#one of the best and under appreciated tlou characters

[softbeebee]

Dina nolastname headcanons (the last of us 2 / tlou2) |

Dancing is Dina's favourite hobby apart from music and games for sure, she mainly got into any video game because of Ellie.

Dina loves abba, that is just a fact and her favourite song is dancing queen + angeleyes as well.

Dina's love languages would be physical touch, acts of service, and words of affirmations.

If Dina was an animal, she would be a cat for sure. She is totally an animal lover, especially for cats.

If she could, she would take all the local cats in Jackson home with her if she could.

Dina more than likely teaches dance classes and has taught most of her friends different styles of dancing.

She truly didn't think she had a type till Jesse pointed it out, and it turns out Ellie had been her type even before she knew it.

I believe Dina knew she was bisexual after she settled into Jackson properly and began socialising more, an early realisation when she was like 12 years old (me too d).

She is one of the nicest popular girls you could talk to ever, despite the stereotype I feel she did above average in her classes and it made others jealous to realise she has such a good heart and a good intelligence about her.

She is a massive fan of horror movies. Her favourite series from what she has been able to find/trade with people passing through is the evil dead franchise.

Dina, as we know and can tell, is a playful yet bold drunk. She isn't ashamed of that for the most part.

In canonverse and non outbreak verse, she, despite how she may dress, enjoys a lot of punk/metal/rock/alternative pop punk music. As a babymetal fan, I know Dina would of loved them.

She doesn't get jealous too easily, unless she really knows she likes that person a lot. When she does get jealous, she tries to cope with it and put most times others happiness before herself.

Her favourite meals are between lasagna, homemade sauce and pasta, and a homemade soup.

She more than likely learnt a lot of her sewing skills from repairing clothes and fixing holes in blankets, eventually in my mind she made some of JJs baby clothes.

She more than likely has a generalised anxiety disorder, though she is more confident now with how she goes about her life, herself, and the build-up of confidence with her patrol and jobs around Jackson. Although the anxiety may sit there for sometime.

[pimosworld]

Moonshine

TLOU x Triple Frontier crossover AU

Pairing-Joel Miller x f!reader x Francisco Morales

CW-18+,MDNI,NSFW, alcohol consumption, angst,fluff,oral male receiving,cockwarming, canon typical violence, kidnapping,protective Joel,protective Frankie, minor character death, comfort

Chapter summary- Things come to a head when Joel leaves the QZ. Cain’s greed boils over into all your lives and the boys put their skills to use.

WK-6k

A/N- This is it folks and then the epilogue. Thank you for all sticking around. We are saying goodbye to this beloved trio…for now.

Character link

[Series Masterlist][Main Masterlist]

Not beta read

Final Chapter-Speakeasy

Joel could be extremely stubborn, but it seems you were going to take the cake in that competition. It’s been two days since Joel told you he needed to leave the QZ for supplies. He swore to you he would never put himself in danger again. Your best option at keeping him from leaving at this point was the silent treatment and it seemed you were determined to hold true to that despite today being the day he is supposed to leave. 

  “You gonna stomp around all day or ya gonna talk to me?” Joel tries to cage you in against the counter but you slip out of his grasp and stomp towards the bedroom. 

  Frankie sends him an apologetic look as he waves him off. 

  “This isn’t the first time she’s been pissed at me  and it certainly won’t be the last.” Joel resumes drying the dishes you left in the sink as Frankie looks towards the hallway where you disappeared. 

  Joel turns to him when he’s done with a look more stern than his normal demeanor. He’s nervously rubbing his hands together and Frankie fights the urge to tell him to stay. He wants to tell him everything you’ve expressed over the last few days. He wants to tell him that he has all he could ever want inside these walls…but Frankie knows that’s not true. 

  Things are different now. It’s not just about their survival. People relied on Joel to take care of their families and his last few runs have come up short since he wasn’t the one overseeing it. Things were ‘stolen’ or people went missing. Much like his brother Tommy, Joel was growing tired of sitting idly back without getting his hands dirty. 

  “I’ve been meanin’ to talk to you about something before I go.” He sets out two glasses from the cabinet and grabs a bottle from under the sink that Frankie’s never seen before. His eyes aren’t focused on the glass but he pours all the same. 

  “Before you start… just know I’m not going anywhere.” Joel flicks his eyes to Frankie briefly before swallowing it down in one gulp. 

  “If something happens to me…”

  “Nothing is going to happen to you!” You emerge from the hallway fuming.“You don’t have to go.”

  Frankie winces at the sight of your bloodshot eyes. Tears streaming down your face as Joel crosses the room to pull you into his arms. You try to push him away but he’s much stronger than you as his hold on you tightens. 

  “Stop fightin’ me Shine.” He half shouts into your hair as you pound your hands on his chest. 

  “I don’t want you to go.” Your inaudible sobs are breaking Frankie’s heart. Joel has been your security blanket since you arrived in Boston and you can’t fathom a life without him. 

  “You know I have to go.” He rocks you slowly in his arms and rubs your back as your breathing comes back to you in shallow sobs. You nod your head against him and he tilts your chin up to face him. “Shine.”

  “I know.” You feel a warm presence behind you pressing into your back and large hands come between you and Joel to caress your front. 

  “I’m gonna be here for you no matter what hermosa.” Frankie sounds like he’s on the verge of tears and it breaks your heart to think he doesn’t understand how much you appreciate him. 

  “Shit Frankie I’m sorry.” You turn around burying your face in his neck, inhaling his scent you’ve grown so addicted to. “I didn’t mean to…”

  His lips are on yours in an instant, all the feelings and desperation he’s trying to convey in this one kiss is enough to silence you. You kiss him deeply, your tongue licking into his mouth as Joel’s lips find your neck. Your soft moan almost stifles the quiet words whispered against your lips. 

  “I love you.” Frankie hears your sharp intake of breath and Joel’s hands stilling on your waist as the moment hangs in the air. “I love you both.” 

  You don’t think your heart can take the simultaneous feel of it swelling and breaking all at once. Frankie loves you…and Joel, he finally decides to tell you both. Maybe as a last stitch effort to get him to stay. Or maybe he truly does love you and he realizes this may be his last chance to tell you while you’re all in the same room. 

  He’s waiting for a response for what seems like an eternity and the feeling of worry and guilt start to creep over him. He can see the look in your eyes like he’s holding your heart in the palm of his hands and Joel who refuses to meet his gaze. He can sense his mistake, much like yours of trying to ignore Joel these last few days in a final triumphant tantrum to get him to stay. 

  But this is not that. He’s loved you for months, just afraid to tell you and open up a part of him he thought long dormant before him and the boys made their trek to Boston. You came barreling into his life, not taking no for an answer and challenging him every step of the way. Joel surprised him from the beginning, turning out to be quite the opposite of the persona he lets on. He may be hard around the edges but inside he’s soft and sweet and just needing to be loved all the same. 

  “I’ve felt this way for a long time, I wanted to tell you the other night but after you said you were leaving it just didn’t feel like the right time.” Joel finally looks up then and smiles at him and Frankie knows maybe now was not such a good time either but he couldn’t wait any longer. 

  “We love you too Francisco.” Joel gently kisses the back of your head. “This one was pretty eager to tell ya’ months ago but I didn’t want to push.”

  Joel closes the small space between him and Frankie as his lips tenderly meet his. It’s short and sweet yet you know it still holds the same weight of his words. 

  “You know I still gotta go.” Frankie rests his forehead against Joel’s and nods once. 

  None of you speak for a while and you think if you keep your eyes closed maybe you could stay like this forever. 

  ****

Joel doesn’t say anything as you feverishly pack his bag full of stuff he knows is probably too much to carry but it’s not worth it right now to tell you to stop. It’s adorable the way you mutter under your breath about needing to keep warm and hydrated. He’s sitting on the bed against the pillows trying to burn this memory in his brain…just in case. 

  If he waits any longer to leave he’ll be late to meet the few others that he’s making the short trip with. Some older locals he knew he could trust wanted to gather some more supplies before winter. They also knew how to handle a gun in case they ran into any trouble. Which he assumed may happen since his last few scouts he sent out for supplies came back with little to nothing and seemed downright spooked to even tell him. 

  He couldn’t afford to send any of the boys, he needed all hands on to run the bar and make sure his presence was still known. Charity would likely never forgive him if he sent Santiago and he would never put his family in any unnecessary danger. He needed Francisco to stay for obvious reasons and part of him just wanted to prove to himself that he hadn’t forgotten what it was like to be out there. 

  Tommy always lingered in the back of his mind as he lived his quiet and relatively peaceful life. He wanted that so badly for him but Cain had other motives and he couldn’t convince his brother to leave that life behind. Ultimately that cost him his life and so Joel swore to you he wouldn’t put you in a position to mourn anyone else. 

  “Shine I think that’ll be enough to last me a few weeks. I’m only gonna be gone a few days.” He stills your hand as you try to zip his pack. He places a kiss on each one of your knuckles and then a final on your palm. “I’ll be back in a few days, I promise.” 

  “Don’t promise.” You look up to him with tears streaming down your face. 

  “I’m gonna promise anyway.” 

  ****

  The bar is not open today so that leaves you with nothing except your thoughts running wild. Frankie follows you around like a lost puppy as you try to find new ways to clean and organize the same space. You know he’s trying to be supportive but you just wish he would do something…anything really besides follow you around the house. 

  Frankie can see you’re wound tight. He knows all too well the feeling of wanting to be in control of something you have no control over. 

  You need a distraction 

  “Did you say something?” You turn to Frankie as he leans against the wall in the hallway.

  “I said…you need a distraction.”  He takes a few steps towards you and holds out his hand waiting for you to accept it. “I promise I won’t bite…unless you want me to.” 

  “Okay.” 

  He smiles at you as you take his hand. He says nothing as he leads you from the hallway to the living room. The early sunset peeking through the blinds is all the light you can see as he sits on the couch. He positions you between his legs as he looks up at you with those brown puppy dog eyes. You’re already feeling better and thoroughly distracted as he rubs his large palms up and down the back of your thighs. 

  “So…what do you want to do?” It’s a pleasant nervousness thrumming through your veins as he sits back and you try to keep your eyes level with his face and not on the stretch of his pants as his legs relax. 

  “Whatever you want to do Mi Luna.” His face reads calm and collected but his hands are fidgeting at his side and you realize he’s struggling just as much as you are with Joel being gone. 

  “Whatever I want.” Your teasing tone as you start to pull your shirt over your head has him equal parts worried and excited. 

  You weren’t expecting to put on a show today so you’re feeling a little self conscious in your basic panties and bra but the way Frankie is looking at you like he wants to devour you makes you want to prolong this a bit. 

  You drop to your knees in front of him and lean forward to pull on the waistband of his sweatpants. He lifts his hips slightly to help you as you let the fabric pool at his feet. You can’t help the look in your eyes when you see how turned on he is already. The way his breathing picks up as you splay your hands on his thighs and dig your fingers into the muscled flesh.

  He curses under his breath as you take him in your hand and pump him a few times. You place your other hand on his stomach as he tries to keep his hips still. “I’ve barely touched you.” 

  “Fuck I know.” It’s more of a response to himself than it is to you. 

  You move your hand briefly before your lips are wrapping around the tip of his cock. Teasing with your tongue at first until you sink down slowly enveloping him in your mouth. You don’t stop until your lips meet the base of his cock and you still there for a moment before swallowing. 

  “Holy fuck.” You’ve never taken him this far before and Frankie’s brain short circuits when you start to bob your head up and down his cock, the lewd sounds coming from your mouth spur him on as your other hand still firmly on his stomach presses down. An unfamiliar groan leaves his lips and he has to bite down bordering on painful so he doesn’t finish embarrassingly fast. 

  “I’m close hermosa.” 

  You swirl your tongue again and come off with a pop as you lean back on your heels to catch your breath. 

  “I need your shirt off Francisco.” He rips his shirt off, his hat clambering to the floor somewhere behind him as you take off your bra and panties. 

  You settle your thighs on either side of his hips as you hover over him. You haven’t told him he can’t touch you but he follows your silent instruction as his hands nearly tear the fabric of the couch with his grip. You reach down and line him up with you as you sink down slowly.

  He’s always a stretch but he usually gets you ready…on his fingers, his tongue for as long as you’ll let him. You don’t have the patience today and you’re loving the control. His eyes are squeezed shut as you moan into the feeling of pleasure as you’re fully seated on his cock. 

  “You can touch me.” Your voice quivers a little as his hands grip your hips. He starts to lift you slightly when your hand goes to his shoulder to stop him. “I just want to stay like this for a minute.”

  “Okay.” His voice barely above a whisper. 

  His hands loosen slightly as you lean forward, eating your head in the crook of his neck. He smells like your lavender body wash and sweat and you release a breath you didn’t know you were holding. 

  You shift a little as you wrap your arms around him and he pulses inside you. A soft whimper leaves your lips and his hands tighten their grip on you again. “Is this okay?” 

  You can feel him nod his head as he places a kiss to your cheek. “More than okay.” 

  “I love you Francisco.”

  “I love you too Shine.”

  ****

  The last few days at the bar have been hellish. The business has helped you keep your mind off Joel so you’ve enjoyed the chaos. 

  You can tell Frankie’s been on edge. A similar look in his eyes to when you first met Joel. He’s not sleeping and barely eating. You talked to Ben before starting work today and he assured you he’d check on him when things started to wind down for the night. It didn’t seem that things would be winding down anytime soon though. 

  Joel didn’t discriminate in his bar, any patron was welcome. Whether it be a tired mother getting off her shift in the kitchen or a FEDRA officer unwinding after a day of carrying out questionable orders. 

  His only rule was no fighting in his establishment. 

  As quiet as you tried to keep his absence, people talked. It was evident with all the rowdiness of the night that people knew he was gone. The boys were intimidating to most but they were new. Joel’s name held weight and with him being gone it provided opportunities for challengers. 

  You and Charity did your best to keep up with the high demand as the boys tried to keep the patrons in line. 

  You told Frankie early on in the night to help his friends. You could see him grappling with making sure you were okay and standing by on the sidelines trying not to feel useless. 

  “Go, I'll be fine.” 

  The nagging part of your brain that tells you, how long can he put up with being your glorified babysitter. The part of your brain that tells you he’s going to get sick of you. It’s the devil on your shoulder that tells you he needs something else to do or he’s going to leave eventually.

  “Are you sure?” 

  Frankie shouldn’t listen to you. That part of his brain keeps telling him you’re going to get sick of being treated like a child. You survived just fine before he got here so why shouldn’t he go be with his friends. Eventually you’re going to get sick of him just watching over you. 

  If the two of you would’ve just got out of your heads you could’ve avoided this whole situation. 

  ****

  Your head is pounding and your throat is dry. Your neck hurts from being stuck in the same position for god knows how long. 

  It’s like waking up from a nap and you have no idea how you fell asleep or where you are. As you blink your eyes open you see a room much like your old apartment above the bar. It’s clearly daytime as the sun peeks through the dark curtains. The last thing you remember was being behind the bar….last night. 

  Your hands are poorly tied behind your back as you sit in a small wooden chair in the middle of this room. It’s well kept and smells of a cheap heady cologne. You can just barely feel a loose thread between your fingers as you start to pull on some of the loose rope. 

  “Well look who's awake.” 

  Joel is going to be pissed 

  ****

  “Tell me again…from the beginning.” 

  “Listen Joel, it happened so fast-.” Joel holds up his hand to stop Will from speaking. 

  “I want you to tell me.” He points to Frankie who hasn’t let his eyes leave the floor. 

  Frankie’s been silent since Joel walked into the bar this morning. They had been up all night trying to figure out what happened to you. 

  ****

  “Frankie just go, Will looks like he could use the help.” 

  Frankie looks to Will, struggling to break up a fight between two men. Santi is at the front door helping Benny handle another situation. He can’t just sit by and watch, he needs to do something. He looks at you one last time as you take someone’s order before heading over to Will. 

  He couldn’t have been gone for more than a minute. 

  He’s seen these guys here before…together. These were the guys harassing you a few weeks ago. He’s not sure why they’re having a disagreement but Will has it handled by the time he’s made it over to them. 

  They leave of their own accord thankfully and it seems whatever disgruntled patron Benny and Santi were handling left also. 

  Frankie returns to the bar but you’re nowhere to be found. He asked a woman who was seated at the end… a regular, where you went. She waved her hand off down the hall and mumbled something about you running off after some people. She was no help as drunk as she was, most likely not even aware of her surroundings. 

  Frankie takes off out the back to the alley, his heart is pounding in his chest as he runs to the street. No sign of you or any life for that matter this late at night. He doesn’t care how much trouble he gets in for waking the neighbors as he yells your name. 

  Santiago runs out to him on the street and takes in his frantic state. Not bothering to ask and further piss Frankie off.

   He had one job and now he has no idea where you are or even where to begin to look for you. 

  “We need to close the bar.”

  “I’m on it Fish.” Santi disappears inside while Frankie stands helpless on the street. 

  ****

  It’s been hours…

  The FEDRA officers didn’t take too kindly to the boys telling them to drink elsewhere if they didn’t turn a blind eye to the curfew hours so they could search for you. 

  Will has a sneaking suspicion that you couldn’t possibly have gone far without being seen, but no one seems to know anything. 

  The sun is starting to come up as they make their way back to the bar, Ben’s guilt ridden face has nothing on the way Frankie feels at this very moment. 

  The situation isn’t much better once Joel arrives taking in their disheveled appearance. 

  “Y’all look like shit.”

  Ironically enough Frankie thinks Joel’s seen better days and he’s back much sooner than anticipated. He already looks pissed and he doesn’t even know what’s happened to you. 

  ****

  “Are you stupid Cain?” 

  “Sweetheart, I'm a lot smarter than your bodyguards.” He comes into your view with a smug grin on his face. 

  Whatever idea he’s got conjured up in his brain you’re sure is not thought through. The only thing you know for certain is Joel is going to kill him. 

  “You know Joel is going to come get me.” 

  “That’s the plan, Sweetheart.” He crouches low in front of your chair, tilting his head side to side.

  “He’s going to bring reinforcements.” You know he’s not easily intimidated but he knew next to nothing about the boys. 

  “I’m countin on it Shine.” 

  He laughs as you spit in his face, pulling out a handkerchief to wipe his eyes. “You don’t get to call me Shine.” 

  “You’re not really in a position to give orders are ya?” He tugs on the restraints around your legs as you try to lunge at him. 

  “So what’s your plan? You just gonna keep me tied up here forever?” He’s too cocky to not tell you what his motives are. You know you can get out of this poorly tied rope around your wrist, all you need to do is bide your time. 

  “You know you could’ve just accepted my offer to let you work here. You may even change your mind about me when Joel doesn’t have a bar for you to work in.” He stands and gently strokes your cheek. “The cavalry is gonna come lookin for you, and my men will be cleaning him out for everything he owns.” 

  Stupid, what a stupid plan. 

  Cain never was one to think ahead. He always underestimated Joel and that bothered him. It’s why he took Tommy under his wing. The only way to manipulate Joel was to hit him where it hurt. 

  Some people just couldn’t leave well enough alone. The world ending brought out the best and worst in people and knowing Cain you could guess it wasn’t too far of a push to become one of the worst. His greed will always be the driving force to what makes him tick, but it will also be the reason for his demise. 

  ****

  “I know where she is.” Joel sounds oddly calm for everything they just told him. “I should’ve killed that son of a bitch a long time ago.” 

  “Who?” Ben looks to Joel but it’s Frankie who speaks first.

  “Cain.” Joel nods his head as Frankie clenches his fist. The thought of him even laying a finger on your head has his blood boiling. 

  Pope and Will wanted to take him out months ago but Joel didn’t want to disturb the peace. He can see it written all over their faces now. Cain was not someone who deserved peace. 

  “So let’s go kill him then.” Joel chuckles at Ben’s enthusiasm as he lays out a glass and puts himself a whiskey. 

  “Since you’re so eager to help, here’s what we’re gonna do.” 

  Frankie doesn’t like the idea of Joel going alone but he insists that this is the only way this plan will work. Joel was more than confident in your skills and he knew it wouldn’t be long before you got yourself out of whatever predicament you were in. 

  Santiago takes Charity to Joel’s place so he won’t have to worry about her. 

  Joel knew Cain would be sending his men to the bar to case and destroy the place. He ran into some trouble on his way back into the QZ when two guys tried to ambush them. By the time Joel had them tied to a tree they were begging for their lives. He let them live in return for information on who hired them. Cain had been intercepting his supplies for months, but it still wasn’t enough for him. He got greedy. 

  Greed is a bottomless pit

  ****

  One of Cain’s men had been pacing outside your room, when you finally stopped hearing footsteps you got to work on the rope. 

  Next time I’m using zip ties

  You try to clear your head of the thought. The first time Joel tied you up and timed you. You were out of it before he could get started. 

  You feel one of the ropes loosen around your sore wrists as you shake the hand free. It’s a relief to be able to move your shoulder. With the help of your free hand the rest is done in now time. You lean forward stretching your back as you undo the ropes around your ankles. 

  A sudden creak in the floorboards has you pause your movements. You hold your breath for what feels like an eternity and start slowly moving again. Your chair makes a similar nose beneath you and you let out a sigh of relief knowing the noise came from inside the room. 

  You make your way over to the window and thank your lucky stars there’s a fire escape. The sun is just starting to set as you crawl out and sneak down to the alley below. 

  ****

  Joel takes one deep breath before he opens the door to Cain’s place. He doesn’t miss this side of town, the way it smells, the way it looks all just remind him of how he was before. It’s time to finally close that chapter of his life and move on. 

  “Well look what the cat dragged in.” Cain is sitting in the middle of the room. The inside hasn’t changed much, except for the dingy chairs and tables that almost resemble Joel’s. “Where are your lap dogs.” He claps his hands together as Joel takes a seat across from him. 

  “They’ll be here shortly.” Joel’s pistol is situated in the back of his jeans but he makes no move to reveal it. 

  There’s a man in the corner he notices is armed.

  “I don’t think it would be a wise decision to do anything rash with your bride upstairs.” He snaps his fingers and the man disappears down the hall. He can faintly hear him climbing the stairs, Joel’s focused on counting his steps as Cain drones on. 

  “Now…she can live here with me. Or she can die with you. The choice is yours Joel.” 

  The footsteps have stopped. 

  “We could’ve continued to coexist in peace. Despite the fishy circumstances of my brother's death.” 

  One set of footsteps resume

  Cain chuckles under his breath. “It was fishy wasn’t it? If I hadn’t shot him in the leg the clickers would’ve got me too.”

  If Joel was certain you were gone and safe he would’ve shot him between the eyes right then and there but he needed to be sure. 

  The floorboard creaks in the hallway 

  Cain ducks his head as Joel raises his pistol to shoot. Hitting the man square in the chest as he rounds the corner. He wishes he could frame the look on his face when you don’t appear in the hallway. 

  ****

  The cold stinging your face as you run through the streets is a welcome feeling. Your lungs burn and your feet are screaming at you to take a break but you can’t stop until you reach home. The full moon lights your way as each passing landmark starts to look more familiar. 

  The light is on in the house as you look up at the window. You can’t climb the stairs fast enough as the door is already being flung open. Frankie looks worse than you do, his hair is a mess and his eyes are bloodshot. 

  He almost knocks the wind out of you as he pulls you into his arms. “Don’t you ever scare me like that again.” You're shivering in his arms now that your adrenaline has worn off. “I didn’t know where you went.” 

  “Let the girl come inside Frankie.” 

  He laughs and steps aside as he wipes his eyes. Charity is standing in the living room looking just as worried as him but still smiling. 

  “I told you she’d come straight here.” She holds out a blanket for you and pulls you into a warm embrace. 

  Frankie has a seat at the dining table, probably for the first time in over a day. “I still don’t know how Joel was so sure you’d make it out.” 

  “Because Cain is first and foremost an idiot. He never thinks things through.” He gestures for you to come to him and you take a seat in his lap. “Wait…you said Joel…he's back?”

  “Oh ya…he came back early, Shine.” Charity gives you that look. The look that tells you he’s finally handling it. “The boys are just tying up some loose ends and then they’ll meet back here.” 

  Frankie lets you go barely enough to turn and face him. You gently brush his curls out of his face and he sighs as he closes his eyes. “I take it I missed quite a bit.” You say as he narrows his eyes at you. 

  “Why did you run off like that?” His tone comes off more worried than accusatory, and that makes you feel that much worse. 

  “I saw someone run off without paying, and you guys had your hands pretty full.” He raises his eyebrows at you but stays silent. “ So I chased him down the hall…and he went out the back, and now that I’m saying it out loud it sounds pretty stupid.” 

  “What are we gonna do with you?” He looks at you incredulously and kisses your forehead. 

  “Hon you must be hungry.” Charity is in the kitchen pulling out a pot and your stomach grumbles at the thought of not having eaten in so long. 

  “I should probably shower.” He sniffs you and makes a face as you playfully swat his chest. 

  “Don’t get lost on your way.” 

  “I promise I won’t.” 

  ****

  “Listen Joel.” Cain looks at his henchmen bleeding out in the hallway. “We can come to some sort of agreement.” 

  “Oh I’m sure we can.” Joel shoots him in his kneecaps and he keels over in pain. 

  “Are you fucking crazy?” 

  Ben, Will and Santiago enter through the back, Joel gestures at the man dead in the doorway. “Take him down to the basement.” Will and Ben drag him off down the hall as Santiago approaches Joel. 

  “Crazy is thinking you can take what’s mine and get away with it.” 

  Joel and Santi carry Cain to the basement to join his dead friend. It’s cold and dingy, the dead body isn’t going to help the smell much and he didn’t have any supplies down here it seems. The poorly built ones are often flooded in the winter, he can tell by the mold creeping up the wall that this particular basement probably does. 

  They toss Cain on the ground as the man tries and fails to stand. 

  “What the hell are you gonna do Joel, you can’t just leave me down here.” 

  “Ya he’s right, you should at least give him some food.” Will chimes in, the obvious sarcasm dripping from his voice. 

  “He’s got food right there.” Ben points to the dead man’s body and they all laugh amongst themselves. 

  They file out one by one leaving Joel last to close the door. “I’m giving you a better chance than you gave my brother.” He takes one last look at Cain before slamming it shut. 

  “Lock it up boys, we’re going home.”

  ****

  You’re finally all nice and cozy, freshly showered and fed. You’re nestled on the couch between Frankie and Charity when you hear footsteps and soft chatter coming from the stairwell. 

  Joel comes in with the boys in tow as they all drop their bags at the door. You bolt off the couch and run to him practically knocking him over. “I missed you too, Shine.” He cradles your head in his large palm as he breathes you in. You smell fresh like the lavender soap you use and he knows he desperately needs a shower but he wants to relish in this a little longer. 

  “I want everyone to stay here tonight if that’s alright with you.” He lets you go as you take in his appearance, he’s seen better days but he’s still your Joel. Just a few more wrinkles, his eyes don’t seem as sad.

  “Of course it’s alright with me.” 

  “Why don’t you get everyone situated while I shower.” Joel winks at Frankie before heading down the hallway. You know they’ll say their proper hellos and I missed you’s later. 

  You look around the room at Will and Benny laughing about something. Santi swaying by the couch with Charity singing something sweet in her ear. Frankie is looking at you, probably thinking the same thing you are. It’s a relief to have all his favorite people under one roof. Safe 

  “Well.” You clap your hands together. “You and Santi can have the spare room. Will and Ben can flip a coin for the couch. I have an extra cot and some blankets I can bring in.”

  “I’m sleeping on the couch. I'm the older brother.” He ruffles his hair as Ben swats his hand away. 

  “That’s fine I’ll just sleep with them.” He gestures to Frankie and comes over to lift you up bridal style. 

  “It’s not that kind of sleepover Ben.” You pat his cheek and mouth a silent sorry as he puts you down. 

  “Fine, but if I hear any noise coming from either of your rooms I’m coming in.” You give him a thumbs up as they roll their eyes at the younger Miller. 

  ****

  It doesn’t take long for the house to quiet down. Everyone is exhausted from the last few days' events. You’re exactly where you want to be, situated perfectly between Frankie and Joel. His hair is still wet from the shower as you run your fingers through his curls. Frankie’s chest is warm on your back and his arm is draped over the both of you. 

  It’s too late to talk about anything that transpired and you’re not sure if it will ever get addressed. All you know is Joel hasn’t looked this peaceful since you’ve met him. 

  The last thing Frankie said before he drifted off the sleep was ‘I love you’ , something he wanted to be sure he’d be able to say to both of you in the same room again. 

  You think maybe Joel is asleep as he mutters something under his breath. He looks down at you, his eyes just barely visible in the dark room, dimly lit by the moon. 

  “Hmm?” He tilts your chin up and kisses you slowly. 

  “I said I’m never leavin you again.” His kisses grow sleepier by the moment as you feel Frankie’s grip tighten on you. 

  “You promise?” 

  “Ya Moonshine, I promise.” 

Love you guys so much thank you for showing this story so much love. 🤍

Comments and reblogs are much appreciated

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[phantomspiderr]

By Any Means ║ Part 1

Pairing: Joel Miller x *f!reader

Word Count: 1.3k+

Summary: pre-outbreak life was blissful. You’d just begun to settle into your new home with Joel & his daughter and everything seemed perfect

Warnings/Tags: tlou hbo spoilers, major character death(if you’ve watched episode one you know it’s coming), unspecified age gap, mentions of blood, trauma, there’s also mentions of food & eating, crying, promise there is a little fluff too

a/n: ohhh I’ve been working on this nonstop for a little bit and I’ve never been so scared but so excited to post something ever. I truly hope you love it as much as I have, it’s not a finished series. I have about 9 chapters done and they’re all sort of little stories within my own little tlou universe. But yeah love you, appreciate you, hope you have a wonderful day🤍

*no real description of reader or gender as far as I know but I've written it with a female reader in mind

series masterlist | phantomspiderr masterlist

“Eat up kid, big game today.” Joel presses a kiss to Sarah’s head before he joins her at the small kitchen table, a cup of fresh coffee in hand. The smell of a good home-cooked breakfast wafting through the whole house, and Joel eyes up Sarah’s plate to see what’s in store for him.

Mornings like this were always his favourite. He’ll wake up just before his morning alarm, which gives him a good excuse to just lay there for a few moments of calm. He normally finds you still sleeping next to him, and he gets to start off his day admiring your peaceful form before you eventually wake. If he’s extra lucky, that morning you’ll wake up before the alarm too, and you can spend a few more intimate moments together. Then, when the bedside clock starts ringing you’ll both reluctantly get up, Joel usually hops in the shower while you join Sarah downstairs and help her make breakfast. Once Joel’s freshly showered and descending the stairs, he hears the laughter coming from the kitchen, and he finds himself stopping for just a second to listen to the heavenly sound. His house had finally started to feel more like a home, his two favourite people under the same roof, safe and happy, life had started to be kinder to him, and it all felt like a dream.

“Thank you darlin’,” he’s pulled from his dreamy state as you place a plate full of food right in front of him. His arm snakes around your waist, and he looks up at you with a content look settled on his face. Your fingers gently scratch against his jaw before you lean down to press a kiss to his lips, only lingering for a moment.

“Eating!” Sarah mumbles out before stuffing a forkful into her mouth, and both you and Joel chuckle. Reluctantly, you pull yourself away from the table, returning to the kitchen counter to get your own plate while Joel and Sarah fall into easy conversation while they eat. They're talking about Sarah's upcoming soccer game when you join them, Joel as always being the lovingly doting father.

You always enjoyed watching the pair interact. Their undeniable bond is rare, like ever seeing Halley's comet in the night sky. The way they both affectionately poke fun at each other never fails to bring a smile to your face. They both like to tell you stories about the other, trying their best to embarrass each other. It doesn't matter how many times you've heard the same stories or the number of times they interrupt each other, you feel this sense of love surround you.

Sarah had been nothing but welcoming of you, even so much, so she'd admitted to wanting to dislike the whole idea of you and her father dating, but that it had been impossible when she saw how happy he was with you. Joel had waited months to officially tell her, though you'd never admit to him that she already knew, that his brilliant daughter had already worked it out months prior at one of Tommy's barbecues. Even though by then you'd only been together a few weeks, but Sarah had quickly caught onto her slightly grumpy father's longing gazes and too-bright of smiles.

"Alright c'mon go get yourselves ready," Joel looks at his wrist, forgetting for a moment that the watch he was looking for was not there. With a quiet huff, he looks up to the clock on the wall, "we're leaving in a half hour." He shovels the remainder of his breakfast into his mouth, chewing quickly before downing the rest of his coffee. Sarah almost mirrors her father's actions, quickly finishing off her food before downing the rest of her orange juice. Both get up from the table to dispose of their dishes in the sink while you finish eating. Then Sarah disappears upstairs to change for her game while Joel pours himself another cup of coffee. He stood at the kitchen sink looking out the window for a moment before he turns to you with a smile as you approach him. It changes to a half-hearted glare as you shoo him just out of the way, so you can begin washing the dishes. As you start filling the sink with hot, soapy water, Joel goes back to looking out the window and drinking his coffee.

"s'gonna be a good day darlin'," Joel wraps an arm around your middle, pulling himself into you and pressing a loving kiss to your cheek. You crane your neck to look at him again, both intoxicated by the natural domesticity surrounding you. At that moment you so badly want to run a hand through his hair, but your wet soapy hands halt that idea, instead gripping onto the edge of the sink. You twist yourself just enough, so you can kiss him, it's quick almost barely there, but it makes him smile. A sight you think you could look at forever.

Life seems to be full of beautiful, picture-perfect moments like this until suddenly it's not.

~

Utterly devastating. Those are the only words you can think to describe the scene you’ve witnessed. Those words don’t even do it justice, it was heartbreaking, soul-destroying.  It’s been days, and you can still hear her pained cries. The image of her lifeless body in Joel’s arms as he sobbed for his lost daughter burned into your memory. It was consuming your every thought, no matter how much you tried it was still there just playing on loop in your mind.

The days since the outbreak—since Sarah’s death—had been hard, to say the least. Tommy, Joel, and yourself had managed to make it to the highway and had been holed up in a triage clinic since. None of you had gotten much sleep at all, least of all Joel, who you’re sure hasn’t slept more than an hour each day. He’d barely eaten and most of the day would just sit silently staring at the blank white wall. His clothes were still stained with blood and quite frankly he looked awful, you had never seen him in a way quite like this before. It was as if a switch had flipped the moment she’d died, the once endearing, happy-grumpy man you loved was gone and in his place stood a cold, harsh ghost.

You imagined lots of people were like that too now, broken families crowding all around, waiting for the government's next point of call. A variety of people crying for what you assume are lost family members; partners, children, pets, and homes. Your heart breaks for each one of them. Thinking about the other people around takes your mind away from your own heartbreak. Though Sarah was not your own flesh and blood, you’d always treated her as if she was. You’d spent countless nights watching movies till late while you waited for Joel to get home. You would make dinner together and anchor yourselves in front of the tv all evening, laughing and commentating the whole time. Not only that, but you had even started meeting her after school on a Friday, and the pair of you would go to the diner down the street. She’d always get a burger with fries and a large milkshake, every week, without fail. Sarah had even started to confide in you, things she didn’t want to talk to her dad about. Secrets she seemed to only trust you with, and it made you feel special that she trusted you in such a way.

“You alright?” A foot knocks against yours, and Tommy’s voice draws you out of your spiralling thoughts. Looking up, Tommy seems like he towers above you from where you’re sitting on the floor. He nods at you with raised eyebrows when you don’t answer straight away, and it’s only then you feel the wetness on your cheeks.

“’M’fine,” you drop your head and quickly wipe at your face, feeling as if you almost don’t deserve to shed any tears.

“You’re not fine.” Tommy moves to sit next to you, he holds a bottle of water out toward you. Gratefully, you take the bottle and watch as Tommy’s head then falls back against the wall with a gentle thud, “none of us are fine.”

[donnas-dollface]

"you’re a bandit like me, eyes full of stars”

last updated; Aug. 25, 2024

Requests: closed!

time zone: (GMT -7)

.𖥔 ݁ ˖ִ ࣪⚝₊ ⊹˚about me; 17, she/they pronouns, demi lesbian - hi, i'm Kaylee. I like to play sports, and singing taylor swift lyrics when needed. I live to yap especially about my wife :3

my blog; The Last of Us, TLOU 2, Red Dead Redemption 2, RE 8, Call of Duty MWII... - a couple of fandoms I'm involved in, and write for :) i may add more or remove a few depending on what changes, what I'm obsessed with, etc etc,.

.𖥔 ݁ ˖ִ ࣪⚝₊ ⊹˚personal rules: I don't mind adults interacting my blog and content, however i draw my line at NSFW blogs and trying to message me. I also don't mind being friends/mutuals with anybody, though i would appreciate it if we kept flirting out it (i have a girlfriend whom I love dearly). I have the habit of isolating when i’m stressed so i apologize if i accidentally ghost you.

Blogs Rules;

THIS BLOG IS LGBTQIA+ FRIENDLY. if that makes you uncomfortable, it's best you just leave. i mean c'mon, I'm literally a lesbian.

I HEADCANNON CERTAIN CHARACTERS AS LGBTQ+. that makes you mad, no clue what to tell you lmao.

THIS IS A SAFE SPACE FOR ANYBODY (EXCEPT CREEPS) i promise I don't judge and I don't mind anybody venting to me. we're all human here and I'll do my best to make you feel welcomed.

DISCLAIMER; IT'S NOT COMPLETELY SFW HERE. i tend to be overzealous about things and sometimes the humor will show out

Tags;

.kaylee's yapping - feel free to block this tag!! this is where i ramble and just talk nonsense so if you don't wanna listen :3

.lovey dovey- me talking about my super amazing and beautiful girlfriend

.mailbox! - where i respond to anons/moots/requests/asks and anything under that category!! feel free to stop by and say hey time to time!

.moots<3 - my mutuals!! each has their own specific tag, and this is where we yap.

i cannot promise but I will TRY to tag all posts appropriately, but i apologize if I don't beforehand. I'm very forgetful and welp-

Requests Rules;

I DON'T TAKE REQUESTS ROMANTICIZING ANY SENSITIVE TOPICS; by this i mean I don't take requests romanticizing or glamorizing rape, domestic violence, abuse, suicide, self-harm, racism, homophobia, transphobia, pedophilia, and so on.

I DON'T WRITE HARD CORE SMUT; i don't write smut or anything with sex. i however don't mind writing make-out scenes or hickey scenes. do forgive me though, I may write it a bit weird(i have 0 experience) but I'm not opposed to criticism!

I DON'T WRITE ANYTHING INVOLVING; homophobia, transphobia, pedophilia, incest, pro-shipping, or yandere themes. like heavy heavy themes.

I ONLY WRITE FOR FEMALE CHARACTERS; i just really love and appreciate women, it's the lesbian in me

I WILL ACCEPT ANYTHING INVOLVING POLYAMOROUS RELATIONSHIPS IF YOU PLEASE; i don't mind it really I've done it before. just not like sibling x reader x siblings please.

I ACCEPT FICS FOR COPING WITH STUFF BUT PLEASE PUT A TW OR CW WITH IT; i get it, we love to imagine our favorite comfort characters comforting us with our issues, but a warning of knowing what I'm getting into is appreciated, cause i too have parental issues and trauma

I ACCEPT REQUESTS WITH MORE THAN ONE CHARACTER; but also for longer requests, i appreciate it if we'd limit it? i don't wanna burn myself out

I HAVE A LIFE TOO, SO PLEASE BE PATIENT WHEN REQUESTING; I'm a senior in highschool, and i do do extracurriculars sometimes after school, so please be patient with me. i also have familial issues, so sometimes it burns me out. In addition, I have seasonal depression and autumn makes it a littlee harder.

that's all for now. throughout my time here this will probably be edited so check in time to time, thanks.

- kaylee

[iwritemilfs]

I proper slept in, but I'm now watching the new episode of TLOU, and as alwayssss THOUGHTS UNDER THE CUT (OBVIOUSLY SPOILERS)

THE JOKE BOOOOOK

god I just love how they add the game dialogue in a way that's so natural. it doesn't ever feel forced, but it's something the game fans immediately clock

LMAO NOT THE MAGAZINE. neil n craig rlly said "we know what the fans want"

a fun fact is, this is just what alberta looks like. I KID, I KID. dont come for me albertans.

"It actually smells kinda good" "that'd be frank's then" they're already dead joel, no need to fire shots like that

dw ellie, I stare down black coffee in the exact same way.

fucking CRYING AT HER REACTION TO THE COFFEE LMAO. I swearrrr Bella has the best delivery

Ellie's way better at reading maps than I've ever been. I would've gotten us lost so fast.

MORE SLIGHT TESS INFO?

"But I made a promise to Tess, and she was like family" brb cryin

the open mouth sleeping in the car. v relatable.

I know exactly what's about to happen, and I'm still like IM STRESSED

Their encounter with the hunters feels SO much like a game level, I love it.

daaamn I was not expecting ellie to shoot someone this early on

Ngl, I really appreciate seeing the hunters have some human moments. I hope they continue to do this with their enemy characters in the show, bc hopefully it'll lead the viewers to see Joel's actions through more of a critical lens, hopefully escaping some of that toxicity we saw from some fans when the second game was released. (disclaimer. I love joel sm, but something I appreciated seeing in TLOU2 was how we were reminded that he'd done shitty things, and that those things affected other people and had consequences)

Ok I LOVE how they changed Joel's reaction to Ellie having to shoot the guy. In the game, his reaction was moer fueled by anger, whereas here, he acknowledges that she's just a kid and she shouldn't have been in that position to begin with.

I love love love Ellie's excitement to have Joel's approval for the gun. ITS SO CUTE.

......JOEL IS FIFTY SIX? ok I def gotta update Tess' bio

SAM AND HENRY SAM AND HENRY SAM AND HENRY

okay overall thoughts: was this my favourite episode so far? Not necessarily, no. But I love seeing Joel opening up more, you can see the change just from the beginning to the end of the episode, and it's done really well. The last scene especially was really sweet, and I can't wait to see more of those moments. We got to know a liiiiil more about his backstory, which is cool, because in the game we don't necessarily know much beyond "yeah joel did some fucked up shit." and that's really the only info we ever get. Like I mentioned above, I also liked seeing the hunters have some human moments. Now listen, I'm the biggest joel miller apologist, but I'm also one of the people who really loved TLOU part 2. I hope we'll get to see the "bad guys" have more moments like that.

Also so fucking typical that the second I give tess a bio, we get more info that means I have to alter things slightly, and maybe even do some MATH.

[thegeminisage]

thots on what constitutes a Guy Game, or if that's too controversial, thots on the best first person games.

ok wait im doing this in reverse order because EASILY the best first person game is mirror’s edge. u can’t compete with perfection?? i didn’t really like first person games until i played it because i was so used to a third person camera but now i have no issue with them and i actually think that there are a lot of perks to not having to think so hard about camera position the way you do in third person games. i had a really hard time with the camera in the last guardian and that just really made me appreciate mirror’s edge a lot because i NEVER had a hard time with it. it was so fucking intuitive

RE: GUY GAMES

this is a little long sorry i am going to go into video game history, which i wish i could give a college lecture on, but i can’t, because no one cares. nobody is obligated to read this entire thing u can skip the next 3 paragraphs

anyway i think there is a very specific demographic that guy games are reaching out to that are like, firstly, men (duh), secondly, we are American!, we didn’t grow up playing nintendo games and watching anime and so we think all that weeb stuff is for nerds. in the 90s and early 00s video games werent for just Anybody they were for kids and for nerdy people (usually guy people, girls got sooo excluded it’s like v sad). like back in the 90s and early 00s games were released in america months or even years after they were in japan (and if you were in europe or australia, FORGET IT) and the translations were often kind of shoddy and slapped together, so you wound up missing stuff sometimes or getting something hilarious like “all your base are belong to us” (kudos to one of the internet’s very first memes...you memers out there better respect...video games MADE YOU...). anyway the point being japanese made games are not always appealing/accessible to the average american (who sees and anime and goes...why do they look like that thats weird) 

so that’s where a console like xbox comes from, it’s american-made, it’s the first of its kind, its gonna compete with nintendo (ostensibly for families/kids) and playstation (ostensibly for more grownup games) and americanize/westernize what is essentially a japanese medium at that point to make it accessible to americans/western men (because video games won’t be For Girls until like, very generously, the mid 2000s, and even now it’s a crapshoot), because it’s a huge untapped audience who aren’t experiencing or enjoying this medium, and if people wanna keep making games, games gotta keep making money, you know how it is w/ capitalism

as a side note i think it’s worth noting that before xbox came into the picture, sega was making its own consoles (genesis etc) that were VERY well-received by american audiences...sonic the hedgehog got like a FUCKTON of american-exclusive media such as shows and even a live action movie that came out as recently as THIS YEAR. but they didn’t have as much casual appeal and also had other difficulties, and so once they went under console-wise the market kind of opened up for something New. something with the american-friendly appeal of sonic, and something with the casual appeal of nintendo games, something with the more grownup appeal of playstation. so boom, you have xbox, you have halo, call of duty, etc. suddenly after almost two decades of japan exclusively cornering the home console market, americans can make games! wild!

(skip to here) and so i think that’s what a guy game is: a game made by american men specifically to appeal TO american men, or, at the very least, to not be a threat or turn-off to that demographic. guy games are exemplify american masculinity, and get their roots from what that meant in the early 00s (bearing in mind that as a rule Classic american masculinity is usually sexist/racist/homophobic lol). they have either male protags or female protags that are there to be eye candy. they’re often violent and lighter on the story content (or with a story specifically geared towards men, like halo, which was a huge rousing success) and feature limited women/romance plot lines. they’ve typically got that instant-reward action hack-em-up/shooting gameplay and not very many puzzles, because they’re by design meant to be easy to get into so as not to scare away the new audience they were trying to court 

happily that definition has expanded somewhat and we now have the phenomenon of the little girls from previous guy games (emily kaldwin from dishonored, ellie from tlou) becoming the protags of sequels in their own right. and it’s not like guy games are all bad because i, A Woman, have enjoyed many guy games myself. shooting is satisfying gameplay and sometimes im just not in the Mood for big heavy romance arcs like u find in rpgs. technically mirror’s edge borders on being a guy game but it’s got a TON of well-rounded women in it including a female protag who isn’t just there for sex appeal. games including guy games have more characters of color now (not to point to mirror’s edge twice but LIIIKE it’s one of the best games ever made, so). “””guy games””” made in the 2010s are just more inclusive generally bc american devs figured out women like games and they spend money too, and so gradually the classic “guy game” genre is sort of merging into the more broad thing of just “american games” which is probably a good thing but has also been fascinating to watch in real time. ok lecture over ty everyone for attending