#it's been A Few Months with this nonsense

[oliviassunrise]

"What're you doing up?" - tessjoel (<- is that how this works?)

Yes, that is how this works! Enjoy 🤍

300 Prompts

-x-x-x-

Two things register to Joel when he wakes in the dark to the feeling of a warm breeze blowing in through the windows.

The first is that he is not in the middle of the ruins of Boston, heart dropping as he watches Tess pull aside her collar. Oops, right? He doesn’t know where that recurring nightmare came from, but it’s haunted him for months. Even as he leans over and can smell Tess’s vanilla and honey scent in the sheets of their bed. In their house. In Jackson.

The second is that she’s not in bed next to him.

Squinting his eyes and feeling around in the dark, he notes her side is still warm. So, she hasn’t been gone long. A peek out their bedroom window overlooking the backyard reveals their porch light is on.

He’s not surprised.

After pulling on a pair of sweatpants, he shuffles down the hall to check in on Ellie. She’s snoring away, one leg poking out from under her blanket, and one arm hanging over the edge of the bed while she lays on her belly.

He wishes he could sleep that soundly.

Downstairs, only a dim light is on in the kitchen, barely outshined by the light shining through the glass panes of the back door.

Joel follows the light to the back porch and finds Tess sitting on the steps, hands clasped around a mug emitting steam.

“What’re you doin’ up?” Joel asks. As if he needs to.

As if he hasn’t spent the last twenty years wondering what nightmares take over when she’s lucky enough to actually fall asleep.

Tess pats the spot next to her, inviting him to join. “Same as you.”

He beckons her call, his bones cracking and popping as he lowers himself onto the top step. With a groan, he finally settles himself.

He tilts his head toward her mug. “Whatcha got?”

“Supposed to be that calming tea Maria gave me.” She contemplates the drink. “If you ask me, it’s bullshit.”

“More hippie dippie nonsense,” Joel grumbles in agreement.

“Not bad with a little honey, though.”

All around them, crickets chirp and lightning bugs float over unkempt grass in the yard. It’s already summer. It feels like only weeks ago, they were fighting the bitter cold winter.

Subconsciously, Joel rubs the gnarly scar on his torso, and it takes Tess reaching for his free hand to bring him back to the present and chase away the memories.

Just a few among even worse. The spring. Salt Lake City. The girl blissfully slumbering upstairs in the house. Tess’s attempts to reason with Marlene, followed by a silent nod the second she realized what Joel intended to do.

All that’s gone. It’s over.

But even as Tess leans into him, inviting him to wrap an arm around her, he knows: it will never be over.

So long as their choices haunt them in their dreams. So long as the road not taken of worst case scenarios haunts them in their dreams.

It occurs to Joel that the silence leaves way too much room for his thoughts to take over. It makes him uncomfortable.

Ever on the same page, Tess complains, “It’s so quiet here.”

“Way too damn quiet,” he agrees.

While he doesn’t miss sleeping with one eye open, he would gladly take the 24-hour chaos of the QZ on nights like this. The sounds of pipe bombs and screaming used to be a lullaby when he couldn’t stand to be alone with his own mind.

That and whatever high-proof shit the ration cards or items for trade could get him. But the town practitioner has already cautioned him about his liver at his age, so drinking alcohol like a glass of warm milk is no longer an option.

Tess rests her head on his shoulder, and he allows himself the affection. For her, not for him. If he presses a kiss into her hair, it’s for her benefit, her comfort.

When Ellie comes clambering out the back door five minutes later asking why she wasn’t invited to the party and cracking jokes at 2:00 in the morning, the world is finally at peace for the night.

[iguessigotta]

this is pure self-indulgence because I just got back from spending all day between urgent care and the ER haha woooo literally 8am - 7pm yeah we're having fun in hereeeee (don't worry they think they figured it out and tbh it's more stupid than life threatening and I wanna punch my own self for almost keeling over because of this lmao) smh my head @ my own body

Sighing heavily, you flopped down on the couch, not even bothering to take off your shoes. Dark was right on your heels, pausing to shut the door and set your bag down in the entryway. You closed your eyes, slouched down low and sunk into the cushions, letting out an unhappy sound when you realized being too lazy to remove your shoes meant you couldn't toss your feet up on the cushion next to you.

Today sucked.

There was a quiet brush of fabric, along with the telltale ringing that accompanied your boyfriend, as he walked into the living room and stopped by the couch. Without a word, he knelt down and started removing your shoes and socks.

"Dark? What are you doing?" you grumbled, cracking one eye open to look at him, noting the slight upturn of the corner of his mouth.

He hummed and placed your things off to the side before planting a kiss on your knee. "No shoes in the house," he paused to look you in the eye, "wasn't that your rule?"

"Oh, haha," you said through a huff, rolling your eyes so hard you thought they'd fall out. Dark let out a huff of his own - one that sounded suspiciously like a laugh - before he lifted your legs and set them on the couch. While you sat there confused - comfortable, but confused, he walked to your small kitchen and out of your line of sight. You frowned and went to sit up a bit so you could be nosy and see what he was doing, but he stopped you with a sharp "Ah. Stay where you are."

You frowned even harder. How the hell did he know you were trying to get up when he couldn't see you? When Dark came back into the room, a small tray of food and drink in his hand, you were still half-sitting, frown stuck on your face. He raised an eyebrow at you but didn't say anything as he set the tray down on the small table next to the couch.

"How do you do that?" you asked, folding your legs up to give Dark space to sit down with you, "It's like you can see me even when you can't."

This time you were sure he actually did laugh. "There are many things you don't know about me," he said, a smile audible in his voice, as he pulled your legs into his lap, "Is it really so far-fetched to think I might be able to keep an eye on you at all times?"

The look he gave you made heat flood your face at the implication.

Letting out another faint chuckle, Dark turned towards the tv, which had at some point been turned on and tuned to one of your favorite movies. He kept his hands on your legs, running them up and down, pausing every now and then to give a light squeeze. You could feel his eyes on you, watching for any signs of distress of discomfort, though every time you looked a him, his gaze would be so focused on the movie that you started to doubt that feeling of being watched.

It would have been annoying if you didn't understand why he was acting so worried over you.

You'd spent all day in the ER after finally caving and seeking help for a health issue that had been making your life hell the past few months. It was a drawn-out, expensive process, but by the end of it they'd found what they had reason to believe was the root cause. They'd given you packet after packet of info, a prescription, and a pat on the back, sending you on your way. Straight into the arms of your boyfriend, who was doing his best to appear calm for you. The louder-than-normal ringing had given him away though.

And so here you found yourself, reclining sideways on the couch, a mountain of pillows between your back and the armrest, legs in Dark's lap, half-watching one of your favorite movies. A sigh - content this time - escaped you, earning another light squeeze to your leg, and a small smile on Dark's lips.

It had been rough going the past few months, your health had been causing both of you quite a bit of stress, but you were finally on the mend, that was all that mattered.

[intotheelliwoods]

OK WHOS THE WISE GUY WHO ORDERED A KEYCHAIN FOR THE CITY I JUST MOVED OUT OF

[goopi-e]

Like I said once, being a Zelda fan is like microdosing on being a superhero comics fan:

Franchise exists for far too long and is way too financially successful for its own good;

"Modern mythology";

Countless arguments about lore/timeline™/canonicity that is inconsequential in the grand scheme of things and are relevant to a very small percentage of fans;

new director bad;

...And now, yes,

✨🔥The Cinematic Universe🔥✨.

[the-starry-seas]

yeah yeah, i'm talking a lot about my star wars idiots all of a sudden, but like there's really no funnier set of sentences i've ever written than

"I don't know if Jaster ever had that particular talk with you, but humans need two people to make a baby."

"Myl, we're standing in a cloning facility."

[thepoisonroom]

btw if someone you love wants to talk about how they're interested in any type of transition it's actually very cool and swagful to ask them what parts they're interested in and excited for so they can share the joy of it with you

[six-demon-bag]

ok. im gonna do it. gonna watch another episode but also not backtrack so i probably wont know what’s going on

[isfjmel-phleg]

🤐

[houkagokappa]

Favourite anime of 2023

[dewitty1]

Saturday Six (Stuff)

I'd been feeling severely anxious and depressed about my business being dead, and the thought of having to talk to my parents and ask for help again, but luckily my whinging (an Ad) on Facebook seems to have worked, and I got a nice little customer job. Plus some stuff from my BFF and her family (possibly).( ´͈ ॢꇴ `͈ॢ)･*♡

Plus I'm getting weird customer messages. Always a good time.(⑅ ‘﹃’ )

Leeloo is a cute kitten, but she is seriously a little bit of a terrorist. When I say she gets into everything I mean it. (^・ω・^ )

I do not like having this sinus crud that's going around.(*｀へ´*)

I know both options for the USA presidency are terrible. But one (CHUMP) is more terrible. I'm tired of the argument. I'm gonna stick with the slightly better Grandpa Joe. Not because I love him, because I don't. But because he's the one that'll get us closer to where we need to go. We may take three steps forward and two steps back, but at least we're going in the right direction. Whereas the other guy has no idea where he's going. Maybe towards Vladimir. More likely than you think.( •̀ω•́ )σ

I can't believe I'm going to be five and a half decades old in a little over a month. Jfc. I don't feel that old. (•̀ᴗ•́)و ̑̑

[thevioletcaptain]

the next customer to ask me "what's wrong with your eye?" is getting thrown into the sea :)

[127-mile]

What the hell do you bring to a gender reveal party? Like I made a baby blanket but what else?

[yooniesim]

Girl... I aint reading all that

[bilbao-song]

does anybody else have a song that you’ve been hearing ABOUT for like your entire life so that you know the title and everything but you’ve never actually heard the song. until one day you’re in a public place and they’re playing music and you pick up on the lyrics and you’re like oh!!!! this is the song everyone has been referencing my whole entire life

[they--slash--them]

lmao i think the tumblr apk im using is finally fully broken screaming crying throwing up

[asterdeer]

misophonia kicking my ass today breaking benjamin save me. breaking benjamin. save me breaking benjamin