#jthe last of us fanfiction

[emmikmil]

kiss it all better

Pairing: Joel Miller x F!Reader

Warnings: brief food mention, Injuries mentioned along with blood and needles. (however nothing is graphically detailed.) Things get a small touch steamy in the kissing department, a mention of pregnancy. 

Word Count: 2.2K

Summary: A normal patrol goes very wrong in the desad of winter, lbut luckily for you Joel is there to patch all your wounds.

A/N: Dedicated to @knivesareout​ for our discord exchange! Love you sm babes and I hope you enjoy!!!

All you’ve done for what seems like hours now is run. Your lungs burn as you heave, drawing in ragged breaths of the cold air. You hear a couple rogue gunshots in the far distance but you don’t let your mind dwell on it. You’re in survival mode now, running on nothing but adrenaline and fear as you keep pushing forward.

You carefully walk through the treeline, looking for any sign of the horde that blindsided you and Joel. You take a breather and lean against a tree, finally assessing the damage to your knee. It took a while for you to notice how torn up your knee got in your hurry to get away. The barbed wire fence tore your jeans and skin to shreds, blood matted to the material and dried down your leg. You breathe through the pain and set your sights on climbing up the hill, knowing it's the last obstacle before you reach the safe house. As the snow picks up, swirling hard around you, you trudge up the hill and hope Joel is there waiting for you.  

The morning had started off normally. You were able to laze around and sleep in for awhile, and read your book by the fire. You were scheduled to patrol with Joel for the afternoon shift and that sent butterflies in your stomach. Joel usually patrolled with his brother, so that would be a rare treat. Even if you two didn't patrol together much you got along well. Joel was quiet like you, just wanted a slow life for himself and Ellie.

The conversations between you two were slow to start, but once you two got on the topic of music your bond grew. You both opened up more and more over the months, usually meeting at night at the bar to talk,or play a card game. 

You got your dear horse Murphy from the stables and walked out to Joel. You strolled up beside him, heart beating fast as his eyes met yours.

 “Afternoon darlin’, we best make this quick. Looks like a storm's brewing,” you looked up at the dark wintery sky and agreed, by nightfall there would be at least a few inches of snow on the ground. You turned back to him to see him holding something in his hand. “You ate lunch yet? Got you a sandwich.” his hazel eyes warmed your body faster than the fire you made earlier.

You took the sandwich and gave your thanks, even though you forced the dry bread down. 

Was he flirting again? Did he do this with Tommy too? How many times do you read small gestures as flirting?

You spent too much time fantasizing about Joel, analyzed far too many compliments and prolonged stares.

That doubt swirled in your mind as Tommy gave the warnings for the patrol. Apparently there was a horde spotted earlier, but it shouldn't be a problem since they appeared to be moving away from both town and the routes.

Tommy could not have been more wrong about that. You and Joel rode through the route, chatting about what you both did this morning- reading for you and building a guitar for him- but halfway through the route, was when shit went down. A noise at a nearby building drew your attention and as you rounded the corner horror set in. There had to have been about 40 infected, mostly runners and clickers.

Before you could react, a runner came from your left, spooked Murphy and threw you off. As your body hit the pavement, you heard Joel’s frantic shouts, his horse flew around to act as a barrier between you and the horde. You recovered quickly, adrenaline spiked in your system. “Dammit, you gotta run, I’ll draw them away!” to your horror Joel jumped off his horse, sending it in one direction as he ran away from you. 

For a split second your eyes met through the mass and your heart felt like it froze inside of you. With his warm hazel eyes laced in fear and determination, he waved his arms and yelled to attract as many infected as he could. You had no doubts that Joel would sacrifice himself to save you,  and you never wanted that. The wave of panic of taking too long, not confessing your feelings or affections bubbled up but you had no time for being sentimental. All you could do is hope you'd see him again and keep yourself alive. 

The knife from your boot swiftly met the runner coming at you. The tears burned in your throat as you lost sight of him, but you killed the infected closest to you and ran. Ran until your lungs gave out and tears flowed like the blood from your wound.

You barely make it to the top of the hill, every muscle aching as the snow begins to fall harder from the darkening sky. The lookout point is in front of you and you drag your weary body to the door. You spot both of the horses tied up and waiting and it makes your heart flutter. Odds are Joel is already here and waiting but you can't take any chances.

You have your gun at the ready as you limp up the stairs and push open the door to the main room. “Joel? You in here?'' You keep your back to the wall and scan the area. You’re on high alert when you hear footsteps around the corner but you lower the weapon as you hear his voice.

“Thank Christ, you alright?'' somehow even in this weather his hands are warm and they're everywhere; pulling at your jacket, looking at your collarbone and neck searching for any bite marks. However, his movements stop when he catches sight of your knee. “You fall or…” he’s hesitant to even form the words but you're quick to assure him.

“Barbed wire fence, was trying to get away from a clicker. That’s all it is, I promise.” he nods his head, salt and pepper hair falling in his face. He takes a calming breath, eyes still a little wide from panic. His shaking hands cup your face for a moment and then wrap around your body, surrounding you in his warmth. You aren’t a hug kind of person, that touch long since forgotten in the apocalypse but Joel’s is nice. It feels safe which is a rarity in this world. “Let’s get you settled so I can take a look at that knee,” he’s pulling away but his hand hovers near your lower back, guiding you to sit on an armchair by the fireplace.

Joel goes to a cupboard in the makeshift kitchen and pulls out the first aid kit, but he stops before coming back. He leans over the counter and peers out the frosty window.

You take this moment to admire his form. His tall and broad body is hidden underneath the layers for the winter, but you know what he's rocking underneath. The summer was a blessing with his thin and worn shirts. You still dream about that thin material stretching over the bulge of his bicep. Any naughty thoughts forming disappear as he cocks his hip, lost in thought at the snowfall, and you swallow a giggle. How can a man be sexy but also endearingly cute at the same time?

He finally turns and strides over to the fireplace, instructing you to take off your pants as he turns his attention to starting a fire. “Storms lookin' worse. I think it’s best if we stay in, especially with you hurt. Should clear up by morning.'' you give the all clear and he turns back around, sitting on the low ottoman in front of you. 

You hiss as he slowly brings your leg to settle in his lap and Joel gently rubs just below your knee with his thumb. He’s doing his best to comfort you, and while it is appreciated, you do in fact only have your underwear on. You feel a little bashful being so exposed, self consciousness warming your cheeks.

Joel however is a gentleman, his eyes never straying from your knee as he assesses and cleans your wound. The room is quiet, only the sounds of the fire crackling beside you and the wind howling outside. The storm has picked up in ferocity and you’re happy you got here when you did. 

To distract you while he begins stitching up your jagged wounds you ask him some questions. Mostly just how he found the horses - they were waiting patiently on the trail together nearby- and if there was any food in the cabinets - a couple cans of old soup - but Joel is good about filling in the silence. 

After he puts down the needle he begins to look over your wound again,but he stops just above where he was working. ���That’s a nasty looking scar, when did you get that?” you peer down as he wraps a bandage around your new injury, spotting the jagged scar he's referring to. You tell him the tale of riding your bike and crashing directly into a brick wall as a kid. Joel shakes his head and laughs along with you at the memory, asking “why the hell didn’t you use your brakes?”

You grin sheepishly and shrug your shoulders, “New bike and the brakes were different than my old one, I had no clue until it was too late.” your head is propped up on your hand, so lost in thought you don’t see the affection shining in Joel’s eyes “I remember after i got home from the hospital, all stitched up and bandaged like this. My mom fretted over me, she sent me to go rest and kissed the bandage, told me it was all better...'' you shake your head from the memories, coming back to reality to see Joel’s sad smile. His eyes are downcast, looking at your wrapped knee.

To both of your surprises, Joel runs a finger lightly over the bandage and bends to place a feather light kiss on the knee, thumb rubbing your skin again in comfort. “There ya are darlin’, you’re all healed now.” You gulp and let out a shaky laugh. You pull your leg off him, muscles achy from staying still too long, and he gathers up the supplies to put them away. 

You’re not sure what comes over you, maybe it’s the darkening sky leaving the room dark or seeing the firelight glow on his skin.  “Hey Joel,” you pause enough for him to look up, eyes meeting yours “did I mention i fell and hurt my lip too?” he seems taken aback for a moment, eyes widening slightly. You're quickly hit with the realization of what you just said. “Fuck, I'm sorry Joel, I didn’t-” his warm hand on your cheek shuts you up, especially when his thumb runs over your lower lip.

He leans in, warm breath fanning over you making you shiver. “Let me patch that up for ya sweetheart.” His lips at first are cautious but he gains his confidence when you melt against him.  His lips are warm and geedy, not leaving yours even as the kiss goes deeper. With careful precision he lifts you easily from the chair, dragging you to sit on his lap on the ottoman. Even as you squeal and laugh as he maneuvers you to straddle him, his lips are intense: tongue licking at your lips and dipping into your mouth when you start to kiss him back again with the same ferocity. 

The combined heat from the fire beside you and Joel beneath you is almost too much. You part away from his lips, putting your hand on his chest briefly to stop him from chasing your lips. His pupils are blown wide when you meet his eyes, and you know your eyes are the very same. “You alright?” his question is simple but his voice has deepened, gotten more raspy from his arousal. You nod, breathing heavily and tell him you just need a moment to breathe. He nods, muttering an apology as his forehead meets your shoulder, breathing evenly to calm himself down.

One hand rubs along his back as the other plays with the long hair at the nape of his neck. You again hear him mutter a sorry and you shush him, “don’t be sorry, you didn’t push me Joel. It's just been years since my last makeout session. Has it been awhile for you too?" his breath fans out warm on your neck as he chuckles, placing a quick kiss to your neck, leaning back to stare at you.

He grins, licking his lips before he replies, “well, last person I made out with got pregnant so…”  he barks out a laugh at your wide eyed expression, and you join him. You calm down a bit and bring your forehead to his.

“Jesus Joel, you were a damn teenager then!” his hands travel from your back, down over to rub at your thighs, fingers calloused and sending delicious thrills to boil in your belly. 

“I suppose it has been a while. Care to help me make up for lost time?”  his lips are just a fraction away from yours, close enough to feel his lips twist up in a smirk. You run your nails from one hand through his bearded cheek, earning you a grunt.

“Absolutely, Miller. Let’s get started.”