#jackson joel

[followyourfleart]

Baby, Come Back to Me

a03 | masterlist

blurb - Separated by miles, years, and the undead, you and your husband have been ghosts in each other’s lives for two decades. The thought of Joel being alive hurt just as much as thinking he was dead. But when a stand-off forces you face-to-face with a familiar man—older, harder, and still devastatingly him—all the pain resurfaces.

warnings - nsfw,  mdni  18+, attempted murder, violence, yearning, loss of a child, parent!Reader, grief, fear of intimacy, slight suicidal wishes, female masturbation, mutual masturbation, 69, cuddle fucking, creampie (don't try this at home), emotional sex, scent kink???

author's note: I did listen to "Back to Me" by the Marias the entire time I wrote this...

One shot requested by: anyomous

wc: 18.3 k

Mwah!

“Joel…”

Mwah!

You giggled this time, voice caught somewhere between exasperation and a smile. “Joel.”

Mwah! Mwah!

“Oh my God! You’re gonna ruin my hair!”

He didn’t stop. He kissed you once more—loudly, obnoxiously—right on the top of your head, arms wrapped around you so tight you could barely reach for your keys.

“You ain’t leavin’ yet,” he said against your hair.

You tried to twist out of his hold, but he just shifted with you, his body like a weighted blanket. “Joel—”

“My birthday is tonight,” he murmured, cheek pressed to the side of your head. “Keyword: Tonight.”

“You’re not six.”

“Don’t need to be,” he muttered, “To wanna spend it with my wife.”

Somewhere down the hall, Sarah’s laughter drifted from her room, soft and muffled. You exhaled, melting into his chest despite yourself. He smelled like sawdust and soap, and you hated how safe it made you feel, because you did need to go.

“Joel,” you whispered again, gentler this time. “It’s an ER shift. You know I can’t just—”

“I know, I know.”

He finally leaned back enough to look at you. His face was that ache that always peeked out when you had to leave for your night shifts.

“I packed you dinner,” he said finally, nodding toward the counter.

Your gaze followed. A brown paper bag sat neatly by your keys, the folded top pressed flat with ridiculous precision. You could see his handwriting scrawled across it: Eat every bite.

You looked back at him, and his expression was stubbornly casual, like you hadn’t watched him make sure your thermos didn’t leak and your sandwich didn’t get squished while you changed into your scrubs.

“You didn’t have to—”

“Yeah, I did,” he cut in, quiet but sure. “You forget to eat when it gets busy.”

“I do not forget.”

“Mm,” he said, unconvinced. “That’s why last week you came home and inhaled pizza like you ain’t seen food in a week.”

You shoved at his chest, and he caught your wrist with a smirk, pressing one more kiss to your knuckles.

And that’s when the sound of socked feet sliding down the hallway interrupted you.

“Ew,” Sarah groaned, appearing in the doorway, half-eaten apple in hand. “Not this again.”

Joel didn’t even look her way. “What’s this ‘gain?”

“You being a total sap,” she said, hopping up on one of the stools. “She’s just going to work.”

Joel’s head turned slowly to his kid. “You don’t get it.”

“Oh, I get it. You’re dramatic.”

You covered your mouth to hide a smile, pretending to check your bag again.

Joel lifted a brow at her. “You done?”

“Not even close,” she said sweetly. “Stop hogging her.”

He glanced back to you, the faintest smirk tugging at his mouth. “Why’d wanna talk to her so bad, huh?”

“Maybe I wanna talk to someone other than you for the next twelve hours.”

Joel let out a low noise, somewhere between a laugh and a sigh, and grabbed his mug. “Uh-huh. I’ll remember that next time you need a ride to the mall.”

You and Sarah watched him disappear around the corner. There was a beat of silence, and then the sound of him shutting the bedroom door echoed faintly.

“Did it get fixed?”

Her grin was instant, mischievous, like she’d been waiting for that cue all night.

“You bet it did.”

She glanced over her shoulder once more, then ducked into her backpack and pulled out a small box. When she cracked it open, the soft ticking filled the quiet kitchen.

Joel’s watch. Working.

You hadn’t seen it tick since—well, since ever. Not once in all the years you’d known him. She smiled so wide it almost broke your heart. “He deserves it,” she said softly.

You wrapped your arms around her before she could hide her blush. “You did good, baby.”

Her hair smelled faintly of coconut shampoo and laundry detergent. You pressed a kiss into her curls, and she squeezed you tight.

“When I’m back in the morning,” you murmured against her hair, “Your dad gets me, then it’s all you and me, okay?”

She pulled back, grinning. “Deal. I need a dress. Homecomings, like, next week and everyone already has theirs.”

You smoothed her hair from her face. “Then we’ll find you the perfect one. Promise.”

Her eyes sparkled. “It’s gonna be the best.”

You smiled, meaning it. “It will.”

For a moment, it was just the two of you, the low hum of the fridge filling the silence, the clock ticking in time with the watch.

Then you glanced up—and froze.

“Shoot,” you muttered. “I’m late.”

You moved fast—badge, phone, keys—but she was still standing there, smiling at you.

“I love you, Sarah!” you called as you backed toward the door.

“Love you too!”

The night air was cooler than you expected, the kind of fall chill that hinted at rain but hadn’t quite decided to commit. The street was quiet, just the whisper of trees and the hum of a streetlight flickering at the corner.

The porch light cast a pale gold over the hood of your car, and you were halfway to opening the door when you heard it.

“Hey!”

You turned.

Joel was coming down the porch steps, hair mussed.

“What—?”

Before you could finish, he reached you. His hands found your face, warm and calloused, and his mouth was on yours before another word could form.

Steady. Familiar.

You smiled against his lips, your fingers curling in his shirt. “Happy birthday,” you murmured.

His eyes softened, lines crinkling at the corners. “Thank you, baby.”

He kissed you again—slower this time—and then rested his forehead against yours.

“You sure you can’t call in sick?” he whispered, the corner of his mouth twitching.

“Y‘know I can’t.”

“Doesn’t hurt to try.”

For a few seconds, neither of you moved. You brushed your thumb along Joel’s jaw, tracing the familiar edge of stubble.

“Tomorrow morning,” you promised quietly. “I’m all yours.”

He nodded once, like he was filing it away. “All mine,” he repeated, voice low, half-rasp, half-prayer.

You stepped back, his hand still holding yours until the distance forced it to fall away.

“Go on,” he said, smiling now. “‘Fore I think of another excuse to keep you.”

You opened the car door, sliding in. The engine coughed to life, headlights washing the driveway in white.

Joel leaned down to your window as it rolled open, bracing one hand on the roof. “Text me when you get there.”

“I always do.”

“Yeah,” he said softly. “Still.”

You looked up at him for a moment—just a man standing under the porch light, watching the woman he loves drive away to work.

Then you smiled one last time, lifted your fingers in a small wave, and pulled out of the driveway.

The taillights disappeared down the street.

And behind you, Joel stood there for a long while, hands shoved in his pockets, eyes on the road that led toward the hospital, until the light finally went out.

That was the last quiet night.

┈┈・┈┈

The gas station sits at the edge of the highway like a fossil—half-buried in snowdrift, windows caked in frost, the faded sign creaking against the wind.

You pull your scarf higher over your nose and push through the door. The bell above it gives a tired little jingle, the sound swallowed almost instantly by the emptiness inside.

The place smells of dust and fuel. Rows of cracked candy wrappers and long-dead flies line the counter. A can of peaches sits upright on a shelf like it’s been waiting for you all these years.

You pause, listening. Wind sighs through a shattered window. Nothing else.

Good.

Your boots crunch on the tile as you move down the aisle. You check under the counter—some old batteries, half a lighter, a few shotgun shells. You pocket the shells, roll the lighter between your fingers, flick it. Spark. No flame. You toss it back.

You find the storage room behind a warped door, push it open with your shoulder. The metal hinges wail.

Inside: shelves toppled over, a spill of canned goods frozen to the concrete. A single cot in the corner—torn, mold creeping up the side. But it’s shelter.

You run a hand through your hair, exhale through your scarf.

You start sorting through the wreckage. Your bag was already heavy, but there’s always room for something that might keep you alive another week. A can of beans, a box of ammo if you’re lucky, maybe even a flask with something that burns on the way down.

Outside, the wind changes pitch—sharper now, colder. Snow was coming quick.

You glance through the window. Clouds roll over the mountains, dark and low, swallowing the last streaks of light.

Wyoming. You’d always wanted to see it. The peaks in the distance look soft under the gray sky, like something out of a dream you half-remember. You lean against the window frame, watch the world blur behind the snow.

The beans taste like dust. You chew anyway, slow and mechanical. You swallow, stare at the dented can in your hand, and wonder—not for the first time—why food never tastes like anything anymore.

The silence stretches long and thin.

Outside, the wind howls low through the busted doorframe, slipping under your coat. The storm’s closer. You pull your scarf tighter and sit cross-legged on the moldy cot.

The flickering fluorescent light above you buzzes. Once. Twice. Then dies completely. You sit in the dark for a long moment.

You fish out a flashlight from your pack and click it on. The beam slices through the dark in a narrow cone. Dust motes float like ghosts.

You set the can aside, grab your knife, and start sharpening it against a stone. The rhythmic scrape fills the space. Shk. Shk. Shk.

You stop only when you catch your reflection in the blade. Eyes sunken. Hair streaked with gray. Skin roughened by twenty-four winters too many.

You huff a breath through your nose, letting the knife fall beside you and lean your head back against the wall.

For a moment—just a flicker—you see it again.

The hospital. The gurneys. The screaming.

You still smelled antiseptic and blood, heard the alarms, and felt the heat of panic flooding every hallway.

Your hands had been shaking so badly back then that you couldn’t even hold the scalpel right. And when they shoved the rifle at you—you’d dropped it. You remember that clearly. You’d dropped it, and the nurse beside you had died two minutes later.

You open your eyes fast, drag in air until your ribs ache. You stare at your hands. Calloused. Scarred.

The storm outside is getting heavier now, snow slamming against the roof in thick, rhythmic waves.

You sit for a while, just breathing.

Then you reach pass your collar. Metal is cold against your fingers, smooth from years of handling. You pull out the necklace—its chain tangled from travel, the ring catching faint light from the window.

Your wedding ring.

It still fits around your finger, though you haven’t worn it in years. The gold has dulled, edges rough from weather and time. You turn it between your fingers, feeling the tiny engraving on the inside—J.M. The letters are faint now, nearly worn away.

Since rings were a ripping hazard through gloves, you always ended up leaving your ring in Joel’s hands. Meaning you left it when you escaped.

Years later, you went for it. Maybe to see if someone took it, or if it was possible that time had stopped in that house, just waiting for you to come home.

Half the roof gone, windows shattered. You’d stepped over the debris, heart thudding in your chest, and found the ring sitting in your dresser. Dust-coated. Waiting.

The rest of the house had been silent, save for the groan of wood and wind slipping through the cracks. There’d been blood by the entryway—dark, old. But no bodies. The truck was gone.

That had meant something. You’d clung to that, smiling through the tears back then.

“They made it out,” you’d whispered into your old bedroom. “He got her out. He always does.”

Now, years later, you still hold the ring like it’s proof that somewhere, somehow, they’re still alive.

That Sarah’s grown—thirty-eight now, if you’ve done the math right—maybe with her father’s strength, that same stubborn tilt of her chin.

You smile, just a little. And for that small, fragile moment between exhaustion and faith, you let yourself believe it.

That if you keep walking, keep breathing, fate might finally let your paths cross again.

The wind howls against the window. And then—a noise. Not the wind. Not the shifting of snow. You freeze.

It’s faint, beneath the storm. A crunch of a can, the muted thud of boots.

You snap out of it fast, tucking your necklace back underneath your layers, and you grab your rifle. You move silently, muscle memory taking over. The scarf wanted up, covering your mouth. You sling the rifle over your shoulder, knife in your other hand.

Another sound. Closer this time.

You forced your breathing to be small. Listened. The sound is human—not the ragged rasp of infected but even, purposeful steps. You creep to the door, ease it open a crack. Cold air hits you.

You don’t take chances. You move through the gas station like a ghost.

Shelves cast long black teeth. You navigate by sound: the snap of a plastic wrapper, a muted clink of metal. You pass an aisle and there—under a hanging sign that reads ‘SNACKS’ in flaking red paint—is a person.

She’s young-ish, brown hair dusted with snow. Pale. Focused on canned goods. You watch her for a beat, then you’re beside her; blade at her throat, gloved hand clamping her jaw before she can scream air into the room.

“Don’t make noise,” you whisper, teeth pressed to the syllables. Cold breath fogs between you.

She makes a sound—a sharp intake—but you clamp harder until it’s a single pulse under your fingers. Her green eyes are wide and furious.

You press the tip of the knife, close enough the metal kisses her skin. She doesn’t flinch. “Who are you with?”

Her eyes flick left, then right, then back up to your face. She groans something obscene. You tilt your head.

“Nod if you’re alone.”

Slow, stiff nod. Her gaze keeps sliding. You don’t believe her.

“Walk.”

She huffs and starts shuffling. You edge behind her, blade at the hollow of her throat in case she bolts.

Outside, horses stand tethered to a dented pickup. Two adult-size steeds, their breaths steaming into the night. Packs sewn onto their flanks look new—canvas stitched and mended, not the scavenged mess you usually see.

“Community,” you mutter.

The girl mumbles behind your glove—garbled words, half-swallowed by the wool. You pause, glancing down at her. Her eyes flicker with something sharper than fear. You can’t tell if it’s anger or a plan.

You loosen your hand just enough for her to speak. “You’re making a mistake,” she says, voice low, shaky but not scared. Not really. There’s defiance there. “You don’t wanna do this.”

“That right?”

“Yeah,” she breathes, chin tilting toward the dark. “Because—”

She stops. Eyes dart past you. Just a flicker. Barely a second. But it’s enough. Your instincts snap tight.

You spin, knife still at her throat, snow exploding under your boots. The world narrows to metal and breath and the small, frantic drum in your ribs. A man stands a few yards off. Broad shoulders, an old bandana pulled up over his mouth, thick winter jacket bulking up his frame more that it is; only his eyes are free.

They’re cold. Wild. Protective.

He’s holding a blade too. The wind howls between you.

“I’ll slit her throat before you take a step.” you snarl.

He doesn’t blink.

You circle, keeping the girl as a shield. He mirrors you both of you counting the breaths, looking for the twitch that means fight. Wind keens between the pillars, the horses stamp and throw up more steam.

“Back off, I swear I’ll—”

“I’ll kill you ‘fore you can.” he interrupts, stepping closer. There’s a cadence to the sentence that slips under your skin, some pattern you know but can’t name. Texan accent. Worn by the years, but Texas nonetheless.

Your hands tighten around the girl. Then she jerks—twists. You shove her back against your chest and press the knife harder; she hisses.

“Stop movin’, Ellie!” The man yells.

“Goddammit!”

She spits, and the world completely inverts—just by one word in her next sentence detonating in your chest.

“Kill her already, Joel!”

Joel.

The name stops you cold.

Joel.

It hits like a gunshot under your ribs. Your grip falters—barely, but enough.

Joel.

“...What did you just say?” you whisper.

The girl feels it, the hesitation. She wrenches free. In the same motion, she grabs your scarf and yanks it down. Cold air hits your face.

Then—pain. A hot, sharp slide near your ribs. You stumble back with a strangled noise, clutching your side.

For a second, you don’t feel it. Not really. Your body’s in survival mode, your mind already screaming move, move, move.

Two against one. You’ve been in worse. You’ve survived worse. But still—your pulse hammers so loud it drowns out the rest of the world.

The wind whooshes past your ear. White noise. You can barely hear anything else.

Except the softest call you’ve heard in years. Your name. Spoken like a memory dragged out of the grave.

You haven’t heard it in years. You’d forgotten the shape of it, the way it used to sound. You’d forgotten what it felt like to belong to it.

You look up.

The man’s eyes are on you—wide, unsteady. His chest rises and falls like he’s staring at a ghost. His knife is forgotten, dropped to the snow. You stumble back a step, confused, dizzy. He mirrors it, stepping forward, matching your retreat. One for one.

“Stay back,” you rasp, though your voice cracks halfway through.

He doesn’t. The girl says his name again, a sharp exhale of confusion. “Joel! What are you—?”

No.

No, no, no.

The world tilts. The light from the moon flickers across his face, and in that fractured second, you know. He rips the bandana from his face—

It’s him. Your life. Your love. Your other half. Your soul. Your husband.

Your Joel Miller.

Lines carved deep into his face, gray hair decorated his beautiful brown. His face is more wrinkled than before, his body more wider. But those eyes—same as the day you lost saw him.

Your breath catches in your throat. “Joel…”

The word breaks, splintering halfway out. It sounds nothing like how you used to say it. He takes another step. His voice shakes.

“Darlin’...”

You want to run. To reach for him. To scream in fear. To laugh. You can’t do any of it. You just stand there, the world narrowing until it’s just the two of you and the ghost of everything you lost.

Your knees go weak. You can feel pain now—the slow, spreading warmth of something sticky seeping through your coat. You press your hand harder to your side, but it doesn’t stop the tremor.

Joel takes another step.

“Don’t…” you manage, breathless. “Don’t—come any closer.”

You stumble back again, your boots slipping in the snow. The light-headedness hits harder now. The sky spins. You reach out, steadying yourself against the cold metal of the building behind you.

The girl’s hand tightens around her knife. Her voice is shaking now, too. “What are you waiting for?! She’s…she’s—why are you hesitating—”

You sway, vision blurring. Ellie takes another step, as if she’s going to finish the job for Joel, and that’s when you see it—the blade in her hand. Red. Glinting as it drips. Your blood.

“Christ…” you whisper.

You can barely keep your eyes open now. The snow feels softer under your boots than it should. You blink, slow and heavy, your breath coming out in short, white bursts.

Then, you fall.

Joel moves fast. A shadow through the storm. The next thing you feel is his arms wrapping around you, pulling you in. The warmth of him hits like a blow, his chest against yours, his breath shaking against your temple.

You forgot this.

The sound of him breathing, the rough rasp in his throat. The weight of his hand and how they shake when they press against your side, trying to stop the bleeding. His voice breaks through the wind, hoarse, terrified—words you can’t quite catch, just the vibration of them.

Your fingers find his coat, clutching it. It feels real. Too real. You lift your head—barely—and see his face. That face.

The man from your dreams, the one you used to stare at when you couldn’t sleep. The one you buried with your past. The one you thought you’d never touch again.

You try to speak, but it comes out as a shiver.

He presses his hand harder, cursing under his breath. His mouth opens over and over, forming words but you can’t really hear him. The wind eats at his words. You can only see his eyes frantic.

You forgot how soft his eyes could be when he was afraid. Your vision blurs around the edges. His face flickers in and out, the snow dimming into a wash of gray and white.

He yells something over his shoulder—maybe to the girl, maybe to no one. You can’t tell. The world’s shrinking too fast.

Then—his voice, raw, breaking:

“Not ’gain. Not ’gain.”

You blink slowly, trying to focus on his mouth, the way his voice trembles like he’s said this before.

Again?

The thought cuts through the haze for a second. Did he mean you? Did he dream of you, too? See your face in strangers? Hear your voice in the dark like you did his?

The thought makes you smile. You look up at him—just once more—and the sight fills you whole.

Then the light fades. You go limp in his arms.

He calls your name again, but you don’t hear it. The world folds inward—black and quiet.

┈┈・┈┈

The church wasn’t much.

A narrow, sunlit room with peeling paint and crooked pews. The air smelled faintly of wood polish. There was no music—just the soft hum of cicadas outside and the creak of the floorboards under your heels.

It was perfect.

Your mother sat front row, tissues clutched in both hands, whispering something to your father that made him chuckle under his breath. Tommy was beside them, sleeves rolled up, tie loose, trying and failing to keep a squirming little girl in her seat.

“C’mon now, darlin’,” he muttered as Sarah kicked her legs and reached toward the front of the hall. “Your daddy’s a little busy right now, alright? You’ll see him in a minute.”

Sarah let out a squeal that echoed through the church, a bright little sound that made Joel’s shoulders stiffen and then sag.

You laughed under your breath, watching him. His hands were clasped nervously in front of him, the tie around his neck slightly crooked. His hair was damp from sweat, combed back but already falling out of place. There was a flush high on his cheeks.

“I swear I listened when you told me to feed her. She jus’—” He sighed, the corners of his mouth twitching. “She don’t like sittin’ still. Guess that’s my fault.”

“She just wants her daddy,” you said softly.

Joel’s eyes flicked to you, warm and nervous all at once. “Well, can’t say I blame her for that.”

“You always this confident at the altar?”

He chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. “Confidence or stupidity—hard to tell.”

There was a pause. Sarah let out another squeal and Tommy groaned, muttering something about ‘should’ve brought snacks.’ Joel grinned, shaking his head, then looked back at you with that same teasing glint.

“Still time to back out, y’know,” he said. “Ain’t too late to change your mind.”

You gasped, hand flying to your chest. “Excuse me?”

“I mean—not like that, darlin’. Jus’... y‘know I’m not exactly prime real estate.”

“Joel Miller…” you said, voice full of mock outrage.

“What?” he said, laughing now. “I’m jus’ bein’ honest!”

You took a step closer, your dress brushing the floor. The minister cleared his throat softly, but neither of you looked away. You reached up, caught his tie in your hand, and tugged him just enough that his eyes widened a little.

“Never,” you whispered.

He blinked, his breath catching. And then you kissed him.

The world went still for a moment. It was just the two of you—your hand fisted in his tie, his palm finding your waist, the rough scrape of his stubble brushing your cheek. He kissed you back, slow at first, then deeper when you smiled against his mouth.

Behind you, your mother and dad sniffled audibly. Tommy muttered something, but there was laughter in his voice.

When you finally pulled away, his forehead rested against yours.

And when Joel finally whispered, “For as long as I got breath…”, you knew—this was how it was always meant to be.

┈┈・┈┈

You wake to the sound of wind and the slow, steady rhythm of breathing that isn’t your own.

Your lashes flutter open. Wooden beams. No patched roof. The air smells faintly of pine and smoke, warm from… a heater? For a moment, you think you’re dreaming. Then a deep ache blooms along your side.

You jolt upright—too fast. The pain punches through you. A strangled noise escapes your throat as you clutch your ribs. Bandages. Tight, clean, freshly changed.

That’s when you hear it again.

You whip your head toward the sound—instinct first, reason later—and shove back against the headboard, teeth bared, ready to fight through the pain if you have to.

“Hey—hey, easy, easy.”

That voice.

Joel’s sitting in the chair beside the bed, elbows on his knees, that same rugged face you’ve seen a hundred times in dreams, weathered now by years and loss. The gray in his beard catches the light. His flannel’s frayed at the cuffs. Sleep wears on his face. He must’ve just woken up.

It’s all impossible. It has to be.

“Joel?”

His mouth parts just slightly, like he’s afraid to breathe wrong. “Yeah, darlin’. It’s me.”

You shake your head, trying to make sense of it, but the world feels warped. His eyes are the same—warm brown, flecked with gold—and that hurts worse than anything else. Because they look real.

For a long, unbearable moment, neither of you move. The room hums around you—wind through the cracked window, the faint thud of boots outside—but all you can hear is your heartbeat and the sound of Joel’s shaky breath.

You shift again, the pain in your side flaring white-hot. A groan slips out before you can stop it. Joel’s expression crumples.

“Stop movin’,” he mutters, half rising, hands twitching uselessly like he wants to reach for you but doesn’t dare. “You’ll rip the stitches.”

You swing your legs over the bed, ignoring the protest in your ribs. He flinches like it physically hurts him to see you do it. He stands with you, crossing around the bed to get in front of you.

His jaw works, like he’s trying to find something to say.

But all that comes out is your name.

It roots you to the floor.

You blink hard, throat burning, and when you look up again, his eyes are wet. He tries to blink it away, to look like the same man who used to fix things, who used to steady you.

He says it again. Softer this time.

Your breath stumbles. There’s a tremor in his hand when he finally reaches out.

When his fingers brush your cheek, you flinch— from a strange mix of fear and disbelief. His hand’s rough, warm. He drags his thumb slow across your skin, tracing your jaw, your cheekbone, your nose.

Like a blind man who had just earned his sight back.

For a second, there’s nothing but the sound of both of you breathing—fast, uneven, disbelieving.

And then—

You take a step back. Another. Another.

Distance.

You hit the metal tray behind you, the clatter piercing through the air, and Joel’s brow furrows. “It’s alright,” he says, voice low, coaxing, like you’re some frightened animal.

You shake your head, breath catching. “No—no, it’s not.”

“Darlin’, it’s me—”

“Don’t.” The word rips out of you, sharp and trembling. “Don’t call me that.”

His mouth parts, but nothing comes out. His hand drops uselessly to his side.

You can’t breathe. The air feels too thick, the walls too close. Your body won’t stay still—your fingers twitch, your shoulders jerk. You can hear your pulse in your ears.

He was here. You wanted this. You wished for it, but now that it was here… it was all too much, him standing here, alive.

“I knew you died,” you whisper, voice cracking. “I knew and I still believed—"

“I didn’t,” he interrupts, desperate. “I didn’t die, darlin’. I—”

“Stop!” You press your hands to your temples, nails digging in. “Stop calling me that!”

“You’re shakin’. Lemme me—”

“No!” You stumble back, hand slamming into the cabinet. “You can’t—no—you can’t just—”

Your chest caves. Breath stutters. You can’t fill your lungs, can’t find air. The room tilts, the fluorescent light overhead flickering like a heartbeat gone wrong.

He’s reaching again, trying to catch your shoulders, but the touch only makes it worse. You jerk away, a strangled sound tearing out of you.

And then—

Bang.

The door slams open.

“Joel!” Tommy’s voice, rougher now, deeper, but still that same drawl that once filled your old house with laughter.

You stare at him. He’s got a mustache now. Older, broader. Wrinkles that line the corners of his eyes.

You make a small, broken sound in your throat. It’s too much—the sound of his voice, the sight of Joel, your world cracking open and mending together all at once.

Tommy’s eyes soften when he sees you, but his tone is firm. “Step outside, brother.”

“Hell no,” Joel snaps, stepping in front of you. “My wife’s panickin’, Tommy—”

You twitch at that word—wife—and your breath catches, shuddering.

Tommy lifts a hand. “Out. Now.”

“Tommy—”

“Joel.” His tone hardens. “Get out.”

The two stare each other down, that familiar stubborn silence passing between them. Joel’s chest heaves. His jaw flexes.

Then his eyes flick to you. Just once. And that look—raw, gutted—undoes something in your chest. He goes. But not without a fight in his stance, not without looking like every step toward the door costs him blood.

Tommy stays behind long enough to look at you. His smile’s thin, a shade of what it used to be. “Why don’t you sit down, huh? Maria’s comin’ over real soon. She’ll take care of you.”

You don’t even nod, just stare like those abandoned mannequins in the windows of clothing stores. He hesitates, looks like he wants to say something else, but doesn’t.

Then he leaves. The door shuts behind them with a soft click.

You stand there for a long time, trembling, until the sound of your breathing evens out. The air still smells like alcohol and metal. You press your back to the wall, sliding down until you’re sitting on the cold wooden floorboards.

You don’t cry. You just listen.

Through the crack of the door, their voices filter in—muted, low, but heated.

“You’re overwhelmin’ her, Joel. Can’t you see that?”

Joel’s voice, rough and unsteady, comes right after. “She knows me, Tommy. She—she looked at me. You saw it too. She knows me.”

“Yeah,” Tommy says, dry. “Don’t mean she can handle you right now.”

“I ain’t some stranger, dammit! I’m her husband. That’s my wife. You understand? My wife. I thought she was gone. I thought—”

“You thought a lotta things, but that don’t change what’s in front of you. I get it.”

A pause. You imagine Joel’s face—the way he presses his lips together when he’s holding back something too big to say.

Then his voice again, lower. “You didn’t see her eyes, Tommy. I did. She remembered me. She didn’t forget.”

“That’s not how it works.”

“She belongs with me. She should live with me—get used to things ‘gain, get used to me.”

“The hell she should,” Tommy snaps. “That’s the worst idea I’ve heard come outta your mouth, and that’s sayin’ somethin’.”

“Why? Why the hell not? Y’think I can jus’—what—leave her sittin’ in some damn corner, pretendin’ like she didn’t spend almost half her life with me?”

Tommy doesn’t answer right away. The silence stretches, filled with the sound of boots shifting on wood, wind against the windows.

When he does speak, his voice is steady. “’Cause she’s scared of you, Joel.”

The words land heavy. You can feel the air change on the other side of the door.

“She flinched when you touched her.”

Joel says nothing.

“She damn near stopped breathin’ when you got closer,” Tommy goes on, quieter now. “And not ‘cause she don’t care. It’s ‘cause she’s been out there, alone. Y’know what that does to a person.”

Joel finally mutters something, too low to catch.

Tommy sighs. “Y’think she had folks lookin’ after her all this time? Hell, for all we know, she’s been walkin’ ‘lone for years. One, two, five, ten—Christ, maybe since the whole damn thing started.”

A pause. Then Tommy again, voice soft but heavy.

“She ain’t the same person you lost. And neither are you.”

The words twist deep, where you don’t want them to reach.

Eventually, you hear the floor creak again—Tommy’s boots moving away, Joel’s slower behind him. The sound fades down the hallway, swallowed by the hum of your own thoughts.

You tilt your head back against the wall and stare at the ceiling light until your eyes blur.

He’s alive.

He’s here.

And you don’t know whether to thank God or curse Him.

┈┈・┈┈

To say you’re skittish is an understatement.

Tommy and Maria’s house feels too clean. Too normal. Every sound—every creak, every low murmur from the kitchen—puts your nerves on edge. You keep expecting someone to barge in and tell you to pack your things, that you don’t belong here.

The curtains remain half-shut, and you sleep on top of the blanket instead of under it, because the bed is too soft. The first night, you woke up gasping, the fabric bunched around your throat, the scent of cleanliness sharp enough to make your eyes sting.

Now you avoid it altogether. You sit on the edge, knees drawn up, staring at the wooden nightstand. You run your fingers over the lamp switch. The clock. The drawer handle.

Twenty years ago, these things were nothing. Background. White noise. Now they feel like relics from a life that belonged to someone else.

Beds. Nightstands. Floors that don’t creak from rot.

Hot water. Toothpaste. A door that locks from the inside.

You leave the room only the bathroom, since they bring you your food. Once, Maria knocked to tell you that there had been snow on the Christmas tree they just set up, and it was gorgeous with the lights, and you almost said yes to following her out there.

Almost.

But the second your hand touched the doorknob, something inside you froze. You mumbled an apology and stayed put.

They never complained. Not once.

Maria—she tries. She smiles at you when she offers you fresh bread, tea, small comforts. She has that kind of strength like she’s seen her share of ruin and decided not to let it show. You can see why Tommy married her.

He checks your wound every couple of days, his hands steady, his voice low. “Healin’ good,” he says. “Maria’s been keepin’ the bandages clean. You’re lucky she’s the one runnin’ the place.”

You nod. You never know what to say back.

He talks a lot, though. Tries to fill the silence with something easy. “Jackson’s different,” he tells you. “We got systems. Rules that keep folks fed, safe. We all pitch in.”

You hum under your breath, skeptical. “Sounds like a QZ,” you croak out before you can stop yourself.

Tommy chuckles, but his eyes narrow just slightly, like he knows what you mean. “Ain’t no QZ. No FEDRA. No soldiers. Nobody hoardin’ food. We look out for each other here.”

You study him a long time, trying to decide if you believe it. He must see the hesitation in your face, because he adds, quietly,

“I wouldn’t have stayed if it wasn’t what I said.”

He means it. You can tell.

Days pass. A week and a half. You fall into a rhythm, if you can call it that. You wake up, sit on the edge of the bed, watch the light crawl across the floorboards. You listen to the faint laughter that sometimes drifts from the street outside. You eat when someone leaves a plate at your door. You wait until night to move around.

Then one morning, Maria breaks it by knocking softly.

You’re sitting on the bed, fingers picking at the loose threads of the sheets, half-lost in thought.

When she opens the door, her face is lit by that calm, unshakable smile. “Got someone who wants to see you,” she says.

Your stomach tightens. Your hands flex, unflex. “Who?”

Her smile widens, but her eyes study you carefully, gauging every twitch of your face. “A visitor.”

You nod, pushing yourself up. The floor feels uneven under your bare feet. Your heart thuds in your throat. “Alright.”

She waits in the doorway until you follow her. The house smells faintly of coffee and wood polish. You pass the family photos hanging on the wall—Tommy with Maria, and beside them, a small boy with his father’s grin. You pause for half a second, staring.

A son. You hadn’t known.

Your pulse stutters.

Maria’s voice pulls you back. “You doin’ okay?”

“Yeah,” you lie.

Every step down the hallway feels heavier than the last. The closer you get to the living room, the louder your thoughts get. What if it’s Joel? What if he came here, decided he’d had enough of waiting? You can almost hear his voice already—low, stubborn, that Texas gravel tone saying your name.

No. You can’t do that. Not yet.

Maria stops at the doorway, her hand on the frame. She glances back at you, softens her voice. “Don’t worry. She’s kind. Sometimes.”

She.

The breath you were holding spills out, shaky and uneven.

Then you see her.

Sitting on the couch, her elbows on her knees, head down, fiddling with something in her hands—a knife, no, a pocket tool. Her hair’s brown and tamed now, no longer wild from the wind. The anger that once burned in those green eyes is gone.

It takes you a second to place her. That girl from the gas station.

Maria’s voice is light. “Ellie. I brought her.”

Right. Ellie.

She looks up then, blinking at you, and for a moment you both just stare.

Her mouth opens first. “Uh… hey.”

You nod once, your throat too tight for words.

She clears her throat, awkwardly rubbing her palms on her jeans. “You, uh… you probably don’t remember me. I mean, I guess you might. Back at the station, you were kinda…” She makes a vague gesture with her hands, grimacing. “Y’know. Your knife to my throat, my knife in your side, whole thing.”

“I remember.”

“Oh.” She blinks too, like she wasn’t expecting that. “Cool.”

Maria hides a smile, stepping back toward the kitchen. “I’ll let y’all talk.”

You and Ellie both look after her as she leaves, then at each other again.

The silence is prickly. Ellie shifts in her seat, taps her knee a few times, then blows out a slow breath. “I wanna… apologize.”

She says that last word like it’s a grater dragged across her throat.

You raise an eyebrow.

“For—uh—stickin’ you like a pig.”

Your frown comes without effort. “You stabbed me.”

“Yeah. Guess that’s another word for it. My bad.”

You just stare at her.

She scratches at her eyebrow, mutters, “You were sneakin’ around, and I was freaking the hell out, and I just—look, I didn’t know who you were, okay?”

There’s a beat of silence. Then, maybe because her discomfort is so naked, maybe because she’s just a kid trying too hard to sound grown, you huff out something that almost sounds like a laugh.

“I’ll live,” you say quietly.

She sighs, quick and relieved. “Yeah, looks like it.”

Ellie seems to notice the change in your posture, how you loosen slightly, and leans back a little, studying you in that curious, unfiltered way teenagers do.

“So,” she says, drawing out the word. “You were… married to Joel?”

You stiffen. That one hits bone.

“Okay, too soon.”

You shake your head. “No, it’s—” You pause, gathering your voice back into something flat, neutral. “Yes. We were married.”

“Wow.” She whistles softly. “I mean, huh. You and Joel. That’s—” She stops, shakes her head, smirking. “Never mind.”

“What?”

“Nothin’. Just. Hard to imagine him married. He kinda strikes me as the lone-wolf-and-whiskey type, y’know?”

“He wasn’t always.”

“Yeah?”

“He liked to dance.”

That makes her laugh—loud, surprised. “Bullshit.”

“He did. Badly.”

She snorts. “Okay, now I gotta see that someday.”

You don’t answer. You just look down at your hands, tracing the small scar near your knuckle. A moment passes. Then she shifts again, like she’s working up the nerve to keep going.

“So… you guys got, uh…” She squints. “What’s the word—divorced? Before the outbreak? You said ‘were married’.”

The question hits you like cold water.

“No,” you say softly. “No, we didn’t.”

“Oh.” She looks at you for a second too long, then nods slowly. “Just been a long time, huh?”

You exhale through your nose. “Yeah. Long time.”

Ellie is easy in a way you’ve forgotten how to be. She swears under her breath, uses her hands when she talks, doesn’t know how to sit still. She reminds you of… you, before the world before it burned down.

You find yourself leaning forward, asking her small things. How long she’s been with Joel. Where she came from. Whether she likes Jackson.

She answers, haltingly at first, then quicker, sharper. You learn she’s got a sense of humor that you enjoy. You understand it.

And then—

Ellie hesitates. Her gaze flicks toward the window, then back to you. “You… you must’ve known Sarah, then.”

The name slices through you like wire.

Sarah.

You blink, too slow, too hard.

“Sarah,” you echo, the syllables thick on your tongue. “Of course I do.” You can’t stop the small laugh that breaks out of you—shaky, a little too high. “God, how did I not ask? I didn’t even—she’s grown now, right? Almost forty. Jesus. Does she—does she still paint? Or play soccer? She always had that little pink ball she’d kick around the kitchen—drove Joel crazy, used to leave scuff marks all over the floor—”

You stop. Because Ellie isn’t smiling.

She’s staring at you.

And her whole face has gone still.

“Oh.”

Just that.

And you know.

Instantly.

Your mouth opens, but no words come. The world seems to narrow, sound folding in on itself. You can’t feel your hands. You can’t feel anything.

“No,” you whisper, but it’s barely a sound. “No. Not Sarah.”

Ellie doesn’t move. Doesn’t breathe. Just watches you, stricken.

You shake your head, your body already rejecting it, like maybe if you move fast enough, you can outpace the truth. “No, she—she’s just a kid. She is—she—”

You don’t finish. The words choke, collapse.

Something inside you caves in slow motion. The air leaves the room, the floor vanishes. You sink to your knees before you even realize you’ve moved.

You see Sarah’s hair, the way it stuck to her forehead when she ran. Her laugh. The way she used to look at Joel. The way she looked at you. The smell of pancakes on Sunday mornings. Her tiny hand tugging at yours when she wanted to show you something she’d drawn.

Gone. Forever fourteen.

Gone twenty years ago, while you were out there convincing yourself it wasn’t true.

You cover your mouth with both hands. The sound that breaks out of you isn’t human—it’s raw, keening, dragged from the deepest part of you that never healed.

Ellie’s eyes are wide. She moves before she thinks, kneeling beside you, uncertain, awkward. “Hey, hey, I’m—shit, I’m sorry, I didn’t—”

You stumble backward, your legs barely obeying you. The room is too bright, too close. Ellie’s voice is muffled, like it’s coming from underwater. You don’t even hear what she’s saying anymore. You can only hear Sarah. Sarah laughing. Sarah crying. Sarah’s voice calling for you in the dark.

Your throat closes. You can’t breathe. You can’t see.

“She’s gone,” you whisper to no one. “She’s gone. Sarah’s gone.”

Maria appears in front of you, gentle hands hovering but not touching. “Hey—hey, slow down. It’s okay. You’re safe, you hear me?”

You shake your head. “No. No, I—she—” You choke, your chest collapsing under invisible weight. “She’s just a kid. She—she calls me—she calls me mama—”

Maria’s eyes soften, and that’s worse. You can’t bear it. Her pity feels like fire.

You hear Tommy’s boots pounding against the floor, his voice low but urgent. “What happened?”

Ellie’s voice, trembling. “I—I told her about Sarah.”

Maria glances over her shoulder, and Tommy growls. “Christ almighty.” He doesn’t look at you for long—maybe he can’t.

You hear Tommy leave with a string of curses, his boots thumping until he disappeared into the snow.

You press your palms over your face, rocking slightly. The room feels like it’s tilting. Every breath comes in sharp bursts, tearing your lungs.

“She’s gone,” you whisper, voice trembling. “She’s gone, and I didn’t—”

Your breath shudders out of you, and you clutch at the wall like it might hold you up.

Maria glances toward Ellie, and something passes silently between them—understanding, guilt, something like fear. Tommy curses quietly under his breath. “I’ll get him,” he says, and he’s gone before Maria can stop him.

Your voice breaks. You press your hands over your face, curling inward. “I wasn’t there,” you whisper. “I wasn’t there.”

Maria’s hand hovers near your shoulder, then pulls back. She looks helpless.

A sound—heavy boots, the door opening. You don’t have to look up. You know that sound. You could find it in a storm.

Joel’s frozen in the doorway, chest heaving. His eyes land on you. You see the recognition hit him like a hammer.

“Darlin’,” he breathes, his voice hoarse, wrecked.

You shake your head, stepping back.

He doesn’t listen. He never did. In three long strides he’s kneeling in front of you, hands hovering before settling on your shoulders. His touch is rough, too warm.

“Don’t—don’t touch me—” You push at him weakly. “She’s gone, Joel. She’s gone.”

He pulls you into his chest anyway, his arms tight around you as you struggle. “I know,” he says, his voice low, shaking. “I know, baby, I know.”

You pound your fists against him, but the strength’s gone from your body. “You don’t—”

“I do,” he cuts in, desperate. “I do.”

You stop fighting. His arms hold steady, the kind of hold that used to calm you down. You can feel the tremor in his hands, the way he keeps his face buried in your hair.

“She’s gone,” you whisper, smaller now. “Our girl. She—”

He doesn’t let you finish. He shifts, lifting you the best he can, one arm under your knees, the other at your back. You cling to his shirt on instinct, your body shaking as he carries you down the hallway. You can barely see through the blur of tears.

Joel shoulders the door to your room open and nudges it shut behind him with his boot.

He sets you down gently on the bed, but you push yourself away the moment your feet touch the floor. You back up, hands shaking, your breath sharp and uneven. “Don’t—don’t do that,” you rasp.

He goes quiet. The silence stretches. You can hear the whoosh of snow starting against the window.

When he finally speaks, his voice is low. “You wanna know what happened?”

You don’t answer, but he tells you anyway.

He talks like a man digging up a grave. His words come in fragments—him and Sarah on the couch, the sirens, the Alders, Tommy’s truck, the soldiers, the gun. His voice falters only once, when he says her name.

“\We were tryin’ to get out. Got stopped by a soldier. They told him—told him to take us down. I was holdin’ her when he fired.” He swallows hard, eyes shining wet. “She was scared. Cryin’. I told her I had her. That I wasn’t gonna let go.”

You stare at him, unmoving. Every breath feels like swallowing glass. “You held her,” you say, the words barely forming. “You—”

“I didn’t know what else to do,” he murmurs. “I couldn’t stop it. Couldn’t—” His voice breaks, and he turns his head, like looking at you hurts.

You sit on the edge of the bed, shaking. The words echo in your skull, each one heavier than the last. The room feels too small, the air too thick.

You look at him. His hands hang useless at his sides, his face drawn, hollow. You think of all the years he carried that weight alone. How you carried your own.

You reach out.

He hesitates, then closes the distance, kneeling in front of you again. You rest your head against his chest, the fabric of his shirt damp from your tears. His arms come around you, slow and sure.

You cry until you can’t anymore—quietly, your hands fisted in his shirt. He doesn’t tell you to stop. He doesn’t move to fix it.

Now it’s just the two of you again. Broken. Breathing. Holding on because there’s nothing else left to do.

┈┈・ ☣・┈┈

Joel didn’t give Tommy a choice to get you to move in with him.

He showed up the next day, the expression on his face enough to silence any argument before it began. Tommy stood there on the porch trying to say something that wouldn’t get his head bitten off. But when he looked at you—eyes blank, body barely holding itself upright—he just sighed, nodded once, and stepped aside.

The guest bedroom smelled faintly of cedar and dust, and cleaner than it should’ve been—like he’d gone through it himself and made it ready before he even brought you here. You didn’t thank him. You just sat down on the bed and stared at the wall until it blurred.

The first night, you cried so hard you made yourself sick. Joel stayed outside the door the whole time, boots heavy on the wood floor. He didn’t come in.

By the third night, he’d moved a chair into your room and sat there while you slept—if you could call it that.

Every memory twisted just enough to hurt. You’d wake up gasping, and Joel would already be there, and sometimes just murmur, “You’re alright,” though neither of you believed it.

By the end of the first week, he’d stopped pretending to sleep in his own bed. He just curled up at the foot of yours with a blanket and pillow, a quiet shadow. When you woke up sobbing, he was there. When you refused to eat, he was there, pressing a spoon into your mouth, his jaw tight with that quiet patience that looked more like punishment than care.

Never turned away when you cried from shame. Wiped your face clean. Tucked you in. Never said a word about it.

Tonight is like every one of those nights.

It starts before the sun sets. The light through the blinds looks too much like the color of fire, like the burning hospital, and something in your chest just snaps. You curl into yourself, hands gripping the blanket, and Joel’s there in a second, just coming off his patrol.

“Hey,” he says softly, like you might shatter if he breathes too hard. “Hey, now. Look at me.”

You don’t. You can’t. You’re somewhere else entirely.

He sits on the edge of the bed, careful, slow. “You’re safe,” he tries again. “You’re right here, darlin’.”

That word—it tears something open in you. You turn your face into the pillow and sob so violently your ribs ache. Joel just sits there. Then he moves closer, kneeling beside the bed, his hands braced on the mattress.

“It’s okay,” he whispers.

But it isn’t. It isn’t okay.

Your voice comes out hoarse, like you haven’t spoken in years. “She was scared.”

Joel freezes.

“She was—she was scared, and I wasn’t there.”

He swallows hard, the sound loud in the quiet room.

“I just know it.”

His jaw flexes, and his breath stutters. For a moment, he looks like he’s going to argue—but then he just lets out a sound that’s almost a laugh, only it’s broken right down the middle.

Joel drags both hands down his face, pressing the heels of his palms into his eyes until his knuckles go white. “I was supposed to protect her,” he chokes out. “That was my job. My one Goddamn job, and I failed.”

Your breath catches. You reach out before you can stop yourself, fingers brushing his arm.

He doesn’t flinch away.

“She was—she was so little,” you whisper.

He nods, eyes closed. His chest rises and falls too fast. “She was,” he breathes.

Neither of you speak for a while. You can hear the crickets outside. The faint, uneven hitch of his breathing.

When you finally speak, it’s a wish you didn’t plan to say.

“I wish Ellie’s knife killed me.”

Joel’s head snaps up.

“What?”

You meet his eyes—really meet them this time, even through the blur of tears. “That knife,” you say, voice breaking. “When she stabbed me—I didn’t think it then. But now…” Your throat locks. “It should’ve killed me. I can’t… can’t live in a world that took Sarah.”

He stares at you like you just reached into his chest and pulled out something he’d buried. His eyes glisten. His mouth opens, then closes again.

“Don’t say that,” he rasps.

“Joel—”

“Don’t,” he snaps, sharper now, voice cracking under the weight. “Don’t you ever say that. You hear me?”

You flinch. His hand shoots out before he can stop himself, gripping your wrist.

“I can’t lose you too,” he says, barely more than a whisper. “I can’t—I ain’t strong ‘nough for that.”

“You already lost me.”

“No. No, you’re still here. You’re breathin’. You’re here.”

Something inside you caves in. You don’t know which one of you moves first, but suddenly he’s holding you, arms around you tight enough to hurt, his face pressed to your shoulder. His whole body trembles.

You cling back. For the first time since you moved in, you hold him just as tightly.

He leans in until your foreheads touch again, his thumb brushing over the tear tracks on your cheek. There’s no logic in the way he looks at you—just devastation and recognition, like you’re both staring into the same pit and realizing you’ve been standing beside each other the whole time.

He stays that way until the trembling stops, until your breathing evens out, until the room softens around the edges. Then, quietly, he moves to the foot of the bed, to settle in like always.

But this time, when you reach out, your fingers find his sleeve.

He looks up, startled at first, like he’s not sure he felt what he did. Your hand stays there, curled into the fabric, your knuckles white.

“Don’t,” you whisper.

He blinks. “Don’t what?”

“Don’t go.”

The words come out small, almost childlike, and you hate how fragile they sound—but they’re true. Every piece of you feels hollow when he’s not near.

Joel’s throat works. He studies you like he’s trying to find the right answer in your face. “You sure?” he murmurs.

You nod, but it’s shaky. He still doesn’t move.

“I mean it,” he says again, voice rough. “You—don’t gotta say things you don’t—”

“I said don’t go.”

That’s all it takes. The bed dips when he sits beside you. You move without thinking—your hand on his shirt, then his chest, then his arm, like you’re checking to make sure he’s real.

He doesn’t stop you. You pull him closer.

He hesitates, every muscle in him tight, like he’s fighting instinct. His hand hovers in the air for a moment before it lands gently at your waist.

You tug him down until he’s lying beside you.

You can hear his heartbeat, feel the heat of him under your fingers. The two of you are stiff at first—two unfamiliar bodies trying to remember something that used to be second nature.

You don’t know what you’re doing. Neither does he.

He exhales against your temple, like he’s afraid the air itself might hurt you. You breathe him in, and it feels like something old and safe and terrifying all at once.

His hand finds yours under the blanket. His thumb moves, back and forth, the smallest stroke. You don’t realize you’re crying once more until he brushes one away with his knuckle.

He whispers something you can’t quite catch. Maybe it’s your name. Maybe it’s hers. You don’t ask. You just trace the rough line of his throat, the scars on his hand, the dip of his collarbone. He does the same, learning you by touch—your shoulder, your hair, the hollow at the base of your throat.

It’s clumsy, reverent, too gentle for how much it hurts.

You both crack there—slow, like spreading a fracture through glass. Thumb brushing along the edge of his jaw, his nose skimming your cheek, your jaw. He tucks you in against his chest. You listen to his heart until it steadies.

And this new ritual continues.

Time folds in on itself—weeks slide past like snowmelt, impossible to hold. You stop counting by days or calendars; you measure life instead by the smallest things.

The sound of boots at the door. The shape of his hand around a hammer, around a map, around the edge of your world.

By late November, you’ve grown familiar to the smell of coffee, sharp and earthy. He always makes two cups, one waiting for you by the sink. You don’t always drink it. Some days you only stand there, palms around the mug, letting the heat soak into your fingers until it cools.

He pretends not to watch. Sits at the table with a stack of repair notes or a half-folded map, eyes flicking up just long enough to catch you breathing. Sometimes you think he’s waiting to see if you’ll join him. You rarely do.

Instead, you spend time washing dishes. Folding blankets. You cook, sometimes—only simple things. Never what Sarah loved. Not the pancakes she’d drown in syrup, not the chicken stew she’d claim was “better than school lunch.” You can’t.

The world outside turns whiter, the light shorter each day. Ellie drifts in and out of the house, mostly keeping to the garage. You learn she’s been staying there. She has her own rhythm—friends, her girlfriend. It’s soft, watching her have something sweet.

Some days, Joel tries to coax you outside. Mentions the farmers’ meetings, the community dinners, the patrol schedules. You always shake your head.

“Maybe next week,” you say

He nods like he already knew. But he keeps asking.

And he keeps bringing things home. A pressed flower. A basket of foods you loved. A novel he found in the old library, the corners worn soft. He never makes a show of it. Just leaves them on the counter.

Sometimes you thank him.

Sometimes you just stare at the gift, fingertips brushing its edge, shock and disbelief running through your system.

Then one morning, the sky pale with early snowlight, you wake up to the house quiet. You move through the rooms on autopilot—bare feet against cold floors, the air sharp in your lungs.

You’re about to shower, something you’ve started looking forward to. You love the feeling of water washing away the ache, if only for a little while.

But when you open the drawer for clothes—nothing. Every shirt, every pair of jeans you’ve gathered from Maria and Tommy over the past few weeks is gone, tangled in the bottom of the basket. Unwashed.

You curse softly under your breath.

Passing through the kitchen, you spot a folded note on the counter. Joel’s handwriting—blocky, uneven.

Went to help at the barn.

Didn’t get to the laundry yet. My bad.

You can borrow whatever of mine you need.

—J.M.

You stare at it for a long time, thumb brushing over the edge of the paper. The thought of him doing your laundry hits you sideways. You can picture it too easily: at the sink, sleeves rolled up, that furrow between his brows.

Your face warms. You forgot he’s been the one washing your clothes. Your shirts. Your jacket. Your jeans.

Your bras.

Your panties.

God, you were married to the man for almost 15 years, yet now you were getting bashful and flushed over the fact that he was touching your underwear. You cursed your mind.

The note ends with a postscript, scribbled small:

Stay warm. Water heater’s touchy again—let it run first.

You let out a quiet, reluctant smile.

You take a shower. The water sputters and steams, hot enough to sting. You stand under it longer than you should, until the mirror fogs and your skin glows.

When you step out, the air bites against your damp hair. You wrap yourself in a towel and pad barefoot to his bedroom. The floorboards creak like they recognize you. The dresser drawers are stiff; they don’t like being opened. You rummage through the top one, the smell hitting you before your fingers even find it—cedar and faint tobacco.

Soft flannel. His.

You pause, thumb running over the collar, the worn edges. You haven’t worn Joel’s clothes in years—a whole lifetime has happened since. But the muscle memory is still there; you remember exactly how the fabric has been mended to shape.

You hesitate anyway.

“Jesus,” you whisper to no one. “You’re ridiculous.”

You slip it on.

The sleeves hang long, brushing your wrists, the fabric rough. It still smells like him, even washed. You close your eyes and breathe, until it almost hurts.

And suddenly you’re back there. In that other life.

The early mornings. The arguments about stupid shit. The way he’d leave his boots by the door and say, “I’ll get ‘em later,” and you’d roll your eyes and pick them up yourself. The nights when he’d come home late, exhausted and half-awake, and still manage to find you in the dark.

You don’t mean to move, but you do—backward, step by step, until your knees hit the edge of the bed. His bed. You fall onto it, the mattress giving beneath you. You press your face deeper into his pillow, chasing that comfort.

“Goddamn you,” you whisper into the cotton.

But what you mean is thank you.

It’s like being wrapped in him. And God, you’re terrified of what it means. Not of him—never of him—but of this. Of the way he lingers in everything.

He lingered on everything. Your soul, your life, your heart. Your body on those cold winter nights, him between your in a way only a lover knows how. Your body as you pinched and stroked you to ecstasy like it was his sole purpose.

Your breath hitches, and your fingers twitch against the fabric. You shouldn’t. You won’t. You’re stronger than this—or so you tell yourself. But your resolve frays like threadbare cloth.

Your hand moves before you can stop it, tentative at first, grazing the hem of his flannel. A shiver runs through you, sharp and electric.

No, you think, biting your lip hard enough to sting. Don’t do this.

But his voice echoes in your mind, soft and teasing, unraveling you.

C’mon, darlin’. Let go for me.

You’re lost in him, in this need whispered against your skin.

Your hand drifts lower, fingertips grazing the skin just above your knee. The touch is feather-light, testing.

You part your thighs, with cool air kissing your slick heat; you’re already drenched. When’s the last time you let yourself feel this? Years, maybe. Survival doesn’t leave room for want.

You slide through your folds, parting them, circling the swollen ache that built so quickly, just off his smell.

Please, Joel. Touch me. I’ve been so cold.

One finger slips inside, then another. The stretch is perfect, but not enough. You curl them, searching, and when you find that spot, your breath stumbles out in a broken moan.

You take me so good, baby. Always have.

You nod against the fabric, and then hastily pull the buttons undone down to your navel, and you push one side aside with trembling fingers.

Your breast spills free—flushed, nipple peaked tight. You cup it, thumb flicking with your nail once, twice, then pinching hard enough to make your breath hitch. The sting shoots straight to your cunt. You roll the nipple between finger and thumb, tugging until your back lifts off the mattress.

You move your head to the side, the collar in front of your nose, and you stay inhaling him while you fuck yourself on your fingers, deep, steady strokes that match the pulse in your ears.

The rhythm turns frantic. Wet sounds fill the small space, obscene and perfect. You add a third finger; the burn is exquisite. You imagine his weight pinning you down, hips snapping, voice rough in your ear.

You want me to come in the pussy I put a ring on?

You come with a muffled cry, body shuddering. Your walls clamp down, thighs trembling. Pleasure crashes in sharp, endless waves, your fingers still buried deep, slick coating your hand and the inside of your thighs.

The world narrows to the pulse of your heartbeat, the ragged rhythm of your gasps. Slowly, the waves ebb, leaving you trembling in their wake. Your hand falls away, slick and heavy, resting against your exposed breast. You don’t move to cover yourself.

The room is quiet again, save for the soft creak of the bedframe beneath your weight and the faint chirping of morning birds.

Your chest heaves, each breath a struggle. Staring at the ceiling, your eyes tracing the cracks as your mind catches up to your body. The pleasure lingers, but it’s drowned by the slow creep of something else.

Guilt, maybe.

You close your eyes, willing the thought away, but it lingers like the scent on the pillow, like your next thought:

You might be falling in love with your husband again.

┈┈・ ☣・┈┈

He was early.

You spotted him through the restaurant window, standing under the awning with one hand tucked into his jacket pocket, the other rubbing along his jaw. He looked… nervous. The sight did something funny to your stomach, seeing this broad, quiet man fidgeting like a teenager on prom night.

When he caught sight of you walking toward him, he straightened so fast it almost made you laugh. His hand dropped from his face, and a faint, almost shy smile tugged at his mouth.

“Hey,” he said, voice low and rough, that easy southern drawl curling around the word. “You look—uh. Nice.”

You smiled. “You too.”

He was wearing his usual—plaid shirt, denim jacket, jeans—but somehow it worked differently tonight. Maybe it was the effort. The way his hair was combed down, neat but still a little messy near the edges, or the fact that his boots looked like he’d actually wiped them off before coming.

The hostess seated you near the window. The two of you sat across from each other, menus up like shields, both pretending to read while you waited for the other to speak first.

“So,” Joel started after a few moments, clearing his throat. “Uh—”

You looked up. “Uh?”

“I should probably jus’—jus’ say this upfront.”

You set your menu down, a small smile forming. “Okay.”

He leaned back in his chair, fingers tapping against the table once before curling into a fist. “I got a kid,” he blurted. “Her name’s Sarah. She’s one. Almost two.”

He paused, eyes flicking between you and the salt shaker.

“She’s… well, she’s my whole damn world. I jus’ don’t wanna waste anyone’s time pretendin’ otherwise.”

He said it like he was bracing for a hit. His shoulders were stiff, jaw tight. You could tell it wasn’t something he said often—probably something he practiced in his head on the way here.

“You love her.”

He let out a breath, softer than a sigh. “Yeah. More’n I thought I could love anythin’, to be honest. It’s jus’ been me and her since—well, since birth.” His lips twitched, almost a smile. “So that’s kinda my life. I work, I come home, I make sure she eats somethin’ other than pancakes, and I pass out by nine. Not real excitin’.”

You grinned. “You sound like a good dad.”

That stopped him. He blinked, mouth opening like he didn’t quite know what to do with the words. “You ain’t—uh—you’re not scared off?”

“By a good dad?” you teased. “No. I think that’s actually kind of attractive.”

His ears went a little pink. He looked down, rubbed the back of his neck. “Well,” he murmured. “That’s a first.”

After that, the tension broke.

You asked him about his work—how long he’d been building houses—and his face lit up when he talked about it. He told you about learning carpentry, working with his brother Tommy. You told him about your job, about the people you worked with, the work politics he’d probably hate.

And then somehow the conversation drifted back to Sarah.

“She’s wild,” Joel said, shaking his head with a fond smile. “Got more attitude than I do. Last week she told Tommy he was ‘too old’ to play hide and seek.”

You laughed, and he grinned wider, encouraged.

“She’s obsessed with dinosaurs right now. Keeps askin’ me if there’s any still walkin’ ‘round Texas. I told her, no, but she says maybe there’s one hidin’ in the Hill Country.”

“She sounds smart.”

“Too damn smart, sometimes.” He took a sip of water, then added in a quieter voice, “Her mama—well. She ain’t ‘round. So I’m jus’ tryin’ to figure it out best I can.”

You didn’t press. You just nodded, the silence that followed soft.

Between courses, you caught him watching you once or twice—quick, flickering glances that he pretended didn’t happen when you met his eyes. He asked if your food was good, made a few jokes about the size of the portions, grumbled when the waiter brought him a fancy small plate that “wouldn’t fill a bird.”

It was nice. Simple.

By the time the check came, you felt lighter. The awkwardness from the start had melted into something easy, something warm. You tried to grab for your wallet, but Joel was faster, already sliding his card onto the tray.

“Joel—”

“Nope.”

“C’mon, at least let me—”

“Darlin’, don’t even try.”

You stared at him, fighting a smile. “Darlin’?”

He froze, caught off guard by his own mouth. “Oh. Uh—slipped out. Sorry.”

You laughed. “Don’t be.”

He looked down at his plate, hiding a grin.

When you stepped outside, the night was cool and damp. Streetlights hummed overhead, and the air smelled like rain waiting to happen. Joel walked beside you, hands shoved in his jacket pockets, close enough that your sleeve brushed his once or twice.

At your front door, he stopped.

“Well,” he said, clearing his throat. “I had a lotta fun tonight. Really did.”

“Me too.”

He shifted, eyes darting between you and the porch light. “If you wanna… maybe—I don’t know—keep goin’. Not tonight, I mean—well, maybe tonight, but not like that—jus’… I mean, if you wanna see me ‘gain.”

You tried, you really did, but the laugh bubbled out anyway again. He went red to the ears.

“Sorry,” you said between breaths. “You’re just—”

“Terrible at this?”

“Adorable,” you corrected.

“Ain’t heard that one ‘fore.”

You stepped closer, your voice quieter. “Then I guess you were overdue.”

And before he could come up with another flustered thing to say, you leaned up and kissed him.

It was gentle, brief, testing. His breath hitched, the soft scratch of his stubble grazing your chin. But then he kissed you back, slow and certain.

When you finally pulled apart, both of you were smiling without meaning to.

“You wanna come inside?” you asked, barely above a whisper.

He hesitated, mouth curving into something between a grin and a question. “Sarah’s with Tommy.”

You blinked, and shook your head at your mind. “Right. So you should probably—”

“I’ll jus’ pay him more,” he said quickly, like it was the easiest decision in the world.

That made you laugh. “You sure?”

He looked at you, really looked at you, eyes soft and steady. “Yeah. I’m sure.”

You stepped back, opened the door. He followed you in.

The click of the lock behind you sounded louder than it should have. The rain started to fall outside, soft against the windows.

And that, was the start of it all.

┈┈・ ☣・┈┈

Lights wind around the lampposts, glowing gold through the frost, and you swear the whole town smells faintly of cinnamon and pine.

The crowds gathered around the tree—families, couples, kids running around with half-eaten cookies and sticky fingers. The fire pit crackles, throwing warmth into the cold night. You stand beside Tommy, watching Maria up on the platform giving a short speech about community, about making it through another winter together.

Tommy’s got Benji in his arms. The kid’s nodding off, head tucked under his chin, thumb hanging loose from his mouth. His curls are sticking up in every direction.

You lean a little closer, smile softly. “He’s about two minutes from a faceplant.”

Tommy grins, voice low so he doesn’t wake the boy. “Yeah, he’s a fighter though. Ain’t givin’ in easy.”

Benji stirs, blinking up at you with heavy-lidded eyes. You offer your arms without thinking. “Want me to take him?”

Tommy looks between you and the sleepy kid, then chuckles. “Hey, bud, wanna go over to Aunt, huh?”

Aunt. You’re not even sure he realizes he said it until your throat tightens. You just nod, arms open, and Benji reaches for you without hesitation.

He’s warm and smells like sugar. His little hand curls into your jacket as his head droops against your shoulder. You sway a little, rocking him out of habit you thought you’d forgotten.

Tommy watches, something soft flickering in his expression. “You always were good with kids,” he says.

You smile, brushing a curl from Benji’s forehead. “Guess it’s like riding a bike.”

“Yeah,” Tommy murmurs. “One hell of a bike.”

You don’t respond. Your eyes trace the curve of Benji’s lashes, the faint freckles under his eyes. He’s got that same Miller look—those brown eyes, that furrow even when he’s half-asleep. You’ve seen it in Tommy. In Joel. In Sarah.

Your chest tightens. You look away before Tommy can see the wet shine starting in your eyes.

Maria’s speech winds down, her voice softening into a smile. The crowd claps. Maria steps off the platform, her eyes finding Tommy and Benji immediately.

“There’s my boys,” she says, coming over.

She holds her arms out for Benji. He mumbles something sleepy, reaching one hand back toward you before his head falls against Maria’s shoulder.

“Out cold,” she whispers, smiling.

You nod, hands feeling strangely empty once he’s gone.

The music starts again—a few people strumming guitars, someone singing off-key but earnest. Around you, people start exchanging small, wrapped gifts. You’d almost forgotten you brought yours.

“Hey,” you murmur, reaching into your coat pocket and pulling out the little parcel. “This is for Benji.”

Tommy takes it, grinning as he peels back the paper. Inside is a tiny carved horse, the wood polished smooth, the details careful—each line of the mane precise. You spent weeks finding it, trading with an older man in the workshop who’d carved it by hand.

“Look at this,” Tommy says, awe threading through his voice. “You serious? You got this for him?”

You shrug, a little bashful. “He’s obsessed with the ones you keep in the barn. Figured he needed one he can keep in his pocket.”

Maria smiles, kissing her son’s temple. “He’s gonna love it.”

You hand her two more small bundles—one for each of them. A new leather glove set for Tommy, stitched tight and warm. A scarf for Maria, deep green, softer as anything you’ve felt in years.

Tommy whistles low. “You didn’t have to—”

“I wanted to.”

They glance at each other. That wordless kind of look. Then Maria reaches behind her coat and pulls out a square, neatly wrapped in cloth.

“This one’s from us.”

“You didn’t—”

“Jus’ open it,” he says, voice low.

The paper rustles softly. You fold it back, careful with the corners. Then your breath catches.

It’s a photo.

A real, glossy photo in a simple wooden frame. The edges yellowed with age but the image clear.

You and Joel—both asleep, tangled up on a sunlit porch. His arm draped across your waist. Your head resting against his chest. Sarah’s in the background, hands on her hips, grinning at the camera like she’s in on a secret. And in the far corner, barely visible in the reflection, a familiar shadow—Tommy, holding the camera.

Your throat closes.

You trace the edge of the frame with your thumb. “Tommy… how—”

“After the outbreak,” he says quietly, staring into the fire instead of at you. “First couple years. Went back to Austin. Most of it was gone, but the photo box was still there. Been keepin’ it safe.”

You don’t realize you’re crying until the tears blur the image in your hands. You blink fast, but it doesn’t stop the ache building in your chest.

“I thought they were all gone,” you whisper.

Tommy shrugs, smiling a little.

You step forward and hug him. Tight. Your arms around his shoulders, the photo pressed between you so you don’t drop it. He hesitates, then holds you back just as firmly.

Maria watches with a soft smile, Benji sleeping peacefully against her.

You pull back eventually, eyes red, voice rough. “Thank you,” you murmur.

Tommy’s face is all soft lines. “Go eat. You look like you’ll fall into the fire otherwise.” He grins and gestures toward the Tipsy Bison like he’s offering you heaven on a platter.

It smells like cinnamon and cheap liquor and something toasted that turns your stomach into guilty wanting. You thread through people, keeping the picture safe against your ribs. The crowd moves slow; laughter spills from somewhere, and someone is playing the guitar off-key and everyone loves it anyway.

A man steps in front of you—too close, his breath warm with old-cologne regret. He’s around your age, maybe a decade younger if you squint, wearing a patched jacket and confidence like it’s a badge.

“You lookin’ lonely,” he says, grin crooked. “Mind if I—”

“I’m not,” you say. Your smile is small and final. You tuck the word away and step to the side to keep the crowd moving. You make it to the bar, and order your drink. It comes quickly.

He doesn’t take the hint, following you. “Come on, lighten up. I’ve got a bottle with your name on it.”

“Not interested,” you say, firmer. The drink in your hand clinks. You can feel the edges of the photo under your palm like a talisman.

He laughs like you’re the joke. “Someone’s touchy. You look like you could use a good time.”

“Or maybe you could use a lesson,” you say. “Either way, back off.”

People nearby glance. A woman in a knitted hat gives you a sympathetic look; a boy laughs and points. The man’s jaw tightens. He takes a step closer until his fingers brush your arm.

“Don’t,” you say. Loud enough now. Heads turn.

He bends, leans in. “I said—”

You lift the cup and pour. The liquor arcs, wet and immediate, over his face. His hair plastered flat, his mouth opens in surprise, then anger.

“Jesus—” he spits, hand flying to his face. His laugh is gone. He wipes at his eyes, fury hot and immediate.

“Don’t touch me,” you snap. “Don’t touch any woman who doesn’t want it. Fuck off asshole.”

He glares at you, anger thick enough to taste.

The he moves.

Your body reacts before your brain: the shove, the pressure of a palm against his chest to put distance between you and the hand that hovered too long. Something clamps down on your neck—hard—and cold fingers braided through your hair. Pain flares hot along your scalp as he pulls. Instinct roars, everything narrowing to the shape of the man’s face.

You twist, ready to break his nose, but you doesn’t get the chance.

A blur of motion—then the man’s body jerks sideways. He hits the ground hard, air leaving him in a grunt.

You stumble away from the sudden relief of pressure on your head. You cradle it, and look over your shoulder with harsh breaths.

Joel’s there.

Not the quiet Joel. Not the ‘coffee in the morning’ Joel. Not the Joel who sleeps in your bed, holding you tight. This is something else. A version of him pulled straight out of the man you met at the gas station—feral and unfiltered. His chest heaves once before he moves again, towering over the man.

“Get your fuckin’ hands off my wife!”

The words tear out of him, raw, louder than the music, louder than the people shouting. And then he’s on him.

Fists. Over and over. Flesh hitting flesh, the sound thick and wet. Someone screams his name.

Joel doesn’t hear. He’s somewhere else: lost to the sound of his own heartbeat, to the cruelty of a world that took too much from him and dared to reach for you.

“Joel!” you shout, pushing through the people trying to pull him off. “Joel, stop!”

He doesn’t.

You grab his shoulder, hard, nails digging into the fabric of his jacket.

That gets him. His fist hangs midair, knuckles split, breath ragged. He turns. His eyes—they’re wild. Like he doesn’t even recognize where he is.

Then he sees you.

The rage drains fast, leaving him pale. His hands fall. He looks down at the man beneath him, half-conscious, face bleeding into the floor. The silence that follows is brutal. Everyone’s staring. No one moves.

Joel’s chest rises and falls, too fast. Then he stands, his hands—bloodied and shaking—on your face.

“Hey. Hey, look at me. You okay?” His voice cracks halfway through, the old, broken edge of it cutting through everything else. His thumbs brush your cheeks, leaving streaks of red. “He hurt you? Tell me if he did.”

You shake your head, swallowing hard. You’re fine. You were fine. You always were.

He growls something at your lack of words, looking around the crowd before tucking you against his side and his hand steady at your back. You can hear the crowd murmuring, whispers darting like fish through water.

Exiting the Tipsy Bison, you spot Tommy’s face through the haze—brows drawn, mouth tight. Maria’s beside him, arms crossed, listening to someone whisper in her ear. Her expression doesn’t change.

You hold your photo tighter. You stare straight ahead, past the people, past the lights.

The fear comes slow.

Maybe Joel did love you once. Maybe he still did. But you can’t stop thinking about what love costs now. What it demands.

He doesn’t speak until you’re well past the town square, the noise fading behind you. The snow crunches under your boots, slow and steady, the kind of silence that feels heavier than shouting.

Then you pull away.

“Stop,” you say.

He does, immediately. Turns to you in the middle of the empty street, breath clouding in the cold. Snow gathers in his beard, catches on his lashes. He looks older like this—softer really, though the blood on his hands hasn’t dried yet.

“I’m sorry,” he says quietly. “If I scared you. I didn’t mean to. I’m—so sorry, darlin’.”

You shake your head, words shaking with your breath. “No. It’s not that. I just—” You press a hand to your chest. “I can’t do this anymore.”

His brow furrows. “Can’t do what?”

“This,” you say. You motion between you, your voice thin. “You. Me. The way you—look at me like I’m still…” You stop, shaking your head. “Like we’re still the same people.”

He steps closer, hand half-raised, hesitant. “What are you talkin’ about?”

“You scare me, Joel.”

The words hang there, suspended. You can see the way they hit him, like a punch he doesn’t block.

He blinks. “What?”

“You scare me,” you repeat, quieter now. “Not because of what you did. But because you think you owe it to me. Like I’m still yours.”

“You are mine.”

You close your eyes. The snow’s starting to fall harder, catching on your lashes. “That’s exactly what I mean.”

He shakes his head, steps forward again, pleading. “I didn’t mean to lose control. I jus’—he touched you, and I saw red. I couldn’t—hell, I ain’t proud of it, but I’d do it ‘gain if it meant—”

“Joel.” You interrupt, firm. “Just stop.”

He freezes mid-sentence, mouth still open like the air left him.

You take a step back. Then another. “You keep saying you’re sorry, but you’re not. You’re still justifying it. You think it’s love, but it’s not. It’s fear. It’s control. You think if you hold on tight enough, you won’t lose me again.”

His chest rises and falls, ragged. “You don’t understand—”

“You were my husband,” you say, your voice shaking now. “You were the best thing I had. And then the world ended, and I lost you. I learned to live without you. To fight. To protect myself. And now—now you’re back, and I don’t know how to breathe with you around, yet at the same time I can’t. You smother me, Joel.”

“I ain’t tryin’ to smother you, I’m tryin’ to keep you alive.”

“I don’t need you to keep me alive,” you fire back. “I already did that for twenty years without you.”

He takes a step closer, voice breaking. “I don’t know how to not care ‘bout you. You understand? I don’t know how to turn that off. I’ve already lost everythin’ once, I can’t—”

“But you aren’t my husband anymore.”

He stops cold.

The snow falls thicker now, lazy flakes settling in his hair, catching in his lashes. His breath comes out uneven, fogging the air between you. He looks at you like he’s trying to recognize a face in a dream—one that keeps slipping away every time he blinks.

“No.”

“Joel—”

“No.” He shakes his head hard, eyes wide, something wild behind them. “Don’t say that. Don’t—don’t do that to me.”

You step forward, voice soft. “Joel, listen to me—”

“You don’t get to just say that like it’s some Goddamn fact. Like it ain’t—” He cuts himself off, running a hand down his face, the motion trembling. “Y’think I can jus’ stop bein’ your husband ‘cause the world went to shit?”

You feel your throat close. “That’s not what I—”

“‘Cause I never stopped.” His voice cracks, raw and broken. “Not for one second. Every day, I—” He presses a fist against his chest, like he’s trying to hold something in. “I woke up, and I thought of you. I went to sleep thinkin’ of you. When I saw—when I saw Ellie—I thought, ‘you’d like her,’ because I still—still thought about what you’d like.”

“Joel…”

He’s breathing hard now, his voice shaking. “Y’think I don’t know what I am? What I’ve done? Y’think I don’t hate myself every time I look in the mirror? But I never—” He stops. His jaw clenches, and then, in a shaky motion, he reaches for the zipper of his coat.

“Don’t—stop—”

But he’s already pulling it open, shoving the heavy fabric aside. His fingers dig under his flannel, and when something comes out, something holding on a thin chain.

The moonlight catches it. A dull glint of gold. A wedding band, pressed against his chest like a second heartbeat.

You go still.

Your throat burns, but no sound comes out.

“I didn’t wear it for twenty-somethin’ years, carried it ‘round in my pocket,” he says hoarsely. His eyes glisten, fixed on yours. “Couldn’t. Didn’t feel right. But when I found you ‘gain, when I—when I saw you—” His hand trembles as he grips the ring. “I started wearin’ it ‘gain.”

You stare at him, lips parting, chest heaving with too many emotions at once.

“I thought of you every day,” he says, voice rough as gravel. “Beat myself bloody over losin’ you and Sarah. Over not savin’ you. And now you stand here and tell me I ain’t your husband.” His voice cracks. “How the hell am I supposed to live with that?”

You want to speak. You want to tell him that this isn’t fair. But when you open your mouth, nothing comes out.

Because your hands are already moving.

You reach up, fingers shaking, fumbling at your collar. The chain catches against your skin as you pull it free, and the air leaves your lungs when you pull our your own glint of gold.

Joel’s breath stutters. He takes a half step forward, like he’s afraid it’ll disappear if he gets too close. His lips part, trembling.

“You… you didn’t have it, when you left. How did you—”

“I couldn’t let it go.”

He makes a sound—half sob, half gasp—and suddenly he’s moving.

The distance between you collapses in a heartbeat. His arms are around you before you can breathe, before you can think, and then you’re both crashing together like you’ve been pulled by the same gravity. His mouth finds yours, desperate, broken, and you respond just as fiercely, clinging to him like he’s the only thing holding you upright.

The picture slips from your hand, falling face-down into the snow. You don’t even notice.

You taste salt—tears, his or yours, you can’t tell. His hands are in your hair, on your back, clutching, trembling. Yours are pressed to his chest, feeling the thrum of his heartbeat under your palms, the metal of the ring chain warm against your fingers.

He pulls back just enough to look at you. His forehead rests against yours, breath mingling in the freezing air.

“Please,” he mutters against your lips, his voice trembling like the rest of him. “Don’t—don’t go.”

“No,” you whisper back, voice rough, almost lost in the wind. “I’m not going anywhere.”

He chokes again, pulling the picture from the snow with shaking hands. His eyes go wide and hollow for a second, taking in what it is, before the sound escapes him—low, guttural, broken.

“C’mon,” he says hoarsely, tugging you toward him. “Let’s go… home.”

“Okay.”

He pulls you in close again as he guides you down the snow-lined street toward home. Rancher Street comes into view, quiet and empty, the glow of porch lights soft against the dark.

Inside, the house smells faintly of woodsmoke and something sweet. You see light spilling from the garage; Ellie’s there.

Joel sets the picture frame down gently on the entry table, reverent almost, before his attention snaps back to you. He steps forward, pressing you harshly against him again. A kiss, long and desperate, his hands clutching at your arms, your shoulders, like he’s relearning your weight against his.

You reach to his side, and he lets out a sharp wince against your lips. He curses softly, half-grunt, half-groan. “Joel—” you start, moving to check, but he shakes his head.

“Don’t care. Keep goin’,” he insists.

He leans in again, brushing against your lips, but you step back, firm. “No. Joel, c’mon. Sit.”

He huffs, muttering, but follows your gesture, settling onto the couch where you point. You rush to the kitchen, retrieving the small medical kit you know is there. When you return, he’s already watching you, breathing a little faster, eyes shadowed with something between exhaustion and longing.

“Take it off,” you instruct softly.

He frowns but complies without argument, peeling off the heavy winter coat, then the flannel, then the shirt beneath. Now bare to the waist, he’s different. The chest beneath your hands is broad, scarred, marked by years you don’t need to ask about. Hair dusts his shoulders and chest. His wedding band glints at the center, catching the firelight.

Your fingers move to the red mark forming along his ribs. You hiss softly, careful, cleaning and pressing gently. He leans into you, eyes closed, letting the quiet comfort of your care anchor him.

“You need to be careful. You aren’t young anymore, can’t heal at the same rate. We can only hope that it just stays a bruise and not something really bad.”

He doesn’t answer with words, just tilts his head, the corner of his mouth twitching ever so slightly. Then, without thinking, his hand brushes a strand of hair back from your face.

You feel it deep in your chest. The brush of his fingers lingers longer than necessary, a gentle weight that makes your pulse catch.

You can tell he’s unsure what to say, and for once, it’s the same for you. Just the storm, the couch, the soft clink of mugs.

Joel’s thumb traces along your jaw, quiet, careful. He’s watching you, and it makes your chest ache.

“I can’t believe you’re really here,” you finally whisper, voice soft, almost swallowed by the roar of the snow.

You shift closer, letting your forehead rest against his. There’s something in the way he exhales, a tension you’ve both been holding for months, released in the brush of skin to skin.

There’s a beat of silence, and then another. Neither of you moves. The room shrinks until it’s just you, him, and the heat simmering between your bodies.

You finally tilt your head up, catching his eyes.

Both of you know what the other wants. Words aren’t needed in a relationship like yours and Joel’s.

“I… are you sure?” you still check. “It might be too much. And your side might be—”

“Darlin’.”

“Yes?”

He leans up to press a quick kiss to your temple. “Stop talkin’.”

You smile just a fraction. He drags you down to be on the couch with him. Then, slower than you expect compared to before, he lowers his head, lips brushing yours—soft, tentative.

Your body responds instantly. Your hands roam from his back to your chest. He moans softly, lips parting, teeth grazing, tongues brushing, and you taste him like you’d dreamed of for countless nights.

Your hands tangle in his hair, pulling him closer, and he responds in kind, his grip firm on your waist, his body pressing into yours.

The kiss turns into a tug-of-war, pull and counter-pull, lips and hands claiming, taking, giving in equal measure.

In the midst of it, you find yourself on his lap, heart pounding. It’s been years since you’ve experienced anything like this, and your body recalls only fragments.

Your cheeks flush, and you give him a shy, light peck on the lips.

Joel pauses briefly, pulling back just enough to study your face with concern and intensity. “Hey… are you ‘kay?” he asks, his voice low and gentle.

“I’m fine,” you reply, slightly breathless, hands resting on his shoulders. “It’s just… been a while.”

His lips curve into a small, crooked smile. “You’re ain’t alone in that.”

Relief washes over you, comforting you like a warm blanket.

Joel’s hands steady your hips, guiding you as you press against him. Your hips move together, a desperate rhythm. The couch creaks faintly beneath you, but neither of you notices.

Your hands slide up to his neck, fingers threading into the hair at his nape, and he lets out a low, shuddering breath. His eyes darken, watching you with an intensity that makes your skin prickle.

“Goddamn,” he breathes, almost to himself, his voice rough with awe. “Look at you.”

You feel the heat rise in your cheeks, but there’s no room for embarrassment. The rhythm slows, and he leans back and before you can process it, he’s easing you off his lap, guiding you to lie back.

He kneels between your legs, his movements unhurried. His fingers find the hem of your jacket and shirt, and he pauses, looking to you for permission. You nod, and he peels the fabric away, exposing your skin to the cool air. His hands move to your jeans next, unbuttoning them. You lift your hips, helping him slide them off, leaving you in just your panties and bra.

Joel sits back on his heels, his eyes raking over you. He huffs out a breath, a low sound that’s half awe, half restraint. His fingers trace a slow path over the fabric covering your slit, and you both shiver at the contact.

“Fuck,” he murmurs, almost to himself. “One thing I forgot was how pretty you looked in these. How fuckin’… soft.”

You whimper, the sound escaping before you can stop it. His eyes flick up to meet yours, and his expression shifts to something almost pleading.

“Touch yourself. Wanna see.”

You hesitate for a moment, but his gaze is patient, urging you on without pressure. Slowly, you slide your fingers down, pulling your panties to the side. You touch yourself, tentative at first, moving through slick, then with more confidence as you feel his eyes on you.

Joel groans, a deep, guttural sound. His hand moves to the front of his jeans, unzipping them but not pulling them down, just enough to let his bulge sit heavy in his boxers. You swallow hard, your eyes flicking to the outline of him, your fingers faltering.

“Keep goin’,” he murmurs, his voice strained. “Need somethin’ pretty to watch. My cock… it don’t work the same no more, but you—” He breaks off, his hand palming himself through the fabric. “You’re doin’ so good.”

His words sink into you, warm and safe, fueling the fire. You circle quicker, your fingers finding a rhythm, and Joel’s breath grows uneven.

He shifts, pulling his boxers down just enough to free himself, his soft cock in his hand as he begins to stroke slowly. The sight makes your breath hitch, and you reach behind to unclasp your bra, letting it fall away. Your skin prickles under his gaze, and a flicker of insecurity creeps in.

“I’m… sorry,” you mumble, eyes dropping. “My body’s not what it used to be.”

Joel’s hand stills, and a low growl rumbles from his chest. “Get that the fuck outta your head,” he says, his voice sharp but not unkind. “I ain’t a catch, darlin’ no more. Look at me—gray hairs, creaky knees. But you? You’re still everythin’.”

You moan softly, emboldened, and slip a finger through your folds, the stretch drawing a shudder through your body. His gaze darkens, his strokes growing firmer as his cock hardens, springing up against his soft belly.

Without warning, Joel leans forward, his hands finding your waist. “C’mere,” he says, and before you can protest, he’s standing and pulling you up with him, and promptly bent down to put you over his shoulder with a grunt.

You gasp, your center of gravity thrown off.

“Joel, don’t show off!” you say, swatting at his back.

He chuckles low, and gives your ass a smack as he climbs the stairs. “Don’t matter if I’m sixty or thirty-six, darlin’. I’m makin’ sure you don’t lift a damn finger.”

The world tilts back to normal as he sets you down on his bed with a huff. He steps back, eyes raking over you, then lies back on the bed, his hand brushing his lips as he looks over at you.

“Sit,” he says, his voice low and commanding.

Your cheeks flush, and you hesitate, glancing down at yourself. “I’m… I’m too heavy,” you murmur, voice barely above a whisper.

“’Gain with this? Sit, darlin’. I ain’t askin’.” His hand reaches for yours, and the certainty in his voice pulls you past your hesitation.

You slip your soaked panties off and move to hover over his face, your thighs framing his head, your own gaze drawn to his hardened cock, now fully erect and resting against his stomach. Joel’s hands grip your hips, and with a low growl, he pulls you down, his tongue finding you with familiar skill that makes you gasp.

The heat of his mouth, the way he works you, makes you wetter than you thought possible.

Your eyes drift to his cock, and you lean forward, your breath catching as you take in the sight of him. Tentatively, you reach out, your fingers brushing against the ridges, and Joel groans against you, “Keep touchin’ me.” he mumbles into you, his voice muffled.

You wrap your hand around him, stroking slowly, matching the rhythm of his tongue. “You’re so good,” you whisper, barely aware of the words spilling out. “Joel, I—”

His hands guide your hips, urging you to move faster, and you comply, grinding harder against his mouth as your hand works him in tandem. Suddenly, a thought crosses your mind, and before you can shy away, you lean forward further, taking him into your mouth, and Joel’s hips buck slightly, a choked groan escaping him.

You hum around him, the vibration drawing another groan from deep in his chest. Pre cum fills your mouth, and you kitten lick at the tip. You can feel Joel’s thighs tense around your head, his groans against your pussy groaning.

The rhythm between you grows frantic, you sucking deep with hollow cheeks, his tongue entering and exiting.

“Joel—” you gasp, pulling back just enough to speak. “I’m close—oh fuck—shit, shit, shit!”

He doesn’t respond with words, but his tongue moves with renewed purpose, pushing you closer to the edge. The tension in your core snaps, and you come undone, a wave of pleasure crashing through you as you cry out, your body trembling against his mouth.

You ride it out, hips moving instinctively, chasing every last pulse of sensation until your breath steadies and you slump forward.

Joel’s hands are gentle now, easing you off him as he shifts beneath you. Before you can catch your breath, he flips you onto your side with a swift, the sudden change making your head spin. You laugh, breathless and a little indignant.

“Joel, you gotta stop manhandling me like that.

He chuckles, his eyes glinting with mischief, his cock pressed flush against your ass. “What, you don’t like it?” he teases, leaning over shoulder, his hand braced on your side. “Thought you’d be used to me by now.”

For a moment, neither of you speaks. Joel’s gaze locks on yours, and he moves closer, notching himself against your sopping core. This feels different—different to all the touching and kissing and sweet gestures. Like the years apart have carved out a space that only this moment can fill. .

You turn your head, looking over your shoulder, and the sight of him—his weathered face, the gray in his stubble, the liver spots on his face, the unguarded emotion in his eyes—hits you like nothing before. Tears prick at your eyes, unbidden, and your voice trembles as you speak.

“I’ve missed you.”

He groans like you stabbed him.

“...I love you.”

He lets out a sound that’s half pleasure, half pain, and pushes into you slowly, filling you with a tenderness. “I love you too,” he says, his voice rough with emotion, cracking slightly on the words. “Always have. Always fuckin’ will.”

Your lips meet over your shoulder, the kiss sloppy and desperate, but neither of you cares. It’s love, pouring into every messy press of lips, every shared breath.

His hands find yours, fingers lacing together, grounding you as he moves, slow and deep, each thrust a reclamation of what you’ve both lost.

His forehead rests against your shoulder, and you feel the tremor in his grip. “Missed you so damn much,” he murmurs, like a secret meant just for you. “Thought I’d never get this ‘gain.”

“Me too,” you whisper, your voice thick with tears. “I didn’t think… I didn’t know if we’d ever—”

“Don’t think all that,” he cuts in softly, his lips brushing your shoulder. “We’re here now. That’s what matters.”

You nod, and let the moment carry you. His movements grow steadier, more purposeful, and you match him, like when things were simpler, when it was just you and him against the world.

His hand slides up your side, resting over your heart, and you feel its frantic beat under his palm, mirroring his own. Eventually, his hand holds your ring, holding so tight your worried it might snap off, but all you can focus on is the pleasure and the cold sting of his own ring against your back.

You feel the tension coiling in your core, and Joel’s movements falter slightly, his own release building. “Your close…” he simply notes, his lips brushing your ear.

“Yes…” you breathe, your voice trembling. “You?”

“Fuck, yeah,” he mutters, a faint chuckle in his voice, but it’s laced with something else. “Together, alright? Stay with me.”

His hand moves to your cheek, turning your face so he can look at you, and the vulnerability in his eyes undoes you. You move together, faster now, chasing the edge together.

You cry out, your body trembling as the pleasure overtakes you, and Joel groans, deep and guttural, his grip tightening as he spills into you, his forehead pressed to your shoulder. His cum fills you warm and sticky.

Your bodies shudder together. You’re both gasping, clinging to each other, the intensity leaving you both raw and exposed.

For a moment, neither of you speaks, staying tangled together, his arms wrapped around you, your fingers still laced with his. The silence is comforting, a space where words aren’t needed.

Joel shifts slightly, his breath still uneven, and reaches for his handkerchief on the nightstand. “C’mere,” he murmurs, his voice soft but steady. He gently wipes the sweat from your skin, his hands careful and deliberate. You lean into his touch, your body relaxing under his care.

“You okay?” he asks, his eyes searching yours, concern etched into the lines of his face.

“More than okay,” you whisper. “You?”

“I’m good.” His thumb lingers on your cheek, and for a moment, the world feels soft, safe, just the two of you.

His eyes search yours, and then, something sparks behind them.

He sits up with a sudden burst of energy, slipping out of you gently. “Sit with me.” He gestures to the edge of the bed, his voice gentle but insistent. Your dazed, but you still follow him, pulling the covers with you. You wrap yourself and Joel underneath the sheet, pressed flush against each other.

No words are traded, no noise, nothing but feelings.

Joel’s hand moves to the chain around his neck. He tugs it, snapping it free. He holds your gaze, then reaches for your neck. You swallow hard, your heart pounding, but you nod, giving him permission. He tugs, and the chain breaks with a quiet snap, falling away.

He unspools the rings from their respective chains, tossing the broken metal over his shoulder without a second glance. He stares at them, his eyes glistening, and you feel your own throat tighten.

“What are you doing.”

He doesn’t respond.

“Are you going to make me guess?”

Mwah!

“Joel…”

Mwah!

You giggled this time, voice caught somewhere between exasperation and a smile. “Joel.”

Mwah! Mwah!

“Oh my God! You’re gonna ruin my hair!”

He didn’t stop. He kissed you once more—loudly, obnoxiously—right on the top of your head, arms wrapped around you so tight you could barely fight him off.

“Joel, what are you doing with our rings?”

He looks down at them, tracing the gold edge.

Then he began to speak, low and raw.

“I loved you ‘fore everythin’, y’know?”

“I know baby.”

“I loved you in every sunrise I saw without you, every quiet night I spent thinkin’ of you. I loved you through fear, through anger, through losin’ myself trying to find you ‘gain. And I… I still love you. Always have, always will.”

Tears spring to your eyes, and you hide your face against his shoulder.

“I never stopped,” you whisper. “Not once.”

“I know darlin’.”

His hand lifts yours, and together you trade rings—his for yours, yours for his—as a silent acknowledgment of every scar, every loss, every year separated.

“I vow,” he continues, voice steady despite the tremor beneath it, “To keep findin’ you. To stand with you through the shit, through hell. Ain’t ever let you feel alone, not ‘gain. You are my heart, my home, my life.

He swallowed.

“My wife.”

You reach for his hands, steadying them in yours. “And I vow… I vow to love you. To stay by you side, never let something come in between us again. I will walk with you, always.”

You smiled wider than you have in years.

“My husband.”

The rings slip onto fingers that know each other so intimately.

You pull each other close, pressing foreheads together. And then, finally, lips meet—slow, then urgent, sure. A kiss that stitches together all the lost time.

And you knew—this was how it was always meant to be.

Ah yes, tragic lovers. My favorite hehe

Tag list (just for this fic):

@spookychaossuit, @joeldjarin

˚.⋆𓂃𓊝 / / all work and designs are owned and copyrighted by @followyourfleart (©2023-2026). all rights reserved.

[whocaresstillthelouvre]

Healed Masterlist

"You saved his life. I'm asking you to help him keep it."

Joel Miller x Doctor Reader

Rating: Explicit. 18+ (Minors DNI) Summary: After Joel's suffering at the hands of Abby, he survives. You, a new resident of Jackson, are tasked with healing him, bringing him back to life in more ways than one. Warnings: alternating pov, injury, eventual smut, mutual pining, fluff, domesticity in the apocalypse, joel survives, medical jargon, blood, sponge baths Chapters will have individual warnings.

Masterlist

Chapter 1 - Convalescence Chapter 2 - Awake Chapter 3- Steps Chapter 4- Listen Chapter 5- Adjust Chapter 6- Ground Chapter 7- Care Chapter 8- Dance Chapter 9- Commitment Chapter 10- Hope Chapter 11- Home Chapter 12- Walls Chapter 13- Anew Chapter 14- Family Chapter 15- Fall Chapter 16- Cover Chapter 17- Gift Chapter 18- Ride Chapter 19- Anchor Chapter 20- Grateful Chapter 21- Merry Chapter 22- Reclaim Chapter 23- Comfort Chapter 24- Celebrate Chapter 25- Fragile Chapter 26- Avowal Chapter 27- Time Chapter 28- Bloom Chapter 29- Life Chapter 30- Tomorrow Chapter 31- Luck Chapter 32- Luxury Chapter 33- Bright

Joel & Jefferson by @valevntine Joel & Doc Get Married by @kenobiwanx Joel & Doc's Invitation by @mothandpidgeon

Healed, The Video Edit Healed Playlist

—- Please follow @whocaresposted and turn on updates to be alerted when a new chapter drops!

[whimsicalwritersstuff]

please please PLEASE more hyperspermia with joel. maybe a longer fic where he just keeps filling reader over and over and over and talking sooo filthy. maybe sprinkle in some mean joel… 😔

(need this man #raw)

One more

Parings: mean!joel miller x fem!reader

Content warnings: explicit content 18+, overstimulation, breeding kink, hyperspermia, degradation (calling reader 'milkslut', 'cumdump'), praise kink, cock bulge/belly bulge, cum inflation/swollen belly, hair pulling and slapping, possessive and mean!joel, choking (consensual), dirty talk, use of pet names 'babygirl' and 'sweetheart, excessive cum play, potential physical exhaustion/weakness of reader.

Word count: 1000

Your body's already trembling neath him, the sheets ruined, soaked with sweat and slick and cum, but dosent stop.

He can't.

He needs it.

Needs you. Like this.

He mutters something under his breath, something low and filthy and before gripping your hip, hauling you up onto your side. You're pliant, twitching, a gasp trapped in your throat as he rolls you, presses his chest to your back and sinks back inside your slick, aching cunt.

Slow. Deep. Possessive.

"Fuck- joel-"

"Shh. Shh, baby. I know."

His voice is all gravel and heat, right at your ear as he presses his palmdown over your belly. "Just one. Just need one."

But it's never just one with him.

He drives in again. And again.

Thick and hard and dripping wet, dragging the mess of himself lit of you, only to bury it back in with a bruising slap of skin. You're so full, streched wide and trembling as he fucks his cum deeper and deeper inside. "So fuckin' tight," Joel grits out, sweat dripping from his jaw onto your shouler. "You feel that, sweetheart? That's all me. All that mess dripping down your thighs. Fuckin- look at you." He fists your hair and makes you lift your head just enough to see the bulge in your stomach, his cock, thick and swollen, pushing up against the swell in your belly as he pistons inside you.

"Milkslut," He growls.

"That what you wanted? That why you were beggin' earlier, grindin' all needy on meoke some dumb little bitch in heat?"

You whimper, tears spilling. It's too much- but you crave every second of it. "Uh-huh," He smirks, breathing hot filth into your skin.

"You like being red, don't you? Like gettin' filled up, leaking all over the fuckin' sheets like a messy little whore." His voice drops, darker now. The pace is brutal. The sound of your soaked pussy clapping against his hips is loud in the room,arched only by your stuttering moans.

"Mine"

A hard thrust.

"Mine"

Another.

"Say it."

You can't even form the word, not when he's gripping your throat, not when your brain's short circuited from the pleasure, your cunt spasming around him from the fourth orgasm he's wrung our of you in the last hour.

He doesn't care.

"Say it."

"Y-Yours, Joel- oh fuck, I'm yours-"

"That's right, baby."

He slaps your ass, watching it jiggle. Watching you take it.

"Good fuckin' girl, such a good little cum dump for me. Gonna fuck a baby into you, keep you swollen all the fuckin' time."

You clench.

That breaks him.

His thrusts go sloppy as he empties into you again, groaning loud, hips grinding into the mess between your thighs, making sure mome of it leaks out. "Goddamn - take it, sweetheart. Don't spill a drop. You hear me?" Your thighs are shaking. His seed is leaking. And Joel just laughs, low and mean.

"Better get used to this, darlin'. 'Cause I ain't pullin' out ever again."

~~~

You've already lost count.

Maybe it was the third time he came- maybe the fifth. It's impossible to know anymore with how long he's kept you pinned, stuffed full of his cock, held there like a ragdoll while he fucks you into the mattress. His chest is slick with sweat, body heavy and burning against your back as he thrusts up into you, rutting slow and deep. Every movement makes your cunt squelch loud, messy, soaked in his cum and slick and spit and who the fuck knows what else.

"You hear that?"

Joel bites your earlobe as he pushes in to the hilt.

"You fucking hear that, baby? That's me pourin' into you again"

And he is.

You feel it.

Another thick gush floods you as he groans, hips grinding in tight, desperate circles, pumping rope after rope of heat so deep it makes your eyes flutter back. The pressure builds in your belly, a warmth that spreads slow, growing fuller, heavier, deeper.

"Shit- fuck," You whimper, voice shaking. "Its- joel- it's too much, I can't-"

"You can, sweetheart. You will."

He smirks into your neck, teeth grazing skin. "This cunt's made to take it. My messy little milkslut."

Your belly's swollen now, soft and rounded where his cock bulges up through your skin. His hand spreads wide over it, pressing down just enough to feel himself from the inside. "Fuckin' look at this," Be growls, voice dropping filth.

"Can feel my cock through your tummy. You're so fuckin' full, babygirl. Stuffed to the brim and still takin' it. "

He pulls back just an inch only to ram in again.

A squirt of cum spills from between your thighs. It's not the first time. Wont be the last.

"There it is. Can't even hold it anymore."

He watches it leak down your ass, pooling beneath you on the sheets.

"Made my own little cumdump. Look at that mess. So greedy for it. "

Another thrust. You sob into the pillow, overstimulated and burning. Your thighs are shaking, soaked with slick and sweat and his endless release.

"Gotta keep fuckin' it back in"

He shoves deeper, groaning.

"I ain't done. Not 'till I plug you ful. 'till there's no room left in that little pussy of yours."

You're whimpering, clawing weakly at the sheets.

"Say it," He grits out, slapping your plump red ass.

"Say what you are."

"I'm- I'm your- your milkslut," You gasp, breath hitching.

"Fuck Joel- I'm your filthy little milkslut-"

"Good fuckin' girl."

Another load floods you. Thick, hot, endless. Your belly streches a little more beneath his hand and Joel moans sl deep it rumbles against your back. "That's it. Take it. Take every last fuckin' drop." When he finally stops moving, cock still twitching inside you, you feel it. The sheer weight of him isndid. How soaked you are, how ruined.

But Joel just keeps you there. Plugged full, your cunt fluttering weakly around him.

You're shaking.

He laughs softly and strokes your belly.

"Gonna knock you up real good this time, babygirl."

[fieldoflilliez]

sacred skin

pairing- jackson joel x f! reader

summary- joel shows you a side to intimacy you didn't know could feel so good. basically reader used to rough sex (and enjoys it), but joel shows her sensual can be just as intense, passionate and enjoyable. (honestly just soft and intense smut + a hint of body worship)

warnings- smut, established relationship (new), soft joel, joel is a tease, nipple play (f receiving), dry humping (for like a second ish), unprotected p in v, prone bone, slow and intense smut, finishing inside (i hate the word creampie ok)

wc- 1.9k

(omg hello thank you all so much for the love on my first fic here. like genuinely its insane, you have all been so incredibly sweet. sorry i couldn't post another fic earlier uni has been killing me. but i hope you guys enjoy this one :). oh also i have like no tumblr friends so please please feel free to dm me or send me asks or interact bc i lowkey have no clue how to make friends on here)

He’d been unusually gentle with you tonight, slow, firm kisses to your lips. Dragging it out, watching you chase his mouth as he pulls back to look over you. His hands trailing up along your sides, under that old shirt of his you’d stolen. Not that he’d minded one bit. He lets out a soft chuckle as you shiver slightly, his breath fanning over you. The sensation of his hands there tingling your skin. The feeling bordering between pleasurable and ticklish. 

You bite the inside of your cheek, as you try not to let out a laugh. “Whats so funny?”

He smiles, and the warmth in it makes your stomach flip. “Didn’t realise you were ticklish”

You shake your head, his smile contagious, now spreading onto your face. “I’m not” you protest weakly. 

“Mhmm” he hums teasingly, the sound deep. He continues the path up your sides. Calloused fingertips teasing along your ribcage. Following the delicate lines until his thumbs brush along the sensitive skin right underneath your breasts. 

You squirm slightly, not used to such a slow explorative touch. You hadn’t been with Joel long, but the few times you’d been together intimately had been raw and full of passion, a little on the rougher side. Which is what you’d been used to in your past relationships, what you enjoyed. 

But this feels exciting and new, the anticipation of his touch just as igniting as the overwhelming onslaught you were used to. You never thought that the ghost of his breath teasing against the skin of your neck could be just as consuming as his rough lips sucking and gliding there. 

Your breathing was unusually heavy for such little stimulation, his teasing setting your skin on fire. He could feel the rise and fall of your chest where his big hands were spread along your ribs still. 

“You’re shaking, didn't realise you were this sensitive” he breathes against your skin, as he finally brushes his lips against your neck, followed by a slight scrape of his stubble. 

You feel restless, feverish. Your throat bubbling with the urge to beg, for something, anything. The words starting to climb up your throat, threatening to claw their way out of your mouth. An urge that you’d never felt before. He senses this, soothing you over with a slow, thorough kiss to your lips. One that softens you, your spine melting against the mattress. 

Joel’s warm hands slide back down, his fingers sliding under the waistband of your underwear to slide them off. Slow, measured and controlled. Still kissing your lips, his teeth capturing the bottom one. Slowly pulling at it, letting it slip between the grasp of his mouth. Before his tongue slides against yours. 

Come to think of it, you don’t think you've ever been kissed this meticulously. It’s usually a quick fumble of mouths until the desperation kicks in and clothes are ripped off. But he seems to stay here, savouring the feel of your lips. Basking in his need for you. His exploration, languid and deep. 

The slow build and the feel of his deep shaky exhales brushing out from his nose and onto the skin of your cupid's bow makes your stomach clench in anticipation. All you can feel is him, his hands soft on your now bare hips as his thumb brush over the jut of the bone. His smell overwhelming your nose as he presses closer, so manly, so him. 

Your hands slide up under his shirt as he’s kissing you, feeling along the softness of his stomach. Your hands tracing along the trail of hair there. He sighs against your lips, pausing his movements. Pressing his forehead against yours, soaking up the touch, his nose nudges against yours. 

Your hips nestle against his, the bare skin of you dragging against the front of his soft flannel pyjamas. The fuzzy cotton providing little friction, the feeling so featherlight that makes your hips stutter. He pulls back to watch in awe, his hands still resting on your hips. Now guiding slow, gentle grinds of your hips against him. 

The sensation makes the surface of your skin tingle, the pleasure teasing and so not enough. Your body desperately trying to meet the stimulation half way, with soft little throbs and pulses. Somehow it feels like a new kind of intensity, pleasure forming more from your own body's desperation than the touch itself.  

Joel keeps his eyes glued on you, your lips parted around soft little pants of pleasure. Your cheeks starting to flush. One of his hands come up to brush over your cheek. “So gorgeous, i’m so lucky you're mine.”. 

The hand that had travelled up to your cheek trails down again, slipping under your (his) shirt. Dragging the hem up enough to brush his thumb over the soft peak of your nipple. He watches as the sensation makes your stomach clench, the muscles under your soft skin rippling. 

You hadn’t ever really had someone touch you there before, explore every spot like that. You didn't know it could feel so electric. Each brush of his calloused pad of his thumb against the soft sensitive skin sends pulses of pleasure straight down to your core, like a phantom touch. This makes you let out your first moan of the night, the sound airy and half caught in your throat, and judging by Joel's grin he’s enjoying himself way too much.

His deft hands slide off your shirt, settling you back against the mattress when he’s done. Joel’s deep brown eyes rake over your now bare body. The feel of the cool air on your skin reminds you that you're fully naked and he’s still fully clothed. You decide to even the playing field, your hands pulling off his shirt. Greedily trailing along his bare chest, fingertips weaving through the hair there. 

He leans down before you have the chance to compliment him, his mouth pressing kisses along the skin around your nipple. Before capturing it into his mouth. His tongue soft and warm as he swirls along it. The sensation makes you curl in on yourself, it’s so strangely sensitive you're not sure how to interpret it. The surface of the feeling almost tickles, too sensitive to stay still, underneath it’s this sparking pleasure right between your legs. You can’t resist the urge anymore and you try to squeeze your thighs together, forgetting he’s still between them. He laughs softly against your skin, “squirmin’ like a fish outta water”. He kisses his way to the other breast before giving the same attention to the other peak. 

His hand snakes down between your legs, his fingertips tracing along your wetness. It makes your breath hitch, the place where you're aching finally receiving attention. You whine, your hips chasing his touch, the small of your back arching up off the mattress as you do. “Joel” you breathe out. 

He doesn't respond, too lost in you. His mouth trailing down your stomach, you grip his hair, getting him to pause. Normally you’d never turn down his mouth on you, god knows he was good with it. But you needed him, you were aching in a way you didn’t know you could. “Joel please, need you” 

He groans at your breathless plea. Immediately obliging, his own patience wearing thin. “Wanted to take my time sweetheart, makin’ it impossible” He rasps as he takes off his pants, discarding them onto the floor somewhere. You catch the sight of him, thick and heavy, because of cause he wasn’t wearing boxers to bed. 

You feel him, warm and throbbing as he runs his length along your core. You hear the faintest whimper escape his lips. Then you feel the thickness of his tip pressing its way in. You bite your lip, you still haven’t quite gotten used to his size yet. 

He starts nice and slow, stilling when he bottoms out. Letting you breathe into it, settling into the feeling. Your arms loop around his neck, looking up at him. His eyes settle on yours with a warm smile. “Love bein’ inside of you, always feel like heaven”. You hadn't had someone compliment you so much in bed before him, it always made you blush. “You always feel perfect too, feel so full” you let out, a little breathless. 

He starts to move, slow steady strokes. You sigh into the feeling, your eyes fluttering shut. The pace making you arch into every movement, craving more. He reaches down, his thumb gently brushing along your clit as he keeps moving nice and slow. 

The leisurely pace of both his thumb and his hips build this deep pleasure in your gut. Like a slow flood instead of a tidal wave. Every time you feel like you're getting close the pleasure keeps getting more and more intense. Like the goalpost keeps moving, you let out a pathetic pouty whine. Squirming and getting impatient. “Patience baby, wanna savour you”. He leans down to soothe you with a press of his lips to your cheek. “Here let me turn you over” His voice soft and breathless. His big hands guiding you onto your stomach, slipping a pillow under your hips. 

You feel him enter again. This angle you feel all of him and it makes you gasp. You feel him lean over you, his warm front pressing against your back. He starts moving again, this time deeper. A sharp punishing thrust into you, with a slow withdraw. Letting himself drag over every sensitive spot inside. Prodding on the way in sending pleasure zipping up your spine, and prolonging it with each leisurely drag out. You can’t escape it, pleasure so devastating and consuming it squeezes the air out of your lungs, like he wrings out that soggy sponge by the kitchen sick. 

You’re gasping, clutching at the sheets. You feel yourself start to drool onto the pillowcase, but you can't bring yourself to care. He’s kissing at the base of your skull, soft and warm when you feel the familiar coil start to constrict in your stomach. His own breathing ragged and littered with groans. Each thrust of his hips sending pulses of pleasure deep inside and making your clit throb like it was being touched too. 

You’d never felt like you could come like this, just from a guy fucking into you, you’d always needed other stimulation too. But his skillful thrusts hitting spots inside you you’d never felt before with such a devastating precision, mixed with the way your clit was starting to graze against the soft cotton of the pillowcase propped underneath you as he began to speed up slightly made it impossible not to. 

You finally snap, with a choked cry, muffled into the pillow. Your body trembling underneath his. It feels so deep, the waves of pleasure. The pleasure focused and pinpointed inside of you rather on the surface of you like you were used to. It makes your toes curl. He’s not far behind, his thrusts speeding up, panting in your ear as he lets go. You feel warmth flood you as you quiver through the aftershocks. 

He slumps beside you, pulling you to his side. You laugh soft and tired, your cheek pressed to his chest now as you nestle in closer. He smiles down at you as his hand rakes through your hair. “Whats so funny darlin’?”

“Just didn't know I could come like that” you say, half amused and half in awe. 

“Well did you like it?” he asks soft and curious. That makes you laugh again. You press a soft kiss to his chest.

“Very very much”

[brinabbot]

pedro pascal is definitely boyfriend material

[joeldarling]

Under The Tree (Joel Miller x F!Reader) +18

Summary: Joel Miller, your favorite fictional character of all the time, appears under your Christmas tree, literally. And he's so fucking good.

Word count: 3.9K | Part 2

Warnings: MINORS DNI! Porn with a minor plot, dry humping, Joel cleans his mess with his tongue on the reader, kinda of a breed kink tho. Oldman!Joel, as always. No reader description at all except that she has hair. NO USE OF Y/N. 

A/N: I had this idea while wondering either should I write something to post here for Christmas or not, but writing it was so fun and I just had to! English it's not my first language so I apologize in advance. If you’re new over here, welcome and Merry Christmas! Feel free to check my masterlist with more of my writing and please, let me know what you thought about this one! 💌

You knew every single detail about him. Every tiny thing that made him your favorite character, and after so many years fixed on the same obsession, you could almost no longer separate reality from fiction.   

Joel Miller was absolutely everything to you.   

Your countless hours on Tumblr, the long list of failed dates with men who couldn’t even hold a candle to a fictional character molded over the years by the best writers you had ever seen in your life, the constant and extremely explicit dreams. Another year was coming to an end, and despite considering yourself a successful woman at twenty-one, you would soon be twenty-two, and your only wish was that Joel Miller existed and would materialize under your tree, or, better yet, in your bed.

Nothing compared to the feeling of complete emptiness that washed over you every night, especially on those ones when you slept alone, surrounded by your pillows. During the Christmas season, the feeling became even worse: the family dinners, the lingering looks, and all the meddling aunts always questioning when you would find a boyfriend to introduce to them.

You had returned home early that day. December 24th was nothing special when you felt increasingly alone. As you prepared for bed, still with your toothbrush between your lips, you scrolled through your Tumblr feed looking for a good one-shot to read before completely surrendering to the tired sleep that only a long day could provide. Colorful lights were strung throughout the house, but they were especially concentrated on the giant tree that one of your best friends had insisted you needed this year — though it remained empty, thanks to the gifts having been distributed two weeks prior. 

You didn't even notice when those same bright lights grew dim. When you returned to bed, you curled up amidst the warm blankets, wearing nothing but an oversized t-shirt and cozy socks. You still had to face lunch the next day and listen to all the comparisons between you and your perfect younger sister, who flaunted a giant diamond on her ring finger. It would be a new day, and you needed to prepare yourself mentally.

Not long after having your feelings captivated by a good read, one that drew sighs from you and made you wish once more that fiction were reality, you fell into a state between deep and light sleep, still alert and not completely relaxed as you so desperately desired.

For Joel Miller, it all happened very fast.

Extremely fast.

One moment, he was certain he couldn't take any more. The blows Abby dealt to his body were incredibly heavy, and his lungs were surely damaged; yet, he was still fighting bravely, while Ellie’s screams were nothing more than a buzz in the back of his troubled mind. He knew that soon he would no longer be there for her, that the apocalyptic world was cruel, and that she would have to fend for herself. But contrary to what he imagined of death, he didn't see the image of Sarah or any of the loved ones he had lost over the years. In fact, everything went silent for a second, in complete darkness.

Until he found the courage to open his eyes, and the pain was gone. Perhaps paradise included a Christmas tree and a silent house, he couldn’t really say. Joel moved his body slowly, savoring the sensation of being able to breathe properly; the pain in the back of his head no longer seemed to be a problem, and there was no sign that his leg had been shoot.

Adjusting his hand, he felt a small note. The handwriting didn't look familiar, but Joel managed to read it anyway:

“Begin again, Joel Miller.”

Of course, he didn’t understand a single thing about what was happening, of course not. But he didn’t felt dead either; his clothes were halfway decent, and despite his messy curls and the initial confusion, the place still felt somewhat familiar. It didn’t seem like a world he knew, but he understood the coincidences of fate perfectly well. The same fate that had brought him Ellie, the same fate that had led him back to Tommy... Joel didn't believe in any bullshit at all, but it seemed to be his lucky day regardless.

He stood up slowly. He was still an old man, even if he was no longer on the path of a young woman furious over an action he had taken years ago — an action he did not regret.

He would have done it all over again, the exact same way, without hesitation, and there was beauty in that.

More than anyone, Joel Miller understood grief.

The decorations were curious, and as he walked through the hallways of the house looking at the photos on the walls, he realized this didn't seem like a world much different from the one before the apocalypse. Part of him still considered all of this a post-death dream, but the end of the world felt too distant, the end that had happened so long ago and taken the best parts of him. Joel should run and seize this chance, this fresh start; but if this really was a dream, he could afford to nose around for a few more moments. He could afford to breathe for once without feeling the weight of the world on his shoulders.

The half-open door of your bedroom revealed Christmas lights while you were lightly asleep. Your phone screen still glowing. Joel paused for an instant, feeling a sharp pang in his chest, as if all the pieces of a puzzle were snapping into place at once.

He had been dreaming of you all these years.

It was your face in every one of his dreams. Over and over again.

For years.

He didn’t believe you could be real. With every passing second, he grew more shocked, watching you, frozen against the doorframe, afraid that if he took a single step, he might wake you. Afraid that if he moved in any way at all, he might lose you. Joel blinked slowly, gathering the courage he needed to approach. He took the phone from your hand, inspecting it to find where to turn off the light, as the model looked far more advanced than the ones he remembered. Finding the button he deduced was the correct one, he set the device aside and sat on the edge of the bed, his hand going directly to your hair, delicately brushing it away from your relaxed face.

His eyes traveled over every detail of you, but also over every detail of that room, stopping when they found a framed photo of him on your nightstand. A photo he didn’t remember taking, a photo impossible to capture for the simple reason that there had been no cameras. With every passing moment, it all seemed to grow more confusing.

Before he could demand anything, any explanation, your eyes snapped open. In a series of quick, terrified movements, you let out a hoarse, loud scream, trying to pull away as far as you could, but his hand was quickly over your mouth, muffling the sound. You couldn’t believe what was happening; a complete stranger was inside your house, and he looked exactly like the man you had daydreamed about for years, down to the clothes, the beard, the tiny details that had once only been described to you through the spiciest words.

Even the scent was the same.

“F’ God’s sake, girl. Ya’ wanna wake up all of ya’ neighbors?” he asked with his deep, raspy Texan accent making you even more terrified of what this could be. You certainly weren't dreaming, and you felt you needed to find a psychiatric emergency room as soon as possible.

But it felt so... real.

“Ya’ know what...?” he asked, hoping for some decent answers, nodding his chin toward the photo while still keeping his hand over your mouth. “How do ya’ know me? This picture... it’s not damn possible.”

Joel seemed more interested in trying to understand it for himself than actually prying the answers out of you, yet there he was, in the flesh, in your bedroom in the middle of Christmas Eve. Actually, it was already Christmas, according to your clock on the opposite wall, which marked shortly after midnight. When he finally took his hand off your mouth, his eyes — nearly imperceptible in the dim light — gave you a silent warning against screaming.

And if he really was your Joel, you knew exactly what he was capable of.

“I know everything about you,” you said. “Everything.”

“How’s that possible?” He asked, his expression a growing mix of fear and curiosity. “Ya’ don’t know shit about me.”  

“I know that you have a younger brother named Tommy. I know that you lost your daughter, Sarah, on the first day of the outbreak. I also know that years later you found Ellie Williams, a girl who can’t be properly infected, and you saved her and… I also know that you should be dead by now, because Abby Anderson, the daughter of the doctor you murdered to save Ellie, killed you.” Joel remained silent, processing all of that information in complete stillness, blinking slowly.  

“That doesn’ explain why I dreamed ‘bout ya’ almost every night for the last three years,” he muttered, completely devoid of humor, his voice sounding dry and still confused.   

“I’m afraid I don’t have an answer for that question.” 

The fear seemed to dissolve with every passing second, and you relaxed back into the bed, feeling a weight lift from your shoulders for a moment as you savored the silence. You didn’t understand much about Christmas miracles or the nature of it all, but it felt as though fate were finally granting you one.

Only, it was much deeper than it seemed.

Joel Miller, with all his nuances, had saved you from terrible days where the pain of reality was relentless enough to make your chest ache and your body tremble as you cried yourself to sleep, questioning if there truly was a God or anything capable of making you feel even slightly better, capable of helping you fit in. Joel was, for the most part, the reason you still believed in love; and even as a fictional character, now materialized on your bed, you understood every inch of the shared pain regarding loss and new beginnings.

He was everything to you.

It was through words, through every version of him, that you had come to understand the meaning of loving someone so unconditionally that death, eternal sleep, and faith in the unknown... all of it seemed worth it if the love that filled your chest and made you feel seen truly existed.

You didn't realize when the tears began to stream down your delicate face, but Joel didn't move closer. He didn't know if he could, he wouldn't invade your personal space regardless… but it broke his heart to see you cry. It didn't feel right.

You managed to pull a brief smile onto your face before you began to sob heavily, finally reaching out for him, for a simple hug. Perhaps you would wake up the next day and none of this would exist anymore, but you would know that it had been real, and you would have something to hold onto during your hardest days once again.

Joel held you tight, pulling you against his chest, and you squeezed him as hard as you could, inhaling the woody scent emanating from his flannel. Every second of that moment felt as if two souls were finally meeting, as if Joel could finally rest, and as if you were finally whole.   

“Don’t cry, sweetpea. Bet ya’ still have a lot to tell me,” he said, keeping you close and kissing the top of your head while holding you in his arms.   

He wouldn't invade your space. He didn’t even understand the purpose of being there; he truly didn’t know how to go back home — if he even had one left in this world — but being with you felt right.   

It felt like fate.   

And Joel was counting on that for everything to be okay.

...

“So, what do you do for living, Joel?” your grandmother asked him for the tenth time. Joel ended up laughing. The clothes you had bought for him at the last minute seemed to fit perfectly, especially the sweater that matched yours, which had made him laugh heartily in front of the mirror when he realized your intentions, though he decided to wear it with honor.

“I’m a contractor, ma’am,” he replied, taking a sip of the best hot chocolate he had tasted in decades. In this world, food seemed to taste much better, for obvious reasons, of course.

Joel had agreed to pretend to be your date while the two of you spent a good part of the night talking after your tears finally stopped. To you, it made perfect sense that he knew everything and all your nuances, just as the fictional versions of him always seemed to know. Everything was very new and strange to Joel, and part of him still felt like a rough, completely inadequate man. 

But for some reason, things felt easy by your side, and he couldn't deny it.

He didn't plan on occupying your guest room forever; he needed to get his life in order. What he lost, what he had. The grief, the fresh start… But it had only been a few long hours since he had woken up under your Christmas tree, and you were in no hurry at all to have him leave.

His hand rested possessively on your waist the entire time, especially when your sister had started talking minutes earlier, trying to brag about everything, specially about the plans for her thousand-dollar wedding. She was interrupted by Joel, who seemed to have eyes only for you. 

Your mother was radiant; his perfectly Texas accent and excessive politeness made her eyes shine, as if she were saying that you had finally chosen someone decent.

“See that? A real job for a real man. I always told all my daughters and granddaughters that those...” Your grandmother paused for a second, nodding her chin toward your younger sister’s prim-and-proper fiancé, who was holding a champagne flute and could certainly hear what she was saying. “...type of boys were real trouble. A man who can’t build the house his future wife will live in, isn't a real man.”

His laughter echoed through the room in sync with yours as you exchanged looks. There was a certain complicity between you, and you cherished the feeling; your heart, full after so long, felt like a dream you would refuse to wake up from if that were the case. Joel was a gentleman, opening doors for you, making sure your cup of hot chocolate was full at all times, and being ready to get you whatever you asked for. He had taken the role of your Christmas date seriously, but a part of you felt something far beyond all the supposedpretending. 

“Your granddaughter is safe with me. I would build anything she asked m’ for.” 

But when he spoke those words, Joel wasn’t looking at your grandmother. No. He was looking at you, deep into your eyes, as if one of your favorite writers were at the helm of your life's script, casting you in the most beautiful romantic comedy of your life. As if he knew you in every lifetime of his. As if things were simple, meant to be even. 

And you felt your heart race.

You felt the flip in your stomach and the butterflies in your chest, and you felt a shiver run down your spine, making you smile and causing your eyes to sparkle. You feared the pain you would feel when you woke up and discovered that all of this had been a dream.

But you were awake, and Joel Miller had his hand on your waist, and he was the most handsome man you had ever met in your life and... Well, he was your greatest passion, and you were going crazy.

Definitely fucking crazy. ...

You barely had time to cross the threshold before Joel pinned you against the wall, completely famished, while his lips, chilled and flushed pink from the cold, sought yours in the same state, making you moan in protest. Your breaths condensed inside the house, which was quite dark, illuminated only by the Christmas lights. He was quick to kick the door shut with a none-too-gentle thud, but you didn't care; his hands were all over your body, and you were completely desperate for him.   

The tension that had been building during dinner at your grandmother’s house during the touches, every time he followed you to the bathroom just to exchange looks whose meaning no one else could understand. The portrait of a gentleman you knew he were. The kindness implied in every action of his. 

The final straw seemed to be when you ended up sitting on his lap, watching your little cousins open their presents while Joel squeezed you far more than necessary, acting as if he had known you for years, as if you were an old couple who had shared a bed for decades. 

It was as if he had belonged to you forever.   

You understood that it would take much more than just a true connection. Years of therapy, dealing with all the losses, yes, but the moment he pulled off his sweater and groaned hoarsely in your ear, you forgot every dilemma living in your head at that moment.  

“Arms up, doll,” he whispered, removing your sweater the instant you promptly obeyed, leaving your pajama top exposed, revealing enough for him to realize you weren't wearing a bra. “Naughty girl, not wearin’ a damn bra f’me, I see it.” 

And it felt like a dream. 

Like all the things you had read a thousand times over, but this time, you were incredibly starved for him. You could already feel your body burning and your legs growing slightly weak, leading you to cling to Joel tightly, your sensitive breasts brushing against his chest. 

Joel hitched up your shirt just enough to take one of your breasts into his mouth, sucking the nipple and pulling at it hungrily, gripping your waist with his free hand with a strength that would surely leave a mark the next day. You moaned uninhibitedly, feeling the heat spread between your legs, and as if he were reading your mind, he lifted his knee slightly, making you feel his knee against your already wet cunt. 

You were both wearing jeans. It was too much fabric; you needed more, you needed his touch. You needed to feel Joel in every part of you, driving you completely out of your mind. It was as if fire were crackling and burning through you; in that instant, you moaned his name slowly, pleadingly.

“Fuck, sweetheart. Like this, ‘m gonna have to fuck ya’ and ‘m really tryin’ to be a gentleman and treat ya’ right.” Joel’s voice was nothing more than a hungry growl, and his cock was already straining against his jeans, drawing your curious fingers toward his zipper, but he shook his head. “Nuh-uh. Needy girl will take what I give. My rules now. Ya’ will ride my knee and cum for me when I say so.” 

“Joel… Please.” You moaned, completely surrendered, while your nails slid up and down his arms. But Joel made no move to remove the remaining pieces of clothing that felt like the biggest obstacle between you two; instead, he forced his knee against the middle of your legs again and you felt it just right, melting over him. 

“Yeah, just like this. Be good, doll, I might give ya’ some more. Show me what those things ya’ read ‘bout me taught you.” 

You began to move your hips with a purpose, feeling the seam of the jeans between your legs, feeling the thick fabric grow wetter while Joel’s hands went straight to your throat until you were completely breathless, only to release his grip slowly before delivering a sequence of slaps against your cheeks, leaving it tingling. You knew you liked these things, but as you ground your hips against his leg, you felt your body go up in flames with the real-life practice of it all. Of all the things you once fantasized.   

Joel grabbed your face, forcing you to look at him as he seemed to revel in your pleasure, his member cock harder than it was before, hoarse groans escaping his throat. It had been years, considering his life before, since he had touched a woman or made one feel the way you seemed to be feeling for him, and for him, it was like feeling alive again. The man would make you his in every corner of that house; he would fulfill every one of your fantasies, he would make you feel so good and just the mere thought of it made him delirious.

“Yes, Joel, please, it’s so good…” you moaned, your voice thick with longing under the pressure he applied, your cheeks burning as you searched for something to hold onto. He pressed his lips against yours in a hot, wet, and intense kiss, returning to massage your breasts, pinching your left nipple with his thumb while savoring your mouth in the most explicit way possible.

You could feel your orgasm building and tried to warn him, but Joel seemed even more determined to make you feel every possible sensation. You clung to him as if you were about to collapse, your fingers tangling in his salt-and-pepper curls, your breaths perfectly out of sync and ragged as you searched for more, and more, and more.

“Gonna fuck ya’ so good. Gonna fill ya’ with my milk and make ya’ a mama.” Joel moaned. “When I give ya’ this cock, I will fill ya’ with my cum and get you dripping it all over your legs for me, doll. It’ll sting so good, ya’ might never want to fuck with anyone else ‘ver again.” 

And that was enough to make every wall of your body tremble. 

Joel held immense power over you, and you couldn't even begin to deny it as your body shook with the most intense orgasm you had ever reached with someone's help. You tried to grind against his leg even more, trying to prolong the feeling, sensing the tears streaming down your face from the sheer weight of the stimulation.

He made sure you didn’t fall, but then he knelt in front of you, unzipping your jeans and dragging the fabric down with a certain aggressiveness. He didn't care about the delicate lace of your panties, and in a single, swift motion, he brushed the fabric aside before putting his tongue to work on your sensitive cunt, licking your orgasm as if you were the sweetest thing he ever tasted. You tried to close your legs, but he was holding you with a firm cruelty, making you moan in protest. 

“It took a fucking Christmas miracle to make ya’ cum properly, sweetheart. Now lemme clean what’s mine.” Joel mocked you. “Don’t ya’ worry ‘bout it. Gonna make sure ya’ feel whole for the rest of your days. Stuffed with my cock and melting over my tongue. Gonna fuck ya’ so good with this pretty belly of yours all swollen…” 

“Joel…” You moaned, already needy of him. Again. 

“Sure thing, doll. Let’s get ya’ upstairs.” 

PART 2

[zevrra]

𝐀 𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐓𝐎𝐆𝐄𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑⋆✴︎˚｡⋆

𝐬𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩: you and joel have the morning off from patrols, so you spend it in bed.

𝐟𝐭. jackson!joel miller x fem!reader

𝐰𝐜. 3.1k

𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐬: one shot || nșfw, mdni, established relationship, age-gap, joel is in his 50s, reader is 21(+), fingering, unprotected sex, p in v, joel comes inside, doesn’t clean up the mess, early orgasm, he stays inside until the end, breėding kïnk if you squint

𝐚/𝐧: this is short and not great but it’s the first thing i’ve successfully written in months so,, enjoy!

Joel had come home later than usual.

Normally, he always had first pick of the early morning patrols with Tommy but thanks to some extra sightings of the Infected getting a little too close to Jackson, he willingly had been picking up extra patrols. And they definitely were taking a bit of a toll on the older man.

You could hear him as soon as he opened the front door. No matter how late it was, it was like a sixth sense you had; knowing exactly when he came home. A tingle beneath your skin that stirred you from your sleep.

You blink away the sleep that you had been enjoying for a few hours before sitting up to stretch out beneath the warmth of blankets. Your tired eyes glance at the alarm clock on his side of the bed, reading the crisp ‘2:06 am’ that idly stared back at you. You yawn at the sight.

The sound of footsteps catches your attention then. You listen to him tread up the stairs to your shared bedroom. Could practically hear the exhaustion in every single step he took. Even so, you could also hear him trying to move as quietly as he possibly could throughout the home— always thinking of you. It makes your heart swell and you smile at the tenderness he always goes about showing you.

When he finally enters the bedroom, he trips up just a little at seeing you awake. But that charming smile of his settles in at the sight of you instantly. “Ya startled me.” He whispers softly, crossing the room still just as quietly to hang up his jacket.

He must have stopped in at the bathroom downstairs to change, for he’s no longer in the clothes you saw him leave in that morning; instead he’s wearing his usual sleeping fit. Dressed in a simple gray shirt and a pair of boxers— perfectly fitting for the old man.

He crosses the room to the bed in three big steps. “Didn’t mean to wake ya.” He mumbles once he stands at the opposite side of the bed from you.

You move sleepily to fold back the blankets on his side of the bed, allowing him into the warmth you’ve kept tucked away for most of the night.

Joel hums softly at your invitation, kneeling against the mattress briefly to lean in closer to you. He places a quick kiss onto your lips, a big hand tenderly brushing along your jaw, before he settles into his side of the bed. And before he lets you get a word in, he yanks you into his chest. Strong arms wrap around you, securing you directly onto his body.

You melt into him. Ear pressed into his chest, listening to the sweet melody of his heartbeat. You breathe in his scent— his sweat and the forest— as deep as your lungs would allow. While he lays a gentle hand against your back, his fingers rubbing soothing circles into your skin.

“Mm, it’s fine. Always love seein’ you anyway.” You yawn, smiling at the low chuckle that rumbles through his chest. You place a hand beside your hand, mirroring the small circles he runs into your back against his chest. “How was the patrol?” You ask, tucking yourself a little tighter against him.

“Mmm.” Joel sighs, breathing in deep, before his exhaustion takes him under. His breathing settles into a nice, soft rhythm as he falls asleep.

You laugh just a little at how fast he falls asleep but the lull of breathing and his old man snoring quickly draws you back into the depths of your own sleep.

When you wake again, soft rays of morning light dance about the room. You’re still tangled up against Joel, lovingly trapped beneath the secure hold of his arms. He still snores steadily beneath you and it makes you smile a little.

He had been so worn out from the extra patrols. Your usual routine suddenly changed from sharing coffee together, doing your own work inside Jackson while he goes out on patrols with Tommy, coming together for dinner and watching a movie until you both were ready for bed, and then sharing an intimate night together every once in a while into; Joel going out for a morning patrol, returning for a very brief lunch with you, stocking up, before going right back out for patrols until late into the night. There had been no time for really anything between you two. And yet, you couldn’t— or wouldn’t— complain. Not when he came home and into your arms from those deadly patrols every single night.

You squeeze him gently before pulling yourself out of his grasp. Detangling from your lover to sit up and slide out of bed, heading for the bathroom. If you didn’t have to go, you wouldn’t. Would never willingly leave Joel or his warmth if your body didn’t force you to.

Without said warmth, the chill of morning seeps swiftly into the depths of your muscles and bones. Doesn’t help that you went to bed in one of Joel’s old t-shirts and just your underwear. You couldn’t help it, not when Joel was your own personal heater at night.

You cross your arms over your chest in an attempt to battle the cold as you hurry off to the bathroom.

The second you’re done, you’re rushing back to bed. Neither you nor Joel had a patrol that morning, finally, and you certainly planned to lay in bed and listen to him sleep for the rest of the day. Joel has rolled over onto his side, arm stretched out where you had been sleeping beforehand; most likely looking for you but fell asleep before he could get up to further investigate.

You softly hum at the sight, running the tips of your fingers along his arm before grabbing hold of his wrist and moving his arm up so you could take your spot in bed again. You sit down on your side, preparing to lay down again but you don’t make it that far.

Joel pulls you back into him. Your back is tucked against the front of his chest and he breathes in deep against the nape of your neck, his arms snaking around your waist, his lips gently pressing into your skin. “Mmm, missed you.” He mumbles quietly, pulling you tighter into his chest.

You smile at his sleepy words, snuggling back into him, tilting your head to the side as his lips move to explore more of your neck.

“Didn’t mean to wake you.” You mirror his words from earlier that night. Sighing at the feeling of his lips pressing into the tender spots along your skin.

“Been missin’ you.” Joel grumbles, low and deep beneath the shell of your ear. The deep rumble of his voice sends an electric shock through your body and suddenly it’s apparent he’s a little more than just ‘excited’ to see you back in bed.

One hand rubs down the front of your thigh. His skilled, calloused fingers brush and tease between the thick of your thigh before dancing around to the front of your underwear. His lips tilt down against your neck again, where he breathes hot and heavy against your skin, his hips slowly grinding into you— and you can feel every inch of his erection press right into your ass.

“I was only gone for a few minutes.” You chuckle, pressing back against him; enjoying the quiet groan that slips between his lips.

“Been too long,” Joel groans, his other hand slipping beneath the t-shirt you wear to palm at your breast. “Dreamin’ bout you…” He adds with a sigh.

The thought of Joel having a wet dream about you, just because the two of you hadn’t gotten the chance to be intimate in the last few days, puts a hot blush across your entire face. Your heart beats hard, wondering at what he could’ve been dreaming about; and you’re almost tempted to ask him but he stops you with a rough squeeze against your breast. You gasp at the feeling of his fingers pinching at one of your nipples while his other hand runs a firm trail up between your thighs.

He kisses hard against the curve of your neck, teeth scraping along your skin as fingers knead into your flesh. He rubs rough against your core, groaning at the feeling of you.

You mirror his deep groan with your own, turning to face him over your shoulder with a soft whine. “Joel.” You sigh, pressing back into him again.

Joel looks sleepily at you, smirking, before his lips kiss into the corner of your mouth. The angle is a little odd but he makes it work— he always makes it work. He kisses you full of passion while his fingers continue pressing rough into the curve of your cunt.

You gasp into his mouth, hips lifting up in search of more of his fingers. And he eagerly gives it to you. Strong fingers tangle into the thread of your underwear, ripping them to the side. You instinctively part your legs, adjusting yourself to give him far more space to work with and he immediately takes the chance. Fingers swiftly thread through the wetness of your core before they press deep into your slit, circling back up onto your clit.

Even his own hips lift with every press of his fingers. He grinds his full mass against the back of your body— clearly just as eager and touched-starved as you are.

You whimper at his touch. It definitely had been far too long with the way your lower half is already flooding at just the touch of his fingers. Your entire body shakes, trembling beneath his handiwork. Your fingers claw at his arms when they finally flex and slip inside of you. The taste of his name leaving your lips, slipping into his own.

Joel wastes no time; quickly he spears you with two of his fingers. His other hand comes back to life to massage your tit, pinching and pulling on your sensitive nipple while his other hand explores inside the depths of your core. His fingers slip in and out of you so easily; setting a pace that is steady but brutal inside your sensitive core.

“Fuckin’, god damn,” He groans. Another deep rumble from within his chest. His lips break from yours, gaze turning to stare at the hand that slips inside of you. He watches his fingers for a brief moment thrust inside of you, biting his bottom lip at the slick that connects between. His chest strains against your back with every rapid breath he takes. Unable to keep his hips still at all anymore. “Can’t wait.” He adds in a growl. His fingers thrust faster inside of you, turning you into a mess while a slew of erotic noises echo throughout the morning air.

“Fuck!” You gasp, body tightening up at his new found pace. You grab at his wrist as your eyes scan his face— silently begging him for more.

He doesn’t even need to look at you to know what you want. He wants it just as bad and he knows how much you can take.

His fingers press in deep and spread apart inside of you, stretching you open for what’s to come. His fingers jerk back and forth quickly. Moving so fast and deep it forces your entire body to jolt and tremble to every flex inside your aching cunt. His skilled work sets a blaze off in the lower half of your abdomen that screams for more.

Except suddenly, he stops his onslaught of his fingers. Slowly he retrieves his fingers from deep within you and you whimper at the loss of his touch.

Joel hums softly, pressing a kiss against your sweaty temple. “Mhm darlin’.” Joel grumbles, smoothing his slicked hand down the inside of your thigh. He adjusts himself first, before he helps you adjust. With no desire to wait, he yanks his boxers down to his thighs, grabbing hold of his aching self and lining himself perfectly up against you.

You moan at the feeling of his tip pressing into your slit, hips jerking hard to drag more of yourself across his tip. You didn’t want to admit how badly you’ve been craving him this last week as well; didn’t want to tire him out even more than he already was, so you had kept your mouth shut. But now, nothing was stopping you from letting him know just how much you’ve missed him too.

“Shit, Joel,” You whine, kissing at any of his skin that you could reach. “Missed you so much. I fucking need you, please.” You add while positioning your leg a little higher.

He hooks his hand under your knee, holding your leg into place as he slowly begins to vanish deep within your soaking wet cunt. “That’s it baby. Just like that.” He groans as he slowly buries himself deep inside your core.

Your entire body is on fire. With every inch he slowly slips in deeper, the more you feel like you’re burning up. Even the morning chill can’t scare away the fire setting beneath your skin. Your thighs tighten up but his grip is even tighter as he fully buries himself inside your drooling pussy.

You feel every inch. Joel fills you entirely full— and then some. And you swear after the lack of intimacy this past week, he feels even bigger than you remember.

“Always so warm,” Joel sighs as he slowly begins to roll his hips. “Christ baby…always take me so well.” He adds with a grunt as he slowly drags himself out; just to thrust right back into your more than willing cunt.

Your fingers tighten around anything they can reach. You turn to bury your nose into the sheets below as Joel begins to thoroughly ruin you. Your moans soak into the mattress with every thrust of the older man’s hips.

His other arm snakes tight around your midriff while he buries his nose into your exposed neck. Breathing you in while he continues to move at a steady pace.

“Feels s’good.” Joel slurs with pleasure. His lips and beard tickle across your skin, sending a thrill down your spine. He picks up the pace, digging deeper with each thrust he flawlessly places. Using his secure grip to pull your body to him while his hips surge forward to find yours.

Some days you wonder if Joel knows your body better than you do. Especially with the way he pleases you. It leaves you breathless; drowning in a pleasure you didn’t know existed before him. Chest tight, fingers gripping anything that might keep you tethered to this world while your entire body yearns for more— for him.

“Joel!” You praise, tasting the sweetness of his name.

Joel grins at the sigh of his name leaving your lips, pressing a reassuring kiss into your skin. He grunts as he thrusts into your core.

“‘M not gonna last sweetheart.” Joel admits weakly, a deep groan quickly following his words. He was pent up and overly sensitive thanks to being overworked and not being able to touch himself, or you. And with how good you feel, he’s sure as hell not going to last like he normally does.

It was…hot as fuck, in all honesty. Him being so desperate for you that he can’t last more than a few minutes, not when you made him feel so damn good. And you really couldn’t say you weren’t any better— overly sensitive and craving him far more than usual. You weren’t going to last long either.

“Always make me feel so good! Want you to cum inside, please!” You half sob as you clench around the man who fucks into your wet cunt. And you can feel him tighten up beneath you at your words; pushing closer and closer to the finish both of you seek.

“Christ,” Joel groans, hips surging forward harshly. He knew how to please you, but you sure as hell knew what to say to spur him on. “Gonna fuck you full, dammit. Til you can’t take no more.” Joel growls before his teeth scrape across your neck. He certainly planned to mark you up as his— if not now, later.

You moan in response, nodding your head a little. You unclasp your hand from around his wrist, snaking it between your legs. Your fingers brush rough against your clit. You don’t focus on the rhythm like your lover does; instead your hand moves chaotic and wild, rubbing hard into the sensitive bundle of nerves to force yourself closer to your orgasm.

“Shit.” Joel groans at the sight of you touching yourself. His hips stutter just ever so slightly before they snap back into his intense rhythm. His pace deepens, faster and harder and you swear you haven’t been this loud during sex in a very, very long time. Every thrust pushes a slew of high pitched, pathetic whines from your lips that you’re unable to keep contained. And the noise only continues to spur Joel on.

The gentleman in him doesn’t let you please yourself for long though— that was his job.

“Darlin’,” Joel softly warns, slipping the hand not holding your leg up underneath your own to stop your fingers from moving. Before you can protest, Joel’s fingers begin to move rapidly. Calloused fingers brush harsh against your seam. His fingers press heavy into your clit and each swipe is perfectly timed with his thrusts; sending a shocking wave of pleasure through your body.

Your mouth falls open with a sharp cry. You shake your head a little at the overwhelming pleasure— particularly sobbing as your orgasm rushes up. Your lower half burns like a wildfire as you climax, unable to stop yourself from moaning Joel’s name as you clench harshly around him. Your body jerks with every flicker of your orgasm as it flares up beneath your skin.

Joel grunts at the tightness wrapping around him. Cursing under his breath with every inhale he takes. He only manages a few more thrusts inside your clenched core before his own orgasm tips him over. He groans your name once, deep and raspy, as he fumbles over the edge. Thrusting himself as deep as he can as he orgasms— making sure every drop is spilt inside of you.

You roll your hips along with his finishing, cervix bruising thrusts. Grinding into him to finish riding out the rest of your own high. You can’t help but whimper at the finishing stretch of your orgasm; where longing pleasure quickly turns into scorching overstimulation.

Your hand flies to grab at Joel’s wrist once it becomes too much— stopping him from moving against your slit. Joel takes the obvious hint, of course, slipping his hand away to smooth it up along your tummy and onto your hip. He rests his hand there, secure enough to keep you close to him but relaxed as he recovers from his own orgasm.

His other hand loosens inside the crook of your knee, gently laying your leg down on top of the other one. He breathes rough against your skin, groaning at the energy he’s used up. Sleep edges at the old man once more as he tucks you tight back into his chest, returning to dig his nose into your neck.

You can still feel him sitting deep inside. Can feel every inch and you already know he’s filled you to the brim. You mimic his groan, falling limp back onto your lover as things begin to settle down.

You move your hand to lay over his, entwining your fingers with his own. “I love you.” You mumble, adjusting a little to pull his hand up to your lips. You press a kiss against the back of his knuckles.

“Love ya too,” Joel chuckles sleepily, smiling as he squeezes you in a tight hug. “We’ll clean up later…” He adds in a soft hum.

You can’t see it but you can definitely tell he’s falling back asleep— his breath begins to even out and he takes that deep, old man inhale he usually does right before passing out in his recliner.

No escaping now so you might as well get as comfortable as you can. Waking up later is going to be messy but you don’t mind. Getting to fall asleep with him in such an intimate manner made it all worth it.

@ 𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐑𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒 𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐕𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐎 𝐙𝐄𝐕𝐑𝐑𝐀 | 𝐃𝐎 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐑𝐄𝐏𝐎𝐒𝐓 𝐄𝐋𝐒𝐄𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄 𝐖/𝐎 𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍

@lowrisemiller

[wildthyng]

My 2025 fic recs ❤️‍🔥🥂🎄

So this is a list of some of the many fics I’ve read this year.

First of all, HUGE shoutout to every writer legend tagged in this post, your fics have carried me through this year and inspired me beyond words. Your brains are magical, your works are gems, I read you and admire you all. Keep unleashing your brilliant, hot, deranged, heart-destroying ideas onto the world.✨

“Take on me”by CtrlAltThea (AO3) (joel miller x reader)

“Saddles, sunsets and second thoughts” /“Arrival” by @reedispunk (joel miller x reader)

“Work wife” by @albertasunrise (joel miller x reader)

“Are you ready to love me?” by @schnarfer (joel miller x reader)

“Coffee guitar” / “How to disappear” by @littledes1re (joel miller x reader)

“Win again” by @talaok (marcus acacius x reader)

“Hiraeth” by cherryaisscream (AO3) (joel miller x OFC)

“After the roar” / “Spoils of war” by @youthereader (marcus acacius x reader)

“Sedated” by hannibalsangel (AO3) (joel miller x reader)

“Family matters” / “That house in Nebraska” by @millermouth (joel miller x you x tommy miller) / (joel miller x reader)

“Almost yours” by @vintagevenus1111 (joel miller x reader)

“Lead me not into temptation” by @tateypots (joel miller x reader)

“The Farmer’s daughter” / “I know who you are” by @punkshort (marcus acacius x reader) (joel miller x reader)

“Then came you” / “Dirty little secret” by @pedroscurls (harry castillo x reader) (joel miller x reader)

“A haunted body” by @capuccinodoll (joel miller x reader)

“In his wrath she rises” by @joelswritingmistress (joel miller x reader)

“Fix me” by @lemon-ice-pops (joel miller x reader)

“The days of you and I” @stylesispunk (joel miller x reader)

“Amor meus aeternus” / “Two wrongs one right” / “Little bird in a cage” by @missadangel (marcus acacius x OFC) (joel miller x reader) (javier peña x reader)

“Feral” / “The nanny” by @mcthsman (joel miller x reader)

“Healed” by @whocaresstillthelouvre (joel miller x reader)

“Taste” / “Patrols” / “Orbit you” / “Two is better than one” by @pyronovas (joel miller x reader x tommy miller) (joel miller x reader)

“Code red” by @chaotic-mystery (joel miller x OC)

“Whiskey sour” / “ A litany of lethe” by @kiwisbell (joel miller x reader) (javier peña x reader)

“Long long time ” by @meet-me-backstage (joel miller x reader)

“Sunshine and apple pies” / “Loud mouth” “For a good time, call” by @millermami (joel miller x reader x tommy miller) (joel miller x reader)

“The quiet” / “The way he cares” / “The art of the deal” by @gothicpaperback (joel miller x reader) ( harry castillo x reader)

“Moanin’ and bitchin’ ” / “Daddy issues” by @aurorawritestoescape (joel miller x reader)

“Texas red” / “The cave” by @studioghibelli (joel miller x reader)

“Keep on your mean side” / “Bad girl” by @milla-frenchy & @aurorawritestoescape (joel miller x reader) (joel miller x reader x tommy miller)

“Can you see right through me?” by @theywereafairy (javier peña x reader)

“Sink your teeth in” by @preachersdaughter3 (joel miller x reader)

“Three’s a crowd” by @pearlessance (joel miller x reader x tommy miller)

“Cupid of Wyoming” / “Guns and roses” / “First date” / “Tangled in paradise” / “For the hour” by @joelsrose (joel miller x reader) (joel miller x reader x tommy miller)

“Erotica” by @whoevenisjavier (joel miller x reader)

“A strangers heart without a home” by @morning-star-joy (AO3) (joel miller x reader)

“A love meant to burn” by @divaofmads (joel miller x FOC)

“The moments in between” by @majestyeverlasting (joel miller x reader)

“No, I’m not in love” by @manuellawritesfiction (joel miller x reader)

“The giver” by @alexispunkkk (joel miller x reader x tommy miller)

And many many more that I couldn’t find but thank you all for the beautiful writing 🫶🏻✨