#post Apocalypse au

[hijacksecrets]

CONCEPT: What if HTTYD doesn't take place in the past, but in the future? In a post-apocalyptic setting where dragons are actually evolved/mutated animals after a post nuclear war.

And what if Hiccup gets the chance to explore the world like he wants and finds something beyond anything he could have imagined?

Like a boy who has been asleep for centuries...?

:)

[bubblegumpatty]

And less private, a sorta post apocalypses /TImeline divergent au I made bc I wanted to lovingly put him through the wringer. Essentially, this timeline Cyn's attack on earth failed, but barely. Human civilization collapsed. N was shot down during the conflict and awakens ???? Years later, falling apart and most his systems offline either due to damage, overgrowth, or the Solver being gone. His memories are scrambled and conflicting, everything sucks, it's lonely, but he's doing his best as he always do! He's going through it tho.

[sharks3ye]

POST APOCALYPTIC (???) AU YEAHHH

[penny00dreadful]

Through The Valley - Post-Apocalypse AU - Part 1

AO3

Eddie rapped his knuckle against the metal three times.

“I don’t sell from the van, Harrington.”

He was parked in a dark corner of the cul-de-sac, blocking out any streetlight. The only reason he’d been able to recognise the artful swoop of hair was due to the residual glow from Tina’s Halloween Bash that had completely cleaned out his stock. It was going to comfortably pay his and Wayne’s electricity bill for the winter months ahead.

With maybe a little left over for a couple of new tapes if he was lucky.

If it had been anyone else he’d probably have been more careful in his approach but Steve never got physical in school. Even if he chose tonight to start throwing drunken punches, Eddie was pretty sure he’d be able to fend him off. 

He wasn’t as strong as Steve but he was stone cold sober and knew how to take care of himself.

Eddie didn’t even really have to try to be mean and scary half the time, his look did it enough for him.

Steve had been leaning up against the side of the van with his head in his hands but Eddie’s approach must have been muffled by the thumping music coming from the house because the way he startled at the sound of Eddie’s knocking was borderline panicked.

A little over the top, to be honest.

Like he expected some monster to appear out of the shadows.

Steve glanced at him but just as quickly turned his back, swiping furiously at his face and Eddie got the distinct impression he’d interrupted something private. It immediately put him on edge.

These traditional masculinity jock types always got very defensive if they were caught being vulnerable. Like a single shred of emotion would shrink their dick.

“I’m not here to buy, I’m-” Steve sniffled again, wiping his nose harshly on his sleeve. “Sorry, I just needed a minute, I’m leaving.” His voice was thick from crying and he in no way tried to hide it.

Eddie frowned. 

He didn’t really know what to do with that reaction, it wasn’t what he was expecting at all. But he figured if Steve could be gracious enough not to snap and spit at him, Eddie could be gracious enough not to make things worse.

“Don’t worry about it, man. If you need a minute, take a minute.”

Steve shook his head. “No, it’s fine-” he was cut off as he tried to step away but had clearly misjudged where the curb was in the darkness, tripping over it and landing hard on his back in the bushes. 

He leaned forward, trying to pull himself back up but went completely slack again a second later.

“Well that’s just fucking typical.” Steve muttered.

Eddie tried hard to keep any hint of a smirk or smile off his face as he moved to hover over him, still trying to keep the mood light.

“You good?”

Steve flapped a loose hand in his direction. “I’m fine. Just leave me here to die.”

Eddie did smile at that and held a ringed hand out to him. “Dramatics are usually my job.”

Steve clapped his hand into Eddie’s and allowed himself to be hauled up to a sitting position. 

Eddie considered for a moment before his curiosity got the better of him and he threw himself down onto the concrete.

The coldness of the curb immediately bit through his jeans. There’d probably be a freeze tonight. He could see their breath fog up in between them and the van they were now shadowed behind as he tapped out two cigarettes from his pack and offered one over.

Steve looked surprised for a moment, or Eddie guessed he looked surprised. They were both still drenched in mostly darkness, so Eddie couldn’t see much of his face. 

Steve took the cigarette with a soft, “Thanks.” 

Lighting up he took a deep inhale before rubbing at his eyes again with the heel of his hand, though it seemed to be more out of tiredness than continued tears.

He sniffed again and let out a heavy sigh. 

“Are you going to ask about it?”

“Not if you don’t want me to.” Eddie shrugged. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“Not really. No. I don’t know-” Steve’s words died in his throat when he looked up, eyes sliding from Eddie’s face and landing over his shoulder.

Eddie twisted around and caught sight of Jonathan helping a stumbling Nancy out of the house with nervous hands and a worried brow.

“I’m guessing it has something to do with that?” He asked, turning back.

Steve tracked the two of them with his eyes before looking back down at the ground and saying quietly, “Yeah, something like that.”

“You’re not worried about someone else taking your very intoxicated girlfriend home?”

Steve shook his head inhaling another large drag from his cigarette. “No, not with Byers. She’s safe with him, she-” he sighed. “Don’t think she’s my girlfriend anymore anyway.”

Well it didn't take much more than that to paint a picture in Eddie's head of what had happened. 

The whole town had known about the fight between Jonathan and Steve last year following the spray painting and subsequent clean up of The Hawk in which Nancy had very much not sided with Steve on it, though who could blame her. 

People had expected him to drop her like a lead balloon after that but he hadn’t. He’d shocked everyone by starting up with her again, but now it looked like those issues had never really been resolved.

Eddie watched Steve’s silhouette carefully, ready for the moment he’d just up and start punching whatever was in reach like a good little testosterone driven toddler, but he just looked… defeated.

“You’re… handling it remarkably well.” He hedged, apprehensive.

“For now.” Steve tilted his head back to look up at the stars, his breath curling out white and foggy in the cold. “It’ll probably hit me tomorrow.”

Eddie wanted to reach a hand out, grip at his shoulder, offer a comforting touch but boys didn’t touch. And if they did, they only did it after reaching a certain level of friendship, which they were not at.

So he kept his hands to himself.

“Well I’d offer you something to take the edge off, but I’m afraid I’m all out.”

Steve shook his head. “No, you’re okay. Distraction and a cigarette is good enough for me. Plus you can’t just go around offering charity to anyone who crosses your path, people will try to take advantage.”

“You think I’d let people take advantage of me?” Eddie said with a smile, hoping to lighten the mood.

Steve snored. “No, I suppose not. You’ve got your whole,” he waved his hand in Eddie’s direction, “bad boy rough and tough… look.”

Eddie raised his eyebrows and laughed around his cigarette. “Hey, don't disparage the look, Harrington. It works.”

“M not disparaging, it’s a good look.”

“Oh, really? Didn’t think it’d be your type of thing.”

Steve glanced over at him, his eyes mischievous and ever so slightly hooded. “You’ve no idea what my type of thing is, Munson.”

Wait.

Was that a line?

Was Steve Harrington, Steve Harrington flirting with him? Him? 

Maybe Steve had too much to drink. 

He was obviously heartbroken by whatever was going on with Nancy so maybe it was just some kind of catharsis or a joke or-

A shrill ring cut through the air, sharp and splitting.

Eddie snapped his head up.

Steve didn’t react.

There was a rotary phone hanging off the side of his van, teal with a twisted cord.

And it was ringing.

Loudly.

It was like a spell had been broken, the shrill screaming of ringringring filled Eddie with a wild panic, a wild fear, shooting through his head and setting his blood alight.

He turned his wide eyes back to Steve who was now looking up at the phone with loose shoulders and a calm face. 

The darkness didn’t matter anymore, he knew with exact, intimate detail what look Steve had right now.

He’d been back here often enough after all.

“Stevie, don’t answer it.” Eddie’s panic was edging into desperation.

His time was running out. 

There was an overwhelming sense of loss inside him, mixed up with devastation, heartbreak and sadness.

He was slipping.

He was slipping away.

Again.

“I have to.”

“No, you don’t.” Eddie shook his head frantically, grasping Steve by the shoulders. “You don’t have to.” 

He swung his leg over, sitting himself firmly in Steve’s lap and placed a hand at either side of his face, practically begging him. “Just a little longer. Please, baby, please.” 

It was like he was imploring Steve to look inside at his beating, bloody heart, pleading with him to let them both stay. His tone was frantic and he could feel his soul cracking to pieces, clinging on as if he could keep Steve here just with his grip alone.

“It’s about Max.” Steve stated, matter of fact.

Eddie leaned forward and placed kiss after kiss in quick succession against Steve’s face. “You don’t have to answer it yet.” He said, a thick sob crawling its way up his throat, trying to change the inevitable. 

His vision was starting to blur with tears and the lump in his throat felt like he’d swallowed a fucking golf ball. “Not yet. You can- you can answer it later. Please. Stevie. Baby. Sweetheart. We could-” He threw his arms around Steve’s shoulders, holding him as tight and close as he possibly could, as though his grip could keep them both here. 

His tears were finally slipping free and his heartbreak cresting into complete and utter anguish. “We could go hang out with Robin or… or…”

“I haven’t met Robin yet, Eds. You know that.” Steve’s hand came up to softly cradle the back of his head as Eddie’s tears clung to Steve’s neck where they fell and he wasn’t sure if that made things better or worse. “I have to answer it.”

The next sob that came felt like it had torn his whole body in half, shaking him to his core, ripping him in two. 

“Just a few more minutes.” He begged. “Please. Please don’t go.” He whispered, tremulous and defeated as the soft click of the receiver being picked up sounded around him and he awoke with a start.

Eddie took a few moments to collect himself, swiping furiously at his eyes with his bedsheets, hating himself for crying and trying to will the lump in his throat away. 

His heart was aching and he knew despite his best efforts he’d be carrying it around with him for the rest of the day. 

He didn’t have nightmares like Dustin or Nancy did. He didn’t scream or thrash or claw, no.

He had these dreams. 

He wept in his sleep, crying until he was dried out and exhausted upon waking up but he wouldn’t trade them in for anything.

At least with these dreams he could still…

Nevermind.

It wasn’t important. 

He had too much shit to deal with today to spend time mourning the past. 

The past was dead and there was nothing he could do about it now. 

He just had to keep moving forward.

For Wayne, for Dustin, for Mike and El and Will, for the Sinclair parents and the Buckley parents and Ms. Mayfield.

He tried to focus on the issues of the day.

Their food surplus was getting dangerously low and there hadn’t been a supply drop from the military in weeks, though their own vegetable crop was still growing strong.

Chester Hagen and his goons were still giving Nancy trouble. 

They needed extra hands to get their fence back up again and those bandits were still out there. 

They might have been scared away by Dustin and Scott’s genius and deadly electrical wiring but they weren’t going to stay away for long. 

Their settlement was way too valuable an asset to have under their belts from a defensive standpoint alone and if Chester Hagen or the fucking bandits were able to seize control it could be catastrophic.

And that’s not even mentioning the fucking Ghouls.

Their bright red eyes were always the first thing visible through the darkness of the forest, followed closely by the smell of decay. 

They kept to the shadows, unnervingly quiet considering they were the shambling corpses of those caught in the crossfire of the rifts opening up. 

They were able to sneak up on even the most alert of people, getting close enough to strike, cutting a gnarled claw into their victims skin and paralysing them, ready to be feasted upon silently and unable to scream.

If someone was unlucky enough to die from a bite, rather than claws ripping their flesh from their bones and bleeding out, they’d come back a few hours later, dead and mindless, driven by the need to consume.

It was so incredibly fucked up.

Nearly everyone had had a run in with someone they had known once in life.

Hawkins had been a very small town after all and the Ghouls were drawn to their walls, the noise their small community made within their safe refuge amongst the trees like a shining noise beacon.

The creatures were easy to pick off though, high up in the communities man made sentry towers Eddie had suggested way back when, but the community could never get too complacent.

The Ghouls were still a very real threat.

The two bodies that had to be brought home and buried after the last trip to maintain the water tower made that clear enough.

Two more plots in their makeshift graveyard at the edge of what was once a golf course.

Fuck, they needed food. At least something more than the rationed out vegetables they were able to grow, something similar to the comforts they knew before everything went to shit.

Some sugar, some salt, even a bit of fucking meat.

They hadn’t been hunting too much lately, it was getting more and more dangerous to leave the walls. 

Everyone was running on fumes and it was making them sloppy. 

Their sentries were having trouble concentrating, their medical personnel had started to feel they couldn’t perform their duties safely anymore, their smartest minds were waning. 

Eddie dragged himself out of bed. 

No time to huddle in for warmth and wish for a different day than the one he was facing down, too many people were waiting on him, relying on him.

He did allow himself to drift a hand over the pillow he kept on the other side, though.

His side, though it had always been empty, ever since they first arrived at this estate, ever since Eddie first slept in the bed, nine months ago.

Fourteen months since the end. 

Fourteen months since... 

No.

Stop thinking about it.

Too much to do today.

He shook his head again, stripping down bare and stopping in front of the mirror. 

He was leaner than he had been before all this began. 

Fourteen months of surviving an apocalypse would do that to a person. 

His hair was longer and still just as messy as ever. His skin was blocked out with more self-inflicted tattoos. Mostly the result of sleepless nights and downtime by candlelight when the memories sometimes got to be too much and he just had to get them out, get them onto skin, carry them on the outside rather than leave them to fester on the inside. 

There was an illustration of Smaug from the books, done to the best of his memory on his right knee. Shitty interpretations of his guitar, a slice of pizza, a walkie talkie, trucker hats, mugs, guitar picks and music notes littered his arms. The old hellfire logo and the Corroded Coffin logo inked into his chest where his demon head and black widow had once been, now in the stomach of some long dead demobat somewhere. 

Those had hurt like a bitch.

Almost as bad as the two quotes on the inside of his thighs.

I had not intended to love him on the inside of his left.

He made me love him without looking at me on the inside of his right. 

Eddie scratched at his jaw in the mirror. He needed a shave but that could wait, he couldn’t be fucked dragging a razor over his face right now.

The shower was icy cold. He barely remembered what bathing in warm water felt like anymore. Positives and negatives to having a steady water supply from the reservoir on top of the hill, but no electricity.

At least they were all able to keep clean.

He barely bothered to dry off, dumping his towel in the laundry hamper he’d probably forget to bring down to their approximation of a laundrette, again.

He snatched up some clothes from his dresser, dark and sturdy, just how he liked them.

Dark jeans, dark top, high quality boots that he found in the abandoned house he and Wayne were now living in and though the July sun had been vicious and unrelenting, he needed the comfort of the familiar.

The only things of his own that had survived were what he had on him when they’d run. His necklace, his bracelet, his wallet chain, even though he hadn’t had need of a wallet for over a year, wasn’t even sure where in the world it was. But he added them too, feeling more like himself with every piece he put on.

He snatched up the rifle he kept loaded and tucked between the bed frame and the wall every night, slinging the strap over his shoulder and was about to head out of his bedroom when he paused, gripping the door handle tight.

He hated giving into the urge but if this was the day he died, he knew he’d regret not doing it.

With a put upon sigh, he let go of the door handle and turned back into his room, opening his closet door and looking at the only item of clothing hanging in there.

Reaching out, he brushed his fingers over the back shoulders, feeling the raised lettering of the name across his fingertips and ran a hand down the sleeve, gripping the cuff.

Before he could stare at green and white for too long and allow the sorrow to wash over him again, he let go and shut the closet door.

The house he and Wayne had managed to lay claim to was one of the smaller ones but that didn’t bother them. 

Hell, it was practically Eddie’s own now that Wayne was spending most nights with Scott. 

In any case the house was close to exactly who he wanted to be close to. 

The Hoppers-Byers clan lived directly behind him, the fence blocking their gardens from each other long broken down by El. Dustin and his mother lived to one side of him, Nancy and her family on the other. Across the road lived the Sinclair parents, Susan Mayfeild and the Buckley parents, along with the various friends and family members of those that hadn’t been seen since before everything went to shit, trying to find comfort in their numbers.

They’d tried to convince Dustin, Mike, Will and El to join them in their support group but those kids weren’t the types to sit around and talk about their feelings. 

They were the types to throw themselves into some new experiment or dig their way through The Void trying to find a new way forward.

But no such luck so far.

Eddie had stopped asking.

He trudged his way through the streets of what was once a very affluent gated community but had now become their own little post apocalypse village. 

How quaint, he thought, sardonically.

He headed towards what was a rec centre once upon a time but had since been repurposed as their collective dining hall.

During the good times when food stockpiles were high people could come and go as they pleased, getting fed whenever the desire took them, maybe even being able to make a request of what they wanted to eat.

But in times like these, when the variety of food was dangerously low, mealtimes were strictly regimented to make sure everyone got an equal share. 

As he waited in line, his stomach growling with the smell wafting from the kitchens, the people around him sent him warm smiles and friendly greetings, some even trying to engage him in small talk.

Crazy how an actual apocalypse can change attitudes.

“What’s on the menu today, Joyce?” Eddie asked when he got to the front of the line. 

His smile didn’t feel as strained as it had been before. Joyce always managed to bring some light out in him. 

“Only the finest potato stew for one of our fearless leaders.” She replied with a sneaky smile, pushing a bowl of watered down lumpy stew towards him.

Eddie glared at her but without much substance behind it, picking up his bowl. “You know I hate it when you call me that.”

Joyce awed playfully, reaching over to pinch his unscarred cheek. “Well, maybe you shouldn’t pull such an adorable face whenever I do.”

Eddie rolled his eyes and turned away, calling back over his shoulder, “Bye Joyce.”

“Bye sweetie!”

He sat himself down at an empty table as far away from everyone else as he could, hoping to just be able to eat his meal in peace before the demands of everyone and everything started to surround him.

He only got about two bites in before a sour faced figure sat himself down across from him.

Eddie didn’t even bother to look up.

“I’m not in the mood, Hagen.”

Chester Hagen was a man who looked like he might have been attractive in his youth if he didn’t constantly have a sulk on his face and a sickening air of superiority around him.

“Just hear me out, Munson. I know you feel like you owe the Wheeler girl your loyalty-”

Eddie snapped his eyes up. “I don’t owe Nancy anything. She has my loyalty because she’s earned it. Something I’m sure you’re unfamiliar with.”

“Don’t you think this place could use some actual leadership? Not just some little girl playing politics.”

Eddie sighed heavily and continued to shovel his food into his mouth, trying to have this conversation finished as fast as he could. “And you think that’s you, do you? Might I remind you that everyone here,” he waved his hand around, “including you and your luddites elected her as leader, because she was one of the few who knew how to actually handle everything.”

“That was then. Now we’re starving. The military doesn’t respect her, why else wouldn’t we be getting our drops on time? The people are upset and they’re starting to talk. And need I remind you I was an acting town official for years. I ran for Mayor-”

Eddie lifted the bowl to his mouth, slurping down the last of his food. “And you lost.” He winced in mock sympathy, standing up. “To Larry Kline of all people. Ouch.”

He left to hand his bowl back over to be cleaned, praying that he wouldn’t be followed but that was apparently too much to hope for. He’d barely made it outside before he heard the heavy footsteps following him.

Eddie darted around the corner of the building, striding down the small gap between the dining hall and their makeshift medical centre, only stopping once he was sure Hagen had followed him in.

“Munson, if she has something over you that makes you think you can’t switch to the better team then you’ve got to know we can help you out. No matter what it is. You have a lot of respect in this community, we could use that. And you wouldn’t be stuck acting as some little girls guard dog-”

Eddie swung around, pressing the barrel of his rifle into Chester Hagan’s neck, backing him into the wall. Hagen immediately threw his hands up in surrender, his eyes wide with fear, looking like he was about to piss himself.

“What if I like being a little girl's guard dog, what then?”

Eddie and Nancy didn’t exactly see eye to eye. She still held onto some middle class, small town politeness and nothing Eddie said, trying to get her to accept the brutality of the world they were living in now would dissuade her. 

But she was an effective leader. And she was one of the people who had kept him alive during the spring break from hell.

There was no way he was going to sell her out to Chester fucking Hagan.

Hagen swallowed, shifting the muzzle ever so slightly around his throat. “S- so is it a sex thing? Because I’m sure we could find-”

“For the sake of your own head I’m encouraging you to stop talking now.”

“Right, right. Yeah. I’m… I’ll stop talking.”

“Good. Now listen to me very carefully. Under no circumstances whatsoever will I be persuaded, coerced, bought or bullied away from Nancy’s side. This town voted her their leader and unless the majority no longer wants her overlooking things, it’s going to stay that way.” He pushed the barrel of the gun in harder, right under his jaw. “But if I ever get approached by you or one of your goons trying to get me to switch sides or go behind Nancy’s back for information again, I will not hesitate to put a bullet through your eye. We both know I’ll do it and I won't lose a wink of sleep over it."

"Th- pe- people won't like that."

"Oh, won't they? Tell me, who do you think the people will side with between the two of us? It's why you keep trying to get me to join your side. Because you know you don't have shit without my support. Like you said, I have a lot of respect in this community.” 

“B- but you two fight, you fight all the time! We can hear it clear across the estate! We can-” Eddie dug the gun in just a little deeper. “Do not approach me again. Do I make myself clear?”

Hagen nodded, short and sharp and scared. “Crystal clear, Munson. Sir.”

“Good.” Eddie pulled the gun away from his neck and slung it back over his shoulder, walking down the rest of the alleyway before calling back, “Clean up, it smells like you shit yourself.”

“Can a girl get pregnant if she’s on top?”

Eddie dropped the metal sheet they were using to repair the hole in the fence, just barely managing to avoid crushing his toe. The noise clanged around them like a dinner bell. He and Dustin were outside the protective walls of the community for this particular repair and they both froze, tensing up and waiting to hear if the sound had attracted any Ghouls or roving bandits towards them. They were barely in danger, there were sentries posted on high platforms around the whole perimeter but it was still something they wanted to avoid if they could.

Speaking of, they could hear someone climbing the platform from the inside before Jonathan poked his head over the eight foot wall, looking down on the two of them.

“Everything okay?”

Eddie took one last glance at the dense woods around them and let his shoulders drop, tugging at the sleeves of his jacket and looking back up.

“Yeah, sorry about that Jon. The kid just jumpscared me is all.”

“I literally just asked a question.” Dustin frowned at him.

“A sex question.” Eddie pointed out.

“I think I’ll take my leave, have fun with that!” Jonathan disappeared back behind the walls before Eddie could even glare at him.

“Why are you even asking me? And who are you planning on sexing up? You’re too young anyway. You’re a foetus.”

“I’m sixteen. And seriously? I thought you’d be more… open minded about this.” Dustin pouted. “Plus who else am I gonna ask? Hopper, Jonathan? I can’t go to the library, they don’t exist anymore and I can’t ask-” Dustin swallowed, trying to keep his emotions in check and failing. “Steve’s not here.” He whispered.

Eddie’s heart gave a painful thud, like it always did whenever Steve was mentioned. Whenever Eddie thought of him, really.

It usually led to him trying not to think of him, which made him feel guilty, like he was trying to forget. Which then made him sadder and angrier and more hopeless all at the same time. Because ‘forgetting’ implied Eddie would never see him again. It implied that Steve was… gone. 

And he just couldn’t accept that.

But trying to avoid thoughts of Steve often left Dustin in the lurch. He knew it did. 

Who else could the kid talk to about this? Not Jonathan or Hopper or Joyce or Wayne or Claudia. None of them knew Steve like Dustin did. Not even Nancy had known him very well by the end.

Will and El had been the two kids who’d interacted with Steve the least when they were all together. Before. And Mike had too much ‘ex-boyfriend to his sister’ attitude about him to really talk to Steve back then, always assuming there’d be more time.

Maybe he could talk to Richard and Melissa Buckley. They were the parental connection Steve never had, Eddie knew that. Steve had told him that himself.

But there was too much of an age gap.

And the rest of their Upside-Down crew were in the same boat Steve was. 

Not here. 

They hadn’t been seen or heard from in over fourteen months.

Robin, Max, Lucas, Erica… 

Missing.

Not gone. 

Never gone.

Just… missing.

Dustin shook his head, crossing his arms over his chest. “Look, can we just talk about the sex like scientists? Not make it weird with squiggly feelings?”

Eddie smirked, but nodded, happy to avoid the subject of Steve for a little longer.

“Sure thing, kiddo. To answer your question, yes. A girl can get pregnant from literally every penis in vagina position. And she can get pregnant if she’s on her period. And if it’s her first time.”

Dustin huffed, throwing his arms out at his sides. “Then how is anyone supposed to have sex without getting someone pregnant in the apocalypse?”

Eddie snorted, picking back up his metal sheet. “Why do you think there's been so many babies born here since it started?”

“Unsafe practices?”

Eddie snapped his fingers and pointed at Dustin. “Unsafe practices.”

“Well…” Eddie could hear Dustin drumming his fingers against his baseball bat, apparently contemplating something. He took a big breath in. “What have you been doing?”

Eddie nearly dropped the sheet again. “Me?”

“Yeah? How have you been having sex without getting anyone pregnant?”

Eddie blew out a breath, busying himself with finally securing the sheet. He’d probably end up nearly dropping it again if he didn’t. He cleared his throat. “I haven’t been.”

“Having sex?” Dustin asked in disbelief.

“Yes,” Eddie closed his eyes, bracing for all the usual questions. “I haven’t been having sex.”

“Why? Are you celibate? Are you waiting till marriage or something?”

“No…” He shook his head. “I just…”

“You do like girls, right?”

Dustin’s tone wasn’t accusatory or derogatory, just curious.

Eddie narrowed his eyes. “You go around asking people dangerous questions like that often, Henderson?”

“No. I’m not an idiot. Didn’t feel like a dangerous question to ask you. You don’t feel dangerous.” Dustin scowled. “Are you?”

Eddie allowed the corner of his mouth to tick up. “No, kid. I’m not dangerous. And to answer your question…” he shrugged. “Yeah. I like girls just fine.”

Dustin watched him closely, eyes darting between Eddie’s own. “But you don't prefer them?”

Eddie nodded. “Correct.”

Dustin nodded as well. “Okay. So you're like Will?”

“Not exactly. I like people… but I tend to lean towards the more… masculine side of things.”

“Okay.”

“Okay?”

“Yeah, animals do it all the time right? Why would it be different for people? People are just animals with bigger brains and a higher endurance.”

“Debatable.”

“Scientific fact.”

Eddie sighed. “Suppose you’re right.”

“So… do you just not feel safe trying to find someone in an apocalypse or is there someone…?”

“From before?”

Dustin swallowed. Talking about pre-apocalyptic relationships was always heavy. Especially if they… weren’t here. 

“Yeah.” He agreed. “From before.”

“Yeah. I had someone. Have someone.” Eddie couldn’t look at him, continuing to work on the fence, unable to stomach the pitying looks he’d seen people get, people who still had hope they’d be reunited with their loved ones even after all this time. 

People like the Sinclair parents, the Buckley parents and Ms. Mayfield.

No one knew he was also one of those people.

And if he got his way, no one would ever know.

He didn’t need the fucking pity.

He didn’t think he could bear it if Dustin muttered out the dreaded, “I’m sorry.” 

But as always, the kid was full of surprises. “What’s his name?” It felt very deliberate, to ask what’s his name and not what was his name. Present tense. Intentional.

Eddie smirked to himself. A small little private thing, just for him. 

“Ken.”

There was the sound of shuffling as Dustin hummed. “I don’t think I know a Ken.”

“No.” Eddie replied. “I wouldn’t expect you to.”

AO3

So…

Hello!

I am back! I am officially bring my break to an end and that is a terrifying concept but I'm gonna do it anyway! Updates on this fic will be a little more sporadic than my previous ones as I get back into the swing of things but I am so happy to be back and I hope you enjoy this story! 🥰

Fic title and lyrics from Through The Valley by Shawn James but it was this version by Ashley Johnson as Ellie that truly captured me.

Big thanks as always to @hbyrde36 for the magnificent beta work and to the STWG for their motivation.

@geekymagicalpotato

[rotbtd-edits]

ROTBTD in Sims 4

Even in post-apocalypctic world friendships prevail 🙌💚

[sleeping-donkey]

Post Apocalypse AU

A-What-If in which Atata Tiga civilization collapsed due to pollution + several nuclear fallouts

(Adujojo centric of course, drawn by @anikiain and me! )

Adudu’s a mechanic that takes commissions to build and fix things for a living, all the while he’s saving up build his very own spaceship.

Ejojo’s an infamous bounty hunter with a horrid personality, and meets Adudu one day when Bagogo — a regular big name client of his — recommends him to him for repairs.

[humanradiojmp]

Rabbit the... Rabbit

Mischievous troublemaker, “Rabbit” is one of the lower-rung living dolls that makes it his mission to inconvenience everyone around him. Whether it’s breaking, "borrowing", or dropping something, so long as it puts back the progress of whatever they were doing, he doesn’t mind. A loner that resides in a makeshift treehouse and doesn’t interact with many other dolls. Which is fine by him. Better to be alone and on the verge of forgetting who you are than to be around those proud, vain dolls that’ll work him until his stuffing gives out.

I’m pretty happy with how this came out. it was with Jax (called Rabbit here) and having trouble with coming up with an outfit that I decided on the older style. His outfit is inspired by 90’s fashion. And his overall design is based on plush rabbit toys, albeit a little busted up. I had sketched out the general idea of Jax missing an eye and part of his ear missing and the idea evolved to where he lost a whole arm and had to get it replaced and also lost a lot of stuffing and had to have some of the fabric brought in (hence the visible stitching). Yeah, it’s honestly impressive he made it through, especially with the haphazard repairs he got. But with the hierarchy of the dolls that's been reworked and what they do to club dolls like him, it might have been better if he didn’t.

The song for him is Gangsta’s Paradise by Coolio. I'm not super familiar with a lot of 90s songs (mostly because they’re not my taste) but listening to this one a few times, I think it matches what he’s been through and his general attitude.

YouTube link here

[xaphrin]

Trigon has conquered Earth. Raven is supposed to have died after she was tricked by her brothers and used as a portal to bring Trigon into this plane of existence. Unbeknownst to them, she has survived and is the leader of the Resistance against Trigon.

Damian, after witnessing his father’s death and having been killed himself, is resurrected into the League of Assassins. They are the last bastion of neutrality, and are trying to decide if they should side with the Resistance or with Trigon. Damian is tasked to play both sides and learn where the League of Assassins’ strength belongs.

When he takes part in a mission to save a Resistance member from one of Trigon’s sons, he learns two very important things: Raven is stronger than she lets on, and she just may have what it takes to save the world.

He just hopes he can save his heart too.

[arsonistpitofhell]

try to expand more lore + sketch for @anikiain and @sleeping-donkey :']

[volkodava]

Hello my Tumblr friends! Some of you liked the idea of Postapocalypse!AU, as well as the Junpei design I drew earlier. So I pulled myself together and drew portraits for the entire main cast of characters. I must say that they here are closer to the age of P4AU. It was challenging but fun to come up with designs and backstories for them that overlapped with the originals. Although I still haven't thought through some details… But I hope you will enjoy!

FeMC/Minako/Kotone

Yes, this AU uses a female protagonist. She emerged from the Wasteland and all she knows is that she had some important mission. She is cheerful and always believes in the best. There are "XXII"-shaped scars on both sides of her head, similar to a brand. She seems to know what this is supposed to mean, but she won't tell anyone.

Status: Unknown

Yukari

The best long-range power of SEES. She lost her father due to the fault of Mitsuru's father. She was looking for Mitsuru to take revenge, but instead she found her best friend. She can often be bitchy and sometimes too straightforward, but no one heals other people’s wounds better than her. She received a scar on her face from an unsuccessfully broken bow string.

Status: Alive

Junpei

He makes bad jokes and swears a lot to hide his insecurities. Creates chaos almost everywhere it appears. He seems rude and ill-mannered, although he is a hopeless romantic at heart. But if you really make him angry, he destroys everything in his path (ask Takaya and Jin, oh no, sorry, no one will ask them anymore). Ultimately, his concern for Chidori allows him to shed his clown mask and show a different side of himself.

Status: Alive

Fuuka

A mechanic girl found by SEES in a sand labyrinth. She suffers from strabismus, but this did not stop her from completely restoring Aigis and collecting several more useful items for SEES. Has a phenomenal memory. Probably the only one who never started a conflict first.

Status: Alive

Aigis/A.I.G.I.S.

Initially, it was a cleaning robot, on which someone put a yellow wig and a ribbon. It rusted in a landfill for a long time until FeMС found it. Gradually he begins to become interested in the world around him and acquires a desire to find out what a person is and how to be one.

Status: Functioning

Mitsuru

Official leader of SEES. Several years ago, during a shelter fire, she lost her father and was injured herself. She hides the burned part of her face under her hair. She is cold and difficult to compromise, but always acts as a negotiator between gangs of raiders, trying to extract the maximum benefit. Has many useful connections in Port Island.

Status: Alive

Akihiko

Fan of fights without rules. More reasonable and less impulsive than Junpei, but if the two of them are together, then somewhere nearby there is trouble that they got into. Lost his little sister in a shelter fire and still tries to drown out those memories with alcohol. He often misses Shinjiro. Perhaps he was Mitsuru's partner a couple of times, but in the Wasteland no one cares who sleeps with whom.

Status: Alive

Shinjiro

A wandering raider that periodically joins SEES and then leaves. Akihiko's former friend. Little emotional. Lost an eye in one of the raider skirmishes. He tends to evaluate people by their usefulness to society, but in the end he admits that he was wrong too often. For some time he was dependent on Strega's help, but later this developed into enmity. Alas, this did not end well.

Status: Dead

Ken

Practically the “son of the regiment”, he was found at one of the temporary sites along with the body of his deceased mother and taken into the care of SEES. Refused to move to Port Island, choosing to stay in the shelter. Having already seen a lot of things he shouldn't have seen, he wants to become stronger to change the world. Gets close to Shinjiro, reading him as a fatherly/brotherly figure. Nevertheless, he gets very angry when he is overprotected.

Status: Alive

Koromaru

Good boy. One day he just showed up at the shelter and everyone just accepted it. He warned everyone about the attacks several times, after which he received a collar and his own bowl. A good fighter, he always follows those who go on forays into the Wasteland. Perhaps the only one who simply enjoys life.

Status: Alive

[anikiain]

Hotel doodles

Just smthg that shows a bit (?) on how PA Ejojo and Redeemed's like

Redeemed, PA and Soldier Ejojo!! yeah a buncha doodles

[hijacksecrets]

More post apocalypse AU I did last night (and tweaked a bit today during my lunch break) :>

Sorry I haven't been posting much I've been real busy with work and with art block, but I wanted to use this as an excuse to draw some more environments! I might finish this up more later but for now I'm not gonna worry too much about it :>

[silvazes-1fan]

Chapter 1

Silver woke up on a dirty mattress that lay on the floor in a mostly empty small 2-roomed home, unfortunately, this was normal. He sat up and looked at his hands, they were covered with a bandage on each hand, it wasn’t because of an injury he just had the urge to cover them up… maybe he was just embarrassed by what he believed to be birthmarks on his palms. he got up from his bed and walked over to his window. the empty neighborhood still lacked vegetation, no trees, no grass, no nothing, just sandy lawns. Every day he hoped he would see something growing but it was the same every time.

Silver walked out of the bedroom and over to the area that he considered the kitchen, he then opened the cabinet and pulled out a can. It had no label so he had no idea what was inside but whatever it was, it was breakfast. He began to open it with a can opener and inside were… beans, beans were his least favorite but it was already opened so he ate it.

After he passed the time till it was cool enough to go scavenging for more food and materials. He messed with the radio that he found a week or so ago, there was one frequency that stood out to him, he swore he could almost hear alarms but that could just be because of its speaker, the radio wasn’t in the best condition after all.

After it had gotten late enough he grabbed his satchel and walked out of his home, usually, he walked with the sun to his left and every once in and while to his right because that’s where the street (or at least what was left of it) followed but today he had the urge to walk with the sun behind his back so he did, he re-entered his home and walked out the back door and began to walk.

It wasn’t until half an hour of walking Silver realized how strange this behavior was, why would he go this way instead of the paths he usually followed where he knew there would be supplies, it was mostly empty desert this way, but he kept walking as if something was calling to him… his back was getting pretty hot now because the sun was beaming off of it but at least his front side was completely shaded.

Soon silver reached another small town, his eyes widening, maybe his instincts were right then he noticed a diner. Food. He started to speed walk towards it his back still to the sun as he came close he noticed a bag on the counter and then he saw something shift, the top of a head peered over the counter, the person stood up with a can in both hands, they made eye contact through the window. The person wore a long brown coat and scarf that wrapped around their head he wondered how they survived in this heat with all that. then it clicked in Silvers's mind, there was another living being standing in there he quickly rushed over to the door wanting to meet them but he hadn’t noticed the slight fear in their eyes, and that large movement made them flee out the other door.

Silver entered and stared at the door in disbelief that they ran away from him, was he that threatening? He looked at the counter and noticed they left their bag there, he picked it up and examined it, it was pretty similar to his satchel. As he placed it back down he had an idea, what if they returned for the bag maybe then he’d have a second chance at meeting them! He looked out the window and noticed the setting sun, The place didn’t seem like it would be that bad to set up camp for the night. He smiled as he thought about them returning and making friends with them, it wasn’t certain but he had hope.

[sharks3ye]

[deityoftherain]

zombabe - Smallidarity Zombie Apocalypse AU Fanfic

Rating: Teen

Relationship: M/M

Archive Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Status: Completed Oneshot

Word Count: 3,406

Summary: Joel hadn’t ever thought he would be stabbing a zombie with the sharpened end of his baseball bat (he got bored and carved things) on a random Wednesday afternoon (was it Wednesday?), yet here he was, living after the collapse of civilization... at least he had Jimmy by his side.

Full fanfic underneath the cut! Please reblog, leave kudos on the AO3 fic slash notes/likes here on Tumblr, comment either place, and etc if you enjoy the story :D

People always talked about preparing for the zombie apocalypse, but most rarely did. Why would they? It was just a thing made up for entertainment, nothing more. If anything, Joel just wished he had binge-watched more zombie movies to prepare.

Joel was one of those people who thought the whole thing was stupid. Buying canned goods in bulk, solar panels on roofs to power generators, elaborate underground bunkers… all of it, rubbish! It was just rubbish until the zombies (actual brain-dead, flesh-eating zombies) started to take over.

At least he no longer had to work, though he had quite liked his job, watching youtube videos, having more than one friend, take-out meals, reliable running water, art shows, and so much more from his life before… not that it mattered anymore. Life from before meant nothing. All that mattered was survival now, and he wasn’t going to go down without a fight.

Joel hadn’t ever thought he would be stabbing a zombie with the sharpened end of his baseball bat (he got bored and carved things) on a random Wednesday afternoon (was it Wednesday?), yet here he was. He pulled out his pocket knife with his free hand and flipped it open before slicing it across the zombie’s neck. When it fell to the ground, he puffed out his chest with a sneer. Another one of those dreadful things down, countless more still out in the world.

“What do you think they are? Werewolves?” Jimmy joked, drawing Joel’s attention to him. 

Jimmy was wiping off the zombie guts from the large kitchen knife he claimed from the ruins early that week. Joel was pretty sure it was a week, but he wasn’t positive about it. Considering they were facing societal collapse and having to scavenge to stay alive, keeping time wasn’t something he tended to cross off on his itinerary.

“Those are vampires, Jim. Not blummin’ werewolves,” Joel scoffed, turning to his companion throughout this whole thing. “Werewolves are killed with silver. Vampires are killed by things like wooden stakes and garlic.”

“Oh, right, right,” Jimmy chuckled awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. He glanced behind him before starting to survey the general area. Joel assumed he was checking to make sure there weren’t more zombies, meaning he didn’t need to, meaning he could stare at Jimmy. They’ve always been friends, yeah, but after spending all this time together, Joel wasn’t exactly sure where they stood. Talking about his emotions wasn’t exactly his strong suit, so he never brought it up. 

Jimmy had always been rather fit since he’d been on track in secondary school and then ran every other morning from then on. He ran more frequently than that now, just less as a hobby to relieve stress and more as a way to get away from human-eating monsters. Joel considered himself to be extremely strong, buff, handsome, and sexy, but he couldn’t deny that Jimmy could run laps around him. They evened each other out in that way.

“What do you think we should have for lunch, babe?” Joel shrugged off his beat-up backpack. “Canned beans or canned beans?”

“Canned beans again?” Jimmy wrinkled his nose at the lack of options. “Wow, you really know how to treat a girl.”

“As much as I would love to wine and dine you properly, we are kinda in the blummin’ apocalypse.” Joel tossed a can toward him, ignoring the rumbling of his stomach. “Eat up. We can scavenge for something else later.”

Jimmy fumbled to catch it, but he did manage to do so. Joel was mildly proud at his improved catching skills, but not enough to show it. Instead, they settled down on makeshift chairs (they were tipped over trash cans) as they ate their cans of beans.

“Your jacket has a new cut on the sleeve,” Jimmy pointed out.

Joel twisted his arm to get a better look at what Jimmy was referring to and groaned, “Ugh, not another one. Blummin’ thing wasn’t made for the apocalypse, I guess.”

“It’s lasted this long,” Jimmy shrugged. “I think we got our money’s worth.”

Both Jimmy and Joel had on their leather jackets with a badass, perhaps sort of cringey design on the back that they bought together. There was a sale at one of the shops, they had recently gotten paid, and they may or may not have been a teensy bit tipsy. Joel didn’t regret it though, still thinking it was rather cool. Besides, it acted as protection from the elements, loose screws, and overgrown zombie nails.

“The store owner did gave us a good deal on Grian’s since we already bought two from ‘em,” Joel reminisced. 

Grian, Jimmy’s cousin, always acted like they were dumb, but Joel insisted he was just jealous. Taking a bet that he was right, he and Jimmy worked together to get one for him as well. Lo and behold, Grian loved it more than he would have ever admitted to their faces and they became self-proclaimed Bad Boys.

They hadn’t seen Grian since before this whole thing started.

Joel regretted bringing him up as he watched Jimmy’s expression shift from a smile to a grimace. He cleared his throat awkwardly and wracked his brain for something to lighten the mood again.

“I think I spotted a pet shop a bit down. You wanna see if they have some bird seed?” Joel was aware that going out to get bird seed to feed some blummin’ birds of all things was a waste of time, energy, and carrying space, but he couldn’t bring himself to regret it when he saw the way that Jimmy’s eyes lit up. 

Joel would trade away everything he had just to see Jimmy look so excited and full of life. He would do anything if it meant that he could see Jimmy look like Jimmy again. The grim atmosphere that came with the end of their civilization and the loss of their loved ones stomped out a lot of Jimmy’s light, but it wasn’t gone completely. Whenever Joel could do something to bring one of his dumb, crooked smiles to his face, he would.

He would never admit that though. Jimmy didn’t need to get a big head; that was Joel’s job, thank you very much.

“Really?” Jimmy squeaked as he started to bounce in his spot. If he had a tail, Joel was sure it would be wagging enthusiastically. Since he didn’t, Jimmy shook his arms instead. Joel got on him sometimes for being loud (he could attract zombies!), but it was hard to stay mad when he was simply displaying joy. Joy was already so rare and Joel couldn’t bring himself to ruin it.

Ruffling Jimmy’s hair, Joel huffed and said, “A’course! Would I ever lie to you, Jim?”

“Are you joking?” Jimmy deadpanned. “Oi, it’s not my fault you’re gullible.” Joel tossed the empty can aside, having no use for it. It wasn’t like they had a trash system anymore so why bother throwing it away? “Now do you want to go feed your bird friends or not?”

“I do, I do, hold on,” Jimmy’s words were muffled as he spoke around the beans he stuffed into his mouth. He chewed quickly, swallowed, and pushed himself up to his feet. “Okay, done, let’s go!”

Joel rolled his eyes fondly. He slung his arm over his friend’s shoulder and started to drag him down the street.

The pet store wasn’t too far away nor was it hard to get into. The windows had been shattered open and half of the products were on the floor, but it was still intact to some extent. Joel ran his baseball bat against the floor, the nails hammered into it making an awful scratching noise as it ran against the laminate tiles. If he was going to live in a real life scary movie, he may as well have a spiked baseball bat!

“Babe, that is driving me insane,” Jimmy lightly smacked Joel’s hip with the side of his kitchen knife. “Hold it the right way or we’re switching weapons.” “You have no sense of showmanship,” Joel huffed, but did as he was told. He tossed it up so it rested against his shoulder, ready to swing if any zombies decided to jump out at them.

Jimmy was about to retort when he got side tracked by the bird seed. Joel tried to listen, he really did, but he could only pay attention to Jimmy ramble about the different kinds of bird seed and what would be the best for the birds that stuck around in this area for so long. He wandered off through the store to browse the shelves and see if anything else would be useful.

Joel may have zoned out just a tad (a dangerous thing to do during times like this) because he didn’t register anything when Jimmy slammed into him, knocking him to the ground. “Blummin’ hell! Can’t you watch where you’re going?”

Jimmy ignored him, the only semblance of a response being a gasp as he scrambled off of Joel. Before Joel could see what happened, he heard the slashing of Jimmy’s kitchen knife against fabric and the grunts of a zombie. 

Fuck. Joel snatched his spiked baseball bat and bolted towards the sounds of commotion. Another zombie grunted behind him, so he spun on his heel and swung at it. When did the zombies close in on them? Joel hadn’t seen any earlier!

Joel tried to swing strategically, but that only lasted so long before he started to blindly throw the bat around. No matter what he tried, the zombies just kept coming back. 

“Jim, I think we gotta make a run for it. These smelly zombies aren’t backing off,” Joel warned.

He didn’t get a response and concern started to gnaw at him. Only after he managed to knock down the zombies around him again did he spare a glance over his shoulder. 

Jimmy wasn’t there. 

Joel paled as fear gripped him tight. His throat closed up and his heart seemed to stop beating. He’d already lost so much– he couldn’t lose Jimmy too. Not now, not when he’d never gotten to tell Jimmy how much he meant to him.

Not when he’d been in love with him for so long..

Joel loved Jimmy. He loved him more than a friend.

Fuck, fuck, fuck—

“Jimmy!” Joel called out, breaking out into a sprint.

His crush. Ha! Crush sounded like such a silly word for what Joel felt for Jimmy. Crush made it sound like it was some stupid primary school infatuation. Crush made it sound like they weren’t in the middle of the end of the world. The end of the world with no one else but each other.

Joel wasn’t sure how long it had been when he heard his name be called. He stopped in his tracks and frantically looked around. “Jimmy?”

“Joel, I’m here.” When they made eye contact, Jimmy gave him a weak smile, though it was more like a grimace. He was standing, at least, so that was a good sign… right?

“Jimmy, what the hell?” Joel exclaimed as he ran to Jimmy’s side and threw his arms around him for a hug. He didn’t stay there long, pulling away but keeping his hands firmly around Jimmy’s shoulders. “What happened? Why did you run off? You know better than to stray that far away! That was stupid. Such a stupid thing for you to do. Do I need to put you on a lead?”

Maybe he came off a bit too harsh because Jimmy stayed silent, allowing his gaze to drop down to his feet. Joel bit down on the inside of his cheek harshly, a tinge of copper setting off his taste buds.

Now that Joel’s racing heart was allowed to calm down, he could make up for not protecting him like he should. His eyes ran over Jimmy, ignoring the blush he could feel burning on his face. He hoped Jimmy would just take it as being flushed from running a lot.

Joel’s gaze lingered on Jimmy’s torso and arms for longer than he should before finally trailing down his legs. That’s when he saw part of Jimmy’s trousers soaked a dark crimson color. “Jimmy, are you bleeding?” Jimmy winced, still avoiding Joel’s eyes. “Yeah, it got my leg.” Joel turned his sight down, now inspecting it more carefully. Now that he was paying attention, Joel could tell that Jimmy was putting all his weight on his right leg– his trousers were torn around his left leg. He cursed again, moving to Jimmy’s left to help support him walking. “Let’s get somewhere safe and I’ll look at it.” Jimmy only nodded, not saying anything else. He was uncharacteristically quiet, which only made guilt and fear burrow deep in Joel’s gut. The journey to an abandoned building was a silent one, apart from the pained hisses, grunts, and groans from Jimmy.

Joel pulled out his pocket knife once he got Jimmy sat down to remove the remaining fabric just below Jimmy’s knee. This way, Joel could properly see what he was working with.

“Did I get bit?” Jimmy whispered weakly, his voice cracking. His hands were held tightly into fists, fingernails digging into his palms.

Joel didn’t answer nor did he breathe as his eyes ran over Jimmy’s leg to find the answer. He let out a shaky sigh of relief and shook his head. “No, it’s just a bunch of scratches. I got some disinfectant and bandages from that one store we raided a bit back, so I’m going to do that, okay? It’s going to sting.” A stuttering laugh escaped Jimmy’s lips as the tears pooling in his eyes started to fall. “Just do it.”

Joel gave him a brief nod before getting to work. He pulled the disinfectant and bandages out of his bag, dosing the long and rather deep scratches with the disinfectant. Joel wasn’t going to take any risks; he would use every supply he could muster to help Jimmy if he was able to. He tried his best to ignore the pained noises Jimmy made, but he couldn’t. Each whimper made Joel feel more guilty for snapping at him.

“We can stay here a bit for you to rest your leg,” Joel murmured as he finished wrapping Jimmy’s leg. He put the supplies back in his bag and pushed himself to his feet. “Can’t do much if walking hurts too much.” “Okay.” Jimmy nodded simply, staring off at nothing. 

Silence stayed between them for several moments before Joel broke it. “I’m going to go check the perimeter. Stay here and maybe rest a bit.” Just as Joel turned to walk away, Jimmy reached out and grabbed his wrist. Joel stopped moving, turning back toward Jimmy and raising an eyebrow in question.

“Can you stay with me?” Jimmy asked with shaky desperation in his voice. He peered up at Joel through his eyelashes, looking rather small despite him being noticeably taller than Joel. “Please.” The tension in Joel’s shoulders didn’t necessarily relax, but they did soften, just like his guarded expression. He swallowed back his emotions as he carefully moved to sit down besides Jimmy. “Okay.”

Jimmy leaned into Joel, squeezing his eyes shut as his body started to contract some with his sobs. The weight of everything was undoubtedly hitting Jimmy again. It wasn’t the first time and it certainly wouldn’t be the last. Joel knew well how he felt, for he’d also had his fair share of breakdowns. He tended to do it in private, or he would shove the emotions down to convert it into energy and anger at the zombies. It made him reckless, but he’d never been one to live his life curled up in bubble wrap.

They gradually shifted until Jimmy’s face was partly pressed against Joel’s chest and Joel had both of his arms wrapped snugly around Jimmy. Joel idly ran his nails up and down Jimmy’s arm. Despite all that happened, Joel felt strangely at peace. It was like they had been placed into a timeless bubble, safe from everything outside that would try to hurt them.

“I love you, Joel,” Jimmy admitted, tone infused with genuine care and a bit of fear. “I don’t think we say it enough, especially now. Especially with everything going on.”

Joel didn’t respond at first, sucking in his lips for only a moment. “I would die for you.” Jimmy snorted, partly baffled and partly unsurprised. “What, is ‘I love you’ too hard to say? What more do you have to lose?” “You.” Joel surprised himself with how vulnerable a singular word could sound.

Jimmy shifted his position only enough so he could look at Joel properly. They were touching each other previously and still were, but their faces hadn’t been this close before. Joel got an up-close view of the freckles peppered across his cheeks and the bridge of his nose, as well as the warmth in his brown eyes. 

“If I didn’t know better, I would say that sounded romantic,” Jimmy murmured.

Joel huffed out a cross between a scoff and a snort. “Ever consider that you may not know better?” Before Joel could fully process what happened, Jimmy’s lips were on his. The kiss was greedy and desperate, forcing him to forget about the world outside of them. It caught Joel off guard, but he certainly couldn’t complain. He pushed back into the kiss, giving Jimmy the same energy he had given Joel.

Their hands wandered each other's body, hands finding their way under shirts and fingers getting tangled in each other's hair. They were desperate for the physical contact they had previously left to minimum touches and the occasional cuddling for warmth. Maybe they had both been idiots, dancing around the topic out of fear the other would leave. Out of fear that they would lose their last connection to life from before, out of fear that they would be alone.

With each kiss and caring touch, that fear drained away, leaving a bond stronger than any zombie they may have to face. It may be the end of the world, but at least they were facing it together.

[rotbtd-edits]

ROTBTD in Sims 4

Remember when I said I'm creating the Rotbtd four in Sims 4 for a post apocalypctic AU? So here they are + lookbooks! 😄✌ I specifically made them to use with llazyneiph's Apocalypse survival mod (along with a zombie mod) and so eager to start actually playing~ (Special thanks to all the cc creators!<3)

Bonus Toothless the horse lmao