face, taking in his features. The wrinkles around his pretty brown eyes, the scars and cuts around his face. God you always thought he was attractive but it still amazes you how hot and pretty he was. You could look at him all day. 

He wraps both his hand around your waist, pulling you to him,places his lips on yours. You loved kissing Joel. It was rare having him kiss you while you weren’t in the safety of the QZ. He usually couldn’t relax enough to kiss you, needing to be alert and focused just in case. So this took you by surprise but his kisses always made you feel warm and safe, and in that moment, you didn't have to worry about anything. All that mattered was him. 

You wrap your hands around his neck as you deepen the kiss, pressing your lips against his rough lips, closing your eyes as you melt into his embrace; his hands lower down your waist and squeeze your ass, which surprises you so much that you let out a small gasp against his lips. Joel pulls away slightly, smiling at you “youre cute” His actions confused you; you rarely ever are intimate outside the walls, but you trusted him and if he felt comfortable you knew you were safe so you decided to mess with him “hmm I dont daddy youre pretty cute yourself.” 

He guides you over to the makeshift bed, leading you by your waist, making you walk backward, as you continue kissing him, parting your lips slightly, allowing his tongue to slip inside yours. 

 “You ain’t gonna stop are you” he asks he sits down and pulls you down onto his lap; you couldn’t tell iif he seriously was tired of you calling him that or if he just teasing too. 

 “what you don't like it Daddy?” you ask, trying to gauge his reaction you didn’t want to push it too far or actually make him uncomfortable. 

 “I never say that now did I, sweetheart?” again, he confused you does that mean he liked it or that he didn’t mind you joking about it? you stare at his face trying to see. 

Your thoughts are interrupted by him pulling your lips onto his again. But more aggressively than earlier, moaning into his mouth and rolling your hips against him as he gropes your ass through your jeans.

“Joel” You moan against his lips before you lean your head into his neck.

 “Aw baby what happened to daddy huh” you pull away, looking up at him with wide eyes, surprised. Did he like it? You look at his face and see his eyes full of lust, and you realized he liked it. He liked it when you called him daddy. You look down, suddenly getting shy and embarrassed about saying it. It was one thing saying it as a joke and teasing him about it, but to moan, it was different; it was dirtier. 

He saw you getting shy and flustered in his lap, avoiding eye contact with him. Unlike you, he could read you like the back of his hand; he could easily tell you were embarrassed.

“c’mon baby no need to be shy, I can tell you like too don’t you” he softly stroked your waist when one hand and squeezes your ass with the other. you take your gaze off the floor onto him. nodding in agreement with him.

“C’mon baby need you say it, you like calling me daddy don’t you” you could tell he wanted you to say it out loud, his hand rubbing small patterns on your waist encouraging you, reassuring you that you didn’t need to be embarrassed. 

“Yea i like it daddy” you mutter quietly, still ashamed to say in a serious setting. Not quite ready to admit to yourself that calling Joel daddy turned you on as much as it did. 

You didn't think you would like it or find it this attractive. Maybe it was your lack of a father growing up, and Joel being older than you. You didn't know why; all you knew is that once you said it, you felt yourself getting wetter. 

“hmm good girl” he takes your face into his hands, kissing you again; you slip your tongue into his mouth, his deep voice letting out a moan against your mouth. You couldnt help but grind and roll your hips against him, searching for any type of release. 

He goes to lift your shirt but stops slightly, rolling his eyes “Want me to fuck you in the I heart DILFS shirt dont you?” you look at him, nodding laughing a little “you know me so well.” 

He sighs and shakes his head. Although there’s disappointment in his voice, you can tell there’s also amusement. “ I do, dont why I tolerate you” 

 “You love me, cant live without me, I bring adventure into your life you’d be so bored without me.” you remind him why he puts up with you.

“Shut up” he mutters, though you sensed the amusement in his voice because he knows you’re right. As much as you annoyed him, he couldn’t imagine living without your teasing and antics. 

You unbutton his shirt and take it off, lightly grazing your fingers across his chest, admiring his chest and body, you see more scars and healed wounds but you also see his muscles. You’ve always loved his body. You remember the nights in your apartment placing, kissing along his waist, his chest, his stomach. 

You thought about placing marks on his chest but were interrupted by him unzipping your jeans and lifts your hips up to slide your pants off, you get off his lap, taking off the rest of your pants.  You unzip his pants, pulling them down, you stare at his bulge through his boxers and press kisses onto his dick, teasing him through his boxers. 

“Wanna suck you off” you mumble quietly, focusing on how much you need him in your mouth. You weren’t even sure he heard or understood you until you hear his deep voice speak to you, breaking you away from your thoughts. 

“What’d you say darling couldnt hear” You know he heard you he just wanted you to say it louder. 

“Can I please suck your dick daddy” you look up at him batting your eyelashes while you rub your hand against his hard dick. You feel his dick twitch against your hand while he bites his lip, suppressing a moan. 

“Goddamn darling you’re killing me” his texas accent getting stronger as he gets harder in his boxers, you loved hearing his deep texas accent come out as he gets more turned on by you. 

He pulls down his boxers, and no matter how many times you’ve seen his dick, you’re still in shocked at how big he is. You can’t help but to stare for a couple of seconds taking it in, you smile up at him before teasing him licking the tip gently as you lightly stroke him, you continue placing kitty licks on his dick. He shivers against your tongue, and you love it, love watching him fall apart because of you and seeing how much your mouth affected him. 

 You gather some spit in your mouth before you drool some onto his dick. He rolls his eyes back as you slowly stroke his cock in your hand, using your spit as lube. You hear his deep voice moaning as you lean down and lick the tip while still stroking him. You start to slowly speed your hand when you feel his hand lightly tugging your hair making you stop and stare up at him.

 “you’re gonna have to speed it up sweetheart.” 

That was all he said before his hand grabbed the back of your head and forced your lips onto his cock. You hollow your cheeks and take him in further, feeling your nose brush against his hair at the base of his cock. He moves his hips gently fucking your throat 

“Fuck you feel so good” he murmured under his breath, his voice deeper than his usual tone. You closed your eyes as you felt yourself starting to choke on him,he started to thrust his hips faster into your mouth. 

“C’mon baby look at me, look at daddy.” 

You couldn’t help but moan around him at his words, feeling yourself getting more turned on as he called himself daddy. You listen, looking up at him through your eyelashes as you continue taking him down your throat. 

“Atta girl, so pretty looking up at me like that.” you feel yourself getting warmer from his praise, loving how vocal he was, you wish you were back at his apartment so he could be louder without the risk of drawing unwanted and dangerous attention. 

He moves the hair that was falling in front of your face behind your ears “you look fucking gorgeous sucking my dick darling” feeling butterflies in your stomach as he compliments you.  

You take him out of your swollen lips when you start feeling dizzy from the lack of air; you continue to stroke him in your hands as you catch your breath until he puts his hand on your head, guiding your mouth back onto his cock. His deep voice moans out your name under his breath as he gets closer to his release. 

“fuck darling i’m close keep on-yes like that baby god you like this huh like having daddy’s dick in your mouth sweetheart?”

You nod as best you could, trying to agree, but all that comes out is your moans against his dick. You could tell he was close as his started to get slightly louder, but you could tell he was trying his best to be quiet. His deep voice, making your head go fuzzy in arousal. He start making you gag as he thrusting into your mouth faster , sloppy fucking into your mouth as he closer to his release. After a few more thrust you hear him moaning your name as he cums into your mouth. You feel his cum shoot into your mouth and down your throat.

You held your head onto his cock until he finish before you slowly took him out your mouth. He holds your cheek in his hands, lightly caressing them. 

“Open baby girl let me see.” you happily open your mouth, showing how you swallowed his cum. “Good girl baby c’mere” he pulls you onto his lap again before placing a kiss on your lips , softly biting your bottom lip before pulling away. He holds you in his lap for a couple of minutes. you lay your head on his shoulder as he softly rubs his hand up and down your back.

“if we were at home you know i’d take care of you right baby” his deep voice makes you lift your head off of him, looking into his eyes. Before you met Joel, you thought older men didn’t have much of a sex drive, you didn’t know if it was just Joel or all men in their 50s but he proved you wrong. There have been many nights in his room where he would fuck more than one time; the first time caught you by surprise. Of course, you both paid the price in the morning; both sore, aching muscles had to spend the next day in bed, not being able to do much. So you know he would have fuck if you were back at home. 

“Of course i do” you play with the hair at the back of his neck for a little while before getting off his lap so he could put his clothes back on, and you do the same. You didn't mind; you knew sucking him off was as much risk as he could take, and you didn't really feel comfortable enough to fuck out in the open like this. After you both have your clothes on, you lay down with Joel, wrapping your arms around his waist as he turned, pressing your back into your chest, falling asleep. Trying to rest before you’d have to walk back to the QZ in the morning.

[hoshipills]

The world is ending

Pairing: Kwon Soonyoung x fem!reader

Genre: strangers to ???, Angst, Action, Zombie apocalypse, tiny bits of fluff.

Warnings: blood, zombies, death, profanity, Soonyoung gets hurt pretty often, sometimes there is graphic description of wounds but its not too bad.

Word count: 11.5k

Summary: The world is literally ending. Zombies roam the streets, and blood paints the sidewalks. You didn't know how you will survive in this nightmare. Then you met him – a man with mysterious eyes who saved you from a bunch of zombies at the last moment. The survival of one suddenly became survival of two, side by side, every day a fight. Soonyoung knew how to get through, and you realize you might actually be in love with this man.

Note: I am sorry for taking longer than said 😭😭😭. My exam paper was so hard, I had spent my time re-watching hidden love. also not at all proofread.

Comments and reblogs are appreciated!!

Taglist: @kwonshiho @heeseungthel0ml

Your head throbbed with a splitting headache as you groggily peeled yourself off the couch. The nap was supposed to be refreshing, but instead, you felt like you’d been hit by a truck. You squinted at your watch lying on the table.

16:08.

You sighed, lifting your head and rubbing your temples. The apartment was unsettlingly quiet, a silence that gnawed at your nerves. Something felt...off.

Dragging yourself to the living room, your brows furrowed when you noticed your roommate wasn’t around. Her bedroom door stood wide open, the bed unmade, but the room was empty. You shuffled to the kitchen, half-expecting her to pop out with some lame excuse about losing track of time, but all you found was a sticky note clinging to the fridge: "I’ll get some groceries, there are barely any in the house."

Your stomach growled in agreement, reminding you that the morning’s toast and pasta weren’t cutting it. You yanked open the cupboard doors, only to be greeted by an expanse of barren shelves. Great. You’d have better luck finding food on a desert island.

Two hours later, you frowned. The corner store was a mere fifteen-minute stroll and she wasn’t exactly the type to leave that long without a word. You punched her number into your phone, but each ring that droned on without an answer cranked your anxiety.

Grabbing your jacket and keys, you decided to go look for her yourself. The sun had dipped below the horizon, leaving the streets in shadows of the trees. Your footsteps echoed in the silence, each one louder than the last.

You quickened your pace, your eyes darting around, catching every movement in the corner of your vision. Something was definitely not right.

Then, you rounded the corner. You froze.

Zombies.

Freaking zombies.

Dozens of them, staggering around like they were on a really bad bender, eyes glazed over, their slow, jerky movements more terrifying than anything you’d ever seen in a horror movie.

Your body shuddered as realisation settled in.

Is this a fucking apocalypse?

You stumbled backward, trying to remain as quiet as possible. Your mind raced with a thousand thoughts. Where was your roommate? Was she safe? You pulled out your phone again, hands trembling, and tried calling her once more. Still no answer.

A groan from behind snapped you back to the present. One of the zombies had noticed you. It turned its decaying head, its blank eyes looking into yours. You let out a shriek at the sight of its grotesquely ruptured face. It wasn’t the wisest move, you realised it as soon as you saw it move toward you. You grabbed a thick pipe lying on the ground and sprinted from there, hoping that you would make it to your apartment without any more obstacles.

You ran for a while safely but with your amazing luck, you were met with more zombies, hurdling as if they had been waiting for you to arrive. You lifted the metal pipe up, gathering up every bit of courage you could and swung it hard. Blood sputtered and the zombie fell to the ground. You inhaled an unusually large amount of air through your mouth and continued to swing the pipe so that it could strike the heads quicker.

The metal slipped out of your sweaty hands at a particularly rough strike, and you froze in panic. You saw a zombie, right in the corner of your face.

This was it, you were going to die. You shouldn’t have come looking for your roommate; you should have been in your room, sound asleep, not caring about the mess that the world had become.

You closed your eyes, accepting your fate.

That’s when a tight grip encircled your wrist and tugged you forward to run. You opened your eyes to see the man who had just saved your life. You followed his lead, wherever he was taking you .He stopped, scanning the surroundings for any creatures, gasping for breath.You were a little distant from him when you finally noticed the baseball bat that he was holding in his other hand.

Before you could utter a word, he flung the bat in your direction without warning. “The fuck?” you yelped, ducking just in time to avoid getting brained by the flying object. You were about to burst out and question him about his actions but you looked back to see a zombie that just crumpled to the ground as the bat hit its head with a thud. You instinctively moved away from it, right to this man’s back.

He approached the fallen zombie and retrieved the bat, keeping it in hand for later. He finally looked at you. “What were you thinking? Standing in between them?” he questioned as he approached you and you took a step back.

“I thought I was gonna become one of them,” you muttered.

He shook his head. He looked like he wanted to say something but he didn’t. “We should leave for a safer place,” he said and you nodded.

“Where is your apartment?” he asked and you answered without any hesitation, “Just 2 streets away.” His mouth twitched, “Perfect. We are going there.” He looked at you to see if you were on the same page as him. You exhaled shakily and led the way. He followed you with the bat in his hand. You kept your trust in him, after all, he saved your life a while ago. Moreover, in this mess, you had no other option.

You shuddered at the sound of a thud. Another zombie down.

These fucking zombies.

You started walking, this time closer to him than before. Your area wasn’t busy even in the bustling city. Perhaps that was the reason why there weren’t many of them around. You reached your building and checked your pocket for the keys.

They were there, thank the lord. You were afraid you had lost them on the way.

You both took the steps, reaching your flat on the first floor.

You froze for the second time that day and the reason was same.

Zombies.

A few of them, loitering near your apartment door, their lifeless eyes fixing on you with hunger.

He stepped in front of you, gripping his baseball bat tightly. "Stay behind me," he ordered, his voice low but firm. Without waiting for a response, he charged forward, swinging the bat. The first zombie went down with a sickening crunch, its head caving in under the force of the blow.

You scrambled to the door, hands trembling as you tried to fit the key into the lock. The sickening thuds of the bat striking flesh and bone echoed through the hallway, making your skin crawl.

You finally managed to get the key in and turned it, the door swinging open just as he ran to the door, a few zombies he missed following him.

"Hurry!" he yelled, his voice strained. You darted inside, holding the door open for him as he backed in, using his bat horizontally to give one hard push to the zombies. Once he was inside, you and he, together, forced the door closed as they tried to enter as well. With a heavy grunt, he exhaled and slid down the door, collapsing to the floor.

His hand shook, lips quivering as his panting never seemed to end, his chest rising and falling.

You didn’t know why you thought he was some kind of superhero, not afraid of anything. He was just like you. Just as afraid, just as terrified.

It took you time to notice he was crying. Small sniffs and low sobs escaped his mouth. You settled yourself beside him. What could’ve happened before you met him? Before he saved you? How many people he watched turn into the living dead?

“Hey, it’ll be alright,” you said, though you weren’t sure if you believed it yourself.

“I watched them, my friends,” he sniffed, “Only I was able to survive,” he mumbled.

Your heart sank. You didn't know what to say, so you simply sat beside him, offering silent support. The room was quiet except for his occasional sniffles and the distant groans of zombies outside. You both knew that the world had changed forever, and survival was a daily struggle. You couldn’t process much of the situation, given the hurry and panic you were in. Now, your mind is being flooded with worry, realising that you were actually in an actual zombie apocalypse and your loved ones were also in danger. You, however, didn’t let any of it show on your face.

“Soonyoung,” he said suddenly.

You turned to him and blinked in confusion.

“My name,” he clarified. “I’m Soonyoung.”

“____,” you replied, giving your name. He nodded, taking a deep breath.

“What do we have here?” he asked, looking around the apartment.

“Not much,” you admitted. “My roommate was supposed to get groceries but….” You trailed off, unable to continue. He nodded, understanding.

“Let’s search then,” he said, getting to his feet. You joined him, moving through the apartment to gather supplies. You found some canned food, a few bottles of water, and a first-aid kit. It wasn’t much, but it was better than nothing.

You laid your findings on the dining table. “This should last us a few days,” you said, looking at him. He looked a bit sceptical , eyes tracing over the little to no food on the table. Eventually, he nodded his head.

He rested on the bed, his body sore from the earlier fight. You took on the job of preparing two sandwiches with the ingredients you managed to gather. There were four pieces of bread in the refrigerator, and you found a nearly empty mayo bottle on the kitchen counter. Perhaps it was kept there to be thrown out that day. You were glad it wasn’t, as suddenly the last bits of mayo seemed more precious. You squeezed the bottle to get every bit out, adding some leftover corn and called it a sandwich.

You handed him the sandwich. “I am not exactly a chef, just think of it as some gourmet meal,” you said with a dramatic sigh, trying to make him smile as he had been gloomy for a while now. You got it, the situation you both found yourselves in wasn’t the most ideal but a little smile wouldn’t hurt anybody.

It might’ve worked. He smiled as he took the sandwich and bit it, “Mmh, worth a million,” he murmured with his mouth stuffed. You bit back a smile, eating your own sandwich.

You hadn’t noticed it in the chaos but he was handsome. His face lit up when he smiled, reaching all the way to his eyes. There was a strange glow there, mysterious and bright, it made you want to learn about him more.

He continued eating the sandwich, his shoulders relaxing a little as he relished the simple meal. 

You couldn't help but notice how weary he looked, almost exhausted. The bags under his eyes were more pronounced, and his breathing was still laboured. 

He finished his part of the meal rather quickly. You were still munching on yours, slowly biting and chewing every bit thoroughly. 

“ You are a slow eater, I see.”, he said, getting up from the bed and stretching his body. 

You were mid-bite when he spoke, cheeks filled like a squirrel's. His sudden comment caught you off guard, but not in an unpleasant way. You swallowed your mouthful of food before replying.

"Ah, habit," you offered, a little sheepish. "I've always taken my time while eating. My mom always said rushing through your meals isn't good for your digestion."

Silence fell over when you were reminded of your mother and your family’s safety. your appetite disappeared as your chewing got a little bit slower. 

Soonyoung noticed the way your eyes lost their shine. He moved closer to you, hesitant at first but then sitting down beside you on the bed. His voice was gentle as he spoke, his eyes fixed on your face. "Eat up, we need some strength if we want to make it through.”

You nodded, forcing yourself to take another bite. The taste was bland, but you knew he was right. You both needed all the strength you could muster. As you chewed, you glanced at Soonyoung. He was gazing out the window, lost in thought.

“ Soonyoung.”, you called out his name and he looked at you. 

“ What were you like? You know, before all this.”, You asked, finally completing your sandwich. 

“ I am not that interesting. I have a usual job in a company, few quirky friends and a routine life.”, he spoke, his voice low.

“You never know,” you shrugged. “Sometimes the most normal lives end up having the craziest stories.”

“ Yes but mine is as boring as watching paint dry," he said. 

“ If the painting is good enough, I would watch it dry," you said and he laughed. “ Perhaps but mine won’t have that many colours.”

“ Excuse me? Are you trying to imply that only colours make the painting?”, you said and he shrugged.” you can’t paint without colours.”

“ Yes but you know that's not what I mean.”, you playfully rolled your eyes. After a while the room fell quiet and you spent time looking out the window at the moon.

-

It was already 2 am, and both of you were exhausted, your eyes aching for some rest. You had settled down on the bed, watching as he got up and started moving towards the door.

“Where are you going?” you asked, your voice heavy with fatigue.

“To the other room to sleep?” he replied, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“I think it's safer if we sleep in this room with the doors and windows locked,” you said, glancing around the room. He paused, considering your words.

After a moment, he nodded, coming to the conclusion that you were right. He picked up some bed sheets, preparing to sleep on the floor. You frowned at first but then realised what he was doing.

“You can sleep beside me, I really don’t mind,” you said, your voice gentle. You watched his face, searching for his reaction.

Soonyoung hesitated, looking down at the sheets in his hands. “Are you sure?” he asked, his voice cautious. “I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

You offered him a reassuring smile. “I’m sure. Besides, it’s safer if we stay close. Just in case anything happens.”

He nodded, though still looking a bit uncertain. He put the sheets aside and moved toward the bed. “Alright, if you’re okay with it.”

As he settled beside you, there was a brief moment of awkwardness. Both of you were acutely aware of the closeness. You could feel the warmth radiating from his body, a comforting reminder that you weren’t alone in this nightmare.

The silence was broken by a thought that had been nagging at you. You turned to him, voice soft and earnest. “Thank you for saving me.”

He let out a sleepy chuckle, a sound you hadn’t heard from him before. It was unexpectedly melodious, “It was hours ago. Don’t mention it.”

“But it doesn’t change the fact that you saved me,” you said.

There was no immediate response, and you turned your head to see him fast asleep beside you. His breath was getting even and the exhaustion was clear on his face. He must have been really tired.

-

Two days in and the power went off. The pitch darkness in the nights was scary, but not as scary as those zombies downstairs, you rather not open the windows to see them. You both had been sitting in the bedroom most of the time, occasionally venturing to the kitchen for food. Soonyoung had apparently lost his phone while on the run, and you were left with just yours for any information.

But it was barely useful. With no proper signals, you decided to check your messages for any updates or safety measures from the government or authorities.

Your eyes immediately caught sight of a message you had received. "Soonyoung, come here," you called, waving him over to take a look as well.

“ Attention, all survivors. This is an official message from the government. We understand these are harrowing times, and your safety and wellbeing are our top priority. We advise all survivors to remain indoors for the time being. Our teams are working tirelessly to establish safe zones and provide essential resources such as food, water, and shelter. Stay strong, remain hopeful, and do not panic.”, You read it out and glanced at Soonyoung to see his face not amused at all. He looked away from the phone and groaned as he layed back on the bed.

“ Do not panic.”, he repeated, “ How can we not?”, he left a sigh of frustration, running his hand through his hair. 

You put your phone down and nodded along, knowing there wasn’t much you could say.

Four days in and it started to drizzle, adding to the mess.

If anything you have learned about Soonyoung in those four days is that Soonyoung loved to talk, a complete opposite to you who would much rather sit and listen. You learned that he went to karaoke every weekend for stress relief and had an obsession with tigers( he showed you a tiger charm in his wallet as proof). He learned that your favourite colour was lavender and you had a soft spot for kids. 

“ …and I just fell on the grass. There was mud all over my pants. It all just happened in front of her and she didn't talk to me for the next 5 days.”, he pouted slightly. 

You chuckle at his face, finding it a bit too cute for your liking. 

He finally finished his yap of the day and rested on the bed, waiting for you to sleep as well but your mind was occupied by the fact that the small drizzle was growing into a thunderstorm and you were freaking terrified of thunderstorms.

You tried to play it off cool, smiling like usual and made your way to the bed and slept beside him, taking in a deep breath. 

Your hands slightly tremble around the blanket on top of you, you pull it further up your face, hoping it would mollify the sounds of the thunder. 

he turned his body to face you and asked, “ Afraid of thunder, are we?”

You shook your head and closed your eyes tightly. The first thunder hit and you practically flew out of the bed by the way you got up, opening your eyes. You pressed your lips into a thin line, glancing at Soonyoung who gave you a blank stare. 

“ Yeah, totally not afraid.”, he muttered, voice dripping with sarcasm.

You tried to smile, but it came out more like a grimace. “It’s silly, I know.”

“It’s not silly,” he said, getting up and you were taken aback by how sincere he sounded.  “We all have things that scare us.”

You appreciated his attempt to comfort you, but the next clap of thunder had you jumping again. He sighed, moving closer to you, slightly wrapping his arm around your shoulder, “ Is this okay ?”, he asked. 

You didn’t bother responding as you wrapped your arms around him tightly. He tightened his grip as well, slowly laying down so that both of you could drift off to sleep. 

You felt so safe under his touch, it surprised you. He was gentle with every stroke he gave to your shoulder, mumbling sweetly into your ear that everything was going to be fine. For a moment, you forgot about the zombies and the thunder, all the fears and worries vanishing. It was just you and him, it created an unknown fuzzy feeling in your chest. 

Six days in and you reached your final stage of grief: acceptance. You both now just laid on bed, staring at the ceiling that suddenly seemed interesting. Even Soonyoung ran out of his rants which was getting weird as you were getting used to it.

Soonyoung opened his mouth finally, “ There is a guitar in the other room, is it yours?”, he asked and you turned your face to him, who was looking at the ceiling intensely. “ No, my roommate’s," you reply, returning your gaze to the ceiling.

“ Musician?”

“ No, a hobby.”

You saw him nod from the corner of your eye. 

After a pause, he spoke again, “ Can I play it?”

You turned your head to look at him, seeing a spark of curiosity in his eyes. "Sure, why not?", you said. "It's not like we have much else to do."

Soonyoung got up from the bed and went to the other room, returning shortly with the guitar in his hands. He sat down on the bed, in front of you, a bit closer than usual. He strummed a few chords, tuning the instrument until it sounded just right.

You watched him, fascinated by the way his fingers moved effortlessly over the strings. "Do you play often?" you asked, genuinely curious.

He smiled, a bit shyly. "I used to but later got busy with life."

You nodded, understanding. "Play something," you encouraged.

He started playing a familiar tune of a song and you quietly hummed along.

He began to sing. His voice was more huskier and deeper when he sang and you liked it. You could tell he loved music. He had a faint smile on his lips as his fingers moved on the guitar strings. You closed your eyes to feel the rhythm more.

When he finished, you opened your eyes and saw him looking at you, a small smile on his face. "That was beautiful," you said softly.

"Thanks," he replied, setting the guitar aside. His gaze was fixed on you and you stared back. There was something about his eyes that pulled you in. You even noticed it in the past few days when he rambled. His eyes were so expressive, a glow always lingered in there no matter what. 

He slightly hummed the song he sang before, back to his position of laying on the bed. You blinked, forcing yourself to look away. There was a flutter in your chest for a reason you couldn’t figure out why. You have been trying to ignore that feeling for a while. Is it the growing affection for him for being by your side or is it because you simply found him attractive? With the world as it was, figuring out feelings was definitely not on your to-do list.

Eight days in and you were drowning in boredom. Soonyoung said it was actually nine days but it didn’t matter. What really mattered was the decreasing amount of food in the kitchen and the increasing amount of worry in your head. 

You have been eating very conservatively, you were sure that you even skipped eating for a day, but the food was just not sufficient.

You both knew that in a day or two, you must go outside to get some food but both of you haven't talked about it yet. He instead began practising taekwondo kicks and you wondered how many talents that man had up his sleeve. You weren’t complaining because it was quite entertaining to watch him.

You sat on the edge of the bed, watching Soonyoung nail yet another perfect kick. You’d lost count of how many times he’d practised that move, but it still made you smile a little.

“Does it ever get boring?” you asked, half-joking, half-serious.

Soonyoung paused, wiping the sweat from his brow with a grin. “Boring? Never. But, you know what is getting boring?” He pointed to the almost empty kitchen. “Pretending we’re not running out of food.”

You sighed, glancing over at the nearly empty shelves. “Yeah, I guess ignoring it isn’t working anymore.”

He dropped down beside you, “We’re gonna have to go out there, aren’t we?”

“Looks like it,” you replied, though neither of you moved. A few more moments of silence passed before you finally stood up, heading to the closet.

“What are you doing?” Soonyoung asked, curious.

You pulled out a big bag, throwing it over your shoulder with a smirk. “Getting ready. This is for all the food we’re about to haul back.”

He let out a laugh, “Optimistic?”

“You have to be,” you shot back, smiling despite the nerves creeping in.

He shook his head, still smiling, and stood up to join you. “Alright, let’s do this.”

-

Soonyoung took the lead as you both stepped out into the street, the big bag slung over your shoulder. You gripped the handle of the bat in your hand, ready for anything.

“You sure you’re ready for this?” Soonyoung asked, glancing back at you with a mix of concern and teasing.

“More ready than you are,” you counter, trying to keep the mood light.

“Is that so?” he grinned, raising an eyebrow. “We’ll see about that.”

As you rounded a corner, the grocery store came into view. Soonyoung signalled for you to stop. A handful of zombies milled about near the entrance, oblivious to your presence—at least for now.

“Great, just what we needed,” you whispered.

Soonyoung’s expression grew serious. “Alright, quick and quiet. Let’s get this done.”

You both moved closer, and the first zombie turned toward you, letting out a low groan. That was all it took to alert the others.

“Here we go,” Soonyoung muttered, stepping up to take the lead.

You moved inside the store as he distracted the zombies. The first thing you saw was a piece of clothing lying on the ground. You ignored it and moved to shelves that had some chips packets. You shoved them all inside. 

You heard a zombie groan that made you shiver. There were zombies even in the store as well? You groaned in annoyance before running from there to the fridge where it had a stack of water bottles. You put them inside as well. 

You looked back to see Soonyoung in the store now, facing four zombies.

His hands gripped the shelf of paper towels by the edge and pushed downwards which made the four zombies crush beneath it. You gasped at the sight of blood spreading near your leg. You jumped through it to grab the 2 cereal boxes on the opposite shelf. It was fruit loops, not a bad cereal to eat as a meal, right? You still shoved the boxes into the bag, ignoring all sorts of questions.

You moved forward to other shelves, hoping to find any other proper edibles. Your eyes caught hold of the huge pack of crackers. That one pack alone could handle your hunger for a week. You lounged towards it but another zombie came from the corner, ready to attack. Taking the broken piece of shelf from the ground, you continue to go in the way- you weren’t ready to give that pack up. 

You balanced the bag in your one hand while using the other to hit the zombie with the broken piece, landing both your weapon and the zombie on the ground. Your hand reached the pack of crackers, admiring the delicious snack for a bit, you put it in the bag, already feeling the bag getting too heavy. Your hands could barely manage the weight of the bag, you kept everything you could, everything you found to be not damaged. You swung over your shoulder, eyes scanning your surroundings for Soonyoung, so you could go back to your house. 

He was at the far end of the aisle, fighting off two zombies. He was cornered between them and a rack of rice flour, looking desperate. One zombie had its grubby hands around his neck, and you shouted in panic. The noise distracted the zombie just enough for Soonyoung to push it away and try to slip through a gap between the zombie and the shelf.

You dropped the food bag and grabbed a heavy package of grains, hurling it at the zombie. It went down with a thud, and Soonyoung stumbled into view. Your heart dropped at the sight of him—blood seeping through his shirt and pooling around his stomach. The sharp edge of the shelf had torn his shirt and sliced into his torso.

Panic surged through you. You dropped to his side, your mind racing. “Soonyoung!” You called, but he was barely conscious, cursing under his breath as he gripped his stomach. His eyes were tightly shut and he put his arm on your shoulder for support.

You barely registered the food bag as you frantically checked the wound, your hands trembling. Blood was flowing too quickly, and you needed to do something—anything—to stop it.

The torn piece of cloth before crossed your mind. “ Soonyoung, wait for me?”, you said softly before getting up and running to the aisle you saw earlier. The cloth was still lying on the ground, and you thanked the gods for not letting it cover with any zombie blood.

You tied the piece around his stomach, pressing it tightly to avoid blood loss. He hissed in pain, his hands turning into fists to control himself from being loud. The last thing you would want is to attract the attention of the zombies. The cloth got stained red as well, but it was the best you could do under those circumstances. You helped him stand up, knowing you have to find a more closed and safe place for him to heal. 

You could feel your eyes becoming watery, your one hand holding the food bag and the other supporting him to walk outside. You saw a zombie at a distance. You took a deep breath, preparing to drop the food bag and find a way to deal with the zombie, but before you could act, you heard a whoosh and a sickening thud.

The zombie collapsed, its head crumpling under the force of a bat. You turned your head to see a man- probably younger than you with his boyish face. 

He strode towards you, “ are you guys okay? "he asked. He seemed to realise how stupid the question was when he glanced towards half- conscious Soonyoung leaning on you. “ shit.”, he muttered under his breath before turning his head to look around, “ uhm, follow me.”, he said as he picked up the bat from the ground, safely guarding while leading towards a path you weren’t sure of. Visibly, Soonyoung was getting weaker every passing second and you tried your best to take more steps. There were a few zombies along the way which the guy managed to hit successfully. It didn't take him more than 1 strike to take them down and it wasn’t a surprise seeing his buff arms. You finally reached a place. It was a café, ‘ coffee beans’, the board read. There were huge windows which were covered by curtains and the lights around it were broken. The guy knocked on the door of the café and a woman peeked out to see who it was before opening it fully, she frowned upon seeing us behind him. The guy didn’t give her enough time to reach before allowing himself inside and gesturing to you to come inside as well. 

You did, adjusting the bag on your shoulder. He closed the door behind you and you were met with stares of about 20 people, some of them were in uniform by which you could tell they were the staff. 

“ Chan, you were only sent to bring water. Who are they?”, the girl who opened the door spoke to which a few people nodded. “ Send them out immediately.They seem infected”, a man spoke hastily as he gave a nasty look to both of you. 

“ Oh, Mr.Yoon, they are no danger.” Chan tried to speak but Mr.Yoon only gave an angry glare, “ I am the owner, I can decide who stays and who doesn’t”, he said and for a minute you were afraid you were actually going to be sent out. 

Chan stepped forward to him, “ Mr.Yoon, he clearly needs help. I have a plan.”, he tried to persuade him. Mr.Yoon was about to throw a comment but Chan cut him off, “ They could stay in the store room until tomorrow morning. If they turn, we’ll be safe as the door will be locked. If not, we can help them out.”

The cafe owner looked sceptical. ” we can’t just-”, an old lady began.

“ I have food and water in this bag.”, you said, hoping it would convince everyone. They all seemed defeated at that and there were a few murmurs before they agreed. 

Chan led you to the storeroom. “ Can I get a first aid kit?”, you asked when you reached the storeroom. Chan excused himself somewhere before returning with a kit. “ Just take what's needed. If something happens, we need the kit, right? There is only one.”, he said and you didn’t object, taking a long roll of bandage, cotton and antibiotic cream. He also handed you a water battle to which you could only look at him gratefully. You stepped inside with Soonyoung on your side. The door was closed behind you. The room was like a typical storeroom, with boxes of unused supplies stacked away, a small window which allowed some evening light inside. There was a bulb as well, but it barely produced light. There was a mop aside and the thing that crossed your mind was how good of a weapon it would be. 

You quickly laid Soonyoung on the floor, leaning him against a wall as you removed his shirt and the piece of cloth you tied around his wound. You left a shaky breath at the sight of his blood covered torso.

He winced loudly when you started to clean his wound, his mind clouded with pain. He half opened his eyes, keeping his focus on your face. 

“I’m alive?”, he mumbled as he tried to smile. “ Keep quiet.”, you replied, reaching for the antibiotic cream. He reached to grip your free palm tightly as you started to apply the cream to his cleaned wound. He left a loud yelp.

“I am sorry.”, You mumbled while still focusing on the wound, “ I am so sorry.”

You could only imagine how it hurts. The wound wasn’t too deep but it was big. It stretched from the side of his lower abdomen, curving upward to just beneath his ribcage.

You quickly rolled the bandage over the cut and dressed it. 

He left a groan as he tried to sit more properly but you stopped him by gently placing your hand on his shoulder. “ I didn't know you could do this.”,he left a pained laugh and you settled yourself beside him before replying, “ I just know the basics. I guess I did well enough under pressure.”, you said and felt his hand grasp yours slowly. You didn’t refuse the touch, holding his hand back.

“ I feel better.”, he said, barely moving his lips.” Thanks.”

You shook your head in response, “ It was the least I could do.”

He stayed quiet after that, drifting off to sleep as his head laid on your shoulder.

The morning you woke up with the sunlight hitting your eyes through the window. You shuffled on the ground, holding soonyoung’s head to rest it on a box beside instead. You noticed how you were still holding hands. Your cheeks grew hot slightly as you separated your hands, standing up to knock on the door.

After a while, a voice spoke through it, “ Hello?” you recognised the voice to be Chan's.

“ We are fine.”, you replied and the door opened. Chan’s eyes scanned the both of you, sighing in relief to see neither of you turned.

“ I think he needs rest.”,you said, eyes trailing over the dressed wound.

Chan nodded in agreement, before leading you outside for some food. You ate some bread and that was enough to fill your stomach. As it was a cafe, they said they had enough coffee so you were offered a cup as well. You drank it gladly, savouring the flavour after a long time.

Chan sat in front of you and there was a small girl beside him. “ This is my niece, Yerim”, he said. 

You were surprised to see that she actually gave a blinding smile to you. You couldnt help but smile back, bending down to introduce yourself, “ I am ___”, you said.

“ Hello.”, she said shyly, scooting closer to her uncle. She stood quietly as Chan started speaking, “ Don't worry about others, they will come around.”

You nodded, remembering the weary looks you received that morning. “ By the way, thanks for bringing us here.”, you made sure to thank him and he just laughed, “ No big deal. I did what felt right.”

“ So this cafe..”, you began and chan immediately caught on your doubt.

“ Ahh, when zombies broke out, the customers here and the staff, we locked everything when we saw it. The cafe owner was also here yesterday, you…uh…met him yesterday, Mr.Yoon.”, he said and you nodded in understanding. You were just grateful they let you stay.

It was afternoon when Soonyoung woke up. Chan helped you get him to one of the tables. He ate a few crackers and drank a can of juice. 

Soonyoung didn’t speak much as he went back to resting in the storeroom again. 

It took him a few days to heal. You just spent the time sitting with Yerim who grew more talkative as time passed. She kind of reminded you of Soonyoung by the way she ran her mouth continuously. 

As soon as Soonyoung began to recover, he started moving around the café in an overshirt Chan had given him, which he wore buttoned up as a makeshift shirt. Unlike you, he talked with everybody and nobody gave you those weary looks anymore. 

They all grew fond of Soonyoung, except that cafe owner- who wasn't much fond of anyone anyway. He quickly became one of the people who helped around, making sure everyone ate.

The only people you talked to were Chan and Yerim. You sometimes helped Soonyoung. When you weren’t helping, you took care of Yerim as Chan went to help instead.

Apparently nobody used the storeroom, so you made it your personal space. Soonyoung and you alone went in there at night to sleep or to talk. He was back with his rants and you almost squealed in excitement. You missed them too much for your own sake and you think you could listen to him talk for years straight. 

Everybody finished their dinner, getting ready to sleep. Some slept on tables or chairs, some on the ground as they used curtains as bed sheets.

You found yourself in the storeroom, waiting for Soonyoung to come. You peeked into the box in boredom. Your eyes caught an old, ornate box half-buried under some crumpled newspaper. You pulled the box out and wiped off the layer of dust. It was a music box. A feeling of nostalgia filled your insides, remembering your childhood days when one of these laid around in your house.

The box’s latch was rusty but still functional. You carefully opened it, and a soft, melodious tune began to play. A smile spread across your face. You listened to the sound intently when soonyoung walked in, gasping slightly as he saw what was in your hand.

“I haven’t heard a music box in years.”, he said, crouching down to look at it. You handed it over to him and he carefully studied it.

“ It's definitely an old model, probably my grandma owned one like this.”, he said and you chuckled. 

He abruptly got up after placing it on the ground, moving his hips in a way that made you laugh, “ are you seriously dancing?”, you asked though you wouldn't really call whatever he was doing a dance. 

“ You wanna join?”, he said, stretching his hand forward for you to grab. You looked at his hand and then his face. There was a warmth in his eyes, a sincerity that made it hard to resist. You took his hand, allowing him to pull you gently to your feet.

The two of you started to sway together, your movements tentative at first, trying to match the rhythm of the music box. Soon, you found yourself laughing and moving more freely.

“See? Isn’t this fun?” Soonyoung said, his voice bright and cheerful as he twirled you around slightly.

You laughed again, the sound mingling with the melody. “Definitely fun. I forgot how nice it feels to just... let go.”

As you danced together, you couldn’t help but notice how natural it felt to be close to him. It was so easy for him to make you laugh and make you feel at ease. 

-

You honestly don’t know how you ended up in this position. The morning sunlight filtered through the small window, casting a warm glow over the storeroom. There you were, cuddled up against Soonyoung. His arms were wrapped around you tightly, his head nestled in the crook of your neck, snoring quietly. You tried to shift, but his hold on you only tightened. All you remember was closing the music box and falling asleep together on the floor.

Soonyoung stirred beside you, his breath warm against your neck. He blinked groggily, the confusion of waking up in such an intimate position slowly turning to realisation. His eyes widened as he registered where he was, and he pulled away slightly, his cheeks flushing a deep red.

“Oh,” he said, “Uh, good morning?”

You looked up at him, your own cheeks heating up. You tried to form a coherent response, but all that came out was a nervous laugh. “Good morning,” you managed, your voice soft and awkward.

Soonyoung fumbled to get up but ultimately remained seated, his face still flushed. “I didn’t mean for—” he started, but his words stumbled. “I guess we just... fell asleep.”

You nodded, trying to regain your composure. “Yeah, I guess so.”

The two of you sat there for a moment, the silence only filled with Soonyoung’s continued attempts to smooth down his dishevelled hair.

“ uh, I will go check up on Yerim.”, You said before getting up and rushing out the room before it could get any more awkward. 

-

After breakfast, you watched Soonyoung. He was helping Chan and Yerim with some supplies, moving around the cafe.

Soonyoung was digging through a box of canned goods, chatting away and laughing at whatever Chan was saying. He looked completely at ease, like he was born to bring a bit of brightness to any situation. He even took a moment to playfully ruffle Yerim's hair when she handed him a can.

You leaned against the counter, just observing. Everything he did felt so familiar.

How long have you known him? A month or two? But why didn't it feel like it? 

It felt like you have known him for years, as if you grew up with him in the same neighbourhood, skipping stones in the small pond near your house and swinging till the evening shadows faded into the dim lights of the park.

Maybe it was you in your previous lives or a parallel universe- if they ever existed. But you knew there was some connection. It lingered in your heart, you couldn’t tell what it was but it was there and you could say that with your whole chest.

Your thoughts were interrupted when he looked in your direction to make eye contact. He winked at you as he caught you staring. You rolled your eyes in an attempt to conceal your flared cheeks.

He laughed before going back to his business. 

The day ended and all that replayed in your mind was the way he winked in your direction. That night you ate a packet of chips for dinner and as usual, waited for him in the storeroom. He bought himself a packet of chips as he didn't eat anything yet, plopping himself beside you on the ground.

His face shone in the light of the dusk, hands carefully tearing open the packet of chips—none of it going to waste. He looked at you with those eyes. Those eyes that glossed more than they ever did, lips slightly apart.

He was beautiful.

And no, you didn't mean beautiful like the rain but beautiful like the storm before it. Not like the sunset but the wildfire burning through the night.

He was breathtaking.

"____, you are staring," he said, tossing a few chips into his mouth.

You didn’t respond. It didn’t feel necessary, and he didn’t seem to expect an answer either. Your gaze trailed to his lips as he chewed on the food.

The world was literally ending and all you wanted to do was kiss him. You wanted to hold him so close to your body, limbs tangled, and your hands running through his hair.

He swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly, and you felt your heart skip a beat. "Are you okay?" he asked, slightly concerned that you weren’t even talking, just staring at him in silence.

You nodded, but the truth was far from simple. How could you explain the wave of emotions raging inside you? How could you put into words the way his presence ignited a spark in your chest?

"Yeah, just... thinking," you managed to say, your voice barely above a whisper.

He chuckled softly, a sound that sent shivers down your spine. "Thinking about what?"

You, you wanted to say, let him know how much you craved him but you couldn’t. The words died in your throat. "Nothing in particular."

He crumpled the empty packet, throwing it beside him. He softly smiled and leaned back further into the wall. He looked almost ethereal, and it took every ounce of your self-control not to reach out and touch him.

He frowned slightly, his gaze on your shoulder. He brought his hand to dust something off from there and that was the last straw. You closed the distance between you, your lips pressing softly against his. But quickly, you pulled away. What have you done? He might have already been thinking you were a creep, and now you made a move which confirmed that.

"I'm sorry," you whispered, your voice trembling. "I- I shouldn't have done that."

"It's okay," he said softly, his voice tender. "We're both just… touch-starved."

You freeze for a millisecond but then quickly shake your head, your eyes locked onto his. "No," you said firmly, feeling a wave of frustration, why would he even think so? Sure, you didn’t put the way you felt for him in words but wasn’t the way you stared at him enough? Like he was the only person you ever wanted to look at?

"I didn’t kiss you because I was touch-starved."

He remained quiet, his eyes searching yours, waiting for you to continue. "I would never kiss someone just because I'm touch-starved," you paused, "or because I am bored." He looked away, processing your words. The tension could literally be felt in the air, every moment stretching out like an eternity. Something seemed to hit in his mind. He pressed his lips together, hesitant to speak the words swirling in his mind.

“Then tell me,” he finally said, his voice almost pleading. “Tell me you meant that kiss.”

He shifted his gaze to you, and suddenly you felt nervous under him. Your teeth grazed your bottom lip slightly and you swallowed a bit, gathering your words.

"Soonyoung, I—" Before you could finish, he pulled you into a kiss, this one more passionate, more desperate. His arms wrapped around you, pulling you close as if he couldn't bear to let you go. You melted into his embrace, your hands tangling in his hair, his locks as soft as you had imagined. His hand made its way to your face and he held it gently, trying to bring your face closer than it already was.

He pulled away just to lean in once again, this time going for your neck and gently grazing his teeth against the skin there. You gasped at the sudden feeling.

His mouth immediately zeroed in on the area where you gasped, gently nipping and sucking the tender skin there. The feeling of his hot, wet kisses against your neck was intoxicating and he pressed his body even closer to yours. His one hand rested on your shoulder, the other tightly gripping your hip.

You closed your eyes and threw your head back, giving him more space to kiss easily.

A surge of shouts engulfed your ears. He pulled away immediately at the sound, hyper-aware of the shouts that were coming in from the other room. Your mind couldn't even process the loss of touch due to how loud the sounds were. You thought a zombie might have attacked. You were about to stand up when he pressed his hand on your shoulder to let you stay in place. If anything happened, he wanted you to be the last one to get hurt.

Just a minute ago, his face was filled with passion and intensity you had never seen before. Now his expression was replaced by a much more serious one. He got on his knees to check through the small opening of the door and your speculations were confirmed by the way his face fell into panic, his hand moving to grasp your hand.

He looked over at you and you understood what he meant.

Time to run, again.

There was no use sitting in the room forever. Sooner or later you must go outside and you let that be this time.

He swiftly got up from his position, moving urgently as he held your hand tightly, pulling you up. His hand gripped the door knob, pushing the door open. It drew some attention, a zombie twisted its head towards you. Soonyoung’s grip tightened on your hand. He pulled you along with him to run forward.

You both halted when you realised that there were more zombies than you had thought. The door was open and the curtains on the window were ripped. Two zombies lunged towards you and Soonyoung immediately got hold of the mop at the side. He began hitting them and you slightly left his side to take the broken wooden leg of a table for a weapon of your own. You started to fight as well, using all your strength to take down the zombies, not only for yourself but the people around you.

Your eyes caught Chan briefly, who had Yerim at his back, trying to protect her as he shoved the zombies with a table he lifted up. Yerim didn't cry. She closed her eyes tightly, keeping all her trust in her uncle, moving according to his body moments. 

The lady fell down near the corner, her spectacles landing on the ground as well. You ran towards her to help her up. Another zombie made its way towards you when you reached her. You handed her spectacles quickly before striking the zombie roughly. The lady muttered a thank you but you could barely consider it, holding her hand to pull her towards a safer place. 

Chan noticed you, taking yerim by his hand to get near you in a hurry. 

“ How did this all happen?”, you asked in a slow whisper, looking at your surroundings for any threat. “ some bitch really just opened the door.'' Chan whispered back, hoping the profanity didn't catch Yerim’s ear. You let out a sigh, taking Yerim with your other hand, “ So where now?”, you asked. 

A groan was heard behind Chan’s back and he turned swiftly to hit it on the head before turning to you again, “ Just the safe house we talked about before.”, he said and you remembered the one time he mentioned about a safe house nearby.

Before you could respond, more zombies pushed through the broken window. The room was filling quickly, the café turning into a death-trap. 

Wait, where was Soonyoung? Your eyes traced the place in one brisk moment, finding him at a corner. “ Soonyoung!”, you shouted.

His eyes looked with yours briefly. Soonyoung swung his mop, his moments still powerful and determined but there were too many. He shouted, "Go, get to the safe house! I'll hold them off!"

"No!" you screamed, your heart pounding in your chest. You swung the wooden leg, smashing a zombie's skull. Yerim whimpered behind you and Chan closed her eyes with his hand. The lady stayed put behind all of you.

Soonyoung looked at you with desperate eyes. "Just go! I'll find you!"

But as he spoke, a group of zombies managed to break through, separating you from him. You could barely see him through the chaos, his figure disappearing into the swarm of them.

“No, Soonyoung!” you cried out, your voice breaking with fear and worry. But Chan grabbed your arm, his grip firm and unyielding.

“We have to go, now!” Chan yelled, pulling you back.

You resisted, your eyes locked on the spot where Soonyoung had been. “I can’t leave him! We have to help him!”

Chan shook his head, his eyes filled with sorrow. “We can’t do anything for him right now. He’d want you to be safe. We need to get to the safe house.”

Tears blurred your vision, but you knew Chan was right. Reluctantly, you turned away, clutching Yerim’s hand as Chan led you through the chaos. The lady followed you behind. You saw a few other people making their way out, probably to the safe house as well. The café owner was one of them, even his weak self trying to thrash the zombies.

The fight to the exit was brutal. Zombies lunged from every direction, and you fought with everything you had, your muscles burning with exhaustion. Chan was beside you all along, fighting with his all might.

A zombie grabbed your arm, its fleshy fingers wrapped around your bicep. You, in a haste moment, removed its hands from you forcefully, pushing it down. You used the wooden leg in your hand to hit it furiously again and again, even when it fell down and looked like it wouldn’t move. The flesh of it burst and blood oozed out like honey. A screech stopped your moments and you panted heavily from the action.

The three of you finally burst through the door into the street. The fresh air hit you like a shock, but there was no time to savour it. Chan didn’t stop, didn’t let you pause. He pulled you forward, his pace relentless as he led you towards the safe house along with Yerim and the lady.

As you ran, you couldn’t stop glancing back, hoping against hope to see Soonyoung behind you. But all you saw were more zombies.

You didn't really know when you had reached the safe house. All the run, your mind was filled with him.

Soonyoung.

You didn't know if he was even alive and it ate you inside out. You regretted every single thing. You should've never left. You should've stayed even if it cost you your life. 

Chan’s stretched out hand made you snap back into the present. He was holding out a handkerchief and that's when you noticed your damp cheeks. 

You accepted it but didn't take it to your face to wipe the tears away. You looked at him.

His face was bruised, little wounds all over. His eyes still remained soft as they settled on you and he ignored the blood trickling near his lips. You looked behind him and at a distance Yerim was with the lady, safely seated on the ground.

“ From what I’ve seen of him, I think he would be safe.”. He said, a sad smile forming on his lips. 

You sniffed more, trying to let some words out of your mouth, “ You don’t understand, Chan. I don't know- I don't know what to do.”,  It was hard to express it in words. You never felt like this before. It was a strange kind of emptiness. It was so profound, consuming you like a void. You could feel it by his absence beside you, not knowing where the hell he ended up. 

Chan stared at you in silence and placed a reassuring hand on your arm. You didn't pay much attention to it, your mind still replaying the scene in the café, the last time you have seen him. 

The night seemed to pass and you just laid on the blanket on the ground, prepared by the guards there for everyone to sleep. 

If you closed your eyes, it took you back to the incidents in the café, Soonyoung disappearing into the crowd of zombies. Slowly the sorrow turned into something else as a question arose in your mind.

Why did he make you his responsibility? 

He would’ve had it easier if he just minded his business, left you when he got the bag of food and searched for a safe house himself.

But he didn't. 

And it infuriated you. 

It infuriated you that he cared for you, took you with him wherever he went even though he knew it would be way harder to survive while having to keep you safe. It infuriated you that he hadn’t been selfish, that he didn’t even take a second to think about himself, that he put you first. 

You swallowed the lump in your throat, trying your best to erase the overwhelming emotions bubbling inside you.

The morning arrived later than you thought, the sun’s morning rays prickling your already strained eyes. You shut your eyes and turn the other way around to avoid them. 

You got up after some time, lazily eating a banana on Chan's insistence. You spent your day sitting near the window to see if Soonyoung would arrive. With the evening arriving, your hopes were crushed and you moved from your place to see Chan playing with Yerim. 

Chan smiled up at you and a grin formed on Yerim’s dusty face as well. The sight finally brought a small smile on your face and Chan’s smile widened.

You sat next to Yerim, allowing Chan to stretch his body for a while. 

In a span of 5 minutes, Chan came back running. “ He is here! He is here!.”, he said, standing in front of you. You knitted your eyebrows together in confusion. 

Chan took a few seconds to even his breathing. “ Soonyoung, he is outside.”, he said. You didn't wait further, getting up to reach near the window and see him outside. He was injured, definitely with his slightly limping leg and bruises that littered on his neck and shoulder, traces of blood on his face and hands. Despite his state, your shoulders relaxed at the fact he was still alive and you took a satisfied breath after a long time.

You turned to the guard, waiting for him to open the door. Your face fell when he didn't.

“ Umm… there is a survivor outside.”, you said, pointing towards the door. 

The guard looked at the café owner who had a scowl on his face. “We clearly saw him go into those zombies, he could’ve been bitten.”

Your face grew hot in anger. “ He is not.”, you said.

“ How do you know that?", The man questioned back but you had no answer. You just knew he wasn't bitten but it was a gut-feeling with no proper proof to back it up. 

“ We can’t risk these many people’s lives just so you could be with your boyfriend," he continued.

You glanced at the people around, leaving a deep sigh. You knew he was right- you can’t be selfish about this. But the thought of leaving him out alone was horrifying.

You glanced back at the window to see him outside as he looked around cluelessly. 

You closed your eyes to think for a moment, weighing out all the possibilities and their consequences. You finally made a decision that made sense to your heart.

“ Then let me go out instead.”, you said, your voice calmer than before. You heard a few gasps and you were sure the loudest one was from Chan.

“ If you go out, there is no way back in.”, The guard said, his hand tight around the door handle. 

Chan shook his head, taking a step forward. “ Are you insane? You can not go out! He could’ve been-”, he stopped seeing your glare. 

“ He is not bitten.”, you said calmly, walking towards the door, “ I know he is not.”

Yerim stood in your way with her pouty lips and all you could do was pat her head and move past her.

Chan let out a frustrated sigh, his lips twitching, “ And what if you are wrong?”. You pause your moments, “ And what if he is not? He would be all alone.”, you breath out, “ If he is bitten,”, you said slowly,” Let it be, this is the least I could do for what he had done for me.”, you said before standing in front of the door. 

The guard waited a minute to see if you would change your mind. When you didn't speak a word, he pushed open the door. The last thing you saw was Chan's and Yerim’s sad eyes  before you stepped outside. Soonyoung's eyes fixed on you as you came out of the warehouse.

There he is, in all his glory, smiling up to you as if he didn’t have you worried to death for the past 24 hours. 

You ran to him and engulfed him in a hug, squeezing the soul out of him. He hugged you back with the same energy, lifting you off the ground slightly. You moved your head back to see his face that still had a smile etched up on. 

He moved one of his hands to your cheek, caressing it gently, looking at you with those brown eyes.

Then He kissed you. It was sudden but it was not a surprise. You kissed him back gently, arms still holding on to him, afraid that if you let go, you would lose each other once again. 

He pulled back slightly and then began peppering little kisses on your lips. One, then another, then another, his lips light and soft against yours. When he deemed it was enough, he put you down on the ground again and noticed your moist eyes.

Without your own knowledge, tears flow down your cheeks, making them damp.  His face softens as he sees you. Your face was more worn out than he remembered a day ago.

Your cries become muffled when you bury your face in his chest. 

“ I thought..”, you try to begin but you fail as you cry more into his chest. “ I am here now, right? I am safe.”, he tried to reassure you.

And it was true. He was safe and that was enough.

Just then you realised, he cared for you simply because he chose to. It wasn’t a duty or an obligation but an action that came from his heart. 

And you cared for him too. You cared for him enough to be with him, even in death. If not, you wouldn’t have been here.

After staying like that for a moment, he spoke, still holding you close to his chest, “ Let us go inside? It’s not safe to stay outside.”

You pulled away, biting your lip. You gulped slightly, “ About that, uhm, They wouldn’t let you come inside.”

His eyebrows knitted together in confusion. “ Why?”

“ They are afraid- that you could’ve been bitten," you said slowly.

He frowned, looking at the warehouse at a distance to notice that the doors were actually closed. He looked back at you.“ Then why did you come?”, he asked.

“ Because I want to be with you.”, you answered too quickly.

“ No, just go inside," He said hastily and shook his head, trying to be calm. His hands moved away from their previous position on your waist.

 “ It’s too late. They won’t let me back in either, and even if they did, I wouldn’t go. I’m staying with you.” , you said, trying to get closer to him again but this time he took a step back.  

“ Are you out of your mind, ____? Why would you put yourself at risk for me? ”His voice raised slightly but you didn’t budge. You scoff, your concern long gone and replaced with anger.

“Don’t act like you haven’t taken risks for me,” you shot back. “I thought we were in this together.”

“That is different!” His voice grew more urgent, his words coming faster. “Trust me, I want to be with you too, but there is no other safe house anywhere nearby!” He gestured helplessly to his wounded body. “And—look at me.” His voice cracked as he continued, “It won’t matter if I survive.”

“It matters to me.”, you said with a low voice. “ If you think I would leave you alone, you have known nothing about me.”

“ You are just being reckless.”, he tries to counter. “I’m just being honest,” you replied, your words coming quickly as you moved closer to him. You gently placed your palm on his cheek. His eyes fluttered closed for a moment as he subconsciously leaned into your touch, his breath catching in his throat.

He sighed, opening his eyes and looking at you with a mixture of frustration and tenderness. “Alright,” he said finally. “ Let us go before we come across zombies, I am tired of fighting them.”

As you both moved away from the closed warehouse, you searched for a place to rest and regroup. The sun was getting hotter and Soonyoung was getting more tired. After walking a short distance, you spotted a small, abandoned tent partially hidden behind a cluster of trees.

You helped Soonyoung inside. Once inside, you both settled onto the ground. As you wrapped a blanket around both of you to keep warm, you heard the distant thrum of a helicopter. Your heart skipped a beat. The sound grew louder, a shimmer of hope bubbled in your chest.

Quickly, you grabbed a blanket from the tent’s corner and, with Soonyoung’s help, you unfurled it outside, using it to signal the helicopter. You waved it back and forth.

Soonyoung’s eyes were locked on the approaching helicopter, his face a mixture of hope and anxiety. You both continued to wave the blanket, your arms growing tired but your spirits lifting with each passing moment.

The helicopter circled above, its searchlight scanning the area. Finally, it began to descend slowly, landing nearby. You both signed in relief and Soonyoung threw his head back in happiness. You were finally truly safe.

His hair flew with the harsh air coming from the helicopter.

You used to read poetry in highschool. Often, these poets compare their partners to a flame. You never understood that. How could a person be like a flame? How could a person ever be a flame? When you saw Soonyoung then, you got it for the first time. Soonyoung was like a flame. He burned like one and made you yearn for him. 

You recognized the feeling in your chest, the way your heart thumped against your rib cage every time his eyes met yours. This was more than physical attraction or the affection you thought you developed over time. This was love.

And It felt right. Everything felt right with him.

“ I think I love you.”, you said without thinking, it was more of a confession to yourself. “I love you.”, you corrected your words. You didn’t have any doubts anymore, you didn't think anymore. you love him and that's all you could think for then.

He widened his eyes, his gaze flickering from the helicopter to you. It would be near you in a minute when he tightened the grip on your hand. He didn’t speak and that was fine for you. You didn't say you love him expecting him to say it back.

The helicopter reached near you. He climbed in first, stretching out his hand to help you get in as well. You grasped his hand and get it in. You both sat next to each other. 

“ Are there any other survivors?”, one of the soldiers asked and Soonyoung shook his head, “Not any I know of nearby.”

The soldier mumbles something to the pilot and the helicopter slowly moves back up to the high altitude. You looked over at Soonyoung to see him deep in thought. You wonder what he was thinking about and you hoped it was about you, your confession.

The sound of the blades made your ears numb, even in the heavy noise, you heard the words that escape his mouth.

“ I love you too, ___.”

for anyone who came this far, thank you for reading!

[mrdixon]

Mirrors

pairing: daryl dixon x gn!reader

wc: 4.9k ...

warnings: insecurity, slight swearing pshhh

summary: after a moment of jealousy, you start to doubt yourself.

A/N: i honestly didnt mean to write this so long and i hope its not so boring................ my requests are always open if you wanna read something specific ;) ★

masterlist!

You’ve been dating Daryl since the prison so you know how he isn’t overly affectionate which you’re alright with, you understand that that’s just how he is. Plus it’s not like he isn’t ever affectionate with you, there’s a few kisses here and there, a few longing glances.

Recently though, Daryl has been working a lot so you two barely have any time for each other. Not that it’s a problem he’s working, you’re glad he’s working hard everyday to keep you and everyone safe. The only thing that’s driving you crazy is how often he works with this one girl, Mimi. You’re not blind to the fact that Daryl was in fact very popular, with the ladies specifically. You first noticed it in the prison. And you were okay with it… for the most part.

You weren’t surprised when Mimi first approached him on a run, noticing the way she looked at him. You once looked at him like that when you first met him. You thought nothing of it at first because you tried to make yourself very much known as Daryl’s partner, but it didn’t stop Mimi from trying to pursue him. You were jealous. Jealous of the fact that this girl was spending more time with your boyfriend than you yourself, but you couldn’t do anything. You didn’t do many supply runs, she did. So it was natural for Daryl and her to end up on the same run all the time. You couldn’t even tell Daryl not to spend so much time with her because what would that make you? Insecure? Controlling? Jealous? You didn’t want to admit it. You couldn’t.

So for weeks you watched as they got closer, noticing the way she stood so close to him. Helping him wipe grime off his face the way you did back at the prison, brushing her shoulder against his as they walked. You noticed every little thing from where you were watching them in the comfort of your shared home with Daryl.

When she was walking him home to you, you couldn’t help but watch them again. You noticed how pretty she was, and of course she was. You couldn’t but admire her long glowy hair, it looked so soft. You tucked your hair behind your ear, noticing how dull it looked and how rough it felt from it being used to being caked in dirt. She probably never had that problem having lived in Alexandria during the whole apocalypse. You noticed how soft her features were, never once having a scratch or scar unlike you. Despite being on runs all the time she still glowed in the sun, even with dirt or walker blood on her she never once looked disgusting. Her pretty smile turning heads everywhere she walked. What if Daryl was to fall for her? Be wooed by her beauty and wonderful personality? Or better yet, what if he already had?

Before the two even reached the front door you were already outside, smiling slightly as Daryl’s gaze fell on you, his eyes brightening a little. “Hey (Y/N).” He nodded to you while Mimi walked up beside him, her shoulder flush against his as she gave you her signature smile. You swallowed, smiling back.

“You hungry? I cooked up some of that alphabet soup you brought home the other day.” You said to Daryl, staring down at your feet.

“Nah, jus’ ate some of Mimi’s apple pie.” He drawled. Your lips pressed into a thin line as you nodded, walking back towards the house.

“Okaaay… well I’ll just eat the rest then.” You muttered before disappearing into the house, plopping down onto your seat at the table. Taking his share of the soup you looked outside, Daryl and Mimi were still talking. You sighed, trying to hear their conversation but it was way too soft and quiet. Your finger found its way to your mouth, nibbling it gently. You wondered what could they possibly be talking about? Daryl barely talks usually so how is he being so talkative with her? You sighed, shaking your head to rid your thoughts as you ate the soup. You looked back over at them, frowning as you watched her put her hand on his shoulder, running it down his arm and discreetly checking out his muscles. You groaned, not being able to take anymore of the scene. Standing up you went to put the soup away before going upstairs and into your shared room.

You walked into your room, sitting on your bed and grabbing your notebook. You started absentmindedly doodling shapes into the pages, your thoughts moving back to Daryl and Mimi and you couldn’t shake the feeling of jealousy coursing through your body. You tried so hard to shove those dumb feelings down but a tear slipped down your cheek. Wiping it angrily you couldn’t help but think. Why was he more talkative with her? What if he was gonna leave you for her? Or even worse, what if he had already cheated? A few more tears slipped down your cheeks but you frustratingly wiped them away, standing up towards the mirror placed towards your side of the bed.

Sighing, you looked at yourself in the mirror. Your hair on the shorter side, unlike Mimi’s. Didn’t Daryl like long hair? You ran your fingers through your hair, getting caught in tangles here and there which made you more frustrated than you already were and biting your finger. You bet she didn’t have a problem with tangled hair, or the fact that her hair still looked good even in a world where you had to get dirty to live.

Your eyes stared back at you in the mirror, dull and empty, full of those sickening memories you had to endured over the past few months. Mimi’s definitely weren’t like that, her eyes shined. Hell they probably glowed when the sun hit them. She was beautiful, in every way. Why is Daryl even with me? You thought helplessly.

You continued to stare at yourself, mentally nitpicking yourself and your flaws. Not noticing Daryl was standing at the door.

He watched you through the mirror, his heart swelling at the sight of you. You were so beautiful, but he noticed how miserable you looked. He knew something was bothering you so he entered the room quietly, standing beside you. “Hey,” he said softly. A frown on his face as he noticed your teary eyes, “everythin’ okay?”

You looked up at him after wiping your eyes quickly, flashing him a half-smile. “Yeah I’m fine,” you responded quietly, your voice slightly shaky. He kept frowning when you avoided his gaze.

He took notice of how your voice shook, your eyes slightly red. “(Y/N), what’s wrong?” He whispered, placing a hand on your chin and tilting your face up so you would look at him.

“Nothing,” you murmured, looking away. Your eyes caught yourself in the mirror again, quickly averting your gaze.

“Sweetheart,” he frowned, trying to get your attention. “There’s somethin’ bothering ya, isn’t there?” You couldn’t help but notice how gentle he sounded, how soft he was being with you. “C’mon, you can tell me,” he urged.

You gave another half-smile, shaking your head. “No, no it’s nothing.”

“Hun, look at me. You know you can tell me anythin’,” he softly spoke. His hand caressed your cheek gently, carefully. His blue eyes stared at you intently and you got lost in his eyes for a moment. Taking a deep breath and looking away.

“Please,” he whispered. “Tell me what’s goin’ on.” His voice was so gentle yet it left you with a sharp pang in your heart.

You shook your head once again, closing your eyes. You didn’t want him to know, you didn’t want him to see you so weak. So vulnerable.

“It’s nothing Daryl, I’m just tired.” You moved away.

“Well I don’t believe ya,” he said quietly, following you. “I know ya more than enough to know somethin’ is wrong.” You could hear him sigh at your silence, his hands placing themselves on your waist. “Why don’ we take a bath?” He offered, smiling playfully at you, “ya can rest against me in the hot bath.” His eyes pleaded as if telling her, ”Just tell me what’s on your mind.”

You pushed away again, shaking your head. “It’s fine, I promise.” You dismissed him.

“(Y/N), please,” he urged. “Yer clearly not fine and I’m worried about you.” He nibbled on his lip, stepping in your way to try and get you to listen.

You shook your head, making your way towards the closet. “Go take a bath yourself.”

Daryl watched helplessly as you walked away from him, finding his own way into the bathroom and closing the door behind him. He felt upset and frustrated, mostly with himself with how he couldn’t think of words to try and convince you to talk. He wanted to walk right out and try to make her open up, but he knew that would only make things worse.

He sighed as he slowly undressed for a shower, his mind racing with possibilities of what could be bothering her. He only wished for her to trust him enough to tell him what was wrong.

Daryl finished his very much needed shower, feeling more relaxed as he walked back into their room. His eyes trailed over your sleeping figure, your back to him. He smiled softly as he watched you from behind, your body rising and falling with every soft breath you took. His smile quickly dropped when he looked up at the mirror in front of you, covered with a blanket.

He frowned to himself, placing his towel down and moving towards the mirror. He turned back to you, your eyes closed. They were avoiding looking at themselves earlier… He thought before turning back to the blanket covered mirror, slowly lifting the blanket off and taking in his reflection. He looked tired, but he got distracted by the beauty sleeping in his bed behind him. You face soft and relaxed, unlike earlier when it was strained with an emotion that he couldn’t quite pick out. You always looked beautiful to him, he loved everything about you. The scars on your face and body only showing how brave you were, how hard you fought to keep yourself alive through this whole apocalypse. The way your lips were parted, letting out soft breaths of air. Those same lips are the ones that kissed over his skin in the morning, the ones he loved to kiss with every emotion he could muster up.

He walked over to his side of the bed, carefully climbing under the covers to not wake you. He draped an arm over your waist. He looked at the mirror in front of you, noticing your eyes were open and you sighed. Turning over to face him, your eyes closed and acting like you were asleep.

He frowned at your stubbornness, you were a strong person. He knew that, but there was something clearly bothering you, something you wouldn’t speak out loud. He had never seen you like this before, he didn’t know what to do.

He looked down at your “sleeping” face, trailing down your body. You looked beautiful, always, even in your sleep. Your hair spread out around you and your face was lit up by the light of the moon, highlighting the small features only he knew of. He sighed, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear as he caressed your cheek softly.

“Daryl?” You whispered, your eyes still shut as you grabbed his hand.

His heart skipped a beat hearing you whisper his name in that soft voice he loved to hear. “What’s wrong?” He whispered back, looking over your face and admiring the way the moonlight fell across your face.

You turned your head back towards the mirror, quickly looking away once you saw yourself. “Why’d you take the blanket off?”

He watched you shyly look away from your reflection, his brows furrowing in confusion on why you didn’t want to see yourself. It wasn’t like you and it worried him.

“I wanted to see you,” he whispered, stroking your hair gently. His voice was soft, looking you over again with all the love he gathered up for you over your time being together.

“You can see me like this… Why did you have to take the blanket off?” You whispered back meekly.

“Because I wanted to,” he sighed, “I wanted to see all of ya. Front and back.” He simply replied, his arms wrapping around your waist and pulling you closer. “Look at me.” He said softly, but firm.

He gently took your face in his hand, making you look into his eyes. He wanted to take care of you, reassure you that everything would be alright, that everything is alright.

Your eyes looked back at him, a sort of sadness in them as they went glossy with an ocean of blue emotions. He noticed. He didn’t understand why you were so upset, he knew you to be the strongest and most independent person he knew. Yet here you were, laying in his arms looking as fragile as a piece of glass.

“Please tell me what’s wrong,” he gently urged you. He just wanted to see you smile, to see you happy, and the fact that he couldn’t was eating him up inside. He knew something was bothering you, but you wouldn’t tell him what it was. You felt his arms tighten around you, bringing you closer, it was all he ever wanted everyday. To feel you beside him at every second of every day.

You sighed softly, biting your tongue to stop yourself from speaking. Your eyes darted around the room nervously, looking at anything but him. He dragged you to look towards him once again, nodding softly to you. “Daryl… what if you don’t find me attractive anymore?” Your voice was barely over a whisper.

“What do ya mean?” he asked quietly, his tone slightly confused. “I love you, of course I find ya attractive.” His grip tightened on you.

You just sighed, averting your gaze from his eyes. “You’re just saying that.”

“No, I mean it.” He said firmly while pushing your hair back gently, leaning forward and pressing his face into your neck. His lips lightly grazing over your jaw and neck, his stubble tickling you slightly while he breathed deeply. Your scent making his head spin, kissing your neck gently before pulling back to look in your eyes. “(Y/N), I love you. I always will, and I’ll always find you attractive.”

His words were soft but firm, and true. There was no doubt in the back of his mind about anything he was saying, he meant every word he said to you.

“But Mimi—” You bit your lip and watched as Daryl realized what this whole thing was about.

He took a deep breath, “Mimi.” He repeated, sighing gently as he understood what this was all about. “(Y/N)… She’s not here, she’s not… you. You’ll always been the one that I want. Always.” His hands trailed up your arms and onto your face, cupping your cheeks as he looked deeply into your eyes, desperately trying to make you hear him.

You could only look up at him, your lip quivering. “She’s beautiful Dar…”

“(Y/N)…” Daryl whispered, kissing you softly on the lips. His hands rubbed circles onto your back, kissing any exposed skin he could find, starting at your temple. “I love you, I want you… only you.”

You pushed him away before he kissed your lips once again, shying away. His face flickered with slight confusion, “Hun.” He whispered, taking your hands in his and kissing every knuckle. “Why can’t you see yourself like I do?” His tone was questioning, not quite grasping the idea of your insecurities.

“Can’t you see?” You whispered sadly, refusing to turn around and see yourself in the mirror. Daryl sighed once again, pulling you towards him and into his chest, caressing the back of your head with his thumb.

“Look at me, please.” There was concern in his voice as he spoke. He couldn’t bear to see you in pain like this, he wanted you back the way you used to be, he wanted you happy. His hand on your head moved down slowly to the back of your neck, tangling his fingers in your hair. “Tell me what’s on your mind.”

You sighed shakily, tears pooling into your eyes. “Mimi… she’s perfect for you. She’s your type while I’m the complete opposite….. I’m not enough for you.” Your voice cracked, sniffling.

Daryl felt his heart break hearing you speak. He didn’t want to seem upset, not when you were already in tears. He had to be strong for the both of you, but it was so hard seeing the love of his life break down in tears because they saw themselves less than.

“You know that’s not true… I don’ have a stupid type, not that I want jus’ anyone.” He whispered, scratching your scalp comfortingly, “I want you, my angel. My beautiful angel.” His words were a soft whisper, filled with the utmost admiration he had for you and kissed you softly. “I want only you. Not Mimi, not some other person. You. You’re perfect for me.”

You cried, shaking your head as you just couldn’t accept the words he was saying to you. You only thought of her and how beautiful she was, how she was the angel, not you. You hated crying, especially in front of him. “I’m so… so ugly Daryl you don’t understand.”

He shook his head firmly, “no. We both know that isn’t true. Listen to me, you are the most beautiful person I’ve ever known.” His voice was pained, hating to see you in this way. He hoped he sounded sincere enough, not wanting you to suffer anymore. “Hey. Yer beautiful. You. Not Mimi, she’s not here, she doesn’ exist to me like that. You do, right in front of me, gorgeous as ever. Your hair, your eyes… I love everything about you. You’re my everything y’know that?”

“Mimi…” you whispered, thinking of all the times she’s made him laugh. Why didn’t he laugh that much around me? Why doesn’t he smile that often? Despite everything she’s made you feel you just can’t bring yourself to hate her, she really was perfect. She wasn’t mean, condescending, she was… better.

“(Y/N) stop it.” He begged desperately, his heart sinking while he watched you spiral. “Why are you still thinkin’ about her? Yer more important to me than her, in every way. Yer not jus’ beautiful, yer the most kind, funny, and intelligent person I know. Hell, you’ve saved my ass so many times just by yer quick thinking. I think about ya all the time, and I hate to admit but I find myself getting distracted by the thought of ya when I’m out, I smile because of you. Yer special, and you should know that, (Y/N).” He pulled you close, trying to make his voice as comforting as he can.

“What if you fall out of love? What if your eyes land on someone better, someone prettier?” You sighed exasperatedly, you didn’t know who you were trying to convince at this point. You were probably annoying him, something Mimi probably never did.

But he remained patient, rubbing your back. “Stop. I will never love anyone else but you. If someone prettier was righ’ here and I could be with ‘em, I’d still choose ya. Every single time, because there’s no one better, or prettier than you. You’ll always be that person for me, every time. Yer my everythin’. Don’ let anyone try an’ tell ya otherwise, no one in this world will ever be better than ya. Yer my only love, the only person I want, forever.” He whispered, cradling you in his arms as he rocked you back and forth slowly, kissing the top of your head.

Hot tears streamed down your face while looking up at him. He frowned, wiping your tears away while looking directly into your eyes. There was a love in his eyes that only you could see and feel, something no one else could see from him.

He held you close for a few minutes, cradling your face and caressing your hair gently, working through the knots like it was his favourite thing to do.

“(Y/N), I want you to believe me when I say yer perfect. I don’ care if ya think Mimi is the prettiest person in the world, I believe in my gut that that title falls to you. Yer everything I could ever ask for and always will be.” He proclaimed softly, kissing your hair and leaving his lips there for a few moments.

“Dar…” You whispered, crying into his chest as he finally got to you. Soaking up every emotion he expressed to you, the words sinking into your brain.

“It’s okay, I got ya.. ‘m righ’ here…” He whispered, shushing you gently while rocking you. Daryl kissed the top of your head, continuing to shush you. He’d never seen you this broken before and it killed him, he hoped he would never have to see you like this again, he only wanted to see joy emitting from you from now on. “I know ‘m not the best comforter but ‘m here, and ‘m not leavin’.”

“I’m sorry…” Your voice cracked, sounding fragile as you hid your face in his chest. He sighed, shaking his head and placing his chin on your head.

Daryl thought about how hard you were being on yourself, and how sad he was to witness this happen. “There’s no need to be sorry. Ya don’ have to put yerself down, or compare yourself to anyone. You’re you, (Y/N). I love you and that’s all that matters to me.” His tone was affectionate, coming straight from his heart. He wanted nothing more than for you to feel safe and loved.

You cried again, still doubting yourself in the back of your mind as he kissed your forehead.

“Ya know yer more than enough for me, I love you and nothing is gonna change that. There’s no one in this world that comes anywhere close to how amazing ya are.” His voice was firm, taking your hands in his and intertwining your fingers with his, “yer just perfect. Perfect.” If he could he would move mountains to make you believe him. You were his entire world, his entire will to live and he wanted you to know that.

Your entire body shuddered while you placed your head on the pillow beneath you, breathing shakily with tears in your eyes as you looked up at him. He placed a hand on your cheek, caressing your cheek with his thumb as he opened his mouth to speak again,

“Tell me the truth. Have I ever given you a reason to doubt that I love ya? Have I made it seem like this relationship meant nothing to me?” His voice was shaky, hoping he didn’t cause all this.

“Have I ever made you feel unloved?” His voice cracked slightly, eyes watering and his heart aching when he looked down at you. He wanted to fix this, he wanted to make you feel better again. He ran his fingers through your hair again, hoping to soothe you into feeling happier. The last thing he wanted was for you to cry again.

You thought about his questions for a moment. Thinking back to all those times you met up with him while Mimi was present. You never noticed how his eyes lit up when he saw you, how he smiled more with you around, and how he could be more open with you around. He was never looking at Mimi, in fact when they were alone all he could think of was you. He never cared for her like that, all he could do was notice you when you were around. He noticed the way you tucked your hair behind your ear when it got in your face, he noticed the way you bit your finger whenever you got frustrated, he noticed the way your eyes twinkled when you watched him from afar. When Mimi walked by everyone's head turned to watch her, not Daryl's. No his head turned to watch you. Your smile was the best thing he saw, not hers. His heart swelled with love at the sight of your smile, wanting to do his best to preserve it. The best part of his day was coming home to you, not being with Mimi. Even in the past whenever other people would try and flirt with him, he would only look for you. He did everything for you, caring for you, providing for you, loving you.

He always had his eye on you, even when you thought Mimi was perfect. It was always you, it’s always been you. You were too caught up in watching Mimi that you never noticed him and the way he looked at you. He saw you.

He placed his hand on the small of your back, gliding it up gently to your chin and tilting your face up at him. Your silence tore at his heart in ways he never knew it could. He just wanted you to feel loved by him and the silence scared him, thinking it confirmed his worst fears.

“Have I ever made you feel loved..?” His voice quivered, hoping that wasn’t the case. His eyes were wet and desperate.

“Of course you did… I just.” You looked down again, your voice betraying you in the moment. Silently crying.

“There has never been a time where I doubted this relationship. You love me and I love you, there is no one I’d rather be with. My relationship with ya is like my lifeline and it would kill me to fuck this up, I hope ya know yer my world and ya always will be.” Daryl’s eyes were sad and his voice was choked up. He grabbed your waist to bring you closer, placing a soft kiss on your lips.

“Yer the love of my life. I want you and only you. I could never love anyone else,” he sighed shakily as he pulled you into his chest. His tone was full of love and so soft and sweet, he wanted you to know he wasn’t mad. He just wanted you to know you meant the world to him.

You choked up again, wrapping your arms around his neck and softly sobbing into him. He immediately reciprocated the hug, the warmness of your body bringing comfort to him. He could only hope his did the same for you. What could I have done to hurt them like this? He wondered hopelessly.

“Baby,” he caressed your hair, planting a sweet kiss on your cheek. “I love ya, I love you so much hun. You’ll always be the love of my life, in every universe I’ll be there for ya.” His anxiety flared up when you pulled back again, looking into his eyes.

“Let me look at you when you say that,” you whispered softly.

He smiled, his voice as gentle as it could be. Filled with love, with affection and with everything else that she taught him in these last few months. You really did mean everything to him and he needed you to know that, every word he said and thought was true.

”I love you,” he whispered. “You make me feel loved, like no one else… and y’know every time I see ya, my heart jumps out of my chest and I have to mentally prepare myself in case ya can hear my heart beating too loud.” He chuckled quietly, placing a kiss on your nose. “I love you, (Y/N). Always.”

You smiled softly, closing your eyes and pressing your lips against his in a tender kiss. Daryl was filled with joy, the sweetest tooth-rotting kind. Your lips meeting his in a long tender kiss, feeling his heart and soul stir as his arms wrapped around you tight. He pulled you closer, deepening the kiss and running his fingers through your hair comfortingly.

Once you pulled away you chuckled under your breath, sniffling before nestling your face into the crook of his neck. Your soft breathing tickling his skin, “I’m sorry.”

He sighed contently and pulled you closer in a tight, warm embrace. You could feel him shake his head, kissing your forehead gently, not saying another word. That kiss told you everything you needed to know, even without words. He never wanted you to doubt his love for you, ever. He would spend his whole life trying to convince you if he had to. He always wanted you to be certain that you were the only one for him. Because that’s how he truly felt. You were his entire world.

He held you the entire night, in his arms. Whispering sweet nothing into your ear as he caressed your hair, coaxing you to sleep. Occasionally kissing your head. His touch was tender, gentle, and loving. He wanted to make you feel safe and most importantly, loved. You were the most special person to him. He slowly rocked you in his arms, humming softly until you finally drifted off to sleep, he wanted to be the only one to comfort you.

He loved you with all his heart and he would do absolutely anything for you.

[misguidedasgardian]

Wildcats (Part XXII)

XXII. The 97th hour

MASTERLIST

Summary: You were running on thin ice, regarding your arrival time in Alexandria. 

Pairing: Daryl Dixon x Fem!Reader

Warnings: Zombie apocalypse AU, living dead, zombies, guts, blood, guns, injures, kissing, longing, angst, fluff, heavy kissing, touch starved reader & Daryl, might miss some important warnings, but you know what this is about

+18, MINORS DNI

Notes: Alright, you are gonna be confused, so… questions at the end of the chapter please jiji

“His finger better not slip”, Alex mumbled close to your ear, as he was patching you up, a few feet away was Daryl, pointing his crossbow at him

“It never does”, you assured him with a soft smile

“How long have you two been together?”, he asked, you winced when the needle punctured your skin, but you put on a brave face

“Not long, a week or so”, you mumble

“Dang”, he mumbled, “how did that happen?”

“He is great, once you get to know him”, you said with a smile, a smile that weirdly pops up only when you think about the archer.

“Uuuffff”, he whistled, “he got you good, didn’t he?”, he teased

“Yeah”, you said happily

“All done”, he said, “I knew it was going to go straight out”, he said like he was proud of himself

“Ah great”, you said mockingly, he took time in placing bandages in your wound, his hands seemed to linger in your skin, you look at him weirdly, you saw him with a sneaky smile on his lips, at the same time Daryl adjusted his posture, tightening his arm, “you are doing it on purpose”, you whispered to him, “stop it”, he laughed

“It's just so funny, riling him up”, he said, he finished placing the bandage, he slapped your arm playfully and sent you on your way. 

“Now, new guy, before you get to Alexandria, let me walk you through the chain of command”, said Abraham, they spoke kind of the same language, being military men and all, so you left them to it. Daryl seemed to be relaxed now, so you exchanged looks with him and then you exited the room, and towards the stairs that led to the roof, you felt him following you, so you just kept walking until you were on the terrace. 

You looked at the dead city from above, not a light turned on, everything deadly quiet… it was gone… Washington DC was dead…

“What r’ya thinkin?”, you heard Daryl ask behind you

You could tell him, you could tell him that even though your mission was becoming a success that got you clothes, food, materials, weapons and a valuable addition to the club, you were disappointed. As you looked at the dead city, this was the capital of one of the most powerful countries in the world, and it was dead, completely dead, there was no stopping this, there was no hope, and that terrified you.

You never thought the world was going to go back to what it was but… at least… you had hope that maybe one day soon the dead were not going to rise again to eat you. That someone, somewhere, was trying to fix this, that everything wasn’t as lost as it looked.

But things were not looking up…

You could have said that, as you looked back to him, but you only smiled 

“Just wanted to see the city… if we could see some lights or something”, you mumbled. He looked uncomfortable now, looking everywhere but at you, “but there’s nothing”, you tried. You quickly realized you had so much to say, and he did look like he wanted to say things too, there was so much you wanted to ask him, that you wanted to talk to him about… but still… nothing…

You had to take that step… 

“Everything went well and I still think…”, you took a long breath, “we have medicine, guns, food, clothes, and I still feel disappointed”

“Why?”, he asked, and he seemed interested… truly 

“If there was any hope… of ending this… I really thought it was gonna be here”, you whispered, “there is no stopping this… I guess I always hold up hope, but… now I know for sure… we are on our own,” you said, with a lump in your throat

“Yeah”, he said, you turned back and watching him, “there is only us now”, he said softly, looking at you with his piercing eyes, so you smiled at him

“Are you ok with that?”, you asked him, because you were terrified. 

“Yeah”, he said, completely sure, he didn’t even think about it. You looked at him and then you understood it, he didn’t feel alone, or completely left out because he never felt “protected” in the first place, by anybody, or anything, it had always been him against the world. “How ‘bout ya?”, he asked 

“I’m scared”, you admitted, “but I know…”, you stopped your own words, it was so tiring to have to translate everything before you said it, “being with you all makes it better”, you tried, “I know that with you, I stand a chance, that together, we can fight this”, you tried to explain

You were completely terrified, but… he wrapped his arms around you anyways, at this point it felt like a need, to keep touching each other, the physical contact, was becoming like oxygen for you. It had been so long since you had arms wrapped around you protectively. And Daryl’s felt incredibly right, so good. you wrapped your arms around him too, breathing him in.

You still felt sore all over, your shoulder still burned, especially now with stitches in it, but it stopped suddenly when you felt Daryl’s warmth envelop you. 

You stood by his side in silence while he smoked a cigarette, you didn’t like it, neither the smell nor the act itself, but you stood there nonetheless, accompanying him. 

When you went back to Alex’s quarters, you heard them, Abraham and him were drinking Whiskey, while Rosita laughed at their occurrences, and Eugene was occupied with an electronic… thing… he found in the mall 

“So… Deanna is like the Queen, but Rick is like the prime minister”, he said weirdly

“Something like that”

“Wha’?”, asked Daryl. You only laughed while shaking your head. 

“Makes perfect sense”, you said with a laugh, you then turned to Daryl, “Deanna is like the Queen, she is the symbolic power, while Rick is the prime minister, he makes all the real decisions, but they cannot rule without the other”, you said simply.

“Whatever”, he grumbled, he took a seat in the corner of the room, you wanted to join him, but… Rosita joined in with the guys, taking a glass and sipping on some scotch, and you joined in as well… Eugene took out a deck of cards, and you started playing, and drinking… then the instant ramens came out and it was the greatest thing ever. Daryl watched from the corner, staying at the margin, and even though you insisted he joined you, the only thing he did was sit by your side, he didn’t take a drink, he didn’t play cards, but he was there, right by your side. 

The very next day, at the crack of dawn, you were ecstatic to return home, but so hungover you could barely keep a thought together. Abraham and Alexander were making an inventory, and loading all of his… guns… including two RPG’s and like three rockets for each… in the trailer of the HUMVEE. 

You ransacked the entirety of Alexander’s quarters, everything he had, which were very important things, they all fit in the truck

“I don’t think we should have this ones in Alexandria”, you whispered, your felt Daryl’s gaze on you

“Why?”, he asked

“What if something goes wrong?”, you ask him back. Alex looked at you and nodded

“like what?”, he asked

“Any emergency, we are attacked by another group, or we are forced out by the Alexandrians, or… I don’t know… a hostile takeover happens… anything”

“I know exactly what we should do”, Alexander said with a smile. 

“This is bananas”, you mumbled, as you drove the three vehicles to the mall, and used plastic from the hardware store, to wrap the guns, rifles and all, and put them on the bottom of the tanker, it was risky, but at least it was something until you could get them in a safer place. You left one rifle and one of the RPG’s out, because it would be odd if you showed up with Alexander and no arms at all. 

You grabbed everything you could carry, all of it, a couple of months worth of food, supplies, medicine, clothes. You grabbed the things you scavenged for yourself… and a little thing you grabbed for Daryl, it was noon when you were done and ready to get back. you passed the 96th hour mark, and that concerned you, are they going to be worried? you could bet on it. 

You got inside the passenger seat of the HUMVEE, your shoulder hurts, bad, especially with all the movement, you refused to stand back and you helped carry anything you could get your hands on, the price was that you had to blink away tears because of the sharp pain. But it was worth it, you were lifting your weight, in the mission you requested. 

You didn’t even know how you managed to land in this sitting arrangement, you wanted to drive, Alexander said no, but you wanted to ride the HUMVEE, and Daryl was quick to jump in the back seat.

Abraham was driving the tanker, and Rosita the truck, she led the caravan, you were next, and then Abraham in the back. 

You were finally going back home, the mission was becoming a success. 

With a couple of hours of setback, but… You hoped they would understand why, I mean, only four days was a crime in itself… You barely scraped the surface of the city. You watch the Washington memorial disappear in the rearview mirror, and you hoped you could return soon to keep scavenging

“Well, like I said, the Joint Base Andrews was the last bastion of hope for the military, but soon it was evacuated with the rest, and then, it become overrun, till this day is just… a walking graveyard”, he said, and you nodded shamefully, you were lucky enough to not go there, who knows what could have happened if you did. “Unless you know how to drive a F-22’s I don’t know if it would be worth it…”

“I don’t know how to pilot a war plane, no”, you laughed. You picked up a familiar song through the low-volume radio working on CD’S, “uuuhhh I love this song!”.

“Mee too!”, laughed Alexander

“Girl! It’s been a long time since we’ve been apart! Much too long for a man who needs love, I MISS YOU SINCE I’VE BEEN AWAY!”, you really wanted to sing it, even though you could barely sing happy birthday, but your voice carried and Alexander started singing with you, “Babe, it wasn’t easy to leave alone, It’s getting harder each time that I go… If I HAD TO CHOOSE I WOULD STAY!”, this was one of your favorite tunes, classic rock, passionate lyrics, you looked back and looked at Daryl while you sang, he looked like he could kill someone, but as he caught you staring, and singing, his face completely softened. 

“SING IT WITH ME!”, cheered Alexander

“THERE’S NO ONE LIKE YOU! I can't wait for the nights with you! I imagine the things we’ll do! I just want to be loved by you!”, you became incredibly embarrassed because of his confused and blushed face, and looked away, because you couldn’t believe how relatable the song was. Well, Daryl wasn’t a girl but… the rest? It was incredibly similar. But still, he was going to think you were some sort of freak for singing that to him like that….

Oh gods. You kept singing in a low voice, trying to get smaller in the big chair. What was the matter with you? Why were you so horny? since you got to Alexandria, managed to land three meals a day and water and a comfortable bed you were so horny someone could fry an egg over you. Well, being with Daryl didn’t help either, you wanted to be with him…. and you did spend much of your day imagining the things you’d do. He did say that when you were home you could get more personal, you really hoped so.

You shook your head, and started to look away, beyond the vehicle… The setting started to look familiar, trees on both sides of the road, the road dirtier, nature taking over. So you knew you were near home. 

“Wow wow”, muttered Alexander and you looked forwards and you saw Rosita slowing down. 

“What the hell?”, you muttered, there were people on the road… bikers more like it, a bunch of bikers blocking the road. Your hand went straight for the door handle when you saw Rosita jumping out of the truck with her hands in the air. 

“Dixon…”, Alex said, “they can’t see you from here”, but you were spotted as some guy pointed at you to get out, “Are these friends of yours?”, Alex asked, his hands in the air

“No”. You answered, Daryl understood what he meant, he hid behind the seat, and you exited the vehicle as Abraham did behind you, and walked until you were at the front.

“Why don’t you come out, join us in the road?”, asked the leader of them. “That’s great! it's going well right off the gate!”, you already hated this prick. But you didn’t say it outloud, as he and his friends were all armed to the teeth, guns pointed at you. ”Now, step two, hand over your weapons”, he said

“Why?”, asked Abraham

“Well, they're not yours”, he said, and your hand was tickling because of how much you wanted to grab your ax, that you left in the car. 

“Oh no? who’s are they?”, asked Alex, as you were becoming angry. This guy, who looks like he could work as a comic book salesman, got serious all of a sudden

“Your property now belongs to Negan”, he said simply, “and if you can get your hands on that plentiful bounty, you're people our person wants to know”, this bastard looked like payday had arrived, wanting all the things you scavenged. “So let's get those sidearms, shall we?”, he walked right at you, the guys behind him, like this? you couldn’t take them down, if you only had the RPG on hand, but at least, Daryl was in the back. You released the silencer from your gun before you handed him, not after giving the angriest look you could muster, he pretended to be scared, and you believed you had never wanted to punch someone in the face as much as him. “Thank you”, he said mockingly. 

Alexander held onto his gun when he pretended to give it to him, which pissed this guy off quickly, but he released it with an amused glint. Alex wanted to kill this guy, you could tell and you didn’t even know him. but this guy thanked him too. 

Then he went to Abraham, who didn’t even acknowledge him, he just kept looking forwards

“Look if you have to eat shit, best not to nibble. Bite, chew, swallow, repeat. It goes quicker”, Abraham finally gave him his gun, although didn’t bother to say anything. Eugene still had his hand raised in the air, and he was shaking like a leaf, he didn’t have anything on him, and you could tell by his loose clothes. 

“Who are you people?”, asked Rosita

“I get the curiosity, but we have questions ourselves. And we'll be the ones asking them while we drive you back to wherever it is you call home. Take a gander at where you hang your hats”, you laughed like he had said the most funny thing, these guys looked back at you like they wanted to kill you, and they probably did.

“Like hell we will”, you grunted, he only looked at you like you had told him the joke of the century, but then just kept going”

“First, though, your shit. What have you got for us? Much for what I can see”. He said, he couldn’t hide his excitement, “a fruitful trip to DC, I gathered?”

“Yeah, why don’t you guys take a trip too?”, Alex said. 

“Come on. I mean, can we not, okay?”, he said, “You’ll give me your shit, and then, you will take us to the place you call home”

“Who's Negan?”, asked Abraham. This guy did not appreciate you not taking him seriously.

“Ding, dong. Hell's bells”, he said pathetically, “You see, usually we introduce ourselves by just popping one of you right off the bat”, you shifted on your feet, as Eugene whimpered, “but you seem like reasonable people. I mean, you're sportin' military clothes, for Christ's sake”, said looking at Alex, “and, like I said, we're gonna drive you back to where you were. I mean, do you know how awkward it is carpooling with someone whose friend or friends you've just killed?”, he hissed theatrically. 

“Well… we are not taking you anywhere, so”, you said angrily. 

“Well then”, he said, he raised his own guns back at you. All his men who had relaxed their stance did so too. “It will have to do with the shit you already have here, right? it’s plenty, and badass trucks too”

“Wait!”, said Eugene, “we can work this out”

“SHUT UP EUGENE!”, Rosita and you screamed at the same time

“It’s Alexandria! IT’S ALEXANDRIA!”, he screamed, shaking violently, “down the road where it connects with…”

“SHUT UP!”, said Abraham, “hold onto your nutsack for once!”, said Abraham

“Good!”, exclaimed the guy, “the one with cars on the outside and big walls? oh yeah, we had our eye on you for a while now”, he said happily, lowering his guns. “See? wasn’t that hard, but you see? the lot of you don’t seem to have the right disposition”, he said 

“Let the ladies go, and you and I can go take a ride”, said Alex, but his face looked so intimidating he didn't even make it a joke. “What do you say?”, the leader of the fuckers just chuckled.

“I don't want you to get the wrong impression of me”, he said, placing his hand on his chest, “And I already said that I was gonna waste you… so”, he raised his guns again, as did their men

“Great, just great!”, you said, “I can’t believe we survived the fall of cities… the walking dead, cannibals, and rapists, TO BE TAKEN DOWN BY THE SONS OF ANARCHY TRIBUTE GROUP!”, you said angrily

He was going to shoot you and this time you were not going to survive it.

And then, from one second to the next you were ejected backwards by an explosion.

You landed on the floor as the heat hit you hard. Making you cough and protect your face

The bastards had blown up. You didn't understand what was going on, and then Daryl showed up by the side, in his hands, the RPG. You moaned when you saw him, adrenaline making you feel like you were on fire and your man showing up like this… Sleeveless, showing his powerful arms, on his hands a rocket propelled grenade launcher… All sweaty and bothered…

And he just saved your life

“What a bunch of assholes”, he said, dropping the weapon and coming straight for you, helping you off the floor. 

“That was awesome”, laughed Alex, “you saved your ases”, he said, as he and Daryl shook hands in a sign of camaraderie

“That’s what we do”, he said

“Nibble on that!”, said Abraham. 

“We are going in”, said Rick, placing a map of DC on top of the table, “the 97th hour is now, and they are not back yet, I want cars all going on on different routes in case we miss them”

“We have to give them a little time, is still early, even if they left Washington, at this hour, they still going to take a bit longer to get here”, said Michonne, who seemed entertained, “I bet they are making the best of the day to scavenge”

“Or they are trapped in a horde”, said Rick. He looked at the new man in the community, who was standing across from him on the table, “what do you think?”, the man seemed surprised, placing a hand on his chest

“Me?”, he asked

“Well, you told us you were from Washington”, he said, “have you been there since this whole thing got worse?”

“No, not really I have been scavenging in smaller places with Laura and Gary”, he said, rubbing his beard, “How many are they?”, he asked

“Five”, Rick said, “they are… strong, they have decent firepower with them…”, he was concerned, truly concerned, if they lost them, he would have lost his right hand man, his brother, Rosita and Abraham, and his canary…

“I say we go”, said Carl, “(y/n) told us exactly where they were gonna go”, he said, pointing at the plan map, “we should go and get them”

“Carl…”

“I bet he agrees, Smith?”, he asked, looking at the man in question, just like Rick

“Look, kid, I’m new here, alright?”, he said, “Don’t make me the odd man out”, he said with a chuckle, “I say we give them till the end of the day, if they don’t come back by then, we go early in the morning, your best guys and gals, lots of firepower”, he said simply. Rick mumbled something positive under his breath

“Rick…”, called Deanna, “we can’t use that many people, they knew the risks…”

“I’m not abandoning them”, siad Rick, “I’ll go myself”

“Good!”, said Carl, “me too”

“No! you will stay here”, Maggie placed a comforting hand in Carl’s shoulder

“They took our best fighters”, said Maggie, “Daryl, Abraham and Rosita”, she said, worried

“I’ll go”, said Tyresse, but Rick wasn’t convinced, Tyresse was a pacifist, he needed muscle. He needed nerves of steel.

“I’ll go”, said Michonne, and Rick then nodded.

“And me”, said Negan, or rather, the name he was going by… Smith. Rick doubted, but he nodded. Negan got out of Deanna’s house with a smirk on his face, that of course he saved for when he was alone, and met his saviors that were with him

“What happened?”, asked Laura

“Five of their guys are missing”, he said, “I convinced them to wait until tomorrow, but they are going in trough route 633”

“Bud’s territory”, said Laura with a soft smile

“Indeed, this will weaken them considerably”, said Negan, “After that, there is only Prick RIck, the chick with the sword… and maybe a couple of others”

Laura and Gary smiled

“I’ll go tomorrow, to make sure they don’t return”, he said, “Then we take the momentum to bring everyone in”

“So soon?”, asked Gary

“Before they can regroup”, said Negan, “we only need to figure out where they keep the guns, it could get messy”, he said.

They were interrupted, when he heard horns outside the gates. Rick came out running out of the house

“IT'S THEM!”, screamed Glenn excitedly, from the gate, and the gates opened to reveal the truck, the box filled to the brim with things, then the HUMVEE, with the cart, and then, the huge tanker.

Rick laughed, laughed in relief when he saw his family coming out of the vehicles.

They all ran to receive you, all of them who were in Deanna’s house and those near.

“WE MADE IT!”, you screamed happily with open arms. Carl beat his dad and came in and hugged you tightly. This is something nice you had gotten accustomed to doing, hug your people goodbye, or hello… because you never knew if you were going to see them again. Michonne hugged you next, and you saw Deanna’s and Rick’s faces, looking at all the things you had brought. 

Rick turned to you and hugged you tightly

“See all the stuff we got?”. you asked

“I don’t give a shit, I’m glad you are all back”, he mumbled against your neck, his hand on the back of your head.

The greeting were finally over, so they all turned to the odd man out, Alexander

“Who’s this?”, asked Rick, he looked back at Deanna who was… admiring… Alex

“You must be Deanna”, said Alex, almost bowing to the woman, he grabbed her hand and kissed it, you thought it was too much. “I’m Alexander Price, Sergeant of the US military”, he said quickly, “and you must be Rick”, he said, shooking the hand of your leader, “Your teammates brought me from DC, because they saw in me abilities that could service you as a community, and I could really use a community as well, I’d like to submit myself to whatever test you deem fit to let me be a part of this place”, he said, with a charming smile, you and Daryl shared entertained looks

“Of course Sargeant”, said Deanna, who made you chuckle at the attitude she’s got, like a blushing teenager in front of her crush. She led him towards her house. As Alexander admired everything

“Who's that?”, Rick grabbed your shoulder and you hissed in pain. You were using a V neck, so it was easy for him to spot the wound, “what the hell happened?”

“She got shot”, said Daryl, and they exchanged looks, “Alexander did it”

“WHAT?”, he said, outraged

“We didn’t know him yet!”, you explained. 

“We need to talk”, he said, looking at the lot of you.

“We will unload as we do an inventory”, said Glenn, and Rosita and Abraham nodded. 

“Yes Sir”, you said then, looking at Rick, and you and Daryl walked back towards your house, in the way… you saw three strange figures

“Looks like the mission is off”, said Rick to the three newbies. 

“Your people came back! great!”, this was… an odd looking man, sharp hazel eyes, salt and pepper beard, hair combed back, leather jacket. “My pleasure, my lady, gentlemen”, he said, “My name is Smith, and these are Laura and Gary”, he presented.

You decided you didn’t like them right then and there, it was a hunch, a feeling, that you needed to keep away from them, you didn’t know why

Daryl only nodded, and you just went in your way… You felt his eyes on you as you walked away, but you were probably just imagining things. 

“Who the hell is that guy?”, grumbled Daryl, as you three looked back at the new guy walking with such a stance he thought himself to be the owner of the place.

“He and two others approached Glenn and Nicholas while they were out there, they looked pretty roughed up”, he said, “I don’t like this, but Deanna let them in, couldn’t do anything about it”, he said, “but there’s three of them, and a bunch of us, so…”, you left it at that, as you filled Rick in everything that happened, including your recent encounter with those men. He begrudgingly accepted Alex in the community, especially when you told him you had doubled the number of guns, with the handguns from the pentagon and the weapons from Alex, and he also agreed that was going to be kept within you seven, the DC Team and him, and you were going to hide the guns out there. 

He also had news… but those were coming the next day, when he could gather everyone again and you six had your rest  He insisted…

So you tried your best to have your rest, but after a dinner in your honor, where they spoiled the six of you, you had managed to get your archer in your bed, laying over the covers. Expecting your surprise.

“I have something for you”, you said shyly, he accommodated on the bed and looked at you through his wild hair

“Wha’?”, you smiled

“Promise me you won’t be mad, it’s something I found while I was on our run”, you said softly, “and don’t take this the wrong way, I just saw it and I thought of you”, you said, you revealed a pajama wrapped in a single bow.

“For me?”, he asked, he seemed truly surprised, receiving the gift

“Yeah”, you said, “it was so soft… so I thought of you”, you said softly

“Thanks”, he said, he looked truly touched, and you smiled

“I got something else”, you said, arching one of your eyebrows 

“Wha’?”, he asked, laying down again, you grabbed your hoodie, and opened the zipper slowly, revealing to your partner the little lingerie set that you had scavenged with Rosita.

You could already hear Daryl getting angry because you would think about things like that, but no matter, you had a couple of wine glasses for liquid courage, or else you wouldn’t have the bravery to show yourself like this to him. 

“Did you really scavenge tha’?”, he asked incredulously, you looked down and you saw your breasts dressed in… well… cheap lace, but lace at least, “instead of…?”

“I’m returning it then”, you said dangerously and he shook his head with a smile, “if it's of any consolation I took one for each of the girls too, so everyone is getting lucky tonight”, you said with a wide smile, “Michonne, Maggie, Rosita, even Tara, I see it as a way to boost morale, very important”

“Come ‘er”, he said, reaching for you, you disposed of your cotton pants revealing the bottom part and you laughed when you heard him growl. You walked slowly to the bed, teasingly, and then you straddled him. 

Oh this was it! you were finally going to…, he grabbed you softly and placed you on your side, not in your injured side 

“Ya r’injured”, he mumbled, grabbing your thick bedcover and placing it over you.

“Hey but…”, you protested 

“nother time”, you felt your cheeks heated and your nose started to tingle, meaning tears were coming… You actually put on freaking lingerie on yourself to please him and he barely even looked at you, he rejected you. 

You felt so stupid, and even more stupid to feel like that, but you did.

You wanted to cry

“Ok”, your voice cracked, you hoped he didn’t notice.

But of course he did

“Hey”, he called, but you hid your face from him, “Don’t be upset”, he said gently. You actually threw the bed covers away and jumped off the bed, “hey”, he called softly.

“I can’t sleep on this, the wire is crushing my ribs, and the lace is rubbing in all the wrong ways”, you explained as you walked towards the bathroom. You heard him sigh. 

“Why’d you put it on then?”, he asked through the wood of the door. You shook your head as you wiped your tears, and winced in pain when you had to use your injured shoulder to get out of the ensemble, but you wouldn’t ask him for help... You shook your head and grabbed your pajama, put it on quickly, it wasn’t flattering in any way shape or form, it was comfortable as hell though, long sleeve and leg. You then went back to the room and you almost gasped when you found Daryl, wearing the pajama you got for him. It was a black cotton henley, with long leg bottoms, with a tartan in black, green, blue, yellow and red. 

“You’right”, he mumbled with a soft smile, “these are comfortable as hell!”, you smiled sadly, and again you walked towards him, he grabbed you in his arms and placed back into the bed, hugging you tightly, “damn”, he grumbled, “is like we are both on clouds”, he whispered. 

You had to admit it felt great, so soft, especially when he grabbed you and cuddled deep into you, his leg around yours, his arms wrapped around you like you were a teddy bear. Your head on his chest.

“I don’t think I had pajamas since I as a kid”, he admitted, whispering in your ear

“Really?”, you asked softly

“Mmm”, he grumbled, “before my mom turned to booze”, he whispered, “I can actually remember some nice years, didn’t last long though”

“I’m sorry”, you whispered. You caressed his back, and as in his chest, you could feel ridges… scars… deep ones… you hugged onto him tightly. You wanted to protect him, to prevent anything else from happening to him. He didn’t deserve it, what happened to him.

Now you feel like an asshole. 

He wasn’t ready. You kissed his chest, above his neckline, and hugged more into him. 

PCN: SURPRISEEEE! Are you surprised? are you? hehehehe If you are… i’m only going to say this… he is still the Negan we love or the one we love to hate… Also, I’m gonna try to write longer chapters… because I’m finally at the point of the story I wanted to get to hehe, sorry I know I should built this better, but c’mon, I’m not a pro… ALSO, yeah poor reader and poor Daryl… but I’m exploring his character and they have a bit more development to go through until they can… be truly together, and Daryl is just starting to open up to us… so…. good things are coming.

taglist! @crazyunsexycool @capricxnt

[deanscutiepiesam]

I can't stop thinking about that one post about how Lucifer should've been played by Jared when projecting the image of himself [this post, go read it. It's so good]. And I completely agree with them across the board. Sam, being his true vessel and the horrific impact it would have on him, would've been amazing to see explored. But I also think Lucifer should've been played by Jared because he was better for the character.

And I don't just mean this in an acting way, (though, I am biased. Jared has skills), but for the sake of the story and his likability. Obviously, we aren't supposed to like Lucifer, I don't, but I did like how he was written when Jared played him. Think of Endverse!Lucifer in his white suit. Telling Dean how no matter what, he'll always end up here. Think of Swan Song, where he was pleading with Michael. How Lucifer didn't want to hurt his brother, but he "left him no choice." He's almost oddly sympathetic, but then you have to remember he's literally trying to start the Apocalypse. He's manipulative. He's the devil. We've gotten accustomed to Jared's face being Sam, all soft and sweet, so that image being juxtaposed with evil incarnate is so powerful. Wolf in sheep's clothing and all that. Gives you chills.

Now compare that with Nick's Lucifer or even Casifer. Not even close (in my opinion, at least). I was talking to a friend of mine about this a while ago, but those versions of Lucifer don't even feel like the same guy. He went from an intimidating, genuinely scary, and interesting character to a "I'm so silly" comedian - and a weak one at that. And I know this was unfortunately because the show went the route of making Sam's cage trauma a joke, but why, though?? There was so much potential for Jared to play him, and even going the Nick vessel route, they could've written him not... like that.

And this isn't to say Lucifer can't crack jokes. I think, executed well, it could be funny and add to the horror. Supernatural has done funny bad guys before (like I personally enjoy Azazel's and Crowley's quips), and it works for them. But Lucifer just feels like a failed version of that. It doesn't fit his character, personally. And I know some people enjoy Nick's Lucifer and Casifer, and that's valid, but it just doesn't sit right with me. He loses aura points, and I don't enjoy watching him.

And once again, I know we aren't supposed to like him, but it's not even a dislike because he's a good villain; he's just annoying. He comes on screen, and I'm not scared or anxious, I'm annoyed. And it's frustrating because they did so well with him in my Jared examples. And not only that, it could've been a foundation for later seasons. (Imagine Sam!Lucifer doing the misunderstood guy facade to get Jack on his side. Like come on, we were robbed.)

Anyways, I don't know... I just had to get that out. Not sure if I made any sense, but I'm gonna trust I'm coherent enough for you to get the gist of it. Shout out to well written Lucifer. You will always be famous. I hope you die — oh, wait...

[amywritesthings]

boston holiday. / a joel holiday ficlet

pairing: joel miller x f!reader ( the last of us ) word count: 1.5k summary: You're decorating for the holidays in your Boston Quarantine Zone apartment. A begrudging Joel Miller gets involved. tags: domestic fluff, pre-tlou, explicit language, holiday decorating in the apocalypse, set 6 months after 'seeing you / seeing me' credit: dividers by @saradika

welcome to the third day of the twelve days of amymas 2023 !!!

“The hell’re you doing, girl?”

Only two people have the key to your place.

One of them is Tess Servopoulos.

Giving Tess a spare key was necessary — or so she's claimed, since according to her, she can't trust you to stay out of trouble for longer than twenty minutes.

(She isn't wrong.)

However, you’d love to argue that somehow you have become the saint in this duo.

Ever since that week at Miller's place, every deal has gone smoother than running water. For the last couple of months, you've been clean. Unseen. Invisible.

Tess, on the other hand, has always been a bad influence.

The older woman opens her mouth, starts a Boston-wide battle, and boom — sleepover for two at your place.

(After saving your ass, you'll hide her away from wandering eyes without question. Curfew punishments be damned.)

The other person that has the key to your place, well —

The other is the salt-and-pepper man watching you in mild horror as you teeter on the arm of your dilapidated couch.

(You just haven't seen him yet.)

Joel Miller has been known for his subtlety, his silence, but not around you.

Not when he holds the key to your place; a recent development.

He tends to simply show up when he wants.

You don't mind that — usually.

But his bark scares the shit out of you in the middle of stretching high, your bare toes barely touching the arm of your couch.

The hell're you doing, girl?

Hoping to tack this starting string of garland to the ceiling suddenly becomes you fighting for your life.

"Ah—!"

The surprise intrusion causes you to falter, ankle losing its balance.

You wobble once, violently twice, before falling backwards.

Joel wastes no time — he slams the front door shut, not bothering to lock it behind him, and rushes to the couch.

Like some fucked up apocalyptic fairy tale, he catches you well before you hit the ground.

Joel Miller, the reluctant hero.

For a moment you stay suspended here: feet barely touching the ground, the older man’s arms wrapped around your torso.

Joel's weather-worn face twists in a concerned scowl.

All you can do is cheekily smile.

“Hey, Miller.”

“Don’t fucking hey me,” he snaps. “Are you trying to get yourself killed?”

“To be fair, I thought I could reach it.” He stares, so you supply: "The ceiling. I thought I could reach the ceiling."

“You’ve got the tallest goddamn ceilings in the Boston Q-Z,” Joel argues in return, setting you down to properly stand. You hold onto the sleeves of his flannel shirt until you get your footing. “Ain’t no way in hell you were reaching anything.”

He lets go of you to stare at the ceiling like he's ready to pick a fight with it, before dropping his chin.

The man stops moving when he picks up the fallen string of fake green vines strewn across your scratched hardwood floor.

The question is silent: what the hell is this?

You cross your arms over your chest, wishing you had a better excuse.

A funny one that doesn't make you look so childish, especially in front of Joel Miller.

Still, you're a bad liar around him, so you choose to stare at the garland instead of him when you confess.

“I was trying to get the holiday spirit going.”

When you blink up to Joel, your suspicions of confusion are correct: he stares back like you’ve sprouted a second head and become a clicker in the flesh.

A beat passes.

Then another.

“The what now?”

You playfully roll your eyes and walk away towards your radio. Hovering over it, your fingertips reach to toy with the dials until white static takes over the apartment silence.

That radio is the only reliable device in your endless collection of junk, though it's had to go through some repairs this year.

Thanks to Joel it still works, though he won't let you thank him.

(Not verbally, anyway. There are always loopholes in the middle of the night.)

“Every year I do this,” you explain, turning each dial with care until the local radio station comes over the airwaves.

"You... decorate."

Clearly he's unimpressed.

"Yeah," you reply. "Between leaving the Q-Z and scavenging the nearby neighborhoods, I find junk all the time. Snowman trinkets and elf knick-knacks and other stupid shit no one ever touches because it's all useless. I keep all of them in a box until the holidays. My collection's actually grown exponentially over the years.”

Two boxes full, actually.

Forgotten treasures of other families, now kept sacred on your mantle.

“Sounds like a waste of time,” Joel scoffs.

“It is,” you agree once you find the right channel before standing at full height with a tiny smile, "but that time makes me happy, so I’m happy to waste it. What else am I supposed to do between jobs?”

He considers those words, if just for a moment.

Joel scrunches his nose and eyes in a way that says he's debating on being mean.

You don't expect him to get it.

He's been through shit, but so has everyone in this quarantine zone.

(So have you.)

The Eagles croon in the background — not exactly holiday cheer, but any vinyl or CDs of the greats like Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra singing holiday songs are probably nonexistent from the decay of time.

Besides, you can’t imagine many others are trying to keep the holidays afloat in the quarantine zone. Some families, sure, but not many.

Too much heartbreak. Too much loss.

But you've had enough sadness, so you try to bring a little light to your humble abode.

"Don't worry about it, Joel," you add after an uncomfortable amount of silence passes. "I know it's stupid. There's a fresh bottle of stored whiskey in the—"

All words die on your tongue when some kind of winter miracle happens:

Rather than tossing the garland string to the side, Joel turns on the heel of his boot and away from you.

"Joel?"

He carefully slips off his shoes, revealing worn-white socks, and steps on your couch cushion.

With care, he reaches for the ceiling.

A strip of his bare lower back reveals itself in his stretch.

“What are you... doing?” you inquire, stepping around your couch to face him.

He doesn't look down, determined to stare at the white canvas of your ceiling.

Searching.

Your line of sight is in direct contact with the dark happy trail poking from his shirt, causing your face to burn.

“What’s it look like I’m doing?” he retorts.

“You said it was a waste of time.”

“You dying because you wanna try and stick some stupid tree shit up on your ceiling is more of a waste of time. You got tape or something?”

“Seriously?”

He peers down at you. 

“Do I look like I’m kidding?" he retorts. "Get the damn tape.”

You have to try not to smile too wide when you step away, rummaging through your box of supplies.

Truthfully nothing in this box is worth keeping — none of it will save your life in the apocalypse — but your mental sanity thanks you for it every year.

After finding a roll that’s still sticky, you return to the couch and hold it up for him.

Joel grunts in gratitude, focusing his efforts solely on the line of green above him.

He manages to press the start of the decoration in place, holding the bottom of it to you.

“You want big loops or little?”

“What’ll stick better, Miller?”

He gives you a warning look. “Joel.”

A smile spreads like wildfire against your lips.

“...what’ll stick better, Joel?”

That seems to satisfy him.

“Hell if I know,” he grumbles, “just tell me what you prefer and I’ll do it.”

Something stirs in your lower belly as he speaks.

Joel didn’t have to do this.

He didn’t have to do any of it.

You were perfectly fine with keeping your need for holiday cheer to yourself, but he’s stepped in without so much as a fuss.

He’s had a hard life. Tess has alluded to the fact that he was once a father before.

You can only imagine how much he hates this, but he’s still trying.

For you.

It’s not a favor you will easily forget.

Your fading candles burn out in the background as the two of you go through every part of your assorted holiday decorations, popping open a bottle of smuggled whiskey to keep yourselves dehydrated. 

You direct. Joel places.

After some time you both get too tipsy to put the finishing touches.

(Too busy slow dancing in the middle of your living room to the ballads of Patsy Cline.)

Making jokes.

Enjoying warmth.

Choosing life.

It’s the first night Joel Miller ever sleeps at your place.

You both stay in bed long after the sun rises.

.

[oneshotnewbie]

hi, I hope you're well! I was wondering if you'd be so kind as to write a Carol Peletier x child or teen!reader where she's super overprotective of reader because reader reminds her so much of Sophia and doesn't want to lose reader who is like a daughter to her like she lost Sophia? ty! -🍄

Authors note: Reader is approximately Sophia's age when she disappeared. So around 11-13 years old, at least that's how I imagined it. Hope you like it, little mushroom ♥

ᕚ---ᕘ

Carol Peletier stood on night watch at the edge of the camp, her eyes piercing the dense treetops as her mind sank into memories of days gone by. The loss of her daughter Sophia a few years ago had scarred her; her heart was broken by the turmoil of the entire apocalypse. But on this day an unexpected encounter would take a positive turn in her life.

A group of new survivors approached the gates of Alexandria slowly and with hunger. Among them was a young person whose appearance immediately caught Carol's attention. With disheveled hair and a torn sweater, your figure appeared fragile and insecure in the group of older people. There was something in your gaze that made the gray-haired woman pause.

When you newcomers entered the society, an atmosphere of uncertainty and mistrust surrounded you. But Carol was already determined to stand by you and give you a new, better life. She recognized in you something of Sophia, her beloved but departed daughter. It wasn't just your looks, but also the innocent and shy way you moved and spoke that made Carol remember.

"What is your name, my child?" Carol asked softly as she approached you. The other survivors looked on suspiciously, but Carol didn't let that stop her. “Y/n,” you replied quietly, your gaze full of fear, the terror reflecting in your eyes.

Carol felt a pang in her heart and she knew immediately that she would do anything to protect you, just as she would have done for her own daughter. She smiled comfortingly and gently placed a hand on your shoulder, immediately feeling the connection between the two of you. "Welcome to Alexandria, Y/n. You're safe here," she assured you, averting the gaze of the other survivors.

In the days and week that followed, Carol watched you carefully. She helped you navigate in the community, gave you advice, and stood by you when you were shunned or teased by other younger survivors. The gray-haired woman recognized in you not only the vulnerability of a child in this harsh world, but also an incredible strength and will to survive behind the shy facade.

You slowly began to crawl out of your shell, fueled by Carol's care and support. You began to settle into the community and even made a few friends like Judith among the other survivors.

But you remained special to Carol. You were a second chance for her, a chance to right the wrongs of the past and replace a lost daughter. Every day she fought to keep you safe, because in your eyes she still saw the innocent face of her beloved Sophia.

And so she watched over you with dogged determination, ready to fight anyone who even tried to harm you.

Over the weeks, the atmosphere in Alexandria became significantly more tense as news of Alpha's threat spread. The residents were alarmed when they heard that the feared leader of the Whisperers was nearby with her community and was personally threatening to attack the community and especially the new addition if she didn't get what she demanded. Carol felt the fear in the air and the worry in her heart, but also the determination to protect her group, which had long been a close family to her.

Her thoughts immediately went to you. You had now become an integral part of Carol's life, like a daughter, and the worry for you burned in her heart like a blazing flame while the very idea made her throat tight. She couldn't imagine losing you like she had once lost her own daughter.

When she heard that Alpha and her followers were approaching, Carol prepared to do everything she could to defend her community, and especially you. She knew she couldn't let anyone hurt you or the other residents. Especially not Alpha, whose hatred towards the gray-haired woman was particularly severe.

The tension reached its peak when the Whisperers finally appeared at the gates of Alexandria. Carol stood ready on the tower, clutching her bow tightly, her eyes blazing with pure hatred and anger. The menacing figure in her leather mask stepped forward and fixed Carol with a cold and unyielding gaze, ignoring the others in the group, before her gaze shifted to you, who was standing behind Carol, trying to hide.

"My child, why are you trying to hide? Come out and show your pretty face," Alpha began, cutting through the silence with a voice as sharp as steel. Carol felt a shiver run down her spine as she realized her only interest was in you. As you stepped forward and grabbed her forearm, you sought her proximity to bind your fear while you showed yourself to Alpha. "You don't get to talk to her, do you understand me? Y/n is part of our community and I won't hand her over to you."

The tension hung over Alexandria like a heavy veil and the residents stood in silence behind the gates as they waited for the inevitable. "She has such a beautiful, young face. And I want it."

Carol's eyes darted down to you for a brief moment before she bit her lip hard, the metallic taste spreading in her mouth. "She will be the first to die if we attack," Alpha spoke and a feeling of terror gripped Carol. She promised herself that nothing would happen to you. Not after everything she'd been through. She knew she had to fight to protect you now. Even if it meant going against Alpha and the rest of the Whisperers.

"You don't dare harm a single hair on her head." replied the gray-haired one in a firm and determined voice, her eyes sparkling in a dark hue. She couldn't allow herself to act without thinking and put you in danger. "I will protect her, no matter what the cost."

You looked at Carol with wide eyes. You were scared, but you trusted her enough to know she was doing the right thing. Meanwhile, Alpha laughed darkly and took a step closer to the gate, her eyes still glued to you. "You think you can protect her? You're just as weak as the others in this community."

Carol felt anger seeping into every fiber of her being, but she forced herself to remain calm. She had to keep a calm mind if she wanted to protect you, and her love drove her to calm her racing heart. She signaled you with a nudge of her head to step back behind her and you did as you were told while she remained steadfast in her position like a lioness.

"You may think I'm weak, but I'll do anything to protect her." Carol declared firmly. Alpha laughed scornfully, but the grey-haired woman could see the uncertainty in her eyes. "You will see how weak you are when the time comes. But until then we will retreat. But remember, the clock is ticking for your little protege."

With these words, Alpha turned and disappeared into the darkness with her company. Carol took a deep breath, her hands shaking with tension as she sank to her knees and pulled you into a tight hug. She knew the fight for survival had only just begun. But she would do anything to make sure you survived. "Are you okay, my love?"

You nodded and she began to smile, although her eyes were still shining with worry. "As long as I'm here, I'll make sure you're safe. You're like a daughter to me, and I won't ever let you down." She knew you were safe, at least for now. But Carol also knew that the fight for survival was far from over. And she would fight until her last breath to protect you.

[heesdreamer]

SILENCED (2)

MASTERLIST

GENRE ➩ enhypen zombie apocalypse au!

SUMMARY ➩ navigating life 1 year post end of the world was already difficult as you avoided rotting corpses with hefty appetites and groups with various bad intentions. things get harder when you run into a group of survivors, 7 boys who make it impossible to run away.

WC ➩ 5k

WARNINGS ➩ everything the zombie apocalypse could bring lol, gore, mentions of death and injuries and lots of talk abt starvation and hunger this time around

AUTHORS NOTE ➩ this is a really short update but it was starting to bug me the longer it sat in my notes so i hope short is better than nothing. not proofread as always

Even small trips weren’t easy in the apocalypse. Runs to grocery stores could be the last thing you ever do and getting a few hours away could take weeks as you navigated rocky terrains and avoided uncrossable areas.

Transportation was something you’d taken for granted back then before the world had fallen apart.

You can remember tapping your foot impatiently against the subway station floor, arms crossed as you huffed and checked your watch for the umpteenth time. Maybe you were running late for school or you had just gotten off of work and wanted to get home fast so you could eat something.

Thinking about this now you felt utterly ridiculous, spoiled and sheltered from how good you truly had things.

But it wasn’t you alone who had these trivial problems and you considered that too as you walked with the group of boys, trailing behind a few feet but never left unattended considering they kept looking back to make sure you hadn’t disappeared into the woods at some point.

You wondered if you’d ever been somewhere at the same time as them. Seoul was big but it wasn’t spacious enough that this was totally an impossible thing to have happened. Maybe they’d been on the same train as you at some point, leaving school together and crowding around each other as they pulled playing cards.

It wasn’t a complete far fetched idea that you could have passed Jungwon on a crowded street when you went to get lunch or narrowly missed Heeseung as he rushed to an appointment he was late too.

You didn’t like to think about them like this, as people who all had lives and families before this all happened. You didn’t even like to think of yourself this way, chest tightening with the reminder of how much you’ve lost as this world changed.

It’d been days now since the camp had gotten overrun and you’d practically spent the last 72 hours straight doing nothing but walking. The straightest route to your destination hadn’t been safe enough to travel through, adding even more time onto the walk.

Most of it had been quiet, only hearing the boys speak in hushed whispers to each other every so often. It was hard to hold a conversation when you were all exhausted and hungry, running on autopilot and the fear filled adrenaline that built up every time the sun started to set.

Heeseung had been the quietest of everybody and he barely looked at the rest of you, his gaze sharp and focused as he continually scanned the surrounding areas. You thought back to your talk, the responsibility he held on his shoulders and you felt troubled for him now that such a major setback had occurred, now that their only home was gone.

He was closest to you as you lagged behind the group, keeping his eye on the boys ahead of him as the trudged along.

You were picking up your pace to catch up to him before you even confirmed within yourself it was a good idea, slowing back to a casual pace once you were side by side and reaching your hand out to gently tug on the sleeve of his long shirt. His eyes were shooting down to the point of contact and then back up at you with a frown.

“Hey.” You breathed out, trying to calm him down before you made your request. His eyes softened just slightly at the sound of your voice and he raised an eyebrow. “If we find somewhere safe to stop and rest for a few hours I can go try to get us something to eat.”

He watched you as you spoke and you knew he didn’t like your suggestion judging by the way his face hardened again, his jaw tensing as he scoffed and looked away from you. You figured he thought this was you finally putting your plan into action, leading them into the wilderness just to ditch them.

“I’m serious.” You had kept your hand on his sleeve still as you spoke and only now moved it, wrapping it fully around his arm so he could understand your earnest words. “They can’t go on like this much longer.”

He looked back over at you as you said that and you felt guilty at the sad expression on his face, knowing he had been thinking the same thing.

It must’ve been impossible for him to deal with the past few days, watching his family and the boys he was meant to lead barely make it through the day. The younger boys were stumbling as they walked, holding each others shoulders occasionally in an attempt to keep steady under their own crippling weight.

“Where’s safe?” He was genuinely asking but his voice broke around the word, already hoarse from not using it or having anything to drink. He sounded disbelieving that it was a possibility and he staggered slightly, knocking into your side.

Sunghoon had been lurking a few feet ahead and hearing this conversation he slowed a bit, letting you and Heeseung catch up as he leaned towards the two of you. “There’s a neighborhood or something up the ways a bit.” His tone was low so the other boys couldn’t pick it up.

You gave him a questioning look and he glared at you, eyes shooting down to your hand on Heeseung’s arm and your close proximity. “I saw it on the map.”

Heeseung nodded at his explanation and pat his back a few times in thanks, walking away from the two of you to alert the others you’d be stopping soon for a bit.

You had expected Sunghoon to follow him or at least drift back to his previous position, furthering himself away from you. It surprised you a bit when he continued to stand next to you but the look on his face didn’t, a suspicious glare as he watched you with no sign of care at your uncomfortable shifting.

“Something on your mind Sunghoon?” You were mumbling in irritation. You didn’t expect to become best friends but you hadn’t done anything to warrant him treating you like a criminal.

“Why are you still here?” He was saying it quickly like it had been on the tip of his tongue and you looked at him from the corner of your eye. “What are you planning?”

“I’m not planning anything.” You scoffed and took an offended step away from him, stopping in your slow pace. “And in case you forgot, I wasn’t given a choice in being here.”

He was stopping too and turning to look at you, sparing a glance behind him at the other boys who had continued walking. They weren’t going fast enough to leave you behind and the road was a straight shot surrounded by trees and no connected off paths so you wouldn’t lose them by stopping.

When he was facing you again he looked more angry and if you didn’t know any better you’d consider him a threat right now, a danger to you. However you’d seen the way he interacted with the group, with the dead even, and he wasn’t any issue. He was more gentle than he appeared regardless if he disliked you and was frustrated.

“Don’t bullshit me. You could’ve left if you wanted to, don’t be stupid.” He was shaking his head and you gave him a confused look so he explained further. “You didn’t even try to get away from them, no tears no questions. I can tell you’re smart and good at this world so I know you can tell the difference between a good person and a bad one.”

“Then what’s your problem with me?” You spat at him and cut him off, not wanting him to say more.

You could tell he was the most observant of the group but you didn’t like what he was implying. Your stomach turned at the thought of him seeing how much you didn’t necessarily want to be alone again, despite knowing it was the best option in the long run.

If you were alone you wouldn’t need to worry about things like this. You wouldn’t have to think about feeding them before you fed yourself because there would be no ache in your heart at the thought of them going hungry.

“My problem?” He was sneering but his voice was desperate like he wanted you to understand his point. “My problem is how excited Riki is to have a friend to talk to. My problem is that Sunoo basically thinks he owes you his life for getting you into this situation in the first place and my problem is that you aren’t going to stay.”

You both fell silent after that and he looked away from you, visibly upset and frustrated at the idea of you disappearing before you got to the place you’d showed them.

He flinched when he looked at you and saw your lips opening and closing, parting as you tried to think of something you could tell him that wouldn’t give him false hope but you also didn’t want to lie to him. Despite his wincing he waited patiently to hear what you had to say.

“Tell Heeseung I’ll catch up with you guys.” You muttered back and he watched in bewilderment as you turned and disappeared into the woods.

——

It took you an hour to stop replaying the conversation in your mind and you were glad considering you hadn’t managed to catch anything since leaving the boys on the road.

Part of you was laughing at the fact that, here you were. In the woods with full freedom and capability to disappear and never come back and yet you were sat crouching behind a log as you attempted to get them all something to eat. You quieted the voice with the reminder you could leave whenever you wanted and you would, you just didn’t want to leave them hungry and lost.

That’s all this was, you kept telling yourself over and over as you continued to track whatever animal was leaving small footprints in the dry dirt.

This was simply you being a decent person, not letting the apocalypse shred you of your morals and humanity. It wasn’t because you were starting to grow used to the boys, starting to care about them and their safety as individuals and a whole.

You’d finally caught sight of the animal as you slowed to a stop, a hefty raccoon shifting over some sticks and rocks just off in the distance. It hadn’t noticed you yet and you were glad for this considering you only had a knife to work with.

Before you could make any attempt at approaching in, steadily planning out the right angle to pounce forward, it was falling on its side and hitting the floor with a cry and a thud.

Your eyes widened in surprise, rushing forward to see what had happened to it. It’s face was bloody and you quickly realized it had been shot in the head by something, more accurately someone. You knew who it was before you turned around to check.

“You’re a good shot.” You sighed as you spoke and glanced over your shoulder to see Jungwon stepping out from behind the tree.

He was definitely the most skilled when it came to weapons, especially in accuracy and you’d quickly noted a few days ago that he was the only boy to have a silencer on his gun of choice. You knew it was him considering the fact there’d been little noise as he killed the animal.

“Took archery in highschool.” He shrugged like it was a casual skill to have as he approached you and the raccoon. “Guess I don’t have to tell you about that though do I?”

For a second you weren’t sure what he was referring to before you realized he was alluding to the fact you also shot with a bow typically, looking up at him with widened eyes which caused him to give you a half smile as he shrugged again.

“Can tell by the way you carry yourself I guess. Plus you’re a hunter, can’t imagine your weapon of choice is a knife.” He was explaining and he crouched down next to you, examining the animal for any bites or signs of disease.

“If you see any bow shops around here feel free to let me know.” You were mumbling back and he chuckled a small laugh. “They send you out here to follow me?”

He was shaking his head and you were slightly surprised at this considering you assumed he had been tasked with making sure you didn’t run away, potentially bringing you back if you made any attempt to. You were reminded of what Sunghoon had said about being able to leave whenever you wanted.

“I was looking for food just incase.” He didn’t finish his sentence but it was obvious what he was implying. Incase you didn’t return and they still needed to eat something.

Jungwon offered you a hand so he could pull you up off the ground where you were still crouching, you eyed him hesitantly but took it with an appreciative nod and stood slowly after you grabbed the animal by it’s tail in your free hand.

You followed behind him in silence as you made your way back to the road, back to where the boys had set up camp for the night. You tried not to think about what this meant and how you coming back willingly was going to come across to them. They were going to find out what you’d been trying to deny since running into them and your stomach was turning.

By the time you got there, the sun had nearly finished setting and it was almost too dark to see in front of you.

The fire the boys were sat around made you nervous considering how exposed you were and how near the woods lingered, the light and crackle of the flames potentially drawing the undead out of the woods and giving you all a replay of what had happened earlier this week. Four sets of eyes turned towards you when you and Jungwon popped out from the woods.

Heeseung was standing up and coming over to the two of you, patting Jungwon affectionately when he spotted the animal you’d handed to him at some point during your walk back.

“You okay?” Then he was turning to you and your face flushed as he grabbed you, his hands holding onto both your arms directly underneath your shoulders as he scanned your face for any sign of distress.

You were nodding awkwardly but your hands were instinctively coming up to cup around his elbows, leaving you both holding each other at an awkward distance. The other boys must have thought you were crazy as you touched their friend and leader but a large part of you felt connected to him after the auto shop, him having saved your life so directly.

When you both made your way over to the fire, Heeseung was clearing his throat and catching the attention of the older boys and Jungwon, who began to shake Riki and Sunoo awake at the signal for directions.

“We’re going to clear the house on the corner.” Heeseung was speaking in a low voice and you took the opportunity to observe where you were sitting.

The neighborhood, if you could call it that, was only a few run down houses neatly tucked away outside the main road. You imagined it had homed one or two families of rednecks in its prime, roofs titled and covered in roots and leaves. The boys had set up the fire in the middle of the three buildings, seemingly waiting for you all to be here before they entered.

“Shouldn’t we clear them all? Eliminate any potential surprises?” You were shocking yourself and the others as you voiced your suggestion casually.

Heeseung was looking at you with a bewildered look for a few seconds before glancing back towards the houses and nodding in agreement, realizing your idea was better than his.

It wasn’t the most grueling task and you’d cleared areas must bigger than this with much more active dead, yet you still had a sick feeling in your stomach as Heeseung leaned his shoulder against the first door and prepared to ram into. It only took one corpse to end everything and you tried not to think about this as he was pulling back and slamming forward against the decaying wood.

He was stumbling forward into the house and again, you could smell them before you saw or heard them. There was three inside and it looked to be a family, one significantly smaller than the other as it attempted to get closer to Heeseung and take a bit out of him. Jake was moving forward in a rush and taking out the biggest one, axe swinging over his shoulder and landing directly between its eyes with a loud crack.

The second was on its knees before you even processed it and you knew it must’ve been Jungwon from the doorway judging by the way it simply crumbled onto the floor without any fight or noise.

Riki was inside the house and tasked on the third walker, the smallest one that was clearly just barely older than him if at all. She had a large blood stain on the front of his pajama sweater and you tried not to wonder what had happened here that left them all like this, what measures were mistakenly taken to try and prevent them from turning. You didn’t like to think about the walkers being people similarly to the way you didn’t like to think about survivors in the old world, easier to make the separation and get it over with.

You could immediately tell Riki was struggling with doing this judging by the way he was frozen in the middle of the room, watching the corpse approach him.

He was facing away from you so you couldn’t see his expression but you didn’t need to anyways, knowing from his stiff back and hands fidgeting around his crowbar that he was hesitating and hesitating was one of the deadliest things you could possibly do. He had told you before that he didn’t kill as much as the other boys, being kept away from it all the best they could manage up until more recently when they started to take him out to practice in small intervals.

You were moving before you thought about it, circling in front of him and taking out the small corpse as cleanly as you could. You cupped your back of her head as she dropped, motionless now, and you tried to help lower her body onto the floor so the impact wasn’t as upsetting.

“I could’ve done it.” Riki’s voice was sounding behind you and you turned your head to look at him, standing back to your full height and giving him a confused glance once you noticed how agitated his expression was.

Before you could ask him what was wrong, if you’d done something or if maybe he was just upset you’d stepped in on his kill, he was turning on his heel and leaving the small house. You were fearful for a second watching him leave and then you remembered Sunoo, Sunghoon and Jay were just a few feet away at the other house over.

You almost followed him out the door in confusion, wanting to understand what exactly had made him look at you like that just to storm off but you were stopped by Heeseung stepping in front of you, bringing a hand up to your chest to stop your advances completely as he looked down at you with an apologetic glance.

“What happened?” You whispered to him, eyes wide slightly with confusion. The look the youngest boy had given you was deadly and the energy in the house had shifted drastically now. “What did I do wrong?”

“He’s just sensitive about that stuff.” Heeseung mumbled back, keeping his voice low in case the boy was still able to hear just off in the distance. The other boys in the house with you weren’t saying anything and eventually filed out once they realized your conversation was taking a private turn.

“Because I took his kill?” Your voice was cracking with disbelief, not able to understand what he was attempting to get across to you. Riki didn’t seem like the type to have an ego so large it would be damaged by you stepping in for an assisted kill. “It was about to grab him.”

Heeseung was sighing softly like you were poking a bear, glancing over his shoulder out the open door for a second before taking another step closer to you. You didn’t lose your confused expression, eyebrows furrowing further when he was bringing a hand up to gently touch your cheek before pushing a few loose strands of hair behind your ear.

He was clearly trying to soothe you and help you calm down but if anything it upset you further, solidifying it in your mind that you had done something wrong.

“You’ll have to talk to him about it. It’s not my place.” He was eventually continuing on when he realized what he was doing wasn’t working in taking your mind off of it.

You nodded softly and made a mental note to bring it up after things calmed down and you were certain things were safe for the night, vaguely hearing a sharp whistle outside that you’d learned to understand meant things were clear for now. The other boys must’ve cleared the other two houses while you were talking to Heeseung and now you were able to eat and get some rest finally before talking to Riki.

——

The food wasn’t a lot but it was enough to help everybody feel a bit better, passing each other small portions around the fire before retiring into one of the houses to rest.

You all decided to sleep together on the living room floor to minimize the risk that being spread out would being, somebody always staying awake in different shifts to keep watch outside on the porch. You laid in silence while you waited for your turn, knowing you wouldn’t be able to sleep in such a foreign place.

When it was the youngest turn to take watch, you sat and tracked his shadow as he left the dark room and slipped out the front door, mumbling a small greeting to Sunghoon who was finally coming in and joining the rest of the boys who were already asleep. You got up as slowly as you could and gently stepped over the bodies on the floor so you didn’t wake them up from their much needed rest, following Riki outside.

He whipped his head over when the door creaked up and sighed when he saw it was only you slowly closing it behind you. You glanced at him awkwardly and tried to decide wether to stand weirdly or to take the seat next to him on the small outside porch couch and risk upsetting him further.

“Just sit down.” He was mumbling once he noticed your dilemma and you hesitantly took the offer, sitting as far away from him as you could.

The two of you sat in silence for a while, listening to the sounds of the night and the woods while you ignored each other. You weren’t sure if you should speak first but he clearly knew why you followed him out here in the first place so you bit the bullet and started to talk before his shift ended.

“I have a brother around your age.” He picked his head up when you started to speak but you avoided looking at him for now. “You actually remind me of him sometimes, just the way you joke around. You’re a bit braver than him though but I’m sure he would’ve grown out of that eventually, you know? I didn’t mind it though… it came easy to me to take care of him.”

Riki wasn’t saying anything just yet but you could hear his breathing increase and you didn’t feel him looking at you anymore and he slowly understood what point you were trying to get across by opening up to him about this. You wanted him to understand why you did what you had for him and why it was second nature for you to step in like that once you thought he was in danger.

“I never though he was childish or a coward for needing my help sometimes, that’s what big sisters are for.” You took a pause so you could breathe, playing with your hands nervously. “It took him a long time to want to ever ask for it though… just too long I guess.”

You didn’t need to finish or directly say out loud what had happened to your brother, he picked it up as soon as you started talking about him.

He was scooting closer to you on the bench and you felt him grab your hand that was in your lap, stopping you from picking at your skin anxiously. You turned your head to look at him with a sad smile, biting your lip to try and stop from crying when you noticed how equally teary his expression was.

“You could’ve killed that walker.” You stated firmly and he nodded along with you, now fully understanding why you had. “Maybe I just didn’t want you to have to.”

Riki was still nodding and you felt slightly guilty now as you watched tears run down his face, avoiding looking at you again out of embarrassment. You wanted to tell him that it was okay if he wanted to cry, it was okay to still feel things in this world that weren’t fear and hunger but you weren’t sure that was even true so you didn’t dare voice it.

You stayed with him for the rest of his shift and when he eventually started to yawn and lose focus on your surroundings, you reassured him it was okay to go to bed and that you weren’t tired.

He hesitantly was leaving you out there and you although you were glad things were patched up between the two of you for the most part, you also felt a wave of relief over having a moment alone. It wasn’t lost on you that you were being trusted as part of the watch shift cycles, despite the fact you could easily disappear in the night and leave them with no warning if something stumbled upon the sleeping boys.

It was getting harder to deny what you were feeling more and more every passing hour the eight of you survived together.

It had bothered you when Riki was upset with you, deeply bothered you to the point of your skin crawling in nerves that you had done something wrong. You were distraught watching them all face hunger earlier this week and you felt deep sadness when they lost their camp and their home.

You especially didn’t want to consider what it meant that you liked listening to their stories around the fire. You thought Sunghoon was funny even when he didn’t seem like he realized he was telling a joke and it made your heart warm when Sunoo and Jungwon covered the sleeping older boys with blankets.

Heeseung was the worst of all, the most confusing part to all of this. You’d been most fearful of him at the beginning but the more you thought about him and his resolve, his brave heart taking leadership and treating the boys like they were more important than his own safety and survival, the more you liked being in his company.

He made you feel seen and human whenever he turned to ask for your opinion on something and he was surprisingly gentle whenever he spoke to you in hushed whispers or helped you over bits of debris in your pathway.

You liked these boys and you liked their hearts and love for each other that this world was slowly running out of.

Yet you couldn’t stop hearing the screams of your family and others you’d encountered, people you knew for months all the way to people you’d simply passed by on one of your runs. People didn’t last long in this world and it was a miracle that all seven of these boys were still together, still without major injury or setbacks.

Maybe that was the secret trick to it all, maybe their care and love for each other above all else was helping them survive and manage without facing the reality of your loved ones being tore away from you and ripped apart limb by limb.

It still made your stomach hurt to think about any of it though, it was never apart of your plan to care about somebody again after everything you’d lost and you were only feeling more and more certain in your decision to leave as fast as you could.

No matter what it takes.

[darkdemeter]

I'm sorta new to this blog, but can I request Death with a male reader who knows how to fight? Like martial arts or fencing or something like that? I always wondered how Death would react to something like that. Thank you!

A SPARRING PARTNER

◤✘DARKSIDERS REQUESTS | CATALOGUE Death x Male Reader

NOTES ↳ New, sort of new or been around since post one, I welcome you to the blog anyhow! WARNINGS❕ ↳ just general fluffy content — a brief mention of a past relative (mother) — I think that's it

✎ 2.6k

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You often recall the lessons of your past with fondness. It had been your mother’s passion to indulge you in your hobbies, gifting you a membership for your twelfth birthday to pursue the art of fencing. A prestigious hall of astute students and though humble and nervous, you persevered; even surpassing through the ranks. 

But whoever said it was a sport dedicated to elegance never understood the sheer brutality of such calculations beneath the glamorous form each opponent took. 

But Death saw the intermingle of both aspects in the way you portrayed your skill. Yes, New Haven was a luscious and serene sanctuary but safety was not a complete guarantee. Not with all the forces that conspire against them and it was best to be prepared. In your opinion, being able to wield and have a sense of combat was better than none at all. 

And so, when you could find time, you continue to exercise the lengths of your skill in hopes to keep the memory of it alive and to ensure you would not grow sloppy.

And the reaper himself grew to become fascinated in watching your self-appointed training. A strapping young man armed with a regal rapier, your mother had often said. How you miss her dearly. Perhaps it was to also ensure her memory prevailed that you kept at it. You can almost hear the way she clapped and cheered you on during your exams and presentations, making sure every other parent knew you were her son. 

But of course, when the apocalypse happened you all but lost your relic of an epee rapier. A gift for your nineteenth birthday and from that day forward you treasured it. You wish you could somehow find it, reclaim it. But alas, it is a forgotten dream. A hopeless wish you and your poor mother’s memory would never see achieved. 

Taking form as if you stood before your opponent, you calmed yourself once again. The air is a welcomed breeze in comparison to the beating heat of the sun. It takes time to repeat and commit movesets, to focus the harness of its second nature deep into your bones. Something Death can relate to, almost yet guiltily recalling his younger terms when he began to wield his blade. Absalom had taught him all he needed to and more, somehow surpassing the rest of his firstborn ilk and placing only second to Absalom. 

He wonders if you had any predecessors that you were to succeed. Death often watched you at a distance, speaking with you only so little. What information he gained about you was passing conversation with the other humans, his brother Strife who’d been present in his disguise as Jones when you were present at Haven and that of the maker, Ulthane. 

It’s like you kept this distance between yourself and the reaper for some unknown reason. The rare times you both managed to come face to face and talk it had been only a brief conversation before one of you were off on your business. 

So when treated to this seemingly hidden, other side of you, Death in fact took a curious intrigue over it. Silently he’d watch you, your footwork and try to imagine what your foe would be doing, how you would evade the next imaginary attack. Maybe it was his old mind at play but he may have foreseen a few stumbles that could benefit from improvement. 

Indeed as everyone had said about you, you were an able young man with an uncanny prowess in the art of fencing. By no means a Horseman or Maker, but for a human it was impressive; no matter how abashed you became and humbly dismissed the praise of your fellow survivors. 

The glow of his amber eyes shrink and beam, widening. His mind calculates your moves. You lunge forward with a hearted strike, grunting with the motion. You pull back, weight balanced and loosely held. You swing your makeshift blade with another grunted cry, swiping across before taking several steps back, swerving and evading the imagined offense of your attacker. 

Suddenly your attack does something unexpected, it only just catches you unawares. You sharply pivot your body, twirling on your heel and arching your back while simultaneously catching your blade against your target’s, Death can practically hear the ring of metal grinding metal piercing through the veil of the rolling pastures. A song he knows all too well. An orchestra of the fight, a melody to warfare. 

Huffing to yourself you continue on. It was good to always throw an odd attack into the mix to keep your senses sharp. 

Dust prances back and forth on the paled, sunken curve of Death’s shoulder, pecking and fluffing a portion of his hair between his beak. A pushing warble vibrating in his gullet. With a rumbled tsk, Death beats a dismissive hand at Dust.

“Quit it.”

Alerted by a louder, monotone caw, Death shoos Dust from his place with a growl. Now aware that you have stopped and turned to face towards his direction, the pale rider freezes before his hand slowly lowers to his side. 

Now he feels like he’s the abashed one. Caught spying on you. 

He expects you to scowl at him and bluntly ask why he’s watching you, to confront his guilty… ‘hobby’. However, instead you flash him a toothy smile and a nervous laugh bubbles up from your throat. 

“Death,” you greet and let your body relax, “I didn’t notice you there.”

That’s what he was hoping for. To remain unnoticed. A creeping shadow, the revered and masked invisible presence unseen by you. 

Now that’s gone all out the window. You can’t identify the way his eyes dart back and forth in a nervous flutter, the cumbersome burn of amber hiding it well at this distance or the way his heart he thought dead and unbeating lively rapped hard against his chest. When did Death himself get startled like this?

It’s your turn to watch him as he walks down the slight slope of the hillside he took spying refuge upon, the swaying lake of grass hiding the small drag of his footfall on his way down. 

“Y/N. I wasn’t—”

“Spying on me?” You chuckle with a shake of your head, waving it off. “You don’t have to explain yourself to me, I’m not bothered. Honestly, I‘m surprised you decided to stay around and watch.”

His eyes follow you as you move around him, notably to ruffle through your satchel. Procuring a waterskin, you take a few gulps from it with a relieved sigh, grateful for the cool water to run over your tongue and cool you down from the inside. A refreshing feeling. 

“Why’s that?” he asks above a huff. He crosses his arms over his chest, turning his body somewhat to face you but a part of him keeps himself at a distance and thus, it’s reflected in the defensive manner in which he stands before you. 

With a shrug, you answer, “Because you’re busy doing… well, whatever it is you and your siblings do for us. Things that wouldn’t occupy your attention for so long just to watch me flail around a uh… stick.”

As if to match your disappointed gaze, Death’s eyes lower to the long, sturdy stick you held in hand, allowing the shortened end that acted as your hilt beating dully against your wrist. 

“I see.” His voice is rough as it always is but you want to believe you hear an ounce of remorse in his curt reply. 

“So why exactly were you watching me?” You raise a brow, skeptical of the rider’s motivations but not in a hostile way. You’re rather flattered he stuck around. 

“Well, you’re an interesting character I wish to observe. You seem to know how to handle yourself.”

Dare the brooding reaper admit it, you’re impressive in what you do. It’s what kept his interest. How you would always twiddle the stick you use now in your grasp as you went about your business, twirling it in elaborate yet half-minded action, involuntarily demonstrating your skill. 

“You’re rather good, If I do say.”

The sun suddenly sinks a pit of heat deep into your skin and your eyes bow, shrinking away from his gaze. “Thanks. I think I’ve lost the proper motivation though, ever since I lost my epee rapier.”

Daring to meet Death’s eyes again, you breathe deeply through your nose. You see the question in his eyes before he can even allow his voice to speak. 

“My mom’s present to me some time ago. I lost it when the whole world ended and such. It’s gone now for sure, sadly. And with it, the only thing I had left of my mom.”

You always try to not let your mourning betray you and show on your face, but some days it feels harder to hide. And Death himself can peer into the depth of your soul’s grief, acquainted well with the hollowing feeling of loss. 

“You held the weapon in high regard?” His question doesn’t pose any real alert. In true reality, all you think is that he’s curious to know why you’re sad over a piece of your past. Even he’s not above of harbouring certain aspects, keeping to hold them instead of letting them go.

Eventually he did but it was a great sacrifice to prove War’s innocence. Yet for the longest time, he didn’t have it in himself to let go. 

You nod with a small hum as you roll your shoulders back. “Yeah. It was something very special to me. Made me feel close to my mom.”

Blinking, you now realise that this is the longest held conversation you’ve had with Death and with a shy grin, you pack away your stick and waterskin. “I should probably head back and help around the camp.”

With your bag in hand you offer a kind wave to the reaper and bow of your head. “See you around, yeah?”

“Hm.” He merely nods in return and then watches as you walk off. Dust lands atop his shoulder again, a curious and low caw in his throat as though to ask Death what he’s thinking with that curious tilt of his head. The one that drapes the blackened tendrils of his hair over his shoulder and collarbone. 

Of course it had to be on Earth. Where else would it be? Wait, where else would you have been if it wasn’t here?

Baffling questions. Irrelevant. If humans were useful for anything, it was gossip. Yes, he could have asked you for more details — hell, he could have just offered to recover your rapier — but you’ve proven to be the sort to either get things yourself or to leave it be. 

The powerful slug of a bullet penetrating a meaty carcass echoes through the remains of the city where Death currently scouted through, Strife taking a lesser Nephilim’s path in being careless of the enemies that still roam. 

So long as he got to kill something, he was happy. 

Still, Death would very much rather—

POW!

“Would you cease your aimless antics and help me for once!” He made it sound more of an order than a poseable question able to be answered at the gunslinger’s whim, to which the dated folds of his scarf rumple with a shrugged motion. 

Firing at another bat flying overhead, Death sighs aloud with a sunken fall of his chest. He continues to sift through the abandoned remains of humanity until finally, his search is over. 

He does well to hide the giddiness that his more private quest his complete, but it’s all in the eyes as Strife has come to learn. 

Whistling over the older brother’s shoulder, Strife chuckles to himself. “Is that for that human you were talking to the other day?”

Death doesn’t answer him. Simply he lets out a grumble and storms away from his brother, summoning Despair with a beckoning whistle and will to manifest the mount of decay. Strife too summons Mayhem to his side, easily pulling himself into the saddle to pursue after Death. 

Death feels his body tense under the laugh that chases him through the wind that whips through his hair. “It totally is!”

There you are again, practicing in the small dirt field some distance away from the camp. Despair slows down considerably until his reins are tugged back and his hoof counts at the ground, his body strained with a shifting tremble. 

It’s endearing to watch you despite what he now understands are the lacking foundations. With your precious rapier restored, he wonders to himself. Dismounting his steed, he then wanders down the small hill towards you, aware but not cautious of you hitting him. It was a stick after all, what damage could it possibly do to—

THWACK!

He seethes with a hiss, eyes thinned into a scornful glare at the dull sting against his masked cheek.

You gasp and let the stick drop to the ground with your eyes as wide as the bulbous, full moon he’s seen a plethora of times. “Death I— I’m so sorry! Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. It’s nothing.”

“Nothing? Death, I could have poked your eye out!” All pain that resided with the incident is forgotten when he chuckles deeply, his chest bouncing when you fret over him, remorseful and frightful that you assaulted him; even by accident. 

“As I said before: you’re good.”

Unsure whether the compliment is still suited after beating Death with your stick, you grimace still, cringing as the event played over and over in your head like a broken record.

“Still… I’m sorry.”

Death brings something between you, wrapped in a sheet of leather and bound in a securing thread of rope. In awe of its mystery, you wait with bated breath as he unravels it before your very eyes. 

“You…”

“I found it.”

“I… I thought it was lost all this time.” You move hesitantly to take the rapier from him, scared that he’ll seize you and steal your soul right there and then. Nestled in your grasp is the familiar tingle in your fingers, your eyes taking in the details you thought only were to remain as distant memories, but here it is, in your hands once again and with it the memories you held dearly to your heart. Delivered unto you by Death no less, funnily enough, giving life again to your passion. 

With a bright and genuine smile, you don’t let fear consume you as you look up at him. “Thank you, Death. This… means everything to me.”

There’s a silence between you for a moment. You see the minute flutter of his eyes flicker away, at least you believe so, before he nods with a hum. “You’re welcome.”

Deeply does breath pass through your nose, inhaling and exhaling. With the rapier balanced in your palms, you can hear the affectionate octave of your mother’s voice applauding you, telling you how proud she is of you and how far you’ve come. That she misses and loves you, watching over you from wherever she is now. 

With a cock of his head, Death begins to wander not away from you but instead takes his place on the opposite side of the dirt field. With the power of his will, he manifests Harvester to take the form of that of a rapier itself, its form not one he’s familiar with but it is a warrior’s trade to become accustomed to new instruments of combat. 

And perhaps learn a new, graceful technique that he can show off to his siblings. “You now have your weapon again. Now, how about a sparring partner?”

He enjoys the wide grin that spreads over your lips then and eagerly nod, taking your stance and aiming your rapier at him pointedly. “I’d like that.”

At closer distance, Death has a chance to admire how you fight. No longer will you or he have to imagine your opponent, but instead a friendly sparring partner. 

[sometimes-i-write-4-you]

A blast from the past - psych episode part

Shawn’s cousin, (y/n) is moving to Santa Barbara and helps the team solve a crime - but their cousin and his best friend are not the only familiar faces…

Shawn’s observations

(Y/n)’s observations

—————

1990

Shawn sat in the living room, Gus by his side and their eyes glued to the screen. Shawn’s cousin was visiting, and the boys were waiting for them to finish up some stuff, and then they’d join them for a game of Clue. (y/n) came out of the guest room and into the kitchen, pouring themselves a glass of water. “Shawn, Gus, water anyone?” They called out, and the boys yelled back in unison “no!”.

“Zombies!” Shawn called out, pressing the circle button on the remote. “Watch out!” It was Gus’s turn to warn his player 2 from the monsters attacking them. He pressed the square and the triangle, hoping this move would help.

“You guys are still stuck on this level? You’ve been at it for hours now” (y/n) sighed and rested their glass at the table, taking a seat next to their cousin. “It’s not the same level” Gus said in a defensive tone. “It is Gus, it says in the side level 3. I arrived at 3:30pm, when I came in you were on level 3. You nearly even said hello, meaning you were already invested in the game” they started, “I went to my room, unpacked and organized, got some homework done and now it is 5:30”. Shawn rolled his eyes.

“You lost!” The game called out. “See, you made us lose focus-“ Gus started, but (y/n) just laughed. “You would’ve lost anyway” they said. “Oh, so you think you can do better, (y/n)” Gus asked, challenging his best friend’s cousin. “In fact, I am sure of it. I already played through the entirety of ‘Apocalypse of the damned’ with Ella” (y/n) smirked, and reached out their hand toward Gus, who unwillingly handed them the remote.

…

Shawn walks into the police station, Gus by his side. “Do you know why we were called here? I heard nothing about a body in my police radar” Shawn says. “Shawn, I thought we agreed you need to return it” Gus sighs, though he isn’t surprised to hear his best friend is not listening to a voice of reason. “Well, I returned that one. Then I took a different one” Shawn replies.

“Shawn-“ Gus starts. “Well, we better wrap it up fast here, my cousin should be at my dad’s in about two hours and I want to be there to welcome them” Shawn cuts him off. “(Y/n) is coming to town?” Gus says, surprised. “Yeah, I told you about it like, a week ago” Shawn said. “No, you didn’t” Gus insists, slightly upset but once again not surprised.

“Yeah, don’t you remember? They got an interview here to be a pro filer, it makes sense, you know, they’ve always been really organized-“ Shawn explains, and his friend is about to cut him off to explain that this is not a job but they were interviewing for, but they got to the center of the station. Since Gus didn’t have the answer to Shawn’s question, he looked for someone who might know.

“Yo, Lassie!” Shawn called out and waved at the tall, black haired detective as he approached his desk. “What, Spencer?” He sighed, fixing his tie at the reflection of himself on the computer screen. “I was wondering-“ Shawn starts, and as he starts he can’t help but notice a few things.

Lassiter is fixing his tie, he is moving his face around to check all angles. His eyebrows are furred and he is focusing on fixing himself up, his desk is the cleanest Shawn has ever seen, which could only mean…

Shawn is raising his hand and resting it on his temple, “oh, Lassi, I just got a vision” he says dramatically. Lassiter rolls his eyes, but deep inside he was a bit worried Spencer’s vision had something to do with his plans for the day. “You are expecting someone. Someone you care about, someone you like, someone who you have a… a romantic interest in, maybe. Is it a special lady friend?” Shawn asks, raising his eyebrows as he dragged the words “lady friend” to poke Lassiter. He puts his hand down with a proud face. In return, the detective looks at the psychic with the usual annoyed, cold look in his eyes.

“No” He says, “a friend of mine from college is in town. They got their Masters at criminology recently and I’ve been talking to Chief Vick about getting a Profiler for the precinct for a while now, so I got them an interview” Lassiter explains himself, “they are finishing their interview as we speak”. Shawn was not fooled. He knows his favorite frenemy is interested in this new profiler, and he had every intention to be a wingman in this case.

“And you like this friend, don’t you? You like them, and you wanna kiss them-“ Shawn continued to poke the detective, making kissing noises as he puckers his lips. “Uh, Lassie?” Gus cuts his friend off, shushing him by covering Shawn’s mouth and pushing him back. “Where did you go to college?” He asks the detective, with his know-it-all smile. Unlike Shawn, he knew what the interview the cousin was here to have.

“Well, I got my criminal justice degree in Arizona state univers-“ Lassie starts. “Ha, that’s funny, my cousin got their criminal justice degree there as well. Maybe they were in the same class as you and your fri-“ Shawn starts, but mid-word the puzzle pieces connect in his brain.

Profiler. No pro filer.

“EW” Shawn calls out, taking a step back, “Lassie, you got a crush on my cousin?” He says, his voice laced with disgust.

“(y/n) is your cousin?” The detective says, and the horror in his voice was noticeable even to the most oblivious people. “Yes, Lassie, they are” Shawn cries out as he starts pacing around, “did you not notice we have the same lovely smile and the same beautiful shine in our eyes?” Shawn continues to compliment himself as he lists the ‘similarities’ between himself and his cousin.

“Well, I didn’t know that they were your cousin, I didn't even know you when I met them-” the detective replies, his voice slightly horrified. He tried to think back at the times he shared with (y/n) in university and tried to remember if they ever mentioned having a psychic for a cousin, it’s something you’d think would come up in a conversation. “i- and I don’t have a crush on (y/n)” he adds.

“What? Are you saying my cousin is ugly? Dude, my cousin is way out of your league-“ Shawn gets upset. “I- no, (y/n) is fine, I mean, they look fine-“ Lassie stumbles, confused at the argument he got into. “Gross, man, this is my cousin you are talking about-“ Shawn argues back and Gus rolls his eyes.

“What did I miss?” A voice sounds from behind the boys. “Lassie has a crush on my cousin” Shawn whines, and Juliet looks at him, her eyes filled with confusion and a smile threatening to spread on her face. She finally breaks. “No, no, O’hera, I don’t have a crush on Spencer’s cousin, I had a few classes with them in university, we were good friends and than I moved here, and at first we stayed in touch, but you know, long distance is hard- long distance friendships-“ he tries to save himself but Juliet’s laugh just gets louder and louder and Shawn’s whines whinier. Lassiter signs and decides to give up. “Look, it was before I even met Shawn, and it was a long time ago” He finally admits.

“This is the best thing that I have ever heard” O'hare laughs. “What is?” A new voice is joining the conversation. “(Y/n), hello” Lassiter says with the closest thing to a warm smile his face muscles can produce. He reaches his hand for (y/n) to shake, but they take his hand and pull him into a hug. “Hey, Carlton” they say. He may not be able to actually see the smile on their face, but when he closes his eyes and allows himself to take in the moment of reunion he can see it in his mind. Carlton clears his throat and breaks the hug, remembering there are people around them and he cannot get emotional.

“Hey cousin” Shawn smiles, opening his arms for them. They take the invitation and as they hug Shawn they pull Gus into the group hug. “The gang's back together” Gus smiles, hugging his childhood frenemy. They break the hug after a few seconds.

“Hi, I’m Juliet, I work with Shawn and detective Lassiter” Juliet says, reaching her hand out for a handshake. “Oh, hey, it is so nice to finally meet you” (y/n) smiles, shaking the offered hand. “Finally?” Juliet asks suspiciously as she moves her hand back to her side. “Yeah, Shawnie told me all about you. Don’t worry, he only ever says good things about you” They smile at Jules. She laughs a bit awkwardly, giving Shawn a slightly shy look.

“And he never mentioned me?” Lassie asks, confused, “cause if he did, I mean, you never realized it was me?”. (Y/n) clears their throat, “well, he always just said detective dipstick, so I… I never made the connection” they admit. Shawn lets out a small laugh. “That’s right, I did” he says. His eyes go to the detective, but he looks away after less than a second when he sees the angry look he shoots at him, saying ‘I’ll deal with you later’ without using a word. “Anyways, uh, Chief Vick wants everyone in the hall in five” (y/n) breaks the silence.

…

“Hello, officers. Today I would like to introduce you to our brand new profiler” Chief Vic says, pointing next to her and inviting (y/n) to stand in front of everyone. They walk up next to their new boss, waving at everybody. The officers all clap their hands and Shawn calls “wo!! Yes, wow, what an amazing-“.

“This is (y/n) Spencer, and yes, they are related to our very own Psychic detective” Vic starts, cutting off Spencer. “They have a B.A in criminal justice, which they got alongside our head detective, Carlton Lassiter, and they recently got their masters in criminology. It is fair to say they are very talented, and a promising addition to our precinct” Vic continues, “(y/n), a few words?”.

“Uh, hello everybody” (y/n) says, a warm smile on their face. ‘Just as I remembered’ Carlton thinks to himself, and he can’t help but smile at the sight. “The Chief here really said pretty much all of it, so I’ll just say I am looking forward to working alongside all of you, and I am so, so excited to be here. I want to give Carlton a special thanks for helping me get this opportunity, and, uh, I guess that’s it” they smile. Everyone claps once again and (y/n) goes back to the ‘crowd’.

The Chief nods, “thank you, (y/n), we are so happy to have you, and we all look forward to working with you too” she says with a smile on her face, “now, go back to work everybody”.

“This is so cool” Shawn says, “I can’t believe we’re gonna work together again, beating actual bad guys and not just zombies”. He walks by his cousin as they follow Lassiter to his desk. “Yeah, it’s gonna be so awesome” they reply, the word “awesome” comes out a bit singly. Lassiter stops at his desk, and (y/n) stops there too. The detective sits down and reaches his hand under his desk.

“Well, Shawn, I will see you later, k cousin?” (Y/n) says. “Don’t you want to grab a coffee? Catch up without my dad around?” Shawn asks, “I’ll even let you pay for my coffee”. (Y/n) lets out a small laugh, “well, as tempting as that sounds, I already have plans” they say, tilting their head toward their ex-classmate.

“Ew, you’re hanging out with detective dipstick?” Shawn says, scrunching his nose in disgust. He looks at the detective, who is now back to standing, one hand holding the briefcase-type-bag (y/n) arrived with in the morning and asked him to put it at his desk while they had their interview. It was a brief interaction, not even a proper hello. He is handing the bag out to the new profiler of the SBPD. (Y/n) rolls their eyes and grabs the bag, deciding to not dignify that with a response.

“You coming?” Lassiter asks, and (y/n) nods, tightening their grip over the briefcase’s handle. He walks out of the station, and they follow him, taking bigger steps to catch up to him.

“I can’t believe my cousin is going on a date with Lassie” Shawn says. “Shawn, they were good friends in university, they could just be catching up” Jules says, attempting to comfort her friend. “He better just be catching up with them” says Shawn, trying to sound annoyed and threatening but it comes out more like a child who asks his mom to give him back his toy. “I mean, it’s not like they would ever like him back. He’s so… friend and they’re so.. not” Gus joins in. “Poor Lassie” Shawn sighs, “he’s about to get his heart broken”.

…

“So, Lassie” (y/n) starts, using the nickname their cousin gave Carlton with a teasing smile on their face, “what have you been up to in the past… What is it? 10 years?”. The detective sighs, wanting to ask them not to call him Lassie but before the words come out he realizes he doesn’t mind the nickname when it’s coming from his old-days crush.

“I am the head detective of SBPD, I solve crimes and I put criminals in jail and, uh…” Lassie tried to think, realizing he really never does anything but work. “Wow” (y/n) laughs, “you are as dedicated as i remembered. Ever done anything other than work?” they ask.

“Well, I got married” He says. “Oh” (y/n) says, their voice almost disappointed, but Lassie didn’t catch the tone. “Than I got a divorce” He continues. “Oh” (y/n) says again, this time with a relief laced in their voice.

“Well, mostly studies. While I was studying I worked with prisons in different behavioral correction programs, I worked with some law firms and… stuff like that. Not as impressive, I guess” they say.

“No, no, I think this is very impressive, and so interesting” he says, though there is one question that he has to get the answer to. “What about a husband, or a boyfriend…” he asks. Back in university they sort-of-dated. It was never official, but they hung out and studied together, and though they never talked about it, the night they went their separate ways - Lassie got the job he applied for in Santa Barbara, and (y/n) stayed in arizona to continue their academic career and work as a freelancer in the field.

“Nothing of that sort” (y/n) says, “not much time for dating between all this… I mean, the crazy schedule…”. Lassiter nods, “yeah, yeah, of course” he says, trying to hide the happiness this answer gave him. “Why are you asking?” They tackle him. “Oh, just, uh, y’know, catching up” he says, “I’m also not seeing anyone” he adds. He is not sure what’s going on. Since when does he behave like this? So.. awkward, losing his words and his focus… /like a 20 years old with a crush/ he thinks to himself, realizing he may not be as over (y/n) as he thought.

“Good to know” (y/n) smiles at him awkwardly. They don’t know what to say or do next, and they are desperate to fill the silence with something. Lassie and them got along so well, but they just didn’t know how to do this. It’s been years, and the crush they had on Carlton back in university surfaced the second they laid eyes on him this morning. “So-“ they start, but both of their phones start ringing.

“Yes, Shawn?” (Y/n) says, as Lassie asks the Chief what happened. “Yeah, I’m here with Carlton, be there in 10” they say. “Ben there in 5” the detective corrects (y/n) as well as letting the Chief know they’ll be there soon. He gets up and pull his car keys from his pocket, “let’s go, (y/n)!” He calls out, and they follow him to the car - but not before grabbing the coffee cups they got to-go just in case there’s, well, a case.

…

When Lassiter and (y/n) arrive at the scene, the rest of the team is already there. “What do we have here?” (Y/n) asks, their eyes scanning the scene.

They were standing in the kitchen of an apartment where there was a body. It full of light wood furniture. In the center of the kitchen there was a counter, which had the sink as well as a knife stand and some drying plates and utensils.

“This is Nancy Price, her parents started to worry when they didn’t hear from her for a few days. She’s on a break from college for the holidays and she wasn’t supposed to be at work until today. When the parents checked and heard she didn’t show, they called us for a wellness check and… well, this is what we found” Jules says, gesturing at the scene. The woman on the floor is slim-figured, and looks like she is in her 20s. She is lying in a pool of blood. Her clothes are soaked in blood, her pajamas no longer white. (y/n) gets closer to the body and look over it, looking for more hints of what this unsub is like. They count the thin rips on the victim’s clothes and they find about 6 stab wounds Just by observing.

Overkill, this is a crime of passion. Probably personal. Her eyes are close, but since she is lying on the kitchen floor in a pool of blood, she was definitely killed here so it’s safe to assume she wasn't asleep when she got murdered. The killer closed her eyes, that shows mercy. That makes that even more likely this woman knows her killer.

“(Y/n), any thoughts?” The Chief asks. “Well, With the amount of stab wounds I’d say it’s a crime of passion - possibly someone who had a personal vendetta against our victim, someone she knew” (y/n) says, “the person who killed her, they showed mercy at the end, you can see they closed the victim’s eyes” they continue, their voice growing more and more confident as they go, especially once they focus their eyes on their trusted family- Shawn and Gus, who at this point of their life they considered a cousin of some sort.

There is a spot in the blood pool which is smeared, it’s close enough to the face of the victim and it’s probably where the killer rested their knee when they closed the victim’s eyes, confirming (y/n)s thoughts.

“Yes, yes, I can see it” Shawn yelps as he brings his hand to his temple and puts on his ridiculous psychic face. “The killer closed her eyes, he was kneeling right…” he continues, waving his finger around the room and leaning his body in the direction he is pointing at as if the spirits are leading him to the point the killer stood at. He finally stops, making his way around the body and pointing at the smeared spot. “Here” he finishes his show, using the opportunity of being closer to the body to scan it further and gather more details.

(Y/n), who followed him there, leans a bit closer to scan the body as well. They knew Shawn’s tricks, but it was a great show.

Her ring finger has a lighter strip in the shape of a ring, looks like she got a tan around the missing jewelry piece. It was either stolen or taken by the killer, or it was recently removed.

Shawn continued to look around, making sure he’s not missing anything.

The knife stand at the counter has a missing piece. By the placements and handles of the ones still there, the missing knife was one especially good for meat, and a very good murder weapon.

“This wasn’t planned” (y/n) says, pointing at the knife stand. “One of these is missing, my guess is that our unsub got in a heated argument with the victim and killed her” they explain the reasoning behind their words.

Carlton walked up to the counter, scanning the pieces. As he makes his way over there, (y/n) continues their theory.

“That means we are dealing with an impulsive person with some serious anger problems. They regret their actions, which means they’ll display signs of distress, it’s likely they’ll avoid social interactions” they say, and their eyes go back to the body near them. “We should see if we can find someone in her close circle with a history of bar fights or other violent behavior, maybe someone in an anger management program” (y/n) suggests.

When (y/n) finishes their shirt briefing it is Carlton’s turn to contribute. “It’s missing the meat knife, it’s not a bad choice of weapon. We need to see if the stab wounds match, but we’ll have to wait for the ME report” he says, impressed by (y/n)s contributions so far.

The light hits something under the drawers by the door to the balcony. It’s something shiny.

“I’m seeing…” Spencer starts, “an argument, uh, oh, they are yelling in my head, aw” he calls dramatically. He gets up and spins around, seeking his head as if to make the voices go away. Gus walks up to him and pulls him further from the body, making sure his friend doesn’t temper with the crime scene. “Talk to me buddy” Gus says calmly.

“Oh, I am so done with you!” Shawn says in a slightly higher pitched voice. He’s mimicking a movement of a ring removal and throws the imaginary ring to the direction of the balcony. “I hate you, I hate you-“ he continues his show, then stops and then puts on a surprised look. He falls back as he’s shaking his body side to side as if he’s being stabbed over and over again. He doesn’t get to finish his dramatic death scene since (y/n) is right behind him and they flick the side of his head to snap him out of the ‘trans’.

Gus walks over to the drawers and rolls the stand to the side. Jules walks up to Gus and bends down to make sure her eyes don’t deceive her. “Gloves” she commends, and soon enough Mcnab hands her a pair of gloves. She kneels down and picks up a shiny gold circle with a just as shiny green stone”. “looks like an engagement ring, maybe a promise ring” Jules says, “I think we know who we’re looking for”.

“Detective Lassiter, I want you to find out who Nancy was dating and why would she break it off with them. This person is our main suspect” Chief says. “I’m on it, miss” Carlton says, nodding at his boss. His eyes wander to (y/n). “Nice work there, newbie” he smirks at them. “Gross. Just gross” Shawn says and shakes his body to express his disgust, “Gus, we are out of here”.

…

“I can’t believe Lassie is hitting on my cousin! This is basic bro code, a bro shall not hit on another bro’s family member” Shawn sighs as they walk back to the blueberry. “Shawn, you slept with my sister” Gus reminds him. “Well, yeah, but I did it behind your back!” Shawn justified. “-that’s much worse than a cousin, plus, you and Lassiter aren’t bros” Gus continues with his lecture of reason. Shawn clicked his tongue,“No, no, Gus, Lassie and I have a special bond, we’re friends in a way that is beyond your understanding” Shawn insists, but Gus rolls his eyes as he decides to change the subject.

“Well, we need to find Nancy’s boyfriend” Gus says, “let’s see what we can find-“. “-yes Gus, I know, already on it” Shawn cuts him off, pulling a small notebook out of his back pocket. “Shawn, what is this?” Gus asks. “This is our victim's phone book. Or should I say phone notebook” Shawn answers, a smirk spreading on his face at the joke he just made, even though he was the only one finding that funny. “it was by the house phone and I took it” he finishes his explanation.

“Shawn, one day you are going to get arrested for theft” Gus says using his serious tone. “Who’s gonna report that something is missing? A dead woman? Come on Gus, I’m like Robin Hood, I steal for a good cause” Shawn claims, opening the notebook and flipping through it. “So you admit that you stole this” Gus replies, taking the notebook off of Shawn’s hands to look through it as well. “Gus, let’s just focus on what’s truly important - finding Nancy Drew’s murderer” Shawn avoids the argument knowing Gus is right.

“Her name is Nancy Price” Gus corrects him. “Yeah I thought that was weird, I mean, if it was Nancy Drew she could’ve solved her own murder” Shawn says, putting on his thinking face. Now it’s his turn to steal the notebook off of Gus. “No shawn, she wouldn’t be able to do that, she would be dead” Gus sighs at his friend’s way of thinking. Sometimes he wondered how a stupid man like Shawn could be so smart.

“I think” Shawn says loudly, hand to his temple, “we should start with a man named…” he stops dramatically, “Michal Smith”. “Shawn, are you serious? I am the only one here” Gus says, a bit annoyed. “Well Gus, you are not, there are people around us, and since we are famous now, they might recognize me” Shawn gives a typical smart-ass reply.

It takes Gus some in-and-out breathing to ignore that and stay focused. “Well, what makes you think that Michael is the guy we are looking for?” Gus asks, and Shawn hands him the notebook opened on one of the pages.

——-

Michal Smith

Number: (805) 775 657

Address: 400 Bath St

Email: Michal.Smith.new@gmail.com

——

The page had hearts all over it, and a photo of the two of them together was glued to the left corner. “Okay, looks like a good lead” Gus agrees, and just in time they stop by his bright blue company car. “Bath street, you better get your soap ready because we are coming to clean your streets” Shawn says as he enters the car and shuts the door after him. Gus looks at Shawn with disappointment in his eyes and his eyebrows slightly furrowed in confusion. As per usual, Shawn was the only one finding himself funny.