illicit - illicit au
manny alvarez (D.R) x fem!reader
tw: spoilers for tlou2!, angst, cursing, little fluff, not canon to game or show because i am fixing things!, usual tlou gore/warnings
(images aren’t mine, credits to owners)
“who the fuck thought it was a good idea to let you come with us?” joel muttered as the three of you left the jackson gates.
you roll your eyes, your horse galloping a little bit ahead of his.
“don’t piss ‘er off joel, she might leave us behind.” tommy smirks at his brother.
“i’m leaving you behind regardless. i can handle myself.” you mutter, adjusting the beanie on your head.
“we know you can, doesn’t mean we like it.” joel gave you a pointed look.
“i’ve been doing these patrol runs longer than you joel, since i was a kid! i’ll be fine!” you look between him and tommy, hoping the younger miller would back you up.
“take the left, we’ll take the right. meet back at the patrol station up the hill.” tommy says, nodding to his brother.
“one hour.” joel adds and you huff, riding away in the opposite direction. you hold a thumbs up behind yourself for them to see, and then you were out of sight.
the direction you were headed in had been clear of infected for the past couple of weeks, which made you and the miller brothers feel better about letting you go by yourself.
you went a little farther than the patrol station, about a twenty minute ride and then you saw a good place to stop.
everything seemed all clear when you dismounted your horse, making sure to fasten her to a nearby tree so you could start looking around.
but before you could start walking, the sound of a gun cocking was right next to your ear.
“turn around, hands where we can see them.” it was a woman’s voice, eerily calm.
you turn around, hands in the air as you come face to face with a group of five. you scan them over, three girls, two guys.
as your eyes land on the final member of the group, your heart plummets.
“manny?” your throat tightens when he steps forward, grabbing the woman by the wrist and lowing her arm so the gun was off of you.
he says your name slowly, quietly. he hadn’t said it in a long while. he looks you over quickly, in the way he had done a million times when you were kids.
“you’re here.” it’s not a question, it’s a statement. one neither of you thought you’d get to make.
“you know her?” the other guy speaks up, still looking at you with uncertainty.
“we grew up together.” was all he said, but they could see that it was more than that.
“my dad was a scientist, helped the fireflies in the early days. but when i was seventeen he packed us up, him, my mom, and i. made us move out here.” your eyes find the ground as you speak, the snow sparkling even more with the tears in your eyes.
when you meet his eyes once more, it was like something inside him had healed. you hadn’t abandoned him, you missed him too.
“this is where you’ve been.” his words are quiet but they cut deep. time couldn’t heal the wound of having to tell him you were leaving.
you hadn’t had the time to explain that you desperately wished you could stay.
with him.
he clears his throat, blinking a couple times before turning to the others.
“this is owen, mel, nora, and abby…” he motions to each of them and you give them a wave.
“sorry about that.” abby points to the gun, now put away.
“it’s all good, you have to be careful out here.” you give her a small smile of understanding and then turn back to manny.
neither of you knew what to say, but just by looking at each other, it felt like no time had passed.
“i should probably get back home.” you say softly when he takes a step closer to you.
you hear someone - nora - snicker, and then an audible “ow!” it made you smile, seeing him shake his head at his friends antics. he was flustered.
“can’t believe you’re here.” manny whispers, stuffing his gloves in his coat pockets and then reaching up to cup your face in his hands.
“never thought i’d see you again.” both of you were numb from the cold, but you still managed to feel the warmth of his hands.
“where are you staying?” he makes sure you’re the only one that can hear him, that can read his lips.
“jackson. it’s less than an hour from here, down the hill. giant gate, you can’t miss it.” you lean into his touch and he nods.
what you didn’t know was how his heart sunk the moment you mentioned jackson.
what if you knew this joel guy abby was after? what if the others found out you lived there and resented you?
“two hours after dark, meet me outside gate two.” you add quietly, searching his eyes for any hesitation.
“i’ll be there.”
you hadn’t even noticed the way your gloved fingers had curled around the front of his coat or the way his eyes had softened when you leaned into him.
it felt natural.
you step back from him before either of you could do something stupid, saying your goodbyes to his friends and then heading back over to your horse.
as you got on, you waved goodbye to manny, feeling your cheeks growing warm.
not even the bitter chill of winter could stop the heat he always made you feel.
you began the ride to the patrol station, hoping you’d be able to hide the giddiness that was taking over your body and soul.
but you had a feeling anyone with eyes would be able to figure out that something was different.
-
