joelmillershole

[joelmillershole]

dark but just a game

raider!joel x reader

warnings: 18+ mdni! raider!joel, rough sex/smut, unprotected piv sex (wrap it before u tap it folks), fingering, choking, hair pulling, probably dubcon but it’s not really?, deep throating/face fucking, spanking, joel is mean, joel is a bad man (but such a hot one), pet names (baby, sweetheart), no use of y/n

word count: 2.4k

a/n: i am depraved. also I wrote this in like 1 sitting and had to post. omg. i’ve never posted smut before and of course when I do it has to be fucking nasty! enjoy

You knew you treaded on a thin tightrope. No net, no balancing pole, nothing but the ground a hundred feet below and a short landing thirty feet away. The only consolation was the lack of a crowd, empty stands around the circus tent, only yourself and the lone figure on the other side. Waiting for you. Faceless, nameless; but you knew in the back of your mind that wasn’t true. Maybe your subconscious wanted you to believe that when you had this dream. You knew better. 

 You knew better than to trust yourself not to fall. 

 You weren’t even around too long before the outbreak happened; never even been to a circus. Only read about it in books. But the metaphor seemed apt, and as you climbed and gripped every rung of the ladder to the starting spot, you cursed and cursed yourself for the inevitable fall. Like clockwork, though -- like a machine with no off button -- you made the climb again and again. 

 And again. Creeping around the decimated town, you closed your eyes. Imagined taking the first step onto the taut wire. Felt it lag under your weight. Inhaled slowly, bracing yourself for the second step. And just as you swung your other foot out, just as you tightened your core and prayed to any God that would listen, your arms pinwheeled wildly and you lost your balance. 

 He’d snuck up on you, pinned you face-first to the wall with his large, heavy hands. The sharp inhale, the gasp, that you sucked in, overshadowed by a dark, languid chuckle from behind and somewhere above your ears. 

 “Can’t get enough of me, huh, baby?” You almost forgot about the drawl. The hint of some origin from long ago. Shivering, you felt his words fan against the shell of your ear, breath hot and sending goosebumps down your arms. “‘Li’l pathetic, don’t’ya think?” 

 You barely heard yourself respond, some breathy denial, maybe a squeak. Something truly pathetic, just as he said. 

 Joel used one hand to grip your hair at the root, yanking your head backward. His nails dug into your scalp. It was painful -- your eyes filled, against your will, with tears -- but then again, you knew it would be. You expected it to be. 

 He peered down at you, scowling. He looked strange from this point, upside-down and blurry. His other hand wrapped around your body, no longer used to shove you against the sharp bricks of some building wall. It found its spot at your throat. You swallowed against it, eyes fluttering shut as he applied pressure. 

 “Haven’t seen you in a minute,” he whispered. He pressed his lips against your temple. “Been hidin’ from me, baby?” 

 You shook your head. It was difficult to do with his hand wrapped around your throat and his vice-like grip on your hair. Miniscule, almost, but he got the message. “No?” He nosed down your cheek until his lips found the junction between your chin and your neck, just above where his thumb squeezed. Joel sucked the skin in between his lips, rolled it in between his teeth. 

 You gasped. You squeezed your legs together against the sharp ache between them. You grit your teeth. You didn’t think to do each one of these actions, the only thought in your head the feeling of Joel sucking on your neck. And plummeting a hundred feet down. 

 “Joel-” you tried but only choked as he tightened his grip with both hands. “P-please-” 

 “Please, what?” He mumbled into your neck. He let go of it to slide his hand down the length of your body, grabbing roughly at your breasts first, before trailing it down your belly and between the waistband of your pants. “Use your words, baby. Been so long since I’ve gotten to hear your pretty voice.” 

 Against your better judgment, your stomach flipped at his words, his praise. God, you craved this. It was the only reason you’d snuck out of your QZ to go searching around the abandoned city around it, far enough away from the FEDRA soldiers that you didn’t worry about getting caught. Unless there were some other raiders around; not an impossibility, but unlikely enough that you weren’t worried. Joel kept to himself. Even if someone did manage to find you two, you knew Joel would take care of it. You’d watched him kill before. He was violent and scary. There must be something wrong with you if it turned you on so much. 

 Joel, in a rough motion, let go of you to spin you around to face him. You barely got a glimpse of his face before he had his hands on your shoulders, pushing you down. Your knees hit the pavement with a painful jolt. You watched him undo his belt, deft hands quickly unbuttoning and pushing down his jeans and boxers. And then there he was, his thick cock hard and weeping with precum. 

 “You gonna suck me, baby girl?” Joel said. He fisted his hand in your hair again, pulling you closer. “Or am I gonna make you?” 

 You swallowed, looking up at him through your lashes. “I will, Joel,” you murmured. You leaned forward to take the tip of him into your mouth. He tasted salty, the precum rubbing against your tongue. Joel stared down at you, eyes dark and bottom lip pulled between his teeth. He pressed his hips in further and you obeyed, opening wider to swallow him deep. As his cock hit the back of your throat, you gagged around it, eyes watering, but not missing the way his closed, nor the exhalation of pleasure that left his lips. 

 “Fuck,” he swore lowly. “Mouth feels so fucking good. Love the way those pretty lips look wrapped around my cock.” 

 Your stomach flipped again, even as you gagged once more. Still, Joel pressed in further, his long cock inching down your throat. Your breathing quickened, chest rising and falling rapidly. You didn’t know how you were going to keep taking him, not when you kept gagging. 

 “Relax, baby,” he cooed, free hand brushing against your cheek. You looked up at him, breathing heavily through your nose. “Relax your throat. Don’t panic, you can take it.” 

 You tried your best to listen to him. You relaxed your throat, eyes squeezing shut as he pulled your head down his length until you had taken everything. Every inch of him stuffed down your throat, nose pressed into the small mass of curls above the base of his cock. You knew you must be dripping, clenching agonizingly around nothing. 

 “Look at you, fuck,” Joel said. He let go of your hair to run his fingers through it. “Keep breathin’ through your nose, baby. Gonna keep my cock in that mouth.” 

 You moaned around his length. When you closed your eyes, tears fell down your cheeks; but you listened, nails digging into your palms painfully. You knew he would be angry if you raised them and grabbed his legs. You’d played this game before. 

 Joel slid out of your mouth almost all the way, enough that you could finally breathe around it. You swallowed in large gulps of air before he pressed in again, slowly, all the way down to the hilt. You only gagged once before you relaxed and let him fuck your mouth. 

 After that, his pace increased. It was almost too much, the in and out, your throat spasming around his thick cock. Your lips and throat and knees ached, strings of saliva hanging down your chin, but you sat there dutifully, tears streaming out of eyes that you kept trained on him. You watched his expression, dark and flushed, as he used your mouth for himself. Your core ached. You kept falling, down and down, not having yet hit the ground. 

 “Fuck, sweetheart,” Joel panted, sliding all the way out of your mouth. Your throat felt empty at the loss. “So fuckin’ good. Little slut for me. You a slut for anybody else?” 

 You shook your head, turning to wipe your mouth on the shoulder of your shirt. “No, Joel,” you croaked out. Your voice was fucked. “Only a slut for your cock.” 

 Joel swore. Staring down at you, he thought for a moment, then dragged you standing by your hair. You winced at the crack of your knees, the strain of them straightening after being bent for so long. Joel pushed your cheek against the wall again, his hand slipping in between your waistband once more. 

 You gasped as he ran a thick finger across your folds; Joel swore again at the wetness, sinking two fingers in to the knuckle. 

 “Joel,” you begged, eyes fluttering. You groaned out something incoherent, your body twitching at the feel of his fingers curling inside of you. They were so much longer than yours and could reach so much deeper. “Fuck, fuck, fuck, Joel…” 

 “That’s it, baby,” he whispered into your neck. His thumb flicked your swollen clit roughly and you almost screamed at the feeling. Your knees could have buckled and he would’ve kept you upright just from the force of his body pressing you into the wall. “You like that? So wet from just sucking my cock. You really are a slut, huh?” 

 “Yes,” you sobbed. “Came looking for you. For this.” 

 Joel groaned, nipping at your neck. “I know, baby. So desperate for this cock.” When you nodded, he chuckled, extracting his fingers from your pussy. “So fuckin’ desperate… guess I’ll give you what you came for.” 

 Joel yanked your pants down to the knees. He grabbed your thighs and pulled you back against him, then pushed your torso forward so you were bent over. He pinned both of your hands behind your back with one hand and used the other to rub the tip of his cock against your soaked pussy. 

 Without another word, Joel thrust his full length into you in one swell move. You screamed, tears pricking your eyes at the burn, the fullness. He sighed from behind you, the hand not gripping your wrists moving to slap your naked ass. You yelped at the sting of it.

 “Missed this pretty pussy,” Joel mumbled. “Who does this pussy belong to, baby?” 

  You shuddered throughout your entire body as you got used to the stretch. It’d been months since you had him inside of you, and it was something your body forgot. Too caught up in the feeling of his cock inside of you, you didn’t answer. He slapped your ass again, harder. 

 “I said, who does this pussy belong to?” 

 “You,” you cried out, clenching around him.

 “Say it.” Joel dragged his cock out inch by inch, slowly, then sheathed himself back to the hilt with a grunt. “Who makes you this fuckin’ wet?” 

 “You, Joel.” You barely even registered speaking. “This pussy belongs to you… I’m this wet for you…” Heat bit at your cheeks, embarrassment, but you kept blubbering as he began to slide in and out of you slowly. You felt the drag of every inch, every centimeter. “Please, please, please fuck me-- harder, please--” 

 Joel laughed mockingly behind you. “Harder? If you say so.” 

 Your vision blurred as Joel fucked you, hard and deep and almost painfully. That familiar heat built up in your core. You wondered if it was even possible for you to come without him touching you, just from his cock alone. You never had before. But it’d been this long, and if you shut your eyes, you envisioned the ground steadily raising to meet your plummeting body. An acrobat you most definitely were not. 

 As if on cue, Joel shifted ever so slightly. His cock hit some spot inside of you, soft and spongy, and you unraveled with a start. Eyes rolling back into your head, you slumped, cheek scraping against the sharp edges of the brick wall. You barely noticed the pain and only distantly did you feel Joel pull you backward by your hair, your back arched, and heard him groan at the feeling of your pussy spasming around his cock. 

 “Shit, baby!” He bit down on your neck and used two fingers to rub your clit. “Didn’t even touch you. You gonna come for me again?” 

 Just as you started coming down, the quick circles he drew around your bundle of nerves sent painful overstimulation shuddering through your body. 

 “No,” you cried out, body jerking. “‘S too much, Joel-” 

 “Shut up,” he said, voice bland. “Take it, baby.” His hips jerked harder. You shrieked with each thrust into your sensitive core. His fingers didn’t let up, and in less than a minute, you felt your peak rising quickly again, this time muddled and almost feverish. 

 You came again. Harder. It felt like it lasted forever, like you were never going to come out of it, like you were stuck eternally in this high. Joel’s thrusts became erratic and off-kilter and then he was coming, too, with a grunt, filling you up. You didn’t even have the mind or energy to protest, just shook around his cock as he filled you with his come. 

 It took a minute, but you finally came down, bones sagging like jelly in your post-orgasmic state. Joel slid out of you. When he let you go to pull his pants up, you crumpled to the ground. 

 He squatted down to your level, rough hands lifting you at the hips and yanking your pants up. He set you back down and stood up, peering down at you with a blank expression. 

 “Keep telling you not to come back,” he said. 

 You stared back up at him, mind blank. 

 “Keep telling you ‘m not a good man, baby,” said Joel. “I ain’t gonna cuddle you after, just gonna take what I want. But you don’t listen.” 

 He bent down to tuck a stray lock of hair behind your ear. Then he gripped your chin in between his fingers. 

 “I know you ain’t gonna listen if I say it again,” he said. “So I’ll see you next time.” 

 You watched him walk away, turning the corner and leaving you alone in the alleyway he’d found you in what seemed like forever ago. 

 After a few minutes, you managed to pick yourself up, wincing at the ache between your legs. You started on the way back to the QZ, wondering when the next time was you’d decide to make the climb again. 

[joelmillershole]

not gonna stop me

dbf!joel x reader

warnings: mention of sex, very brief mention of death, dbf!joel, age gap (reader is 25, joel is late 40s), pet names (baby, sweetheart, honey), getting caught, established relationship, no use of y/n

word count: 2.6k

summary: Of course a tree would fall on your dad’s house during a storm on a night Joel, your dad’s best friend, decided to sleep over. And of course Joel would be the one to open the door when your dad came over to your apartment at six in the morning because of it. 

a/n: first joel fic so please let me know of any issues or comments about his character! I’m planning on writing more about this particular joel/reader, both the before and after of this scenario. just couldn’t get this scene out of my head. also, the incorrect use of “your” is intentional in this I promise I know the difference

 At the same time your phone pinged with a Ring doorbell notification, a loud chirp that roused you from sleep and sent you shooting up in panic, came a heavy and deliberate knock at your front door. Both sounds sent the sleeping body next to you stirring as well. Joel’s warm hand reached out to you from beneath the covers, searching for some part of you to grab. 

 “Who is it?” he grunted, words slurring together from a mix of accent and sleep. 

 “‘Ion know,” you slurred back, rubbing your eyes. The digital clock on the wall read barely six in the morning. “D’you wanna go check? Or hand me my phone so I can look at the app?” Your phone sat on his side of the bed, plugged in. There wasn’t a close enough outlet on your side to keep it next to you at night. 

 He seemed to consider it for a moment too long, so long you thought he might have fallen back asleep. Finally, he murmured, “No, baby, just c’mere. Come back to me.” 

 His hand found your wrist and pulled you back down, under the thick comforter, and towards him until your back laid flush with his chest. His arms enveloped you and held you close and tight. Nose nuzzling into your neck, Joel murmured, “Go back to sleep. We ’ont have to get up for a few hours. ‘M sure they’ll go away--” 

 Another knock, this one louder. Your phone vibrated on the nightstand. 

 “Joel, just hand me my phone so I can see--” 

 “No,” he huffed into your ear. His warm breath caused a shiver to run down your spine. “Who in their right fuckin’ mind is bangin’ on your door this fuckin’ early?” 

 You loved when Joel slept over. He did it a couple of times a week, usually when he didn’t have to wake up early for work. You enjoyed keeping your apartment cool at night, and when he came over, it was like having a built-in furnace in your bed. Before you started your little… arrangement, you would never have pegged him for a cuddler. However, sleeping Joel did not know how to let you go -- he slept either spooning you, his arms wrapped around your middle, or when he got uncomfortable and wanted to turn the other way, pulled you with him so you could koala-wrap yourself around his back. If all else failed, he wanted you on top of him, your cheek pressed to his chest. 

 You’d never been with someone so cuddly at night. It was a stark difference from the way you first found yourself entangled with him. Sex with Joel was always rough and hard and left your limbs trembling. Having him so intimate and relaxed with you felt like a boon sometimes. 

 The knock sounded a third time, this beat with what sounded like the flat of a fist instead of knuckles. A bang, really. With a growl, Joel unwrapped himself from your body and threw off the comforter. You watched him from your spot, not moving to follow, as he grabbed his previously-discarded shirt and pajama pants off the floor next to the bed and pulled them on, grumbling the entire time. 

 “‘M gonna go yell at that fucker,” he said, stepping over your cat, who darted in between his legs on their way to open the bedroom door and flick on the hallway light. “Move, cat.” 

 While he stomped his way to the front door, you reached across the cooling empty space to unplug your phone. You squinted at the bright screen in the former pre-dawn pitch of the room. The Ring alert was secondary to the first notification, which unraveled a series of texts from your dad, the first one from around one in the morning and the last one sent about a minute ago. 

You awake baby? 

Supposed to be bad storms tonight. Wanted to make sure your okay 

You and that damn cat of yours stay safe tonight baby call if you need anything

 Only after his first couple of texts did you realize it was indeed raining outside. And hard. 

Hey I know your asleep but a tree fell on the house 

The big oak from the backyard 

I’m inviting myself over to wait out the storm hope thats ok. 

I’m here 

Wake up open up

 Fuck. You voiced it. “Fuck,” you whispered. The big oak from the backyard? That tree was huge. It had to have messed up the house big time if your dad invited himself over. He’s always valued your privacy over anything and felt bad for even coming to hang out for a couple of hours at your apartment. You moved out of his house a few months ago, insisting that it was time you get your own place. That was the only reason you and Joel even ended up together. If you were still living with your dad, you doubted anything would have happened between you two. 

 Your eyes widened at the reminder of Joel. Bigger fuck. “Fuck,” you hissed again, your turn to throw back the covers and yank on your pajama pants. “Joel,” you called, desperation evident in your tone. “Joel, wait, don’t open the--” 

 The door. You heard the click of the locks and then the slide of the hinges. You heard Joel’s sleep-heavy, gruff voice grunt out, “Can I help you?” just as the door cracked open and you stumbled into the living room a few feet behind him. 

 Your dad stood before the door, his brows knotted in confusion at the sight of his best friend opening the door to his daughter’s apartment. At barely six in the morning. With pillow-tousled hair and no socks or shoes, pajama pants on, and your cat tucked snugly and comfortably in between his legs. Your testy and oftentimes fractious cat, who hated strangers and barely tolerated even your father. 

 “Joel?” Your dad questioned, confusion lacing his voice. His brows knit even deeper. “Joel?” he said again, more intently. “What the hell?” 

 Joel stood there, frozen, hand still on the doorknob. He seemed to be at a loss for words. In any other situation, you would laugh; Joel Miller, speechless? That was definitely a phenomenon for the books. 

 But not this situation. You stood off to the back for a second, not knowing what to do. What was the protocol for this? What were you supposed to do, to say? You saw your dad start to get angry and rushed forward, putting a hand on Joel’s chest to push him away. 

 “Dad,” you said, a little breathless. “Hey. Um. Good morning.” 

 He didn’t say anything, just stared at Joel, who stared back, face pale and unmoving. You snapped your fingers in your dad’s face to get his attention. 

 “Dad,” you said again. He looked at you this time, lips pressed tightly together. “Just come inside, it’s fuckin’ storming out there.” 

 He didn’t say anything else as you dragged him inside by his arm, closing and locking the door behind him. Joel and your dad stared at each other wordlessly while you stood off to the side, unsure how to snap the tension without everything unraveling all at once. Truly the worst case scenario. 

 The truth was, you were planning on telling your dad sometime soon. Ish. You didn’t like keeping secrets from him. Ever since your mom passed when you were young, you and your dad had always been more like best friends than anything else. Best friends that looked out for each other, rather than just your dad looking out for you. Which might have been a dynamic that a lot of people would find exhausting -- however, it just felt natural to you. He’d always said you’d been too independent for your own good. Even so, he’d teared up a bit when you moved the last box from your old room to your new apartment. 

 Joel caved first. He cleared his throat, trying to rid his voice of its sleepy gravel. “Hey, man, listen--” 

 “What the fuck, Joel?” your dad snapped. “Are you fuckin’ serious?” 

 You took a step forward, trying to get in between them. “Dad--” 

 He held up a hand to you. “Don’t. I’on want to hear it from you.” He jerked his chin towards Joel. “Wanna hear it from him.” 

 Joel lifted a hand to rub his beard, face contorted in a grimace. “What do you want me to say?” he asked. His voice sounded tight, tense. 

 “Start with what the fuck you’re doing here at six in the goddamn morning. At my daughter’s apartment. In your fuckin’ pajamas.” 

 You threw your head back with a groan. “What does it look like, Dad? He was sleeping over. C’mon, I know that’s obvious.” 

 “Why the hell were you sleeping over.” 

 Joel kept rubbing his beard. Must be a nervous tick or something. You’d never seen him nervous (before now, at least), so you wouldn’t know for sure. “I didn’t want you to find out like this,” was all he said. 

 A beat of silence. You inched your way in front of Joel, facing your dad, like you were shielding him. In a way, you were; your dad had a right to be a bit peeved, you guessed, but since you were well past the stage of “Consenting Adult” and you even had your own place, he couldn’t have much to say. 

 “I didn’t want you to, either,” you said. “I was meaning to tell you soon, I just… didn’t know how to bring it up.” When your dad said nothing, just kept glancing back and forth between Joel and you, you continued. “Dad, Joel and I have been… seeing each other. For a little bit. It’s nothing weird--” 

 “Sounds fuckin’ weird, Joel,” your dad muttered through clenched teeth, ignoring you. “She’s a fuckin’ kid--” 

 “No.” You held up a hand, scowling. “I’m not. I’m twenty-five. I’m a full-ass adult.” When he didn’t acknowledge you, you snapped again. “Look at me when I’m talkin’ to you, Dad. Not at Joel.” 

 Your dad, finally, looked at you. 

 “I’m sorry we didn’t say anything sooner, but we only been seeing each other for a couple months. Just since a little after I moved out. Nothing happened before that on either side, so don’t get weird about it like that. Please.” You held his gaze for a moment. “I didn’t know you were coming over. If I had, I wouldn’t’ve sprung this on you like this.” 

 Your dad grunted. “I texted you. About comin’ over ‘cuz of the tree.” 

 “What tree?” Joel said. 

 Your dad just stared at him. 

 “The oak in the backyard,” you explained for him after a beat of awkward silence. “It fell on the house from the storm. I didn’t see the text until just now.” 

 Joel got out a strained, “I’m sorry, man.” Your dad didn’t reply, only kept staring at his friend. “Lemme help you fix it up. Once it’s done stormin’ outside.” 

 Silence again. You rolled your eyes and turned away, heading for the linen closet in the hallway. “Dad, I’mma set up the couch for you. You been up all night.” Grabbing a spare pillow and a few blankets, you carried them over to your couch and began setting up a small pallet. 

 Behind you, Joel’s footsteps echoed down into your room, the soft pattering of your cat following. Your dad sat at the edge of the couch and watched you unfold the blankets. 

 “I’m gonna head out,” Joel said, emerging from the bedroom once more. You glanced over your shoulder at him. He had his shoes and jacket on, keys dangling from his finger. “Let y’all talk a bit. Jus’ be over at my house.” 

 You narrowed your eyes at him. His already-present frown deepened, and you decided not to press it. Not with your dad here. 

 “‘Kay,” you said. “Drive safe. It’s storming.” 

 He nodded. “I’ll call you.” 

 And then he left, your cat meowing at his absence immediately after the door closed. The scrape of the key in the lock sounded and the deadbolt clicked into place, Joel locking the door after himself. 

 Your dad turned to you with a raised brow. “I see he has a key.” 

 “God.” You threw your hands in the air. “He does.” 

 “And that damn cat seems to like him an awful lot.” 

 She did. She’d been obsessed with him since she met him. She liked him a thousand times more than she liked you; she cuddled with him at night, sat on his lap during TV or movie night, and followed him around wherever he went. If he closed the bathroom door before she joined him inside, she would sit in front of it and yowl until he opened it again. 

 “I think she likes him more than me.” You waited a beat. “What are you thinking?” 

 Your dad shook his head, hands rising to rub at his temples. “Baby, I don’t -- I’m too tired for this conversation right now. I haven’t even slept yet.” You nodded and stood up to let him get some rest, about to retire to your room and call Joel. His voice stopped you mid-motion. “He treating you right, at least?” 

 Your expression softened. “Of course he is.” You sat back down, knees touching your dad’s leg and legs folded underneath you. “It’s nothing weird, Dad. I promise.” 

 “How… how did it start? Do I even wanna know?” 

 You laughed. “Remember when I bought that Ikea furniture after I first moved in? The dresser and bookshelf?” 

 He thought for a moment. His brows lifted in recognition. “Yeah, I do.” 

 “You were out of town for a week for work. I needed them set up but didn’t have a drill. You told me to ask Joel, so I did, and we just got to talkin’. Just realized we got on pretty well.” You shrugged. “Been getting on pretty well since, I guess.” 

 Your dad nodded. “It’s gonna take me a minute to get used to this, baby. And I still gotta talk with him first, too. It’s different with me ‘n him.” 

 “Okay, Dad. I understand. Just as long as you don’t kill him or something.” You patted his shoulder, standing again. “I’m gonna go back to sleep for a bit, okay? You get some sleep, too.” 

 You retreated back to your bedroom, waiting for your cat to follow you before closing the door. As soon as you slid back into bed, you unlocked your phone and sent a text to Joel. 

u home? 

 His reply came quickly. 

Yeah

Just got home

 You pressed the button to call him. He picked up on the first ring, gruff voice sounding muffled through the line. 

 “Hey, sweetheart.” 

 “Hi, Joel.” Your voice sounded small. “It’s gonna be okay, I think.” 

 “You talk to your old man?” 

 “A lil’. He’s gonna talk with you.” You paused. “I wish you didn’t leave.” 

 A sigh. “I know, honey. But it’s for the best right now. We’ll take it slow while your dad is there. Sucks about the house -- I’ll hav’ta get my guys to help patch it up once the rain’s over.” 

 You nodded before you realized he couldn’t see you. “Okay. I’m gonna sleep some more, okay?” 

 “Okay, honey. I’ll talk to you later. Sleep well.” 

 You smiled. “You too, Joel. Bye-bye.” 

 The soft beeps through the speaker indicated he hung up. You rolled onto your other side, facing the side of the bed he normally sleeps on. Your cat sat in his spot, tail flicking in irritation, eyes reflecting the soft light from in between the blinds. 

 “Shut it,” you murmured, closing your eyes. “He’ll be back with you soon.”