#tlou2 epilogue

[dnvrsmedia]

Looking Towards A Better Tomorrow

Ellie Williams x Reader

Summary: aftermath of Seattle & Santa Barbra

Warnings: angst, hurt/comfort

an: if you’ve seen this before it’s because i’m reposting from my ao3 do not be alarmed!

———————

The sun beamed onto your skin as the world seemed to turn slowly. An off feeling encapsulating you, sucking you in like quicksand. Tumultuous waters never let up, drowning you in a flurry of conflicting emotions. Stuck in a state of emotional limbo, your far off stare didn’t go unnoticed by all. The auburn haired girl furrowed her eyebrows. Your catatonic like state sending a pang of worry in her gut.

It’s been months since the tragic events of Seattle occurred. Months since the three of you made it back to Jackson by the skin of your teeth. Yet, Ellie wonders if a part of you stayed all those miles away. Your bright and bubbly exterior dimmed almost completely all those months ago. Neither of you ever managed to get a full night's rest without the other waking up in a cold sweat, screaming in terror. Walking on eggshells around each other didn’t help either. Her refusal to think about the events combined with your selective mutism caused conflicts to arise.

You didn’t speak for a month straight following the events. Maria begged the two of you to join Jackson’s weekly counseling sessions. She mentioned something about the importance of working through trauma. That day was the first time you laughed in weeks. Not because there was anything funny, but in frustration. Words cannot explain what Seattle was like for you. How could anyone understand the awful things that happened? How terrified you were at not only yourself and the world around you, but at the person your lover was becoming. The sweet, snarky, and sharp little girl was no longer there. Revenge flowed through her veins, constricting all rational thought—leaving behind a tunnel visioned killer.

There is no doubt that the two of you have changed—arguably for the worse. The innocence ripped from your chests made it hard for you to stay in Jackson. The memories flooding your mind as you walk past Jesse’s old place leaves a sinking feeling in your gut. Suddenly you’re feeling the burning sensation of an arrow piercing through your skin as you drop to the ground. The scent of the red metallic substance pooling out of your body and onto the wood floor takes over. Your breath constricts as the feeling of a bicep as big as your thigh cradles your neck in its deviously tight restraint. The whales of Ellie pleading to spare your life start to drown out as the thumbing of your heartbeat overtakes.

“Hey, Hey! It’s alright, you’re home.” A familiar voice breaks through your flashback. Your eyes blink one then twice, adjusting to your surroundings. When did you get on all fours? Your body is heaved over as your hands grip the soil fueled by terrifying strength. A freckled hand moves to cup your jaw. The back and forth motion of her thumb sends a soothing vibration across your body. Words of affirmation spew from your lover’s lips as your breathing slows. Your canonic like state continues on until the move is made.

The farmhouse was a blessing in disguise. Not only for your sanity, but for the growth of your relationship with Ellie.

As the days pass and as the night goes, glimpses of your personalities before come back in pieces. Substituting the painful reminders with tending to the farm allowed you the space to slowly heal not just emotionally, but heal your relationship with Ellie. You wouldn’t want to admit this out loud, but you held resentment against your freckled faced lover. You asked yourself day in and day out why you weren’t enough. Revenge overtook her life and swept her up in the flurry of it all, leaving you behind—broken and battered. Rebuilding your life from ground up once again. You cursed her name in a silent prayer; eyes burning holes in her body, wishing that there wasn’t a single part of you that belonged to her. Yet, you stayed. Through all the times your anger almost moved you led with blind rage, you stepped away. No matter how

much you lost, you will never succumb to hate. Rage ruined your life, took away your freedom, your friends, your smile, your light…her light. Rage took your girl away from you.

“We need to talk.” A solemn face adorned your features—this seemingly permanent look etched into your skin since Seattle.

Ellie— currently tucked in the chicken coop, tending to Bertha, the ginger feathered Golden Comet. A grunt in acknowledgment is given as she finishes laying the feed inside of the coop, walking out to you at the door.

She goes to fidget with her two fingers and is met with the top of her palm. A familiar sinking feeling lands in her gut at the memory. The physical reminder of all that she has lost. Ellie takes a short breath and shoves her three-fingered hand into her back pocket. Ellie’s eyes fail to reach yours—she knows what your face looks like. The upturned brows with a sad smile. She knows you worry. She also knows she’s hurt you the most.

“You know I love you, Ellie Williams.” Your jaw clenches—‘you will not cry before you finish’ repeats in your head like a mantra.

Ellie’s eyes finally meet yours as she tentatively nods her head, scared to see where this is going.

“My love for you is what has made me stay. No matter how much you have broken my heart, Ellie, I stayed. I stayed with you even though I had no idea why I'd do that to myself,” Your eyes gaze up at the setting sky as Ellie trails your face, taking in your words.

“I have been so fucking good to you!” You huff with a sad smile.

“I stayed and I killed for you Ellie. I’ve done things that I can never undo. I’ve done and seen things that have changed me forever. I mean I can’t close my eyes without seeing death. I can’t sleep without hearing Seattle.” Tears frustratingly slide down the rounds of your cheeks, once overused by the smile that seemed to never leave your face oh so long ago.

Tears well up in your lover's eyes as she frustratingly wipes her eyes, hating the vulnerability.

“I spent so long asking what I did wrong after you left. If I was ever enough for you, and it broke me. It broke me so fucking bad, Ellie.” You sobbed, unable to keep your tears at bay.

The sound of your cries sends a knife through the auburn haired girl's heart. Ellie pulls you into her chest, encapsulating you in her arms—your home.

“I know, babe, I’m so fucking sorry.” Ellie whines as her tears flow more freely. You breathe in her scent, calming you down.

“But I stayed, okay? I’m always here. We went through hell back there and I know that we are just barely surviving with our heads above water, but i’m fucking here okay? You don’t walk out on me ever again you hear me?” You pull your body from the crook of her neck and speak, holding her eye contact intensely.

“And you talk to me, you hear me? None of that holding it in. You talk to me, Williams. We have no one left and I refuse to lose you too. You may not care about your life but I. Fucking. Do.”

With those words, Ellie breaks down in sobs. You haven’t seen her cry for months. Ellie is a protector, she puts everything on the line to protect those she loves, even if it means sparing her own feelings. Or at least, what she believes to be her feelings. Ellie had never been in a position where she felt safe enough to express or engage in her feelings. If she did, there would be consequences immediately causing her to never open up again. She also views this as a preservation of your life. Everyone she has ever opened up to has died because of her one way or another. Why have the gift and the curse of being immune if all she caused was death all around her?

Heavy heaves and blubbers of ‘I’m sorry’ leave her mouth as she clings onto you for dear life. The decades of guilt and trauma being released from her body as she crumples in your touch. These tears aren’t only for the pain she’s inflicted upon you, her light, but for everything. For never meeting her mother to losing her first love, to Joel. All of these events shaped her to be who she is today. How cruel? To have a life full of loss but a gift so precious. When those who love her dearly die, those who she believes deserve life more than her. What a cyclical fate to be bestowed upon an ordinary girl. Having to know so much yet never knowing herself.

Your heart breaks as you hold onto the fragile frame of the girl you love. Steady steps are taken to make way back inside. Hoping this is a turning point, you sit her in the bathroom and heat up some water. Ellie’s tears have calmed as she watches you gather the buckets of heated water. You fill up the tub before turning to reach her eyes with a saddened smile.

“Arms up.” You tugged at the bottom of her now off-white vest. A small yet grateful nod is given by your lover before she lifts her arms above her head.

This was a routine you have done many times with Ellie after tough patrols. Whenever her body ached too much or her thoughts ran too deep, you would bathe her. The memories of these flood back to her as you help her undress fully. Ellie plants a kiss to your temple before you usher her to lay back in the tub.

You unwrap your favorite package of soap you had been given by Dina on your last trip back to Jackson. The beautiful lavender was your signature scent Ellie grew to love just as much as you. Ellie reached for your hand tentatively— gauging for your reaction. She takes it as a sign to further her touch when you intertwine your fingers. Her chapped lips press kisses to your palm and hand, showing her gratitude.

“M’ gonna have to let go so I can help, El.” You laugh.

Ellie’s eyes snap up to yours at the nickname she missed hearing so badly. She never realized how much she could miss someone she stayed under the same roof with. Fearing that this intimacy would flutter away, Ellie grips your hand tighter. Fear showed in her eyes as she pleaded for you to stay.

“Don’t…please, just,” She huffs as she feels herself becoming emotional. Learning that your emotions are natural will be a learning curve; proving its difficulty right now. “Could you…come in with me?” Ellie closes her eyes to calm herself down.

The skilled killer no longer made a home in your partner's body. All that was left of her was the fragile soul of a girl who’s been hurt too many times. The girl who wanted to be protected, loved, and happy for once.

“Okay, baby girl. I’m here, alright? Just gotta let go for a bit so I can get undressed but I'm right here.” You kiss her palm once before slowly letting go of her fingers. The tense grip on your hand loosens as she watches you move towards the tub.

You slide your body behind your lover gently before picking up her designated shower rag and your favorite soap. Your hands gently work through the auburn haired girls' taught muscles. Nimble fingers taking away all tension she has been carrying on her shoulders while scrubbing her clean—leaving a new start. A start full of love and light for the both of you. Of mourning your past lives, but embracing the good yet to come. Embracing the healing.

[ellieabbyy]

candids at the farm 📸

[ellieluvr420]

𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 ⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆

Ways you can help Palestine

Trusted organisations you can donate to

TLOU (TLOU2 especially) is rooted in Zionism and Neil Druckmann is a Zionist. Please don't buy the games or watch the show unless pirating. Separate the characters from the content and its creators!

Please make sure that as well as spreading information and awareness online you are also doing it in real life! Never stop the conversation with the people around you because often its the people you know in real life (especially of older generations) that need the education. If you can go to protests, please do but be careful and take the necessary measures to protect yourself and others around you.

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This account and the fics I write are an escape and a release for me but my account stands with palestine as it always will so any discourse (by discourse, I mean debate not communication as information-sharing is of course welcome) around the topic will not be tolerated because there shouldn't be any discourse, you either support genocide or you don't and anyone that does support the Israeli genocide of Palestinians or any for that matter is not welcome on my account. This is a safe space for my beautiful followers and any decent person is welcome but let's keep things kind please bby's.

𝐅𝐈𝐂𝐒

We Meet Again, Darling

SYNOPSIS: Abby Anderson is a skilled detective that's never let a criminal escape her grasp, until you. You've infiltrated every part of her life and she still can't get you. As she grows more and more intrigued by you she finds herself descending further into darkness until there's no way back. She takes your hand and follows you as if your presence is the only thing giving her life knowing that you are the most dangerous thing for her. Her life will never be hers again and she will stop at nothing to keep following you down your path of corruption.

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Epilogue

Friends? Never

SYNOPSIS: You and Ellie had been bitter enemies for years now but before that you were best friends. You had always planned to be roommates one day but when that becomes a reality the situation isn't exactly how you both imagined it.

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Eye for an Eye

SYNOPSIS: Your body yearned for the touch of your girlfriend, the warm embrace that calmed your mind but you couldn't give in, the anger you harboured for her at disappearing with her group for three months without any warning, explanation or even a mention of when she would be back stopped you in your tracks any time you got close to giving in. You loved Abby so much but looking at her made you sick, you couldn't push the feelings down no matter how much you craved for things to go back to what they once were. You hadn't planned this but the anguish in those green eyes mirrored yours and sucked you in before you could think twice about the repercussions of your actions. You made your bed when you made the deal with the auburn-haired stranger, eventually you'd have to lie in it.

Teaser

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𝐎𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐓𝐒

Abby

Change They had her, the love of your life, they had her and they were going to die for it.

Guardian Angel A guardian angel getting wrapped up with the human she was supposed to be protecting, a double-edged sword bound to hurt. The memory of you, your calming presence in a time where everything was hanging in the balance haunted her. All she craved was to see you again. She was addicted, obsessed. She needed you in every way but you only appeared in her mind, you were never part of reality. You were her saviour, the blood running through her veins, all she wanted was you, that was all she would ever want.

Ellie

You're mine It was silent, neither of you moved or spoke, your eyes were fixed on each other, neither of you daring to look away. Your eyes were glassy and bloodshot and hers were cold and dark, your nose was sore and running as you sniffled holding the tears in your eyes that were begging to be let free. You didn't understand how a girl that shows you as much love as she does could hurt you so bad.

𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐍𝐎𝐍𝐒

Abby

Wife Abby

[unseededtoast]

Turtle Doves | Joel Miller

Chapter Directory

Series Summary: In which two broken souls connect so deeply, that if one should perish, the other would surely die of a broken heart.

(slow burn, timeline changes. After TLOU1, before TLOU2, assumed knowledge of infected, uses elements from both show and game)

Series Warnings: Graphic depictions of violence, death, and sexual content.

One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen, Fourteen, Fifteen, Sixteen, Seventeen, Eighteen, Nineteen, Twenty, Twenty One, Twenty Two, Twenty Three, Twenty Four, Twenty Five, Twenty Six, Twenty Seven, Finale, Epilogue

Also cross-posted on Wattpad and AO3. Link to my masterlist for everything else I’ve posted!

[trulybetty]

Sunday Week In Review on a Monday

How is everyone doing? Did we make it through the last week? Those who got a long weekend I hope it was a good one! Yesterday was a clusterfuck and I had the mother of all naps - the type where you wake up and don't know where you are let alone what day of the week it is lol.

So here is Sunday's Week in Review, on a Monday edition! 💕

Truly Betty Updates This Week…

Strings IV

Sequins

First Sentence Game

Fics I Enjoyed This Week…

A Girl Walks Into a Bookstore (Ezra) by @oonajaeadira

While I’m still undecided if I truly enjoy Prospect, I absolutely do love a good Ezra fanfic and this one doesn’t disappoint. It started as a late-night read last Sunday when I was the only one awake and once I started I couldn’t stop. It also seems to have popped up for a lot of other readers as I’ve seen it all over my dash since. @oonajaeadira master list is a joy to go through on Sundays at the moment. 

Until Now, Until You | Chapter 1 (Javier Peña) by @wildemaven

This was all the right levels of sexy and spicy and leaving you wanting more and I can’t wait to see how this plays out when the two run into one another again!

Leave off Your Wanderings (Joel Miller) by @oonajaeadira

This series is a total balm to my TLOU2 feels - this is the ending Joel deserved (and in my mind the official sequel to TLOU) and in the third instalment the autumn vibes are warm and cozy, and the build-up between Joel and Songbird is soft in all the right places. This whole series is a warm gentle hug and the writing is so good - definitely check this one out.

Hungry Hearts | Atlantic City (Joel Miller) by @atinylittlepain

I’m sad that this series is nearing its end, but that means I get to go back and read it again. Between flashbacks of young Joel with baby Sarah we’ve got Cherry and Joel reconciling in present day and never knew mini-vans could be so sexy, so check it out!

The Layover | Epilogue (Frankie Morales) by @goodwithcheese

This finale was bittersweet - it has been such a pleasure to follow this story, so much so that it was a highlight of my week. The story wraps up in a way that is perfect for reader x Frankie with them both on pace with one another. It’s done so perfectly that I read it more than once. I will be revisiting this story for sure.

Late Night Texts | Epilogue (Javier Peña) by @mvtthewmurdvck

Another fantastic story that came to a close this week *sigh*, this was just  the perfect ending. This story is a delicious rom com romp and I know will hold up to multiple reads. I don’t want to give anything away if you’ve not read it, but it’s a delight.

The Window (Dave York) by @wildemaven

This was a delight to read and Heidi crafts a great story of longing from a distance that has a soft ending that is all enveloping and lends itself to multiple reads. 

Bush Pilot (Frankie Morales) by @legendary-pink-dot

Oh boy, this one *fans self* this one was something else. Frankie taking you to see the sunrise but makes you see stars instead in the back of his truck. Oomph, all kinds of good spicy smut here that lends itself to a second read… or three ;) 

sam and diane, eat your heart out (Marcus Pike) by @chronically-ghosted

I could easily be biased as this was written based on the prompts I sent Taylor - however, Taylor blew it out of the park with our boy Marcus! This was spicy in all the right places and honestly, I would love to see more of these two. This is a take on Marcus Pike x Reader that I haven’t seen before and it will be on my perma reread list that is for sure! Also, peep the Cheers reference, *squee*

IRL | Part 2 (Javi Gutierrez)  by @grogusmum

I’ve had a hard time finding some good Javi G. fanfics, but this one here is so good in its characterization. The story of Javi meeting Reader for the first time since meeting online, is incredibly sweet and I had been waiting in anticipation for this second chapter since I finished the first. It’s also one of the few plus sized reader fanfics that nails it without going over the top and making the character a stereotype. I have this bookmarked to go back and re-read this week, because that ending has been living rent free in my head all week.

Private Dick (Tim Rockford) by @wardenparker

Speaking of plus size reader interpretations - this was one of the few that really resonated with me. I haven’t come across many Tim Rockford fanfics (if you have any others, please send them my way) - but this felt like a perfect interpretation - great at reading situations, until they’re too close to him, but he’s in a process of redeeming himself through his relationship with Reader.

Fics I’m Looking Forward to Reading…

My TBR List is still a work in progress, will share it when it’s done 💕

Light Me Up (Benny Miller) by @musings-of-a-rose

Thanks to Jess and Heidi I seem to be straying into Benny territory this week and have been recommended this story to dip my toe further in. I mean the opening premise alone is enough to have me excited to get stuck in!

Double Dealings (Javier Peña & Ezra) by @julesonrecord & @stardustandskycrystals

1920’s, New Orleans and the potential of two Pedro characters? I cannot wait to get stuck into this one this week over my morning coffee this week!

Posts I Enjoyed This Week…

@shirks-all-responsibilities reminding me of my grumpy Joel (Pedro) header for the mobile layout of my blog. Now has me thinking about making a seasonal one now! September is Halloween Eve of course! 🎃

@wildemaven’s early morning thot post that just took on a life of it’s own 🥵

@rhool’s live blog of the pilot of the Pedro show that never was ‘The Sixth Gun’ entertained me while I had a tame evening watching something Mr. Truly wanted to watch while sipping on a non-alcoholic beer lol.

Things I’ve Enjoyed This Week…

The long weekend - didn’t do anything, no one slept through the night, but there’s something satisfying waking up on a Monday and knowing you don’t have to work.

Saturday’s interactions and posts were a delight to go through and helped my Saturday working go by so much quicker and made for a more enjoyable day.

This Week’s Song…

This recommendation came from @gnpwdrnwhiskey who told me it was Dieter x Bryony coded and it totally is. I’ve listened to this on repeat and I’m dying to revisit these two again, and have something up my sleeve 🎃

Hope everyone has a great week this week and Monday is treating you well! 💕 xx

[minustwofingers]

is there anything YOU are most excited to write about in the epilogue? finishing a story is such an amazing and bittersweet accomplishment! are there any scenes/details you wanted to write/include that didn’t make the final cut? any personal headcanons you have, additional terranova lore? don’t feel like you have to answer all this btw 😭 just anything you wanna include <3 thanks for readinggg

this is SO sweet lmg. i’m just excited to write ellie as someone who’s like. happy and healing after all i put them through lmaoooooo.

and omg i am SO glad u asked bc i actually have a lot to say about this bc i ended up cutting out a lot…

for scenes that aren’t making the cut:

- originally i already had whole epilogue planned out that involved ellie and y/n going back to terranova for a supply run which had the following scenes:

ellie looking through a real telescope at some stars for the first time

y/n showing ellie where she used to live

i also had a scene planned in the final part that never happened including the lab/all the evidence of ellie’s planet burning down right before y/n and dina leave, but i ended up scrapping it !

lore/headcanons/things

ellie is a loser lesbian bottom sorry everyone! i won’t be writing the smut to back this up but u have to trust me that it’s canon on this one

y/n had acrylics when she came to jackson (this one is something that an anon picked up on that i thought was very funny)

terranova would’ve killed ellie if they had known she was immune. if tlou1 had ended with ellie dying and the fireflies successfully engineering a vaccine/cure (i have feelings about whether or not this would actually be possible but i’ll save that for another day), they would’ve done everything to stop distribution once they caught wind of it. i was originally going to have ellie tell her that she was immune at the scene where terranova picks her up, but then i realized that a country that depends on the desperation of people outside of its borders would never want that

speaking of that scene: a close reader may recall what colors the terranova flag were… (this was intentional but also before i knew about the inspo behind tlou2/neil so ironic ig!)

[vvynia]

ya’ll.

so i’m diving in deep with the tlou and tlou2 plot because, as we’ve established, i’ve never actually played the game. i’ve just been obsessed with ellie and abby for the past half a year.

so i’m reading, right? watching is more the term. this stuff is insane. this storyline is top tier. i’m in shambles. this is heartwrenching. and i HATE open endings so the epilogue screwed me all up. and ellie’s fingers are GONE 😭 GONE she can’t even play the guitar fr no more

i can’t take this. and when joel said, “if the lord gave me a second chance at that moment, i would do it all over again” I FELT THAT. i’m no mother, but i have a little brother and i would go to the ends of the earth for him. it scares me sometimes honestly. even when he gets on my nerves, i’d flip the world upside down to make sure he’s safe.

it makes me wonder if ellie finally understood what joel meant when she lived on the farm with jj and dina? when she pretty much had a kid of her own? that unwavering instinct to love and protect, especially when your baby is innocent—when they can do no wrong. did she finally understand why he did it?

lord have mercy. i gotta get a big sunday hat and start fanning myself. the old southern lady bout ready to come outta me. i need some sweet tea.

(and this ain’t even half of what i wanna say about how the trauma that everyone in this series has gone through. also ain gone lie, i started getting pissed off at abby 😭 started screaming at my phone “this who yall LIKE???” knowing full and well her side of the story is depthy too :( ughhhh my babies)

[happysparklingshadows]

Time May Change Me

Epilogue  ❀  Chapter 1 

Summary: The first time Lola came to Jackson and found her home. The first time in seven months she had found genuine safety and kindness in the world that she thought had long been kill off. It’s the beginning of a whole new life and that becomes overwhelming for the stranded 13 year old girl. 

Warnings: General Last of Us canon violence, Mentions of past abuse/assault, depiction of mental distress and mental illness, and general story building. OC character but is vaguely described outside of her hair being washed and later braided. 

Word Count: 2.7k

Note: This story will be set before the canon events of tlou2 and the story of the game. I have aged Ellie up in her Jackson!era to be 18 years old. I want this to be for every reader in the fandom so I will be open for edits of my story is not diverse for everyone. I am a Jewish woman with thin curly black hair, so it I say something that I think is a universal with hair and it isn’t, please let me know! I imaged the TV Show versions of Maria, Tommy, and Joel, but Ellie is still Ashley Joshson!Ellie. This will be a multipart series and I hope you will be here with me as Lola and Ellie’s relationship develops. @jinxtheplanet​

“Please tell me what happened to you,” Maria asked, her arms crossed and eyes soft with patience. She stood firm and stern, but her eyes were the kindest thing I have felt in a long time.

My lips quiver, and my eyes look at anything but her. Hands were desperately holding onto the other to keep the shakes becoming uncontrollable.

Maria looks at me, and I know what she sees. She sees a dirty little girl with matted hair and the smell of a corpse on me.  My shirt once was light pink with bears and colorful words, a care bears shirt my mom gave me on my 12th birthday. It was the last gift I was given from my mother. I remember her weak and shaking hands when she handed me the folded shirt. The shirt was caked with mud, blood, and sweat from the months I’d traveled. Everything about me looked as I felt. Dirty, scared, and alone.

“Where are your parents? Were you in a group?” Maria asked again, softer. She stepped one step closer; I pushed myself closer to the back of the wooden chair.

“N-no, ma'am,” I whispered back at her and felt myself grow even smaller under her eyes. My voice is brittle and meek, and my hands hold even tighter.  

“Okay, Honey…” She spoke, stepping closer again with her hand out, saying she wouldn’t hurt me. “How about where you are from? Can you tell me that?”

“I am from the Kansas City QZ. My dad was from Detroit, and my m-mom was from there.” I spoke. I had said this line more times than I could remember. I remember the times I talked to the other kids in the military school about my parents and the times I would cheerfully speak about myself without a care. It felt like a hundred years had gone by since the last time I was safe in the QZ with my parents.

A resounding painful ping rings in my chest when I remember my parents.

“That’s a long way away from Jackson.” She chuckled. And she continued her watchful eye on me as she kneeled in front of me, forcing me to look into her face. She had a look of sympathy and disbelief. “Were you alone?”

My eyes start to well as I look at her kind face. “Y-yes, ma’am.”

She closed her eyes slowly at the confession with a sad sigh. Maria felt the pain that was crusted on my face, and she then smiled at me. “Well, you’re not alone now, okay, sweetheart? You are safe in Jackson.” She reassured me, and she placed her hand on my knee. Touching the blood-caked pants and not caring for the filth. “Let’s get you some food and some new clothes.”

My eyes widen, and I shake my head. “It’s okay.” I gasped as I quickly wiped the tears from my eyes, “I don’t need anything, I would like a knife, and I will get out of everyone’s hair.”

“Sweetheart, I will not do that. You are welcome here now.” She said with an even wider smile. What I said was a standard line she had heard many times over. “Listen, we have kids your age here and animals and gardens, and we are more than willing to house you and keep you safe. You understand what I am saying. You don’t have to fight anymore….” She explained, but she stopped.

I felt my hands calm down, but my chin started to shake. I felt a tear fall on my left cheek and another on the right, falling without consent or permission. I felt my body shake to stop myself, but I couldn’t stop.

“Okay, sweetheart, let’s get you better.” She whispered as she put her hands on my upper arms. My body shivers at the contact, and a sob escapes from me.

“It’s okay; what is your name? We never got your name.” She said, holding onto me as I leaned into her touch. The ebony woman with braids lost all the sternness in her as she looked at the young girl in front of her.

I tried to say my name, but my voice wouldn’t let me. My tears choked me, and I couldn’t stop the cries. I bawled to her, “L-Lola.” 

“Well, Lola, this is my home, and I would like you to stay here if you wouldn’t mind?” Maria asked with a honey quality to it. “I have an extra bedroom and wouldn’t mind your company.”

A sob fought out of my mouth and made every cry I held onto for the last seven mouths spill to Maria. Maria then slowly moved her arms around me and hugged me, and I desperately hugged her back as the pain I caged inside of myself finally broke loose. She holds me close and places a hand on the back of my head.

“Please-Please don’t hurt me.” I cried into her shoulder.

“I will try not to, Lola. Let it out, honey, let it out. It must have been terrifying to be out there all alone.” She comforted me as her hands caressed my matted hair. The violent sobs didn’t stop throughout the afternoon.

Early in the morning, I had finally started moving through forested Wyoming, trying to get to the next empty building to rest my tired feet. My backpack was lighter than usual; no gun or knife was inside, and only held a few things. My Walkman, my cassettes, an old ChapStick, matches, a journal, and a bag of dried beans I stole out of an old gas station.  My mission was slowly becoming more and more of a dream for me. The words of my father haunt my every step.

Lola, you need to keep going. Keep going until you find a home. Never stop moving until you find it, and never let go. Go West. 

Home. The idea was cruel to me now. My feet slide when I walk on the wet, melting snow, and my eyes look around the field before I leave the tree line.

My eyes glued onto the other side of the clearing, my head muffled by my father’s words. I hardly even feel the impact of my loneliness if I keep moving.

Suddenly, from behind me, the sound of horses racing towards me. I started sprinting away, not needing to look back as fast as my body could let me. But because I haven’t eaten in 4 days, my muscles quickly succumb to the fatigue. I trip onto the grass and feel a calm panic come over me.

 I had nothing to protect myself, and I had nowhere to run. There was nothing I could do but just let whatever was going to happen happen. I look back to find five men on horses, cowboy hats and bandana-covered faces, and guns strapped to their hips with a dog on a leash beside them.

“Stop! What are you doing here?” One of the men shouted at me. I started to shake, my hands had the talent to shudder whenever I heard people lately, and my lips began to move, but nothing came out.

“Miss, I will ask again, what are you doing here?” He asked again, with a louder tone to it this time. The dog barked and tried to get loose from the leash. I am going to die.

“I-I I am trying-“ I start saying, but the words don’t come out right. I took a deep breath in. Become the strong one, the voice in my head whispered to me. I look back at the man and say, “I am trying to find somewhere to rest for the night. I don’t have any weapons, and I have no interest in you all. I am trying to go west. Please leave me pa-“

“Why are you going west?” Another man interrupted me. I look closer at their faces; they all look slightly taken back from me. Why?

 “I-My dad told me to go west before-“ I cut myself off. I looked at all the men individually; they all looked like they were trying to hear me. They didn’t seem like they wanted to harm me, which made me even more scared. “I am just going west.”

The man with the dog let the dog go, and I shrieked and tried to step away from the animal slowly. The dog walks up to me and sniffs the air around me, and the German shepherd comes to my leg and sniffs me. He simply sits before me and looks up with eyes pleading to be petted, and I don’t move my hand.

“Miss, would you like us to take you to our town?” The first man said as he took off his mask. “We have a settlement three miles from here and take in refugees. Do you have anyone with you?”

I panic, and my hands shake when I look up from the dog. The words scared me, and the men terrified me. But towns of people are even scarier.

“I don’t know you,” I said in the sternest voice I could muster. “You don’t know me.”

“All I need to know has already been answered, young lady. You’re not infected, and you are alone. What are you, 16?”

I step away one step. Men talking about my age has never been a good thing. Men I have met throughout my time alone have been nothing short of disgusting and scary. The kind of men to think I couldn’t possibly be a beast just like them. Men loved young girls, and they loved to hurt them. I always was told that and believed it sincerely. Every single time, a man mistook my age, and my loneliness as a weakness always ended up dead. Men who would call me a little girl never saw the knife in my hand. 

“What’s it to you?” I say back with some darkness leaking out. “I am 13 and don’t need your help, sir.”

The man chuckled at my comment. “I am sure you don’t need it, but you need to come with us. We will feed you and let you go off on your journey if you want. You look like you need to come with us.”

“I don’t know you.”

“Okay, we know that, but do you have anywhere else to be?” Another man said and took his hat off. “Take a leap of faith here, and you will be okay. I promise you.”

So, I did, and I took a leap of faith and got on the back of one of their horses.

Maria’s hands massage my scalp as the kitchen sinks water my hair. Though Maria doesn't tell me that, dirt, blood, and small bugs fall out of my hair, and she just keeps washing my hair with tender fingers. 

“You held your own with our men.” She commented to me. She smiled down at me and saw the empty look on my face after I stopped crying.

“I tried to,” I replied. “I was scared, though, and I didn’t have anything on me.”

“If you did have something on you, what would you have done?” She smirked and looked at me. It feels like she already knows me.

“I would have tried to get away,” I told her. I smile at her, longing for her never to stop touching my hair. “But if I had any, I wouldn’t have been here, and I am starting to think it was meant to happen.”

“Maybe it was,” She smiled and continued to rinse my hair; she brought out a small-toothed comb, “What happened to your weapons?” She asked.

“I was with some people… And they took my things, and they left me.” I said and felt myself distance myself from my surrounding again. I pushed myself away from this, from reality. I hated to feel alone, and I hated what being alone meant for me. But being seen for me was too much for me, to have people know and see how I am… It was better inside my head. It feels better this way. “They were a father, mother, and a son. He was little. I am not even mad at them. I just wish they didn’t leave me alone.”

“I am sure it was better that they left you alone. They sound like bad people to leave a young girl alone in this world.”

“I am not that young. I am 13.” I sassed back to the woman. I hated being treated like I couldn’t handle myself, probably because I knew I could care for myself and know what I have done to protect myself, what I have done to grow so much darkness. 

“Oh, okay then.” She sassed back, slightly taken aback by my tone. She took a bar of shampoo and started lathering an old rag. “That’s why you didn’t have any weapons?”

“Yeah, you let go of the small stuff, you know.” I sighed as she started to rub the rag on my head. The feeling of comfort started to overwhelm me. “I would have found something to protect myself again, but I didn’t find anything before your guys found me.”

“That’s because we have taken everything like that around here.” She commented as she rubbed harder on my head, trying to break up the small locks of hair that matted together at the back of my head. “If you don’t mind me asking again, what happened to your parents.”

“What happens to everyone’s parents.” I sighed back at her. “My mom died in the QZ, and we don’t know how she died. The doctor said it was skin cancer, but we don’t know why. She just-“ I took a deep breath before continuing, “She just withered away. The QZ had a lot of food shortages, and there was no medicine for us to give her. My dad tried to get some pain pills, but she died anyway. Me and my dad left after she died.” I mumbled. “Anyways, he got bit a few weeks into our journey west. He ran away from me, and I am guessing he killed himself or that he is out there infected… I don’t really want to talk about it anymore.”

Maria was quiet as she washed my hair. She had nothing to say and didn’t want to push me to go on. She just washed my hair as best she could, and she dried my hair with the fluffy towel that rested on my shoulders. She gently pulled me out of the chair and placed me at her dining room table. She grabbed scissors and cut the parts she couldn’t save in the wash. 

Maria cleared her throat and combed through my hair, removing the ends. “I had a son before this all started. Kevin. He was only three when the world fell apart, and he died like everyone else,” She said, her voice calm and soft. I heard the small tone of sadness inside her words, “I was alone for a long time after that. I didn’t want to be near anyone and couldn’t let go of my anger. But then, I started to let people in. The more people I let in, the more the pain of my loss healed. I don’t think I will ever be over Kevin, but I don’t cry when I remember him. I smile. It’s hard being on your own, sweetheart. I know you will find your peace, too, okay.” She said. Her speech to me was almost calm and something I didn’t need to discuss. I didn’t say anything back as her scissors continued to cut. 

“Okay, I want you to take another shower upstairs after I am done with your hair. I will get you some clothes.” She said softly.

“Maria…” I say as I look at my hands again. My hands were covered in minor cuts, my cuticles were broken and raw, and my skin cracked and irritated from the cold winter I traveled. “You are very kind. Thank you.” I whisper the last part.

Maria smiled at me, brushed the hair off my shoulders, and finished her cut. “Make yourself at home.”

[millermenapologist]

I've just came from ao3 heyy i have to tell you here since I'm too shy to say there

1- I spent the whole day dedicated to read your chapter, I'm not exagerating. Your chapters are so extraordinarily big omg. And I'm not complaining, I wish fic writers wrote chapters like that.

2-Ellie's relationship with joel is so good❤️even though you write on ellie's pov, the way you show to us every aspect of joel is like we're seeing his pov too!! And I love how she really sees ellie as his baby daughter, like she's really his youngest. And I love how patient he is too her even when she's all over the place, like when she was trying to convince him she's a bad person and has bad thoughts, and he just sits there with her and very calmly asks her to tell him what are this bad thoughts. It reminds me of a fic I loved on ao3 about the last of us called "what dads do" (sadly never had an ending🤧). Also, have I already said that is really cute this habit of his when he puts her in his lap or cradles her most of the time? Or when she does it herself like it's the most normal thing on this world? It's so cute and such an innocent way of showing affection❤️

2- i don't know how to feel about sarah and her. Part of me is still getting used to the idea of girlfriends that live in the same house because they have the same dad, but other part of me enjoys the whole dynamic. Also, I have to admit It's very tempting to ship them both when they have such a chemistry like that, i mean, goody-two-shoes predator killer and her cute little girlfriend?? Idk if you're planning to weite dina and ellie as a couple in the future, but I guess you will have a lot of work to convince us that they have more chemistry as sarah and ellie🤭 can't wait to see what happens next

3- did ellie had a psychotic attack or something like that? Joel and sarah are not the only ones who were like "wtf" when reading that, and although the scene of joel carrying her like a toddler why she was screaming "traitooorr!!!" on the stairs was a bit funny, I'm worried about her.

4- I got sad for tommy boy :( he seemed so genuinely bothered about the fact that maria considered even for a moment that he would cover up his brother for supposedly hurting a little girl. Hope he gets his happy ending, whether with Maria, or someone else... Me... Heard something? Me neither

5- can you at least tell me something about next chapter?🫠

Aw, thank you for coming here, then! ଘ(੭ˊᵕˋ)੭* ੈ✩‧˚

I swear that they don't start off this long, when i plan them in my notebook, I'm just the definition of unrepentant yapper (⁄ ⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄ ⁄)

Ok, listen: canonically speaking, Joel always keeps Sarah very close (she leans on him while they watch the movie and then falls asleep on him, he lifts her up and carries her around rather than waking her up), and then he keeps touching her face to make sure she's okay; and as soon as Ellie gets comfortable with Joel, she starts touching him too, like when they're on the horse or when she almost ends him by giving him that huge ass dose of penicillin (pls don't inject penicillin like that, you're gonna die). It's not my fault if they're touchy people in the most literal sense of the word. Ellie saw that man and decided he's free real estate, and Joel was just born to be a girl dad, so any girl that enters his hope is at least half-adopted by him. I am only keeping the characters true to their original essences uwu

For this fic, no Dina/Ellie, but they're definitely gonna be friends in the epilogue. Shenanigans might ensue (they will definitely ensue. Joel's gonna end up with so much more white hair). If we're talking about "future" fics, then... idk yet? For my birthday I plan to post a one shot that's set between the farm chapter and the Santa Barbara one of TLOU2, so the Ellie/Dina relationship is gonna be talked about for sure, and the other long I have planned, Anklebiter, has 14yo Ellie grow a massive crush for Sarah (who, sadly, is ~30, so definitely not interested in pursuing a relationship with her), but some other story idea that's right for them might arise ღゝ◡╹ )ノ♡

Not really. It's more what happens when you don't sleep for extended periods of time: you start losing your mind. You can start hallucinating, seeing distorted things, etc. At my first big girl job, I was in the office at 10am and wouldn't go home until 10pm, if not 11 or even later (and then I still had to get home, which required about an hour). By the end of the first week I was so overworked and exhausted that I'd wake up in the middle of the night, standing, half-hallucinating half-dreaming that I was back in the office. Sometimes I'd wander in other rooms too, and at some point I started seeing "things" in the edges of my vision and other things like that. It was terrifying. It's pretty much why sleep deprivation can be used as a torture method.

Well, in her defense, Maria sees a lot of bad people too, and has to deal with their families. Plenty of people think that keeping it within the family is the best option, so that's what she went for. Hehe, don't worry about his ending ┬┴┬┴┤ʕ•ᴥ├┬┴┬┴

Uhmm... Ellie and Danica are going to have a one-on-one conversation, Dina's gonna be freed from being grounded, aaaaand some honesty is gonna grace the Miller House. Not once, but twice! Crazy, I know!

[chai-berries]

just finished binging all of the little ruse,,, only one chapter left — the epilogue,,

my heart hurts!! left the thickest comment on the latest chapter <3 the fic is here if you wanna read! abby x reader, friends to lovers, follows all of tlou2, sooo fucking gooooood

[not-so-mundane-after-all]

Hi my love

💝💌💘

Z, my darling!

💝what is a fic that got a different response than you were expecting?

I have to talk about My Hand Was The One You Reached For here, my first ever TLOU fic. The response to it? INSANE. I came here from a fandom where, especially recently, stuff about a father-daughter relationship wasn't getting much traction, so since I was used to a small response, I wasn't really expecting anything. I first made a Tumblr post about it, again, not expecting more than a handful of notes. After all I'm a fandom newbie who only came here because of the show, I knew close to nothing about the game. And then the post got thousands of notes in a matter of hours. People were dropping their own fics in the reblogs!!! I dropped mine on ao3 and it got more kudos & comments in a single day than my most recent Titans fics got in months!!! That never happened to me before. I've had popular fics but never to this extent, never so fast. So I was absolutely blown away. Thank you guys for welcoming me so kindly 🥹

💌share something with us about an up-and-coming work (WIP) that has you excited!

Since I'm currently splitting my writing time between two fandoms, right now I don't have anything started for The Last of Us, but I can list the ideas I will be working on once I'm done working on my Titans ideas.

Ellie forgives Joel by writing a song about it, based on Back to December by Taylor Swift - but before I get to that I want to watch the gameplay of tlou2 and torture myself since I don't know the full story. For science.

Ellie overhears the word "adoption" at school and asks Joel to explain it to her.

Another dancing fic, something based in Jackson, though I don't have a clear picture of it yet. Although I'm thinking about the kitchen. You know, another T Swift lyrics, dancing in the refrigerator light.

As for Titans, I'm currently in the process of writing the last two chapters of my newest multi-chapter Acrida, which is a time travel fic that can cause you a baby fever 🤭 but come on, which fictional father we all know and love would pass on a chance to go back in time and get to know his adopted kid when they were just a tiny little baby? There's some angst though, I actually wrote the heaviest scene today and I spent a good ten minutes crying. But I'll be keeping that under wraps and instead share something sweet.

The snowflakes falling around them became bigger. Few of them settled on his hair, one dropping right onto his nose and that was a game changer; Rachel's eyes grew round like dinner plates, lips forming a tiny ooh as she swatted at it with her hand.

"What's that?" Dick gasped, his eyes as wide as hers. "Snow? You like snow?"

She blinked at him a few times, entranced by the sound of his voice. Then she broke into a giggle, twisting in his arms as she laughed.

Dick tucked her closer to himself, laughing as well. She was the sweetest child, her sparkling personality already shining through, and her baby laugh could easily have the power to clear the sky off the heaviest clouds.

💘Is there any posted fic you want to rework/re-edit/re-write?

I once had this thought to rewrite my earliest fics because reading them made me cringe and I know I would have done them better now when I'm more experienced. But I decided against it because it shows the progress I've made as a writer, how much I've actually learned. So they'll stay cringe. If y'all want to binge my fics, start from the bottom so they get better instead of getting worse lol 😂

There's one though, where I only realized the issue recently. There's this collab AU fic for Titans I wrote with a friend. Huge thing, our best work to date, HIGHLY RECOMMEND READING (shameless self promo but fuck it we ballin) it's called Wicked Game. Recently, we started developing a sequel. Nothing written yet, only brainstorming and exchanging notes for now, but I realized recently that damn we really fucking put ourselves into a corner with that epilogue 🫣🤭

[ellieabbyy]

[skoulsons]

TLOU2 thoughts if I may add to the pile…

I’m not a game player but I’ve watched both games and read a lot about the mechanics of both. I strongly prefer 1, BUT the more I sit with it, the more I appreciate TLOU2 as a thing that gave me a measure of context and a lot to think about.. At the heart of it that’s what I love about the franchise. It inspires a lot of conversation and conflicting feelings to work through.

I definitely think certain things could have been specifically handled better and I hope there’s some manner of epilogue or part 3 that provides some payoff for some of that because that’s my main critique of TLOU2 - it lacks the payoff of the first game, which after such a trauma-swamp is a little cruel to the player.

you have GOT to be the same person bro ain’t no way like sixteen different people come in here all in one day

That’s a really good way of looking at it. I have my gripes with it, as I’ve said, but there are some parts of it that I do like and understand about the story. But you’re right, it does (and has) inspired a lot of conversation and feelings, even three years after the release

But I agree with you there. I really don’t have much to add bc you’re just right and I agree :)

[a-for-apocalypse]

there's a small piece of dialogue before this where ellie asks dina if she "has any (weed) on her" and dina says something like "no i wish. i always got mine from eugene" so like. ellie smoke pot you guys. she knows how to smoke pot and often enough to be super casual about it when she's out on patrol.

i love these little bits of characterization that gives us a sneak peak at the kind of adolescence ellie had growing up in jackson. she could have had a carefree epilogue right then and there but tlou2 had to come and rip our hearts out of our damn chests

I saw a few posts complaining about Ellie not coughing and taking puffs of the blunt she smoked with Dina as a pro when (presumably) it's highly unlikely and unrealistic for beginners. But, I don't actually think that this was the first time Ellie smoked weed.

When Dina breaks the jar and Ellie picks up the blunt, she brings it to her nose and notes that it smells good, which means she knows how weed is supposed to smell. Plus, the way she casually takes it from Dina without thinking and starts smoking—definitely not a beginner. She also knows HOW to smoke it (hence the comments about her not coughing).

I believe that even if the game doesn't show us specifically, the creators still wanted to make sure to simply imply it with the way Ellie spontaneously decides to go ahead and say yes to smoking it with her friend. That is enough proof that Ellie must have done it before and had some experience with it.

I like to imagine Ellie trying weed with Dina for the first time when they were a lot younger. Like 15 or 16, the best kind of age to try these things; you're rebellious, adventurous, and stupid. I can see it so clearly.

Ellie being bad at it, choking and swearing she'd never try it again. Dina, on the other hand, teaching her how to do it properly because Jesse already taught her. After a few tries and after all those years, Ellie can, in fact, smoke weed.

[unseededtoast]

Turtle Doves | Joel Miller

Epilogue

Chapter Directory

Series Summary: In which two broken souls connect so deeply, that if one should perish, the other would surely die of a broken heart. (slow burn, timeline changes. After TLOU1, before TLOU2, assumed knowledge of infected, uses elements from both show and game)

Series Warnings: Graphic depictions of violence, death, and sexual content.

Also cross posted on my Wattpad and AO3, if you prefer those formats. Here is a link to my masterlist for everything else I’ve posted.

I hear the cooing of turtle doves in the trees above us.

Rustling bedsheets bring me out of a deep sleep, and the sunlight shining through the window is enough to let me know I've probably slept in just a little too long.

Beside me, I feel Joel move around until his arm finally wraps around my waist and he pulls me close. No matter how many mornings begin this same way, I'll never get tired of it.

I get cozy in his arms and the two of us lay there in a peaceful silence, both of us waking up at a slow pace. Joel just got back from a security patrol yesterday after a week, so it's all the more reason to prolong starting the day.

He presses a kiss to the back of my head and his hand traces the curve of my waist.

"Missed you." He whispers, voice thick with sleep.

"I missed you more." I answer with a small smile on my face.

"Now we've been over this before, that's just not possible." I can practically hear the smile in his voice and turn around to face him.

Joel's big brown eyes look back into mine, the sunlight reflecting the small flecks of gold around his pupils. As he smiles, thin lines beside his eyes become more pronounced. I reach a hand up and brush my thumb against his cheekbone, and he leans into my touch.

"How'd it go?" I ask, curious as to how his patrol went with Tommy.

"It was uneventful if that's what you're worried about." He sees through my question and answers the one I hadn't exactly asked.

"That's what I like to hear." I answer, happy to hear that they hadn't run into any unanticipated obstacles or observed any raiders.

"How were things here?" He asks, his hand trailing down to my hip. No matter how many times his hands have mapped out the curves of my body, it never fails to make me feel loved and desired.

"They were good. I've got something for you downstairs whenever we get around to it." I answer, in no particular hurry to get out of bed just yet.

"Well whatever it is, it can wait just a little longer. How was Ellie?" He asks, a thin line between his eyebrows becoming visible.

"She was good. Spent most of her time with Dina and Jesse. I'm not cool enough anymore apparently." I tell him, remembering how much fun she looked like she was having the other night with her friends.

I had gone to the Tipsy Bison with Maria while our men were away to pass some time and we had spotted Ellie, Dina, and Jesse together. They were laughing and joking, having a good time overall. And as I watched them, I could've sworn I saw a certain look in Ellie's eye as she watched Dina. It's the same one Joel has when he looks at me, and me at him. But I'll never say anything to Joel, I just hope by now she trusts me enough to talk about it, whenever she may be ready. Though she's not my child, she's come to grow on me, and I love her like she's my very own.

"Good. It's about time she gets some solid friends. I was worried about her for a while, thought she was making it her mission to have the world as her enemy." He says with a sigh. I place my hand atop his on my hip and give him a pointed look.

"Sure sounds like someone I met once." A small smirk tilts the corner of my lip.

"I don't know what you mean." He feigns ignorance and deflects by kissing my forehead.

We spend some more time in bed, relishing in the peace we have before we eventually make our way down to the kitchen. Before Joel gets down I get to the table first and grab the fresh fruit and hide it behind my back.

And once he finally comes down the stairs he sees the smile on my face, his eyes going to my hands behind my back.

"Whatcha got there?" He asks, eyes flicking back up to mine.

"This." I say and bring the fruit around from behind my back.

A small peach sits in the palm of my hand and Joel's eyes grow wide. He takes a few steps towards me, his eyes never leaving the fruit.

"Is that..?" He asks, not believing what he's seeing.

"It is. And I haven't forgotten about the promise I made." I nod my head with a smile and hold the fruit out to him.

Three years ago when Joel first planted the trees, I ended up promising him the first peach the trees produced. And all of our patience and care has finally paid off. The droughts and severe winters weren't enough to keep our trees from prospering.

He takes the fruit from my hand and wastes no time biting into it. I hear how juicy it is and can't wait to try one myself. I'll be even happier when the apple trees start producing, but unfortunately that'll likely take another year or two. But if I've learned anything, it's that I can be patient for good things.

"Good?" I ask, seeing Joel's eyes closed as he savors the fruit.

"So good." He opens his eyes again and closes the space between us.

Joel leans in for a kiss, and I can taste the sweet peach juice on his lips. Maybe when we get more I can find a way to make a peach cobbler, there's nothing better than a sweet dessert on a summer's evening.

"Mmm that is good." I say and lick the juice off of my own lips.

"I think you missed some, right there." Joel says and leans in for another kiss. And then another.

One of his arms wraps around my waist as he deepens our kiss. He must've really missed me out there this past week. My hands come up to cup his face and bring him impossibly closer to me. And just as I begin to feel the heat ignite in my tummy, the front door opens.

"Gross." Ellie says, slinging her bag on the couch as she walks into the kitchen.

Joel steps away from me and scowls at Ellie. This isn't the first time she had walked in on Joel and I being intimate together. But thankfully this time we still had our clothes on.

"Have you never heard of knocking?" Joel asks her, taking another bite of the peach still in his hand.

"It's practically noon I didn't think you'd be here." She answers as she starts rummaging through the cabinets. From the looks of her, she didn't spend the night out in the detached garage Joel had converted into an apartment for her.

"I just got back yesterday. Had no plans of leaving this house." He says before finishing off the peach.

Ellie looks over at him, pausing her food scavenging for just a moment.

"I'm going to assume it's because you're tired and not for nasty plans." She says before going back through what's in the cabinets.

At first, I had been taken aback by Ellie's blunt demeanor. But Joel had assured me that it's just her way of communicating. And he had been right, the girl is a spitfire.

"And what if it was?" He shot back at her and I knew that they'd keep going back and forth if I didn't step in.

"Stop it, children. Ellie, we have some bread Maria gave us in the next cabinet over." I tell her and she nods, finding it and tearing a piece off.

"So what'd you come in here for if not to interrupt and take our food?" Joel asks, watching as she takes another mouthful of bread.

"First of all, I didn't interrupt anything. Second, I was coming to tell you that the guy from the radio tower gave me a message. For you." Ellie looks right at me and my eyebrows raise.

"What was it?" I ask, confused as to who could have possibly wanted to reach out.

"Said it was some guy from Boston, James. And that he said he was happy to hear that you're still alive. Oh, and he's pissed he didn't get his knife back." Ellie relays the message. I can't help but feel a little shocked. I hadn't seen or talked to James since I left Boston.

"But I never sent a transmission out to him." I say, sliding my hands into the pockets of my pants.

"I did. A few weeks ago. Felt bad for just leaving him in the dark all that time. Thought he might want to know you were okay." Joel says, almost sheepishly.

A part of me feels bad for never reaching out to James. After everything we went through for years and years, I had just left him and disappeared. I had wanted to reach out but I didn't know what to say, after all, we didn't leave on the best of terms. But James and I always come around. Always.

"Thanks Ellie, and thank you, Joel. I'll have to send him something back." I say, promising to myself that I'll follow through this time.

I wonder how he's doing, how his wife is doing. Maybe he's out of the smuggling business. But if I know James as well as I think I do, there's no way he got out of it. And because of that, I'm even more confident in my choice to leave. Otherwise I'd still be stuck there doing the same damn thing every single day.

And here I get to wake up in peace next to the man I love, never having to worry about FEDRA soldiers or Firefly terrorists. It's quiet and serene out here, and I wouldn't trade this for anything.

"Maybe he'll come out here." Joel says, finishing the peach off and licking the excess juice from his fingers. I scoff and stave off laughter.

"James won't ever leave Boston unless he's forced to. He's complacent there and he's got the economy under his thumb. But it would be nice to see him again." I say, remembering all those years we spent surviving together. What once seemed like days that blurred together, are now nothing more than a distant memory.

"Well, anyways, I'm going back out. See you guys later, maybe." Ellie says, shoving just a little bit more bread into her mouth before she's grabbing her bag and darting out the door.

"I'm gonna have to change the locks or something." Joel says with a shake of his head. But I know he only puts up a rough exterior, deep down I know he loves when she drops in.

"You really think that'll stop her?" I ask, and Joel shakes his head.

"It sure wouldn't." He confirms and looks from the door back to me.

He steps towards me and can't keep his hands to himself. His lips are on mine again, his hands kneading into my hips. I'd love to just melt right into his touch and spend the day wrapped up in him, but, as another unfortunate fact of life, there's work to be done. Maybe tonight we'll be able to make up for lost time.

"Joel, come on I have to get out the greenhouses. First harvest is coming up." I say, stepping out of his embrace before I get persuaded to stay.

"Let me come with you then." He says and puts his boots on before I can insist he stays here and rests up. The man is still stubborn as an ox, not much has changed on that front.

"Fine. But I won't let you do any physical labor. Today is supposed to be for your rest and recovery." I remind him, lacing up my own shoes. He dismisses my statement while I grab some wicker baskets.

The two of us step out into the golden sunlight, the summer air feeling warm already. It's best to get gardening work done in the morning, and I'm really pushing it today. I just hope the others don't mind much. But even if they do, with Joel around, I doubt I'll hear anything about it.

The greenhouses are full and are shaping up to have a very fruitful season. When we get there, there's already a few of the others working to water and harvest the newly-ripened vegetables.

I hand a basket to Joel and the two of us start making our way down the aisles, grabbing the red tomatoes and peppers while making sure the others are growing nicely and without pests or diseases.

It's not often Joel gets to work here, but I can tell he likes it when he can find the time. After all, I'm sure it's extremely rewarding to see so much prosperity come from something he helped to build with his own hands.

I watch as he gently plucks a cherry tomato from the vine, his large hands acting with such tenderness. A tenderness I never would've guessed lived in him when I first met him a few years ago.

He must feel me watching because he turns his head and meets my gaze. A soft smile forms on his lips before he focuses back on the plant. And after admiring him for just a moment longer, I get back to work as well, my soul content and happy.

Later, after the greenhouse work is complete and the sun begins descending on the horizon, Joel offers to walk me to the flower field. The flower field and orchard is probably my favorite place on Earth. And every time I go to visit, I'm reminded of Joel's kindness and thoughtfulness.

The two of us find a nice spot amongst the blooming colors. Every year since Joel planted them all, more and more keep popping up, filling the space with incredible vividness. I lean against his shoulder as we listen to the birds coo and chirp and watch the butterflies and honey bees fly around to all the flowers.

"Reminds me that I need to find that hive, might be able to get us some honey." Joel breaks the silence as a pollen-covered bee lands on his boot.

"Honey would be so nice." I agree, watching as it takes flight again.

The two of us fall back into a comfortable silence for a while longer, the setting sun finally painting the sky a vibrant orange and pink.

"Listen, while Tommy and I were out there, I found something." Joel speaks up again and I shift around to look up at him. His hand comes down to rest on my thigh.

"What did you find?" I ask, curious as to why he's only bringing this up now. Usually if they find anything good it's the first thing Joel says.

"I'll get to that in a second. But first, I just, um, I just wanted to tell you that you mean the world to me. And that I love you, very much." He says and I smile sweetly. Joel tells me he loves me all the time, but this feels different. And while he's searching for his next words, I place my hand atop his on my thigh.

"And I love you too." My voice is light, as to not disturb the ambience surrounding us.

"I mean, I love you more than I ever thought was possible. From that first night in Boston, I knew there was just somethin' about you. And then we spent the night on that farm, and I got to see the real you. I knew I could never just say goodbye after Omaha, there's just no way I could come back here and never see you again. And building this life together, it's more than I deserve and certainly more than I ever could've hoped for." He says, and I faintly see tears welling up in his eyes. His big brown eyes look into mine, and my heart feels like it's overflowing with love.

"And while we were out there. I saw this and just thought it would be the prettiest thing in the world on your finger." He says, pulling a box from his pocket and opening it.

Inside, a pristine looking ring sits in the plush velvet. The stones are bright and reflect the sunlight in a magical way. Tears fall from my eyes before I can even find the words to say.

"Joel Miller, I love you more than you could ever know. And I'll cherish you for the rest of my days." I say, as he pulls the ring from the box and slides it into my ring finger.

The metal and stones glisten wonderfully and I can barely take my eyes off of it. Never in a million years did I think I'd be wearing another ring on my finger. And we both know that this can never replace what was lost decades ago, we know that this is a symbol of what we've found and built together.

Joel wipes the tears from my eyes and a few fall from his and roll down his cheek. His lips meet mine in a tender, loving way, and I wish that I could stay in this moment forever.

And as we break away and lean our foreheads against one another's, I hear the cooing of turtle doves in the trees above us.

[trulybetty]

Sunday | Week in Review VII

Not too much to report on this week - Mr. Truly and I both had the week off and then the little Truly's were thrown off their routine and it's been a week. But it was capped off with a new addition to the household!

So without further ado, let's get on with this week's late-night Sunday in Review!

Truly Betty Updates This Week…

Cake (Marcus Pike)

Autumnal Offerings

Distracting (Joel Miller)

Smut, just Frankie smut

Fics I Enjoyed This Week…

Shared Breaths (Frankie Morales) by @frenchiereading This whole series is such a delight to read and let me tell you, chapter nine is worth reading multiple times over, let me tell you that 😏. But this is a perfect story - you've got yearning for the first half and the second half is the play out of a developing relationship that is so fun to watch play out. If you love Frankie, you won't be disappointed in this.

Turbulence (Frankie Morales) by @rhoorl Jess' first run at a one-shot on our main man this week Frankie does not disappoint! I don't mind flying, but I can guarantee any flight sitting next to our aviation expert Mr. Morales is going to be a lot smoother. This is such a fun read and I really hope we see him again in a possible continuation of this.

Saying I love you through an accidental kiss (Joel Miller) Pre-Outbreak by @songsformonkeys This one reappeared on my dash this week and it's always worth a re-read and always one I'll recommend. It's Joel at his most hectic, which is very much how I picture pre-outbreak Joel and just the build-up here and the kiss is such a toe-curling delight to read, that I squeal each time even though I know it's coming.

Strawberries (Joel Miller) by @softlyspector This is set after Clouds, but doesn't have to be read first before this one. This explores Ellie and Joel's relationship after the events of TLOU and delves into TLOU2 territory (no spoilers in either one-shot). As much as I love the idea of Ellie and Joel living happily ever after in Jackson - I do enjoy an angsty dive into their relationship as it is in the TLOU2 games. This and Clouds are excellent takes on this!

Hungry Hearts | Epilogue + Bonus I Wanna Mary You (Joel Miller) by @atinylittlepain How my heart wasn't ready for this to end - but Gin gave Jerry the send-off they deserved and not only that, we were treated to a bonus second part to the epilogue that I'm still raving about! Honestly, who wasn't reading this? But if you weren't, I suggest you do - you can binge all the posted chapters! Jerry4Eva! 💘

Candy (Dieter Bravo) by @secretelephanttattoo I imagine any date with Dieter to be chaotic and El does such a great job of describing such an event here. I feel like a broken record with how many times I referred to it as such, but it really is a deliciously raunchy romp and I'd gladly go for Ray-Ban candy floss with Dieter any time if this is the end result.

Working Title (Dieter Bravo) by @rhoorl Finally got to reading this and devoured it all. It reads like a fabulous romance novel you’d read at the beach and then want to re-read again because it’s just that enjoyable! Plus the last chapter? My loins have not recovered lol, cannot wait for the next update!

Conversations with a Movie Star | Chapter 3 (Dieter Bravo) by @gnpwdrnwhiskey Aside from my own OC x Dieter, this pairing is hot on their heels for the title of favourite OC x Dieter. Ava keeps Dieter on his toes and has made herself at home at the Bravo Inn. The descriptions of landmarks in Myrtle Beach are fantastic, the chemistry is *chefs kiss*, and the way @gnpwdrnwhiskey writes Dieter 'Anthony' Bravo is fantastic. Please do take some time out to read this series - the premise alone is superb, you won't be disappointed - trust me!

Posts I Enjoyed This Week… Okay, so there's a reason this week's week in review is christened 'Sunday Thots' - the thots were out in force this week!

@goodwithcheese’s thread on the origin of Frankie’s oral skills

@beskarandblasters’s curation of creators with a smaller following

@legendary-pink-dot's Catfish Pond PHD program's latest curriculum, Pedro & Oscar

with Catfish PhD Logo, that I will figure out how to make into a shirt at some point 

@grogusmum doing the hard work for us and sending us all to horny jail

Jess’ deep dive on Grey Sweatpants Season with the Triple Frontier boys - thinking she should visit the Last of Us next 😏

Things I’ve Enjoyed This Week… No competition this week the most enjoyable thing was the addition of Francesca 'Frankie' Cat to the Truly household...

This Week’s Song… Not much has been played this week, but if you saw my mood board for Salt Water last week- this is where the title takes itself from...

Happy Sunday all! Here's to a great week ahead! 💕 xx