Tumgik
stwbrywhiskeysour · 3 months
Text
Thank you everyone for your support 🩷🩷🩷
If you didn’t already know, a few weeks ago I started a writing blog, @stwbrywhiskeysour. I am beyond blown away with the amount of love and support my first post had received. I love and adore everyone. Thank you so much! 😭😭
Leave a Light On
I wrote this back in November when I was in the darkest deepest depression. The fic has sad dark tones that may trigger some. Please read the tags. Heavily inspired by the Papa Roach song “Leave a Light On (Talk Away the Dark)”.
Thank you for your constant love and support. Every one of you matters. It doesn’t matter if you are just starting out or have been writing/drawing/creating for years, you’re amazing. Keep doing what you love and don’t ever let anyone sway you away from it. Through the slow time where you may get one or two likes and comments, and through the fast ones where you feel like you can’t keep up with the amount of request people ask of you, you’re doing amazing. And just remember that no matter what someone loves you and that person is me.
🩷 - Pammy
3 notes · View notes
stwbrywhiskeysour · 3 months
Text
Cat…..
I'm-
Tumblr media
I love you
🩷 - Pammy
Leave a Light On
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Pairing: Jackson!Joel x F!Reader Summary: A single light flickered throughout the empty room, casting your shadow against the wall. Joel's raspy voice, filled with sadness, whispered a final goodbye.
Words: 6.5k Rating: E (Explicit, 18+ Only MDNI) Content Warning: Jackson time, Establish relationship, No age is mentioned, May contain spoilers to TLOU Part II, Dark/Sensitive topics, does have an happy ending, angst, fluff, Implied MC death, golfing, torture, gun violence, knife violence, graphic descriptions, horseback riding, first aid, explicit language, explicit violence, Typical canon violence, grief/loss, depression, dark thoughts, suicide attempt, smut at the end, fingering, oral F!receiving, P in V, unprotected sex, creampie, cuddling (+ If I forgot any, let me know)
Tumblr media
“Baby?” Joel cried as he clutched your lifeless form against his chest. His body swayed back and forth, stroking your blood-stained hair. “Stay with me, baby. Please, stay with me.”
His winter coat was soaked in red while he held you. The bitter cold seeped into his bones as he remained unbothered. His face streaked with tears, clinging to any hope you would awaken and return to him.
JACKSON || A FEW HOURS AGO
The sun began to set on the horizon. Vibrant hues of oranges and pink scattered across the sky. A wicker basket sat next to you, filled with freshly picked vegetables. You took a deep breath, savoring the earthy scent in the greenhouse. You glance out the window as a shadow passes by. As the figure moved away from the greenhouse, you let out the breath you were holding.
The lights flickered on as you eagerly awaited for Joel to arrive. Seconds turned to minutes, and you wondered where he could be. Julie, the other worker in the greenhouse, noticed your uneasiness. She stood up and placed her hand on your shoulder in an attempt to console you.
“Hey, I’m sure he’s on his way. Maybe he stopped home for something?” she reassured.
Joel had never missed a night walking you home. It was the highlight of both your evenings. You would share stories of each other's past and what each other did throughout the day. You especially loved the little spark of excitement that would flash through his eyes when he would talk about Ellie. Joel rarely spoke to anyone outside of Tommy and Ellie. And, since you came into his life, you could barely get him to shut up. However, you cherished those moments. They allowed you to witness a side of him that very few see.
You looked up at Julie and smiled softly, a hint of sadness in your eyes. “Yeah, hopefully,” you responded as you bent down to grab the basket. You walked towards the door and waved. “I’ll see ya later.” You left and made your way towards the pantry before heading home.
The winter storm caused the wind to blow the snow harshly around you. You pulled your coat tighter against your body, trudging towards Rancher Street. A light in your peripherals caught your attention. Your pace slowed as you turned to face the house belonging to Maria and Tommy and stared towards the window. An unsettling knot grew in your stomach. You looked towards your home and back to theirs. Unable to shake the feeling, you jogged towards their door.
Three hard knocks were all it took for Maria to crack the door open. Her hair was disarray, and she had dark circles around her eyes as if she had not slept in days. She looked shocked that you were standing at the door.
“Has Tommy come home yet?” you asked, not allowing Maria a chance to greet you.
“No, he-” she stated, voice filled with concern, “if you’re here, neither has Joel.”
“Yeah,” you sighed, shaking the snow off your hair and shoes.
“Fuck. I sent a group hours ago to bring them home. I just thought they had gone to the Bison,” she said as she opened the door wider to allow you to enter.
“Do you know what area they were patrolling?”
“Uhm, yeah, it was around the old ski lodge,” Maria stated, walking through the house. You followed closely behind her. “You can’t seriously be thinking about going out there in this.”
You looked at her with a determined face mixed with concern. She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Can you at least wait til the storm is over?”
“Maria, I-”
“Of course, you can’t,” she said as she walked up to a desk drawer and grabbed a map. She laid it out on the table and circled the area they were patrolling. “They should be around this area.”
You nodded and traced your finger from the gate of Jackson to the area she had circled, making a mental note of the path to take. The lodge was near a small town, and you thought if you could make it there, you would be able to track their prints in through the snow.
“Awesome. Can I take this?” You asked. She nodded and grabbed your arm as you walked past her.
“Wait,” she said. Her grip on your arm tightened. “There were reports of a large horde near the town. Stay away from there. Bring them home, safe. okay?”
‘Well fuck, there goes that idea,’ you thought as you looked up at her. You smiled. “Will do. Thanks, Maria.”
Maria waved at you while you jogged down the street toward the stables. Once you got to the large barn, you grabbed a saddle from the wall and placed it on the back of the black stallion you had named Beauty. You put your head against his muzzle and softly petted his mane.
“You ready, ol’ boy?” you whispered. Beauty neighed as you swung your leg over his back and grabbed his reins. You began to trot towards the wooden gate.
Jesse noticed you on horseback coming out of the stables. He called out to you. “Hey! Where are you going?”
“Open the gate, Jesse,” you said sternly.
“Maria said no one was to leave during the storm.”
“Open the damn gate.”
Jesse looked over at the other patrolman, shocked. They shrugged at him and casually walked over to the lever, pulling it open for you. Just before it was opened completely, you galloped out into the storm, not looking back. The wind whipped through your hair as you urged Beauty to gallop faster.
-- -- --
You rode through the woods, avoiding the town. Because you were not paying attention, you almost caused Beauty to trot off a cliff. He neighed loudly, bucking upwards, knocking you off. You land on the ground hard. You groaned as you got up.
“Easy there,” you stated while you reached for his reins, “easy boy.”
Sighing, you peered across the snow-covered field. A large mansion sat in the middle of a fenced area. Bodies of infected piled along the perimeter of the exterior gate. A shiver went down your spine. “Surely, Joel and Tommy didn’t do that,” you whispered. The wintery air caused a misty cloud in front of your mouth as you spoke. You petted Beauty before telling him to make it home safely and smacking him on the rear. You watched him gallop in the distance.
Taking a deep breath, you descend the cliff. As you crept closer to the building, you noticed dark figures moving across the large bay window. You twisted the door handle, and it creaked open. The warmth of the house greeted you as you slowly entered the room. You heard muffled voices and a loud gunshot that echoed off the walls. You gripped your knife tighter. A familiar voice rang through your ears that caused panic to set in.
“Tommy!” the voice screamed. The voice you came to know so well over the past few years, the voice that was filled with so much love for you, a voice that you could instantly recognize anywhere, the voice that belonged to Joel.
“Put him against the wall,” a young female demanded. She couldn’t be much older than Ellie but ordered the men around as if she were their leader. You inched silently into the room, eyes glued on the two men who grabbed Joel by the arms and shoved him against the large window. His right leg was extended out in front of him, bleeding. “Joel Miller.”
“Who are you?” he grunted, trying not to show emotion.
“Guess.”
“Why don’t you say whatever speech you’ve got rehearsed and get this over with,” Joel bit back. His eyes darted over her shoulder, locking with yours. Fear and shock shot through him as he struggled against the men who held him. You glanced around at the group, quickly trying to assess the situation.
The girl walked to a golf caddy near the sofa and pulled out one of the iron clubs. She nodded approvingly and walked in front of Joel. She brought the club up to her shoulder.
“You stupid old man. You don’t get to rush this,” she growled as she swung the club. It made an impact on the side of Joel’s face. He screamed in agony, blood splattered across the room. His vision blackened as he fell to the ground. The eyes of the girl sparkled with a twisted satisfaction.
You watched in horror as the men drew Joel back against the window, and she raised the club again. Filled with rage, you grabbed one of the men closest to you. Your left hand slid across their face to cover their mouth while you made a horizontal cut across the middle of their neck with your knife. Blood spewed down his body, and his body twitched as you pushed him away from you. His body crumbled to the ground with a loud thud. You ran up to the next person and stabbed them in the neck, puncturing their jugular.
The sound alerted the others, and they turned to face you. You slung your rifle around your body and held it firmly in your hands. Your index finger pressed the trigger as you meticulously aimed and fired at the group. A person came up from behind you and kicked your legs from underneath you, knocking you to the ground. You yelped in surprise as they shoved your face onto the cold floor.
“Get the fuck off of me,” you growled, fighting against the person holding you down, “I will fucking kill you.”
“Well, well, well. Who do we have here?” the girl spoke, stalking up to you. She grabbed you by your hair and pulled you to your knees. You gasped in pain, breathing heavily. “Girlfriend?” she asked as she looked over at Joel. She shook her head. “No. Wife?”
“No, don’t!” Joel rasped out.
She let out a dark chuckle. His desperate plea fell on silent ears as the girl taunted you. Her grip on your hair tightened as she turned you to face Joel.
“This is so much better than what I had planned. You took my father from me; I’m going take something from you,” she sneered, pulling her knife from its holster. Joel struggled against the grasp of the men who held him. His eyes filled with a mix of fear and anger. The moment she took her knife out, his movements ceased. He watched dreadfully as she scrapped the blade down your sternum until it rested just below the hard bone. She pushed your shoulders forward. The blade pierced through your abdomen with a squelching sound; you gasped in pain as you felt the sting of it entering your body. Blood trickled down as you started to sway. The excruciating agony intensified when she dug the blade deeper into you before pulling it out and shoving you away. You fell to the ground, clutching your stomach in a horrible attempt to stop the bleeding. Your eyes locked with the tear-filled ones of Joel. You struggled to catch your breath, and your vision kept flashing black.
“What the hell is this, Abby?” a man yelled while entering the room, “You’re done here.” She groaned in protest. You were unable to pay attention to the words being spoken around you. The words were fading into silence as darkness started to engulf you.
With every ounce of strength, Joel pulled himself across the floor. “Darlin’?” he whispered, reaching his hand out towards you. Abby noticed his movements and kicked him hard in the stomach, knocking the wind from his lungs. She huffed and left the house with her group.
You gasped for air, feeling the weight of darkness pressing against your consciousness. Tears streamed down Joel’s face as he scooted himself closer to you. Memories began to flood his mind. He remembered the first time he met you, how strong you were when you fought alongside him in the spore-filled tunnels. He remembered how you yelled at him for being so careless with a child who didn’t even know how to swim. He remembered how he fell in love with you the day he met you. He tried to stay awake, staring at your beautiful face as the memories faded.
Your eyes met his once again. Desperate to speak. You rasped, “I… I…. lo…. love….” you choked on your blood, coughing harshly as it pooled in your mouth. Your body convulsed, and your labored breath came to a sudden stop.
“Baby?” Joel whispered as he tried to pull you closer to him. “Baby, please.” -- -- -- --
“Baby!” he cried, clutching your lifeless body against his chest. He swayed back and forth, stroking your blood-stained hair. “Stay with me, baby. Please, stay with me.”
His winter coat was soaked in red while he held you. The bitter cold seeped into his bones as he remained unbothered. His face streaked with tears as he clung to any possible hope you would awaken and return to him.
A loud, pained groan erupted from across the room. Tommy shifted uncomfortably against the floor as he regained consciousness. His head throbbed in pain from the hit he received. His palms flattened against the cold tiles, and he lifted himself, stumbling backward and hitting the console table. He gazed at the room and noticed the bodies scattered across the floor in puddles of blood.
“Jesus Christ,” he muttered, just before his eyes landed on his brother, who was sitting on the ground clutching your limp body to his chest. His leg extended in front of him with a belt tightly fastened on his thigh, acting as a makeshift tourniquet. Joel buried his face into the divot of your neck, whispering apologies in a broken voice.
An audible gap erupted from Tommy as he realized the body Joel was holding was you. Tears threatened to fall as he watched Joel cry out in grief once again. Tommy knew that Joel would never recover from losing you; hell, he never recovered from losing Sarah twenty-some years ago. Unsure of what to do, he whispered Joel’s name.
Joel’s puffy, bloodshot eyes lifted from your neck and met his. Tommy took a step back, horrified at the appearance of his brother. The side of Joel’s face was bashed in as if someone had taken something long, hard, with a flat end and hit him across the face with it multiple times. Blood oozed from the wound, and a mix of blues and black colors surrounded it. His left eye was almost swollen shut, and blood caked his face and hair.
“What the fuck happened?” Tommy asked.
Barely above a whisper, Joel rasped, “Tommy?”
He had forgotten Tommy was there. His entire focus had been on you. Making sure nothing happened to you, and he failed. Nothing mattered to him anymore.
Tommy knelt in front of him and placed a hand on his shoulder. He noticed a significant amount of blood covering both of your jackets. With a concerned face, he saw the small cut from the blade on the fabric of your clothes. “Let me see her,” he said softly.
Joel nodded and placed you gently on the ground next to him. He unzipped your jacket, pushing the flaps to the side. He lifted your shirt slowly. The dried blood caused the fabric to stick to your skin. He pulled it up just below the band of your bra to reveal a tiny stab wound on the upper middle quadrant of your abdomen, centimeters below the hard bone of your sternum. Your breath was shallow. So shallow that Tommy nor Joel noticed your chest rising and falling. Tommy placed his hand over the wound, pressed down hard to try and control the bleeding, and immediately blood covered them.
Joel was not paying attention to Tommy. He stared at your calm, peaceful face. His mind was filled with memories and thoughts of you. He pushed a strand of hair that fell on your face, lightly touching your cold cheek as he placed it behind your ear. He noticed your face showed no signs of distress and no pain. You were just there, on the cold floor, unfazed by what occurred around you.
‘You’re so beautiful,’ Joel thought as he ran his fingers through your hair.
Tommy’s hand began to tremble. He was unable to control the bleeding. He leaned down and placed his ear just above your parted mouth, hoping for any sign of breathing. Tears began to fall down his face when he felt nothing against his cheek. He mouthed, “No, no, no,” as he said your name shaking you.
Coming out of his trance, Joel watched Tommy shake you. He saw the tears in Tommy’s eyes and immediately knew something was wrong. He didn’t want to believe that you were gone. How could he move forward without you? How could he move on? What will he tell Ellie?
Joel shouted your name. He shoved Tommy away from you and placed his hands down on your wound, trying to believe if he was the one putting pressure on it, it would stop. When it didn’t stop, he started to weep.
“Please, not her. God, please, no her,” he sobbed. He felt as if he failed you. He had failed: as a protector, a lover, as everything. His heart shattered into a million pieces. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. It’s all my fault. I’m so sorry.”
Tommy found himself void of words, unable to move from where he stood. He wasn’t sure why this happened to you, why they attacked you, of all people. He had so many questions running through his head. He glanced around the room again, trying to piece together any information he could find. He noticed a patch that was on the jackets of the bodies. He knelt and removed the patch with his knife. The patch was a yellow triangle with a wolf in the middle. The words W.L.F. are located at the bottom. He quickly pocketed it before going back to Joel.
“We should probably head back,” Tommy stated as he looked at Joel. Joel had his hands firmly pressed against your stomach, desperately trying to stop the bleeding.
“NO,” Joel shouted. Tommy grabbed onto his arm, pulling him away from you. “I- I can’t leave her. I can’t-”
“She’s gone.”
“No, no, no,” Joel repeated, shaking his. He pushed Tommy away and tried to go back to you. Tommy grabbed him, stopping his movements.
“I’ll come back for her,” Tommy promised, “When the daylight comes and the storm is over, I’ll bring her home.”
Joel sniffled. He knew Tommy was right. They had to leave, or someone would come looking for them, just as you did. Tommy left the room and returned with a large white sheet. He slowly draped it over you. Joel took it and tucked the sheet under your sides. His hands trembled with every tuck. Blood started to stain the middle of the sheet as it settled across your body. Suddenly, the room felt colder than it had before.
Tommy helped Joel to his feet, wrapping his arm around his middle. They began to walk towards the door, grief heavy on their hearts. Joel stopped for a moment and looked back towards you. He started at the white sheet that covered your body. The light flickered throughout the room, casting your shadow against the wall. He whispered a final goodbye.
As he turned, a gust of wind blew through the open door. It caused the sheet to flutter, uncovering some of your features. His heart sank, feeling a part of him was left behind in the room. Joel sighed sadly, finally looking away from you. They left the building carrying the weight of your absence on them.
-- -- -- --
Jesse walked along the ramparts with a snow shovel. He scooped the snow into its blade and tossed it over the exterior wall. He noticed two dark figures stumbling in the distance. The dense snow made it difficult for him to identify them. He reached for the binoculars and peered through them. One of the figures was held by the waist, their leg dragged behind them, leaving a red trail in the snow.
“What the hell,” he said into the wintery night. “Open the gate!” He shouted but received no response. He glanced over the edge to an empty area. “Where the fuck did they go?”
He ran down the steps to open the gate. Laughter erupted behind him as Dina and Ellie exited the stables. Jesse stared at them in disbelief, eyes darting down from their faces to their interlocked hands. “You gotta be kidding me,” he scoffed, “you were supposed to be on patrol.”
“We are-” Ellie got interrupted.
“This town depends on us. We can’t just be fucking in the stables anytime we want!”
Dina’s face turned bright red. A loud bang on the gate startled them, and a voice shouted just beyond it.
“OPEN THE DAMN GATE!”
Ellie looked at Dina. At the same time, they both stated, “Is that Tommy?”
They ran over to the gate and opened it. The wooden doors creaked, pushing the snow to the side as it opened. Tommy dragged an unconscious, injured Joel inside Jackson. He shifted his arm around his waist, trying to adjust, but Joel slid right out from his arms and landed into the snow. Joel landed face-first into the powdery snow. Ellie immediately ran over to him and lifted him back up with the help of Tommy.
“What happened?” Ellie asked as they reached the clinic. Tommy knocked on the door. An elderly lady appeared, her glasses hung low on her nose.
“Do you realize what time it is?” she said, her voice filled with sleep. She glanced at Joel and gasped. Immediately opening the door, she gestured for them to come in. “The first room on the left is empty,” she said as Tommy and Ellie walked to the room. They laid Joel down on the bed. The lady began to cut his pant leg, revealing the bullet hole.
“Jesus, Tommy. If you don't tell me what the fuck happened right now. I swear, I’m going,” Ellie demanded, clenching her fist tightly.
“That’s it, out!” the lady demanded as she pointed towards the door. Everyone looked at her in shock before muttering and walking out. Dina took a seat next to Jesse. Ellie quickly realized that you were not with them and was unaware of Joel's condition. Her heart started to race, conflicted about whether she should leave or stay with Joel.
Dina’s eyes softened as she watched Ellie’s expressions rapidly change. “I’ll go get her,” she said to Ellie, squeezing her hand.
“She’s not home,” Jesse said softly.
"What do you mean she's not there?"
"She took off hours ago, right before the storm got bad."
Tommy's eyes darted to Ellie's as Jesse finished his sentence. "Ellie, I need to speak to you... Alone."
"I'll be at your house if you need me," Dina told Ellie as she and Jesse left the clinic. Tommy took a seat and rubbed his hands across his face. He sighed loudly as tears threatened to fall from his eyes again.
"There's no easy way to say this," he whispered. His voice trembled. "Kid, she came looking for us. I don't know exactly what happened, but I do know. When I woke, it was too late. She was-" Tears ran down his face, "she was already gone."
"She's gone?" she muttered, tears forming. Her heart sank as she tried to comprehend what Tommy had said. The room felt heavy around her; her breathing became erratic. Everything felt as though it was caving in around her. Her vision tunneled. She violently shook her head; her face went stone cold and void as she stared at him. Just above a whisper, she asked, "You just left her there?"
"Ellie, I didn't have a choice. T'was just me and Joel," he said. "Once the storm settles, I'm going back."
"I'm coming with you."
-- -- -- ---
MEANWHILE || AT THE MANSION
The light flickered throughout the room. Your eyes fluttered open as you desperately gasped for air. The sheet covering your body clung to your face as you inhaled. Shakily, you reached up and pulled it off. The blood rushed back through your body and up to your face. The room spun as you held your head in pain.
You groaned loudly, sitting up. You tried to keep a steady breath as you attempted to stand. Clumsily, you bumped into things while you walked towards the bathroom. You dug through the cabinets, looking for a first aid kit. The blood on your hands smeared the white doors as you opened them. A small red box lay beneath washcloths. You grabbed it and placed it on the counter.
You caught a glimpse of your reflection and were startled by your appearance. Your hair was matted with blood and sweat. Your eyes were bloodshot, and your face was sickly pale, reflecting the trauma you had experienced. Your hands shuddered as you opened the kit.
Among the bandages and alcohol pads, you find a sewing needle and thread. Tucking your shirt under your bra, you tried to thread the needle with blurry vision. After many failed tries, you got the thread through the eyelet and placed it on the counter. You poured water over the wound, soaking the top of your jeans.
With a deep breath, you pierced the needle through the skin, pulled it through the other side, and secured the suture with a double knot before making two more next to it. As you focused on the sutures, the pain intensified. Beads of sweat formed on our foreheads.
After the last stitch, you slumped to the floor. A wave of nausea washed over you. You could barely keep your eyes open. They started to close until you could not fight them anymore and fell into a dreamless slumber.
-- -- -- ---
JACKSON || MONTHS LATER
Darkness surrounded the streets of Jackson. Snow covered the pavement. The white sparkled in the moonlight. The brisk winter breeze bit anyone who dared to be out in it.
A single light flickered from a bulb attached to a familiar house on Rancher Street. Its soft glow illuminated Joel as he sat skillfully strumming away on his guitar. The beautiful melody flowed through the air, stopping passersby as they listened. He sang no words, only allowing the vibrations of the chords to do the music.
His mind was flooded with memories of the past, the battles that were fought, those who have died, and each heavy decision was made. With each note, tears dropped and landed on the curve of the guitar. He played as if it would be the last time his calloused fingers would scrap against the strings.
The last chord strung, he leaned the guitar against the house next to him. He grabbed the pistol from the table and held the cold metal. A sense of finality washed over him. You were no longer here. Ellie never forgave him, and with you gone, the wedge between them grew. He had nothing left, no reason to be here anymore. He contemplated if Jackson would be better without him.
Taking a deep breath, he placed the cold gun against his temple. His index finger brushed against the trigger. His eyes closed for the last time, picturing your face.
“Whatcha think you’re doing there, cowboy?” a feminine voice stated. Hesitantly, he opened his eyes. They land on a familiar silhouette as they ascend the steps. The features of your face appear more prominent as you step into the light. Joel’s eyes widened.
“You’re… You’re not here,” he stuttered. His hands shook as he lowered the gun to his lap. “You can’t be here. This isn’t real.” He shook his head, attempting to remove the image of you. However, no matter how hard he tried, you stood there unmoving, with an amused look, staring at him. Joel’s heart pounded in his chest, questioning his sanity.
He stared at you in wonder. The snowflakes glimmered in your hair, and the bitter cold caused your nose and cheeks to turn pink. He tried to find an explanation. Was this a hallucination? A figment of his imagination? There's no possible way you could be here.
The feeling of longing engulfed him as he stared at your beautiful face.
“Why don’t you come and find out?” you smiled. He hesitated for a moment, unsure if he could trust his senses. But the genuine warmth in your voice convinced him to stand. He grabbed his crutch and took a step towards you. His eyes flickered with a mix of fear and excitement. He reached out toward you, afraid that you would disappear. His warm palm lands on your cold cheek.
“Easy there, cowboy. You look a bit unstable,” you chuckled, leaning into his touch. He released the breath he was holding and pulled you into his arms. He buried his face in your hair, inhaling the familiar scent of the honey soap you used to use.
“Baby,” He mumbled into your hair. You could feel his heartbeat against your face as he held you tightly. His grip filled with longing and relief. “You’re really here.”
“I’m really here,” you replied with a voice filled with love and reassurance. All the doubts and fears vanished from him as he held you. His hand moved to your chin, tilting it upwards. His teary eyes met yours for the first time in months. He leaned down. His nose touches yours.
“You’re really here,” he whispered again. You could feel his hot breath linger on your lips. He closed the gap between you, pressing his lips against yours in a gentle kiss. He nipped your bottom lip, forcing you to open, and slipped his tongue inside. He moaned in your mouth before breaking away to catch his breath. He started to kiss along your jawline, sucking on your pulse, leaving a wet, red spot. Your hands clung to his brown jacket.
“Joel,” You mewled as he nibbled at the soft skin. His scruffy beard left red marks across your neck. “Let's get out of the cold.”
He mumbled in protest, but you pushed him gently towards the door, grabbing his guitar.
You helped me into the house and up the stairs. One of his arms dangled over the crutch, and the other around your waist. As you guided him through the house, his light touches sent shivers through you. His weight felt comforting and electrifying, making you yearn for more.
You made your way to the bedroom. Joel let go of the crutch. A metal clunk echoed off the walls as it hit the ground. His eyes met yours, filled with desire. Without a word, he pulled you closer. His lips brushed against yours in a tender yet passionate kiss. His hands lifted your shirt slowly up your abdomen, fingers lightly touching your skin.
“Baby,” he groaned as he tossed your shirt to the floor. He hobbled towards the bed, pushing with him. The back of your knees hit the frame, causing you to fall backward. Your back lands softly on the blankets and shifts upwards, allowing Joel to climb onto the bed. He towered over you. You could feel the heat radiating off his body. His lips trailed down your neck while his hand explored every inch of you. Your heavy breathing filled the room.
Joel tugged at your jeans. The tip of his fingers traced lines down your thigh as he pulled them off. Flattening his palm, his hand grazed your inner thigh. He kissed down your sternum, stopping just above the bandage that wrapped around you.
“I’m so sorry,” he whispered, kissing it. “so fucking sorry.”
“Oh hush, now,” you stated, shifting your legs a little higher on the bed. He kissed down your stomach and stopped just above the warmth of your core. He looked up at your face. You propped yourself up on your elbows. As his hand covered your dripping cunt, your head fell backward onto the bed.
“So wet. This all for me, darlin’?” he purred. His index finger slid through your folds, which caused you to gasp. Pleasure coursed through your body as he teased your entrance. His touch was electric, and you find your back arching in response.
You could feel the anticipation building as he went lower on your body, nibbling your thigh. The mixture of his breath and the roughness of his beard against your skin heightened your senses. You yearned for more. He pushed his finger inside, coating the digit with your slick before sliding it out.
“More,” you mewled, voice filled with desire as you begged. The hunger in your eyes fueled his own as he eagerly obliged. He pushed another finger in, curving them to hit the rigid sweet spot that he knew would cause you to scream his name. Each movement of his fingers sent waves of pleasure through you, building an insatiable hunger within you. Your hips instinctively arched upwards.
He leaned in and stuck out his tongue. He licked through your folds, up to your clit, circled it, and before moving down to his fingers. The taste of your slick sent Joel over the edge. He moved his tongue back up to your clit and flicked it a few times before sucking. Your hands grabbed a fistful of his hair as you ground your core against his face. His tongue danced skillfully around your clit. The combination of his relentless fingers and the tantalizing flicks of his tongue pushed you closer to the edge.
“That’s it, baby. Cum on my fingers,” Joel growled into your thigh, catching his breath. “Yeah, just like that.” He pumped his fingers faster, pushing you to your limit. You gripped the covers, and your back arched higher. Unable to hold back any longer, you screamed his name. Your walls tighten around his fingers. “That's it, baby.”
He slowed the pace of his pumping until you came down from the euphoric high. He pulled his fingers out of yours, dripping with your slick. He brought them to his mouth and licked his fingers clean. “Been too fucking long, you taste so good.”
He shifted higher up on your body, peppering your skin with kisses. The leg of his jeans rubbed against your bare cunt as he kissed you softly. His hot breath sent electricity through your already sensitive body. As you caught your breath, you could feel his throbbing cock pressed against your leg, aching for release. He whispered in your ear, “I want to feel you around me.”
You stared deeply into his eyes before trying to shift him off of you. The last thing you wanted to do was to hurt his leg. He peered down at you, confused, but pushed you harder against the bed.
“Darlin’, what are you doin’?”
“Would you just lay on your damn back,” you grunted as you squirmed to get free from his towering form. You moaned as he rubbed his covered thigh against your cunt. He chuckled at your failed attempt to get him to move. You looked up at him with big puppy dog eyes. “Come on, please?”
“No.”
“Joel, come on, your leg.”
“I don’t give a shit about my leg right now,” he grunted. He pulled his pants down. His cock bounced as it sprung free from its confines. His eyes burned with desire as he buried his head in the crook of your neck. His large hands grabbed your legs and placed them around his waist. His cock lay against your fold, and he rocked forward, allowing it to rub through your folds, hitting your clit repeatedly. You groan in pleasure. “You ready for me?”
You nod frantically. He looked down at your blissful face.
“Of course you are. Such a good girl.”
“Please, Joel.”
He chuckled as he pushed his cock inside you. He grunted loudly at the feeling of you around him. Your head hit the pillow, shutting your eyes as his cock stretched you.
“God, I missed you,” He moaned and looked at you, “Eyes on me, baby.”
He wanted to watch you come on him. He didn’t want to miss any more moments with you, especially this one. He firmly gripped your hips, thrusting his cock deeper inside you. You screamed his name as he hit that spot only he knew about. With each thrust, he enjoyed the way your moans grew louder. Your breath grew heavier. He knew you were only his.
“Ah! Fu-Fuck!” Joel grunted. His thrusting became more ragged and forceful. The bed frame knocked against the wall. The sound of slapping skin echoed through the darkened room. Your screams muffled as you pulled the pillow across your face. Joel grabbed it and tossed it to the floor. “I want to see you. Fuck, you feel so good.”
Tears threatened to fall as the pressure inside you became too much. You desperately scrape your dull fingernails across Joel's back.
“You can take it. Just a little bit more,” He moaned, “Such a good girl”
You screamed as you came around his cock. The tightness of your walls sent him climaxing with you. His cock pulsates inside you, coating your insides white.
“Fuck, I missed you,” he panted, collapsing on top of you. You could feel his cock softening until it slid out of you. His come seeps out of your weeping hole.
You ran your fingers through his soft hair while you kissed his shoulder. You smiled widely as you both basked in the afterglow. Slowly, he rolled off of you and pulled you flush against his chest. He whispered sweet words of affection in your hair. You attempted to get up, but he pushed you back down, trapping you between his arms.
“I’m not ready to let you go just yet,” he muttered as he planted kisses along your shoulder blades. The warmth of his embrace enveloped you, making it impossible to resist. Your eyes begin to get heavy. You heard Joel chuckle, and then the cover was placed on you. He nestled you under his chin.
The sound of his steady heartbeat lulled you to a blissful sleep. You felt loved and safe, wrapped in his embrace. Whatever tomorrow may bring would be tomorrow’s problem. Right now, you were right where you belonged.
-- --
originally posted: 27/11/2023 on @pamasaur previous account. Support/MDNI banner by @cafekitsune Tags: @pedrostories, @kelbellsficrecs @fhatbhabie (ily)
238 notes · View notes
stwbrywhiskeysour · 3 months
Text
Omg, you reread it?! 😭😭😭😭😭😭
I’m crying. Thank you so much. You’re amazing.
🩷🩷🩷🩷
Leave a Light On
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Pairing: Jackson!Joel x F!Reader Summary: A single light flickered throughout the empty room, casting your shadow against the wall. Joel's raspy voice, filled with sadness, whispered a final goodbye.
Words: 6.5k Rating: E (Explicit, 18+ Only MDNI) Content Warning: Jackson time, Establish relationship, No age is mentioned, May contain spoilers to TLOU Part II, Dark/Sensitive topics, does have an happy ending, angst, fluff, Implied MC death, golfing, torture, gun violence, knife violence, graphic descriptions, horseback riding, first aid, explicit language, explicit violence, Typical canon violence, grief/loss, depression, dark thoughts, suicide attempt, smut at the end, fingering, oral F!receiving, P in V, unprotected sex, creampie, cuddling (+ If I forgot any, let me know)
Tumblr media
“Baby?” Joel cried as he clutched your lifeless form against his chest. His body swayed back and forth, stroking your blood-stained hair. “Stay with me, baby. Please, stay with me.”
His winter coat was soaked in red while he held you. The bitter cold seeped into his bones as he remained unbothered. His face streaked with tears, clinging to any hope you would awaken and return to him.
JACKSON || A FEW HOURS AGO
The sun began to set on the horizon. Vibrant hues of oranges and pink scattered across the sky. A wicker basket sat next to you, filled with freshly picked vegetables. You took a deep breath, savoring the earthy scent in the greenhouse. You glance out the window as a shadow passes by. As the figure moved away from the greenhouse, you let out the breath you were holding.
The lights flickered on as you eagerly awaited for Joel to arrive. Seconds turned to minutes, and you wondered where he could be. Julie, the other worker in the greenhouse, noticed your uneasiness. She stood up and placed her hand on your shoulder in an attempt to console you.
“Hey, I’m sure he’s on his way. Maybe he stopped home for something?” she reassured.
Joel had never missed a night walking you home. It was the highlight of both your evenings. You would share stories of each other's past and what each other did throughout the day. You especially loved the little spark of excitement that would flash through his eyes when he would talk about Ellie. Joel rarely spoke to anyone outside of Tommy and Ellie. And, since you came into his life, you could barely get him to shut up. However, you cherished those moments. They allowed you to witness a side of him that very few see.
You looked up at Julie and smiled softly, a hint of sadness in your eyes. “Yeah, hopefully,” you responded as you bent down to grab the basket. You walked towards the door and waved. “I’ll see ya later.” You left and made your way towards the pantry before heading home.
The winter storm caused the wind to blow the snow harshly around you. You pulled your coat tighter against your body, trudging towards Rancher Street. A light in your peripherals caught your attention. Your pace slowed as you turned to face the house belonging to Maria and Tommy and stared towards the window. An unsettling knot grew in your stomach. You looked towards your home and back to theirs. Unable to shake the feeling, you jogged towards their door.
Three hard knocks were all it took for Maria to crack the door open. Her hair was disarray, and she had dark circles around her eyes as if she had not slept in days. She looked shocked that you were standing at the door.
“Has Tommy come home yet?” you asked, not allowing Maria a chance to greet you.
“No, he-” she stated, voice filled with concern, “if you’re here, neither has Joel.”
“Yeah,” you sighed, shaking the snow off your hair and shoes.
“Fuck. I sent a group hours ago to bring them home. I just thought they had gone to the Bison,” she said as she opened the door wider to allow you to enter.
“Do you know what area they were patrolling?”
“Uhm, yeah, it was around the old ski lodge,” Maria stated, walking through the house. You followed closely behind her. “You can’t seriously be thinking about going out there in this.”
You looked at her with a determined face mixed with concern. She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Can you at least wait til the storm is over?”
“Maria, I-”
“Of course, you can’t,” she said as she walked up to a desk drawer and grabbed a map. She laid it out on the table and circled the area they were patrolling. “They should be around this area.”
You nodded and traced your finger from the gate of Jackson to the area she had circled, making a mental note of the path to take. The lodge was near a small town, and you thought if you could make it there, you would be able to track their prints in through the snow.
“Awesome. Can I take this?” You asked. She nodded and grabbed your arm as you walked past her.
“Wait,” she said. Her grip on your arm tightened. “There were reports of a large horde near the town. Stay away from there. Bring them home, safe. okay?”
‘Well fuck, there goes that idea,’ you thought as you looked up at her. You smiled. “Will do. Thanks, Maria.”
Maria waved at you while you jogged down the street toward the stables. Once you got to the large barn, you grabbed a saddle from the wall and placed it on the back of the black stallion you had named Beauty. You put your head against his muzzle and softly petted his mane.
“You ready, ol’ boy?” you whispered. Beauty neighed as you swung your leg over his back and grabbed his reins. You began to trot towards the wooden gate.
Jesse noticed you on horseback coming out of the stables. He called out to you. “Hey! Where are you going?”
“Open the gate, Jesse,” you said sternly.
“Maria said no one was to leave during the storm.”
“Open the damn gate.”
Jesse looked over at the other patrolman, shocked. They shrugged at him and casually walked over to the lever, pulling it open for you. Just before it was opened completely, you galloped out into the storm, not looking back. The wind whipped through your hair as you urged Beauty to gallop faster.
-- -- --
You rode through the woods, avoiding the town. Because you were not paying attention, you almost caused Beauty to trot off a cliff. He neighed loudly, bucking upwards, knocking you off. You land on the ground hard. You groaned as you got up.
“Easy there,” you stated while you reached for his reins, “easy boy.”
Sighing, you peered across the snow-covered field. A large mansion sat in the middle of a fenced area. Bodies of infected piled along the perimeter of the exterior gate. A shiver went down your spine. “Surely, Joel and Tommy didn’t do that,” you whispered. The wintery air caused a misty cloud in front of your mouth as you spoke. You petted Beauty before telling him to make it home safely and smacking him on the rear. You watched him gallop in the distance.
Taking a deep breath, you descend the cliff. As you crept closer to the building, you noticed dark figures moving across the large bay window. You twisted the door handle, and it creaked open. The warmth of the house greeted you as you slowly entered the room. You heard muffled voices and a loud gunshot that echoed off the walls. You gripped your knife tighter. A familiar voice rang through your ears that caused panic to set in.
“Tommy!” the voice screamed. The voice you came to know so well over the past few years, the voice that was filled with so much love for you, a voice that you could instantly recognize anywhere, the voice that belonged to Joel.
“Put him against the wall,” a young female demanded. She couldn’t be much older than Ellie but ordered the men around as if she were their leader. You inched silently into the room, eyes glued on the two men who grabbed Joel by the arms and shoved him against the large window. His right leg was extended out in front of him, bleeding. “Joel Miller.”
“Who are you?” he grunted, trying not to show emotion.
“Guess.”
“Why don’t you say whatever speech you’ve got rehearsed and get this over with,” Joel bit back. His eyes darted over her shoulder, locking with yours. Fear and shock shot through him as he struggled against the men who held him. You glanced around at the group, quickly trying to assess the situation.
The girl walked to a golf caddy near the sofa and pulled out one of the iron clubs. She nodded approvingly and walked in front of Joel. She brought the club up to her shoulder.
“You stupid old man. You don’t get to rush this,” she growled as she swung the club. It made an impact on the side of Joel’s face. He screamed in agony, blood splattered across the room. His vision blackened as he fell to the ground. The eyes of the girl sparkled with a twisted satisfaction.
You watched in horror as the men drew Joel back against the window, and she raised the club again. Filled with rage, you grabbed one of the men closest to you. Your left hand slid across their face to cover their mouth while you made a horizontal cut across the middle of their neck with your knife. Blood spewed down his body, and his body twitched as you pushed him away from you. His body crumbled to the ground with a loud thud. You ran up to the next person and stabbed them in the neck, puncturing their jugular.
The sound alerted the others, and they turned to face you. You slung your rifle around your body and held it firmly in your hands. Your index finger pressed the trigger as you meticulously aimed and fired at the group. A person came up from behind you and kicked your legs from underneath you, knocking you to the ground. You yelped in surprise as they shoved your face onto the cold floor.
“Get the fuck off of me,” you growled, fighting against the person holding you down, “I will fucking kill you.”
“Well, well, well. Who do we have here?” the girl spoke, stalking up to you. She grabbed you by your hair and pulled you to your knees. You gasped in pain, breathing heavily. “Girlfriend?” she asked as she looked over at Joel. She shook her head. “No. Wife?”
“No, don’t!” Joel rasped out.
She let out a dark chuckle. His desperate plea fell on silent ears as the girl taunted you. Her grip on your hair tightened as she turned you to face Joel.
“This is so much better than what I had planned. You took my father from me; I’m going take something from you,” she sneered, pulling her knife from its holster. Joel struggled against the grasp of the men who held him. His eyes filled with a mix of fear and anger. The moment she took her knife out, his movements ceased. He watched dreadfully as she scrapped the blade down your sternum until it rested just below the hard bone. She pushed your shoulders forward. The blade pierced through your abdomen with a squelching sound; you gasped in pain as you felt the sting of it entering your body. Blood trickled down as you started to sway. The excruciating agony intensified when she dug the blade deeper into you before pulling it out and shoving you away. You fell to the ground, clutching your stomach in a horrible attempt to stop the bleeding. Your eyes locked with the tear-filled ones of Joel. You struggled to catch your breath, and your vision kept flashing black.
“What the hell is this, Abby?” a man yelled while entering the room, “You’re done here.” She groaned in protest. You were unable to pay attention to the words being spoken around you. The words were fading into silence as darkness started to engulf you.
With every ounce of strength, Joel pulled himself across the floor. “Darlin’?” he whispered, reaching his hand out towards you. Abby noticed his movements and kicked him hard in the stomach, knocking the wind from his lungs. She huffed and left the house with her group.
You gasped for air, feeling the weight of darkness pressing against your consciousness. Tears streamed down Joel’s face as he scooted himself closer to you. Memories began to flood his mind. He remembered the first time he met you, how strong you were when you fought alongside him in the spore-filled tunnels. He remembered how you yelled at him for being so careless with a child who didn’t even know how to swim. He remembered how he fell in love with you the day he met you. He tried to stay awake, staring at your beautiful face as the memories faded.
Your eyes met his once again. Desperate to speak. You rasped, “I… I…. lo…. love….” you choked on your blood, coughing harshly as it pooled in your mouth. Your body convulsed, and your labored breath came to a sudden stop.
“Baby?” Joel whispered as he tried to pull you closer to him. “Baby, please.” -- -- -- --
“Baby!” he cried, clutching your lifeless body against his chest. He swayed back and forth, stroking your blood-stained hair. “Stay with me, baby. Please, stay with me.”
His winter coat was soaked in red while he held you. The bitter cold seeped into his bones as he remained unbothered. His face streaked with tears as he clung to any possible hope you would awaken and return to him.
A loud, pained groan erupted from across the room. Tommy shifted uncomfortably against the floor as he regained consciousness. His head throbbed in pain from the hit he received. His palms flattened against the cold tiles, and he lifted himself, stumbling backward and hitting the console table. He gazed at the room and noticed the bodies scattered across the floor in puddles of blood.
“Jesus Christ,” he muttered, just before his eyes landed on his brother, who was sitting on the ground clutching your limp body to his chest. His leg extended in front of him with a belt tightly fastened on his thigh, acting as a makeshift tourniquet. Joel buried his face into the divot of your neck, whispering apologies in a broken voice.
An audible gap erupted from Tommy as he realized the body Joel was holding was you. Tears threatened to fall as he watched Joel cry out in grief once again. Tommy knew that Joel would never recover from losing you; hell, he never recovered from losing Sarah twenty-some years ago. Unsure of what to do, he whispered Joel’s name.
Joel’s puffy, bloodshot eyes lifted from your neck and met his. Tommy took a step back, horrified at the appearance of his brother. The side of Joel’s face was bashed in as if someone had taken something long, hard, with a flat end and hit him across the face with it multiple times. Blood oozed from the wound, and a mix of blues and black colors surrounded it. His left eye was almost swollen shut, and blood caked his face and hair.
“What the fuck happened?” Tommy asked.
Barely above a whisper, Joel rasped, “Tommy?”
He had forgotten Tommy was there. His entire focus had been on you. Making sure nothing happened to you, and he failed. Nothing mattered to him anymore.
Tommy knelt in front of him and placed a hand on his shoulder. He noticed a significant amount of blood covering both of your jackets. With a concerned face, he saw the small cut from the blade on the fabric of your clothes. “Let me see her,” he said softly.
Joel nodded and placed you gently on the ground next to him. He unzipped your jacket, pushing the flaps to the side. He lifted your shirt slowly. The dried blood caused the fabric to stick to your skin. He pulled it up just below the band of your bra to reveal a tiny stab wound on the upper middle quadrant of your abdomen, centimeters below the hard bone of your sternum. Your breath was shallow. So shallow that Tommy nor Joel noticed your chest rising and falling. Tommy placed his hand over the wound, pressed down hard to try and control the bleeding, and immediately blood covered them.
Joel was not paying attention to Tommy. He stared at your calm, peaceful face. His mind was filled with memories and thoughts of you. He pushed a strand of hair that fell on your face, lightly touching your cold cheek as he placed it behind your ear. He noticed your face showed no signs of distress and no pain. You were just there, on the cold floor, unfazed by what occurred around you.
‘You’re so beautiful,’ Joel thought as he ran his fingers through your hair.
Tommy’s hand began to tremble. He was unable to control the bleeding. He leaned down and placed his ear just above your parted mouth, hoping for any sign of breathing. Tears began to fall down his face when he felt nothing against his cheek. He mouthed, “No, no, no,” as he said your name shaking you.
Coming out of his trance, Joel watched Tommy shake you. He saw the tears in Tommy’s eyes and immediately knew something was wrong. He didn’t want to believe that you were gone. How could he move forward without you? How could he move on? What will he tell Ellie?
Joel shouted your name. He shoved Tommy away from you and placed his hands down on your wound, trying to believe if he was the one putting pressure on it, it would stop. When it didn’t stop, he started to weep.
“Please, not her. God, please, no her,” he sobbed. He felt as if he failed you. He had failed: as a protector, a lover, as everything. His heart shattered into a million pieces. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. It’s all my fault. I’m so sorry.”
Tommy found himself void of words, unable to move from where he stood. He wasn’t sure why this happened to you, why they attacked you, of all people. He had so many questions running through his head. He glanced around the room again, trying to piece together any information he could find. He noticed a patch that was on the jackets of the bodies. He knelt and removed the patch with his knife. The patch was a yellow triangle with a wolf in the middle. The words W.L.F. are located at the bottom. He quickly pocketed it before going back to Joel.
“We should probably head back,” Tommy stated as he looked at Joel. Joel had his hands firmly pressed against your stomach, desperately trying to stop the bleeding.
“NO,” Joel shouted. Tommy grabbed onto his arm, pulling him away from you. “I- I can’t leave her. I can’t-”
“She’s gone.”
“No, no, no,” Joel repeated, shaking his. He pushed Tommy away and tried to go back to you. Tommy grabbed him, stopping his movements.
“I’ll come back for her,” Tommy promised, “When the daylight comes and the storm is over, I’ll bring her home.”
Joel sniffled. He knew Tommy was right. They had to leave, or someone would come looking for them, just as you did. Tommy left the room and returned with a large white sheet. He slowly draped it over you. Joel took it and tucked the sheet under your sides. His hands trembled with every tuck. Blood started to stain the middle of the sheet as it settled across your body. Suddenly, the room felt colder than it had before.
Tommy helped Joel to his feet, wrapping his arm around his middle. They began to walk towards the door, grief heavy on their hearts. Joel stopped for a moment and looked back towards you. He started at the white sheet that covered your body. The light flickered throughout the room, casting your shadow against the wall. He whispered a final goodbye.
As he turned, a gust of wind blew through the open door. It caused the sheet to flutter, uncovering some of your features. His heart sank, feeling a part of him was left behind in the room. Joel sighed sadly, finally looking away from you. They left the building carrying the weight of your absence on them.
-- -- -- --
Jesse walked along the ramparts with a snow shovel. He scooped the snow into its blade and tossed it over the exterior wall. He noticed two dark figures stumbling in the distance. The dense snow made it difficult for him to identify them. He reached for the binoculars and peered through them. One of the figures was held by the waist, their leg dragged behind them, leaving a red trail in the snow.
“What the hell,” he said into the wintery night. “Open the gate!” He shouted but received no response. He glanced over the edge to an empty area. “Where the fuck did they go?”
He ran down the steps to open the gate. Laughter erupted behind him as Dina and Ellie exited the stables. Jesse stared at them in disbelief, eyes darting down from their faces to their interlocked hands. “You gotta be kidding me,” he scoffed, “you were supposed to be on patrol.”
“We are-” Ellie got interrupted.
“This town depends on us. We can’t just be fucking in the stables anytime we want!”
Dina’s face turned bright red. A loud bang on the gate startled them, and a voice shouted just beyond it.
“OPEN THE DAMN GATE!”
Ellie looked at Dina. At the same time, they both stated, “Is that Tommy?”
They ran over to the gate and opened it. The wooden doors creaked, pushing the snow to the side as it opened. Tommy dragged an unconscious, injured Joel inside Jackson. He shifted his arm around his waist, trying to adjust, but Joel slid right out from his arms and landed into the snow. Joel landed face-first into the powdery snow. Ellie immediately ran over to him and lifted him back up with the help of Tommy.
“What happened?” Ellie asked as they reached the clinic. Tommy knocked on the door. An elderly lady appeared, her glasses hung low on her nose.
“Do you realize what time it is?” she said, her voice filled with sleep. She glanced at Joel and gasped. Immediately opening the door, she gestured for them to come in. “The first room on the left is empty,” she said as Tommy and Ellie walked to the room. They laid Joel down on the bed. The lady began to cut his pant leg, revealing the bullet hole.
“Jesus, Tommy. If you don't tell me what the fuck happened right now. I swear, I’m going,” Ellie demanded, clenching her fist tightly.
“That’s it, out!” the lady demanded as she pointed towards the door. Everyone looked at her in shock before muttering and walking out. Dina took a seat next to Jesse. Ellie quickly realized that you were not with them and was unaware of Joel's condition. Her heart started to race, conflicted about whether she should leave or stay with Joel.
Dina’s eyes softened as she watched Ellie’s expressions rapidly change. “I’ll go get her,” she said to Ellie, squeezing her hand.
“She’s not home,” Jesse said softly.
"What do you mean she's not there?"
"She took off hours ago, right before the storm got bad."
Tommy's eyes darted to Ellie's as Jesse finished his sentence. "Ellie, I need to speak to you... Alone."
"I'll be at your house if you need me," Dina told Ellie as she and Jesse left the clinic. Tommy took a seat and rubbed his hands across his face. He sighed loudly as tears threatened to fall from his eyes again.
"There's no easy way to say this," he whispered. His voice trembled. "Kid, she came looking for us. I don't know exactly what happened, but I do know. When I woke, it was too late. She was-" Tears ran down his face, "she was already gone."
"She's gone?" she muttered, tears forming. Her heart sank as she tried to comprehend what Tommy had said. The room felt heavy around her; her breathing became erratic. Everything felt as though it was caving in around her. Her vision tunneled. She violently shook her head; her face went stone cold and void as she stared at him. Just above a whisper, she asked, "You just left her there?"
"Ellie, I didn't have a choice. T'was just me and Joel," he said. "Once the storm settles, I'm going back."
"I'm coming with you."
-- -- -- ---
MEANWHILE || AT THE MANSION
The light flickered throughout the room. Your eyes fluttered open as you desperately gasped for air. The sheet covering your body clung to your face as you inhaled. Shakily, you reached up and pulled it off. The blood rushed back through your body and up to your face. The room spun as you held your head in pain.
You groaned loudly, sitting up. You tried to keep a steady breath as you attempted to stand. Clumsily, you bumped into things while you walked towards the bathroom. You dug through the cabinets, looking for a first aid kit. The blood on your hands smeared the white doors as you opened them. A small red box lay beneath washcloths. You grabbed it and placed it on the counter.
You caught a glimpse of your reflection and were startled by your appearance. Your hair was matted with blood and sweat. Your eyes were bloodshot, and your face was sickly pale, reflecting the trauma you had experienced. Your hands shuddered as you opened the kit.
Among the bandages and alcohol pads, you find a sewing needle and thread. Tucking your shirt under your bra, you tried to thread the needle with blurry vision. After many failed tries, you got the thread through the eyelet and placed it on the counter. You poured water over the wound, soaking the top of your jeans.
With a deep breath, you pierced the needle through the skin, pulled it through the other side, and secured the suture with a double knot before making two more next to it. As you focused on the sutures, the pain intensified. Beads of sweat formed on our foreheads.
After the last stitch, you slumped to the floor. A wave of nausea washed over you. You could barely keep your eyes open. They started to close until you could not fight them anymore and fell into a dreamless slumber.
-- -- -- ---
JACKSON || MONTHS LATER
Darkness surrounded the streets of Jackson. Snow covered the pavement. The white sparkled in the moonlight. The brisk winter breeze bit anyone who dared to be out in it.
A single light flickered from a bulb attached to a familiar house on Rancher Street. Its soft glow illuminated Joel as he sat skillfully strumming away on his guitar. The beautiful melody flowed through the air, stopping passersby as they listened. He sang no words, only allowing the vibrations of the chords to do the music.
His mind was flooded with memories of the past, the battles that were fought, those who have died, and each heavy decision was made. With each note, tears dropped and landed on the curve of the guitar. He played as if it would be the last time his calloused fingers would scrap against the strings.
The last chord strung, he leaned the guitar against the house next to him. He grabbed the pistol from the table and held the cold metal. A sense of finality washed over him. You were no longer here. Ellie never forgave him, and with you gone, the wedge between them grew. He had nothing left, no reason to be here anymore. He contemplated if Jackson would be better without him.
Taking a deep breath, he placed the cold gun against his temple. His index finger brushed against the trigger. His eyes closed for the last time, picturing your face.
“Whatcha think you’re doing there, cowboy?” a feminine voice stated. Hesitantly, he opened his eyes. They land on a familiar silhouette as they ascend the steps. The features of your face appear more prominent as you step into the light. Joel’s eyes widened.
“You’re… You’re not here,” he stuttered. His hands shook as he lowered the gun to his lap. “You can’t be here. This isn’t real.” He shook his head, attempting to remove the image of you. However, no matter how hard he tried, you stood there unmoving, with an amused look, staring at him. Joel’s heart pounded in his chest, questioning his sanity.
He stared at you in wonder. The snowflakes glimmered in your hair, and the bitter cold caused your nose and cheeks to turn pink. He tried to find an explanation. Was this a hallucination? A figment of his imagination? There's no possible way you could be here.
The feeling of longing engulfed him as he stared at your beautiful face.
“Why don’t you come and find out?” you smiled. He hesitated for a moment, unsure if he could trust his senses. But the genuine warmth in your voice convinced him to stand. He grabbed his crutch and took a step towards you. His eyes flickered with a mix of fear and excitement. He reached out toward you, afraid that you would disappear. His warm palm lands on your cold cheek.
“Easy there, cowboy. You look a bit unstable,” you chuckled, leaning into his touch. He released the breath he was holding and pulled you into his arms. He buried his face in your hair, inhaling the familiar scent of the honey soap you used to use.
“Baby,” He mumbled into your hair. You could feel his heartbeat against your face as he held you tightly. His grip filled with longing and relief. “You’re really here.”
“I’m really here,” you replied with a voice filled with love and reassurance. All the doubts and fears vanished from him as he held you. His hand moved to your chin, tilting it upwards. His teary eyes met yours for the first time in months. He leaned down. His nose touches yours.
“You’re really here,” he whispered again. You could feel his hot breath linger on your lips. He closed the gap between you, pressing his lips against yours in a gentle kiss. He nipped your bottom lip, forcing you to open, and slipped his tongue inside. He moaned in your mouth before breaking away to catch his breath. He started to kiss along your jawline, sucking on your pulse, leaving a wet, red spot. Your hands clung to his brown jacket.
“Joel,” You mewled as he nibbled at the soft skin. His scruffy beard left red marks across your neck. “Let's get out of the cold.”
He mumbled in protest, but you pushed him gently towards the door, grabbing his guitar.
You helped me into the house and up the stairs. One of his arms dangled over the crutch, and the other around your waist. As you guided him through the house, his light touches sent shivers through you. His weight felt comforting and electrifying, making you yearn for more.
You made your way to the bedroom. Joel let go of the crutch. A metal clunk echoed off the walls as it hit the ground. His eyes met yours, filled with desire. Without a word, he pulled you closer. His lips brushed against yours in a tender yet passionate kiss. His hands lifted your shirt slowly up your abdomen, fingers lightly touching your skin.
“Baby,” he groaned as he tossed your shirt to the floor. He hobbled towards the bed, pushing with him. The back of your knees hit the frame, causing you to fall backward. Your back lands softly on the blankets and shifts upwards, allowing Joel to climb onto the bed. He towered over you. You could feel the heat radiating off his body. His lips trailed down your neck while his hand explored every inch of you. Your heavy breathing filled the room.
Joel tugged at your jeans. The tip of his fingers traced lines down your thigh as he pulled them off. Flattening his palm, his hand grazed your inner thigh. He kissed down your sternum, stopping just above the bandage that wrapped around you.
“I’m so sorry,” he whispered, kissing it. “so fucking sorry.”
“Oh hush, now,” you stated, shifting your legs a little higher on the bed. He kissed down your stomach and stopped just above the warmth of your core. He looked up at your face. You propped yourself up on your elbows. As his hand covered your dripping cunt, your head fell backward onto the bed.
“So wet. This all for me, darlin’?” he purred. His index finger slid through your folds, which caused you to gasp. Pleasure coursed through your body as he teased your entrance. His touch was electric, and you find your back arching in response.
You could feel the anticipation building as he went lower on your body, nibbling your thigh. The mixture of his breath and the roughness of his beard against your skin heightened your senses. You yearned for more. He pushed his finger inside, coating the digit with your slick before sliding it out.
“More,” you mewled, voice filled with desire as you begged. The hunger in your eyes fueled his own as he eagerly obliged. He pushed another finger in, curving them to hit the rigid sweet spot that he knew would cause you to scream his name. Each movement of his fingers sent waves of pleasure through you, building an insatiable hunger within you. Your hips instinctively arched upwards.
He leaned in and stuck out his tongue. He licked through your folds, up to your clit, circled it, and before moving down to his fingers. The taste of your slick sent Joel over the edge. He moved his tongue back up to your clit and flicked it a few times before sucking. Your hands grabbed a fistful of his hair as you ground your core against his face. His tongue danced skillfully around your clit. The combination of his relentless fingers and the tantalizing flicks of his tongue pushed you closer to the edge.
“That’s it, baby. Cum on my fingers,” Joel growled into your thigh, catching his breath. “Yeah, just like that.” He pumped his fingers faster, pushing you to your limit. You gripped the covers, and your back arched higher. Unable to hold back any longer, you screamed his name. Your walls tighten around his fingers. “That's it, baby.”
He slowed the pace of his pumping until you came down from the euphoric high. He pulled his fingers out of yours, dripping with your slick. He brought them to his mouth and licked his fingers clean. “Been too fucking long, you taste so good.”
He shifted higher up on your body, peppering your skin with kisses. The leg of his jeans rubbed against your bare cunt as he kissed you softly. His hot breath sent electricity through your already sensitive body. As you caught your breath, you could feel his throbbing cock pressed against your leg, aching for release. He whispered in your ear, “I want to feel you around me.”
You stared deeply into his eyes before trying to shift him off of you. The last thing you wanted to do was to hurt his leg. He peered down at you, confused, but pushed you harder against the bed.
“Darlin’, what are you doin’?”
“Would you just lay on your damn back,” you grunted as you squirmed to get free from his towering form. You moaned as he rubbed his covered thigh against your cunt. He chuckled at your failed attempt to get him to move. You looked up at him with big puppy dog eyes. “Come on, please?”
“No.”
“Joel, come on, your leg.”
“I don’t give a shit about my leg right now,” he grunted. He pulled his pants down. His cock bounced as it sprung free from its confines. His eyes burned with desire as he buried his head in the crook of your neck. His large hands grabbed your legs and placed them around his waist. His cock lay against your fold, and he rocked forward, allowing it to rub through your folds, hitting your clit repeatedly. You groan in pleasure. “You ready for me?”
You nod frantically. He looked down at your blissful face.
“Of course you are. Such a good girl.”
“Please, Joel.”
He chuckled as he pushed his cock inside you. He grunted loudly at the feeling of you around him. Your head hit the pillow, shutting your eyes as his cock stretched you.
“God, I missed you,” He moaned and looked at you, “Eyes on me, baby.”
He wanted to watch you come on him. He didn’t want to miss any more moments with you, especially this one. He firmly gripped your hips, thrusting his cock deeper inside you. You screamed his name as he hit that spot only he knew about. With each thrust, he enjoyed the way your moans grew louder. Your breath grew heavier. He knew you were only his.
“Ah! Fu-Fuck!” Joel grunted. His thrusting became more ragged and forceful. The bed frame knocked against the wall. The sound of slapping skin echoed through the darkened room. Your screams muffled as you pulled the pillow across your face. Joel grabbed it and tossed it to the floor. “I want to see you. Fuck, you feel so good.”
Tears threatened to fall as the pressure inside you became too much. You desperately scrape your dull fingernails across Joel's back.
“You can take it. Just a little bit more,” He moaned, “Such a good girl”
You screamed as you came around his cock. The tightness of your walls sent him climaxing with you. His cock pulsates inside you, coating your insides white.
“Fuck, I missed you,” he panted, collapsing on top of you. You could feel his cock softening until it slid out of you. His come seeps out of your weeping hole.
You ran your fingers through his soft hair while you kissed his shoulder. You smiled widely as you both basked in the afterglow. Slowly, he rolled off of you and pulled you flush against his chest. He whispered sweet words of affection in your hair. You attempted to get up, but he pushed you back down, trapping you between his arms.
“I’m not ready to let you go just yet,” he muttered as he planted kisses along your shoulder blades. The warmth of his embrace enveloped you, making it impossible to resist. Your eyes begin to get heavy. You heard Joel chuckle, and then the cover was placed on you. He nestled you under his chin.
The sound of his steady heartbeat lulled you to a blissful sleep. You felt loved and safe, wrapped in his embrace. Whatever tomorrow may bring would be tomorrow’s problem. Right now, you were right where you belonged.
-- --
originally posted: 27/11/2023 on @pamasaur previous account. Support/MDNI banner by @cafekitsune Tags: @pedrostories, @kelbellsficrecs @fhatbhabie (ily)
238 notes · View notes
stwbrywhiskeysour · 3 months
Text
Oh Jamie 😭
I warned you! I was deep in my feels when I wrote it.
I had a whole thing written where Ellie was set on revenge (much like the game). She runs into her in Seattle during an altercation and convinces her to return. That was all in the rough draft and it was way too long. 😅
Thanks for reading!
🩷 - Pammy
Leave a Light On
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Pairing: Jackson!Joel x F!Reader Summary: A single light flickered throughout the empty room, casting your shadow against the wall. Joel's raspy voice, filled with sadness, whispered a final goodbye.
Words: 6.5k Rating: E (Explicit, 18+ Only MDNI) Content Warning: Jackson time, Establish relationship, No age is mentioned, May contain spoilers to TLOU Part II, Dark/Sensitive topics, does have an happy ending, angst, fluff, Implied MC death, golfing, torture, gun violence, knife violence, graphic descriptions, horseback riding, first aid, explicit language, explicit violence, Typical canon violence, grief/loss, depression, dark thoughts, suicide attempt, smut at the end, fingering, oral F!receiving, P in V, unprotected sex, creampie, cuddling (+ If I forgot any, let me know)
Tumblr media
“Baby?” Joel cried as he clutched your lifeless form against his chest. His body swayed back and forth, stroking your blood-stained hair. “Stay with me, baby. Please, stay with me.”
His winter coat was soaked in red while he held you. The bitter cold seeped into his bones as he remained unbothered. His face streaked with tears, clinging to any hope you would awaken and return to him.
JACKSON || A FEW HOURS AGO
The sun began to set on the horizon. Vibrant hues of oranges and pink scattered across the sky. A wicker basket sat next to you, filled with freshly picked vegetables. You took a deep breath, savoring the earthy scent in the greenhouse. You glance out the window as a shadow passes by. As the figure moved away from the greenhouse, you let out the breath you were holding.
The lights flickered on as you eagerly awaited for Joel to arrive. Seconds turned to minutes, and you wondered where he could be. Julie, the other worker in the greenhouse, noticed your uneasiness. She stood up and placed her hand on your shoulder in an attempt to console you.
“Hey, I’m sure he’s on his way. Maybe he stopped home for something?” she reassured.
Joel had never missed a night walking you home. It was the highlight of both your evenings. You would share stories of each other's past and what each other did throughout the day. You especially loved the little spark of excitement that would flash through his eyes when he would talk about Ellie. Joel rarely spoke to anyone outside of Tommy and Ellie. And, since you came into his life, you could barely get him to shut up. However, you cherished those moments. They allowed you to witness a side of him that very few see.
You looked up at Julie and smiled softly, a hint of sadness in your eyes. “Yeah, hopefully,” you responded as you bent down to grab the basket. You walked towards the door and waved. “I’ll see ya later.” You left and made your way towards the pantry before heading home.
The winter storm caused the wind to blow the snow harshly around you. You pulled your coat tighter against your body, trudging towards Rancher Street. A light in your peripherals caught your attention. Your pace slowed as you turned to face the house belonging to Maria and Tommy and stared towards the window. An unsettling knot grew in your stomach. You looked towards your home and back to theirs. Unable to shake the feeling, you jogged towards their door.
Three hard knocks were all it took for Maria to crack the door open. Her hair was disarray, and she had dark circles around her eyes as if she had not slept in days. She looked shocked that you were standing at the door.
“Has Tommy come home yet?” you asked, not allowing Maria a chance to greet you.
“No, he-” she stated, voice filled with concern, “if you’re here, neither has Joel.”
“Yeah,” you sighed, shaking the snow off your hair and shoes.
“Fuck. I sent a group hours ago to bring them home. I just thought they had gone to the Bison,” she said as she opened the door wider to allow you to enter.
“Do you know what area they were patrolling?”
“Uhm, yeah, it was around the old ski lodge,” Maria stated, walking through the house. You followed closely behind her. “You can’t seriously be thinking about going out there in this.”
You looked at her with a determined face mixed with concern. She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Can you at least wait til the storm is over?”
“Maria, I-”
“Of course, you can’t,” she said as she walked up to a desk drawer and grabbed a map. She laid it out on the table and circled the area they were patrolling. “They should be around this area.”
You nodded and traced your finger from the gate of Jackson to the area she had circled, making a mental note of the path to take. The lodge was near a small town, and you thought if you could make it there, you would be able to track their prints in through the snow.
“Awesome. Can I take this?” You asked. She nodded and grabbed your arm as you walked past her.
“Wait,” she said. Her grip on your arm tightened. “There were reports of a large horde near the town. Stay away from there. Bring them home, safe. okay?”
‘Well fuck, there goes that idea,’ you thought as you looked up at her. You smiled. “Will do. Thanks, Maria.”
Maria waved at you while you jogged down the street toward the stables. Once you got to the large barn, you grabbed a saddle from the wall and placed it on the back of the black stallion you had named Beauty. You put your head against his muzzle and softly petted his mane.
“You ready, ol’ boy?” you whispered. Beauty neighed as you swung your leg over his back and grabbed his reins. You began to trot towards the wooden gate.
Jesse noticed you on horseback coming out of the stables. He called out to you. “Hey! Where are you going?”
“Open the gate, Jesse,” you said sternly.
“Maria said no one was to leave during the storm.”
“Open the damn gate.”
Jesse looked over at the other patrolman, shocked. They shrugged at him and casually walked over to the lever, pulling it open for you. Just before it was opened completely, you galloped out into the storm, not looking back. The wind whipped through your hair as you urged Beauty to gallop faster.
-- -- --
You rode through the woods, avoiding the town. Because you were not paying attention, you almost caused Beauty to trot off a cliff. He neighed loudly, bucking upwards, knocking you off. You land on the ground hard. You groaned as you got up.
“Easy there,” you stated while you reached for his reins, “easy boy.”
Sighing, you peered across the snow-covered field. A large mansion sat in the middle of a fenced area. Bodies of infected piled along the perimeter of the exterior gate. A shiver went down your spine. “Surely, Joel and Tommy didn’t do that,” you whispered. The wintery air caused a misty cloud in front of your mouth as you spoke. You petted Beauty before telling him to make it home safely and smacking him on the rear. You watched him gallop in the distance.
Taking a deep breath, you descend the cliff. As you crept closer to the building, you noticed dark figures moving across the large bay window. You twisted the door handle, and it creaked open. The warmth of the house greeted you as you slowly entered the room. You heard muffled voices and a loud gunshot that echoed off the walls. You gripped your knife tighter. A familiar voice rang through your ears that caused panic to set in.
“Tommy!” the voice screamed. The voice you came to know so well over the past few years, the voice that was filled with so much love for you, a voice that you could instantly recognize anywhere, the voice that belonged to Joel.
“Put him against the wall,” a young female demanded. She couldn’t be much older than Ellie but ordered the men around as if she were their leader. You inched silently into the room, eyes glued on the two men who grabbed Joel by the arms and shoved him against the large window. His right leg was extended out in front of him, bleeding. “Joel Miller.”
“Who are you?” he grunted, trying not to show emotion.
“Guess.”
“Why don’t you say whatever speech you’ve got rehearsed and get this over with,” Joel bit back. His eyes darted over her shoulder, locking with yours. Fear and shock shot through him as he struggled against the men who held him. You glanced around at the group, quickly trying to assess the situation.
The girl walked to a golf caddy near the sofa and pulled out one of the iron clubs. She nodded approvingly and walked in front of Joel. She brought the club up to her shoulder.
“You stupid old man. You don’t get to rush this,” she growled as she swung the club. It made an impact on the side of Joel’s face. He screamed in agony, blood splattered across the room. His vision blackened as he fell to the ground. The eyes of the girl sparkled with a twisted satisfaction.
You watched in horror as the men drew Joel back against the window, and she raised the club again. Filled with rage, you grabbed one of the men closest to you. Your left hand slid across their face to cover their mouth while you made a horizontal cut across the middle of their neck with your knife. Blood spewed down his body, and his body twitched as you pushed him away from you. His body crumbled to the ground with a loud thud. You ran up to the next person and stabbed them in the neck, puncturing their jugular.
The sound alerted the others, and they turned to face you. You slung your rifle around your body and held it firmly in your hands. Your index finger pressed the trigger as you meticulously aimed and fired at the group. A person came up from behind you and kicked your legs from underneath you, knocking you to the ground. You yelped in surprise as they shoved your face onto the cold floor.
“Get the fuck off of me,” you growled, fighting against the person holding you down, “I will fucking kill you.”
“Well, well, well. Who do we have here?” the girl spoke, stalking up to you. She grabbed you by your hair and pulled you to your knees. You gasped in pain, breathing heavily. “Girlfriend?” she asked as she looked over at Joel. She shook her head. “No. Wife?”
“No, don’t!” Joel rasped out.
She let out a dark chuckle. His desperate plea fell on silent ears as the girl taunted you. Her grip on your hair tightened as she turned you to face Joel.
“This is so much better than what I had planned. You took my father from me; I’m going take something from you,” she sneered, pulling her knife from its holster. Joel struggled against the grasp of the men who held him. His eyes filled with a mix of fear and anger. The moment she took her knife out, his movements ceased. He watched dreadfully as she scrapped the blade down your sternum until it rested just below the hard bone. She pushed your shoulders forward. The blade pierced through your abdomen with a squelching sound; you gasped in pain as you felt the sting of it entering your body. Blood trickled down as you started to sway. The excruciating agony intensified when she dug the blade deeper into you before pulling it out and shoving you away. You fell to the ground, clutching your stomach in a horrible attempt to stop the bleeding. Your eyes locked with the tear-filled ones of Joel. You struggled to catch your breath, and your vision kept flashing black.
“What the hell is this, Abby?” a man yelled while entering the room, “You’re done here.” She groaned in protest. You were unable to pay attention to the words being spoken around you. The words were fading into silence as darkness started to engulf you.
With every ounce of strength, Joel pulled himself across the floor. “Darlin’?” he whispered, reaching his hand out towards you. Abby noticed his movements and kicked him hard in the stomach, knocking the wind from his lungs. She huffed and left the house with her group.
You gasped for air, feeling the weight of darkness pressing against your consciousness. Tears streamed down Joel’s face as he scooted himself closer to you. Memories began to flood his mind. He remembered the first time he met you, how strong you were when you fought alongside him in the spore-filled tunnels. He remembered how you yelled at him for being so careless with a child who didn’t even know how to swim. He remembered how he fell in love with you the day he met you. He tried to stay awake, staring at your beautiful face as the memories faded.
Your eyes met his once again. Desperate to speak. You rasped, “I… I…. lo…. love….” you choked on your blood, coughing harshly as it pooled in your mouth. Your body convulsed, and your labored breath came to a sudden stop.
“Baby?” Joel whispered as he tried to pull you closer to him. “Baby, please.” -- -- -- --
“Baby!” he cried, clutching your lifeless body against his chest. He swayed back and forth, stroking your blood-stained hair. “Stay with me, baby. Please, stay with me.”
His winter coat was soaked in red while he held you. The bitter cold seeped into his bones as he remained unbothered. His face streaked with tears as he clung to any possible hope you would awaken and return to him.
A loud, pained groan erupted from across the room. Tommy shifted uncomfortably against the floor as he regained consciousness. His head throbbed in pain from the hit he received. His palms flattened against the cold tiles, and he lifted himself, stumbling backward and hitting the console table. He gazed at the room and noticed the bodies scattered across the floor in puddles of blood.
“Jesus Christ,” he muttered, just before his eyes landed on his brother, who was sitting on the ground clutching your limp body to his chest. His leg extended in front of him with a belt tightly fastened on his thigh, acting as a makeshift tourniquet. Joel buried his face into the divot of your neck, whispering apologies in a broken voice.
An audible gap erupted from Tommy as he realized the body Joel was holding was you. Tears threatened to fall as he watched Joel cry out in grief once again. Tommy knew that Joel would never recover from losing you; hell, he never recovered from losing Sarah twenty-some years ago. Unsure of what to do, he whispered Joel’s name.
Joel’s puffy, bloodshot eyes lifted from your neck and met his. Tommy took a step back, horrified at the appearance of his brother. The side of Joel’s face was bashed in as if someone had taken something long, hard, with a flat end and hit him across the face with it multiple times. Blood oozed from the wound, and a mix of blues and black colors surrounded it. His left eye was almost swollen shut, and blood caked his face and hair.
“What the fuck happened?” Tommy asked.
Barely above a whisper, Joel rasped, “Tommy?”
He had forgotten Tommy was there. His entire focus had been on you. Making sure nothing happened to you, and he failed. Nothing mattered to him anymore.
Tommy knelt in front of him and placed a hand on his shoulder. He noticed a significant amount of blood covering both of your jackets. With a concerned face, he saw the small cut from the blade on the fabric of your clothes. “Let me see her,” he said softly.
Joel nodded and placed you gently on the ground next to him. He unzipped your jacket, pushing the flaps to the side. He lifted your shirt slowly. The dried blood caused the fabric to stick to your skin. He pulled it up just below the band of your bra to reveal a tiny stab wound on the upper middle quadrant of your abdomen, centimeters below the hard bone of your sternum. Your breath was shallow. So shallow that Tommy nor Joel noticed your chest rising and falling. Tommy placed his hand over the wound, pressed down hard to try and control the bleeding, and immediately blood covered them.
Joel was not paying attention to Tommy. He stared at your calm, peaceful face. His mind was filled with memories and thoughts of you. He pushed a strand of hair that fell on your face, lightly touching your cold cheek as he placed it behind your ear. He noticed your face showed no signs of distress and no pain. You were just there, on the cold floor, unfazed by what occurred around you.
‘You’re so beautiful,’ Joel thought as he ran his fingers through your hair.
Tommy’s hand began to tremble. He was unable to control the bleeding. He leaned down and placed his ear just above your parted mouth, hoping for any sign of breathing. Tears began to fall down his face when he felt nothing against his cheek. He mouthed, “No, no, no,” as he said your name shaking you.
Coming out of his trance, Joel watched Tommy shake you. He saw the tears in Tommy’s eyes and immediately knew something was wrong. He didn’t want to believe that you were gone. How could he move forward without you? How could he move on? What will he tell Ellie?
Joel shouted your name. He shoved Tommy away from you and placed his hands down on your wound, trying to believe if he was the one putting pressure on it, it would stop. When it didn’t stop, he started to weep.
“Please, not her. God, please, no her,” he sobbed. He felt as if he failed you. He had failed: as a protector, a lover, as everything. His heart shattered into a million pieces. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. It’s all my fault. I’m so sorry.”
Tommy found himself void of words, unable to move from where he stood. He wasn’t sure why this happened to you, why they attacked you, of all people. He had so many questions running through his head. He glanced around the room again, trying to piece together any information he could find. He noticed a patch that was on the jackets of the bodies. He knelt and removed the patch with his knife. The patch was a yellow triangle with a wolf in the middle. The words W.L.F. are located at the bottom. He quickly pocketed it before going back to Joel.
“We should probably head back,” Tommy stated as he looked at Joel. Joel had his hands firmly pressed against your stomach, desperately trying to stop the bleeding.
“NO,” Joel shouted. Tommy grabbed onto his arm, pulling him away from you. “I- I can’t leave her. I can’t-”
“She’s gone.”
“No, no, no,” Joel repeated, shaking his. He pushed Tommy away and tried to go back to you. Tommy grabbed him, stopping his movements.
“I’ll come back for her,” Tommy promised, “When the daylight comes and the storm is over, I’ll bring her home.”
Joel sniffled. He knew Tommy was right. They had to leave, or someone would come looking for them, just as you did. Tommy left the room and returned with a large white sheet. He slowly draped it over you. Joel took it and tucked the sheet under your sides. His hands trembled with every tuck. Blood started to stain the middle of the sheet as it settled across your body. Suddenly, the room felt colder than it had before.
Tommy helped Joel to his feet, wrapping his arm around his middle. They began to walk towards the door, grief heavy on their hearts. Joel stopped for a moment and looked back towards you. He started at the white sheet that covered your body. The light flickered throughout the room, casting your shadow against the wall. He whispered a final goodbye.
As he turned, a gust of wind blew through the open door. It caused the sheet to flutter, uncovering some of your features. His heart sank, feeling a part of him was left behind in the room. Joel sighed sadly, finally looking away from you. They left the building carrying the weight of your absence on them.
-- -- -- --
Jesse walked along the ramparts with a snow shovel. He scooped the snow into its blade and tossed it over the exterior wall. He noticed two dark figures stumbling in the distance. The dense snow made it difficult for him to identify them. He reached for the binoculars and peered through them. One of the figures was held by the waist, their leg dragged behind them, leaving a red trail in the snow.
“What the hell,” he said into the wintery night. “Open the gate!” He shouted but received no response. He glanced over the edge to an empty area. “Where the fuck did they go?”
He ran down the steps to open the gate. Laughter erupted behind him as Dina and Ellie exited the stables. Jesse stared at them in disbelief, eyes darting down from their faces to their interlocked hands. “You gotta be kidding me,” he scoffed, “you were supposed to be on patrol.”
“We are-” Ellie got interrupted.
“This town depends on us. We can’t just be fucking in the stables anytime we want!”
Dina’s face turned bright red. A loud bang on the gate startled them, and a voice shouted just beyond it.
“OPEN THE DAMN GATE!”
Ellie looked at Dina. At the same time, they both stated, “Is that Tommy?”
They ran over to the gate and opened it. The wooden doors creaked, pushing the snow to the side as it opened. Tommy dragged an unconscious, injured Joel inside Jackson. He shifted his arm around his waist, trying to adjust, but Joel slid right out from his arms and landed into the snow. Joel landed face-first into the powdery snow. Ellie immediately ran over to him and lifted him back up with the help of Tommy.
“What happened?” Ellie asked as they reached the clinic. Tommy knocked on the door. An elderly lady appeared, her glasses hung low on her nose.
“Do you realize what time it is?” she said, her voice filled with sleep. She glanced at Joel and gasped. Immediately opening the door, she gestured for them to come in. “The first room on the left is empty,” she said as Tommy and Ellie walked to the room. They laid Joel down on the bed. The lady began to cut his pant leg, revealing the bullet hole.
“Jesus, Tommy. If you don't tell me what the fuck happened right now. I swear, I’m going,” Ellie demanded, clenching her fist tightly.
“That’s it, out!” the lady demanded as she pointed towards the door. Everyone looked at her in shock before muttering and walking out. Dina took a seat next to Jesse. Ellie quickly realized that you were not with them and was unaware of Joel's condition. Her heart started to race, conflicted about whether she should leave or stay with Joel.
Dina’s eyes softened as she watched Ellie’s expressions rapidly change. “I’ll go get her,” she said to Ellie, squeezing her hand.
“She’s not home,” Jesse said softly.
"What do you mean she's not there?"
"She took off hours ago, right before the storm got bad."
Tommy's eyes darted to Ellie's as Jesse finished his sentence. "Ellie, I need to speak to you... Alone."
"I'll be at your house if you need me," Dina told Ellie as she and Jesse left the clinic. Tommy took a seat and rubbed his hands across his face. He sighed loudly as tears threatened to fall from his eyes again.
"There's no easy way to say this," he whispered. His voice trembled. "Kid, she came looking for us. I don't know exactly what happened, but I do know. When I woke, it was too late. She was-" Tears ran down his face, "she was already gone."
"She's gone?" she muttered, tears forming. Her heart sank as she tried to comprehend what Tommy had said. The room felt heavy around her; her breathing became erratic. Everything felt as though it was caving in around her. Her vision tunneled. She violently shook her head; her face went stone cold and void as she stared at him. Just above a whisper, she asked, "You just left her there?"
"Ellie, I didn't have a choice. T'was just me and Joel," he said. "Once the storm settles, I'm going back."
"I'm coming with you."
-- -- -- ---
MEANWHILE || AT THE MANSION
The light flickered throughout the room. Your eyes fluttered open as you desperately gasped for air. The sheet covering your body clung to your face as you inhaled. Shakily, you reached up and pulled it off. The blood rushed back through your body and up to your face. The room spun as you held your head in pain.
You groaned loudly, sitting up. You tried to keep a steady breath as you attempted to stand. Clumsily, you bumped into things while you walked towards the bathroom. You dug through the cabinets, looking for a first aid kit. The blood on your hands smeared the white doors as you opened them. A small red box lay beneath washcloths. You grabbed it and placed it on the counter.
You caught a glimpse of your reflection and were startled by your appearance. Your hair was matted with blood and sweat. Your eyes were bloodshot, and your face was sickly pale, reflecting the trauma you had experienced. Your hands shuddered as you opened the kit.
Among the bandages and alcohol pads, you find a sewing needle and thread. Tucking your shirt under your bra, you tried to thread the needle with blurry vision. After many failed tries, you got the thread through the eyelet and placed it on the counter. You poured water over the wound, soaking the top of your jeans.
With a deep breath, you pierced the needle through the skin, pulled it through the other side, and secured the suture with a double knot before making two more next to it. As you focused on the sutures, the pain intensified. Beads of sweat formed on our foreheads.
After the last stitch, you slumped to the floor. A wave of nausea washed over you. You could barely keep your eyes open. They started to close until you could not fight them anymore and fell into a dreamless slumber.
-- -- -- ---
JACKSON || MONTHS LATER
Darkness surrounded the streets of Jackson. Snow covered the pavement. The white sparkled in the moonlight. The brisk winter breeze bit anyone who dared to be out in it.
A single light flickered from a bulb attached to a familiar house on Rancher Street. Its soft glow illuminated Joel as he sat skillfully strumming away on his guitar. The beautiful melody flowed through the air, stopping passersby as they listened. He sang no words, only allowing the vibrations of the chords to do the music.
His mind was flooded with memories of the past, the battles that were fought, those who have died, and each heavy decision was made. With each note, tears dropped and landed on the curve of the guitar. He played as if it would be the last time his calloused fingers would scrap against the strings.
The last chord strung, he leaned the guitar against the house next to him. He grabbed the pistol from the table and held the cold metal. A sense of finality washed over him. You were no longer here. Ellie never forgave him, and with you gone, the wedge between them grew. He had nothing left, no reason to be here anymore. He contemplated if Jackson would be better without him.
Taking a deep breath, he placed the cold gun against his temple. His index finger brushed against the trigger. His eyes closed for the last time, picturing your face.
“Whatcha think you’re doing there, cowboy?” a feminine voice stated. Hesitantly, he opened his eyes. They land on a familiar silhouette as they ascend the steps. The features of your face appear more prominent as you step into the light. Joel’s eyes widened.
“You’re… You’re not here,” he stuttered. His hands shook as he lowered the gun to his lap. “You can’t be here. This isn’t real.” He shook his head, attempting to remove the image of you. However, no matter how hard he tried, you stood there unmoving, with an amused look, staring at him. Joel’s heart pounded in his chest, questioning his sanity.
He stared at you in wonder. The snowflakes glimmered in your hair, and the bitter cold caused your nose and cheeks to turn pink. He tried to find an explanation. Was this a hallucination? A figment of his imagination? There's no possible way you could be here.
The feeling of longing engulfed him as he stared at your beautiful face.
“Why don’t you come and find out?” you smiled. He hesitated for a moment, unsure if he could trust his senses. But the genuine warmth in your voice convinced him to stand. He grabbed his crutch and took a step towards you. His eyes flickered with a mix of fear and excitement. He reached out toward you, afraid that you would disappear. His warm palm lands on your cold cheek.
“Easy there, cowboy. You look a bit unstable,” you chuckled, leaning into his touch. He released the breath he was holding and pulled you into his arms. He buried his face in your hair, inhaling the familiar scent of the honey soap you used to use.
“Baby,” He mumbled into your hair. You could feel his heartbeat against your face as he held you tightly. His grip filled with longing and relief. “You’re really here.”
“I’m really here,” you replied with a voice filled with love and reassurance. All the doubts and fears vanished from him as he held you. His hand moved to your chin, tilting it upwards. His teary eyes met yours for the first time in months. He leaned down. His nose touches yours.
“You’re really here,” he whispered again. You could feel his hot breath linger on your lips. He closed the gap between you, pressing his lips against yours in a gentle kiss. He nipped your bottom lip, forcing you to open, and slipped his tongue inside. He moaned in your mouth before breaking away to catch his breath. He started to kiss along your jawline, sucking on your pulse, leaving a wet, red spot. Your hands clung to his brown jacket.
“Joel,” You mewled as he nibbled at the soft skin. His scruffy beard left red marks across your neck. “Let's get out of the cold.”
He mumbled in protest, but you pushed him gently towards the door, grabbing his guitar.
You helped me into the house and up the stairs. One of his arms dangled over the crutch, and the other around your waist. As you guided him through the house, his light touches sent shivers through you. His weight felt comforting and electrifying, making you yearn for more.
You made your way to the bedroom. Joel let go of the crutch. A metal clunk echoed off the walls as it hit the ground. His eyes met yours, filled with desire. Without a word, he pulled you closer. His lips brushed against yours in a tender yet passionate kiss. His hands lifted your shirt slowly up your abdomen, fingers lightly touching your skin.
“Baby,” he groaned as he tossed your shirt to the floor. He hobbled towards the bed, pushing with him. The back of your knees hit the frame, causing you to fall backward. Your back lands softly on the blankets and shifts upwards, allowing Joel to climb onto the bed. He towered over you. You could feel the heat radiating off his body. His lips trailed down your neck while his hand explored every inch of you. Your heavy breathing filled the room.
Joel tugged at your jeans. The tip of his fingers traced lines down your thigh as he pulled them off. Flattening his palm, his hand grazed your inner thigh. He kissed down your sternum, stopping just above the bandage that wrapped around you.
“I’m so sorry,” he whispered, kissing it. “so fucking sorry.”
“Oh hush, now,” you stated, shifting your legs a little higher on the bed. He kissed down your stomach and stopped just above the warmth of your core. He looked up at your face. You propped yourself up on your elbows. As his hand covered your dripping cunt, your head fell backward onto the bed.
“So wet. This all for me, darlin’?” he purred. His index finger slid through your folds, which caused you to gasp. Pleasure coursed through your body as he teased your entrance. His touch was electric, and you find your back arching in response.
You could feel the anticipation building as he went lower on your body, nibbling your thigh. The mixture of his breath and the roughness of his beard against your skin heightened your senses. You yearned for more. He pushed his finger inside, coating the digit with your slick before sliding it out.
“More,” you mewled, voice filled with desire as you begged. The hunger in your eyes fueled his own as he eagerly obliged. He pushed another finger in, curving them to hit the rigid sweet spot that he knew would cause you to scream his name. Each movement of his fingers sent waves of pleasure through you, building an insatiable hunger within you. Your hips instinctively arched upwards.
He leaned in and stuck out his tongue. He licked through your folds, up to your clit, circled it, and before moving down to his fingers. The taste of your slick sent Joel over the edge. He moved his tongue back up to your clit and flicked it a few times before sucking. Your hands grabbed a fistful of his hair as you ground your core against his face. His tongue danced skillfully around your clit. The combination of his relentless fingers and the tantalizing flicks of his tongue pushed you closer to the edge.
“That’s it, baby. Cum on my fingers,” Joel growled into your thigh, catching his breath. “Yeah, just like that.” He pumped his fingers faster, pushing you to your limit. You gripped the covers, and your back arched higher. Unable to hold back any longer, you screamed his name. Your walls tighten around his fingers. “That's it, baby.”
He slowed the pace of his pumping until you came down from the euphoric high. He pulled his fingers out of yours, dripping with your slick. He brought them to his mouth and licked his fingers clean. “Been too fucking long, you taste so good.”
He shifted higher up on your body, peppering your skin with kisses. The leg of his jeans rubbed against your bare cunt as he kissed you softly. His hot breath sent electricity through your already sensitive body. As you caught your breath, you could feel his throbbing cock pressed against your leg, aching for release. He whispered in your ear, “I want to feel you around me.”
You stared deeply into his eyes before trying to shift him off of you. The last thing you wanted to do was to hurt his leg. He peered down at you, confused, but pushed you harder against the bed.
“Darlin’, what are you doin’?”
“Would you just lay on your damn back,” you grunted as you squirmed to get free from his towering form. You moaned as he rubbed his covered thigh against your cunt. He chuckled at your failed attempt to get him to move. You looked up at him with big puppy dog eyes. “Come on, please?”
“No.”
“Joel, come on, your leg.”
“I don’t give a shit about my leg right now,” he grunted. He pulled his pants down. His cock bounced as it sprung free from its confines. His eyes burned with desire as he buried his head in the crook of your neck. His large hands grabbed your legs and placed them around his waist. His cock lay against your fold, and he rocked forward, allowing it to rub through your folds, hitting your clit repeatedly. You groan in pleasure. “You ready for me?”
You nod frantically. He looked down at your blissful face.
“Of course you are. Such a good girl.”
“Please, Joel.”
He chuckled as he pushed his cock inside you. He grunted loudly at the feeling of you around him. Your head hit the pillow, shutting your eyes as his cock stretched you.
“God, I missed you,” He moaned and looked at you, “Eyes on me, baby.”
He wanted to watch you come on him. He didn’t want to miss any more moments with you, especially this one. He firmly gripped your hips, thrusting his cock deeper inside you. You screamed his name as he hit that spot only he knew about. With each thrust, he enjoyed the way your moans grew louder. Your breath grew heavier. He knew you were only his.
“Ah! Fu-Fuck!” Joel grunted. His thrusting became more ragged and forceful. The bed frame knocked against the wall. The sound of slapping skin echoed through the darkened room. Your screams muffled as you pulled the pillow across your face. Joel grabbed it and tossed it to the floor. “I want to see you. Fuck, you feel so good.”
Tears threatened to fall as the pressure inside you became too much. You desperately scrape your dull fingernails across Joel's back.
“You can take it. Just a little bit more,” He moaned, “Such a good girl”
You screamed as you came around his cock. The tightness of your walls sent him climaxing with you. His cock pulsates inside you, coating your insides white.
“Fuck, I missed you,” he panted, collapsing on top of you. You could feel his cock softening until it slid out of you. His come seeps out of your weeping hole.
You ran your fingers through his soft hair while you kissed his shoulder. You smiled widely as you both basked in the afterglow. Slowly, he rolled off of you and pulled you flush against his chest. He whispered sweet words of affection in your hair. You attempted to get up, but he pushed you back down, trapping you between his arms.
“I’m not ready to let you go just yet,” he muttered as he planted kisses along your shoulder blades. The warmth of his embrace enveloped you, making it impossible to resist. Your eyes begin to get heavy. You heard Joel chuckle, and then the cover was placed on you. He nestled you under his chin.
The sound of his steady heartbeat lulled you to a blissful sleep. You felt loved and safe, wrapped in his embrace. Whatever tomorrow may bring would be tomorrow’s problem. Right now, you were right where you belonged.
-- --
originally posted: 27/11/2023 on @pamasaur previous account. Support/MDNI banner by @cafekitsune Tags: @pedrostories, @kelbellsficrecs @fhatbhabie (ily)
238 notes · View notes
stwbrywhiskeysour · 3 months
Text
Sorry to make you cry at 7am! And one of your favorites?! You’re gonna make me cry!!! 😭😭😭😭
Thanks for reading!!
🩷 - Pammy
Leave a Light On
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Pairing: Jackson!Joel x F!Reader Summary: A single light flickered throughout the empty room, casting your shadow against the wall. Joel's raspy voice, filled with sadness, whispered a final goodbye.
Words: 6.5k Rating: E (Explicit, 18+ Only MDNI) Content Warning: Jackson time, Establish relationship, No age is mentioned, May contain spoilers to TLOU Part II, Dark/Sensitive topics, does have an happy ending, angst, fluff, Implied MC death, golfing, torture, gun violence, knife violence, graphic descriptions, horseback riding, first aid, explicit language, explicit violence, Typical canon violence, grief/loss, depression, dark thoughts, suicide attempt, smut at the end, fingering, oral F!receiving, P in V, unprotected sex, creampie, cuddling (+ If I forgot any, let me know)
Tumblr media
“Baby?” Joel cried as he clutched your lifeless form against his chest. His body swayed back and forth, stroking your blood-stained hair. “Stay with me, baby. Please, stay with me.”
His winter coat was soaked in red while he held you. The bitter cold seeped into his bones as he remained unbothered. His face streaked with tears, clinging to any hope you would awaken and return to him.
JACKSON || A FEW HOURS AGO
The sun began to set on the horizon. Vibrant hues of oranges and pink scattered across the sky. A wicker basket sat next to you, filled with freshly picked vegetables. You took a deep breath, savoring the earthy scent in the greenhouse. You glance out the window as a shadow passes by. As the figure moved away from the greenhouse, you let out the breath you were holding.
The lights flickered on as you eagerly awaited for Joel to arrive. Seconds turned to minutes, and you wondered where he could be. Julie, the other worker in the greenhouse, noticed your uneasiness. She stood up and placed her hand on your shoulder in an attempt to console you.
“Hey, I’m sure he’s on his way. Maybe he stopped home for something?” she reassured.
Joel had never missed a night walking you home. It was the highlight of both your evenings. You would share stories of each other's past and what each other did throughout the day. You especially loved the little spark of excitement that would flash through his eyes when he would talk about Ellie. Joel rarely spoke to anyone outside of Tommy and Ellie. And, since you came into his life, you could barely get him to shut up. However, you cherished those moments. They allowed you to witness a side of him that very few see.
You looked up at Julie and smiled softly, a hint of sadness in your eyes. “Yeah, hopefully,” you responded as you bent down to grab the basket. You walked towards the door and waved. “I’ll see ya later.” You left and made your way towards the pantry before heading home.
The winter storm caused the wind to blow the snow harshly around you. You pulled your coat tighter against your body, trudging towards Rancher Street. A light in your peripherals caught your attention. Your pace slowed as you turned to face the house belonging to Maria and Tommy and stared towards the window. An unsettling knot grew in your stomach. You looked towards your home and back to theirs. Unable to shake the feeling, you jogged towards their door.
Three hard knocks were all it took for Maria to crack the door open. Her hair was disarray, and she had dark circles around her eyes as if she had not slept in days. She looked shocked that you were standing at the door.
“Has Tommy come home yet?” you asked, not allowing Maria a chance to greet you.
“No, he-” she stated, voice filled with concern, “if you’re here, neither has Joel.”
“Yeah,” you sighed, shaking the snow off your hair and shoes.
“Fuck. I sent a group hours ago to bring them home. I just thought they had gone to the Bison,” she said as she opened the door wider to allow you to enter.
“Do you know what area they were patrolling?”
“Uhm, yeah, it was around the old ski lodge,” Maria stated, walking through the house. You followed closely behind her. “You can’t seriously be thinking about going out there in this.”
You looked at her with a determined face mixed with concern. She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Can you at least wait til the storm is over?”
“Maria, I-”
“Of course, you can’t,” she said as she walked up to a desk drawer and grabbed a map. She laid it out on the table and circled the area they were patrolling. “They should be around this area.”
You nodded and traced your finger from the gate of Jackson to the area she had circled, making a mental note of the path to take. The lodge was near a small town, and you thought if you could make it there, you would be able to track their prints in through the snow.
“Awesome. Can I take this?” You asked. She nodded and grabbed your arm as you walked past her.
“Wait,” she said. Her grip on your arm tightened. “There were reports of a large horde near the town. Stay away from there. Bring them home, safe. okay?”
‘Well fuck, there goes that idea,’ you thought as you looked up at her. You smiled. “Will do. Thanks, Maria.”
Maria waved at you while you jogged down the street toward the stables. Once you got to the large barn, you grabbed a saddle from the wall and placed it on the back of the black stallion you had named Beauty. You put your head against his muzzle and softly petted his mane.
“You ready, ol’ boy?” you whispered. Beauty neighed as you swung your leg over his back and grabbed his reins. You began to trot towards the wooden gate.
Jesse noticed you on horseback coming out of the stables. He called out to you. “Hey! Where are you going?”
“Open the gate, Jesse,” you said sternly.
“Maria said no one was to leave during the storm.”
“Open the damn gate.”
Jesse looked over at the other patrolman, shocked. They shrugged at him and casually walked over to the lever, pulling it open for you. Just before it was opened completely, you galloped out into the storm, not looking back. The wind whipped through your hair as you urged Beauty to gallop faster.
-- -- --
You rode through the woods, avoiding the town. Because you were not paying attention, you almost caused Beauty to trot off a cliff. He neighed loudly, bucking upwards, knocking you off. You land on the ground hard. You groaned as you got up.
“Easy there,” you stated while you reached for his reins, “easy boy.”
Sighing, you peered across the snow-covered field. A large mansion sat in the middle of a fenced area. Bodies of infected piled along the perimeter of the exterior gate. A shiver went down your spine. “Surely, Joel and Tommy didn’t do that,” you whispered. The wintery air caused a misty cloud in front of your mouth as you spoke. You petted Beauty before telling him to make it home safely and smacking him on the rear. You watched him gallop in the distance.
Taking a deep breath, you descend the cliff. As you crept closer to the building, you noticed dark figures moving across the large bay window. You twisted the door handle, and it creaked open. The warmth of the house greeted you as you slowly entered the room. You heard muffled voices and a loud gunshot that echoed off the walls. You gripped your knife tighter. A familiar voice rang through your ears that caused panic to set in.
“Tommy!” the voice screamed. The voice you came to know so well over the past few years, the voice that was filled with so much love for you, a voice that you could instantly recognize anywhere, the voice that belonged to Joel.
“Put him against the wall,” a young female demanded. She couldn’t be much older than Ellie but ordered the men around as if she were their leader. You inched silently into the room, eyes glued on the two men who grabbed Joel by the arms and shoved him against the large window. His right leg was extended out in front of him, bleeding. “Joel Miller.”
“Who are you?” he grunted, trying not to show emotion.
“Guess.”
“Why don’t you say whatever speech you’ve got rehearsed and get this over with,” Joel bit back. His eyes darted over her shoulder, locking with yours. Fear and shock shot through him as he struggled against the men who held him. You glanced around at the group, quickly trying to assess the situation.
The girl walked to a golf caddy near the sofa and pulled out one of the iron clubs. She nodded approvingly and walked in front of Joel. She brought the club up to her shoulder.
“You stupid old man. You don’t get to rush this,” she growled as she swung the club. It made an impact on the side of Joel’s face. He screamed in agony, blood splattered across the room. His vision blackened as he fell to the ground. The eyes of the girl sparkled with a twisted satisfaction.
You watched in horror as the men drew Joel back against the window, and she raised the club again. Filled with rage, you grabbed one of the men closest to you. Your left hand slid across their face to cover their mouth while you made a horizontal cut across the middle of their neck with your knife. Blood spewed down his body, and his body twitched as you pushed him away from you. His body crumbled to the ground with a loud thud. You ran up to the next person and stabbed them in the neck, puncturing their jugular.
The sound alerted the others, and they turned to face you. You slung your rifle around your body and held it firmly in your hands. Your index finger pressed the trigger as you meticulously aimed and fired at the group. A person came up from behind you and kicked your legs from underneath you, knocking you to the ground. You yelped in surprise as they shoved your face onto the cold floor.
“Get the fuck off of me,” you growled, fighting against the person holding you down, “I will fucking kill you.”
“Well, well, well. Who do we have here?” the girl spoke, stalking up to you. She grabbed you by your hair and pulled you to your knees. You gasped in pain, breathing heavily. “Girlfriend?” she asked as she looked over at Joel. She shook her head. “No. Wife?”
“No, don’t!” Joel rasped out.
She let out a dark chuckle. His desperate plea fell on silent ears as the girl taunted you. Her grip on your hair tightened as she turned you to face Joel.
“This is so much better than what I had planned. You took my father from me; I’m going take something from you,” she sneered, pulling her knife from its holster. Joel struggled against the grasp of the men who held him. His eyes filled with a mix of fear and anger. The moment she took her knife out, his movements ceased. He watched dreadfully as she scrapped the blade down your sternum until it rested just below the hard bone. She pushed your shoulders forward. The blade pierced through your abdomen with a squelching sound; you gasped in pain as you felt the sting of it entering your body. Blood trickled down as you started to sway. The excruciating agony intensified when she dug the blade deeper into you before pulling it out and shoving you away. You fell to the ground, clutching your stomach in a horrible attempt to stop the bleeding. Your eyes locked with the tear-filled ones of Joel. You struggled to catch your breath, and your vision kept flashing black.
“What the hell is this, Abby?” a man yelled while entering the room, “You’re done here.” She groaned in protest. You were unable to pay attention to the words being spoken around you. The words were fading into silence as darkness started to engulf you.
With every ounce of strength, Joel pulled himself across the floor. “Darlin’?” he whispered, reaching his hand out towards you. Abby noticed his movements and kicked him hard in the stomach, knocking the wind from his lungs. She huffed and left the house with her group.
You gasped for air, feeling the weight of darkness pressing against your consciousness. Tears streamed down Joel’s face as he scooted himself closer to you. Memories began to flood his mind. He remembered the first time he met you, how strong you were when you fought alongside him in the spore-filled tunnels. He remembered how you yelled at him for being so careless with a child who didn’t even know how to swim. He remembered how he fell in love with you the day he met you. He tried to stay awake, staring at your beautiful face as the memories faded.
Your eyes met his once again. Desperate to speak. You rasped, “I… I…. lo…. love….” you choked on your blood, coughing harshly as it pooled in your mouth. Your body convulsed, and your labored breath came to a sudden stop.
“Baby?” Joel whispered as he tried to pull you closer to him. “Baby, please.” -- -- -- --
“Baby!” he cried, clutching your lifeless body against his chest. He swayed back and forth, stroking your blood-stained hair. “Stay with me, baby. Please, stay with me.”
His winter coat was soaked in red while he held you. The bitter cold seeped into his bones as he remained unbothered. His face streaked with tears as he clung to any possible hope you would awaken and return to him.
A loud, pained groan erupted from across the room. Tommy shifted uncomfortably against the floor as he regained consciousness. His head throbbed in pain from the hit he received. His palms flattened against the cold tiles, and he lifted himself, stumbling backward and hitting the console table. He gazed at the room and noticed the bodies scattered across the floor in puddles of blood.
“Jesus Christ,” he muttered, just before his eyes landed on his brother, who was sitting on the ground clutching your limp body to his chest. His leg extended in front of him with a belt tightly fastened on his thigh, acting as a makeshift tourniquet. Joel buried his face into the divot of your neck, whispering apologies in a broken voice.
An audible gap erupted from Tommy as he realized the body Joel was holding was you. Tears threatened to fall as he watched Joel cry out in grief once again. Tommy knew that Joel would never recover from losing you; hell, he never recovered from losing Sarah twenty-some years ago. Unsure of what to do, he whispered Joel’s name.
Joel’s puffy, bloodshot eyes lifted from your neck and met his. Tommy took a step back, horrified at the appearance of his brother. The side of Joel’s face was bashed in as if someone had taken something long, hard, with a flat end and hit him across the face with it multiple times. Blood oozed from the wound, and a mix of blues and black colors surrounded it. His left eye was almost swollen shut, and blood caked his face and hair.
“What the fuck happened?” Tommy asked.
Barely above a whisper, Joel rasped, “Tommy?”
He had forgotten Tommy was there. His entire focus had been on you. Making sure nothing happened to you, and he failed. Nothing mattered to him anymore.
Tommy knelt in front of him and placed a hand on his shoulder. He noticed a significant amount of blood covering both of your jackets. With a concerned face, he saw the small cut from the blade on the fabric of your clothes. “Let me see her,” he said softly.
Joel nodded and placed you gently on the ground next to him. He unzipped your jacket, pushing the flaps to the side. He lifted your shirt slowly. The dried blood caused the fabric to stick to your skin. He pulled it up just below the band of your bra to reveal a tiny stab wound on the upper middle quadrant of your abdomen, centimeters below the hard bone of your sternum. Your breath was shallow. So shallow that Tommy nor Joel noticed your chest rising and falling. Tommy placed his hand over the wound, pressed down hard to try and control the bleeding, and immediately blood covered them.
Joel was not paying attention to Tommy. He stared at your calm, peaceful face. His mind was filled with memories and thoughts of you. He pushed a strand of hair that fell on your face, lightly touching your cold cheek as he placed it behind your ear. He noticed your face showed no signs of distress and no pain. You were just there, on the cold floor, unfazed by what occurred around you.
‘You’re so beautiful,’ Joel thought as he ran his fingers through your hair.
Tommy’s hand began to tremble. He was unable to control the bleeding. He leaned down and placed his ear just above your parted mouth, hoping for any sign of breathing. Tears began to fall down his face when he felt nothing against his cheek. He mouthed, “No, no, no,” as he said your name shaking you.
Coming out of his trance, Joel watched Tommy shake you. He saw the tears in Tommy’s eyes and immediately knew something was wrong. He didn’t want to believe that you were gone. How could he move forward without you? How could he move on? What will he tell Ellie?
Joel shouted your name. He shoved Tommy away from you and placed his hands down on your wound, trying to believe if he was the one putting pressure on it, it would stop. When it didn’t stop, he started to weep.
“Please, not her. God, please, no her,” he sobbed. He felt as if he failed you. He had failed: as a protector, a lover, as everything. His heart shattered into a million pieces. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. It’s all my fault. I’m so sorry.”
Tommy found himself void of words, unable to move from where he stood. He wasn’t sure why this happened to you, why they attacked you, of all people. He had so many questions running through his head. He glanced around the room again, trying to piece together any information he could find. He noticed a patch that was on the jackets of the bodies. He knelt and removed the patch with his knife. The patch was a yellow triangle with a wolf in the middle. The words W.L.F. are located at the bottom. He quickly pocketed it before going back to Joel.
“We should probably head back,” Tommy stated as he looked at Joel. Joel had his hands firmly pressed against your stomach, desperately trying to stop the bleeding.
“NO,” Joel shouted. Tommy grabbed onto his arm, pulling him away from you. “I- I can’t leave her. I can’t-”
“She’s gone.”
“No, no, no,” Joel repeated, shaking his. He pushed Tommy away and tried to go back to you. Tommy grabbed him, stopping his movements.
“I’ll come back for her,” Tommy promised, “When the daylight comes and the storm is over, I’ll bring her home.”
Joel sniffled. He knew Tommy was right. They had to leave, or someone would come looking for them, just as you did. Tommy left the room and returned with a large white sheet. He slowly draped it over you. Joel took it and tucked the sheet under your sides. His hands trembled with every tuck. Blood started to stain the middle of the sheet as it settled across your body. Suddenly, the room felt colder than it had before.
Tommy helped Joel to his feet, wrapping his arm around his middle. They began to walk towards the door, grief heavy on their hearts. Joel stopped for a moment and looked back towards you. He started at the white sheet that covered your body. The light flickered throughout the room, casting your shadow against the wall. He whispered a final goodbye.
As he turned, a gust of wind blew through the open door. It caused the sheet to flutter, uncovering some of your features. His heart sank, feeling a part of him was left behind in the room. Joel sighed sadly, finally looking away from you. They left the building carrying the weight of your absence on them.
-- -- -- --
Jesse walked along the ramparts with a snow shovel. He scooped the snow into its blade and tossed it over the exterior wall. He noticed two dark figures stumbling in the distance. The dense snow made it difficult for him to identify them. He reached for the binoculars and peered through them. One of the figures was held by the waist, their leg dragged behind them, leaving a red trail in the snow.
“What the hell,” he said into the wintery night. “Open the gate!” He shouted but received no response. He glanced over the edge to an empty area. “Where the fuck did they go?”
He ran down the steps to open the gate. Laughter erupted behind him as Dina and Ellie exited the stables. Jesse stared at them in disbelief, eyes darting down from their faces to their interlocked hands. “You gotta be kidding me,” he scoffed, “you were supposed to be on patrol.”
“We are-” Ellie got interrupted.
“This town depends on us. We can’t just be fucking in the stables anytime we want!”
Dina’s face turned bright red. A loud bang on the gate startled them, and a voice shouted just beyond it.
“OPEN THE DAMN GATE!”
Ellie looked at Dina. At the same time, they both stated, “Is that Tommy?”
They ran over to the gate and opened it. The wooden doors creaked, pushing the snow to the side as it opened. Tommy dragged an unconscious, injured Joel inside Jackson. He shifted his arm around his waist, trying to adjust, but Joel slid right out from his arms and landed into the snow. Joel landed face-first into the powdery snow. Ellie immediately ran over to him and lifted him back up with the help of Tommy.
“What happened?” Ellie asked as they reached the clinic. Tommy knocked on the door. An elderly lady appeared, her glasses hung low on her nose.
“Do you realize what time it is?” she said, her voice filled with sleep. She glanced at Joel and gasped. Immediately opening the door, she gestured for them to come in. “The first room on the left is empty,” she said as Tommy and Ellie walked to the room. They laid Joel down on the bed. The lady began to cut his pant leg, revealing the bullet hole.
“Jesus, Tommy. If you don't tell me what the fuck happened right now. I swear, I’m going,” Ellie demanded, clenching her fist tightly.
“That’s it, out!” the lady demanded as she pointed towards the door. Everyone looked at her in shock before muttering and walking out. Dina took a seat next to Jesse. Ellie quickly realized that you were not with them and was unaware of Joel's condition. Her heart started to race, conflicted about whether she should leave or stay with Joel.
Dina’s eyes softened as she watched Ellie’s expressions rapidly change. “I’ll go get her,” she said to Ellie, squeezing her hand.
“She’s not home,” Jesse said softly.
"What do you mean she's not there?"
"She took off hours ago, right before the storm got bad."
Tommy's eyes darted to Ellie's as Jesse finished his sentence. "Ellie, I need to speak to you... Alone."
"I'll be at your house if you need me," Dina told Ellie as she and Jesse left the clinic. Tommy took a seat and rubbed his hands across his face. He sighed loudly as tears threatened to fall from his eyes again.
"There's no easy way to say this," he whispered. His voice trembled. "Kid, she came looking for us. I don't know exactly what happened, but I do know. When I woke, it was too late. She was-" Tears ran down his face, "she was already gone."
"She's gone?" she muttered, tears forming. Her heart sank as she tried to comprehend what Tommy had said. The room felt heavy around her; her breathing became erratic. Everything felt as though it was caving in around her. Her vision tunneled. She violently shook her head; her face went stone cold and void as she stared at him. Just above a whisper, she asked, "You just left her there?"
"Ellie, I didn't have a choice. T'was just me and Joel," he said. "Once the storm settles, I'm going back."
"I'm coming with you."
-- -- -- ---
MEANWHILE || AT THE MANSION
The light flickered throughout the room. Your eyes fluttered open as you desperately gasped for air. The sheet covering your body clung to your face as you inhaled. Shakily, you reached up and pulled it off. The blood rushed back through your body and up to your face. The room spun as you held your head in pain.
You groaned loudly, sitting up. You tried to keep a steady breath as you attempted to stand. Clumsily, you bumped into things while you walked towards the bathroom. You dug through the cabinets, looking for a first aid kit. The blood on your hands smeared the white doors as you opened them. A small red box lay beneath washcloths. You grabbed it and placed it on the counter.
You caught a glimpse of your reflection and were startled by your appearance. Your hair was matted with blood and sweat. Your eyes were bloodshot, and your face was sickly pale, reflecting the trauma you had experienced. Your hands shuddered as you opened the kit.
Among the bandages and alcohol pads, you find a sewing needle and thread. Tucking your shirt under your bra, you tried to thread the needle with blurry vision. After many failed tries, you got the thread through the eyelet and placed it on the counter. You poured water over the wound, soaking the top of your jeans.
With a deep breath, you pierced the needle through the skin, pulled it through the other side, and secured the suture with a double knot before making two more next to it. As you focused on the sutures, the pain intensified. Beads of sweat formed on our foreheads.
After the last stitch, you slumped to the floor. A wave of nausea washed over you. You could barely keep your eyes open. They started to close until you could not fight them anymore and fell into a dreamless slumber.
-- -- -- ---
JACKSON || MONTHS LATER
Darkness surrounded the streets of Jackson. Snow covered the pavement. The white sparkled in the moonlight. The brisk winter breeze bit anyone who dared to be out in it.
A single light flickered from a bulb attached to a familiar house on Rancher Street. Its soft glow illuminated Joel as he sat skillfully strumming away on his guitar. The beautiful melody flowed through the air, stopping passersby as they listened. He sang no words, only allowing the vibrations of the chords to do the music.
His mind was flooded with memories of the past, the battles that were fought, those who have died, and each heavy decision was made. With each note, tears dropped and landed on the curve of the guitar. He played as if it would be the last time his calloused fingers would scrap against the strings.
The last chord strung, he leaned the guitar against the house next to him. He grabbed the pistol from the table and held the cold metal. A sense of finality washed over him. You were no longer here. Ellie never forgave him, and with you gone, the wedge between them grew. He had nothing left, no reason to be here anymore. He contemplated if Jackson would be better without him.
Taking a deep breath, he placed the cold gun against his temple. His index finger brushed against the trigger. His eyes closed for the last time, picturing your face.
“Whatcha think you’re doing there, cowboy?” a feminine voice stated. Hesitantly, he opened his eyes. They land on a familiar silhouette as they ascend the steps. The features of your face appear more prominent as you step into the light. Joel’s eyes widened.
“You’re… You’re not here,” he stuttered. His hands shook as he lowered the gun to his lap. “You can’t be here. This isn’t real.” He shook his head, attempting to remove the image of you. However, no matter how hard he tried, you stood there unmoving, with an amused look, staring at him. Joel’s heart pounded in his chest, questioning his sanity.
He stared at you in wonder. The snowflakes glimmered in your hair, and the bitter cold caused your nose and cheeks to turn pink. He tried to find an explanation. Was this a hallucination? A figment of his imagination? There's no possible way you could be here.
The feeling of longing engulfed him as he stared at your beautiful face.
“Why don’t you come and find out?” you smiled. He hesitated for a moment, unsure if he could trust his senses. But the genuine warmth in your voice convinced him to stand. He grabbed his crutch and took a step towards you. His eyes flickered with a mix of fear and excitement. He reached out toward you, afraid that you would disappear. His warm palm lands on your cold cheek.
“Easy there, cowboy. You look a bit unstable,” you chuckled, leaning into his touch. He released the breath he was holding and pulled you into his arms. He buried his face in your hair, inhaling the familiar scent of the honey soap you used to use.
“Baby,” He mumbled into your hair. You could feel his heartbeat against your face as he held you tightly. His grip filled with longing and relief. “You’re really here.”
“I’m really here,” you replied with a voice filled with love and reassurance. All the doubts and fears vanished from him as he held you. His hand moved to your chin, tilting it upwards. His teary eyes met yours for the first time in months. He leaned down. His nose touches yours.
“You’re really here,” he whispered again. You could feel his hot breath linger on your lips. He closed the gap between you, pressing his lips against yours in a gentle kiss. He nipped your bottom lip, forcing you to open, and slipped his tongue inside. He moaned in your mouth before breaking away to catch his breath. He started to kiss along your jawline, sucking on your pulse, leaving a wet, red spot. Your hands clung to his brown jacket.
“Joel,” You mewled as he nibbled at the soft skin. His scruffy beard left red marks across your neck. “Let's get out of the cold.”
He mumbled in protest, but you pushed him gently towards the door, grabbing his guitar.
You helped me into the house and up the stairs. One of his arms dangled over the crutch, and the other around your waist. As you guided him through the house, his light touches sent shivers through you. His weight felt comforting and electrifying, making you yearn for more.
You made your way to the bedroom. Joel let go of the crutch. A metal clunk echoed off the walls as it hit the ground. His eyes met yours, filled with desire. Without a word, he pulled you closer. His lips brushed against yours in a tender yet passionate kiss. His hands lifted your shirt slowly up your abdomen, fingers lightly touching your skin.
“Baby,” he groaned as he tossed your shirt to the floor. He hobbled towards the bed, pushing with him. The back of your knees hit the frame, causing you to fall backward. Your back lands softly on the blankets and shifts upwards, allowing Joel to climb onto the bed. He towered over you. You could feel the heat radiating off his body. His lips trailed down your neck while his hand explored every inch of you. Your heavy breathing filled the room.
Joel tugged at your jeans. The tip of his fingers traced lines down your thigh as he pulled them off. Flattening his palm, his hand grazed your inner thigh. He kissed down your sternum, stopping just above the bandage that wrapped around you.
“I’m so sorry,” he whispered, kissing it. “so fucking sorry.”
“Oh hush, now,” you stated, shifting your legs a little higher on the bed. He kissed down your stomach and stopped just above the warmth of your core. He looked up at your face. You propped yourself up on your elbows. As his hand covered your dripping cunt, your head fell backward onto the bed.
“So wet. This all for me, darlin’?” he purred. His index finger slid through your folds, which caused you to gasp. Pleasure coursed through your body as he teased your entrance. His touch was electric, and you find your back arching in response.
You could feel the anticipation building as he went lower on your body, nibbling your thigh. The mixture of his breath and the roughness of his beard against your skin heightened your senses. You yearned for more. He pushed his finger inside, coating the digit with your slick before sliding it out.
“More,” you mewled, voice filled with desire as you begged. The hunger in your eyes fueled his own as he eagerly obliged. He pushed another finger in, curving them to hit the rigid sweet spot that he knew would cause you to scream his name. Each movement of his fingers sent waves of pleasure through you, building an insatiable hunger within you. Your hips instinctively arched upwards.
He leaned in and stuck out his tongue. He licked through your folds, up to your clit, circled it, and before moving down to his fingers. The taste of your slick sent Joel over the edge. He moved his tongue back up to your clit and flicked it a few times before sucking. Your hands grabbed a fistful of his hair as you ground your core against his face. His tongue danced skillfully around your clit. The combination of his relentless fingers and the tantalizing flicks of his tongue pushed you closer to the edge.
“That’s it, baby. Cum on my fingers,” Joel growled into your thigh, catching his breath. “Yeah, just like that.” He pumped his fingers faster, pushing you to your limit. You gripped the covers, and your back arched higher. Unable to hold back any longer, you screamed his name. Your walls tighten around his fingers. “That's it, baby.”
He slowed the pace of his pumping until you came down from the euphoric high. He pulled his fingers out of yours, dripping with your slick. He brought them to his mouth and licked his fingers clean. “Been too fucking long, you taste so good.”
He shifted higher up on your body, peppering your skin with kisses. The leg of his jeans rubbed against your bare cunt as he kissed you softly. His hot breath sent electricity through your already sensitive body. As you caught your breath, you could feel his throbbing cock pressed against your leg, aching for release. He whispered in your ear, “I want to feel you around me.”
You stared deeply into his eyes before trying to shift him off of you. The last thing you wanted to do was to hurt his leg. He peered down at you, confused, but pushed you harder against the bed.
“Darlin’, what are you doin’?”
“Would you just lay on your damn back,” you grunted as you squirmed to get free from his towering form. You moaned as he rubbed his covered thigh against your cunt. He chuckled at your failed attempt to get him to move. You looked up at him with big puppy dog eyes. “Come on, please?”
“No.”
“Joel, come on, your leg.”
“I don’t give a shit about my leg right now,” he grunted. He pulled his pants down. His cock bounced as it sprung free from its confines. His eyes burned with desire as he buried his head in the crook of your neck. His large hands grabbed your legs and placed them around his waist. His cock lay against your fold, and he rocked forward, allowing it to rub through your folds, hitting your clit repeatedly. You groan in pleasure. “You ready for me?”
You nod frantically. He looked down at your blissful face.
“Of course you are. Such a good girl.”
“Please, Joel.”
He chuckled as he pushed his cock inside you. He grunted loudly at the feeling of you around him. Your head hit the pillow, shutting your eyes as his cock stretched you.
“God, I missed you,” He moaned and looked at you, “Eyes on me, baby.”
He wanted to watch you come on him. He didn’t want to miss any more moments with you, especially this one. He firmly gripped your hips, thrusting his cock deeper inside you. You screamed his name as he hit that spot only he knew about. With each thrust, he enjoyed the way your moans grew louder. Your breath grew heavier. He knew you were only his.
“Ah! Fu-Fuck!” Joel grunted. His thrusting became more ragged and forceful. The bed frame knocked against the wall. The sound of slapping skin echoed through the darkened room. Your screams muffled as you pulled the pillow across your face. Joel grabbed it and tossed it to the floor. “I want to see you. Fuck, you feel so good.”
Tears threatened to fall as the pressure inside you became too much. You desperately scrape your dull fingernails across Joel's back.
“You can take it. Just a little bit more,” He moaned, “Such a good girl”
You screamed as you came around his cock. The tightness of your walls sent him climaxing with you. His cock pulsates inside you, coating your insides white.
“Fuck, I missed you,” he panted, collapsing on top of you. You could feel his cock softening until it slid out of you. His come seeps out of your weeping hole.
You ran your fingers through his soft hair while you kissed his shoulder. You smiled widely as you both basked in the afterglow. Slowly, he rolled off of you and pulled you flush against his chest. He whispered sweet words of affection in your hair. You attempted to get up, but he pushed you back down, trapping you between his arms.
“I’m not ready to let you go just yet,” he muttered as he planted kisses along your shoulder blades. The warmth of his embrace enveloped you, making it impossible to resist. Your eyes begin to get heavy. You heard Joel chuckle, and then the cover was placed on you. He nestled you under his chin.
The sound of his steady heartbeat lulled you to a blissful sleep. You felt loved and safe, wrapped in his embrace. Whatever tomorrow may bring would be tomorrow’s problem. Right now, you were right where you belonged.
-- --
originally posted: 27/11/2023 on @pamasaur previous account. Support/MDNI banner by @cafekitsune Tags: @pedrostories, @kelbellsficrecs @fhatbhabie (ily)
238 notes · View notes
stwbrywhiskeysour · 3 months
Text
I was going through something personally (still am) while writing it. I cried a lot too. 😭😭🩷🩷
Thanks for reading!
🩷 - Pammy
Leave a Light On
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Pairing: Jackson!Joel x F!Reader Summary: A single light flickered throughout the empty room, casting your shadow against the wall. Joel's raspy voice, filled with sadness, whispered a final goodbye.
Words: 6.5k Rating: E (Explicit, 18+ Only MDNI) Content Warning: Jackson time, Establish relationship, No age is mentioned, May contain spoilers to TLOU Part II, Dark/Sensitive topics, does have an happy ending, angst, fluff, Implied MC death, golfing, torture, gun violence, knife violence, graphic descriptions, horseback riding, first aid, explicit language, explicit violence, Typical canon violence, grief/loss, depression, dark thoughts, suicide attempt, smut at the end, fingering, oral F!receiving, P in V, unprotected sex, creampie, cuddling (+ If I forgot any, let me know)
Tumblr media
“Baby?” Joel cried as he clutched your lifeless form against his chest. His body swayed back and forth, stroking your blood-stained hair. “Stay with me, baby. Please, stay with me.”
His winter coat was soaked in red while he held you. The bitter cold seeped into his bones as he remained unbothered. His face streaked with tears, clinging to any hope you would awaken and return to him.
JACKSON || A FEW HOURS AGO
The sun began to set on the horizon. Vibrant hues of oranges and pink scattered across the sky. A wicker basket sat next to you, filled with freshly picked vegetables. You took a deep breath, savoring the earthy scent in the greenhouse. You glance out the window as a shadow passes by. As the figure moved away from the greenhouse, you let out the breath you were holding.
The lights flickered on as you eagerly awaited for Joel to arrive. Seconds turned to minutes, and you wondered where he could be. Julie, the other worker in the greenhouse, noticed your uneasiness. She stood up and placed her hand on your shoulder in an attempt to console you.
“Hey, I’m sure he’s on his way. Maybe he stopped home for something?” she reassured.
Joel had never missed a night walking you home. It was the highlight of both your evenings. You would share stories of each other's past and what each other did throughout the day. You especially loved the little spark of excitement that would flash through his eyes when he would talk about Ellie. Joel rarely spoke to anyone outside of Tommy and Ellie. And, since you came into his life, you could barely get him to shut up. However, you cherished those moments. They allowed you to witness a side of him that very few see.
You looked up at Julie and smiled softly, a hint of sadness in your eyes. “Yeah, hopefully,” you responded as you bent down to grab the basket. You walked towards the door and waved. “I’ll see ya later.” You left and made your way towards the pantry before heading home.
The winter storm caused the wind to blow the snow harshly around you. You pulled your coat tighter against your body, trudging towards Rancher Street. A light in your peripherals caught your attention. Your pace slowed as you turned to face the house belonging to Maria and Tommy and stared towards the window. An unsettling knot grew in your stomach. You looked towards your home and back to theirs. Unable to shake the feeling, you jogged towards their door.
Three hard knocks were all it took for Maria to crack the door open. Her hair was disarray, and she had dark circles around her eyes as if she had not slept in days. She looked shocked that you were standing at the door.
“Has Tommy come home yet?” you asked, not allowing Maria a chance to greet you.
“No, he-” she stated, voice filled with concern, “if you’re here, neither has Joel.”
“Yeah,” you sighed, shaking the snow off your hair and shoes.
“Fuck. I sent a group hours ago to bring them home. I just thought they had gone to the Bison,” she said as she opened the door wider to allow you to enter.
“Do you know what area they were patrolling?”
“Uhm, yeah, it was around the old ski lodge,” Maria stated, walking through the house. You followed closely behind her. “You can’t seriously be thinking about going out there in this.”
You looked at her with a determined face mixed with concern. She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Can you at least wait til the storm is over?”
“Maria, I-”
“Of course, you can’t,” she said as she walked up to a desk drawer and grabbed a map. She laid it out on the table and circled the area they were patrolling. “They should be around this area.”
You nodded and traced your finger from the gate of Jackson to the area she had circled, making a mental note of the path to take. The lodge was near a small town, and you thought if you could make it there, you would be able to track their prints in through the snow.
“Awesome. Can I take this?” You asked. She nodded and grabbed your arm as you walked past her.
“Wait,” she said. Her grip on your arm tightened. “There were reports of a large horde near the town. Stay away from there. Bring them home, safe. okay?”
‘Well fuck, there goes that idea,’ you thought as you looked up at her. You smiled. “Will do. Thanks, Maria.”
Maria waved at you while you jogged down the street toward the stables. Once you got to the large barn, you grabbed a saddle from the wall and placed it on the back of the black stallion you had named Beauty. You put your head against his muzzle and softly petted his mane.
“You ready, ol’ boy?” you whispered. Beauty neighed as you swung your leg over his back and grabbed his reins. You began to trot towards the wooden gate.
Jesse noticed you on horseback coming out of the stables. He called out to you. “Hey! Where are you going?”
“Open the gate, Jesse,” you said sternly.
“Maria said no one was to leave during the storm.”
“Open the damn gate.”
Jesse looked over at the other patrolman, shocked. They shrugged at him and casually walked over to the lever, pulling it open for you. Just before it was opened completely, you galloped out into the storm, not looking back. The wind whipped through your hair as you urged Beauty to gallop faster.
-- -- --
You rode through the woods, avoiding the town. Because you were not paying attention, you almost caused Beauty to trot off a cliff. He neighed loudly, bucking upwards, knocking you off. You land on the ground hard. You groaned as you got up.
“Easy there,” you stated while you reached for his reins, “easy boy.”
Sighing, you peered across the snow-covered field. A large mansion sat in the middle of a fenced area. Bodies of infected piled along the perimeter of the exterior gate. A shiver went down your spine. “Surely, Joel and Tommy didn’t do that,” you whispered. The wintery air caused a misty cloud in front of your mouth as you spoke. You petted Beauty before telling him to make it home safely and smacking him on the rear. You watched him gallop in the distance.
Taking a deep breath, you descend the cliff. As you crept closer to the building, you noticed dark figures moving across the large bay window. You twisted the door handle, and it creaked open. The warmth of the house greeted you as you slowly entered the room. You heard muffled voices and a loud gunshot that echoed off the walls. You gripped your knife tighter. A familiar voice rang through your ears that caused panic to set in.
“Tommy!” the voice screamed. The voice you came to know so well over the past few years, the voice that was filled with so much love for you, a voice that you could instantly recognize anywhere, the voice that belonged to Joel.
“Put him against the wall,” a young female demanded. She couldn’t be much older than Ellie but ordered the men around as if she were their leader. You inched silently into the room, eyes glued on the two men who grabbed Joel by the arms and shoved him against the large window. His right leg was extended out in front of him, bleeding. “Joel Miller.”
“Who are you?” he grunted, trying not to show emotion.
“Guess.”
“Why don’t you say whatever speech you’ve got rehearsed and get this over with,” Joel bit back. His eyes darted over her shoulder, locking with yours. Fear and shock shot through him as he struggled against the men who held him. You glanced around at the group, quickly trying to assess the situation.
The girl walked to a golf caddy near the sofa and pulled out one of the iron clubs. She nodded approvingly and walked in front of Joel. She brought the club up to her shoulder.
“You stupid old man. You don’t get to rush this,” she growled as she swung the club. It made an impact on the side of Joel’s face. He screamed in agony, blood splattered across the room. His vision blackened as he fell to the ground. The eyes of the girl sparkled with a twisted satisfaction.
You watched in horror as the men drew Joel back against the window, and she raised the club again. Filled with rage, you grabbed one of the men closest to you. Your left hand slid across their face to cover their mouth while you made a horizontal cut across the middle of their neck with your knife. Blood spewed down his body, and his body twitched as you pushed him away from you. His body crumbled to the ground with a loud thud. You ran up to the next person and stabbed them in the neck, puncturing their jugular.
The sound alerted the others, and they turned to face you. You slung your rifle around your body and held it firmly in your hands. Your index finger pressed the trigger as you meticulously aimed and fired at the group. A person came up from behind you and kicked your legs from underneath you, knocking you to the ground. You yelped in surprise as they shoved your face onto the cold floor.
“Get the fuck off of me,” you growled, fighting against the person holding you down, “I will fucking kill you.”
“Well, well, well. Who do we have here?” the girl spoke, stalking up to you. She grabbed you by your hair and pulled you to your knees. You gasped in pain, breathing heavily. “Girlfriend?” she asked as she looked over at Joel. She shook her head. “No. Wife?”
“No, don’t!” Joel rasped out.
She let out a dark chuckle. His desperate plea fell on silent ears as the girl taunted you. Her grip on your hair tightened as she turned you to face Joel.
“This is so much better than what I had planned. You took my father from me; I’m going take something from you,” she sneered, pulling her knife from its holster. Joel struggled against the grasp of the men who held him. His eyes filled with a mix of fear and anger. The moment she took her knife out, his movements ceased. He watched dreadfully as she scrapped the blade down your sternum until it rested just below the hard bone. She pushed your shoulders forward. The blade pierced through your abdomen with a squelching sound; you gasped in pain as you felt the sting of it entering your body. Blood trickled down as you started to sway. The excruciating agony intensified when she dug the blade deeper into you before pulling it out and shoving you away. You fell to the ground, clutching your stomach in a horrible attempt to stop the bleeding. Your eyes locked with the tear-filled ones of Joel. You struggled to catch your breath, and your vision kept flashing black.
“What the hell is this, Abby?” a man yelled while entering the room, “You’re done here.” She groaned in protest. You were unable to pay attention to the words being spoken around you. The words were fading into silence as darkness started to engulf you.
With every ounce of strength, Joel pulled himself across the floor. “Darlin’?” he whispered, reaching his hand out towards you. Abby noticed his movements and kicked him hard in the stomach, knocking the wind from his lungs. She huffed and left the house with her group.
You gasped for air, feeling the weight of darkness pressing against your consciousness. Tears streamed down Joel’s face as he scooted himself closer to you. Memories began to flood his mind. He remembered the first time he met you, how strong you were when you fought alongside him in the spore-filled tunnels. He remembered how you yelled at him for being so careless with a child who didn’t even know how to swim. He remembered how he fell in love with you the day he met you. He tried to stay awake, staring at your beautiful face as the memories faded.
Your eyes met his once again. Desperate to speak. You rasped, “I… I…. lo…. love….” you choked on your blood, coughing harshly as it pooled in your mouth. Your body convulsed, and your labored breath came to a sudden stop.
“Baby?” Joel whispered as he tried to pull you closer to him. “Baby, please.” -- -- -- --
“Baby!” he cried, clutching your lifeless body against his chest. He swayed back and forth, stroking your blood-stained hair. “Stay with me, baby. Please, stay with me.”
His winter coat was soaked in red while he held you. The bitter cold seeped into his bones as he remained unbothered. His face streaked with tears as he clung to any possible hope you would awaken and return to him.
A loud, pained groan erupted from across the room. Tommy shifted uncomfortably against the floor as he regained consciousness. His head throbbed in pain from the hit he received. His palms flattened against the cold tiles, and he lifted himself, stumbling backward and hitting the console table. He gazed at the room and noticed the bodies scattered across the floor in puddles of blood.
“Jesus Christ,” he muttered, just before his eyes landed on his brother, who was sitting on the ground clutching your limp body to his chest. His leg extended in front of him with a belt tightly fastened on his thigh, acting as a makeshift tourniquet. Joel buried his face into the divot of your neck, whispering apologies in a broken voice.
An audible gap erupted from Tommy as he realized the body Joel was holding was you. Tears threatened to fall as he watched Joel cry out in grief once again. Tommy knew that Joel would never recover from losing you; hell, he never recovered from losing Sarah twenty-some years ago. Unsure of what to do, he whispered Joel’s name.
Joel’s puffy, bloodshot eyes lifted from your neck and met his. Tommy took a step back, horrified at the appearance of his brother. The side of Joel’s face was bashed in as if someone had taken something long, hard, with a flat end and hit him across the face with it multiple times. Blood oozed from the wound, and a mix of blues and black colors surrounded it. His left eye was almost swollen shut, and blood caked his face and hair.
“What the fuck happened?” Tommy asked.
Barely above a whisper, Joel rasped, “Tommy?”
He had forgotten Tommy was there. His entire focus had been on you. Making sure nothing happened to you, and he failed. Nothing mattered to him anymore.
Tommy knelt in front of him and placed a hand on his shoulder. He noticed a significant amount of blood covering both of your jackets. With a concerned face, he saw the small cut from the blade on the fabric of your clothes. “Let me see her,” he said softly.
Joel nodded and placed you gently on the ground next to him. He unzipped your jacket, pushing the flaps to the side. He lifted your shirt slowly. The dried blood caused the fabric to stick to your skin. He pulled it up just below the band of your bra to reveal a tiny stab wound on the upper middle quadrant of your abdomen, centimeters below the hard bone of your sternum. Your breath was shallow. So shallow that Tommy nor Joel noticed your chest rising and falling. Tommy placed his hand over the wound, pressed down hard to try and control the bleeding, and immediately blood covered them.
Joel was not paying attention to Tommy. He stared at your calm, peaceful face. His mind was filled with memories and thoughts of you. He pushed a strand of hair that fell on your face, lightly touching your cold cheek as he placed it behind your ear. He noticed your face showed no signs of distress and no pain. You were just there, on the cold floor, unfazed by what occurred around you.
‘You’re so beautiful,’ Joel thought as he ran his fingers through your hair.
Tommy’s hand began to tremble. He was unable to control the bleeding. He leaned down and placed his ear just above your parted mouth, hoping for any sign of breathing. Tears began to fall down his face when he felt nothing against his cheek. He mouthed, “No, no, no,” as he said your name shaking you.
Coming out of his trance, Joel watched Tommy shake you. He saw the tears in Tommy’s eyes and immediately knew something was wrong. He didn’t want to believe that you were gone. How could he move forward without you? How could he move on? What will he tell Ellie?
Joel shouted your name. He shoved Tommy away from you and placed his hands down on your wound, trying to believe if he was the one putting pressure on it, it would stop. When it didn’t stop, he started to weep.
“Please, not her. God, please, no her,” he sobbed. He felt as if he failed you. He had failed: as a protector, a lover, as everything. His heart shattered into a million pieces. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. It’s all my fault. I’m so sorry.”
Tommy found himself void of words, unable to move from where he stood. He wasn’t sure why this happened to you, why they attacked you, of all people. He had so many questions running through his head. He glanced around the room again, trying to piece together any information he could find. He noticed a patch that was on the jackets of the bodies. He knelt and removed the patch with his knife. The patch was a yellow triangle with a wolf in the middle. The words W.L.F. are located at the bottom. He quickly pocketed it before going back to Joel.
“We should probably head back,” Tommy stated as he looked at Joel. Joel had his hands firmly pressed against your stomach, desperately trying to stop the bleeding.
“NO,” Joel shouted. Tommy grabbed onto his arm, pulling him away from you. “I- I can’t leave her. I can’t-”
“She’s gone.”
“No, no, no,” Joel repeated, shaking his. He pushed Tommy away and tried to go back to you. Tommy grabbed him, stopping his movements.
“I’ll come back for her,” Tommy promised, “When the daylight comes and the storm is over, I’ll bring her home.”
Joel sniffled. He knew Tommy was right. They had to leave, or someone would come looking for them, just as you did. Tommy left the room and returned with a large white sheet. He slowly draped it over you. Joel took it and tucked the sheet under your sides. His hands trembled with every tuck. Blood started to stain the middle of the sheet as it settled across your body. Suddenly, the room felt colder than it had before.
Tommy helped Joel to his feet, wrapping his arm around his middle. They began to walk towards the door, grief heavy on their hearts. Joel stopped for a moment and looked back towards you. He started at the white sheet that covered your body. The light flickered throughout the room, casting your shadow against the wall. He whispered a final goodbye.
As he turned, a gust of wind blew through the open door. It caused the sheet to flutter, uncovering some of your features. His heart sank, feeling a part of him was left behind in the room. Joel sighed sadly, finally looking away from you. They left the building carrying the weight of your absence on them.
-- -- -- --
Jesse walked along the ramparts with a snow shovel. He scooped the snow into its blade and tossed it over the exterior wall. He noticed two dark figures stumbling in the distance. The dense snow made it difficult for him to identify them. He reached for the binoculars and peered through them. One of the figures was held by the waist, their leg dragged behind them, leaving a red trail in the snow.
“What the hell,” he said into the wintery night. “Open the gate!” He shouted but received no response. He glanced over the edge to an empty area. “Where the fuck did they go?”
He ran down the steps to open the gate. Laughter erupted behind him as Dina and Ellie exited the stables. Jesse stared at them in disbelief, eyes darting down from their faces to their interlocked hands. “You gotta be kidding me,” he scoffed, “you were supposed to be on patrol.”
“We are-” Ellie got interrupted.
“This town depends on us. We can’t just be fucking in the stables anytime we want!”
Dina’s face turned bright red. A loud bang on the gate startled them, and a voice shouted just beyond it.
“OPEN THE DAMN GATE!”
Ellie looked at Dina. At the same time, they both stated, “Is that Tommy?”
They ran over to the gate and opened it. The wooden doors creaked, pushing the snow to the side as it opened. Tommy dragged an unconscious, injured Joel inside Jackson. He shifted his arm around his waist, trying to adjust, but Joel slid right out from his arms and landed into the snow. Joel landed face-first into the powdery snow. Ellie immediately ran over to him and lifted him back up with the help of Tommy.
“What happened?” Ellie asked as they reached the clinic. Tommy knocked on the door. An elderly lady appeared, her glasses hung low on her nose.
“Do you realize what time it is?” she said, her voice filled with sleep. She glanced at Joel and gasped. Immediately opening the door, she gestured for them to come in. “The first room on the left is empty,” she said as Tommy and Ellie walked to the room. They laid Joel down on the bed. The lady began to cut his pant leg, revealing the bullet hole.
“Jesus, Tommy. If you don't tell me what the fuck happened right now. I swear, I’m going,” Ellie demanded, clenching her fist tightly.
“That’s it, out!” the lady demanded as she pointed towards the door. Everyone looked at her in shock before muttering and walking out. Dina took a seat next to Jesse. Ellie quickly realized that you were not with them and was unaware of Joel's condition. Her heart started to race, conflicted about whether she should leave or stay with Joel.
Dina’s eyes softened as she watched Ellie’s expressions rapidly change. “I’ll go get her,” she said to Ellie, squeezing her hand.
“She’s not home,” Jesse said softly.
"What do you mean she's not there?"
"She took off hours ago, right before the storm got bad."
Tommy's eyes darted to Ellie's as Jesse finished his sentence. "Ellie, I need to speak to you... Alone."
"I'll be at your house if you need me," Dina told Ellie as she and Jesse left the clinic. Tommy took a seat and rubbed his hands across his face. He sighed loudly as tears threatened to fall from his eyes again.
"There's no easy way to say this," he whispered. His voice trembled. "Kid, she came looking for us. I don't know exactly what happened, but I do know. When I woke, it was too late. She was-" Tears ran down his face, "she was already gone."
"She's gone?" she muttered, tears forming. Her heart sank as she tried to comprehend what Tommy had said. The room felt heavy around her; her breathing became erratic. Everything felt as though it was caving in around her. Her vision tunneled. She violently shook her head; her face went stone cold and void as she stared at him. Just above a whisper, she asked, "You just left her there?"
"Ellie, I didn't have a choice. T'was just me and Joel," he said. "Once the storm settles, I'm going back."
"I'm coming with you."
-- -- -- ---
MEANWHILE || AT THE MANSION
The light flickered throughout the room. Your eyes fluttered open as you desperately gasped for air. The sheet covering your body clung to your face as you inhaled. Shakily, you reached up and pulled it off. The blood rushed back through your body and up to your face. The room spun as you held your head in pain.
You groaned loudly, sitting up. You tried to keep a steady breath as you attempted to stand. Clumsily, you bumped into things while you walked towards the bathroom. You dug through the cabinets, looking for a first aid kit. The blood on your hands smeared the white doors as you opened them. A small red box lay beneath washcloths. You grabbed it and placed it on the counter.
You caught a glimpse of your reflection and were startled by your appearance. Your hair was matted with blood and sweat. Your eyes were bloodshot, and your face was sickly pale, reflecting the trauma you had experienced. Your hands shuddered as you opened the kit.
Among the bandages and alcohol pads, you find a sewing needle and thread. Tucking your shirt under your bra, you tried to thread the needle with blurry vision. After many failed tries, you got the thread through the eyelet and placed it on the counter. You poured water over the wound, soaking the top of your jeans.
With a deep breath, you pierced the needle through the skin, pulled it through the other side, and secured the suture with a double knot before making two more next to it. As you focused on the sutures, the pain intensified. Beads of sweat formed on our foreheads.
After the last stitch, you slumped to the floor. A wave of nausea washed over you. You could barely keep your eyes open. They started to close until you could not fight them anymore and fell into a dreamless slumber.
-- -- -- ---
JACKSON || MONTHS LATER
Darkness surrounded the streets of Jackson. Snow covered the pavement. The white sparkled in the moonlight. The brisk winter breeze bit anyone who dared to be out in it.
A single light flickered from a bulb attached to a familiar house on Rancher Street. Its soft glow illuminated Joel as he sat skillfully strumming away on his guitar. The beautiful melody flowed through the air, stopping passersby as they listened. He sang no words, only allowing the vibrations of the chords to do the music.
His mind was flooded with memories of the past, the battles that were fought, those who have died, and each heavy decision was made. With each note, tears dropped and landed on the curve of the guitar. He played as if it would be the last time his calloused fingers would scrap against the strings.
The last chord strung, he leaned the guitar against the house next to him. He grabbed the pistol from the table and held the cold metal. A sense of finality washed over him. You were no longer here. Ellie never forgave him, and with you gone, the wedge between them grew. He had nothing left, no reason to be here anymore. He contemplated if Jackson would be better without him.
Taking a deep breath, he placed the cold gun against his temple. His index finger brushed against the trigger. His eyes closed for the last time, picturing your face.
“Whatcha think you’re doing there, cowboy?” a feminine voice stated. Hesitantly, he opened his eyes. They land on a familiar silhouette as they ascend the steps. The features of your face appear more prominent as you step into the light. Joel’s eyes widened.
“You’re… You’re not here,” he stuttered. His hands shook as he lowered the gun to his lap. “You can’t be here. This isn’t real.” He shook his head, attempting to remove the image of you. However, no matter how hard he tried, you stood there unmoving, with an amused look, staring at him. Joel’s heart pounded in his chest, questioning his sanity.
He stared at you in wonder. The snowflakes glimmered in your hair, and the bitter cold caused your nose and cheeks to turn pink. He tried to find an explanation. Was this a hallucination? A figment of his imagination? There's no possible way you could be here.
The feeling of longing engulfed him as he stared at your beautiful face.
“Why don’t you come and find out?” you smiled. He hesitated for a moment, unsure if he could trust his senses. But the genuine warmth in your voice convinced him to stand. He grabbed his crutch and took a step towards you. His eyes flickered with a mix of fear and excitement. He reached out toward you, afraid that you would disappear. His warm palm lands on your cold cheek.
“Easy there, cowboy. You look a bit unstable,” you chuckled, leaning into his touch. He released the breath he was holding and pulled you into his arms. He buried his face in your hair, inhaling the familiar scent of the honey soap you used to use.
“Baby,” He mumbled into your hair. You could feel his heartbeat against your face as he held you tightly. His grip filled with longing and relief. “You’re really here.”
“I’m really here,” you replied with a voice filled with love and reassurance. All the doubts and fears vanished from him as he held you. His hand moved to your chin, tilting it upwards. His teary eyes met yours for the first time in months. He leaned down. His nose touches yours.
“You’re really here,” he whispered again. You could feel his hot breath linger on your lips. He closed the gap between you, pressing his lips against yours in a gentle kiss. He nipped your bottom lip, forcing you to open, and slipped his tongue inside. He moaned in your mouth before breaking away to catch his breath. He started to kiss along your jawline, sucking on your pulse, leaving a wet, red spot. Your hands clung to his brown jacket.
“Joel,” You mewled as he nibbled at the soft skin. His scruffy beard left red marks across your neck. “Let's get out of the cold.”
He mumbled in protest, but you pushed him gently towards the door, grabbing his guitar.
You helped me into the house and up the stairs. One of his arms dangled over the crutch, and the other around your waist. As you guided him through the house, his light touches sent shivers through you. His weight felt comforting and electrifying, making you yearn for more.
You made your way to the bedroom. Joel let go of the crutch. A metal clunk echoed off the walls as it hit the ground. His eyes met yours, filled with desire. Without a word, he pulled you closer. His lips brushed against yours in a tender yet passionate kiss. His hands lifted your shirt slowly up your abdomen, fingers lightly touching your skin.
“Baby,” he groaned as he tossed your shirt to the floor. He hobbled towards the bed, pushing with him. The back of your knees hit the frame, causing you to fall backward. Your back lands softly on the blankets and shifts upwards, allowing Joel to climb onto the bed. He towered over you. You could feel the heat radiating off his body. His lips trailed down your neck while his hand explored every inch of you. Your heavy breathing filled the room.
Joel tugged at your jeans. The tip of his fingers traced lines down your thigh as he pulled them off. Flattening his palm, his hand grazed your inner thigh. He kissed down your sternum, stopping just above the bandage that wrapped around you.
“I’m so sorry,” he whispered, kissing it. “so fucking sorry.”
“Oh hush, now,” you stated, shifting your legs a little higher on the bed. He kissed down your stomach and stopped just above the warmth of your core. He looked up at your face. You propped yourself up on your elbows. As his hand covered your dripping cunt, your head fell backward onto the bed.
“So wet. This all for me, darlin’?” he purred. His index finger slid through your folds, which caused you to gasp. Pleasure coursed through your body as he teased your entrance. His touch was electric, and you find your back arching in response.
You could feel the anticipation building as he went lower on your body, nibbling your thigh. The mixture of his breath and the roughness of his beard against your skin heightened your senses. You yearned for more. He pushed his finger inside, coating the digit with your slick before sliding it out.
“More,” you mewled, voice filled with desire as you begged. The hunger in your eyes fueled his own as he eagerly obliged. He pushed another finger in, curving them to hit the rigid sweet spot that he knew would cause you to scream his name. Each movement of his fingers sent waves of pleasure through you, building an insatiable hunger within you. Your hips instinctively arched upwards.
He leaned in and stuck out his tongue. He licked through your folds, up to your clit, circled it, and before moving down to his fingers. The taste of your slick sent Joel over the edge. He moved his tongue back up to your clit and flicked it a few times before sucking. Your hands grabbed a fistful of his hair as you ground your core against his face. His tongue danced skillfully around your clit. The combination of his relentless fingers and the tantalizing flicks of his tongue pushed you closer to the edge.
“That’s it, baby. Cum on my fingers,” Joel growled into your thigh, catching his breath. “Yeah, just like that.” He pumped his fingers faster, pushing you to your limit. You gripped the covers, and your back arched higher. Unable to hold back any longer, you screamed his name. Your walls tighten around his fingers. “That's it, baby.”
He slowed the pace of his pumping until you came down from the euphoric high. He pulled his fingers out of yours, dripping with your slick. He brought them to his mouth and licked his fingers clean. “Been too fucking long, you taste so good.”
He shifted higher up on your body, peppering your skin with kisses. The leg of his jeans rubbed against your bare cunt as he kissed you softly. His hot breath sent electricity through your already sensitive body. As you caught your breath, you could feel his throbbing cock pressed against your leg, aching for release. He whispered in your ear, “I want to feel you around me.”
You stared deeply into his eyes before trying to shift him off of you. The last thing you wanted to do was to hurt his leg. He peered down at you, confused, but pushed you harder against the bed.
“Darlin’, what are you doin’?”
“Would you just lay on your damn back,” you grunted as you squirmed to get free from his towering form. You moaned as he rubbed his covered thigh against your cunt. He chuckled at your failed attempt to get him to move. You looked up at him with big puppy dog eyes. “Come on, please?”
“No.”
“Joel, come on, your leg.”
“I don’t give a shit about my leg right now,” he grunted. He pulled his pants down. His cock bounced as it sprung free from its confines. His eyes burned with desire as he buried his head in the crook of your neck. His large hands grabbed your legs and placed them around his waist. His cock lay against your fold, and he rocked forward, allowing it to rub through your folds, hitting your clit repeatedly. You groan in pleasure. “You ready for me?”
You nod frantically. He looked down at your blissful face.
“Of course you are. Such a good girl.”
“Please, Joel.”
He chuckled as he pushed his cock inside you. He grunted loudly at the feeling of you around him. Your head hit the pillow, shutting your eyes as his cock stretched you.
“God, I missed you,” He moaned and looked at you, “Eyes on me, baby.”
He wanted to watch you come on him. He didn’t want to miss any more moments with you, especially this one. He firmly gripped your hips, thrusting his cock deeper inside you. You screamed his name as he hit that spot only he knew about. With each thrust, he enjoyed the way your moans grew louder. Your breath grew heavier. He knew you were only his.
“Ah! Fu-Fuck!” Joel grunted. His thrusting became more ragged and forceful. The bed frame knocked against the wall. The sound of slapping skin echoed through the darkened room. Your screams muffled as you pulled the pillow across your face. Joel grabbed it and tossed it to the floor. “I want to see you. Fuck, you feel so good.”
Tears threatened to fall as the pressure inside you became too much. You desperately scrape your dull fingernails across Joel's back.
“You can take it. Just a little bit more,” He moaned, “Such a good girl”
You screamed as you came around his cock. The tightness of your walls sent him climaxing with you. His cock pulsates inside you, coating your insides white.
“Fuck, I missed you,” he panted, collapsing on top of you. You could feel his cock softening until it slid out of you. His come seeps out of your weeping hole.
You ran your fingers through his soft hair while you kissed his shoulder. You smiled widely as you both basked in the afterglow. Slowly, he rolled off of you and pulled you flush against his chest. He whispered sweet words of affection in your hair. You attempted to get up, but he pushed you back down, trapping you between his arms.
“I’m not ready to let you go just yet,” he muttered as he planted kisses along your shoulder blades. The warmth of his embrace enveloped you, making it impossible to resist. Your eyes begin to get heavy. You heard Joel chuckle, and then the cover was placed on you. He nestled you under his chin.
The sound of his steady heartbeat lulled you to a blissful sleep. You felt loved and safe, wrapped in his embrace. Whatever tomorrow may bring would be tomorrow’s problem. Right now, you were right where you belonged.
-- --
originally posted: 27/11/2023 on @pamasaur previous account. Support/MDNI banner by @cafekitsune Tags: @pedrostories, @kelbellsficrecs @fhatbhabie (ily)
238 notes · View notes
stwbrywhiskeysour · 3 months
Text
Leave a Light On
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Pairing: Jackson!Joel x F!Reader Summary: A single light flickered throughout the empty room, casting your shadow against the wall. Joel's raspy voice, filled with sadness, whispered a final goodbye.
Words: 6.5k Rating: E (Explicit, 18+ Only MDNI) Content Warning: Jackson time, Establish relationship, No age is mentioned, May contain spoilers to TLOU Part II, Dark/Sensitive topics, does have an happy ending, angst, fluff, Implied MC death, golfing, torture, gun violence, knife violence, graphic descriptions, horseback riding, first aid, explicit language, explicit violence, Typical canon violence, grief/loss, depression, dark thoughts, suicide attempt, smut at the end, fingering, oral F!receiving, P in V, unprotected sex, creampie, cuddling (+ If I forgot any, let me know)
Tumblr media
“Baby?” Joel cried as he clutched your lifeless form against his chest. His body swayed back and forth, stroking your blood-stained hair. “Stay with me, baby. Please, stay with me.”
His winter coat was soaked in red while he held you. The bitter cold seeped into his bones as he remained unbothered. His face streaked with tears, clinging to any hope you would awaken and return to him.
JACKSON || A FEW HOURS AGO
The sun began to set on the horizon. Vibrant hues of oranges and pink scattered across the sky. A wicker basket sat next to you, filled with freshly picked vegetables. You took a deep breath, savoring the earthy scent in the greenhouse. You glance out the window as a shadow passes by. As the figure moved away from the greenhouse, you let out the breath you were holding.
The lights flickered on as you eagerly awaited for Joel to arrive. Seconds turned to minutes, and you wondered where he could be. Julie, the other worker in the greenhouse, noticed your uneasiness. She stood up and placed her hand on your shoulder in an attempt to console you.
“Hey, I’m sure he’s on his way. Maybe he stopped home for something?” she reassured.
Joel had never missed a night walking you home. It was the highlight of both your evenings. You would share stories of each other's past and what each other did throughout the day. You especially loved the little spark of excitement that would flash through his eyes when he would talk about Ellie. Joel rarely spoke to anyone outside of Tommy and Ellie. And, since you came into his life, you could barely get him to shut up. However, you cherished those moments. They allowed you to witness a side of him that very few see.
You looked up at Julie and smiled softly, a hint of sadness in your eyes. “Yeah, hopefully,” you responded as you bent down to grab the basket. You walked towards the door and waved. “I’ll see ya later.” You left and made your way towards the pantry before heading home.
The winter storm caused the wind to blow the snow harshly around you. You pulled your coat tighter against your body, trudging towards Rancher Street. A light in your peripherals caught your attention. Your pace slowed as you turned to face the house belonging to Maria and Tommy and stared towards the window. An unsettling knot grew in your stomach. You looked towards your home and back to theirs. Unable to shake the feeling, you jogged towards their door.
Three hard knocks were all it took for Maria to crack the door open. Her hair was disarray, and she had dark circles around her eyes as if she had not slept in days. She looked shocked that you were standing at the door.
“Has Tommy come home yet?” you asked, not allowing Maria a chance to greet you.
“No, he-” she stated, voice filled with concern, “if you’re here, neither has Joel.”
“Yeah,” you sighed, shaking the snow off your hair and shoes.
“Fuck. I sent a group hours ago to bring them home. I just thought they had gone to the Bison,” she said as she opened the door wider to allow you to enter.
“Do you know what area they were patrolling?”
“Uhm, yeah, it was around the old ski lodge,” Maria stated, walking through the house. You followed closely behind her. “You can’t seriously be thinking about going out there in this.”
You looked at her with a determined face mixed with concern. She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Can you at least wait til the storm is over?”
“Maria, I-”
“Of course, you can’t,” she said as she walked up to a desk drawer and grabbed a map. She laid it out on the table and circled the area they were patrolling. “They should be around this area.”
You nodded and traced your finger from the gate of Jackson to the area she had circled, making a mental note of the path to take. The lodge was near a small town, and you thought if you could make it there, you would be able to track their prints in through the snow.
“Awesome. Can I take this?” You asked. She nodded and grabbed your arm as you walked past her.
“Wait,” she said. Her grip on your arm tightened. “There were reports of a large horde near the town. Stay away from there. Bring them home, safe. okay?”
‘Well fuck, there goes that idea,’ you thought as you looked up at her. You smiled. “Will do. Thanks, Maria.”
Maria waved at you while you jogged down the street toward the stables. Once you got to the large barn, you grabbed a saddle from the wall and placed it on the back of the black stallion you had named Beauty. You put your head against his muzzle and softly petted his mane.
“You ready, ol’ boy?” you whispered. Beauty neighed as you swung your leg over his back and grabbed his reins. You began to trot towards the wooden gate.
Jesse noticed you on horseback coming out of the stables. He called out to you. “Hey! Where are you going?”
“Open the gate, Jesse,” you said sternly.
“Maria said no one was to leave during the storm.”
“Open the damn gate.”
Jesse looked over at the other patrolman, shocked. They shrugged at him and casually walked over to the lever, pulling it open for you. Just before it was opened completely, you galloped out into the storm, not looking back. The wind whipped through your hair as you urged Beauty to gallop faster.
-- -- --
You rode through the woods, avoiding the town. Because you were not paying attention, you almost caused Beauty to trot off a cliff. He neighed loudly, bucking upwards, knocking you off. You land on the ground hard. You groaned as you got up.
“Easy there,” you stated while you reached for his reins, “easy boy.”
Sighing, you peered across the snow-covered field. A large mansion sat in the middle of a fenced area. Bodies of infected piled along the perimeter of the exterior gate. A shiver went down your spine. “Surely, Joel and Tommy didn’t do that,” you whispered. The wintery air caused a misty cloud in front of your mouth as you spoke. You petted Beauty before telling him to make it home safely and smacking him on the rear. You watched him gallop in the distance.
Taking a deep breath, you descend the cliff. As you crept closer to the building, you noticed dark figures moving across the large bay window. You twisted the door handle, and it creaked open. The warmth of the house greeted you as you slowly entered the room. You heard muffled voices and a loud gunshot that echoed off the walls. You gripped your knife tighter. A familiar voice rang through your ears that caused panic to set in.
“Tommy!” the voice screamed. The voice you came to know so well over the past few years, the voice that was filled with so much love for you, a voice that you could instantly recognize anywhere, the voice that belonged to Joel.
“Put him against the wall,” a young female demanded. She couldn’t be much older than Ellie but ordered the men around as if she were their leader. You inched silently into the room, eyes glued on the two men who grabbed Joel by the arms and shoved him against the large window. His right leg was extended out in front of him, bleeding. “Joel Miller.”
“Who are you?” he grunted, trying not to show emotion.
“Guess.”
“Why don’t you say whatever speech you’ve got rehearsed and get this over with,” Joel bit back. His eyes darted over her shoulder, locking with yours. Fear and shock shot through him as he struggled against the men who held him. You glanced around at the group, quickly trying to assess the situation.
The girl walked to a golf caddy near the sofa and pulled out one of the iron clubs. She nodded approvingly and walked in front of Joel. She brought the club up to her shoulder.
“You stupid old man. You don’t get to rush this,” she growled as she swung the club. It made an impact on the side of Joel’s face. He screamed in agony, blood splattered across the room. His vision blackened as he fell to the ground. The eyes of the girl sparkled with a twisted satisfaction.
You watched in horror as the men drew Joel back against the window, and she raised the club again. Filled with rage, you grabbed one of the men closest to you. Your left hand slid across their face to cover their mouth while you made a horizontal cut across the middle of their neck with your knife. Blood spewed down his body, and his body twitched as you pushed him away from you. His body crumbled to the ground with a loud thud. You ran up to the next person and stabbed them in the neck, puncturing their jugular.
The sound alerted the others, and they turned to face you. You slung your rifle around your body and held it firmly in your hands. Your index finger pressed the trigger as you meticulously aimed and fired at the group. A person came up from behind you and kicked your legs from underneath you, knocking you to the ground. You yelped in surprise as they shoved your face onto the cold floor.
“Get the fuck off of me,” you growled, fighting against the person holding you down, “I will fucking kill you.”
“Well, well, well. Who do we have here?” the girl spoke, stalking up to you. She grabbed you by your hair and pulled you to your knees. You gasped in pain, breathing heavily. “Girlfriend?” she asked as she looked over at Joel. She shook her head. “No. Wife?”
“No, don’t!” Joel rasped out.
She let out a dark chuckle. His desperate plea fell on silent ears as the girl taunted you. Her grip on your hair tightened as she turned you to face Joel.
“This is so much better than what I had planned. You took my father from me; I’m going take something from you,” she sneered, pulling her knife from its holster. Joel struggled against the grasp of the men who held him. His eyes filled with a mix of fear and anger. The moment she took her knife out, his movements ceased. He watched dreadfully as she scrapped the blade down your sternum until it rested just below the hard bone. She pushed your shoulders forward. The blade pierced through your abdomen with a squelching sound; you gasped in pain as you felt the sting of it entering your body. Blood trickled down as you started to sway. The excruciating agony intensified when she dug the blade deeper into you before pulling it out and shoving you away. You fell to the ground, clutching your stomach in a horrible attempt to stop the bleeding. Your eyes locked with the tear-filled ones of Joel. You struggled to catch your breath, and your vision kept flashing black.
“What the hell is this, Abby?” a man yelled while entering the room, “You’re done here.” She groaned in protest. You were unable to pay attention to the words being spoken around you. The words were fading into silence as darkness started to engulf you.
With every ounce of strength, Joel pulled himself across the floor. “Darlin’?” he whispered, reaching his hand out towards you. Abby noticed his movements and kicked him hard in the stomach, knocking the wind from his lungs. She huffed and left the house with her group.
You gasped for air, feeling the weight of darkness pressing against your consciousness. Tears streamed down Joel’s face as he scooted himself closer to you. Memories began to flood his mind. He remembered the first time he met you, how strong you were when you fought alongside him in the spore-filled tunnels. He remembered how you yelled at him for being so careless with a child who didn’t even know how to swim. He remembered how he fell in love with you the day he met you. He tried to stay awake, staring at your beautiful face as the memories faded.
Your eyes met his once again. Desperate to speak. You rasped, “I… I…. lo…. love….” you choked on your blood, coughing harshly as it pooled in your mouth. Your body convulsed, and your labored breath came to a sudden stop.
“Baby?” Joel whispered as he tried to pull you closer to him. “Baby, please.” -- -- -- --
“Baby!” he cried, clutching your lifeless body against his chest. He swayed back and forth, stroking your blood-stained hair. “Stay with me, baby. Please, stay with me.”
His winter coat was soaked in red while he held you. The bitter cold seeped into his bones as he remained unbothered. His face streaked with tears as he clung to any possible hope you would awaken and return to him.
A loud, pained groan erupted from across the room. Tommy shifted uncomfortably against the floor as he regained consciousness. His head throbbed in pain from the hit he received. His palms flattened against the cold tiles, and he lifted himself, stumbling backward and hitting the console table. He gazed at the room and noticed the bodies scattered across the floor in puddles of blood.
“Jesus Christ,” he muttered, just before his eyes landed on his brother, who was sitting on the ground clutching your limp body to his chest. His leg extended in front of him with a belt tightly fastened on his thigh, acting as a makeshift tourniquet. Joel buried his face into the divot of your neck, whispering apologies in a broken voice.
An audible gap erupted from Tommy as he realized the body Joel was holding was you. Tears threatened to fall as he watched Joel cry out in grief once again. Tommy knew that Joel would never recover from losing you; hell, he never recovered from losing Sarah twenty-some years ago. Unsure of what to do, he whispered Joel’s name.
Joel’s puffy, bloodshot eyes lifted from your neck and met his. Tommy took a step back, horrified at the appearance of his brother. The side of Joel’s face was bashed in as if someone had taken something long, hard, with a flat end and hit him across the face with it multiple times. Blood oozed from the wound, and a mix of blues and black colors surrounded it. His left eye was almost swollen shut, and blood caked his face and hair.
“What the fuck happened?” Tommy asked.
Barely above a whisper, Joel rasped, “Tommy?”
He had forgotten Tommy was there. His entire focus had been on you. Making sure nothing happened to you, and he failed. Nothing mattered to him anymore.
Tommy knelt in front of him and placed a hand on his shoulder. He noticed a significant amount of blood covering both of your jackets. With a concerned face, he saw the small cut from the blade on the fabric of your clothes. “Let me see her,” he said softly.
Joel nodded and placed you gently on the ground next to him. He unzipped your jacket, pushing the flaps to the side. He lifted your shirt slowly. The dried blood caused the fabric to stick to your skin. He pulled it up just below the band of your bra to reveal a tiny stab wound on the upper middle quadrant of your abdomen, centimeters below the hard bone of your sternum. Your breath was shallow. So shallow that Tommy nor Joel noticed your chest rising and falling. Tommy placed his hand over the wound, pressed down hard to try and control the bleeding, and immediately blood covered them.
Joel was not paying attention to Tommy. He stared at your calm, peaceful face. His mind was filled with memories and thoughts of you. He pushed a strand of hair that fell on your face, lightly touching your cold cheek as he placed it behind your ear. He noticed your face showed no signs of distress and no pain. You were just there, on the cold floor, unfazed by what occurred around you.
‘You’re so beautiful,’ Joel thought as he ran his fingers through your hair.
Tommy’s hand began to tremble. He was unable to control the bleeding. He leaned down and placed his ear just above your parted mouth, hoping for any sign of breathing. Tears began to fall down his face when he felt nothing against his cheek. He mouthed, “No, no, no,” as he said your name shaking you.
Coming out of his trance, Joel watched Tommy shake you. He saw the tears in Tommy’s eyes and immediately knew something was wrong. He didn’t want to believe that you were gone. How could he move forward without you? How could he move on? What will he tell Ellie?
Joel shouted your name. He shoved Tommy away from you and placed his hands down on your wound, trying to believe if he was the one putting pressure on it, it would stop. When it didn’t stop, he started to weep.
“Please, not her. God, please, no her,” he sobbed. He felt as if he failed you. He had failed: as a protector, a lover, as everything. His heart shattered into a million pieces. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. It’s all my fault. I’m so sorry.”
Tommy found himself void of words, unable to move from where he stood. He wasn’t sure why this happened to you, why they attacked you, of all people. He had so many questions running through his head. He glanced around the room again, trying to piece together any information he could find. He noticed a patch that was on the jackets of the bodies. He knelt and removed the patch with his knife. The patch was a yellow triangle with a wolf in the middle. The words W.L.F. are located at the bottom. He quickly pocketed it before going back to Joel.
“We should probably head back,” Tommy stated as he looked at Joel. Joel had his hands firmly pressed against your stomach, desperately trying to stop the bleeding.
“NO,” Joel shouted. Tommy grabbed onto his arm, pulling him away from you. “I- I can’t leave her. I can’t-”
“She’s gone.”
“No, no, no,” Joel repeated, shaking his. He pushed Tommy away and tried to go back to you. Tommy grabbed him, stopping his movements.
“I’ll come back for her,” Tommy promised, “When the daylight comes and the storm is over, I’ll bring her home.”
Joel sniffled. He knew Tommy was right. They had to leave, or someone would come looking for them, just as you did. Tommy left the room and returned with a large white sheet. He slowly draped it over you. Joel took it and tucked the sheet under your sides. His hands trembled with every tuck. Blood started to stain the middle of the sheet as it settled across your body. Suddenly, the room felt colder than it had before.
Tommy helped Joel to his feet, wrapping his arm around his middle. They began to walk towards the door, grief heavy on their hearts. Joel stopped for a moment and looked back towards you. He started at the white sheet that covered your body. The light flickered throughout the room, casting your shadow against the wall. He whispered a final goodbye.
As he turned, a gust of wind blew through the open door. It caused the sheet to flutter, uncovering some of your features. His heart sank, feeling a part of him was left behind in the room. Joel sighed sadly, finally looking away from you. They left the building carrying the weight of your absence on them.
-- -- -- --
Jesse walked along the ramparts with a snow shovel. He scooped the snow into its blade and tossed it over the exterior wall. He noticed two dark figures stumbling in the distance. The dense snow made it difficult for him to identify them. He reached for the binoculars and peered through them. One of the figures was held by the waist, their leg dragged behind them, leaving a red trail in the snow.
“What the hell,” he said into the wintery night. “Open the gate!” He shouted but received no response. He glanced over the edge to an empty area. “Where the fuck did they go?”
He ran down the steps to open the gate. Laughter erupted behind him as Dina and Ellie exited the stables. Jesse stared at them in disbelief, eyes darting down from their faces to their interlocked hands. “You gotta be kidding me,” he scoffed, “you were supposed to be on patrol.”
“We are-” Ellie got interrupted.
“This town depends on us. We can’t just be fucking in the stables anytime we want!”
Dina’s face turned bright red. A loud bang on the gate startled them, and a voice shouted just beyond it.
“OPEN THE DAMN GATE!”
Ellie looked at Dina. At the same time, they both stated, “Is that Tommy?”
They ran over to the gate and opened it. The wooden doors creaked, pushing the snow to the side as it opened. Tommy dragged an unconscious, injured Joel inside Jackson. He shifted his arm around his waist, trying to adjust, but Joel slid right out from his arms and landed into the snow. Joel landed face-first into the powdery snow. Ellie immediately ran over to him and lifted him back up with the help of Tommy.
“What happened?” Ellie asked as they reached the clinic. Tommy knocked on the door. An elderly lady appeared, her glasses hung low on her nose.
“Do you realize what time it is?” she said, her voice filled with sleep. She glanced at Joel and gasped. Immediately opening the door, she gestured for them to come in. “The first room on the left is empty,” she said as Tommy and Ellie walked to the room. They laid Joel down on the bed. The lady began to cut his pant leg, revealing the bullet hole.
“Jesus, Tommy. If you don't tell me what the fuck happened right now. I swear, I’m going,” Ellie demanded, clenching her fist tightly.
“That’s it, out!” the lady demanded as she pointed towards the door. Everyone looked at her in shock before muttering and walking out. Dina took a seat next to Jesse. Ellie quickly realized that you were not with them and was unaware of Joel's condition. Her heart started to race, conflicted about whether she should leave or stay with Joel.
Dina’s eyes softened as she watched Ellie’s expressions rapidly change. “I’ll go get her,” she said to Ellie, squeezing her hand.
“She’s not home,” Jesse said softly.
"What do you mean she's not there?"
"She took off hours ago, right before the storm got bad."
Tommy's eyes darted to Ellie's as Jesse finished his sentence. "Ellie, I need to speak to you... Alone."
"I'll be at your house if you need me," Dina told Ellie as she and Jesse left the clinic. Tommy took a seat and rubbed his hands across his face. He sighed loudly as tears threatened to fall from his eyes again.
"There's no easy way to say this," he whispered. His voice trembled. "Kid, she came looking for us. I don't know exactly what happened, but I do know. When I woke, it was too late. She was-" Tears ran down his face, "she was already gone."
"She's gone?" she muttered, tears forming. Her heart sank as she tried to comprehend what Tommy had said. The room felt heavy around her; her breathing became erratic. Everything felt as though it was caving in around her. Her vision tunneled. She violently shook her head; her face went stone cold and void as she stared at him. Just above a whisper, she asked, "You just left her there?"
"Ellie, I didn't have a choice. T'was just me and Joel," he said. "Once the storm settles, I'm going back."
"I'm coming with you."
-- -- -- ---
MEANWHILE || AT THE MANSION
The light flickered throughout the room. Your eyes fluttered open as you desperately gasped for air. The sheet covering your body clung to your face as you inhaled. Shakily, you reached up and pulled it off. The blood rushed back through your body and up to your face. The room spun as you held your head in pain.
You groaned loudly, sitting up. You tried to keep a steady breath as you attempted to stand. Clumsily, you bumped into things while you walked towards the bathroom. You dug through the cabinets, looking for a first aid kit. The blood on your hands smeared the white doors as you opened them. A small red box lay beneath washcloths. You grabbed it and placed it on the counter.
You caught a glimpse of your reflection and were startled by your appearance. Your hair was matted with blood and sweat. Your eyes were bloodshot, and your face was sickly pale, reflecting the trauma you had experienced. Your hands shuddered as you opened the kit.
Among the bandages and alcohol pads, you find a sewing needle and thread. Tucking your shirt under your bra, you tried to thread the needle with blurry vision. After many failed tries, you got the thread through the eyelet and placed it on the counter. You poured water over the wound, soaking the top of your jeans.
With a deep breath, you pierced the needle through the skin, pulled it through the other side, and secured the suture with a double knot before making two more next to it. As you focused on the sutures, the pain intensified. Beads of sweat formed on our foreheads.
After the last stitch, you slumped to the floor. A wave of nausea washed over you. You could barely keep your eyes open. They started to close until you could not fight them anymore and fell into a dreamless slumber.
-- -- -- ---
JACKSON || MONTHS LATER
Darkness surrounded the streets of Jackson. Snow covered the pavement. The white sparkled in the moonlight. The brisk winter breeze bit anyone who dared to be out in it.
A single light flickered from a bulb attached to a familiar house on Rancher Street. Its soft glow illuminated Joel as he sat skillfully strumming away on his guitar. The beautiful melody flowed through the air, stopping passersby as they listened. He sang no words, only allowing the vibrations of the chords to do the music.
His mind was flooded with memories of the past, the battles that were fought, those who have died, and each heavy decision was made. With each note, tears dropped and landed on the curve of the guitar. He played as if it would be the last time his calloused fingers would scrap against the strings.
The last chord strung, he leaned the guitar against the house next to him. He grabbed the pistol from the table and held the cold metal. A sense of finality washed over him. You were no longer here. Ellie never forgave him, and with you gone, the wedge between them grew. He had nothing left, no reason to be here anymore. He contemplated if Jackson would be better without him.
Taking a deep breath, he placed the cold gun against his temple. His index finger brushed against the trigger. His eyes closed for the last time, picturing your face.
“Whatcha think you’re doing there, cowboy?” a feminine voice stated. Hesitantly, he opened his eyes. They land on a familiar silhouette as they ascend the steps. The features of your face appear more prominent as you step into the light. Joel’s eyes widened.
“You’re… You’re not here,” he stuttered. His hands shook as he lowered the gun to his lap. “You can’t be here. This isn’t real.” He shook his head, attempting to remove the image of you. However, no matter how hard he tried, you stood there unmoving, with an amused look, staring at him. Joel’s heart pounded in his chest, questioning his sanity.
He stared at you in wonder. The snowflakes glimmered in your hair, and the bitter cold caused your nose and cheeks to turn pink. He tried to find an explanation. Was this a hallucination? A figment of his imagination? There's no possible way you could be here.
The feeling of longing engulfed him as he stared at your beautiful face.
“Why don’t you come and find out?” you smiled. He hesitated for a moment, unsure if he could trust his senses. But the genuine warmth in your voice convinced him to stand. He grabbed his crutch and took a step towards you. His eyes flickered with a mix of fear and excitement. He reached out toward you, afraid that you would disappear. His warm palm lands on your cold cheek.
“Easy there, cowboy. You look a bit unstable,” you chuckled, leaning into his touch. He released the breath he was holding and pulled you into his arms. He buried his face in your hair, inhaling the familiar scent of the honey soap you used to use.
“Baby,” He mumbled into your hair. You could feel his heartbeat against your face as he held you tightly. His grip filled with longing and relief. “You’re really here.”
“I’m really here,” you replied with a voice filled with love and reassurance. All the doubts and fears vanished from him as he held you. His hand moved to your chin, tilting it upwards. His teary eyes met yours for the first time in months. He leaned down. His nose touches yours.
“You’re really here,” he whispered again. You could feel his hot breath linger on your lips. He closed the gap between you, pressing his lips against yours in a gentle kiss. He nipped your bottom lip, forcing you to open, and slipped his tongue inside. He moaned in your mouth before breaking away to catch his breath. He started to kiss along your jawline, sucking on your pulse, leaving a wet, red spot. Your hands clung to his brown jacket.
“Joel,” You mewled as he nibbled at the soft skin. His scruffy beard left red marks across your neck. “Let's get out of the cold.”
He mumbled in protest, but you pushed him gently towards the door, grabbing his guitar.
You helped me into the house and up the stairs. One of his arms dangled over the crutch, and the other around your waist. As you guided him through the house, his light touches sent shivers through you. His weight felt comforting and electrifying, making you yearn for more.
You made your way to the bedroom. Joel let go of the crutch. A metal clunk echoed off the walls as it hit the ground. His eyes met yours, filled with desire. Without a word, he pulled you closer. His lips brushed against yours in a tender yet passionate kiss. His hands lifted your shirt slowly up your abdomen, fingers lightly touching your skin.
“Baby,” he groaned as he tossed your shirt to the floor. He hobbled towards the bed, pushing with him. The back of your knees hit the frame, causing you to fall backward. Your back lands softly on the blankets and shifts upwards, allowing Joel to climb onto the bed. He towered over you. You could feel the heat radiating off his body. His lips trailed down your neck while his hand explored every inch of you. Your heavy breathing filled the room.
Joel tugged at your jeans. The tip of his fingers traced lines down your thigh as he pulled them off. Flattening his palm, his hand grazed your inner thigh. He kissed down your sternum, stopping just above the bandage that wrapped around you.
“I’m so sorry,” he whispered, kissing it. “so fucking sorry.”
“Oh hush, now,” you stated, shifting your legs a little higher on the bed. He kissed down your stomach and stopped just above the warmth of your core. He looked up at your face. You propped yourself up on your elbows. As his hand covered your dripping cunt, your head fell backward onto the bed.
“So wet. This all for me, darlin’?” he purred. His index finger slid through your folds, which caused you to gasp. Pleasure coursed through your body as he teased your entrance. His touch was electric, and you find your back arching in response.
You could feel the anticipation building as he went lower on your body, nibbling your thigh. The mixture of his breath and the roughness of his beard against your skin heightened your senses. You yearned for more. He pushed his finger inside, coating the digit with your slick before sliding it out.
“More,” you mewled, voice filled with desire as you begged. The hunger in your eyes fueled his own as he eagerly obliged. He pushed another finger in, curving them to hit the rigid sweet spot that he knew would cause you to scream his name. Each movement of his fingers sent waves of pleasure through you, building an insatiable hunger within you. Your hips instinctively arched upwards.
He leaned in and stuck out his tongue. He licked through your folds, up to your clit, circled it, and before moving down to his fingers. The taste of your slick sent Joel over the edge. He moved his tongue back up to your clit and flicked it a few times before sucking. Your hands grabbed a fistful of his hair as you ground your core against his face. His tongue danced skillfully around your clit. The combination of his relentless fingers and the tantalizing flicks of his tongue pushed you closer to the edge.
“That’s it, baby. Cum on my fingers,” Joel growled into your thigh, catching his breath. “Yeah, just like that.” He pumped his fingers faster, pushing you to your limit. You gripped the covers, and your back arched higher. Unable to hold back any longer, you screamed his name. Your walls tighten around his fingers. “That's it, baby.”
He slowed the pace of his pumping until you came down from the euphoric high. He pulled his fingers out of yours, dripping with your slick. He brought them to his mouth and licked his fingers clean. “Been too fucking long, you taste so good.”
He shifted higher up on your body, peppering your skin with kisses. The leg of his jeans rubbed against your bare cunt as he kissed you softly. His hot breath sent electricity through your already sensitive body. As you caught your breath, you could feel his throbbing cock pressed against your leg, aching for release. He whispered in your ear, “I want to feel you around me.”
You stared deeply into his eyes before trying to shift him off of you. The last thing you wanted to do was to hurt his leg. He peered down at you, confused, but pushed you harder against the bed.
“Darlin’, what are you doin’?”
“Would you just lay on your damn back,” you grunted as you squirmed to get free from his towering form. You moaned as he rubbed his covered thigh against your cunt. He chuckled at your failed attempt to get him to move. You looked up at him with big puppy dog eyes. “Come on, please?”
“No.”
“Joel, come on, your leg.”
“I don’t give a shit about my leg right now,” he grunted. He pulled his pants down. His cock bounced as it sprung free from its confines. His eyes burned with desire as he buried his head in the crook of your neck. His large hands grabbed your legs and placed them around his waist. His cock lay against your fold, and he rocked forward, allowing it to rub through your folds, hitting your clit repeatedly. You groan in pleasure. “You ready for me?”
You nod frantically. He looked down at your blissful face.
“Of course you are. Such a good girl.”
“Please, Joel.”
He chuckled as he pushed his cock inside you. He grunted loudly at the feeling of you around him. Your head hit the pillow, shutting your eyes as his cock stretched you.
“God, I missed you,” He moaned and looked at you, “Eyes on me, baby.”
He wanted to watch you come on him. He didn’t want to miss any more moments with you, especially this one. He firmly gripped your hips, thrusting his cock deeper inside you. You screamed his name as he hit that spot only he knew about. With each thrust, he enjoyed the way your moans grew louder. Your breath grew heavier. He knew you were only his.
“Ah! Fu-Fuck!” Joel grunted. His thrusting became more ragged and forceful. The bed frame knocked against the wall. The sound of slapping skin echoed through the darkened room. Your screams muffled as you pulled the pillow across your face. Joel grabbed it and tossed it to the floor. “I want to see you. Fuck, you feel so good.”
Tears threatened to fall as the pressure inside you became too much. You desperately scrape your dull fingernails across Joel's back.
“You can take it. Just a little bit more,” He moaned, “Such a good girl”
You screamed as you came around his cock. The tightness of your walls sent him climaxing with you. His cock pulsates inside you, coating your insides white.
“Fuck, I missed you,” he panted, collapsing on top of you. You could feel his cock softening until it slid out of you. His come seeps out of your weeping hole.
You ran your fingers through his soft hair while you kissed his shoulder. You smiled widely as you both basked in the afterglow. Slowly, he rolled off of you and pulled you flush against his chest. He whispered sweet words of affection in your hair. You attempted to get up, but he pushed you back down, trapping you between his arms.
“I’m not ready to let you go just yet,” he muttered as he planted kisses along your shoulder blades. The warmth of his embrace enveloped you, making it impossible to resist. Your eyes begin to get heavy. You heard Joel chuckle, and then the cover was placed on you. He nestled you under his chin.
The sound of his steady heartbeat lulled you to a blissful sleep. You felt loved and safe, wrapped in his embrace. Whatever tomorrow may bring would be tomorrow’s problem. Right now, you were right where you belonged.
-- --
originally posted: 27/11/2023 on @pamasaur previous account. Support/MDNI banner by @cafekitsune Tags: @pedrostories, @kelbellsficrecs @fhatbhabie (ily) @cool-iguana
238 notes · View notes