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joelswritingmistress · 1 year ago

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Last Halloween: Chapter 8

Summary: After a tragedy involving Joel happened on Halloween one year prior, the town now shuns him while ignoring the details of the now closed case. You are seemingly the only one to offer empathy to a man the town is making out to be a monster.

Warning: Angst

Pairing: Joel x f!reader

You couldn't bring yourself to part from Joel; and from the way he held you firmly in place on top of him seated there on the couch made it feel like he felt the same.

Behind you on the television screen there was a scream from some scene in the movie that you had completely tuned out until that moment. You turned your head to look and immediately felt Joel's finger tips against your cheek, guiding your gaze back to him.

You smiled and kissed him firmly on the lips again. He moaned quietly into your mouth.

"You should stay," he said in a voice just above a whisper. Both of his arms cradled around your back again and you hugged your body fully against his, speaking in his ear.

"I packed a bag," you informed him with a little giggle, making him chuckle. "Just in case."

When you went to move off of him, Joel pulled you back. "Not yet." He appeared to be in a bit of a love-drunk daze and kissed up your neck toward your earlobe. It made you hug him a little harder. "I haven't had this with someone in a long time."

You let your lips dance across his bare shoulder and pulled back so you were face to face again. Joel's eyes closed when you ran your soothing fingers through his hair.

"Why's this all feel like a dream?" He asked aloud.

You smiled and placed a hand on his cheek. "It does, doesn't it?"

Joel's heavy eyes flickered open. The way he looked at you made you want to ravage him again. And you were sure you would get the opportunity.

The sound of the doorbell made both of you visibly jump and you scampered off of him, reaching for a blanket on the back of the couch.

"Who's that?" You asked, certain Joel most likely had no idea.

He stared at the front door and then reached for his jeans. "Stay here."

"Don't." You shook your head, feeling like there was some kind of trouble lurking outside.

Joel turned to you as he pulled his pants back up over his hips. "Someone's there. I have to-"

"I don't want you to." You shook your head. "Please."

"It's okay," he assured you. "Just.. stay there. Okay?"

You took a deep breath and began reaching for your clothes but quickly stopped so you could focus. Your heart rate picked up with every step Joel made toward the door and you called out his name again, making him turn around for a second before continuing.

Don't open it, you begged in your mind, holding the blanket up toward your chin.

It was nearly ten o'clock, and you knew someone ringing the doorbell at that time wasn't typical.

You rose to your feet with the blanket wrapped around you when Joel reached for the door handle and yanked it open.

"Officer?" Joel greeted.

You sighed with relief at first, noting that it wasn't someone intending to cause harm; but on the same note, why were the police coming to his house?

"We got a call about a wellness check," the officer went on. "Is everything okay here, Mr. Miller?"

"A wellness check?" He squinted his eyes and held the big wooden door with one hand.

"We got a call to this address about fifteen minutes ago."

Joel looked over at you and you shrugged and shook your head.

"Is there someone else in the house?" The officer asked.

"What does that matter?"

"Is there someone else here?" The officer asked again.

"Yes," Joel answered honestly.

"May we come in?"

You answered for him, shouting out, "Just a minute!"

You quickly got dressed and tossed your hair back into a ponytail, joining Joel at the door. There were two police officers there, one of which you knew from your short stint dating Steve and the other looked as if it might've been his first year on the job he was so young.

"What's the problem, Rich?" You addressed the officer in front.

"We're responding to a call. Did either of you make that call?"

"No," you and Joel said in unison.

Rich sighed through his nose and looked back at his partner. "Do you mind if we take a look around the house?"

You wanted to protest but Joel stepped aside and took the high road. "Go ahead." He wandered over and paused the movie and stood with his arms folded across his bare chest. You walked over beside him and placed a hand on his forearm.

Joel placed a hand over yours and the two of you stood together while Rich and the younger man wandered around the first floor of the home.

"Can we look upstairs?" Rich asked, motioning to the staircase

"What's this all about?" You asked him. "This is how a "wellness check" works?"

"We just want to make sure that everyone's alright. In fact, I might have to pull you aside to make sure you're here on your own free will."

"I'll be here until tomorrow morning on my own free will," you said back in a snarky fashion.

The two of you trailed them upstairs and allowed them to look around before they headed back out onto the porch.

"Maybe you should look into who made the phone call," you said to Rich. "Could it have been a prank?"

He shrugged. "If it wasn't either of you who called then I'd say so."

"Someone smashed Joel's mailbox," you added.

"That's terrible," Rich said dryly and then waved his partner toward the cruiser. "Have a wonderful night."

"Yeah, you too," Joel said, as you shook your head.

He closed the door, locked it and then you started to go off.

"You know, whoever thinks it's right to do this kind of shit-"

Joel pulled you to him and kissed you before you could finish your sentence, or ramble on in a series of angry ones after that.

"They're gone," he mumbled against your lips, half smirking as he pulled back.

You sighed through your nose and grinned. A glowing heat still clung to your cheeks from all that had just transpired between the two of you. Nothing was going to ruin this evening.

"You're right." You rested your hands on his bare chest and perched up onto your toes to kiss him again. "Do you think there's anything to worry about?"

Joel shook his head. "What do you say we grab your bag from the car, and then we can more formally finish the tour of the house."

"Okay," you agreed and allowed him to drag you toward the front door.

When you saw that the police cruiser had gone, you and Joel wandered outside down the sidewalk to the driveway, hand in hand. Your lips met just as you approached your car and you looked up to him admirably.

"You're so above all the bullshit," you said quietly. "You really are a great man, Joel."

"You're good to me," he said and tucked his fingers beneath your chin. "What an idiot I was to deny you that first time you offered to.. take me out."

You chuckled. "Things worked out."

"Yeah they did." He leaned down and touched his lips to yours with an appreciative, "Mmm."

"Now, let's not leave the house for the next twelve hours," you playfully suggested.

You retrieved your bag and glanced off into the woods when you heard a rustle of leaves.

"What was that?"

Joel pulled at your arm, eager to get back inside. "Probably squirrels." His cool smile eased your mind and you sighed, shaking your head.

"I don't know why I'm so on edge."

"Well there was a knock at the door when we were watching a scary movie," he began, continuing to tow you toward the house.

"We weren't really watching it," you reminded him.

Joel looked over his shoulder at you with a closed-mouth grin. When you got back inside he locked the door and pulled the curtains. You reached for the remote and turned off the television.

He glanced at the now-black screen and held out his hand in the darkness. You took it and allowed him to guide you up the staircase to his room.

You glanced around, curiously eying the little details that made the room so tailor made to Joel. It was neat and orderly with earth-tone tanned walls, a blue plaid bedspread and typical odds and ends scattered about.

He clicked on a small lamp on the nightstand, illuminating the space a little more before creeping in behind you. Joel's arms engulfed your smaller frame and you caught a glimpse of the two of you together in the mirror attached to his dresser.

He was perfect. Perfect for you. Joel's eyes were closed as he held you from behind and kissed your neck. "I don't have to work tomorrow," he whispered in your ear.

Your body relaxed and you closed your eyes. "Then I guess we have more than twelve hours."

He let out a quiet chuckle against your ear and you melted back against him when he slipped just the tips of his fingers beneath the waistband of your pants.

"Mmm.." you hummed, "You don't think anyone would come here, right?"

"No," he said quietly. "I have an alarm system anyway." Joel's hand sink deeper into your pants and he rested his warm palm on your inner thigh while his other arm hugged around you. You turned around to face him and you began kissing again.

"I'm not going to let anything happen to you," Joel told you. "People bust my chops in town but no one has ever come here." He placed a hand on your face again and danced circled with his thumb on your cheek bone. You were beginning to love it more and more when he did that.

"I'm not going to let anything happen to you, either," you promised. You kissed the pad of his thumb when he moved it to your lips.

You dragged him toward the bed and sat down before scooting your body backwards toward the middle. For a second Joel just stood there at the edge as you began to undress yourself, seeming to soak in everything about you.

You felt completely comfortable with him already. You knew you probably shouldn't have so quickly but you were starting to see that all of the norms when it came to this stuff didn't apply to the two of you - at all. Playfully, you slunk beneath the covers and smiled at him with the comforter pulled up toward your chin.

Joel cleared his throat and looked like he was about to say something but he stopped. "I'm, uh.." He swallowed hard and never finished the sentence.

You knew something was off when he struggled to get out a sentence and didn't immediately join you in bed. Joel ran a hand through his hair and cleared his throat a second time.

Joel inhaled and exhaled. "I know it's only been a short time." He paused for a moment again and you saw a glistening in his eyes. "But, I, uh.. you've helped me.. a lot."

A tear fell and he partially turned his head to wipe it away, "I'm sorry."

"Joel." You shoved the covers aside and got up to hold him against you and felt your own eyes tear up.

"I know that's probably weird for you to hear," he went on, sniffing in through his nose. His arm draped loosely around your back. You could clearly see the streaks on his face now.

"It's not weird at all," you told him, laying your head against his shoulder as you hugged him. You left a single kiss there and began to rub his back. "I'm so sorry, Joel. Everyone has let you down."

"Except you." He said in your ear. His voice never cracked but his eyes gave away everything and you felt his tears fall down into your shoulder. "Fuck, they had to check that you weren't here against your will. That's what they think of me."

You both pulled back to face one another and you used a hand to dry his tears away.

"Fuck them," you said to him, trying to be strong for him. "I'm on your side now."

You were certain he hadn't had a hug or a kiss or even a genuine handshake in over a year. As intense as the relationship felt to you, you were certain it was magnified for Joel. Being hated and looked down upon by the mob mentality of the people in town had to take its toll on him far more than he let on. He was so broken, and all you wanted to do was help mend him and his shattered heart and soul.

"I'm going to make this right," you vowed.

Joel let out a deep breath against you. "You already have."

CLICK HERE FOR CHAPTER 9

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