Ocean Park Avenue

hello (he/she/they)

[ocean-park-avenue]

Do I Wanna Know? - Joel Miller X Reader (TLOU)

(Originally posted on AO3)

Chapter 2: September, 2031

Word count: 4,092

Warnings: Light violence.

After two days of planning and finalizing, you and Joel were ready to head out, though you still had your doubts.

According to Tess, her plan was simple; you and Joel were to sneak out of Boston’s QZ tonight and then meet up with an acquaintance of hers to get a car. You’d drive the rest of the way to Dallas which would take about a day or two. Tess also said she had some contacts in Texas if they needed help with infiltrating the camp. After getting the supplies, you’d split with Joel, him going back to Boston and you to find wherever your father was hiding out.

It didn’t sound very simple to you, but Tess assured you that everything was being handled and you wouldn’t have to worry. That didn’t stop you from double checking everything Tess said was true, and packing extra.

Annoying thing was, every time you were packing your extra equipment, Joel spotted what you were doing and chastised you about how you didn’t need that much stuff, it would just slow you both down.

You’d continued to argue with him about how overpacking wasn’t a bad thing, but Tess had put a stop to it soon. You couldn’t imagine how you were going to deal with him alone for a few days, trapped in a vehicle together.

Now, as you and Joel waited in Tess’s apartment until night fall, you decided to double check your supplies for the 100th time. Tess had gone to get food for you all before leaving, so her apartment was eerily quiet as you both sat in silence.

You rustled in your backpack for the essentials: one clean outfit, a flashlight, rubbing alcohol and rags, a makeshift first aid kit you made, extra ammo for your pistol, rifle ammo, and just about as much preservatives as you could fit into it. You also checked for anything you might’ve missed, but everything was there.

You glanced over to Joel for a moment, who was lazing on Tess’s couch with one arm draped over his eyes. His breathing was slow and steady, which lead you to believe he wasn’t actually sleeping. You wondered how a man like him ended up getting stuck in a situation like this and what Tess might’ve done for him in the past for him to owe such a large favor. So you asked.

“Why are you doing this for Tess?”

Joel perked up. “Are you talking to me?”

“Who else is in here?”

Joel stayed quiet for a moment, only moving to adjust his position. “She did something important for me.”

“What?” you asked with more curiosity than you wanted to lead on.

“That’s none of your business.”

You scoffed. “What kinda excuse is that?”

“It’s not,” he replied. “I just don’t wanna tell ya.”

You mumbled to yourself as you went back to checking your bag. The eerie silence came back into the room a few minutes later. Your attention went back to Joel for just a second, only because of your boredom, when you realized he was starring at you under the arm he had blocking his eyes.

“What?” You asked bluntly.

Joel moved both his arms to rest on his stomach and exhaled as he looked away from you. “Nothing.”

Better be nothing, you thought as you stuffed everything back into you backpack.

Just then Tess walked in through the apartment entrance with a plastic bag over her shoulder and her crutch in her hand. She hobbled over to the couch. Joel automatically sat up at her arrival and made room for her. After sitting, Tess opened the plastic bag and threw a wad of paper at you and Joel. You guessed it to be the food she’d picked up.

You unwrapped the paper and we’re greeted with the most unappetizing burrito you’d seen.

Tess laughed at the face you made and dug into her own burrito. “It’s not the most appetizing thing but it’s better than nothing.”

You couldn’t argue there and took a bite of the sad burrito.

“Just making sure,” you started. “Your friend is set to meet us at 12 at night, right?”

“Yes, I’ve already gone over this. You’ll both take the south tunnel and meet him at the school.”

“Alright, just checking.” You took a second bite if the burrito. It wasn’t half as bad as the first bite.

“Tess, are you sure we’re gonna have enough gas to make it to Dallas?” Joel said, having not even touched his food yet.

“You’re starting to sound like her,” Tess said chuckling to herself. “While you may not have enough gas to get there an back, there’s gonna be a gas tube. I’m sure you’ll run into some car that still have gas in ‘em.”

Joel hummed in approval, but didn’t say much else the rest of the night. You and Tess on the other hand spend the time until midnight talking about past adventures you’d had with each other. Though you didn’t mention the times you’d shared with Tess that were more than intimate, you didn’t want Joel to know anything about it.

Soon enough, the time came and you had to leave. Tess was only able to go as far as the tunnel entrance.

“I’ll see you soon, so don’t worry to much about me,” Tess said as she brand you in for a hug. She squeezed you tight and you patted her back.

“I don’t ever worry about you,” you said, and Tess chuckled against you.

“I’m more worried for him cause he’s the one who has to deal with you for a few days,” Tess said as she let go of you. You pinched her side and she winced.

“Watch my place for me,” you said as you heard Joel grunt, pushing aside the large bookcase that lead to the tunnel.

“I will. Maybe I’ll even water your dead plants, bring some life into them for once.”

You flipped Tess off as Joel walked into the dark tunnel. After waving one final goodbye, you pushed the bookcase back into place, leaving yourself in darkness for a few seconds until Joel turned on his flashlight. You did the same and shone the light straight at his face. He blocked the light his his hand and squinted.

“Think you could point that somewhere else?”

“Oh,” you brought the flashlight back down. “Sorry.”

Joel didn’t say anything as he continued down the dark and damp hallway. You quickly tailed after him, not wanting to be left alone.

You both walked silently until you reached the outside of the tunnel. Joel peaked his head out before giving the all clear, and climbed out. You struggled a bit but were able to get up.

After moving the cover back, you noticed Joel had wandered off a little further than you’d like.

You jogged up to him and said, “I’d appreciate if you stayed beside me. I don’t need to get lost outside.”

“Then keep up,” was all he said.

You glowered at him, but you didn’t think he noticed.

You both walked along side each other for a few minutes, passing through buildings to shorten the distance to the school, when you realized how quiet it was.

Seeing as you hated silence, you decided to spark up a conversation. “So, Joel is it? What did you do before you met Tess?”

It took a moment before he responded. “Same thing. I’m a smuggler.”

“Yeah, I grasped that.” You thought for a second before asking, “What about before? I doubt you’ve been a smuggler since Outbreak Day.”

This time he didn’t respond.

You sighed in annoyance. “Are you always this boring?”

“Are you always this talkative?” He retorted.

“No,” you said with gritted teeth. “But I’ve gotta say something to end the silence. At least when I worked with other people, they’d talk to me once in a while.”

“I ain’t other people.”

“Yeah, I get that but—“

“Quiet,” he suddenly said in a low voice.

“Oh, now you’re tell me to be—“ Before you could register, Joel cupped his hand over your mouth and yanked you to the side of a building.

You were about to protest when he lowered his mouth to your ear and whispered, “Be quiet, now.” You didn’t know the reason he said it until you heard the faint clicking from behind you.

Your eyes widened and you tried to turn your head to get a good look but as soon as you tried to move, Joel planted his other hand against your upper arm to keep you from moving.

You looked up at him so see the hard look on his face, his eyes focused only on the clicker mere feet from you. You sucked in a sharp breath. The clicker looked around and stood there for what felt like hours, looking around for something fleshy to eat no doubt. But finally, after seeing there was nothing around, it went back to whatever hell hole it called home.

You felt Joel relax behind you, letting go of the breath he was holding. He released you from his grip and you stood back from him as you tried to control your breathing.

“What the hell?!” You whisper yelled.

After checking that the clicker had finally disappeared, he turned to you, an angry expression on his face.

“Are you an idiot? When I say quiet, it’s for a goddamn reason,” he said in a rather harsh tone.

“Well, how bout instead of covering my mouth, you actually tell me bout the darn thing. Maybe then I’d listen to you.”

Joel exhaled as he ran a hand over his face. “Let’s keep moving.” With that, he began walking again, and it was like the conversation never even happened. And this time, the walk was quiet until you reached the school.

The school looked to be unused, as it was covered head to toe in vines and leaves. Apparently, you were to meet Tess’s acquaintance on the far side of the school. You and Joel looked around for an entrance into the gated area. There was a fenced in gate you could see, but the lock was on the other side and couldn’t be reached by hand on your side. You then spotted a gap on top of the fence where there was no barbed wire.

You pointed to the spot and said, “Here. Help me up and I can try unlocking the gate.”

Joel exhaled deeply as he walked over to you, grasping his hands together to help you up. For the split second you stood in front of him before placing your boot in his hands, you noticed how tall he was compared to you. You’d never really counted yourself as short before but, standing now in front of him, it felt intimating.

“What?” Joel asked, eyeing you suspiciously while you didn’t move.

You shook your thoughts away. “Nothing”, you said and placed your boot in his hands. He hoisted you up with little effort. You were able to pull yourself up the rest of the way and landed feet first on the other side of the fence.

You walked over to the locked gate, scanning over the now old and rusted lock. Grabbing your lock pick out of your bag, you began to work, concentrating to hear the small clicks from with the lock.

“Where’d you learn to pick locks?” You heard Joel ask from the other side of the gate.

You didn’t look up at him, still concentrating on the lock as you said, “I had a habit of getting into places I shouldn’t have when I was younger.”

Joel didn’t say anything else as you continued to work. Soon enough, you heard the final click and lock fell of the fence. You pushed open the gate and bowed in front of Joel as you said, “Ladies first.”

Joel rolled his eyes, ignoring your comment as he continued into the school’s gated area. So much for lightening the mood.

You followed Joel to the front entrance of the school. He tried pulling the door. It didn’t budge. “Care to work your magic again?” He asked as he turned to you.

“It might take a while. I’m not as experienced with these types of locks.” You responded.

Joel sighed and mumbled under his breath, “We ain’t got time for this.” He began walking away, supposedly looking for another way to cut through the school.

“Hey!” You said when you caught up to him again. “I said it might take a while, not all night.”

“Keep your voice down,” was all he said as he continued scanning the side of the building.

“Are you always this grumpy, or did you wake up of the wrong side of the bed?”

He didn’t respond.

“Are you going to be like this the whole trip? Cause if so—“

Joel stopped walking and turned back to you. “If so what?” he challenged. “It’s not like your going to bail and I’m stuck with you, so why don’t you shut it and get used to it.”

The way he spoke sent chills down your spine, and not the good kind. You didn’t look him in the eye as you felt him stare down at you.

He heaved a sigh before continuing to look for an entrance. You stood there for a moment, silently, as you held your tears back. You told yourself there was no point in crying, he obviously didn’t have an ounce of empathy left in him. All you could do now was suck it up for a few days, just until you reached Dallas, then you’d be rid of him for good.

Joel voice brought you back from your thoughts. “Come ‘ere. I’ve found a way in.”

After shimmying your way through the small window Joel had pointed out, you both finally managed to enter the school. It was dark and quiet, both of which you hated. You and Joel turned on your flash lights and looked around. You seemed to be in a classroom of some sort. Desks and chairs were flipped upside down, and blood splatters covered the floor. You tried not to step in it.

After exiting the classroom, you found yourself at the end of a corridor. More chairs and desk were littered about, with the occasional blood trail leading who knows where.

You kept your guard up as you continued down the hall, while Joel strolled along as if he owned the place. Part of you wished you could be fearless like that, but you knew that kind of courage was only brought on by years of being alone.

You continued to say quiet, the only sound being you and Joel’s footsteps along the hallway. That’s when you heard it, the undeniable sound of infected. You both stopped in your tracks. Joel grabbed his pistol from his back and cocked it, while you brought the rifle from around you shoulder in to your hands. You loaded a bullet into it, remaining perfectly still.

You heard it again and you both turned your attention towards a classroom to your right. The infected’s moans sounded louder and more clear this time. Joel placed a hand on your shoulder and brung you down with him to couch behind a fallen over desk.

You both peaked over the desk as a runner came out of the classroom door. It’s frantic movements irked you as it walked in the other direction away from you both. You sighed in relief. Joel brought his attention back to you as he whispered, “I’ll deal with that one. Stay close behind, in case any others come.”

Before you could say anything, Joel began moving slowly as he approached the runner, low and quiet. You followed after him, mimicking his quiet steps. You quickly checked the classroom where the runner had come from but quickly turned your head back to Joel where you found him strangling the thing to death. Joel looked merciless as he choked it. It struggled against his arm until he snapped its neck and its body fell to the ground with a thud.

You gulped as you looked at Joel. The sheer strength he had in him was terrifying and you instantly began to regret getting on his bad side.

Joel called your name quietly, signaling you to follow. This time, you stayed a bit further away.

You continued throughout the school, Joel leading the way until you came upon the main foyer of the school. A banner with the words “Prom Night 2013!” was sprawled across the wall. It made you think about how your life would’ve been without the apocalypse. Would you’ve went to a high school like this? It was hard to think about.

You looked to the man in front of you who had stopped, probably checking around for an exit. You didn’t feel very comfortable around him but that still didn’t stop you from asking, “Did you ever go to high school?”

Joel looked at you as if he was studying you. He must’ve been bored enough to answer because he responded with, “Yes, but it was years ago, even before Outbreak Day.”

You were surprised he’d even answered after his outburst earlier. Cautiously, you continued the conversation. “What was it like?”

Joel scratched his head. “Like any other high school. Average, I guess.”

“Oh,” you said quietly.

You met Joel’s eye for a moment and could’ve swore you saw a tinge of emotions behind his eyes. Just as you thought he might say something more, the sound of infected brought your attention to the right. Three runners appeared from around the corner of some lockers, along with two clickers. Your breath hitched at the sight. You readied your rifle and raised it, but Joel lowered it a second later. You were about to ask what he was doing, when another swarm of infected came around the corner. You inhaled sharply.

You looked up to Joel who continued to stare coldly at the infected in front of him. You started to back up slowly towards the stairwell behind you, looking for any means of escape. Joel noticed you from the corner of his eye and followed your movements. You never took your eyes off of the infected, fearing that they would notice you both at anytime.

“On my signal, run up the stairs to the left,” Joel said quietly. You nodded, as if he could see you.

You both slowly made your way up the stairs, but you both froze when you stepped on a bottle. The clinking sound it made when it fell to the ground was enough to draw the infected’s attention. They all whipped their heads around to the noise, and not a second later, came running at you.

“Run!” Joel managed to say over the screaming sounds the infected made.

You didn’t waste a second as you frantically ran up the stairs to the left, Joel swiftly following after you. The stairwell you followed lead to another hallway. You jumped over and ran around the debris that littered the floor. You couldn’t hear much over your pounding heartbeat, except for the infected. You weren’t even sure if Joel was still following you until he yelled for you.

“Turn right! Into that classroom,” he instructed.

You geared yourself to turn right, almost falling into the door as you did. Quickly, you looked around for anything to block the door when your eyes stumbled on the nearest desk. Heaving, you began pushing towards the door just as Joel made it inside. You made quick progress with it with Joel’s help. Not a second later, the infected began banged on the door, shrieking and crying out.

You took the moment to catch your breath and steady your heartbeat. While you took your breather, Joel was already looking around the classroom for anything to use.

“That ain’t gonna hold them for long. We need to move,” he said.

“Move where? There’s no where to go,” you replied, still catching your breath.

Joel glanced down at the window. “There.”

You walked over to the window and spotted the pick up truck he was looking at.

“That’s gotta be our ride.”

Joel hummed in agreement.

He continued to glance around outside when suddenly you broke the window with the butt your rifle.

“What are you doing?” he asked suspiciously.

“Getting outta here,” you responded.

Before Joel could ask anymore questions, you took the rope you had in your bag and tied it around the heaviest desk you saw, which you guessed was the teacher’s. You pulled on it hard to make sure it would support your weight and threw it out the window.

“Huh,” was all Joel said as he watched you being to climb down the rope.

“Told you there was no such thing as overpacking,” you quipped and began your descent.

Once you reached the ground, you looked around for any sight of Tess’s acquaintance, but you couldn’t see anyone around. Though you did spot a note on the truck’s hood.

“Truck’s here for Tess’s friends. If you make it, tell Tess this is the last thing I owe her for and she can go fuck herself.

Jeb”

You chuckled to yourself as you pocketed the note. Tess would have a hell of a time chewing this guy out when you got back.

You heard footsteps approach from behind you. Expecting it to be Joel, you turned to face him. “Took you long enough— AAAHH!”

A runner charged at you with full force, knocking you and it to the ground. It clawed and chomped at you, doing anything in its power to sink its teeth into your flesh. And just as you thought it was going to bite you, a gunshot sounded out and the runners blood sprayed across your face and arms. You closed your eyes and mouth in time so nothing made it in.

When you opened your eyes, you were met with a calloused hand, ready to help you up. Joel looked around once more to check if anything else had heard the gunshot. Nothing came, and when you placed your hand in his, he hoisted you up swiftly.

“Are you okay? Bit anywhere?” He asked, searching your face for anything other than fright.

“Y-yes, I’m fine. Not bit.” You managed to get out.

After giving you a once over, Joel moved onto the truck while all you could do was lean against it to collect yourself.

Joel looked around for whoever you were supposed to meet but saw no one. “Where is he?”

You took the note from out of your pocket and handed it to Joel, not saying anything. After reading it over, Joel groaned in annoyance and handed the note back to you. You didn’t take the note, so Joel just sunk it into his back pocket and entered the driver’s door to the truck.

It took a moment before you heard the familiar sound of an engine starting up. It was Joel’s banging on the truck door that brought you back to reality. “Get in,” was all he said.

You obliged and headed for the passenger seat. Once in, Joel kicked the car into gear and speed of down the nearest road.

As you drove, you stayed quiet and looked out the window. You could feel Joel’s eyes on you the whole time, but you didn’t care. You needed time to register what happened still. It’d been a while since you were tackled by an infected. The last time it had happened, you’d barely made it out alive with your companion. You were so used to sniping them from far away, you forgot how terrifying they could be up close.

“It’s gonna be a while till Philly. We’re gonna have to go around any big urban areas so we’ll probably get there by morning,” he explained. “You should sleep.”

You didn’t respond as you continued to stare out the window at the dark of the night. You heard him sigh but he didn’t say anything else.

While Joel was right about the sleeping part and you knew you should, you were still a bit shaken up. You tried to focus on the positives; you were safe in a car, on your way to see your dad again after so many years. While you tried to focus, your eyes became droopy and by the time you were out of Boston for good, you’d finally managed to fall asleep.

[ocean-park-avenue]

MASTERLIST: Do I Wanna Know? - Joel Miller X Reader (TLOU)

(Originally posted on AO3)

Total word count:

2,669

Story summary:

Tess, your friend of a few years, makes you team up with the grumpiest and most distanced man you’ve met, Joel Miller. All to get some supplies from a camp in Dallas, Texas. But when you discover there might be more to it than just getting supplies, you agree to help.

You only hope that Joel will come around to you, or it’s gonna be a long trip.

Chapter 1: September, 2031

Chapter 2: September, 2031

[ocean-park-avenue]

Do I Wanna Know? - Joel Miller X Reader (TLOU)

(Originally posted on AO3)

Story summary:

Tess, your friend of a few years, makes you team up with the grumpiest and most distanced man you’ve met, Joel Miller. All to get some supplies from a camp in Dallas, Texas. But when you discover there might be more to it than just getting supplies, you agree to help.

You only hope that Joel will come around to you, or it’s gonna be a long trip.

Chapter 1: September, 2031

Word count:

2,669

Warnings:

None for this chapter.

(Note: Even though I'm not necessarily new to Tumblr, I've never actually posted a multi-chapter fanfiction. I apologize if it's formatted weirdly at all or if there are any grammatical errors.)

Waking up cold, sweaty and damp wasn’t your preferred way of starting the day. Especially since the heat of the summer carried itself into September, where it sat in it’s humid glory to shine down up its unsuspecting victims. Like you.

Luckily, since you had the sleep schedule of a depressed person, you woke up just as the sun was balancing on the horizon, waiting until the sky was tired enough to fall asleep. And since you were a night owl, what a better time to wake.

Lazily scooting out of bed, you fixed your white undershirt as you maneuvered across your very small apartment over to your so called “bathroom”. What you saw in the mirror was no surprise; dark circles that practically looked like garbage bags sat under your eyes. A few scars could be seen strewn across your dirty, greasy face. The top of your head looked like a mess. Uneven skin tones all along your face and chest. An absurd amount of bruises. And last but not least, the nasty scowl that lined your lips. Your face was a beauty to behold. It matched you perfectly.

You couldn’t bare to stare at yourself any longer, so after mumbling to yourself about how ugly you looked, you took of your clothes, climbed into your makeshift bathtub, and started scrubbing, thinking that maybe if you scrubbed hard enough, the ugliness on the inside would be cleaned away too.

*

After your pathetic excuse for a break down, you were able to find some decently clean clothes amongst the piles you had filing your apartment. No wonder you found it so small. Getting dressed was easier than it was yesterday, but you told yourself that everyday, so honestly, you had no idea.

You were able to find your best pair of boots among your mess, so you laced them up, and headed out the door, almost forgetting your backpack.

It was a nice night today. A cool wind fluttered against the jacket you wore. You inhaled deeply and savoured the moment. Your reality came back to you when the loud warning telling everyone that it was curfew sounded through the buildings and streets. Signing, you began your journey by staying hidden in alleyways from soldier after soldier. It was fairly easy since you’d taken this route to Tess’s for nearly a month. Your previous, and albeit easier routes, had been compromised, so you had to take this new drawn out way just so you wouldn’t get caught sneaking when you were supposed to be home.

After an easy but long journey, you were able to make it to Tess’s place within the hour, only after bribing the man who watched over the tunnel you took with a ration card.

You silently opened the apartment door Tess had left unlocked for you and snuck inside. Tess’s apartment looked like any other one in this sad, forlorn city. Nothing about it looked homey, maybe except for the old upholstered couch that sat against the wall. But it looked more homely than homey.

After a quick sweep around the apartment, you dragged your attention back to the homely couch where Tess was laying on it, sprawled out like a starfish.

Her hands were behind her head, her eyes closed, but you knew she wasn’t asleep. Even though you’d know her for a little over two years, you’d never seen the woman actually sleep.

“Tess? I’m here. Would you care to at least greet me when I walk in the door?” you said, approaching her side.

Tess smirked, but still kept her eyes closed as you tapped your foot against the couch to get her attention. Still, she remained silent and smiling.

“Hmm,” you scoffed. “Maybe I’ll just have to take a seat until she wakes up.”

Purposely, you walked to the end of the couch and slowly sat down on her legs.

“Aww, you bitch!” Tess roared. “Get you ass off of my leg!”

She slapped your arm as you stood up again, laughing at her pain.

“God, you suck.” Tess said as she rolled her eyes and sat up against the back of the couch. “You can see the cast right? Where my broken leg is?”

“Oh, is that was that is?” You smiled cheekily as you tried to hold in your giggle.

“Yes, it is. I don’t need two broken legs that you caused.” She lifted her casted leg to rest on the coffee table in front of the couch.

“I would hardly consider your leg to be my fault.”

“Says the girl who dropped a fucking vending machine on it.”

You couldn’t hold in your laugh. Tess rolled her eyes again with a smile on her face.

You sat down on the couch bedside her and propped your feet up on the coffee table. “So, when can you take it off?” you asked.

“Apparently… in a month, which is total bullshit because I’ve been doing everything that little weasel, Adam is saying. I even gave him some of my extra rations cards and all he did was give me the same pills he had stolen from me a while back! Can you believe him?!” Tess explained, all while glaring at the cast around her leg.

“Actually, I can. Adam is a greasy fella so it’s not surprising he yet again managed to dupe you into buying your own stuff back.” You chuckled to yourself and Tess punched your arm.

“So why did you want me to come here early this time?” you asked.

“Well, your not gonna like it. All I can say right now is it involves the guy I’ve been talking with and—“

“Wait, do you mean that guy who I see you with all the time but you never tell me anything about?” You questioned.

“Yes, and—“

“Why are you involving him in one of your plans? You barely know him. And why didn’t you tell me sooner? I could’ve helped you with whatever it was. You didn’t need some stranger who just came to town.” By now your breathing had gotten heavier, and your eyebrows lowered as you glared at Tess.

“Technically, he’s been here for a few months now, but that’s besides the point. I didn’t tell you because I know how you react, and your not the best when it comes to working with people you don’t know. Believe me, I have experience.”

You rolled your eyes as her comment as Tess continued. “And the guy I’m talking with, he doesn’t know anything, too. He’s in the dark about all of this. I’m got him setting up stuff and getting supplies he doesn’t even know what for.”

You crossed your arms and looked away from Tess as you said, “That doesn’t exactly make me fell better. But why keep us in the dark in the first place?”

“Eh, I’ve got some major trust issues I’ve gotta work out. But I promise, I’ll tell you everything… Just as soon as he gets here.”

“What?!” You exclaimed. “You invited him to your place? Why!”

“We’re all in the business of it, so why not get to together since I’ve figuered everything out already?”

Tess’s explanation didn’t help your nerves in the slightest. Just as you were about to argue with her more, a low knock sounded from the door.

“It’s open!” Tess said, and the man who you’d seen Tess talking to all this while, came into the apartment with a look of confusion and weariness on his face.

After locking the door back, the man turned to face you both.

“Tess,” he greeted her with a nod and then turned to you. “Who’s this?”

Tess introduced you by name. “I‘ve known her for a while so she’s helping me with my newest scheme.”

The man still stood by the door, eye brows furrowed as he looked you over. You returned the favor as you sized him up as well. The man seemed to be around middle-aged, with streaks of grey hair that could be seen throughout his short brown hair and rough bread. He wore a flannel shirt that rolled up, showing of his muscled and hairy forearms. The dark jeans he wore were scuffed and dirty, which also matched the description of his worn boots. Though what you were drawn to the most was his face. His hazel eyes bore into yours. A lifetime of hurt, hate and sadness could be seen behind them but he hid it well.

As you continued to stare at him, Tess introduced him. “That’s Joel. I already told you how he’s been helping me out but I’ll explain everything later.”

Joel still stood by the door, looking like a brooding statue as you turned back to Tess and glared at her. “I’d appreciate if you’d get on to that explanation now.”

Tess sighed and did her best to recount her history with Joel. Meeting a few months ago, apparently Joel was a smuggler who helped Tess with some goods she needed to get out of Boston. She realized they made a good team and they help each other out when they could. Tess had thought up her plan only a few weeks ago and had Joel running around doing errands for her since her leg was broken and he apparently owed her. For what, she didn’t mention.

“And that’s basically it. Any questions?” Tess asked, glancing between you and Joel, who was now leaned up against the wall near the apartment door.

You raised your brows and responded. “Uh, yes? You still haven’t explained what your plan is about and what you expect us to do.”

“Okay, okay. Ill tell you. But you have to listen to it all before making any decisions.” Tess heaved a sigh before continuing. “As you know, Boston’s not doing good on supplies right now. Everyone’s low on everything, even the soldiers. But a few weeks back, I overheard some outsiders talking about a camp of survivors out in Dallas. Apparently, they’re sitting on a whole heap of supplies they don’t even know are there. I’m talking guns, foods, medicine… you get the gist. I want those supplies and you two are gonna get them for me.”

“What?!” You and Joel both said in unison.

“It’s gonna be fine. I’ve already got everything planned out and I can fill you both in—“

You cut her off. “Tess, no. I’m sorry, but no. I can’t agree to a plan I know nothing about and for supplies that your probably just going to take for yourself and sell to the highest bidder. And Dallas? It would take at least a month to get there! And how would we even bring all of it back? It sounds impossible, even for your standards.”

“See, I knew you’d say all this and why I never tell you anything I’m doing till the last minute. You quick to judge and think nearly ever damn plan I come up with is impossible.” Tess countered.

“Because they are!” You yelled back.

“What about that job we did a while back? We ended up getting enough stock to fill this whole room!”

“You mean when we had to say trapped in that basement for days without food or clean water because you failed to mention that we were walking into a horde’s nest?”

“Well—“

“Well nothing, Tess. I have to say no. And you,” you said turning to face Joel. “How come your so quiet? Don’t you have anything to say about her ridiculous plan?”

Joel stood quietly, crossing his arms over one another as he continued to stare at you with his cold expression. He didn’t say anything.

You rolled your eyes and faced Tess again, this time lowering your voice. “Tess, I’m serious. I’m not willing to throw myself into danger for no reason. I’m not like that anymore. So please, tell me there’s another reason of why you need me. Why can’t you wait until your leg is healed if these people don’t know anything? Why not wait?”

Tess pressed a hand to your cheek and sighed again. “If I tell you the real reason I’m not sure if you like me still or hate me.” She moved her hand to your neck and brought your ear to her mouth as she whispered, “Those outsiders I overheard, said there was another group nearby, just outside of Dallas that was being lead by your father.”

You pulled away quickly, a look of shock and horror plaguing your features. “What? How do you know?”

“The way they described him sounded exactly how you had when you told me about him.”

Just then a wave of emotions and memories flooded back to you. You hadn’t seen your father in nearly seven years, not since you were 18. When you’d left after… You didn’t want to think of all the painful memories right now, not in front of Tess or that man.

Tess brought your attention back to her. “I’m just asking you to think about it, that’s all. I don’t need an answer right now. But make it soon if your gonna say yes, we don’t have that much time.”

You didn’t say anything as you stood up from the couch, grabbed your backpack, and stormed out of Tess’s apartment, ignoring the look you got from Joel as you left.

You had to be extremely careful as you headed back to your own apartment. You had difficulty concentrating when your emotions were so heightened. It’s why you’d spent all this time burying them deep inside yourself, so they’d never resurface.

You finally made it back to your apartment, slamming the door and throwing your backpack and jacket into some forgotten corner. Sitting down on your bed, you raked your hands through your hair and you tried to calm yourself.

You didn’t need to think of any of this know, you had time. But what did you think about this? While it was true that Boston was going to shit without any supplies, you could always move onto a different town if things got rough. But even so, it took you at least a few months to even find and get to Boston. How long would you have to scour around this country looking for a new place to call home, or at least keep you safe? The infected were the second most dangerous thing these days, with hunters around every corner these days.

Your thoughts drifted to your father and about what Tess had said. You still had time to give her an answer and even though you just woken up a couple hours ago, you were already feeling tired.

You sighed as you held your head in your hands. What you needed right now was to sleep this off. So, you removed your boots and pants, crawled into bed, and cried yourself to sleep, reminding you of the many times you’d done it before when you’d first left your father and we’re all alone in the only world you knew.

*

The next day when you walked into Tess’s apartment, there were weapons and supplies littered everywhere. On the coffee table laid out was a map of the U.S.A., and in either side, Joel and Tess pointing to different spots and making conversation no doubt about Tess’s still impossible sounding plan.

When you approached the table, both Joel and Tess looked up at you, clad in your cargo pants, best hiking boots and black jacket, your backpack swung over your shoulder, as if you were ready to face the world. Which was exactly how you felt.

Tess said your name and looked you up and down. “What made you change your mind?” She smirked up at you and you returned the same smile but ignored her question.

“If I’m agreeing to this, I’ve got to know everything, even to the last detail. I want nothing overlooked. Got it?” You declared.

Tess nodded. “Got it.”

“Then, where do we start?”

Next chapter 🡆

[lousysharkbutt]

i swear i need to set an alarm to post on social media, i’m completely incapable of remembering to do it LOL

[lousysharkbutt]

Big Lady… 

[stjarnakona]

Feeling low since a few months, I’ve indulge in rereading Frostbite by @maiden-of-asgard and I have all those illustrations I’m dying to do.

So first try with some quick doodles of in-unga and Loki’s back bathing together.

[virgoasf]

[curlsandstems]

I need this.

[poni1kenobi-deactivated20250915]

Reblogged last year, hoping it comes this year

[mypoorfaves]

If you're a creator and you needed to hear this today:

You have no idea how many people lurk on your work. No idea how many times people go back to revisit your work. How big they smile when they simply think about your work. How fast their heart beats, how excited they get when they see that you posted something.

People are shy with their feedback. Sometimes it’s because they’re simply shy. Other times it’s because they assume you already know how great and talented you are. Could be both.

My point is, even if you barely have any likes or reblogs, don’t get discouraged. You have a lot of silent fans, but they are still your fans. Keep on creating. Because there is always someone out there who will love what you have made.

[vetivver]

micah bell: *is a horrible, disgusting, piece of absolute shit that i hate with a burning passion*

me: *doesn’t agree with or condone his shitty behavior or blatant racism/sexism*

also me: 🥺 but what if... he was Good Boy instead

[ocean-park-avenue]

💚🧡💚🧡💚🧡💚🧡💚🧡💚🧡💚🧡💚🧡💚🧡💚🧡💚🧡💚🧡💚🧡💚🧡💚🧡💚🧡💚🧡💚🧡💚🧡💚🧡💚🧡💚

♥️♥️♥️

[mollyjames]

Writing a story is so much harder than drawing it honestly I don’t know how authors do it

[mollyjames]

What do you mean you have to describe what your characters look like with WORDS. Can’t they just… figure that out? Why do I have to write an entire sentence if I want my characters to do anything?? How does that make any sense? I’d draw a thousand backgrounds over having to spend time writing a goddamn paragraph to set the scene smh

[penningtoninkwell]

That’s funny because as an aspiring author I feel the opposite way. Words are like bricks, you just keep stacking them methodically, it’s easy but sometimes tedious.

What do you mean artists can just SHOW things? Like… you see it in your head and manage to somehow translate that image onto paper? You can just… get across what you want people to see without spending an hour trying to pick out the right words?? What is this witchcraft??

[mollyjames]

To me, it just seems more efficient than arranging words in such a way as to make people vividly hallucinate an approximation of your mindscape. AND YET.

[mollyjames]

[freakwiththeknifecollection]

People who write and make art:

[tomfooleryprime]

Writing is a process that often undergoes heavy edits… that includes responding to feedback. 

[tomfooleryprime]

I had no idea this post would resonate with so many people. I let my vitriol surrounding several comments I received on a recent update get to me and it spilled out into .gif form and it’s now morphed into the most widely shared thing I’ve ever posted. So many comments and tags have said things along the lines of, “This was why I quit writing” or “This is why I hate writing fanfic.” And that’s soul crushing to hear, but I can relate. 

But while there are some crappy and entitled readers, there are also many brilliant ones and I’m so grateful for them. The huge response to this post made me go back and skim through the comments on my old stories, and comments like the one below are about half the reason some of those stories got finished, even if it was months later. 

Comments like these are so rare, but when they do come up, they leave me staring at my computer screen, drumming my fingers on the keyboard, struggling to convey my feelings about how their words have touched my heart. These are the comments that take the longest amount of time to respond to and the ones that cause me to wear out my backspace key the fastest. 

It’s easy to complain, but it’s literally just as easy to praise, so I just wanted to take a moment to recognize all those dear and dedicated readers who have propped me up when I wanted to quit. Readers like you are why I keep writing, and why I even feel honored to do it on rare occasion. 

And fellow writers, keep your heads up if you can. :) 

[lousysharkbutt]

8/28/20

[stuffman]

People have written a lot of touchy-feely pieces on this subject but I thought I’d get right to the heart of the matter

[sqbr]

[The artist, putting a simple cake next to a much fancier one: “Aw man, that guy’s cake is way better than mine.” The Audience, gleefully holding up a knife and fork “HOLY SHIT! TWO CAKES!”]

[elvencantation]

additions from the og artist (credit)

[mangomorales-blog]

yall haven’t written the next chapter of ur fanfic and it really shows

[sanerontheinside]

[mindlesslittlefreak]

what is a writer, if not a miserable little pile of ideas and half written google docs

[b-chansbbygirl]

Don't attack me like this

[ommanyte]

how dull for you to live your life without any hills to die on, you, on your vast flat barren plains of compromise, acceptance, and accommodation, while I reign supreme over the lush, rolling highlands of stupid shit I have irrationally chosen to stake my entire identity on