#is that the torture you had in mind for ellie

[joels6string]

bestie, i'm so thrilled that you've begun digging your talents into Joel Miller. this idea has been plaguing me for the past few days, and i feel like you'll literally kill me with whatever you come up with, should you want to explore it—

What happens when Joel and the reader are separated, and he's absolutely certain that she's dead (and of course this angsty man blames himself) ... only for them to finally be reunited?

(Extra spice, please)

This idea had also been plaguing me so thank you for forcing me to act on it💜 I wanted to add that spice, but it just didn't organically make it in, unless spice is Joel Miller going feral and ruthless to find you. Then it's spicy.

Lost and Found

Joel Miller x f!reader

Summary: Joel is willing to stop at nothing to find you when you go missing.

Rating: E

Word Count: 2.1k

Content: TLOU-level violence (which is high), angst, Joel Miller tortures a man for info, hurt/comfort, shared shower

“Where are they?!” Joel roared, fists entwining in his brother’s jacket, long strides closing the distance between Tommy and the wall behind him until the two collided with a ruthless slam.

“I don’t know! All right!? That what you wanna hear?” Tommy lamented, his hands going up in surrender as he locked his fear-filled eyes with the hazel burning with rage inches from his own.

The room was silent, too silent. No one dared speak a word, not with Joel in his current state. That was a death wish, something Tommy had known before his heavy boot steps had been heard rounding into the building. Despite knowing exactly how his brother would react to the news he’d been given, it did nothing to prepare him for what he faced now.

“You find ‘em,” the growl was menacing and low, “You go out there and you don’t come back here until you have her or you’re carried back dead. Do you understand me?”

Joel would be going out alone. He knew himself well enough that the dangers to himself by going alone outweighed the risk everyone else faced if they got in his way. He’d warned them it was a bad idea. He’d said it, multiple times in fact, but no one had listened and now you and Maria were missing. Just gone. And he’d done nothing to stop it.

The thought of forbidding you to head out beyond the safe walls of Jackson had passed through his mind when you’d brought it up. Sure, you were tough and you could handle yourself, you knew your way around a shotgun and a bow alike, but something that morning had felt off. When you’d let him know you and Maria were heading out to meet a few traders, a brisk 'no' had danced on the tip of his tongue, followed by an offer to accompany you, but he’d laid his suspicions to rest and let you go. And look where that had gotten him, hopping onto the back of a horse to search for you in the wilderness after your two-hour trip had dragged on to eight, then ten, and now open-ended. 

You had to be dead. And he knew what you were keen to get to those traders for. For him. He’d been scraping the bottom of his coffee jar for two days now, leading you and your kind gestures and undying affection for him into the hands of God knows who. 

“I’m goin’ with you,” a familiar voice called out from behind him, Joel’s teeth gnashing together at the sound, “You can’t carry ‘em both on that horse.”

“Me too,” another announced, one that elicited an entirely different reaction that was swelling in his chest, finding resistance only from the rage that had consumed him.

“Ellie, no,” Joel sighed, his eyes finding the teenager prepping her saddle, “I can’t–”

Lose you, too.

It had been a losing battle, both Tommy and Ellie riding out of the gates of Jackson to hunt you and Maria down along with a few other small teams, Joel’s steaming temper bringing all available hands on deck and ready to help. When the sun had set and not a trace of you had been found, not even Ellie dared speak some reason into him once the door to his house slammed shut. As the sun began to peek above the mountains after a sleepless night he was in the stables, Tommy hot on his heels as they readied for another long day. A long day that once again turned up nothing, Joel’s fist pounding against the solid wood of the barn as he bellowed an agonizing cry before slinking to his knees, breath ragged and strained.

“We’ll find ‘em, Joel,” Tommy soothed from behind him, keeping a safe distance still, “One way or another.”

Dead or alive.Why had he let you go? 

The house felt like you when he returned alone and despondent once again as the last light of the day had disappeared. Your favorite flannel that had once belonged to him still lay draped over the back of the handmade kitchen chair, your coffee mug sat unwashed on the counter still half full, and the flowers he’d picked for you the day before you’d disappeared had begun to wilt in their vase, he couldn’t be here. But there was nowhere else to go.

“Joel?” a meek voice echoed from the door, only one person was granted an open door policy here, “Can I come in?”

“Yeah, kiddo,” he sighed, putting the mask he’d begun to let fall back into place, “You all right?”

“Are you?”

“I’m good."

But he wasn’t. And everyone knew it.

The sight of smoke overnight had given Joel, Tommy, and the rest of the search party a new destination, a typically abandoned sector showing signs of life that hadn’t been there previously. It was better than nothing. The horses got them there as the sun hit its highest point, the stunned faces not expecting visitors quickly made lifeless at the end of Joel’s revolver, Tommy’s cries to wait falling on deaf ears.

“We don’t know who these people are!” Tommy scolded, trying to reason with his brother in any way he could.

“I don’t need to,” Joel sneered, his predatory gaze falling on the one man he’d left with a bullet hole only in the knee as he hopped down from the saddle and stalked over, the final bullet of his revolver clicking into the barrel, “You have two women. Where are they?”

“I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about,” his victim replied, voice high and strained, his gaze growing wider as a sinister grin stretched across the face of the man towering above him.

“Let’s try again.”

In one quick, fluid movement, Joel had lowered to one knee, the sharp silver of his favorite switchblade sinking effortlessly into the meat of the thigh to his left, his gun unwavering in its aim between the eyes. The excruciating scream that erupted into the trees was like a symphony, repressed instincts clawing up from the graves he’d buried them beneath when undertaking this new version of life. Maybe he’d missed this…

“Where are they?” he asked again, twisting his hand just enough to elicit another shriek.

“I don’t know,” was the panting response again, “I really don’t. I saw… I saw a group with two women yesterday, they had ‘em tied up. They were talking about some cabin to shack up in up the mountain. I swear that’s all I know.”

Another twist, another cry, the oozing blood warm on the side of his hand, “I reckon you know I ain’t that stupid. I’m askin’ one more time… Where are they?”

“Joel…” Tommy cautioned, but Joel didn’t hear him, he could feel the tip of his blade scraping at bone.

“You’re gonna kill me either way,” the man panted, sweat dripping down his temple.

“Yeah,” Joel confirmed, icy and detached, “I am. But how you answer determines if I make it quick or I take my sweet time.”

“Search the area!” That plea had been enough to convince Tommy and he dispersed the small crew they’d brought along, staying behind himself to monitor Joel and collect as much intel as he could.

“Who lets two women out on their own like that?” Pain-induced delirium was setting in, maniacal laughter erupting from his chest, “I assume one is yours? Is it Maria? The other one wouldn’t give us her name, matter of fact, that one’s gotta be yours.”

“Where is she?” This level of insolence deserved a new wound, Joel quickly retracting his blade and forcing a new entrance higher than the last.

“Maybe you’ll find her. Maybe you won’t.”

“Joel!” a call from the distance broke him from his trance, “Tommy!”

“Leave him,” Joel instructed towards the heap of a man he’d damaged beyond walking ability or repair as he stood, “He can find his own way.”

It was like getting the first breath of air after being underwater when he reached a shoddy tent to find you being pulled from the shelter and walking on your own two feet alive and well. He didn’t care he’d whimpered loud enough for his fellow patrolmen to hear, he took off in a sprint and scooped you up into his arms, your body going limp in his safe hold.

“Joel,” you whimpered as your head fell to the crook of his neck, your fingers twisting in his shirt as you gripped him with as much life as you had left, “Knew you’d find me.”

“Always.”

His arms were the only thing keeping you upright as he made space at the front of the saddle for you to lean back against him for the long ride home, one tightly wrapped around your waist as the other held onto the leather horn caged you in. The steady sway of the horse’s trot paired with the warmth you’d been denied for days pressed into your back had you dozing within minutes, your eyelids as heavy as the lead that lay scattered in your captors’ bodies. You’d caught a glimpse of the carnage on your way out despite Joel’s best attempts to shield you from the darkness you knew he was capable of.

“I got you, darlin’,” Joel cooed into your hair, “Sleep. You’re all right now.”

When you woke the smell of antiseptic hit you square in the nose, your eyes needing less adjustment after black had settled over the town. Tommy and Maria were nestled into the other section of the room, the chair beside you empty.

“He’s gone home,” Tommy informed, the rustling of your sheets cueing him onto your consciousness, “Didn’t think you’d be up so soon. But you’re clear to go if you feel all right. I can walk ya.”

The walk with Tommy was silent although you knew he had questions, but he had enough couth to know now wasn’t the time. You wondered if you’d get the same treatment at home. You didn’t have long to ponder it, the glow of your house’s lights visible after a short five-minute walk.

Your legs were still too sore to even jog, but the anticipation of burying yourself into Joel had your heart hammering. 

“Take it easy,” Tommy chuckled as he steadied you on the path, “He ain’t goin’ nowhere.”

A breath full of lavender greeted you as you opened your front door, the familiar sight the most wondrous thing you’d seen in quite some time. It was cozy and warm, Joel’s handiwork event over every inch of the space after years of work. You could hear the shower running, the steady stream calling out to you as your feet shuffled exhaustedly across the hardwood, your fingers barely able to grip the doorknob as you turned it. 

Steam damn near shrouded you completely as Joel’s head poked out from behind the curtain, his gray hair matted down around his head and ears, his mouth falling open in shock and relief as you slipped your filthy clothes off slowly, the sliver of his chest visible from behind the barrier enough to continue fueling your movements. Your skin was sullied and caked with dirt, your hair a brambled mess, but he welcomed you into the warm water gently, his hands running over your arms, shoulders, and back as he wiped you clean, your head unable to prevent lolling forward to press against the defined pec it aligned perfectly with.

“Lemme do your hair,” he cooed, the thought of his thick fingers scraping against your scalp already drawing a relieved sigh from your lips.

His slow scratches and scrubs almost had your knees giving out, but you managed to stay upright long enough for him to wash away all the final souvenirs of your captivity, his hands reclaiming your being and soft assurances soothing your battered, wearied soul. He dressed you in just panties and one of his t-shirts before slipping his favorite sleep pants on and carrying you to the bed just as he’d whisked you to safety earlier that day, your pillow soft beneath your head as he curled up behind you, a heavy arm wrapping you up tightly.

“You ain’t leaving these gates without me,” he growled into your soaked strands, “Never again.”

There would be no arguments from you.

“Thought I’d lost ya,” he murmured, you could still hear the anguish in his voice even through the walls he tried to trap it behind, “I can’t...”

“I know,” you exhaled, your fingernails raking through the coarse hair covering his forearm, “You can run the errands from now on.”

The breathy chuckle that hit your shoulder was comfort enough, a press of his lips to the hollow behind your ear the last thing you remembered before dozing off in his unwavering hold.

Joel Miller Masterlist

[infernalodie]

OKAY SO I GOT THIS REQUEST — former!ellie x reader, current!abby x reader; based on the song Left For Dead by Kiki Rockwell, specifically the part “my lover left me for dead, my pretty little body keeps the wolves fed.” The lover being Ellie and the wolves (obviously) being Abby😫 just a bunch of angst and smut (if possible😗). Where Ellie chooses Dina over r in a life or death situation and like Abby (coincidentally) finds R half dead from other humans and takes her back to her hideout or whatever and like nurses her back to health:) sorry it’s so long and it’s fine if you don’t want to, can just ignore this🫶🏼 luv u and your writing!!

a/n: Took me a long time to pick this one up, but here we go!

𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐥 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐊𝐧𝐨𝐰 || 𝐀𝐛𝐛𝐲 𝐀𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧

Inspo: Jacob Banks - Devil That I Know Kiki Rockwell - Left For Dead Max Richter - The Young Mariner

Pairing: Abby Anderson x Black!Fem!reader

Summary: Left for dead with a heart of love...

Warnings: Angsty as fuck with a large bit of torture

Part Two - Finale

Words: 4858

Ragged breaths filled the air of the small janitor’s closet. The surface of the workbench and small shelves holding cleaning chemicals are covered in dust. Dirty old rags on the ground. Some left previously, and new ones that had crimson seeped into the fabric. Pieces of medical tape were ripped and discarded along with the garments that had been torn to fashion some sort of bandage.

Your mouth was gagged by your shirt and jacket you bit down on. The soft cold breeze inside the room sent chills down your exposed stomach as you pressed the fabric from your shirt against the bullet wound. A groan fell from your lips as you ran a stripe of tape over the fabric, feeling extra pressure causing white hot pain to flash behind your eyes.

Pants fell from your lips as you released the articles of clothing from your mouth. A speckle of spit left on your lips as you blinked tiredly. “Fucking, Wolves.” Your soft hiss slipped from your lips as you grabbed your gun from beside you. Carefully, you sit up near the door and press your ear to the wood.

It’d only been minutes ago that you had been chased down. Left for dead by your now ex-girlfriend and friend, who you weren’t even sure made it out. If they did and if you made it out of here, you were going to kill them, literally. After saving their asses countless times back in Jackson, this is how they were going to repay you? Oh, yeah, you’re going to fucking gut the two of them.

But that would be the last thing you ever did as footsteps approached the closet. And before you could even respond, the door swung open. Light projected into the room, blinding you as you raised a hand to try and allow your eyes to adjust.

“I found the demon!” The person called as your brows furrowed together.

You crawled back, lifting your gun and aiming at the large figure before gunshots filled the air. The air lost in your lungs was regained with your gasping when seeing the Seraphites body thud against the ground. You kept to the corner of the room as a full-on firefight took place beyond the doorway. But with your mind still in a daze from your wound, you weren’t to put up a fight. Needing more rest than anything else.

It took a while but the gunfire soon seized to exist. Incoherent yells were heard outside as you blinked tiredly, swallowing the lump in your throat as you held your stomach. Footsteps approached, then stopped. “Manny, Mel, we have an outsider!”

Still, in a slight daze, you lifted your head. Your eyes shot wide as saucers as you made eye contact with her, Abby. The entire reason for you being out here and following Ellie to Seattle. Hell, in a way, Abby was the reason why she was bleeding to death in this janitor’s closet alone.

Two other figures, Mel and Manny you guessed came behind Abby. “You know the orders, Abs,” Manny stated, sending a knowing look to the muscular girl.

Their knowledgeable conversation left a horrible dread in your stomach. But you knew that if you put up a fight, you died. Even if you didn’t they would kill you nonetheless. And either way, you hadn’t killed someone before. You were out here to keep Dina and Ellie alive with your medical skills, not kill anyone.

So, it piqued the trio’s interest when you slid your gun their way. Staring down at the Baretta before back at you, finding you shaking your head. “Kill me if you have to,” you breathed. “I’ll put up less of a fight than Joel and Tommy did.”

With the mere mention of the two men, one she killed, Abby felt her chest tighten. “You’re from Jackson?” Abby asked, coming over and dropping to a knee beside you.

A shaky laugh fell from your lips. “Born and raised,” you said half-heartedly. “I shouldn’t even fuckin’ be here right now. Goddamnit, Ellie.” You muttered aloud, feeling Abby carefully lift the hem of your shirt to see your wound.

The bandage you had crafted had done very little to stop the blood flow. It caught a decent amount, restraining the slash of the blade performed by one of the cult members you ran into, but it wasn’t enough to hold everything else in. The cotton had become so damp that your blood began to slither past the bandage and down soaking into your pants and down your waistline.

“Is there anyone else with you?” Mel asked, coming to join your side, shrugging off her backpack and beginning to take out a medical kit.

Manny, who seemed confused by the two girls helping you, said, “Guys, Issac told us to deal with any Outsiders if we encounter them-”

“Manny, shut up for a second, alright?” Abby interjected, silencing him. He pursed his lips, turning towards the door to keep watch.

“There were people with me, but they left me for dead,” you answered the doctor’s question. “I thought I killed one of your people, but I don’t even know who the fuck is out there. I mean, I can’t kill anyone - I’ve never killed anyone - and it was just in the heat of the moment and I- I-”

Your rambling was stopped by Abby, who placed a hand on your shoulder. The touch made you flinch away, mind still conscious of the fact that this was the same girl that killed your mentor. A man who had cared for you and saved your life a handful of times. And you should be exacting the revenge you sought out here to do. To get payback, but truthfully, you were more inclined to not do it in spite of Ellie.

But you knew Joel wouldn’t you risking your life for something he caused to save Ellie. Unlike your ex, you weren’t clouded in rage. Sure, you were angry that you lost someone close to you, but that was the way of life. You mourn them and then you have to carry on. Nothing more than that. And Joel would’ve wanted you to have a healthy and careful life.

When Mel began to apply a new bandage, you cried out. Hand flying to Abby’s arm where you held on for dear life. Head thrown back against the wall as your face scrunched up in pain. “There others here, in Seattle,” you told them, trying to distract your mind from the pain surrounding your abdomen. “I don’t know where they are now. But your friend, the guy with the scar across his face and Leah, they’re both dead.”

The trio looked at you, shock evident in their eyes as you stared at them uneasily. “Leah was killed by those cultists and Ellie… she killed the other guy when he had a bag over my head,” you said. “If I could, I would’ve saved him and talked to him civilly. But my girlfriend was more inclined to make fun of him. I’m sorry.”

“What’s your name?” Abby asked, changing the subject purposefully. Although it surprised you, you cleared your throat with a groan.

“Y/n. Y/n Y/L/N,” You answered.

She nodded. “Well, Y/n, we’re going to get you proper medical treatment,” she told you. “Can you walk?”

You pursed your lips in doubt, and she opted to just lift you up, arm under your knees and the other around your lower back. A squeak falls from your lips with your arms wrapping around her neck. Tucking your face in her shoulder to hide the evidence of pain on your face. Abby successfully got you out of the janitor’s closet of a school that Ellie and Dina left you some time ago. Leg’s still aching from the debris that had prevented you from following the pair in a classroom somewhere down the hall. That and the door Ellie had consciously blocked with a desk, leaving you inside with a Clicker.

Stepping outside, you were quick to spot the truck that had a dog inside, sitting and waiting patiently. “Wait. Wait, a sec.” Abby stopped at your request, looking down at you in question. You bit your bottom lip, looking at her and the truck and shaking her head. “If Ellie finds me with you, she’s going to kill us. Maybe you should leave me here or something. I promise you, I’ll be out of Seattle before you know it. I don’t want to be locked up in a cage or killed by-”

“You’re coming with us.” The soft, yet, the unwavering firm tone in Abby’s lips silenced you. Lowering your head as Mel popped open the hitch and helped Abby pull you inside. “Manny, drive us back to the stadium. Mel and I will see how we can help, Y/n.”

“Abby, Issac’s going to kill us for bringing an outsider back-”

“Manny, just fucking drive,” Abby ordered. “At most, he’ll question her about the people that she was with.” The Hispanic man pursed his lips, cursing quietly before hopping into the truck and starting it. Leaving Abby to close the hatch and crouch by your side with Mel on the opposite side.

Retrieving items from her bag, Mel pulled out a set of bandages. “I’m just gonna replace the one you made so we can stop you from losing any more blood,” she explained. “When we get back to the base, I’ll clean the wound and stitch you up.”

Although the idea sounded great, you shook your head. “We need to disinfect it now,” you told her. “In my pack are a few bottles of Vodka. We can use that as an antiseptic until we get to your base.”

“You’re a doctor?” Mel inquired, eyes slightly widened in surprise.

You nodded. “Learned enough to know how to patch me or others up,” you explained. “Father taught me.”

Grabbing your bag, Mel grabbed one of the bottles you spoke of and took off the lid. “This is going to hurt like a motherfucker.”

“Oh, I know,” you chuckled, teeth slightly gritting in anticipation. “Let’s just get it over with.”

There seemed to be a pause where you built up the preparation in your mind and Mel tried to find confidence in doing the action. But those milliseconds didn’t carry on for too long before you were screaming in agony. Head slamming against the truck bed, nails creating crescent moons in your palm. You hadn’t even realized the sudden flailing of your arms and legs.

“Abby, hold her down!” The taller girl did as told, placing her hands firmly on your shoulders as you cried. When the stream of the intoxicating liquid seized, you were painted on the pale side of the visual. Mel quickly worked to bandage the wound and Abby tried to keep you at ease and not throw up anywhere or pass out.

Which was fruitless when you let out a sigh before your eyes fluttered shut from exhaustion. Abby clenched her teeth as she sat on the side benches along the edge of the truck bed. “Her body is just tired and in pain, Abs,” Mel stated. “But you need to know that Manny is right. Once I patch her up, Issac is just going to put her in a cage and torture her for information.”

“I know.” Abby ran a hand down her face, unable to retract her gaze from your sleeping features. So at peace and finally calm after all the bullshit you had been through. Truthfully, she had no reason to believe you and she didn’t, but she did believe you when you said you shouldn’t be out here. You were smaller in frame and height than Mel. Standing at full height, you were around Abby’s bicep and you didn’t have any defining muscle on you that screamed power in any fight. And that fact that you hadn’t killed anyone and were out here chasing after her showed that you were mentally strong. She just didn’t know if that would be able to carry on when Issac got his hands on you.

A groan shook at the back of your throat as you stirred awake. Face wincing in pain as your body ached and wished for you to rest for longer. Attempting to move your arms resulted in the harsh burn of something around your wrists. Eyes flickering open to find yourself in the center of a poorly lit room. An old fashion torch lamp was set on a few crates near a window that was blocked out by the sun by some white curtains.

Looking down at herself, she found herself in her old pair of dirty jeans with the same shirt on. But her wrists and ankles were tied together. Restrained to a chair with the harsh burn of rope being her reminder of defiance.

“Ah, good. You’re awake.” You watched with fearful eyes as the man stepped inside with a bottle of water. Shutting the door behind him and locking it before making his way over. Grabbing a discarded chair and dragging it towards you. The sound of the hind legs scratching across the ground made you wince. Sitting in the chair opposite of you, the man took a seat and smiled. “Now, we can talk about why you’re in my city.”

Issac. That was who you guessed this guy to be. He didn’t seem like some middle-class wolf taking orders from a higher power. He maintained a level of intimidation that came off as something natural. The way he talked, walked and even looked. Nothing got past this man without his say-so. And telling by how he seemed already annoyed told you that you were suspect number one for some of his troops roaming the city were dying.

Sloshing the water bottle around in front of him, he silently held it toward you. Looking between the bottle and the man, you let out a strangled sigh through your nose and nodded. Twisting the cap off, he held the open end to your lips and tilted it back enough for you to take a sip. Parting when you felt the dryness of your throat subside.

“Now, tell me where you’re from, who you’re with and how many of you there are,” Issac said in his gruff voice. “If you don’t, I’ll make this helluva lot worse for you.”

Swallowing the lump in your throat, you let out a slow controlled breath. “I’m from Jackson,” you started. “Came here by myself when I ran away from home-”

A loud laugh fell from Issac’s lips as he shook his head, and leaned back in his chair with a sigh. His dark eyes never strayed from your own. “Do I need to bring in my three soldiers that saved your life and ask them what you told them?” He asked, leaning his arms on his knees. “Or am I going to have to force the truth out of you?”

“I am telling you- MOTHERFUCKER!” You groaned eyes clamped shut at the feeling of a blade stabbed into your thigh. If he had stabbed any higher, he might’ve hit your femoral artery, but this would be easy to patch up. Of course, that’s if you survived past Issac’s torture.

“Y/n.” The use of your name on the man’s tongue was vile. It left a shiver running down your body as your eyes opened to find the man staring at your pained expression intently. “Your girlfriend left you for dead, right?” You let out a shaky exhale, tears brimming in your eyes with your lips pursing. The man frowned, shaking his head slightly as he asked, “So, why the fuck are you protecting her?”

Your lips wobbled, eyes flickering shut with your hands clenching. Breaths began to be choked up as you shook your head. Letting out a quiet cry at the thought of the auburn-haired girl. The girl that saved you from Clickers on a patrol run. The girl that had promised to keep you safe and one day, have a family with you.

Where was that now?

Where was she?

Hadn’t you risked enough coming out here with her and Dina? You lied to your father and left Jackson, your home. You’d given every waking moment of your time to this girl for the past 5 years, and this was how you were repaid. Being tortured for actions that you hadn’t condoned or acted upon. All you wanted was to keep her safe, but she must’ve not wanted the same as you.

With tear-soaked cheeks, you lifted your chin and shook your head. “I don’t know who you’re talking about,” you wept. “I came here alone and sought out Abby for killing-”

Your scream was muffled by the door that was dividing Abby from you. Her face scrunched up in aggravation. How could you be so loyal to someone who left you for dead? She couldn’t wrap her head around it because you shouldn’t be putting yourself in your girlfriend's place. Issac had promised Abby that he would allow you to rest before eventually sending you on your way, but that had been if you would tell the truth. Yet, you were putting up a useless fight for someone who wasn’t coming to save you.

Tears streamed down your cheeks as Issac coursed the knife down your forearm. Red breaching through the crack of your flesh and staining your pale flesh. Body trembling in the hot restraints of the rope that strained against your clenching limbs. Feeling the mounting pain to fizzle to a gentle stream of stinging when Issac pulled the blade from your flesh. Sitting back in his chair to take in your dishevelled and broken figure. From his doing, cuts were inflicted along your arms, legs, and one along your cheek. The blood slithered down your skin and sunk into your clothes. Hair astray from his hands that grabbed locks when he cut your face. And your eyes were bloodshot from the tears that never seized to fall.

“I came here alone,” you said through sobs. “I sought out Abby for killing my mentor.”

Issac sighed, shaking his head in slight astonishment. “You’re resilient, I’ll give ya that.” He rose from his seat, water bottle in hand. “Fighting for someone that isn’t coming to save you. It takes guts and I respect that. Really, I do. But I wonder how long it’ll take until you realize that your girlfriend left you behind- No, keep your eyes open.” The man tapped your cheek, forcing your head up. Finding your eyes hollow of emotion as you stared back at him.

“She isn’t coming to save you, Y/n,” he said quietly. “Whatever you thought of your girlfriend was a lie and you need to realize that before you die for someone who didn’t give a shit about you.” Crouching down in front of you, the man took your hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “If you tell me the truth, I can guarantee you that your girlfriend will be brought to justice. I’ll make my men go out and find her. From there, you can do as you wish. Kill her, torture her- I don’t care. But I need the truth, Y/n.”

In a drowsy state, you managed to keep eye contact with the man. Licking your dry lips as you swallowed the lump in your throat. “I’m from Jackson. I came here alone and sought out Abby for killing my mentor.”

All the man could do was stare at you, shell-shocked. You choked on your breaths, keeping the man’s gaze. A knock at the door grabbed your guys’ attention, seeing the door slightly open with Abby stepping inside. Her eyes focused on your dishevelled and broken form that was barely holding up. Eyes glossed over with tears as you broke the eye contact, bowing your head.

“I’m in the middle of something, Abby,” Issac grumbled. “Whatever you have to say is going to have to wait.”

“Issac, we both know she is going to keep this up until you kill her,” Abby protested. “If you aren’t going to do it, then let her recover. This isn’t getting us anywhere in finding her girlfriend.”

The man stared at you, taking in his soldier's words for a moment. Standing to his feet, placed the knife down on the chair and looked at Abby. “Keep her awake and give her this.” Placing the bottle in the girl’s hands, he walked out without another word. Leaving Abby to hold onto the bottle and stare at your figure that could be mistaken for dead if it wasn’t for your rising chest.

It was sad, honestly. How you could still hold love for someone that left you for dead was astonishing to Abby. Of course, she didn’t know your life story and she didn’t know shit about what you and your girlfriend had been through. But what she did know is that you weren’t made for this. You had skills that people dreamed of having, yet, you were out here hunting her for reasons that you may relate with, still didn’t change the fact that you weren’t built for surviving in the wild.

Walking over, Abby moved the knife, placing it in her lap as she sat down. Twisting the cap as she said, “Have some water.” You didn’t respond and you didn’t move. “Y/n, look at me.”

Still nothing. So, with a gentle hand, Abby grabbed your jaw and lifted your head. Finding your eyes heavy with exhaustion. Standing to her feet, Abby placed her thumb on your bottom lip and gently parted your lips. Realizing what she was doing, you willingly opened your mouth, allowing her to slowly pour the refreshing drink into your mouth.

Although she was your enemy, her touch was warm and soft. Treating you like a fragile ornament that could break with the faintest amount of squeeze. She cared. Her eyes watched you softly with the faintest hint of darkness that you couldn’t distinguish. She was worried. It was all that you had hoped to find from Ellie right about now, but you were receiving it from the woman you had been told was a monster. A woman who killed a man you deeply cared about. Who was she, truly?

Greedily drinking all of the water, Abby pulled away, placing the bottle on the floor. Taking a seat, Abby leaned back in the chair, eyes intently taking in your sorrowful expression. “I can’t understand you.” Her words made you raise your bloodshot eyes to her in question. Abby groaned, leaning her elbows onto her knees, closing the space between the two of you a little more. “How can you still love her after what she did to you?”

You bit your bottom lip, breaking eye contact and looking down at your legs. The steady ache from the stab wound had numbed to a point as long as you didn’t move the limb, you could forget it. But you couldn’t forget the wound so freshly cut into your mind. One that seemed to come up every single time Issac questioned you about your reason for being in Seattle.

“She changed me,” you finally answered, breaking the silence. “It’s something I can’t repay, but I thought… I thought that if I did everything to save her from trouble, maybe it would be enough.” You chewed on your bottom lip, shaking your head in thought. “I just can’t believe she would leave me behind. I can’t.”

Sniffling, you looked up at Abby. “That doesn’t make me foolish, okay?” You defended. “Ellie won’t leave me. She loves me. She loves me more than killing you, alright?” Exhaling deeply, you shook your head. “So, please. Just… Just let me go. I’ll convince her to go back and we’ll leave. She needs to know I’m ok.”

Abby stared at you sadly, pursing her lips at your denial. It was hard to hear that you, so pure of heart, wanting to do everything you could to support someone, were so clueless to signs of your fate. Ellie wouldn’t stop. You and Abby knew that. But you were too caught up in love to realize the pain you were trying to protect yourself from. Bargaining for something that wouldn’t come true.

Then it popped into her head, why would someone hurt you this bad? Or, how could someone hurt you this bad? It was damn near soulless the way Ellie had been able to inflict this much pain in one action in seconds. No verbal response, just a single action.

“Y/n, I’m sorry,” Abby whispered, piquing your interest. “I’m sorry for what I took from you.”

You frowned, staring at the girl in question. “What do you mean?”

“Joel,” she answered, making your expression lower into sadness. Abby ran a hand down her face, shifting forward slightly. “If I didn’t do what I did, maybe things would be better for you. You wouldn’t be here and dealing with what you’re dealing with.”

A faint tremble of your lips could be seen as you glanced up at her for a split moment before looking down. Letting out a shaky sigh and blinking away the fresh set of tears that were brewing in your eyes. Inhaling sharply as you bit the inside of your cheek. “Why did you do it, Abby?” You inquired quietly, looking up at the girl. Finding her expression shifted into one of regret as you shifted in your seat. “Abby, he was my mentor, a friend, the last person I got to call my father. He was one of the only people I had left, and you took him from me. So, please, I need to know why you took him from me if I can trust you.”

Abby let out a shaky breath. Hands clasping together as her lips parted. A fumbling of a sentence formed in her mind before she swallowed the lump in her throat. “Joel killed my father in Salt Lake,” she confessed. “I never got over it. I gathered information and searched for answers that could tell me where he was. So, when I found out he was in Jackson, I hunted him down with my group, and I killed him.”

Her confession left the room in a cold stillness as she waited for your response. So, she continued. “I hated him so much for what he took from me,” she muttered. “Finding my dad stabbed in the throat, having no chance to say goodbye or to give him a hug. Joel took that from me and I took that from you, and I’m so fucking sorry.”

Looking up, she found you staring down at her empathetically. “I’m sorry for your loss, Abby.” That was the last response she thought to receive. She’d taken so much from you, yet, you still had a softness in your heart that wasn’t afraid of being given out. “We’ve dealt with enough pain and I don’t want anymore. I just wanna go home with Ellie and be happy, you know?”

Falling to a knee, Abby grabbed your hands and held them softly. “You gotta listen to me, Y/n,” Abby said. “Ellie, she left you behind. As much as I don’t want to agree with Issac on this, he is right. If she loved you, she would’ve done anything to keep you safe and alive.”

A hard pill to swallow, that statement was. It felt like the imaginary knife Ellie had stabbed into was twisting further and further into your heart. Stealing whatever love that you had left for the girl and using it for her own personal gain. Because, in the end, that was the whole point of you coming. Getting guilt-tripped into seeking revenge for a man that only wanted the best for you. You didn’t even get to mourn his loss. You were just thrust into this quest that you wanted no part of. But your love for Ellie was something you couldn’t extinguish. It burned brighter than any flame imaginable.

And she used it against you.

Burning your heart and leaving a permanent scar that reminded you of how your trust could be twisted and forced against you in a selfish act.

“We were travelling with another woman- Dina,” you said out of the blue, making Abby frown. “I don’t know where they’re staying, but we were on our way looking for somewhere to set up camp until we found you.” Inhaling deeply, you closed your eyes. “She has a revolver, a Baretta, and a hunting rifle. Dina is pregnant, so if you go looking for them, don’t hurt her, please-”

“Y/n, you don’t have to tell me this if you don’t want to.” Abby surprisingly placed a hand on your cheek. Her warmth and comfort were enough for you to lean into the touch. The cold pinch of your tears covered her palms as you opened your eyes.

Pursing your lips, a thin-lipped smile appeared as you shrugged. “What else do I gotta lose?”

[xyziiix]

Pairings: Daryl Dixon x Fem!Reader , future! Joel Miller x Fem!Reader. (mention of a one sided!Negan x Fem’Reader)

TWD AU w/ slight TLOU crossover.

Summary: your family is in the middle of war with the saviours. After beating two of your beloved friends to death Negan took an attraction towards you at the line up - being even more intrigued when he saw the evident relationship you had with the rugged archer. His life being spared in return for you to join Negan’s polygamy of ‘wives’. And after two weeks of mental torture, you had ensured Daryl had escaped the sanctuary, with the help of Negan’s other wives - a group of miserable women who’d been blackmailed by him for various different reasons - before you managed to flee the cataclysmic fortress and merely escaped the gluttonous hands of Negan.

But choices have consequences - the monster would quote more than once.

You proudly stand beside your group, your family, your lover, and the other communities that had befallen Negan’s wrath. But soon the dark thoughts cloud over, the things you had to experience with your ‘husband’ tainting your mind, making you question your morals as you thought of how far you’d go to eliminate every last one of the ‘saviours’ - including Negan.

Warnings for this series: death, gore, suicidal thoughts, morally-grey reader, SMUT, angst, violence, language, mentions of !SA/dub-con!, reader is described as a woman, cheating - some of this shit is dark m’kay..

MINORS OR PEOPLE SENSITIVE TO ANY OF THESE LISTED TOPICS DNI!!

Important

A/N: hi guys new series yippeee!!! Daryl Dixon is my first love so I absa-fuckin-loutely needed to write a series about him, tho I am abit fucked up so I could not let myself write it as all sparkly and magic and happy… this may look familiar to some of you when I released about three chapters of a story called ‘Just us’ with basically the same plot. But I’d like to think my writing has evolved since then so I scrapped it and am starting again, the reason I couldn’t continue it was because I felt like I’d started the story in an awkward place and if I carried on It’d just be such a drag until we got to the good bits. So it’s basically the same story but starting from a different position and with much more grammatically correct writing lol.

As for the Joel Miller part of the story, he is my 2nd apocalypse husband and the way I’ve planned this series is going to involve him and Ellie perfectly I reckon.

And I know it’s such a cliche to have Negan be attracted to reader, I’m not trying to make her as his very desirable character who everyone wants to fuck. But it’s all for the plot OK.

This Masterlist is going to be tagged under all the characters mentioned (Joel and Ellie) but they won’t be coming in until much later on in the series so for any chapters being released will obviously be under the ‘Daryl Dixon’ tags. - until they’re involved and they will have they’re appropriate categorising - I just don’t wanna post like 20 chapters of Daryl Dixon under the ‘Joel miller x reader’ tag haha.

I WILL STILL BE WRITING MY ARTHUR MORGAN SERIES DO NOT FRET!!!

chapters:

[1] (W.I.P) 👷

[elliesfern]

bird cage - chapter ten

summary - you’re on the run after escaping the cult you grew up in, the seraphites. you run into a woman who completely changes your course and are unsure whether or not she will let you live.

pairing - fem reader x ellie. both characters are in their 20s.

warnings - kidnapping, violence, weapons, guns, blood, injury, burns, aggressive language, animal death, mention of hanging, alcohol, drinking, nsfw. 18+

a/n - i’ve gotta say guys, i think this may just be my favourite chapter so far. thanks for reading! x

ao3 link - https://archiveofourown.org/works/38383471/chapters/99283164

——————————————————————————————

Your feet swung in an impatient back and forth motion, dangling off of the edge of the bed as you waited for Ellie’s return.

You couldn’t help but go over the conversation you had heard between Cat and Ellie over and over in your mind, hoping that maybe if you thought about it harder you could come to some kind of conclusion about how much you didn’t care and then it would go away. But that wouldn’t happen. Because you did care.

Ellie’s love life should’ve been the very last thing on your priority list. You were in danger, you didn’t know if the people of Ellie’s home would listen to you, if they would kick you out, seperate you from her. If they’d torture you until you told them what they needed to hear. If you’d be hurt all over again, if you’d end up back at home. Your old home. You didn’t have a home anymore and that made your heart twinge a little.

You didn’t have room to care about what Ellie did, about how Ellie felt. It wasn’t your place. Your focus needed to be on yourself and how to survive, just how it was a mere week ago. Though you couldn’t help but remember her journal, and the precious way she wrote about you and did doodles of you. Didn’t she say she liked you? What did that even mean?

The front door opened to reveal an Ellie, struggling to balance two paper plates on one arm while using the other hand to twist the knob.

“Here ya go, ma lady.” Ellie handed you one of the plates and you couldn’t help the smile that involuntarily grew on your lips. The plate was filled with some kind of red meat, roast potatoes and green beans. Your stomach grumbled at the sight and you realised just how hungry you had felt, as if every day you had barely eaten in the last few months had built up to this one moment.

“It’s deer.” She said, and you dug in, feeling an accumulation of tastebuds dancing on your tongue. You hummed in delight, the heat from the potato creating a warm steam in amongst your throat.

“It’s so fucking good.” You said, Ellie’s eyebrows raising and body moving back from her position on the bed beside you.

“Sorry? Did you just swear?” She questioned, giggling as she made fun of your innocent nature. You just rolled your eyes and took another mouthful.

“I had to tell them I needed another plate because I was extra starving from my ‘big adventure’.” Ellie joked, holding her fingers up in air quotes.

“I think everyone was so worried about me that they’re kind of just letting me get away with whatever.”

“Must be nice.” You replied, thinking about the people back in your village who probably hadn’t even noticed you’d been gone. Ellie’s face dropped and she appeared to be deep in thought and you slightly regretted making the snide comment.

“I’m really sorry about Cat.” She said, her green eyes and freckly face looking directly at yours.

“Why are you sorry?” You asked, looking at her softly, but feeling your spine tense slightly at the mention of the girl’s name.

“I just feel like I have to apologise for her. I don’t know how much you heard…she’s just uh, a lot sometimes.” Ellie scrunched up her nose as the words left her mouth.

“And I mean, like, i’m sorry for forcing you into the bathroom. I know you don’t want to keep hiding and stuff. You shouldn’t have to.” Ellie’s voice was soft and genuine and had a slight rasp to it with the low volume. You nodded and gave her a small smile, meeting her eyes with yours.

“Did you really miss her?” You asked, and you wondered if saying that was crossing a line, or if you really even wanted to know.

“I did…but I also didn’t. We have a really complicated relationship.” The food in your mouth suddenly felt heavy and you could feel every inch of it slowly sliding down your throat.

“Why is it complicated?” You cringed slightly at how little you actually wanted to know anything about their relationship but you couldn’t stop yourself from asking.

“She was my first girlfriend…so I guess i’ll always care about her. But we grew apart. I just don’t love her how I used to.” She said, and looked at you as if every part of her brain was open on display in front of you and you knew that terrified her. You thought it was maybe the most beautiful thing you had ever seen. Even more beautiful than flowers and plants and butterflies and anything that grew from the ground of this earth. It was Ellie. Ellie was the most beautiful thing.

But that terrified you too. Being with Ellie - loving Ellie, it wasn’t possible. You were from completely different worlds. How did you expect to spend your days with her? Locked up, hidden forever? Maybe that would be okay. Maybe staying protected by Ellie for the rest of your life would be completely and utterly fine, because it was her.

“Are you okay?” Ellie questioned, and you realised you had been sitting in silence for god knows how long. You noticed the way your heartbeat had picked up in your chest and how your hands felt clammy when you rubbed them together.

“Can I shower?“ You said abruptly before your brain could even catch up to what had spilled out of your mouth.

“Of course.” Ellie said, her brows furrowing in concern and her hand raising to rest on your shoulder, which in turn made you panic more. You stood, placing your empty plate on the girl’s desk as she followed your lead, going to her dresser to pick out another one of her shirts for you to wear.

“I wont be too long, I get cold.”

“What?” The woman chuckled in confusion. “You can have a hot shower?”

“Oh.” You said, turning around once she had thrown you the shirt and heading to the bathroom with a face full of embarrassment.

You pulled out the shower handle, turning it slightly and stripping out of the clothes you had on. Holding your hand under the stream of water, you felt the change in temperature as it got warmer. The heat reminded you of falling asleep next to a lit fire, embers burning and making your cheeks turn pink. You stepped into the tub, allowing the warm water to flow over the crown of your head and drip down your shoulders.

An upbeat rhythm took you out of your thoughts, hearing what you assumed was Ellie blasting a song out of some kind of machine. You sighed, feeling overwhelmed at the thought of the girl just being on the other side of the wall. It was as if she didn’t feel real. Like your current life, being hidden away, standing in hot showers, Ellie, just didn’t feel like it would have ever been in your realm of possibilities. You had hope. A lot of hope that things would be okay, but you couldn’t help but constantly feel like you were in fight or flight.

Ellie made you feel both safe and in complete danger at once. You had this gut feeling like the girl would do anything to keep you protected - and maybe that was a bizarre or naive thought considering how you met. But you felt as though the way everything had played out had meant you could trust her. Because she could’ve killed you. But she didn’t. She hasn’t.

She was wildfire burning through a forrest. Or a tsunami crashing onto your shore. You often wanted to run away, but found yourself frozen, watching the beautiful disaster that the girl was completely unfold in front of you.

You heard the song change from the other room, and decided you had to check out what the other girl was up to. You hoped out of the bathtub and once you were dry, threw the t-shirt and your underwear on, your still-wet hair dripping down your back.

As you opened the bathroom door, you noticed the main lights had been turned off and a faint glow was illuminating the room from the fairy lights that were draped across the wall in front of you. The music was more clear then and Ellie had changed into a baggy t-shirt and shorts, and was wandering around the room swaying her hips.

“Oh, hey.” Ellie said with the biggest grin on her face. At once every ounce of unease you felt escaped you, leaving you with only a fluttery feeling at the sight of the girl ‘dancing’ before you. You never imagined that the Ellie you had first met less than a week ago would ever be in front of you like that.

“You wanna dance with me, princess?” She said, spinning her body around the room, and you wondered what had come over her. You laughed and shook your head, grabbing onto your own shirt in a clenched first as you suddenly felt like a spotlight had been placed right on you.

“I don’t know how.”

“I can show you.” Ellie came over to you, offering one of her hands out and you reluctantly took it, letting her lead you around the room, swaying your connected arms back and forth in a slightly awkward manner as if she didn’t really know what she was doing either.

“Joel found this CD for me years ago. It’s filled with like, random old love songs. I love listening to it when i’m not feeling great.” The brunette said, continuing to sway beside you to a song you weren’t really listening to because the whole situation was too overwhelming. Ellie took you by surprise when her grip on your hand tightened and she reached her arm up, causing you to twirl around on the spot beneath her arm. You couldn’t help but let out a giggle, and as the song came to a finish the two of you stood in anticipation about what the next song would be. You had never quite heard music like that, and didn’t at all understand how on earth it was coming out of a small oval shaped contraption that connected to the wall.

The pretty picking of a guitar was heard, this time the song being a little slower than the last and you looked at Ellie who still had ahold of your hand.

“I love this one. Come here.” Ellie instructed, using her hand to pull you closer to her until you could’ve counted every freckle that covered her cheeks if you wanted to. She guided both your hands up onto her shoulders, and you clasped them together, just grazing along the back of her neck. She placed her own hands on your waist, causing what felt like your heart to completely give in on itself. Your breath became shallow and you felt helpless to Ellie’s touch and gaze, and like every part of you wanted to run away but you were trapped right in that one spot, swaying so delicately back and forth. You listened to the song that was humming so effortlessly in the background.

‘Spinning on that dizzy edge

I kissed his face and kissed his head

And dreamed of all the different ways I had

To make him glow

Why are you so far away, he said

Why won't you ever know that

I'm in love with you

That I'm in love with you’

You and Ellie shared a grin, her eyes twinkling from the reflection of the lights.

“I’ve never done this before.” You said.

“How do you feel about it?” Ellie asked, her voice low and raspy once again and you couldn’t resist the magnetic pull it caused within you.

“I really like it.” Your voice almost a whisper then, as if it was the most important thing to keep the moment only between the two of you.

‘You

Soft and only

You

Lost and lonely

You

Strange as angels

Dancing in the deepest oceans

Twisting in the water

You're just like a dream

You're just like a dream’

You watched as Ellie’s gaze flickered down to your lips for a moment and your head spun, before your own eyes mimicked hers. Her pink lips twitched slightly and her tongue poked out for a moment to moisten the dry skin. Ellie’s green eyes looked into yours, practically begging for permission to close the gap between the two of you and your deep breaths came to a halt as one of the girl’s hands was removed from your waist, coming up to meet a strand of hair that was dangling across your face and tucking it behind your ear. Her soft palm rested on your cheek as Ellie began to lean forward and you felt the tip of her cold nose brush by your own and her warm breath tickle your lips.

A loud thud removed you from the situation, right before your lips had the chance to crash into Ellie’s, and as you spun around, you came face to face with a girl who had dark hair and was covered in tattoos, standing in the doorway.

“Who’s that?” She spoke, pointing to you and stepping into the room without permission. Her eyes locked onto yours and you suddenly felt naked as she scanned your face and stopped where the scars on your cheeks laid.

“Oh my god, that’s a scar.” Her voiced raised and Ellie was quick to put distance between you and the girl by standing directly in front of you.

“You’re fucking a scar!?”

“Cat, calm down.” Ellie desperately tried and alarm bells went off in your head at the name.

“She’s a fucking scar, Ellie! Her people killed us.” Cat was loud that time, loud enough for anyone in close proximity to hear and you knew it was completely intentional. You suddenly felt like maybe hiding in Ellie’s bathroom all day wasn’t so bad after all and wished more than anything to be able to go back to that.

As expected, a man came running into the room and had a gun in hand, pointed at you.

“Joel, put the gun down. Everything’s fine.” Ellie held her arm out in front of her as a blockade, and her other arm was slinked behind her and reaching out to you.

“Why have you got a scar in your room?” Joel questioned, refusing to lower the gun and you got the impression he wouldn’t stop at anything to protect her.

“I can explain everything. I just need you to be quiet so Maria and Tommy don’t show up.” Ellie pleaded, but almost ironically in that moment, an older blonde woman appeared from behind Joel and Ellie let out a deep defeated sigh.

“Come with me. We’re gonna put you in a holding room and then figure out what to do with you from there.” Maria said, and you nodded, knowing there was nothing you could do to change your fate.

“Put some pants on.” She said, and your cheeks burned with embarrassment as you quickly slid on some jeans Ellie threw you. A guard came over to you and everybody watched as your wrists were tied together in a similar fashion to how Ellie had done it. You lifted your gaze to see the girl you were just about to kiss had guilt smeared all over her face.

“I’m so sorry.” She mouthed, and her eyes looked as if they were on the verge of welling up with tears. You gave her a half smile, not wanting Ellie to worry or take the blame. It was your choice to be there, your choice to follow her home in the end. You didn’t want to regret it, even then, you hoped that maybe this would simply be a final hurdle to get over and then everything could be normal. But maybe that wasn’t realistic. Maybe you wouldn’t ever get that happy ending you wanted. Maybe you were simply put on this earth to give answers, to help some people who didn’t even like you, and then that would be it. You weren’t sure what awaited you, but you sure weren’t looking forward to it.

[liaromancewriter]

Convincing the Chief

Premise: When Edenbrook’s PR team needs to engage the Chief, they go to the Ramsey Whisperer for advice.

Book: Open Heart (post series) Pairing: Ethan Ramsey x F!MC (Cassie Valentine) Rating/Category: Teen. Fluff. Words: 2,855

A/N: Submission for @choicesmonthlychallenge​ May challenge prompt, Day 22 “trapped”. 

Amalia Kallis was having a good summer. She had scored an internship at the prestigious Edenbrook Hospital and was loving the work. She hadn’t really seen herself in healthcare before, but now that she’d had a taste of it, she wouldn’t mind it as a career.

Unlike some of her former classmates doing internships, she hadn’t been relegated to coffee runs or being everyone’s gopher. She was doing real PR working with the hospital’s research teams to translate their accomplishments in laymen terms.

Granted, she wasn’t solely responsible for this and had to run everything by more experienced communication professionals to make sure it was accurate, but still. She had written the initial draft of the press release and most of her words would be out there for everyone to read!

She hugged the knowledge to herself as she took her seat for the weekly team meeting, her iPad already open to the Notes app. Halfway through, her screen was full of scribbles and her own reflections on the list of things to get done this week.

Amalia underlined ‘social media posts’ twice to emphasize the importance of the weekly task when she sensed a change in the mood of the meeting. She looked up when she heard someone groan the name ‘Ramsey’ in a tone that implied they were being tortured.

Confused, she glanced around the table at her colleagues and saw a varying mix of emotions, from dismay to neutral to downright fright. And wondered at the cause since her notes didn’t indicate any concerns with the topic of discussion.

She leaned over to her colleague on the left, who had just completed two years on the team, and whispered, “Psst, Ellie. What’s going on?”

“We need to involve the Chief,” Ellie replied softly. “He’s the Ogre of Edenbrook and he hates us.”

Ellie had the misfortune to speak during a brief lull in conversation and her whispered words echoed loudly across the quiet room. Their boss, Maureen Lively, glanced over and her eyes wrinkled in bemusement.

“He doesn’t hate us, Ellie,” said Maureen gently. “He just doesn’t have patience for the hoopla that goes with media. But as I’ve told all of you before, every executive is educatable.”

She eyed the entire team as she continued, “Dr. Ramsey has been Chief for almost a year now and he has already made himself available for initiatives that we never thought possible. Remember how he dressed up as a superhero for the Halloween event in Pediatrics?”

“But,” countered Maureen’s second-in-command, “our team was not the one to convince him. It was Dr. Valentine. She gets him to agree to everything.”

“Good point, Brad,” she nodded.

“Now that they’re married, it should be a slam dunk,” said another member of the team gleefully, rubbing their hands together.

Maureen frowned at the inference and said in a note that brooked no argument, “One has nothing to do with the other. They’re both professionals. While we can certainly consider asking Dr. Valentine for help, we cannot expect or demand it. Is that clear?”

Amalia nodded along with everyone else at the message and the tone. Maureen was easygoing majority of the time, but any sign of unethical behavior on the team was not tolerated.

When Maureen turned towards her, Amalia got a sinking feeling in the bottom of her stomach.

“Amalia, I think this is the perfect assignment for you,” she said. “Learning how to solve difficult problems is an essential skill for any PR professional. You will be the one to convince Dr. Ramsey to participate in this project as it was your idea to begin with.”

“Yes, Maureen,” said Amalia quickly, her voice betraying a slight tremor.

As the meeting ended and everyone went back to their workstations, Amalia’s inner disquiet increased at the thought of having to deal with someone she had heard described as an ogre. But a part of her knew Maureen was right.

If she wanted a long-lasting career in public relations, managing difficult personalities was for the par. She was extremely lucky to be given a chance to do so this early in her career. She just had to make sure she didn’t blow it.

Amalia spent the next two days figuring out her approach. She had certainly heard of Edenbrook’s Diagnostics team during orientation, but so far, she had not had cause to meet its leader. 

She googled Dr. Cassie Valentine and the search results ranged from society articles to medical stories. The search results for Dr. Ethan Ramsey were even more extensive and she found herself getting nervous at approaching the handsome but intimidating Chief of Medicine.

She escaped to the Serenity Garden, having discovered it by accident one day, and retreated to a bench in the back to gather her thoughts. The soothing sound of the water feature calmed her as did the new age flute soundtrack playing overhead.

She was about to head back to work when she heard two people on the other side of the hedge.

“Are you trying to tell me something, Rookie?” asked an amused masculine voice. “This is where they bring psych patients.”

“Then it’s perfect because your mood could use an adjustment, Dr. Ramsey,” said a woman, her laughter ringing out when the man scoffed.

“Since we’re conveniently alone,” Amalia heard Dr. Ramsey say in a tone at odds with an ogre, “I know just the cure for my bad mood, Dr. Valentine.”

The moan that followed was self-explanatory and Amalia panicked at thought of her career ending as soon her boss’s boss caught her spying. She wondered briefly if she could make her escape without the pair noticing, but knew she was trapped. There was only one exit and it would take her past the two doctors.

“Feel better?” said Dr. Valentine after a while.

“A little,” said Dr. Ramsey, his voice softening and Amalia heard the weariness. “It’s just been one of those weeks, love.”

“Want to talk about it?”

A shrill sound interrupted whatever Dr. Ramsey would have said. Amalia breathed a sigh of relief as she recognized the sound of one of them being paged. A few more seconds and she could make her exit without getting caught.

“Duty calls,” said Dr. Ramsey. “Let’s catch up later at Derry’s. It’s your turn to buy.”

Their voices faded as they left the garden and Amalia came out of her hiding place, a plan already formulating in her mind.

It was early in the afternoon when she found herself standing outside the glass walls of the Diagnostic Team’s office on the seventh floor. She peeked inside and saw Dr. Valentine at her desk, looking preoccupied as she stared at her laptop.

Amalia almost chickened out, wondering why someone like that would even bother helping an intern. But then the other woman glanced up and caught her staring, so she had no choice but to proceed, raising her hand in an abbreviated wave before she got the signal to enter.

“Dr. Valentine,” she began cautiously, walking through the sliding glass doors to stand in front of the desk. “My name is Amalia Kallis and I’m an intern in Edenbrook’s communication team.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Amalia,” said Dr. Valentine pleasantly, nodding towards the visitor chair. “How can I help?”

“The comms team had this idea to do an AMA on Reddit. Ask Me Anything,” explained Amalia, rushing to get the words out before she lost her nerve. “With match applications opening up next month, we thought it would be a great way to engage medical school students, answer their questions about residency, and hopefully drive more interest in Edenbrook.”

“I love that!” Dr. Valentine said enthusiastically. “I remember having so many questions when I was in med school. Do you want me to participate? Is that it?”

“Not quite,” said Amalia slowly. “I, that is, we were hoping Dr. Ramsey could…”

She broke off when Dr. Valentine burst into laughter, her hands clutching her stomach as tears leaked from the corner of her eyes.

“Oh my,” she said, wiping the tears away and trying to get her laughter under control. “Dr. Ramsey on reddit. Will the wonders never cease?”

Amalia’s face fell as she realized that maybe it wasn’t such a good idea after all. The ink on her bachelor’s degree was barely dry. What did she know about how things worked in the real world anyway?

“I’m sorry,” said Dr. Valentine quickly. “I didn’t mean to dismiss your idea. But if you knew Dr. Ramsey, you would find it hilarious too. I can barely get him to post on Picta. The idea of him at the mercy of strangers on reddit is just too funny.”

“Do you think I should drop the idea?” asked Amalia.

“Not at all,” said the doctor with an emphatic shake and Amalia found herself relaxing. “It’s an excellent idea, but convincing Dr. Ramsey will take some doing. Are you up for the challenge?”

“That’s why I’m here,” said Amalia, a bit anxious. “Could you ask him for me?”

Amalia watched Dr. Valentine go still and saw the considering expression in her eyes as she steepled her fingers.

“I cannot,” she said eventually.

Amalia could feel despair spread at the thought of approaching the austere Chief herself when she realized Dr. Valentine was still speaking.

“If this is an idea that you truly believe in,” she was saying, “then you have to learn how to sell others on it and stand by your convictions. Dr. Ramsey himself taught me that when I was an intern just like you not that long ago.”

Amalia nodded for lack of anything to say.

“Contrary to popular opinion,” continued Dr. Valentine, “he is not the ogre people believe him to be. He can be fair minded if you take the time to explain things and why you believe it’s important. He might still say no and propose an alternative solution, but he will always explain the rationale for his decision and you’ll find it’s more than sound. For what it’s worth, I think it’s an excellent idea and he is the only one that can do it justice. Good luck!”

“Thank you, Dr. Valentine,” said Amalia.

She turned the piece of advice over in her mind as she left the office and made her way back to the other side of the hospital. Before she could rethink it, Amalia looked up the name of Dr. Ramsey’s executive assistant in the staff directory and fired off a request for a meeting with the Chief.

Using Maureen’s name as the hook, she crossed her fingers and sent a silent prayer for the tactic to work. She received a calendar invite before the end of the day for a 15-minute chat with Dr. Ramsey at nine the next morning, with a note from his assistant Lorraine to be prompt as he had a packed agenda.

Amalia scanned the list of talking points she had been working on all afternoon and knew she was nowhere near ready for tomorrow. But it was her only chance and she needed to hit it out of the park or find another career.

By the time she took the elevator to the executive floor the next morning, Amalia was functioning on very little sleep and a whole lot of coffee. Maybe the double shot of espresso she’d downed earlier hadn’t been a good idea after all. Her stomach was now queasy and her heart was beating too fast for it to be normal.

She took a deep breath however and composed herself when she got the go ahead from his assistant and knocked loudly on his door. Hearing the deep voice commanding her to ‘come in’, she turned the handle and walked inside the airy office with views of the Charles River in the distance and a handsome man rising out of his seat.

The sound of a throat clearing loudly shook Amalia out of her reverie. Her face turned red when she realized that she’d been staring at Dr. Ramsey, who had one eyebrow raised and impatience written across his face

“I’m so sorry,” she apologized quickly. “Thank you for taking the time to meet with me, Dr. Ramsey”

“My assistant said it was time sensitive,” his deep voice rumbled as he invited her to sit in the chair across from his desk.

Amalia clutched her iPad in her arms, wondering if she could unobtrusively open her Notes app and just read the speech she had prepared last night. But then she remembered the advice from Dr. Valentine and knew that it wasn’t the right way to approach this.

“Dr. Ramsey, we, the comms team that is,” she started, faltering as his expression remained unreadable.

She swallowed loudly and then found her resolve. “We want you to participate in an online discussion forum to answer questions from medical school students about the match process.”

“And why would I do that?” he asked, curious more than angry.

“One of Edenbrook’s five-year goals is to attract the best talent,” replied Amalia remembering the research she had done in preparation. “Making sure that Edenbrook ranks highly in the highly competitive match process is extremely important for meeting that goal.”

When he nodded in acknowledgment, she continued more confidently, “We firmly believe that having you, the Chief of Medicine, participate in an Ask Me Anything on a medical school subreddit community will demonstrate to potential applicants that Edenbrook not only takes pride in its residency program but is committed at all levels to ensuring our residents have access to the best learning opportunities this hospital can provide.”

Without looking down, Amalia switched on her iPad and pulled up her notes. She wanted to be able to refer to numbers if needed.

“I have stats to show how effective this approach has been for other brands, but don’t have anything specific for hospitals,” she admitted. “I fully recognize that it’s an experiment and might not work, but at the end of the day, I believe that it’s an option worth considering and could mean that Edenbrook leads the way for other hospitals in the future.”

Amalia sat back as she finished making her case, glancing discretely at her watch to make sure she hadn’t gone over her allotted time. She only had five minutes left and hoped she’d done enough before his assistant kicked her out of his office.

“Hmm,” she heard him say as he ran his index finger over his lips, the wedding band catching the light.

“How long will this take and how will it work?” he said at last.

“One hour. It will be a live discussion, so people would post questions in text format for you to answer. The idea is that they could ask anything, not just about residency even though that’s our focus, so you have to be open to responding to a variety of topics from students.”

When he continued watching her with an inscrutable face, she added, “We can do a trial run so that you’re familiar with the platform, and of course, our team will be there on the day to run logistics.”

Amalia held her breath as she waited for his decision, questioning herself the whole time and wondering why she hadn’t insisted that Maureen tackle this herself. After all, he was most likely to listen to his Director of Communications than a lowly intern.

“Fine,” he said and Amalia could feel her jaw drop. He must have noticed because she saw amusement in his eyes before he blinked it away.

“I’m not doing this alone though,” he said unequivocally. “I want the program director online with me and we’ll tackle the questions together. Dr. Wong will be their primary contact during the application process so it makes sense to involve her early.”

“Thank you, Dr. Ramsey,” said Amalia, her heart rate accelerating as nerves returned when she realized that she’d now have to execute the idea, and flawlessly too.

“Don’t thank me yet, Miss Kallis,” he said with a quirk of his lips. “In case your team hasn’t warned you, social media is not my strong suit and you might come to regret putting me in front of those students.”

“I’ll leave you to work out the details with Lorraine and Dr. Wong,” he said, dismissing her from the meeting.

Still in disbelief at having pulled it off, Amalia took the stairs down to her floor, not wanting to run into anyone while her thoughts were so jumbled. There was still a lot of work to be done, but she knew that she had managed to pull off the first, and most difficult, phase of this project.

She owed Dr. Valentine a huge debt of gratitude for her advice and wondered if sending flowers to a married woman would be too much. Maybe chocolate would be a better gift. Everyone loved chocolate. Unless she was allergic, she thought.

Amalia sat down at her desk, pulled up the internet browser on her laptop and started to research the perfect gift to say thank you for advice on taming an ogre.

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@gryffindordaughterofathena​ @openheartfanfics​ @choicesficwriterscreations​

[kiwiwrites6]

Endure and Survive

(A/n: This was requested by someone ! Thanks for the prompt<3 I was really sad writing this but I tried to squeeze in some fluff here and there, so sorry in advance🤍)

Tw: Intrusive thoughts, angst, mentions of death, woof this is a sad one IM SORRY 😭

Prompt: i’ve never requested anything b4 but YOU WRITE ELLIE SO GOOD, i was binging ur fics and thought a cool prompt would be the reader helping ellie with her survivor’s guilt? just something cute, however you want to depict it (ofc if this topic isn’t of interest to you don’t sweat it!) <3

Thank you again for the prompt! <3 let me know if you like how it came out :)

[Creds to the owner of the pic, I can’t find them right now😭]

It started off as a normal day for Ellie. She woke up with you next to her, remnants of your sleepover showing throughout the room. Your soft snores echoed throughout her room as she cautiously got out of her bed and took one last look at you before a fond smile came across her features. Her thumb gently ran across your cheekbone, biting her lip to try and contain the huge urge to just kiss you. She sighed before heading into her bathroom to shower.

As she undressed, she caught a glimpse of the tattoo that covered the chemical burn that hid her bite mark. She stared at the lines of the fern on her arm, thankful for Cat for covering up the bite that plagued her mind. Shaking her head, she got in the shower and proceeded about her day. When she finished, she found you at her kitchenette making a sandwich presumably for the both of you. She smiled at you, not giving it her all as she heard the same lines over and over again in her head.

‘You could’ve saved everyone’

‘Why aren’t we doing anything about this?’

“Ellie?”

‘Your life would actually matter if you would’ve died on that table for the right cause.’

‘They all died for nothing’

“Ellie??? Hellooooo is anyone home?”

Ellie’s eyes snapped up to yours as she sat on her couch fiddling with her fingers. A small pout was on her face as she looked up at you. You gave her a small sincere smile before placing the food onto her coffee table. “I just wanted to make a small breakfast/lunch as a thank you for letting me stay the night. Yesterday’s patrol took a huge toll on me. But hey listen, me and jesse were talking and-“

Your voice faded out as she found herself thinking again. Ellie always thought of her immunity. She always questioned why she was the only damned person to survive this curse. Constant letters she’s read depicting many ways people had gotten bit or from someone who had to separate from another who had been infected. It tortured her mind, the constant loss all around her. Subconsciously, she reached for her tattooed arm again, and gripped at it. She felt the familiar burning sensation behind her eyes and shut them tight to stop herself from thinking any further. She felt her breathing becoming short, her hands now shaking as she reached for the plate you set out on the table.

‘Just eat it. (y/n) made it. Just one bite.’

‘Just eat it. You’ll be fine, this will pass.’

‘No it won’t! Nothing ever does-‘

Abruptly cut off from her thinking, Ellie looked down to see the cause. Your hand rested over the one that was gripping the plate, as you gently nudged it out of her hand and back onto the table. Ellie looked at you, afraid to see your reaction to the ugly secret she told you about. But when she saw you, her heart broke. A frown was etched on your features, before you set your plate down and faced her. “Are you alright?” You asked her softly, gently taking her hands into your own causing her body to face you. Her fingers squeezed yours as she kept her head down, now feeling the effects of that simple question. Her tears silently streamed down her face as she tried to suppress the urge to cry. She bit down on her lip and sucked in a breath of air harshly. Before she could lie to your face, you placed your fingers under her chin to make her look at you. “Hey, Ellie. It’s okay. Speak to me.” You scooched closer to her as you wrapped your arms around her shaking frame.

She tried so hard not to cave in to your touch, but there was one thing she couldn’t deny and that was your gentle voice, pleading with her to share her pain with you. She knew how much you cared, as she cared about you the same, if not more. A small sob broke from her lips, throwing herself onto you before she broke down in your arms.

She cried until her lungs hurt. She cried until your shoulder was soaked with her tears. She cried until she fell limp in your arms, too tired to move. She felt safe with you. She knew you would stay by her side and listen to her, as you have from the start. But there was only one person who ran across her mind. Everytime she looked at her tattoo, it was a reminder of who she used to be. Who she used to love.

Riley…. Oh Riley….

Of course Ellie wasn’t ever going to forget about the girl. That was the first love of her life. Her best friend. Her partner in crime. The one who made her laugh while they stood up all night reading comics or making fun of the stupid roommates Ellie used to have. The one that held her close as she cried about the things she had seen at her young age. How protective Riley was when it came to her. You reminded her of Riley and it pained her so much that she just couldn’t shake the thought of ever losing you too. She promised herself she wouldn’t let you suffer the same fate that her best friend had. Her mind was never resting, always thinking about how much she wished she could’ve saved the world. How much she had wished to save Riley.

’It should’ve been me who died, not her.’

Ellie sighed as she looked up to see you looking down at her, too scared to say the wrong thing. The last time you opened your mouth without thinking, she ignored you for a week before you apologized to her profusely. It’s not like you didn’t want to say anything. You knew where Ellie’s head was at right now. She didn’t have to speak for you to know why she was upset. Who she was upset over. You knew about her nightmares. You knew about the intrusive thoughts that kept her up at night. You certainly knew about her immunity and you knew that it was the reason why she was a broken mess in your arms.

Yet while she was in such a state, you stood your ground. You knew she needed a friend at the moment, so you were damn well gonna play the part. “Oh Ellie honey, I’m so sorry.” You kissed her forehead tenderly, wrapping her up in your hold as she wrapped her arms around your torso and pulled you insanely close to her. Your hands ran across her back, trying to soothe the ache in her heart. Your chin rested on top of her head, sighing out as you tried to understand where she came from.

It broke your heart to hear her cry as much as she did.

“Do you want to talk about it?” You asked her quietly, brushing her hair with your fingers as she silently cried against your chest. At first she shook her head no, so you quietly obliged and kissed along her forehead to ease her mind. After a few moments though, you heard her speak up.

“Not a day goes by where I think about what happened to me and Riley.”

You perked up when you heard her speak, yet decided to stay quiet. She needed this.

“I-I still see pictures of it flashing in my head. The bite mark on her hand. The one on my arm. The way she saved me yet killed herself in the process. The thought of having to shoot her had haunted me for those last moments we spent together. It started off as a normal day with me and her sneaking out to that mall.” She paused as she choked up, feeling your arms tighten around her, encouraging her to continue. “I’m sorry, you’ve heard this countless times. I shouldn’t be bothering-“

“Ellie, no. You think I care about how many times you speak about this? Because I don’t. What matters to me is that you speak about how you feel, when you feel it. I want to know what goes on in that pretty head of yours. So please, don’t feel bad for speaking it out. I’m more than willing to listen.” She hugged you tightly, so grateful for your presence.

“I- I just can’t stop thinking about what he did. It just wasn’t fair to me. That wasn’t his decision to make; it was mine. He took that away from not only me, but the rest of the world. How am I supposed to feel about him when he took away the one thing that mattered to me the most? I wanted nothing but for this fucked up world to be okay. I know I’ve never experienced the world before this shit happened, but from what Joel told me, they had it so much easier than we do. You could be working a job and living your life yet here we are behind these big walls hiding from those things.” She grimaced at her own words.

“They used to be humans with a heart and a brain and a life. Kids, families, wives and husbands and all. Now all they do is spread that infection and cause decay and damage. I could’ve prevented that. My life would’ve fucking mattered-“

“-and it still does.” You interjected. She looked up at you in shock at your sudden outburst, yet she stood quiet. “Listen Ellie, I didn’t want to say anything because it certainly isn’t my place to, but I hate hearing you beat yourself up over something you can’t control. I know how much Riley meant to you. I can’t imagine how close you two were but I know that if it were you who had gotten infected, I would’ve been as equally upset as you are. Neither of you deserved what happened. But that doesn’t mean that the world would be better if you had died on that table.”

At this, Ellie jerked up, angrily looking at you. “I had the fucking cure, (Y/N). Do you not understand that? I could’ve saved everyone!”

You knew if it were you, you would’ve given yourself up completely if you knew for sure that the vaccine could work. But the problem was that no one knew if it could work. You knew that from one of the tape recordings that Ellie had found, showing it to you after almost a whole month of not hearing from the girl. You had asked Joel if he knew of her whereabouts, but when it came to, he simply looked away and said no. You knew something was up, and you knew that Joel knew that you were skeptical of his answers. You had to find her the hard way and it was the day you learned about everything that had happened between the two. She was so conflicted and wounded that for her sake, you tried staying away from Joel. But your curiosity had gotten the better of you, and just as you had spoken to Ellie about the issue, You had also spoken to him about it on your patrols with him, trying to see why he did what he did. No matter how many times he tried pushing the question away, your piercing eyes wouldn’t ever leave him alone, and eventually he caved in and told you his side. You felt angered only because he made that decision for Ellie, without her knowledge and lied to her on top of it. Of course you were mad but you also understood him.

While she didn’t know it, Ellie had a huge effect on the people she met. She was a ball of sunshine that seemed to follow everyone. She was mischievous and caring. She was proud and a little cocky, yet humble enough to understand others and lend a helping hand whenever she could. Her laugh alone made you feel things that you never thought you could feel in this cruel world. She brought you out of the deepest, darkest parts of your life when she arrived in Jackson for the second time. Her beautiful green eyes shone brighter than any star in the sky when she shot you that playful smile.

You knew Ellie was going to be mad, but the fact that she constantly beat herself up over it was what hurt you so much.You felt bad, thinking this way. Thinking that the world didn’t deserve Ellie’s cure. It was too far gone from redemption. Everyone was fucked up. Families torn apart, people dying and infected was all you knew growing up. You were so familiar with the violence that when she gave you that safe space, you didn’t know how to feel.

“Ellie I know-“

“-No, you don’t! Can you imagine the burden and the shame of not being able to help others? Watching everyone die before you? Can you imagine not being able to do anything when you know that there could be something at least worth trying?”

You bit your lip, trying to think of a way to word your thoughts without coming off as rude or tone deaf. Of course you had questioned whether or not the vaccine would’ve worked, and while it could’ve prevented people from getting infected, what then? What would happen to a world so broken, so beyond repair? Where everyone was a murderer? Where everyone fought over the simple things instead of sharing them. There was no peace anywhere but here, with Ellie.

As you sat up, you grabbed Ellie’s face and made her look at you again. “I can imagine that. You think I haven’t experienced loss? You think I haven’t tried my best to help others yet they ended up dying because of my actions? Or lack thereof? You think I don’t think about the people I’ve seen die in front of me? Of course I do! But Ellie, whether the world would get better or not, I just can’t imagine a life without you in it. Call me selfish but I don’t think the world would be better if you gave yourself up for the vaccine. Before you kick me out for saying that, hear me out. Marlene said it herself. They weren’t sure of it working. There was a very slim chance of it actually working. But what about when it doesn’t? Then what? You would’ve died for nothing. You would’ve died over these scumbags that kill everyday without remorse. Ellie, I know how much the vaccine meant to you. I know how much you so desperately want to help this world become better, but you don’t deserve to carry that burden. The world's mistakes aren’t your own to fix. These people are fucked up beyond repair.”

She quietly sat there, letting her tears fall as she listened to you. You grabbed her hands again and sat in front of her, looking up into the pool of sadness that consumed her. “I know how much Joel hurt you by doing what he did. I know he broke your trust and you don’t have to forgive him for that. But holding that against him isn’t doing you any good either. He’s already reaping the consequences of his actions, so let him do so.”

“But-“

“Ellie” you grabbed her face, making her stop. “Riley loved you. I know she did. What happened to her wasn’t your fault either. Anyone with a heart would’ve saved you, and it just goes to prove that no matter what, she would’ve come to your aid regardless of whether she was going to get hurt or not. I may not know her but if there’s one thing I do know, I would’ve done the same exact thing she did to save you.”

A choked sob left her lips as she sank back down into your arms again. “Why did it have to be her though?” “I don’t know, Els. She didn’t deserve it at all and neither did you. But just because she’s not here that doesn’t mean she’s gone.” At that, Ellie looked up at you confused, trying to see where you were heading with that statement. You gently smiled before picking her tattooed arm up and softly kissing the skin there. A soft smile played at your lips as your fingers traced the intricate lines on her skin. “Riley lives inside of you. She’s in your mind and your heart. Her love for you is strong, I doubt that it would just diminish. If it makes you feel any better, I know I’m not her, but I also really care about you Ellie. I don’t know how many times I need to tell you because you already know, but if I had to tattoo it on my face then I would.” She scoffed at that, trying to hide her face in the crook of your neck. “I just wish you could’ve met her. I think the both of you would’ve gotten along really well.” She sighed out. You smiled softly at her.”I bet we would’ve.” “Even though you’re both idiots.” She mumbled out. This time it was your turn to laugh, agreeing with her.

After a small moment of silence, you decided to speak up again. “Els, I know this might be a sensitive topic to you, but while it’s out there I think you should speak to Joel.” She shook her head vigorously causing you to frown a little. “Obviously it doesn’t have to be now, honey. But for your sake, I think you deserve an apology from him. I know he would love to apologize to you.” She looked up again and gently ran her fingertips across your face. “He cares about you just as much as I do, shit if not even more. I’m not saying he was right at all, because he wasn’t. But he knew that this world was far too fucked up for his little girl to be the one to fix it.”

She gently sat up, this time pulling you up with her. Her arms opened up and immediately you jumped into her embrace with a warm smile and a soft kiss to the cheek. “I-I know… I just need a lot of time…..I’ll think about it. But right now all I want is you.” As you two cuddled, you joked around with her and told her about your past to make her feel better about sharing hers. You told her stories of your parents, and how they taught you everything they knew before they were killed. You sang her songs that your mother sang to you whenever you asked her to. You tickled her, blowing raspberries into her skin making her laugh. Soon, the Ellie you knew was back. She was sleepily smiling at you as you laid her down and told her to rest, for you knew all her crying was going to cause a killer headache for her.

Before Ellie fell asleep, she took one last look at the tattoo once again, before a fond smile found its way on her face. ‘Just because she’s not here doesn't mean she’s gone. Riley lives inside of you. She’s in your mind and your heart.’

Ellie laid down next to you again, watching as you looked up at her with a small smile. “Are you okay Ellie?” You asked again. She paused before she smiled at you.

“Yeah, I’m okay. Thank you for being there for me. I can’t imagine living without you.” She laid down and pulled you closer to her, softly kissing your forehead.

“No Ellie, thank you for being here. I know how hard it is for you yet you still push forward-“

“Endure and survive, baby. Endure and survive.” She quietly stated.

“Not just for me or Riley, or Dina and Jesse. Not only for the people you care about, or the people you’ve lost, but for yourself. You deserve to live a life too.”

“I can’t live it if you’re not here with me.”

“Well you got lucky, because I’m not going anywhere.”

[translations-by-aiimee]

Mistakenly Saving the Villain - Chapter 8

Original Title: 论救错反派的下场

Genres: Drama, Romance, Xianxia, Yaoi

This translation is the product of my limited knowledge of Chinese characters as I attempt to learn the language. If I have made any egregious mistakes, please let me know.

Chapter Index

Chapter 8 - Psychotherapy

Yue Wuhuan had a long history of attempted suicide. His mental state was extremely bad and he couldn't control his actions whenever he felt attacked, so his promise couldn't be trusted at all.

The Acacia Seal could prevent suicide, but it required the activation of the Divine Mind Pearl to prevent it, which would worsen Yue Wuhuan's mental state and he would no longer trust the treatment, which is the worst means of preventing suicide.

Song Qingshi didn't hesitate to drop the option of using the Acacia Seal. Other methods with similar effects were also used to torture enemies and weren't very different from the Acacia Seal. Song Qingshi also considered other methods of treating psychological pain, such as hypnosis or entering the sea of ​​consciousness to erase those unbearable memories, but hypnosis is easy to wake up from, and the pain would be more serious, and washing away the memories will hurt the spiritual consciousness and cause even more unhappiness. Being accepted by Xie Que at the age of eight, there were too many memories that need to be cleaned up. If you wash away 99% of them, he would become a fool. . .

Eliminating all the unsuitable options, the only suitable answer was modern psychology.

The subject that Song Qingshi was least good at was psychology. It's not because his test scores were bad, but psychology focuses on spiritual communication with the patient and analysis of the heart. He can't even solve his own social anxiety problem. He was clumsy and didn't know how to read expressions, so he only learned a little bit. How could he solve super difficult problems like Yue Wuhuan?

Top Student Song once again tasted the fear of being dominated by difficult questions and dreamt of failing the course.

He quickly took away all the things that could be used to kill himself in Yue Wuhuan's bedroom and used his spiritual consciousness to scan Yue Wuhuan's vital signs many times every day, lest something gets missed, until one day he found that Yue Wuhuan was staring blankly at the koi pond in a daze. Not knowing what to think, he had done everything in his power and yet this was still something way beyond his capabilities.

As a result, Song the unreliable psychiatrist was forced to go out of business. . .

Song Qingshi carefully organized a treatment plan, added calming medicine to the decoction Yue Wuhuan took, and used soul-soothing incense every night to help him sleep, which greatly reduced the frequency of him being awakened by nightmares. Then, after ruling out the inappropriate and impossible therapy techniques he knew little about, he finally decided to try Rational Emotive Therapy.

Rational Emotive Therapy is a cognitive therapy created by Doctor Ellis in the 1950s, which emphasizes the role of individual will and reason. Treatment starts with establishing a good working relationship with the patient and helping the patient build up their self-confidence. Then deny his wrong self-perception, and finally encourage him to obtain a correct self-perception and return to a normal life.

The theory seems quite simple, but it's hard as hell to impliment.

Song Qingshi’s best way to decompress was to study and solve problems. He racked his brains for a long time and finally found inspiration from the time he had been approached by a girl in the library. he could pick a very difficult book, pretend not to understand it, find Yue Wuhuan to ask about it, and after not getting the answer, naturally, invite him to accompany him to the library to find the answer, and then in the process of searching, guide him to feel the joy of knowledge, build self-confidence in the sanctuary of wisdom, and go to the sea of ​​bliss together.

There was once a girl who persistently hit on Song Qingshi. Every day, he encouraged her to study hard every day and taught her to do the study problems. Then the girl's grades improved significantly, and she was finally admitted to a key university as a graduate student. At the graduation ceremony, she was so moved that she cried. Yes, it is said that Song Qingshi cured her of her nymphomania.

Nymphomania is also a kind of mental illness, right?*

*(T/N: Nymphomania is the uncontrollable or excessive sexual desire in a woman.)

When Song Qingshi thought about this case of an accidental cure, he suddenly became a little more confident.

. . .

His original body was also a bookworm. There are tens of thousands of books in the Medicine King's Valley library, most of which were related to pharmaceutical toxins.

Song Qingshi was afraid of being seen as deliberately making things difficult, so he didn't dare to take any professional books. So, after sifting through books for a while, he finally found a book called "A Floating Life on the Jade Terrace" among the miscellaneous books in the corner.

This travelogue was written by Confucian cultivators thousands of years ago. It described a faraway paradise, with gorgeous rhetoric and obscure allusions. Song Qingshi had always valued science over literature so he was seriously lacking in the romance department. He had never studied poetry and songs, much less the allusions and metaphors in this world, so he felt like he was reading this piece through a veil of fog. It felt like a very stylized depiction of flowers, trees and other scenery.

Yue Wuhuan's medicinal bath treatment was over, and the residual medicine in his body had disappeared. He was currently recuperating, waiting for the future Six Meridian Rejuvenation medicated bath.

After confirming that Song Qingshi had no idea about his body, he put away his gaudy clothes and tied up all his hair with a green jade crown. It was neat and tidy, not even a single hint of mess, only willing to wear the simplest green robe for his clothes. The high neckline locked around his Adam's apple, barely any spring light hitting his body, just like a scrupulous purist. He refused to say more than a word at a time and refused to make one misstep. There was no emotion in his eyes. His face was as cold as frost. Every part of his body held an air of rejection.

Although Song Qingshi refused to call him a "slave" on the grounds that he wasn't used to it, he just lowered his head and respectfully answered "Yes." "Okay." And so on. . .

Song Qingshi held the book and quietly hid in the corner to observe for a long time. He was afraid of both Yue Wuhuan's disguised debauchery and his true indifference, and he was even more afraid of being rejected if he opened his mouth. He had to make a lot of mental preparations before he dared to go forward and speak.

Yue Wuhuan sat in a daze in the corner of the corridor, aware of the peeping eyes and he couldn't help but look up.

Song Qingshi smiled awkwardly and shuffled over. Taking a deep breath, convincing himself that he met Senior Yue Wuhuan in the library, then mustered up the courage, opened the book, handed it over and said, "I don't understand this passage. Can you explain it to me?"

Yue Wuhuan watched his actions carefully, feeling that it was getting increasingly harder to understand this person.

Song Qingshi rubbed his fingers and said nervously: "Of course, if you don't understand, we- we can. . ."

"Let me take a look." Yue Wuhuan took the book and skimmed a few lines. His expression was slightly stunned. Then he looked at Song Qingshi strangely, and explained to him, "The Jade Terrace refers to the Jade Terrace Realm. Legend has it that the Jade Terrace Immortal Emperor was best known for his beauty and often came down to earth in disguise to invite beautiful cultivators to share the pleasure of fish and water. This passage is a racy affair in which Confucian Immortal Emperor Hong Wen fantasizes about his encounter with the Jade Terrace Immortal Emperor, using scenery to write about things and objects as metaphors, where as 'soft jade flower pendant' refers to. . ."

The more Song Qingshi listened, the more confused he became. He had never read any jarring reading material in his life, so how did he manage to pick something like this on the first try? He came back to his senses and heard that Yue Wuhuan had already explained the majority of it, so he quickly took the book back and hid it behind him. Like a fire turned to ashes, shaken into the wind, pretending like nothing happened.

The two looked at each other speechlessly for what felt like half an hour.

He was obviously doing psychotherapy, but showing this jarring book to a patient who had extreme background knowledge on the matter, was a major blow.

Song Qingshi was annoyed and embarrassed. His ears were hot, he couldn't speak, he wanted to cry, but he couldn't cry. . .

Yue Wuhuan came to his senses first. He noticed his expression, sensed a misunderstanding, and comforted him: "Immortal Lord Hong Wen's writing style is relatively. . . well, most of his works describe landscape travel notes. This one is just an exception. Master, if you like this style, you can read his "Tales of the Sea Pearl House" "Secret Realm of a Thousand Mountains" or "Endless Sea", which will be slightly better. . ."

Song Qingshi nodded aggrievedly, expressing that he had noted it down.

The two continued to stare at each other silently and the atmosphere was extremely awkward.

Song Qingshi felt that he couldn't keep silent like this. He tried to find the bright spot in the scene of this mess, and chatted awkwardly: "What's the "Tales of the Sea Pearl House" about? I haven't heard it. It seems very interesting. Can you tell me about it?"

Yue Wuhuan was silent for a moment, not knowing how to describe it, so he recited the whole text with him.

Although Song Qingshi's poetic talent was lacking, he wasn't a fool. After listening, he understood that Immortal Lord Hong Wen was not a literary master, but a sour person who liked to use all kinds of beautiful words and difficult allusions to pile up texts, pretending to be brilliant, but in fact, it was empty and tedious trash reading.

Yue Wuhuan asked respectfully, "Is there anything else Master wants to hear?"

Song Qingshi suddenly felt something was wrong. He claimed to be smart and never forgot what he read, but he only read good texts, and they couldn’t be too long. He also had to read them carefully while memorizing them. Who would bother to memorize such rubbish texts? And remember it word for word? Know all the hidden metaphors? He thought of something unbelievable, and asked Yue Wuhuan cautiously: "Have you read a lot of books? Where did you read them?"

"When I was young, I was enlightened by my tutor, and Xie Que also read some." Yue Wuhuan thought that he was examining his past, and dared not hide it, so he replied honestly. "I mainly read them at Golden Phoenix Manor. I. . . Every time I served the venerable lord to his satisfaction, I begged him to allow me to enter the book collection to read books. Please rest assured, Master, Wuhuan knows that his status is humble, and he is only worthy of reading miscellaneous books, and wouldn't dare touch the immortal cultivation method."

Golden Phoenix Manor has a huge collection of books, and with a glimmer of hope, he wanted to find a way to escape through the books. Unfortunately, the rules of the manor were strict, and non-disciples weren't allowed to borrow books related to cultivation exercises, and could only read a variety of miscellaneous books. He also used his body to bribe the disciple who was in charge of the library in exchange for two low-level cultivation books. Unfortunately, at that time, most of his cultivation had been destroyed by the Acacia Seal. He had researched for a while but ultimately had no results.

The original owner of his body had seen the scale of Golden Phoenix Manor's library, which was many times larger than that of Medicine King's Valley. Even if it was just miscellaneous books, there were tens of thousands of options.

Song Qingshi asked anxiously: "Do you remember all those books? Can you recite them?"

Yue Wuhuan hesitated and said: "I only remember the books I have read, about ten thousand of them. If Master needs, I can read out. . ."

Song Qingshi gasped and his throat tightened. He forgot all the treatments. He quickly found all kinds of pens and inks and rulers, wrote, drew and copied all the sets of IQ test questions he had done, and then gave Yue Wuhuan to answer them.

Yue Wuhuan was at a loss when he first saw these weird graphic questions. After Song Qingshi taught him a few questions, he gradually got used to them and flowed through them, without stopping his hands, and soon handed in the paper.

Song Qingshi calculated the score and almost suffocated. He was fortunate to have joined the world's high-IQ club, but he barely passed the club's passing line. He knew that he was not a genius, so he made up for it by studying hard. However, the IQ test that Yue Wuhuan took casually had reached 162 points, which was on par with the historical record and put him well within the realm of being a super genius. Also, considering that he had a different worldview, his education had been different and he might not be good with these questions so his score could maybe even be higher. . .

Yue Wuhuan's past experiences had originally made him feel pit and intolerant, but now Song Qingshi was touched by the scales of the collapse and anger. Those bastards actually ruined a genius who was likely to enter the hall of science and change history to such an extent! What's the difference between that and giving Einstein to wild men for meat?

How wasteful! How unappreciative of something amazing! Wantonly destroying such a beautiful thing!

Song Qingshi was so angry that tears came down, and he couldn't think of words to swear so he kept repeating: "It's too much, it's too much, it's too much. . ."

Yue Wuhuan looked blankly at the tears in the corner of his eyes, not knowing why they were flowing.

Song Qingshi quickly wiped away the embarrassing tears, and told him very seriously: "Wuhuan, you're very smart."

"My lord, that doesn't make sense," Yue Wuhuan calmed down and regained his composure. He lowered his eyes slightly and thought with some amusement that no one would care whether he was smart or not, only how many kinds of tricks he could perform in bed. No one would care whether he reads or not, but only whether he can perform to their liking...

The corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl up sarcastically. Endless malice appeared in the hidden shadows of his eyes. This kind of intelligence would only make him suffer more soberly than others. "This is the immortal world where the weak are eaten by the strong beasts."

The author has something to say: Song Qingshi: I was super responsible back then! Every day, I urged the girl to write five big papers, which cured her nymphomania! It wasn't easy! I'm asking for praise!

PS: Yue Wuhuan has to do at least ten papers a day to be good, right?!

[kalid-raven]

Consent is a Sexy Word

A/n: Just a small moment of Scarlet’s work :) It’s not very good, but I’m hoping it’ll still be fun to read! 

Trigger Warnings for mentions of sex work(Is that a warning?) talk of abuse, a little torture, and some murder.

Ellie belongs to @rottent33th​

This wasn't right! This wasn't how things were supposed to go tonight!

A well-dressed man crawled across the floor of his penthouse, dining chair and table overturned and broken wine glasses shattered around him. He didn't dare try to get to his feet, the woman he had been flirting with moments ago had shot his kneecaps before he knew what was happening. She was supposed to be a reputable sex worker, this was supposed to be a paid for night of fun! Instead, he was crawling for his life to get away from her. By the sound of her heels, though, he was failing miserably at that.

"Oh, honey," The woman practically purred, brushing long dark hair away from her face as she came to loom in front of him, gun in one hand and a switch blade in the other. "Where do you think you're going? The fun isn't over just yet..." She crouched down, using the blade's point to force him to look up at her.

"Now, I want you to think really, really hard about what you did to get here." She continued, tracing the sharp point of her knife along his jawline, drawing a drop of blood in the process.

"D-did? I just met you-!" His words were cut short as she backhanded him. Hard.

"Ah-ah, baby. That's not what I'm asking. What did you do to make pretty ol' me come here and fuck you up? Come on, Clark, you can do it. Guess."

He strained his brain to think, afraid what would happen if he didn't. Still, nothing came to mind and left him staring blankly, terrified.

The woman rolled her green eyes with an annoyed sigh. "Fine, I'll spell it out for you." She growled sharply, reaching into the bodice of her red dress, and withdrew a few pictures, tossing them down in front of him. It was of different women, all battered, and a look of realization dawned on him. "There you go, now you get it... Consent is a sexy word, you know? And none of these beautiful ladies gave it to you when you hit them. They were sex workers hired to fuck your lonely ass for cash, not to get their asses beat for your sick amusement." Her tone had become a venomous hiss as she led her knife to his shoulder, and then plunged it in.

Clark howled in pain, and she gave it a twist for good measure. "Stop! Please! I won't do it again! It was a misunder-" Another twist and a jerk cut his words off fast, devolving into cries of anguish instead.

"Now, now, sweety... Lying isn't polite. Mind your manners." Her gaze was cold as ice, but her smile was positively malicious. "I was hired by these darlings to make sure you never hurt them again. This could have been avoided, you didn't evaded the ban they put on you, you could have just NOT hit them, but now we're here." She stood up and, with a harsh kick, knocked him onto his back. "Now that you're all nice and caught up, it's about time I finish my job." She raised her gun, fixing her aim.

A look of terror and a bullet later, and all became exceptionally quiet, save for the music he had put on in the background earlier that evening.

She eyed his corpse for a moment longer, prodding it a bit with her heel. "Bastard... Never quits being satisfying, though." The woman hummed, scooping up the photos and making her way to her purse and putting both them and the gun inside. Her phone began to ring, and she picked it up. "Scarlet speaking~" She said, only to hear a familiar voice greet her. "Ellie, honey! So good to hear you're voice, gorgeous, what's got you calling?" She asked as she proceeded to go to the bag she left by the front door, having told Clark it was "toys" for later, but honestly it was just supplies for her crime scene. The guy so easily believed she was another sex worker and what she said, he made the whole thing almost disappointingly easy.

"Oh, I was just going over some recipes and realized I never got to make you a peach pie before!" Ellie cheerfully said, unaware of her friend's current business. "When do you think you'll be near Ambrose again?"

Scarlet gave it some thought as she began cleaning away any identifiable evidence. "That's a good question, dear. Let's see... I think I can make it for a visit in a week if that's fine by you and your amazing family?"

"Oh, that's perfect! Don't worry your head about it, they'll definitely be looking forward to seeing you, too!"

Scarlet chuckled. "Alright, it's a date, then. Ellie bell, I gotta go, I'm actually in the middle of work right now. I'll call you back after, alright? I'll send you some photos, too. Looking hot as hell right now and don't want the effort to go to waste."

"I'm looking forward to it! Sorry to call at a bad time, though... I look forward to seeing you soon!" Ellie sounded a bit disappointed she had such poor timing, but Scarlet didn't mind.

"Don't worry that pretty head of yours about it. See you later, darling." Scarlet ended the call at that and let out a sigh, looking down at the corpse. "Now it's just you and me for the next hour. Yippee..."

[tommyssecret]

~ Her Scarf ~

Pairing: Tommy Shelby x OC

Summary: Tommy is awkward. That’s it

WARNING: None

MASTERLIST

A/N: This is just another little piece that I wrote as a part of a new story I’m working on. If you want you can also read this.

I will likely post the first few chapters of the story in the next week. As always, let me know your thoughts! :)

Also if you want to be added to my taglist just send me a message or reply to this post!

——————————————

She held Charlie in her arms, as he didn’t really seem too keen on being let down yet, and she didn’t exactly mind carrying him anyway. She and Charlie, and his father were out on a walk. It was one she took with Charlie every morning, but his father mentioned he had extra time this morning and that he’d like to go with them, which neither Ellie nor Charlie objected to. It was nice for the little boy to spend some extra time with his father, and by the looks of it, his father was enjoying the quiet summer morning as well. It had been relatively cool the night before, and clouds had covered the sun for most of the morning, so the heat wasn’t a problem, and it was rather breezy that morning as well, so she opted to dress herself and the little boy in light coats. She had tied her hair back from her face with a silk scarf. The deep red paisley was one of her favorites; it had been a gift from her mother, one she had for years now but hadn’t worn in a long time. Her mother had given it to Ellie for her birthday a few years before she passed.

Charlie had seen two butterflies, and they had flown by Ellie, and he, quite enthusiastically, had reached over her to point to them. While doing so, he leaned on her head, accidentally pushing the scarf loose, but not enough for her to notice. But she had noticed him accidentally pull her hair. “Oh! Easy, Charlie. Maybe it’s time for you to get down so you can go on your own.” She said as she put him down on the grass, making sure his legs were firmly planted before letting him go. As soon as Ellie did, he ran off in the direction of the two butterflies he’d seen. She giggled slightly at his adorable excitement before looking back to his father, who had still been quiet up until this point. They both watched the boy run around in the grass before letting his attention move away from the butterflies and then promptly finding something else in the grass that interested his curious little mind.

A gust of wind came and pulled the scarf from her hair; this she had noticed as it blew away behind her. It caught Mr. Shelby’s attention as well, and he walked to retrieve it for her. It had landed a few feet away, settling on top of the grass, almost like a leaf falling in the autumn. As he bent down to pick it up, he was pleased by the feeling of the soft silk in between his rough fingers. He didn’t even have to hold it to his nose to know it carried her wonderful scent; it simply wafted from the fabric and met him through the delicate breeze. It wasn’t a complicated scent or anything particularly strong, but it made his thoughts stop for a moment, it slowed him down, it calmed him. He couldn’t place the scent either. It was likely a combination of things. If he had to guess, it was the soap she used to wash her beautiful hair, the perfume she’d spray on her beautiful skin, or maybe he was wrong. Perhaps it was the natural scent she had, perhaps it was just a part of her, like the softness of her supple skin, maybe it just leaked off her in waves. He wouldn’t put it past her to naturally be that wonderful. Only she could torture him like that.

As he reached her again, the silk scarf clutched firmly in his hand as to not let it fly away again, he went to hand the scarf back to her, but his son had distracted her, and so he retracted his outstretched hand and cleared his throat, looking down awkwardly and folding the scarf into his pocket. Charlie excitedly ran back to her, perhaps even more excited than before, if that was possible. “Ellie! Ellie! Ellie!” He said, running to her. She kneeled down to his level and stretched her arms out to catch him as the little boy bounded toward her. She wrapped her arms around him and brought him up to hold him as she had before. His tiny fists were wrapped in the soft knitted fabric of her navy blue sweater. “Look, Ellie! I found a pine cone!” He said, holding it up so she could inspect it. “Oh, that’s a big one! Are you going to keep it? We can bring it back with us, and you can put it with the other ones you found yesterday.”

“Daddy? Can we go see the horses today? Ellie says that you’re busy and I have to ask.” Charlie said looking back at his dad, a hopeful little smile on his face.

“Ms. Riley is right Charlie, I am busy, but I’ll go with you if she says it’s alright.” He said.

Charlie looked at Ellie with a look. Well now she had to say yes, she couldn’t say no to that face. “Well let’s go then, we can’t keep the poor dears waiting. They may have forgotten you since yesterday.” She said making her way with Charlie in her arms to the stables, Tommy following. She still had yet to even look at him this morning, let alone speak to him.

———————-

taglist:

@missymurphy1985

[scrabble-scribbles]

Kinktober Day 5

and the smut had been resumed. same deal as always, no minors, enjoy, yada yada

Prompt: cockwarming

Pairing: Eleanor Levetan x Drea Torres

Fandom: Do Revenge

“Thank you so much, Mr. Broussard,” Drea said, fingers curled around her cellphone. She was speaking in a lower pitch, imitating her mother’s voice. “I’m glad to hear that Max will be facing consequences for what he did to my daughter.”

Drea placed the phone down once the dial tone sounded, picking up a notepad and crossing off an item on the list. The hand not occupied with crossing off items idly played with strands of blonde hair.

Eleanor whimpered from her spot on Drea’s lap, hips jerking forward. Drea tutted, yanking on the strand of hair. 

“Stay still, Ellie,” she said, facing the girl. “You don’t want to distract me.”

Eleanor whimpered again, body shuddering as she forced herself to stay still, jaw muscles flexing. Her hands were clenched in Drea’s shirt, knuckles white from how hard she was holding.

The strap buried in her pussy was so much thicker and longer than the ones they normally used, stretching her so deliciously that her mind had practically turned off. 

Drea had shown up at her house five hours ago after Eleanor had texted her, saying her parents would be out for the rest of the week. They’d done plenty of work on tying up loose ends relating to their revenge schemes, until Drea had disappeared for a few minutes into Eleanor’s bedroom.

The blonde hadn’t thought much of it, still going through their phones to get rid of any evidence they were connected to Max’s or Carissa’s downfalls. When Drea called for her to join her in the room, she hadn’t thought much of it, grabbing both of their phones just in case. 

Both dropped onto the carpeted floor when she saw the brunette.

Drea was staring at her from the bed, her shirt unbuttoned to show her stomach and bra. Her skirt and panties were on the floor, the harness strapped around her waist. 

When Eleanor saw the dildo in between her legs, her mouth went dry. 

Long, thick and curved, way bigger than they’d ever used, and Drea was staring at her like she was something she wanted to eat.

“Drea, what-“ she said, jaw hanging open at the sight. “What are you doing?”

“I had a fun idea, baby,” she said, one hand curling around the strap, stroking up and down, Eleanor’s eyes glued to the sight. “You want to play?”

She’d nodded, already so turned on she could barely think, stumbling towards the bed like a love-drunk teenager. 

Now, the strap was buried so deep inside her that she couldn’t form a coherent thought, on hour two of being stretched so much it was almost painful, of being forced to just sit there while Drea took care of phone calls, all while the brunette acted like Eleanor wasn’t falling apart on her lap. Like she wasn’t the reason Eleanor was currently fighting back tears as she buried her head into Drea’s neck.

“Oh, baby, are you crying?” Drea crooned, her hand tracing down to Eleanor’s hips, pinching the skin there, making her body jump. Her nails dug tiny little crescent marks into her skin, the pain a sharp contrast to the mind-melting pleasure.

“Hurts,” Eleanor whimpered into Drea’s skin, fingers still gripping her shirt, physically restraining herself from moving at all.

“I know baby, I’m almost done,” Drea said, picking up her phone one last time. “Last call, ok? Be good for me.”

Eleanor muttered gibberish into her shoulder, resolving herself to at least another twenty minutes of this torture. Drea’s hands left her hips to dial the number, and the ringing echoed in her ears. 

When the caller picked up, Drea started talking at the same time her fingers made their way to Eleanor’s nipple, twisting it between her fingers. The blonde muffled a groan in Drea’s shoulder, a confused whine escaping moments later. 

“Hi, I was hoping I could talk to….”

Eleanor’s ability to process what Drea was saying vanished when she pinched a nipple, white hot pleasure shooting through her body. She barely managed to muffle the whine, and smushed her face tighter against Drea, so tight she could hardly breathe, anything to keep her sounds under control.

Drea’s voice droned on and on, Eleanor lost in a haze of horniness-induced fog, utterly limp and spent despite not having come once. Her clit, swollen and red with her need and lack of stimulation, throbbed in time with her heartbeat, and her pelvis ached.

She thought Drea was winding down the conversation when something brushed over her clit, and she was so startled by it she couldn’t hold back her yelp.

Eleanor’s arms shuddered once, then dropped to her groin, desperate to prevent Drea from doing the same thing again, she wouldn’t be able to stay quiet if she did. Drea’s hands caught her wrists, stopping her before she could. 

She squirmed in Drea’s lap, trying to escape those devilish fingers, her orgasm creeping up on her, cracking through her bones and coiling in her gut like a snake about to strike.

“Dre,” she whimpered, hips twitching uselessly. Drea didnt even acknowledge her, still talking on the phone. 

She sank so deep into her mind that she could hardly sense anything besides the strap buried in her and the fingers toying with her swollen clit. Her own hands were dangling uselessly by her sides, put there by Drea, and she could only try to bite back her sobs and whimpers as her peak grew closer and closer.

Before she could even process what was happening, Drea was moving, and her legs instinctively wrapped around her waist to balance herself.

She felt the soft sheets on her bed under her back as Drea laid her down, stopping when she hovered over Eleanor, a sweet smile on her lips.

“You did so good, Ellie,” she said, and Eleanor could only blink up at her. 

That got Drea chuckling. “Aww, look at you, so fucked out you can’t even think,” she said. “Stay right there, baby, let me take care of you.”

Eleanor’s vision whited out, Drea’s hips pulling back to slam right back into her. The strap was hitting her sweet spot every single time, and was filling her so well she could hardly think or breathe. Drea’s fingers were still on her clit, now pressing down on the oversensitive bud, making her whine from the pleasurable pain.

Her orgasm snuck up on her, wringing her body dry, prolonged by Drea’s gentle thrusting and the fingers now squeezing the base of her clit. Drea kept thrusting into her as she came down, until she flinched away, too oversensitive for it to feel good. 

Drea petted her hair and kissed her nose and cheeks and lips until she was conscious enough to blink up at her and recognize her.

“Do you want me to pull out?” She asked, and Eleanor shook her head. 

“No, feels nice,” she mumbled, already feeling her eyes drift shut. “Love you.”

Drea chuckled and moved them so Eleanor was curled up on her side, hips slotted with Drea’s and her head tucked under the brunette’s chin. Her eyes felt so heavy, and she felt Drea’s hand rubbing her back before she passed out.

[siriusly-parker]

—rant, tlou.

[001.]

mb but i just can’t stand playing as abby ☹︎

i get why we do- and it’s really smart- but my heart says nonono

i just can’t be expected to laugh at the jokes of my supposed bestie WHEN HE FKG SPIT ON JOEL AFTER HE DIED!!?! AS IF TORTURING HIM WASNT ENOUGH???!

but on a lighter note- i do like that we get to see that pov. i HATE what happened to joel and i legit just act as if it didn’t happen, but no matter as much as i love him- he wasn’t a good guy. he’s an anti-hero.

we like him cause he’s the main character and we get close to him. we see his faults and his thought process. the people we kill are just random npcs that are standing in our way. they’d kill us too if they had the chance.

but tlou2 really shows us how all of these deaths mean so much more and how quick a life can be taken

like jesse- one moment he was there and the next he was gone. shot in the face. dead. and it only mattered because he’s our friend.

that stupid fkg surgeon we killed? oops. he was hella important. and he had a daughter.

and it doesn’t matter until we SEE that it does. until they’re not just npcs anymore but characters with feelings and families.

it’s like when you’re on the bus or in the middle of class and your just like… damn. i’m really not that special. i’m not the main character. other people around me have whole lives just like me and for a second that just seems so fucked up.

so anyways- if we do think about it. as much as i hate it. joel had it coming. but so did anyone else who did anything to survive. these people killed and killed. survival was violent but so was having peace of mind and we can see it in that whole cycle of revenge, from everyone, but especially ellie and abby.

tbh abby’s kinda cute i lowkey like her (when i forget what she did to joel) but fr her motherfucking roommate just pisses me the fuck off. like idk why but the spitting was my limit. it was just so out of line. i can lowkey justify the torture ✋🙄 but SPITTING ON A DEAD MAN’S FACE??!? nah uh you’re doing too much. that’s hella disrespectful bro your mama would be so mad at you cause she raised you better

update: this is a manny hate post (i’m a proud abby apologist. like- am i ranting about her? yeah. maybe. i gotta do what i gotta do. but if someone else does it nah uh i have every counter argument ever idc. am i a hypocrite? absolutely. does she piss me the fuck off? yeah. do i want to kiss her? sometimes. at my core i am a hater. and if that means hating on the haters by loving, then i will do just that.)

long live joel ✊😔

thanks for coming to my ted talk about how i hold grudges and just can’t sympathize with a face spitter <3

[13taylorswifts]

Part 2 thoughts. Spoilers ahead if you're avoiding that ig.

Ok, so like. I was thinking of part 2. Where yk joel dies. I think like, with the way Ellie and Joel's last conversation was, if he knew saving Ellie from death would eventually make him die because of that, I don't think he would have chosen differently. He definitely gives off that he would trade his life so Ellie could live. I think he definitely didn't want Ellie to watch him get tortured to death, because he knows how painful watching someone you love die in front of you is, but like if he somehow knew that he would die because of what he did to rescue Ellie he would still do it. I've seen a lot of people say is this what Joel wanted for Ellie? All the revenge killing she went on after his death. He gives off the impression to me that he just wanted her to be happy to be alive. I don't think he'd like what Tommy did, telling Ellie about Abby and making her lose what she had with Dina at the end of Part 2.

Jerry was the one who didn't give Ellie a choice to begin with. Sure, Joel didn't give her one either, but at that point, he basically adopted her in his mind. Like, wouldn't most parents say, "FU doctor, I'm not letting you kill my kid?" Jerry was supposed to be a medical professional or whatever....I know that they're in an apocolypse and all, but if you swear to be a doctor, don’t you have to have informed decisions for your patients? And why did they give the impression that was he dependent on his daughter for protection outside? You're in an apocolypse dude...learn how to pick up a gun and dont make your child do it when they're not even an adult yet, maybe? Geez Jerry.

Anyways, I just miss Joel and Ellie dynamic and I had this thought at work and thought I'd share.

In another life it could have maybe worked if Jerry wasn't so much of an idiotic asshole. Lol

[ellieswhoreeee]

I think i like you more than a friend

Author's Note: I'm sorry that i totally disappeared for a while because of school- but I come bearing this short gift. I hope you enjoy ! I also have this angst story that I will be posting soon I promise!

Pairings: Ellie Williams x Fem! reader

ONE SHOT

Summary: Ellie finally tells you how she feels about you.

warnings: none,,,,,

Ps: your hair = y/h, your eye color = y/e, ect.

-

Jackson had been quiet all morning, not even any signs of disturbances. Some might say it had been peaceful. But three teenagers decided it wouldn't stay like that. Ellie, Dina and Jesse walked down the dirt road towards the stables; laughing loudly as Jesse and Dina continue to tease Ellie.

“When are you gonna tell her how you feel, huh?” Dina asked Ellie with a playful nudge to her shoulder. This wasn’t the first time that Dina has asked Ellie about her feelings for a particular (y/h) girl who she had feelings for since they were younger.

Dina was Ellie’s best friend, and as a best friend, she is currently torturing her green eyed friend about y/n l/n. Aka you.

Jesse had watched the interaction with a smile on his face. He couldn’t help. Dina is always pestering Ellie about you. He couldn’t stop her nor did he want to, it was funny seeing Ellie so… Shy. So he decided to just watch from the sidelines, but wouldn’t mind jumping in whenever he felt the need to. “Actually, I’d like to know that too.”

Ellie gave herself some space from her two friends who were crowding her personal space with questions. Ellie hated how involved they became when it came to your “situation-ship” with Ellie, as they like to call it. It was like their personal mission to try and set you two up. But Ellie always found a way to stop their ways of trying to set you two up last minute. “Guys, stop. I’m not gonna tell her because a) she doesn’t feel the same way. b) the rejection would fuck me up.”

The three teenagers continued to walk down the road towards the stables, waving to anyone who would say ‘good morning’ or any form of getting that morning. Jackson was a nice community, so respect was automatically given instead of earned.

Dina smirked. Rejection? Please, y/n feels the same way. She’s just waiting for you to make a move first. “Okay, worst case is things are a little awkward and you two would just move on.”

Ellie scoffed and looked around instead of her friends. "There’s no way we could just move on from that. What if she’s grossed out and doesn’t want to be around me anymore? I can’t deal with that type of rejection.” Ellie spoke flatly, looking a bit deflated after saying that. It was one of her many fears. And if it were to come true then it would kill her.

“Ellie-“ Dina was about to contradict Ellie’s response but was then interrupted by Jesse.

“Speaking of he devil.” He pointed towards you. You were carrying a crate of vegetables into the stables. You weren’t aware that your friends were a couple a feet away, only because you had your headphones on. Your walkman had become your best friend during farming rotations. Who knew that taking care of plants was such a hassle. Jesse smirked. “I bet she’s listening to that mixtape that you made just for her.”

Ellie blushed at his words. For Christmas last year, she made you a mixtape of songs that she thought you would like. Luckily you loved it and wouldn’t leave anywhere without it. It was sweet and you just couldn’t stop listening to everything on the cassette. It was especially special because Ellie was the one who made it for you.

“Y/n, i see you brought the veggies for the horses. How sweet of you.” Kori walked up to you, which made you take off one of your earbuds. Kori was a little older than you and she was nice. You two had a playful type of friendship.

You shrugged with a smile. Kori grabbed one of the carrots from your crate with a smile. “Why don’t you help me out then? We can be sweet together.” You suggested with an innocent smile.

Kori’s lip quirked up into a little smirk. Gently she took the crate from you. "Well, I can’t say it doesn't sound tempting. I'll help you out," You hadn't noticed the way she winked at you, but Ellie did.

Ellie watched the interaction very carefully, almost lost in the fact that she indeed had to watch you fall for someone else. This was one of her worst nightmares and it was happening only a few feet away from her. Jesse and Dina thought the same thing in that moment while watching Ellie. Hopeless.

The only thing they could do was help her out in this obvious bind.

“Hey, y/n! Come here, you won’t believe what Ellie just told us about her patrol with Tommy and Joel yesterday!” Jesse called you over from the barn before you could walk into the stables with Kori. You turned to them and gave them a big wave. You told Kori to wait for you, and she listened. She placed the crate on the floor and leaned against the barn doors as she waited for you. You ran towards them, giving them all hugs. Ellie’s lasted the longest.

“Geez, it feels like i haven’t seen you guys in forever! You probably think you’re hot shots since you’re on patrol assignments, huh?” You playfully stated, nudging Ellie with a grin. Ellie didn't noticed but you leaned a little closer into her.

“Not really…” Ellie replied shyly.

Jesse rolled his eyes dramatically. “It’s not our fault that you wanted to pick plants.”

“Hey! I’m growing a watermelon and i won’t share if you’re gonna be an asshole.” And with that little threat he stayed quiet which made the rest of you laugh. “So, what’d you run into?” You asked Ellie curiously.

“She says she and joel dealt with a bloater!” Jesse spoke instead of Ellie, remembering the conversation from earlier. Ellie had told Jesse and Dina what happened on her routes with Joel and Tommy.

“Bullshit.”

“Nope, it’s true. Joel can vouch.” Ellie said with a smile.

You raised your eyebrows at her with a smirk. “What if you two are conspiring together? Both of you get glory and trust of everyone in town?”

Ellie stared at you for a while before she laughed lightly. Her eyes started wandering your face- obviously trying too hard to avoid your lips. “Nah, if we wanted glory then we would’ve made up something like… a stalker with the abilities of a bloater. That’d gain some respect and glory.”

Your eyes trailed down to her lips, before laughing and looking away. “Now that’d be a sight to see.” Dina and Jesse gave each other a look, smirking in the process. Was it finally working? After 2 years of trying?

“Y/n! Get over here! The horses aren’t gonna feed themselves!” Kori had yelled over to you, which made you turn to her. You nodded, and started to walk backwards to stare at your three friends.

“Crap, i gotta go. Bye guys! I’ll see you later Ellie!”

They all waved goodbye while Dina and Jesse couldn’t help but smirk cheekily. Once they knew you were really gone they turned to Ellie. “Oh, y/n please don’t go!” Dina tried to intimidate ellie but it sounded way higher pitched. It was dramatic- which was just like her.

“Come back, i love you!” Jesse followed behind as they leaned into each other to make it more dramatic. “Please don’t run into Kori’s arms! My tattoo is way sexier!”

“Guys!” Ellie whined with bright red face. All they ever did was embarrass her, even when you were around. Luckily you weren't this time.

“You have to make a move on her before Kori throws her claws into y/n’s basket! I mean, who wouldn’t go after y/n? I would do the same-“

Once again Dina’s rambling was interrupted by Jesse. “Dina, we’re trying to set up y/n and Ellie not you and y/n.”

“Right.” Dina caught herself after being called out, trying to forget what she had just said. “Tonight is your perfect opportunity to tell her! Movie night. What was on today’s menu?”

Ellie thought about the title of the movie she picked out today. She borrowed some movies from Joel’s stash and narrowed it down to three movies but she did like one more than the other two. “Uhh… I’m thinking Inferno of Honor. I’m pretty sure she’ll like it.”

“Don’t you have any romance movies? Something to get her in the zone with.” Dina winked with a suggestive smile.

“And this is where i stop listening to you.” Ellie walked ahead of them once again, moving straight into the stables. She looked at the assignment board and sighed. Jesse and Dina followed behind her and laughed when they looked at the board.

“Back to group patrols.” Jesse patted Ellie on the shoulder and moved towards his horses stall.

“You can’t run away from us.” Dina said jokingly, following after Jesse. “Let’s get this over with so you can spend quality time with y/n.”

-

It was around 7 in the afternoon when Ellie finished up her routes for the evening. She opted to running back home and started to clean around her place before you showed up. That included throwing her dirty laundry basket under bed and sweeping the floor. She spent another 30-45 minutes cleaning and organizing everything perfectly just for you. She set up her Playstation with the movie menu already ready to be played. She had popcorn being made in Joel's kitchen along with some more snacks she knew you would like. Everything was already ready, all that was left was you.

You looked yourself over in your dresser mirror multiple times before you finally decided to leave. Even though you were dressed casually, you couldn't help but try to look a little more pretty just for Ellie. You looked down at your navy canvas sneakers, dark grey jeans and normal shirt. You stepped out of your room and walked into the living room of your shared house. Your roommates- who were sitting on the couch and watching some old dvd-cartoons, stared at you suspiciously.

"And where are you going at this hour?" Jack questioned lightly. He wasn't being a jerk about it which meant he was genuinely interested in where you were going unlike how he usually is.

You smiled. "Movie night at Ellie’s."

Jojo smirked at you which made you turn away from them entirely. "Oooh, movie night at Ellie’s. Will you be spending the night?" They asked cheerily, which made your face red.

Jen laughed at our interaction and slapped Jojo on the arm lightly. "Leave her alone, Jojo. Young love is so cute."

"Shut up! You're the same age as me!" You turned on your heel and left through the door in a slip second. You could hear all your roommates laughing on the way out. After walking in the direction to Ellies place you managed to calm your heart down. In a couple of minutes you were infront of Joel's place. You took a bleep breath and took a second.

You were going to be alone with Ellie. That's all you've been thinking about since yesterday. Even though you two do movie night every week, this time was different. You were going to tell Ellie how you felt. You promised yourself to do it when the time felt right. It felt right today, so nothing was going to stop you from admitting it tonight.

You're sure Ellie feels the same way too. Her body language tells you everything you need to know. You were going to tell her. Tonight. It was going to happen, you promised yourself you would. You took another short breath. Don't pussy out, y/n. You can't.

"Y/n? What're doing there kid'?" A familiar southern accent made you jump at the suddenness. You looked up and noticed Joel on his porch, a cup of coffee and his guitar in hands.

You smiled happily at the older man. "Hey, Joel. Movie night," You explained simply, and scratched the back your neck as you walked closer to him.

Joel nodded slowly, then suddenly chuckled. "She's been, uh... cleaning up quite a bit. Maybe that's the reason why. Movie night, it had slipped my mind that you two also did that."

You laughed lightly. "I'll make sure to tease her about it."

"Y/n?" You looked to your left and found Ellie there looking disheveled. You can tell that it was just from cleaning. You smiled and walked towards her.

"Sorry I'm a little late. Did you have fun cleaning your place for me?"

Ellie looked towards Joel and gave him a look, the then chuckled as he leaned into railing as he watched you two interact. "Shut up and get inside, asshole." She mumbled playfully.

"Yessir," You gave her a curt salute with a laugh, listening to her without any complaint. The door was already opened so you just walked in. While looking around you noticed It was pretty clean compared to how it was last week. You wondered why, but didn't get too far since Ellie walked in and interrupted your thinking with her presence.

You looked at her tv, reading the title of the old sci-fi movie. "Inferior of honor? Did you steal this from Joel's stash?" You asked as you moved towards her bed. You noticed the popcorn sitting perfectly in the middle of her bed.

You decided to take off your shoes, and jumped on the bed. Ellie rolled her eyes with a smile as she watched you. "Yeah please. Ake yourself at home."

You groaned and leaned back into the pillows. "Don't act like you don't know me. Get in here, williams."

"Fine, scooch." With her hands she made a movement for you to move over-which you did. The lights were already off except the lamp on her bedside table. Ellie grabbed the remote and started the movie.

-

You couldn't focus on the movie, mostly because each time you reached into the popcorn bowl, you and Ellie’s hand touched. The both of you would pull back and didn't say anything. It was an unspoken rule between you and Ellie. If something happened like your hand touched on accident then you two wouldn't say anything and go on your way, and it would continue this way. Even now.

Doubt was starting to fill your brain.

You felt your palms become sweaty but you couldn't focus on that right now. All that you could focus on was how tired you were. Something about being with Ellie made you feel secure. Safe enough to sleep. You felt your eyes close, and let out a small sigh. You relaxed, and your head fell onto Ellie’s shoulder.

Ellie’s breath hitched, and she stayed still. Trying so hard not to make any sudden moves just so she wouldn't wake you. After a couple of minutes she relaxed. She wanted to look at your face but couldn't in this position. "Y/n..?" She whispered but you decided not to answer her. You couldn't, you were so relaxed and tired that you didn't even want to make the effort.

Suddenly you felt Ellie’s hand in yours. She intertwined your fingers gently and leaned closer into you. You could feel your face starting to warm up and your heart was beating like crazy. Your stomach did that weird flip and you couldn't help but grin. Luckily Ellie couldn't see it.

You can hear Ellie swallow and clear her throat lowly. ".... I think I like you more than a friend." She whispered loudly enough for you to hear, she pulled your intertwined hands towards her lips and kissed the back of your hand softly. "Actually, I know I like you more than a friend... I just wish you felt the same."

Something about that sentence made your heart drop. You leaned closer into Ellie’s neck. Her breath hitched once again, so you decided to squeeze her hand. "Ellie, I like you too." You whispered back shyly.

"You were awake this whole time..?"

You pulled back from her neck, feeling yourself become more and more embarrassed about the way you confessed to her. This isn't how you expected things to go. You were looking down at your intertwined hands and couldn't help but stare at ellies slender hands. So pretty.

"I just told you I liked you and that's what you get from this..?"

With her other hand she pulled you closer. "Y/n, look at me." Slowly you moved your eyes up to stare into her green eyes. You loved her freckles. She leaned in, and pecked your cheek- which was pretty close to your lips.

When did she get so bold? You questioned with hot ears.

"Go on a date with me,"

You smiled. "Can't we consider this our date?"

"Nope, I want to do something special for you. Now that you're my girlfriend..."

"Girlfriend? Since when..?" You teased when you noticed how close she leaned in. Her eyes were closed, so you leaned in too. The moment your lips met with hers- it felt like nothing else mattered. It was just you and Ellie. And now you two were legit. As her lips moved against yours you note that Ellie is indeed a good kisser.

Ellies hand moved to your thigh as you two continue to kiss, whi h made you finally realized that this wasn't a dream. You were kissing Ellie. Ellie Williams. Your best friend.

Now your girlfriend.

[strawwritesfic]

Bucky Barnes x Female!Former Addict!Reader: Tastes a Little Like Freedom, a Little Like Fear [Ch. 1]

Summary: [Name] has finally got her life on track. She’s been clean a year, has a full time job, and recently moved into an apartment that is actually fit to live in. To prove something to herself, she visits the Smithsonian exhibit on Captain America…only to run into someone a little familiar. Adopting a fellow addict is one thing. Accidentally adopting a recovering brainwashed Nazi super soldier is another. [Name]’s life is about to run off track worse than ever before, but there could be a reward at the end if she can just hang on for the bumpy ride.

Challenge:  “100 Drabbles Adventure” challenge by SubtleQuirk on Lunaescence Archives.

Ratings/Warnings: M (foul language; sexual references; references to previous drug addiction and continued struggles with drug addiction; torture; mind control; dehumanization; threatening behavior of a man towards a woman; not canon compliant past Winter Soldier; set post-Winter Soldier and pre-Civil War)

Pairings: Bucky Barnes x Female!Reader

Tag List: @imaginesfire​

Master List

Chapter 1: Mending

It was eight months, two weeks, nine hours, and twenty-two minutes to the moment after the new Captain America installation was opened that you finally worked up the nerve to visit. By the time the remodel was finished, your life was settled enough that you could have gone opening day. Heck, the Smithsonian went as far as to send you an invitation, somehow, though you’d never worked out how they’d got your then-current address. But going would have required you to admit who you were, to answer questions about your father, to be told how proud he must have been of you, and to take it all in with a smile.

With all that no longer looming over your head, you felt a little silly having asked your friends to come along, once you’d actually arrived at the museum. You didn’t look enough like your father to garner undeserved adulation, and the building was so packed that you doubted anyone would look at you long enough to notice what resemblance there was.

Such concerns were not what really threatened to push you over the edge. What was was the sudden sympathy that erupted once the bright red, white, and blue signs came into view. One minute you were walking toward them, heart hammering, ears buzzing so loudly you could hardly hear President Ellis talking about Captain Rogers’ courage, and the next, your little group had you surrounded.

“Are you absolutely sure you should do this?” asked the red-head with heavy freckles. Karen’s lips practically trembled as she looked at you. She was always the most emotional one; perhaps you should not have told her what it was you were doing.

Then Georgianna’s hand clapped around your shoulder. Your eyes met hers. She was always a lot quieter than the others, but apparently she had misgivings herself:

“What if you relapse?”

You allowed yourself a tiny frown. “I’m not going to–”

“I don’t see why the fuck you’re bothering anyway,” Kat interrupted. “It’s not like your dad ever did anything for you anyway.”

“My dad did plenty for me growing up. I need to do this for him. It’s the last I can do now,” you answered quietly.

Kat’s heavily pierced face did not relax. She snorted, but decided to dig around in her purse as though she were searching for a cigarette rather than argue the point further. When she resurfaced (perhaps after remembering she couldn’t smoke inside the museum, no matter how worried she was for you), she rolled her brown eyes.

“If it was my dad that did all that,” she said, “I’d likely piss on his grave. But I guess that’s the difference between you and me.”

The three of them watched you carefully. If any of your companions expected you to walk out the building and go get dinner with them instead of throwing yourself head first into your proverbial pit of vipers, they were sorely disappointed.

You took a very deep breath and straightened, then smiled directly at each one. “I’ve been clean for a year. This is something I have to do–and it’s easier than visiting his grave right now. I didn’t want to come alone, but you guys don’t have to come in with me if you don’t want to.”

“As if,” said Kat, and she marched straight through the archway leading to the exhibit.

“We’re right here with you, [Name],” said Karen.

Somehow she looked whiter than your reflection in the nearby map stand. Georgianna said nothing, but waited for Karen to take your hand before she led you after Kat’s swiftly retreating back. They didn’t need to do that much. As far as the museum guests were concerned, you were just one more person there to visit after the recent catastrophic events surrounding Captain Rogers and some governmental spy planes. Likely now someone would notice you, given that two women were petting and mothering you so much. Still, you allowed both of them to stay close, and tried to smile when they asked you if you remained okay. They had all seen you at rock bottom at one point or another. It stood to reason that they’d be worried about seeing you there again.

Lucky for you, Kat didn’t feel the need to protect you quite as much. She feigned interest in signs and photographs and videos far ahead of yours. Occasionally, she would hang around until you caught up. Then she would say something snarky about things (“You mean to tell me that shade of blue was given a pass? How did he not get his brains blown out right off the bat?”), bustling away before either of the other two could ask her to tone it down.

After twenty minutes of reading about Captain Rogers–with very little new information gleaned, considering how many stories your dad had told about him all those years ago–the Howling Commandos section reared up before you. Your breath caught in your throat; you saw, out of the corner of your eyes, Karen and Georgianna freeze.

No one made any sudden movements, but somehow your friends knew instinctively that this was the one place they could not follow you. You couldn’t have requested as much even if you’d wanted to. Your mouth went dry and your mind blank. The only reason you knew that Karen had released your hand was that your palm felt suddenly cold. Even that could have been the nerves. At a pace that could have left you outstripped by snails, you crept toward the display.

Captain Roger’s face was in the middle, obviously. It was his exhibit, and you had long grown used to seeing him on the television. The others posed problems. As you neared, your eyes roved across the faces of men that had once appeared quite frequently in your life: Jacques Dernier, Tim Dugan, Gabe Jones, and Montgomery Falsworth. By the time you reached the base of the display, you could no longer put off the inevitable. You sucked a great breath in and looked up into the face of your father.

It was so much younger than in any of your memories, so much lighter. All of your mental preparation up to this point meant absolutely nothing. Your eyes stung and your throat burned. For a few seconds, it felt as though your legs might give way.

‘I shouldn’t be here,’ you thought. ‘He wouldn’t want to see me. Why did I think this was a good idea?’

You had come because you wanted to make amends with the past, though your past had dissolved like snow years ago. You had come because you wanted to prove to yourself that you were strong enough to do so. You had come because you were sick of telling people you still hadn’t visited when they finally worked out who you were. All were selfish reasons, but you’d always been selfish. Your dad wouldn’t have been surprised. Probably he would have hugged you to his chest and asked you where you’d been for so long–and you didn’t have a good answer, not even after severing ties with him so long, long ago.

You could feel your friends’ eyes trained like laser pointers at your back; running from the museum was obviously not an option. They expected you to fall to pieces. They were there to pick up those pieces. That was the whole reason you’d asked them to come along, but you’d really thought you would be able to handle a little more than this. When you saw your therapy group later this week, you wanted to stand in front of everyone and tell them what you’d managed. You didn’t want to hide in the back, too embarrassed to admit your lack of progress for the third month in a row.

Before anyone could walk up and drag you away, you hurried off toward another exhibit, try as you might have not to hurry. You hoped none of your friends would follow. For a few minutes–just a few minutes–you needed to not have to assure them of anything. You could hardly manage to assure yourself.

Sergeant James Barnes’ picture was probably not the best one to station yourself in front of, at least in terms of cheering you up. Your father had spoken nearly as highly of him as of Captain Rogers, but the former had never come back. Sergeant Barnes was the only Howling Commando that never met you, and was therefore the only one that wouldn’t be ashamed to have you visit. You leaned against the railing for several minutes, breathing deeply in and out and giving yourself a pep talk, wondering what he would have to say to you right about now.

Eventually, you felt that you could handle yourself. You could walk right back to Karen and Georgianna and Kat, smile, and let them walk you home. Maybe once you got there, things would be a little harder, but your apartment was clean of anything that could tempt you. Your refrigerator held only orange juice, milk, an odd assortment of breakfast food, and Lean Cuisine dinners; any other sorts of paraphernalia had long since been thrown out.

You offered Sergeant Barnes a shaky salute before screwing up your courage to trot off. You figured it was, again, the least you could do. For a long minute afterward, though, you just stared up at him, hoping, perhaps, that he could give you the forgiveness you so craved. But he was only a static picture, and a static picture of someone you’d never met on top of that. Spinning about, you made your way back toward the entrance–

–only to nearly crash straight into another museum guest that had come up behind you while you were otherwise preoccupied.

He said absolutely nothing as you righted yourself, and made no noise at all when you squeaked out a rapid, “Sorry!” that was more for him having to watch you have a meltdown than for stepping into him.

It was the silence that got you: He looked…scared. His clothes were disheveled, his long hair shoved haphazardly into a hat, and his gloved knuckles tight around the strap of his pack. More suspicious still was the way he held himself as he stared at you, like he had recently been hurt. Slowly, your mouth fell into a frown.

“Are you okay?” you asked him.

Again, the man said nothing. Well, if he didn’t want you to take him to a hospital, you certainly couldn’t force him to come with you…but leaving him there looking like that didn’t feel quite right either.

“Sorry,” you said again, more quiet and calm.

Perhaps he would talk to you about Sergeant Barnes? He seemed somewhat interested in the photograph, his eyes shifting between your face and Barnes’ for the several seconds you watched him. Following his gaze, you glanced back at the photograph and felt as though something had punched you in the stomach. Swiftly, you looked back at the man, then back at the picture, then back to the man. Now he wouldn’t take his eyes off you at all.

“You related?” you asked at last. His knuckles only turned twisted his strap harder. “Sorry. You just look a little like him.”

You got nothing in response to this observation either. Hoping that he wasn’t offended, you decided to change the subject a little.

“That’s my dad,” you said in a rush, and turned to point at the Howling Commandos exhibit in the other direction. “James Morita. Him.”

When the strange didn’t speak, not even to scoff because you looked nothing like your dad, you spun back around.

He was gone.

Spinning quickly in a circle, you realized that the man was nowhere to be seen. You had looked away for less than five seconds, and yet he was gone. As it was growing to be nightfall, the museum wasn’t terribly full anymore; you would have been able to spot him rushing off.

“Hey, [Name]. Ready to go?”

You let out a gasp and turned around once again to see Georgianna standing right next to you.

Her forehead creased at the obvious apprehension on your face. “What’s wrong?”

“That man!” you said. “Where did he–? He was right here.”

“What man?”

“The man that was looking at this, too! He was–he looked strung out! He could be hurt somewhere! I have to–”

Georgianna stopped your tirade by placing her hands on both your shoulders. “Have to do what? Help him? How do you help someone that’s gone?”

“I don’t know, but I can’t just–”

“What’s the prayer, [Name]?”

“Not now George!”

“What’s the prayer?”

As you stared at her, your heartbeat started to die down. She was right, of course. You couldn’t help someone that didn’t want help. Trying to do so would likely only land you in hot water, and you’d been doing so well lately. But if he was related to Bucky Barnes, the two of you were in the same boat, weren’t you? Was that it? You thought helping him would somehow absolve you of running off on your father all those years ago?

Your shoulders fell. Georgianna kept her eyes on you while you bit your lip for another five seconds. Then, with a sigh, you answered:

“Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.”

“Very good. And is some guy you met at a museum something you can change?”

“No.”

“Good,” she said again.

One of her hands patted you a couple times on the back, then Georgianna pointed toward the entrance to the Captain America portion of the museum, where Kat and Karen were already hovering, watching the two of you through wide eyes.

“Kat’s getting hungry,” Georgianna said, “and you know how that goes. Ready to blow this joint?”

“I…” Why did your chest still feel so tight? Only ten minutes ago, you’d wanted to run off and never come back. “Actually, I think I’m gonna stay here for a bit. There are a few more things I want to check out.”

“[Name]…”

You forced a laugh that turned more genuine toward the end. Now that the worst was over, you felt lot better. You’d visited your father’s museum piece and hadn’t been smote where you stood. The nerves were still a bit of an issue, but not so much that you were going to do something you regretted that evening. In fact, you thought you’d probably sleep better that night than you had since people started asking you why you hadn’t come to the Smithsonian yet.

“I’m fine, I promise. I just want to be alone for a little bit. I’ll look at a few things and walk home.” Georgianna didn’t look convinced; it was your turn to pat her back. “Look, if it’ll make you feel better, I’ll call you when I get home–and you can come by this evening to check on me.”

“We’ll be by right after dinner,” Georgianna said. She started to walk away, then added, “All three of us. So you’d better not be lying.”

“I’ll make sure to answer the door this time,” you answered with a smile.

She paused once more to stare at you, almost so long that you felt uncomfortable. Suddenly you felt her arms around you.

“Stay safe. I’m so proud of you,” she whispered.

Off she went at a trot. You watched until she reached the other two and Kat shot you a clearly pissed off look for ditching her before you started to wander deeper into the museum. When your phone buzzed, you ignored it; it was probably just her reminding you to keep your promise–and you intended to. It was just that, as you looked at the rest of the relics from a time period that seemed more fable than fact to you, you couldn’t get the image of that frightened man out of your head. You hoped he was okay. You hoped he didn’t have a father desperate for him to come home.

[abbystanaccount]

If you could change the ending (or even Ellie’s story) of the last of us 2, what would that look like? If you had to rate the last of us 2, what would your rating be?

Well I’ll say it’s a 10/10 masterpiece …but…. here’s some things I would have liked to see or would have made it more enjoyable to me and maybe less miserable overall

-I don’t really mind the story structure at all, it think it works though I don’t love how day 1 is long for both of them and then day 3 is comparatively short

- I know the game is really long but I’d like to see one more flashback at least for Ellie and Abby at some point (but this would also be my dream dlc lol) flashing back and forth from Ellie’s Jackson pals to some characterization of the salt lake crew before and after st Mary’s

-more time with Abby’s crew… like Nick and Leah don’t have lines 🥲 a little more Jesse and an addition of Cat would have been nice too

- the Santa Barbara part is just so miserable, not quite sure how they could have wrapped it up instead but the whole Abby finding the fireflies and then immediately get captured and tortured is so 😐😐😐. Then Ellie leaving Dina and fam I can get bc she still has ptsd but I was like girl give the Abby thing rest already

- I guess because I like the characters so much I wish less of them would have died…. But I get it… like this game messed me up and it’s literally the best game narrative ever, I wish it wasn’t so bleak but at least both Ellie and Abby and like 1 of their loved ones lives and there’s a tiny bit of hope 🥲

[ellitx]

elli have you ever think about the twins caught [name] masturbation and moaned their name?

anon asked: Hi idk if you’ve received something like similar to this but, what do u think himmel and Venti would do if their fem s/o is touching their breasts or chest lmao. , they were just walking around the house and stumbled across their lover, laying and just doing her own stuff— Like, for us, its considered as our stress reliever and I can’t seem to get it off my head 🤣

You tried to relieve all your stress building inside you by touching yourself, imagining your two childhood friends touching you, kissing you, licking your body, breasts, and nipples. Thinking about the boys hours away from the meeting, you ran your hands down your belly. Your right forefinger touching your clitoris while the left forefinger goes deep inside you, pretending to be one of the twins’ penis.

What would their cock feel, surrounded by your soft, collapsing caves of flesh? You hate that your fingers aren't big enough, it’s too small unlike Venti’s. Though his hands are a bit calloused from constantly playing his guitar, you always love touching and tracing his fingers then to his knuckles, and you wonder what it would feel like if he inserts his digits in your sloppy and dripping cunt.

You shut your eyes tightly and moaned as you put in two fingers and spread your lips. You miss Venti. You miss Himmel. How long has it been since you’ve last seen them? The three of you were too busy with uni, unable to find the time to spend together, and the invitation to meet up together in your dorm brought a big smile to your face.

There are still two more hours left before they come knocking on your door. You want to take your time imagining them eating you out, fucking you, kissing you, and whispering in your ears how much they’ve missed holding you, their beloved and precious muse, lover, and friend. 

You moved your fingers to the rhythm, feeling the two inside get creamy as your clit began to become hard and red. 

“Hng… Venti~ Himmel— ah!” you gasped, the word nearly just a breath that they coaxed out of you with a sturdy thrust of their cocks. You envisioned Himmel looking down at you with lust in his eyes. A low, soft growl reverberated from his throat as he moved his lips to cover yours. He offered you a kiss, a gesture as sweet as him, and locked your tongue together with his.

Venti had a firm grasp on your hips and held you steady as he gave another thrust of his hips to reach deep inside you. Your moans were muffled by Himmel’s lips and it added another stimulation when Venti bit on your shoulder while he fucked you deeper and faster.

“Fuck… you’re… so tight…” He murmured against your skin while hugging you close to his chest. His fingers reached to your nipples to fiddle and pinch them. He loves to see every reaction he can get from you and he licked his lips seeing how red your face was with a little bit of drool coming from the corner of your mouth as you moaned and cried their names.

Himmel returned to trailing much softer bites around your neck and shoulders; shoving his dick profoundly until the tip reached deep inside your slick and clenching walls, then your words dissolved back into breathy and incohesive moans.

The rough pad of Venti’s fingers found your clit, and the moment he began to press rough— demanding circles into it— your mind went blank at the unusual euphoric happening to you all at once.

You angled your hips to directly press into his fingers and took more of Himmel’s cock in the process. The heat was coiling in your stomach, preparing itself to release a burst of pleasure, and you were almost there. 

Almost—

“Venti— Himmel… I-I’m coming…!”

And just like that, the hand on your clit and the cocks and fingers filling your holes disappeared. Both boys are gone, nowhere to be seen.

You wanted to cry. You were so close to your release. Your thighs shook with arousal, toes curling and uncurling as you lay there, deciding what to do. How long have you been touching yourself? 

You turned your head to face the alarm next to your bed. 

6:28 PM 

There’s still more time left before Venti and Himmel will come here. Might as well get yourself off and reach your own release. You placed your hand back to your wet pussy and in a few moments, you were back to the point of almost reaching the edge, almost finally reaching the orgasm that you’ve always wanted.

You murmured their names breathily, your face flushed red from the recent unwholesome thoughts of the twins while you raised your other free hand to cup your breast and rub your nipples with your thumb, pulling and squeezing them occasionally. You pressed your thighs together and buried your face on the pillow to muffle your moans, moving your fingers faster and deeper in your cunt.

As you get closer, you moaned their names again, not quite meaning to and not quite thinking about what it would do. You said it like a mantra, crying those two familiar names of the twins you’ve loved so much again and again and again so loudly each time it slipped from your mouth before losing the ability to speak and just focused on pumping one hand to brush your clit— fucking yourself with your fingers— and the other to knead your breasts. The dual sensation is enough to send you over the edge.

You arched your back tightly as you imagined both of them sucking your breasts hysterically as you came. Your entire body released in a flood of pent-up tension and arousal, your fingers still helping you through the aftershocks as your lips were parted a bit in a silent cry.

For a moment, you remained still with your eyes closed, just basking in the sensation. It felt so nice along with the rush of pleasure running throughout your body.

Your eyes jolted open when you hear a faint creaking of a door and muffled whispers. 

“T-that’s enough already! She’ll get mad at us for sure if she sees us!” Himmel whisper-yelled to his brother, his face painted with a tint of red as he pushed Venti to move.

“I was just making sure she’s fine! She wasn’t answering our calls, that's why we have to rush here to check up on her.” The other retorted back with a visage similar to the older twin. Both of them never expected to see you touching yourself, your slim body erotically exposed for their eyes and mind to drink in. It was clear as a day from all the things you’ve done to yourself as you panted and moaned their respective names.

They turned their head when the door to your room slammed open and both eyes went wide to see you standing there naked. No blanket nor clothes to cover your body. 

Himmel was the first one to speak, ready to apologize and explain everything.

“[N-Name], it’s not what it looks like! We were about to— hmph?!” 

Himmel felt his heart loudly pounding against his chest. The sudden sensation of your lips locked against his surely shocked him. You moved your lips in unfamiliar patterns he tried to mimic with his own. You felt the electricity pulsing through your veins. The kiss engulfed you both and you tightly clutched onto his shirt. As you leaned forward, you heard a small gasp from him as you slipped your tongue in his mouth to intertwine with his.

A surprising kiss from you, nonetheless he welcomed it. His shoulders relaxed and he reluctantly rested his hand on your back and the other to cup your cheek to pull you close to him. His thumb ran along the curve of your cheekbone and you nestled into his hand, feeling his warmth seep into yours. Your soft, round breasts were pressing against his lean body and he got himself lost to the feeling of your soft lips.

Breaking the kiss, a string of saliva was connected to yours and his lips and both of you panted heavily. You didn’t spare another glance to the older twin as you quickly stride to where Venti was standing and wrapped your arms around his shoulders. You tiptoed to reach his height to give him a passionate and sweet kiss.

Venti didn’t hesitate to return it. He brought his hands to the back of your neck while the other settled on your hips. You moved closer to him, feeling his warmth into yours.

Lips leaving yours, his breath was hot as his kisses trailed down your neck. His hands held your back, sucking your skin to create a mark, and you arched, begging for more.

“Mine,” he growled.

You dragged your nails down his back and tightly gripped on his clothing as you tilt your head to the side for him to gain more access and moan his name. Himmel, who was still half-fazed by your kiss, wipes his mouth with the back of his hand before he walks behind you and copies what his brother is doing.

“I believe she’s ours, Venti.” The frail man corrected before gently grabbing your chin to face him and continue the kiss you’ve initiated on him. After a short session of marking and kissing you, they stopped and looked at you with a loving and longing gaze.

“Archons, we miss you so much, [Name]. You don’t know how much I’ve been wanting to hold you like this.” Venti nuzzled his face to your hair before giving a short yet sweet kiss on your temple.

“So am I. All these tests and research have been hindering us to meet you. I’m glad we’re finally done with them. It’s an absolute torture not being able to spend time together with you.” Sighed Himmel as he lovingly strokes your sides and gives a kiss to your cheek.

You giggled at the ticklish sensation of their lips, cuddling closer to them before leaving your own loving affection to them. 

“I missed you both so much,” You closed your eyes and rested your head against Venti’s chest to listen to the calming and rhythmic beat of his heart.

You felt a finger running along your thighs so sensually and you squeaked when a hand was stroking your pussy. You forgot you were completely naked in front of them. You gulped down your dry saliva, both in excitement and nervousness, and turned your head away from them, multiple fingers continuing to play and brush along your inner thighs and curves of your breasts. The slick on your legs messed with their digits but they paid no mind to it as their focus is completely fixed on you, too captivated and aroused by the sight of your nude form.

“So wet. Seems like we have to take care of our princess, brother.”

“You don’t have to say it out loud. You’re making her embarrassed.” The older twin scolded before turning to you and giving a sweet smile before he leaned down to whisper in your ears. His hot breath brings a rush of excitement and arousal through your nerves, you practically want them to fill your holes so madly, coat your body with their cum, and eat you out as they bury their head deeply between your legs.

“Just relax for us and we’ll handle this, okay?”