#sun bleached flies fic

[worldenough-and-time]

She’s here! May I present:

Not Enough to Save You

(Lesbian Wolfstar, Oneshot, 8k) (aka Remus Lupin is Joan of Arc)

Summary:

The Princess gave her a fond look. “Truthfully? I needed a friend.”

It was such a thing for a Princess to say, to anyone, really, but especially to Remus. Dirt under her fingernails, clad in boy's dress, scraping through battle with borrowed weapons, Remus. Barely even Jeanne d’Arc yet.

Remus could not even laugh, it was so absurd. What was worse was the swelling of warmth in her chest at the Princess’s words. Of course, she was used to aching for the impossible, the Patron Saint of Lost Causes- a farmhand!- dust on her knees and God behind her eyes. And she’d always looked twice at pretty girls. She looked a third time at the Princess, and realized she’d be hard pressed to tear her gaze away again. “I’m happy to be of service.”

~Remus is Jeanne d'Arc. Sirius is a French Princess. Can I make it anymore obvious?~

———

Did you know that Jeanne is the French feminization of the name John? Something to consider! 🤔

Anyway, please enjoy:

-Remus in a suit of armor

-possibly even more religious blasphemy than the demon baby cult fic

-girls kissing in 15th century France while being plagued by psychic visions of fire

-“More smut than I would have expected in the Joan of Arc fic!” (According to Mel)

Bon appetit!

[tessabingus]

this is sooooooooo kyle from project eric by cocoacremeandgays on ao3 coded

[swiftfootedachilles]

i miss making shamey edits...hrrrmmm ive been very bored lately maybe i should make some and write more!

[hellowoolf]

SUN BEAXHED FLIES IM ON MY KNEES BEGGING

HI sweet anon i'm so sorry for the delay in responding, life has been sticky

BUT !!!

here's a snippet from the first paragraph (because i'm a sucker for openers, apparently):

it was startling, at first, to notice you did not know what you believed. to have forgone faith entirely would have been its own sort of monstrousness, but a known one to you, a cautioned one. you’d lived with the told evils of the unbelievers, and to become one would certainly condemn you, but still, you would know what you were. the reality of yourself, a faithful and a skeptic and a wretched thing, was far more unfamiliar. was anybody listening?

sun bleached flies (thank you to ethel cain for the title) is a little one shot of you and joel as your priest. you've lived a sheltered life, kept company by god and your parents, and with the death of the town's longstanding priest descends joel...and the vibe is...you're starting to lose faith and so you go to confess to him....and....think situationally fleabag but it actually goes down in the confessional....teehee

i'm so excited about this one and it's also the one i have the least done but thank you so much for asking i'm hoping to finish asap !! <3333

[worldsokayestbabysitter]

a little snippet that might one day turn into more. a kind of sequel to this

-----

Steve remembers holding his mamas hand every Sunday, the only day they consistently spent together when she was home. Remembers sitting in the pews, trying to keep his eyes open in the midday heat. Remembers looking down at his hand in hers, seeing that his was entirely engulfed by her painter’s hands. Felt like he could survive anything as long as his hand fit in his mom’s.

When he woke up in the hospital, for the third time, for the last time, after he swam his way to consciousness, his mom was at his bedside. And his hand was bigger than hers, his hand was calloused, cut to hell from where he fell running from the end of the world. Her hand was still soft. More wrinkles than he remembered, but still as unblemished. She was gripping his hand like her life depended on it, even in her sleep. Same deceptive strength.

Steve knows it's only been a week since he last saw her. Leaving again, but this time he was grateful. She would be safe.

It feels like it's been an eternity. Just the weight of his mom's hand has brought him back to himself. Time feels like it's passing again, every tick of the clock and every rise and fall of her shoulders rushing through him.

His mom is here. Her hand in his, asleep, but here.

He's alive. It all comes back to him in waves. They all survived, it's over. His mama's here, and it's over.

When she wakes up and sees Steve looking at her, she freezes. Looks at him in disbelief.

They don’t say anything, at first. What is there to say? Where do they even start?

Steve wants to say, where have you been. Steve wants to say, why are you here, just you, and not dad? He wants to say, I did it all without you, I survived without you, I went through hell and lost so much and you weren't there. He wants to say, thank god you were safe, he wants to say, why didn't you protect me?

But he waits for her to speak first, doesn't think he's able to if the dryness of his throat of is anything to go by.

"Oh Steve," she finally whispers. She runs her free hand through his hair and her eyes quickly fill with tears.

"My Steve, my baby, I'm sorry," she says. She could be apologizing for a million things, for leaving him, for the long business trips, for the wounds he's starting to feel, for the years he was left alone, for the horrors he's endured, for showing up now instead of then. She could be apologizing for all of it. And Steve knows he should be angry. Knows that some distant part of him is furious and that that white-hot rage will bubble up to the surface eventually, but his mom is holding his hand, her thumb gliding across his knuckles like they used to in church, and she's here.

"Mom-" Steve chokes out. It comes out rough, through the lump in his dry throat. His mom moves from the chair at his bedside to sit on the edge of the hospital bed, hand never leaving his.

"I know, I'm here, I'm sorry," she says, her voice still soft and wobbly. Tears have started to run freely down her face, and she does nothing to catch them. She leans over and grabs a glass of water, holds it as he takes tentative sips from the straw. When he leans away, she sets it aside, helps him sit up. That same angry relief bubbles up again. Here she is, being his mom, finally. He must have really come close to death this time, he thinks.

They stare at each other again, his mom's hand running through his hair. And it's been too long since he's studied his mom's face, because he can't tell what that emotion is.

"Steve, I-" she takes a breath, struggling to find words. So different from the woman who used to pick out her sentences carefully, used to enter conversations like they were battles. "I don't know what happened, to you or to Hawkins. I know it was bad, that whatever you went through was- that it was bad enough to put you here. There's been a crowd rotating through here and I can't get a straight answer from anyone. But whatever it was, I should have been here. I should have been here a long time ago, and I'm- I'll be sorry for it for the rest of my life. But I'm here now, If you'll have me."

A year ago, hell, a week ago, Steve would've scorned the idea of it, an apology. Forgiveness past the last minute.

But his mom is here. And she's holding his hand.

[itsnotaphasemomitsanobsession]

Okay I read this on the clock at work Friday and it was just the perfect amount of fluff to get me through the rest of the work day!!! I rec this for everyone to read!!! It's so cute!

My contribution for the Muggle Fair! It was my first time participating in an event and it was so much fun!! You can read the oneshot that goes with it here

[planet-marz1]

Some of my favorite fics! 💜

more of my favorite fics here

A Strangers Heart Without A Home by @morning-star-joy

A Safe Haven by @darkroastjoel

Fear Of God by @netherfeildren

Cruel Summer by @proxima-writes

Sun Bleached Flies by @breakfastatjoels

Refuge by @cool-iguana

The Way You Miss Me & Trial & Error by @thetriumphantpanda

Lavender & Yearling by @justagalwhowrites

Linger on , Surrendered Innocence , and Treat you Right by @ramblers-lets-get-ramblin

I Know the End by @mondaychildsworld

A Lover's Pinch & Under the Night by @hier--soir

Reflection of the Moon & Belong to me by @chloeangelic

Aquatic rehabilitation by @psychedelic-ink

Literally everything by @toxicanonymity

Poor Baby and Hard work gets rewarded by @walkintotheriveranddisappear

Unforgivable Mistake by @lionlena

MaintenanceMan! Joel Miller by @gracieispunk

Your summer dream by @swiftispunk

Only angel by @bastardmandennis

Stockings by @atticrissfinch

Does your mother know? by @cupofjoel

Texas Sun by @from-the-clouds

The Waffle House Chronicles by @softlyspector

Wednesday Nights by @wakandas-vibranium

Dirty Lies by @lizi-writes

Soft & Sweet and Sugar & Spice by @cavillscurls

The Farmhouse by @astrid-sorensen

All glory & Sinful Reunion by @dev1lm4n

Who Do You Belong To Mr. Miller? by @tightjeansjavi

Bad Fun by @javiscigarette

Pierced by @thot-of-khonshu

Seams by @fuckyeahdindjarin

Dad's best friend by @jrrmint

Rock Me to Sleep by @randofantfic

Soft spot for trouble by @millerscoffee

A Learning Process & Exit Wounds by @strang3lov3

Rest in the cup of my palms by @tinycozycomfort

Elementary by @guess-my-next-obsession

Willow by @jenispunk

Feelings on fire by @joelscruff

Come Away With Me by @thetriumphantpanda

Deaf Ears, Loud Hearts & Of Reunions and Regrets by @blissfulbarbie

Study break by @rottenblur

Relax, baby by @party-hearses

Psycho bitch by @hellishjoel

Help, im stuck! By @nosesitter

March by @the-widow-miller

Thank you, Mr. Miller by @lovers-liability

Comfort You by @northernbluess

A Cup of Joel by @elvinaa

Of course this isn't all of them, just the ones I could remember at the top of my head I read soooo many fics💜 I'll try and keep this list updated and add more :)

If you have any suggestions send them to my inbox! 💌💗

[some-spinner-in-june]

the fatal curiosity of donatello hamato

web weave dedicated to @liathgray's WONDERFUL fic, young root, old rock, which i utterly adore <3

---

credits:

counting stars, onerepublic || young root, old rock, siryygray || @/bramblesand || metamorphosis, franz kafka || young root, old rock, siryygray || @/xinrouska || jenny holzer || young root, old rock, siryygray || the 2nd law: unsustainable, muse || the seven ages, louise glück || @/ryanposting (twitter) || young root, old rock, siryygray || @/vigilantsycamore || the magnus archives - "a distortion" || young root, old rock, siryygray || the magnus archives - "a distortion" || young root, old rock, siryygray || sun bleached flies, ethel cain || @/valtsv || young root, old rock, siryygray || topograph, yves olade || young root, old rock, siryygray

[miupow]

THE PREACHER❜S DAUGHTER 。 ── MILESTONE EVENT

❝𝒂𝒎 𝒊 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒍 𝒔𝒊𝒄𝒌?❞

i started writing on tumblr august 11th, 2023 ; in just one year this blog has grown beyond what i ever thought it would-- i'm also just one hundred followers away from two thousand! i cannot thank all of you enough for this amazing growth, and all of the wonderful friends i've made along the way. since both of these huge milestones are happening at the same time i've decided to combine them into one large event-- inspired by the album i've been obsessed with since i first listened to it around the time i started this blog, Preacher's Daughter by Ethel Cain. If you haven't listened to this album in it's entirety yet i need you to log out and do that right now, it's actually life changing.

PREACHER'S DAUGHTER - ETHEL CAIN (FULL ALBUM)

that said, the rules of the event are simple ; i will be writing ten works based off of ten songs off of the album (i've chosen to leave out the intro and august underground/televangilism due to them being instrumental tracks.) and i want you as my readers to pick what the works will be about! please listen to the album, or relisten to it if you've heard it already, and let me know in my inbox what ideas you have for the works! i will be accepting ideas as they come in, and will be updating this post as i compile a complete masterlist. after all ten plots have been decided, i will write and release them one by one in order! i hope to finish this absolutely monumental event by the end of the year or early 2025, with each fic being about 5k. I really meant it when i said i wanted to push myself for you guys. the groups i will be writing about for this event are stray kids , tomorrow x together, and ateez ! the plots must be in some way inspired by the song chosen. thank you all, have fun, and be creative!

❝𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒇𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝒂 𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 ; 𝒃𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒖𝒑𝒐𝒏 𝒂 𝒘𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒎𝒆?❞

AMERICAN TEENAGER 。── n/a

A HOUSE IN NEBRASKA 。── n/a

WESTERN NIGHTS 。── n/a

FAMILY TREE 。── n/a

HARD TIMES 。── n/a

THOROUGHFARE 。── n/a

GIBSON GIRL 。── n/a

PTOLEMAEA 。── n/a

SUN BLEACHED FLIES 。── n/a

STRANGERS 。── n/a

[daenysthedreamersblog]

DAENYSTHEDREAMERSMASTERLIST

my masterlist is a work in progress im new at this :) (i wish i knew how to make it look prettier)

🤍 completed

🩶 in progress

CORIOLANUS SNOW:

strangers (president!snow x district6! reader) 🤍

• part one • part two • part three

- sun bleached flies (part IV/epilouge)

- nothing matters (a strangers fic AU) 🤍

only angel (academy!coryo x academy!reader) 🤍

• cherry (part 2)

knuckle velvet (peacekeeper!coryo x reader) 🤍

Secret of Us (modern!coryo x reader series) 🩶

[chaaistained]

☕︎ visual brew; gwendolyn thomara •°

arrowverse dr — aesthetic archive [[ moodboard + desc + playlist ]]

.

.

.

🗝️ you’ve now unlocked the tea leaf tapestry of my arrowverse dr ≈

whiskey eyes that dart back and forth, scanning her surroundings in a span of seconds—gwendolyn thomara is alert, aware, cautious and above everything else, she is laying in wait for the eventual release of her shackled rage.

hidden among the civilians that she calls friends, gwen moves with the padded quiet of a silent hunter. a living ambush. a lady sher.

half her mind occupied with the daily happenings of meta-human madness, mixed with the muddled feelings of simmering anticipation that erupt every time she locks eyes with a certain brown haired, goofy grinned csi forensic scientist.

the other half ruminates; her past remains kept under lock and key, shoved to the back of her minds cage, waiting patiently to be overturned by the fates twisted hands.

a rampant, a runaway, a rogue—a reflexive response to confrontation. taught and nurtured and bred from youth. it’s in her blood, in her legacy.

and she can feel it; the scrutiny of her actions, the weight of the blood on her hands, grimed and gritty and caked under her nails.

one hand clawing up from her self-chosen hell, the other hand refusing to let go of a life once known.

but, you see, the funny thing about trying to tame a beast, is that it’s not entirely possible.

after all, they named her TIGRESS .. maybe it was time she showed them why.

listening to : gwendolyn thomara ━━━━─────────────●── ⇆ㅤ ㅤ◁ㅤ ❚❚ ㅤ▷ ㅤ ↻

now playing :

၊||၊▸ sun bleached flies — ethel cain

၊||၊▸ it’s called: freefall — rainbow kitten surprise

၊||၊▸ anything — adrianne lenker

၊||၊▸ breathe again — joy oladukun

၊||၊▸ i’ll be good — jaymes young

don’t swallow the tea leaves ! for they leave you a message ����

this was so much fun !! i’ll admit i was stumped during the description because i just have so many thoughts about my dr self/oc

and yes, if you didn’t know, my dr self is also an oc of mine in a fic that i’m writing !!

long story short — i realised that my original idea was way too traumatic for a dr but i was so connected to the story that i figured i’d write a fan fiction on it (and also, it’s just an added bonus that i get to satisfy my need to “live out” the fic by playing the character of Gwen in one of my fame dr’s !!)

another reason why i like changing up my name, because while i love my irl name, i really “get into character” if i have a different name even tho gwen’s just me but tweaked a little

now my dr story is largely changed from my fic , meaning it’s less traumatic, more mystery-esque with a lot of quintessential happy endings because i don’t want to shift to gwen’s fic-life . believe me … (i will be posting something about the differences between both dr and fic!!)

finally, this post was directly inspired by the lovely @elysian-fawn and her mood board posts about her dr’s — they’re absolutely beautiful!!

chaai brews; tea assortments — dr archive

2025 © chaaistained

[venusbyline]

a quick "get to know the person behind the blog" while i write the 29th day of Kinktober fics (a later post, unfortunately)

nobody tagged me but anyway i found the trend very interesting and wanted to do it too <3 <3

Name/nickname: Vênus

Gender: Female

Star sign: Capricorn

Height: 5′2 (1.57)

Time: 09:21 pm

Birthday: 13, January

Favourite band: One Direction, Guns N' Roses, Bon Jovi, Fleetwood Mac

Favourite solo artist: Taylor Swift, Lana Del Rey, Ethel Cain

Song that’s stuck in my head: Sun Bleached Flies by Ethel Cain, Lilith by Saint Avangeline, Army Dreamers by Kate Bush

Last movie: The Substance and I also rewatched Me Before You for the 6th time

Last show: I was rewatching Hannibal (NBC) season 2 this week

When did I make this blog: March, I guess

What I post: Smut fics and Dark/Dead Dove Do Not Eat fics about s/o x female reader, but I'm gonna start writing angst sometimes and also s/o x female OCs and some specific random ships

Last thing I googled: The name of the actress who starred Possession (1981)

Do I get asks: YEAH! I love it when readers make requests, compliments or random comments. But unfortunately there's also a lot of anon hate

How did I chose my username: For those who believe in Astrology, some people say that our Rising Sign contains our Ruling Planet. My Rising is Taurus and Taurus is ruled by Venus. Venus is the "Roman version" of the Greek myth of Aphrodite, who is the Goddess of beauty, love, sex... and also she's one of my favorites. Besides Vênus is also my nickname. Anyway, "byline" would be because of the writing, I really don't know how to explain very well the thoughts I had that day hahaha

Following: 64 (I always forget to follow the accounts and I struggle afterwards trying to find the blogs 😭😭)

Followers: 1,122 (HOLY SHIT)

Average sleep: 3 or 4 hours probably

Lucky number: 7 and 13

Instruments: Unfortunately no one :(

What am I wearing rn: Black and red pajama shirt, black pajama pants and gray-pink socks decorated with pink and light blue candies

Dream trip: Anywhere in Scotland, but especially Edinburgh. London too

Favourite food: Strawberry

Nationality: Brazilian

Favourite song: All Too Well by Taylor Swift, that 10 minute version from Red (Taylor's Version)

Last book: I don't have time to read lately, but in October I reread The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

Top 3 fictional universes: A Song of Ice and Fire, Criminal Minds, Hannibal (but honorable mention for The Hunger Games)

Favourite colour: Dark Red (especially Maroon) and Pink (especially Amaranth Pink)

[splendsay]

COD FIC // Callsign: Sunshine // Chapter 22: Untethered

you get another chapter today because ily and also because I couldn't stop writing. I hope this chapter makes u go omg

..................................................................

..................................................................

Callsign: Sunshine // Chapter 22: Untethered

CWs: Explicit language, implied torture & aftermath of torture

Characters: Simon "Ghost" Riley, Johnny "Soap" MacTavish, Captain John Price, Kyle "Gaz" Garrick, Reader (You), Alex Keller

Chapter Summary (Spoilers):

Ghost ruminates on his actions in the wake of recovering you from your tormentors, and the team tries to figure out next steps. You struggle to maintain a hold on reality -- slipping every so often back into a state of blank emptiness.

..................................................................... Links to: Spotify Playlist Full Fic

[aletterinthenameofsanity]

Dead Boy Detectives Victor AU Edits: Charles Confession Scene (SPOILERS)

So, I listened to "Sun-Bleached Flies" by Ethel Cain (the exact same song I listened to in order to write this scene/chapter originally) while making this and I'm legitimately crying right now. So in honor, I'll attach the song here along with the fic- thanks to Ash for destroying me emotionally by introducing me to Ethel Cain!

And the chapter in question here:

@deadboy-edwin @icecreambrownies @anonymousbooknerd-universe @ashildrs

@tragedy-machine @just-existing-as-you-do-blog @orpheusetude @mj-irvine-selby

@pappelsiin @itsbitmxdinhere @rexrevri @sweet-like-h0ney-lavender @saffirez

@the-ipre @sunnylemonss @days-light @agentearthling @helltechnicality

@tiredghostby @sethlost @catboy-cabin @secretlyafiveheadeddragon @vyther15

@anything-thats-rock-and-roll @queen-of-hobgobblers @every-moment-a-different-sound

[alvivaarts]

Last Line Challenge!!!

rules: in a new post, show the last line you wrote (or drew) and tag as many people as there are words (or as many as you feel like).

I was tagged by BOTH @aliettali and @ochi-does-art. Thanks so much you guys!! I'm gonna be tagging @sparkchemy, @honor-strength-passion, @phoenixmetaphor, @aquarelacosmica, and @kaychen666

(Sorry for tagging some of these moots out of nowhere- I don't have a TON of active art moots on here that I actually connect with... which is something I should really fix!! At the very least, I hope you folks know I greatly appreciate and look up to you <3) Anyway, here's my current WIP. It's Simulation Swarm. I'm currently very fueled by Sun Bleach Flies by Ethel Cain, considering I don't have enough religious symbolism packed into this fic and I really need to work on that. Also to reiterate, yes they will have a happy ending, they WILL have a happy ending, I PROMISE!

[ap0calypso]

Sun Bleached Flies

Prologue : Waiting for the day

CW: violence, time jump, homophobia(internalized and explicit), angst, fluff, no NSFW(yet), pining, ellie is bad at communicating, reader is sexy AF!!, no use of y/n, corny romance, eventual happy ending!!

AN: First official chapter of the fic!!! Sorry the end is a bit rushed, I wrote this at the end of a lecture. I have a few other chapters planned out, but not started. Again, feedback is welcome and encouraged!! Also all the chapters are named after lyrics of Ethel Cain’s “Sun bleached flies,”i’m not a complete cornball. Not proofread. Enjoy ♡

_____________________________________

Summer in Jackson was beautiful, of course, but after spending a year in the town, Ellie decided the best time of year was early autumn. The mountains’ trademark breeze was accompanied by the lingering warm air of August, making even the most strenuous of chores feel almost blissful.

After much begging and bribing, Ellie was successful in convincing Maria and Joel to allow her on real patrols. Supervised, of course, but how much more could a 16 year old want in this post apocalyptic world? So, when the morning of her first outing rolled around, Ellie threw on her dreadful converse and departed from her tiny garage room. Unfortunately, Joel was quick to catch her rubbing the sleep from her blurry eyes when they met at the stables.

“Awh, you seem tired kiddo,” he says, feigning concern. “Maybe this isn’t a good id-.”

Ellie cuts him off with an eye roll and a swift punch to the arm. Before the old man could retaliate, she trots off to Shimmer’s stall.

“We’d better go,” Ellie whispered hurriedly, unwinding the lead from her saddle horn. “You promised we’d leave before everyone else!”

It’s now Joel’s turn to roll his eyes, though he knew how much this meant to her. Regardless of the fact that the… incident at the hospital was years behind them, Ellie was still eager to prove her worth. She was a restless thing, flitting between jobs, disregarding social events and holidays, simply desperate to find something that would give her life purpose. Other than her immunity, which had been proven to be worthless to humanity.

Ellie shielded her eyes from the newly risen sun as she and Joel departed the communal stables, urging their mounts to a comfortable trot as they neared the looming gates of Jackson. The duo nodded politely at the two men at the gates, slowing as they struggled to open them. Once the towering wall was no longer confining her, it took every ounce of strength in Ellie’s body to not kick shimmers flank and charge into the rolling hills of the scenery surrounding them. Sure, Jackson was a comfort, but walls stressed Ellie out. She wasn’t accustomed to normalcy.

Instead of fleeing to live a life in the wilderness, Ellie trotted alongside Joel, slowing so that he could pull out his map.

“We’ll start slow,” he said, pointing at a circled region on the paper. “Gonna head somewhere less populated.”

Ellie nodded, not expecting more. Flicking her reigns, she bolted ahead of Joel, who swiftly followed.

The hours passed, mostly filled by bad jokes and a stray runner or two. Ellie felt lighter, content with the fact that this was how it would always be. Her and Joel, knocking out infected and laughing over outdated puns.

Ellie was in the middle of telling a (definitely not exaggerated) story about how awful and annoying their neighbor Seth was when Joel suddenly stiffened.

“I mean, how are you still gonna be a ‘republican’ when we don’t even have a government-“

“Shh,” Joel hissed, gesturing to the dense woods to their right. A light crunching noise could be heard. “Footsteps,” he mouthed.

Ellie nodded and made a circle motion with her hands, silently asking to circle behind whatever was making that sound in order to catch the culprit by surprise.

After a moment of hesitation, Joel nodded in return. Ellie pulled her gun from her belt and hopped off of Shimmer, patting her briefly before disappearing into the foliage.

Sensing a presence to her right, she crouched quietly into the muddy earth beneath her, peering in between the trees. Just a stone’s throw from her, a figure was leaning against a tree, seemingly pointing at something.

Ellie took a deep breath and tiptoed towards the figure, her eyebrows creasing in concentration. Suddenly, it dawned on her that infected were never still for this long. They also didn’t hold… what was that in its hand? She squinted her eyes, thinking more about the fact that Jackson really should have an optician than how loud her feet were in the crunchy leaves beneath her. Without warning, the now discernible woman whirled around, slow enough for Ellie notice it was a gun you were holding, but too fast for her to react. The woman, with eyes filled with fire, lifted her hand gun and brought it down upon Ellie’s cheek, causing her head to fill with blinding white light. She clutched her face, yelling for Joel before pouncing on her opponent, tackling her to the ground. Thundering footsteps told Ellie that he was close, but not close enough. The woman… no… young girl was screeching beneath her as Ellie held her down, dodging the overgrown nails headed straight for her face. Suddenly, a large hand gripped Ellie by the back of her hoodie and yanked her back.

“What the hell are you doing??” Ellie heard Joel yell over the ringing in her ears. “She’s a kid! She’s just a kid!”

He then kneeled down, calmly introducing himself as you scrambled to back away.

“Hey.. hey, it’s okay,” He said softly. “That was a mistake. She didn’t want to hurt you, we won’t hurt you..”

“She fucking tackled me!!” You yelled, pointing at Ellie like a toddler.

“You hit me first, you-!“

“Woah woah woah,” Joel interrupted, holding his hands out as an attempt to calm you both. “Let’s all just.. just calm down.” He turns to you while gesturing to himself.

���I’m Joel. This is Ellie. We have a settlement near here, a place where you’ll be safe.”

“No fucking way,” You said, shaking your head.

“He’s right,” Ellie spoke up. “We could probably trim those claws of yours-“

“Ellie,” Joel hissed, shooting her a glare. He turns back to you. “I’m serious. You’d have food. Shelter. How old are you anyway?”

You hesitated, unsure. You were slow to trust anyone, of course, but there was a certain kindness in this man’s eyes that told you he was being genuine.

“I’m sixteen.”

Joel nodded. “So is she,” he gestured to Ellie. “Look, how about we take you to Jackson. If you don’t like it, you’re free to leave. Swear it.”

You turned to look at the forest behind you, a vast sea of wood and danger. Releasing a breath, you nodded your head slowly.

Joel nodded in return, silently communicating to Ellie to be nice before turning back towards the horses and gesturing for you to follow.

You stood, turning to look at the girl next to you.

“What did he say your name was?” you asked.

“Ellie.”

“Yeah? Well fuck you, Ellie.”

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