27.) A taunt, with one eyebrow raised and a grin bubbling at your lips.
Joey Hudson never expected to be in this situation.
But then, she’s just surprised she’s lived this long.
She’s in the middle of Hope County, no way to not be in Hope County, with words carved into her that haven’t even healed all the way and somehow… not everything is horrible.
Or at the very least, things could be much worse.
She’s got support: Grace Armstrong. One hell of a woman and a strong friend.
Well, Hudson would have to admit they’re a bit… more than friends, this far in.
So, yeah, things could be much worse. She has a… a more-than-friend. They haven’t mentioned labels. And her partner is, amazingly, still alive after all this. Adora is the one who’d introduced her to Grace after pulling her from that damn hole she’d been kept in.
And Grace… god, Grace is a godsend.
She’s been through a lot but she doesn’t let it affect how she treats people. She’s… fucking adorable, with how respectful she is.
When they’d first met, Grace had been a sweet sort of distant, even with her flirting. But that had been what Hudson needed. She’d needed that distance that she could cross in her own time.
Now… there’s not a distance. Not one that isn’t very easily crossed.
They aren’t terribly open with their affection in public. Not in Hope County. But when they’re alone, Hudson lets her guard down. And miracle of miracles, it’s not absolutely terrifying. And Grace, Grace holds her when she needs it. They share a bed some nights and those nights are easiest for Hudson. Those nights, John rarely haunts her dreams. And if he does, Grace gets her mind off of it, croons her name in a low voice, plays with her hair, whatever she needs to do.
So maybe they haven’t put labels on it, but… maybe at this point, it’s obvious. Maybe they don’t have to actually say out loud what they are, but it’s certainly more than friends. Lovers or girlfriends or whatever.
Hudson doesn’t care.
She has Grace. And Grace has her.
Adora-- or Daisy, as Hudson calls her sometimes, her middle name-- doesn’t make fun of her, not exactly. But she’s oh so smug when she sees them together as if she doesn’t go doe-eyed every time she looks at one miss Jessica Black. And Adora is much more of a romantic than Hudson could ever be.
No, but Adora signs cheesy crap at her when Grace isn’t looking, and sometimes when she is.
Grace takes it in a good-natured manner. Hell, sometimes she’ll respond by pulling Hudson close and practically showing off their closeness. Those times are rare, only ever happening when a select few are in the room. But Hudson covets that feeling.
There’s something about Grace murmuring her name under her breath, a soft “Joey”, before nuzzling against her neck, or kissing her, or literally any sort of quiet affection that Hudson realizes she’s been starved of. It’s exhilarating. It fills her with this overwhelming warmth that she only sort of understands. It’s been years since she’s felt it this strong.
She knows what it is, but it’s not really something she wants to think about. But it’s almost unavoidable, what with Grace in bed beside her.
They’re in a bunker out in the woods. It’s an abandoned prepper hole Adora has claimed, but she’s shared its location with them, as well as Jess of course. She jokes about it being a “lesbian stronghold”.
The first time she'd been brought here, she almost couldn't go in. A bunker is where he had kept her. A much larger one, but still.
It had taken time. She'd sat outside, Adora on one side, Grace on the other. Jess, restless, had patrolled to ensure no one snuck up on them. Eventually, with the support of both her partner and her partner, she'd descended into the so-called “lesbian stronghold”.
In all honesty, it was so utterly different from John's bunker, her fears of being there vanished. Adora had so clearly put time and effort into making this one “homey”. There's an old television and a pile of VHS tapes and dvds right beside it. She, somehow, has procured a lesbian pride flag, which is stretched across one wall. Whichever prepper abandoned this place-- or died before they could use it-- had left it stocked with many years worth of food.
It's the perfect hideout for people on the run from Eden's Gate. Because Joseph, he wants Hudson back and he wants to make Adora submit. It's probable he wouldn't mind getting his hands on Grace or Jess either. He can't do that if he can't find them.
Hudson feels the body beside her move; Grace's arm over her waist gets a bit heavier, pulls her the slightest bit closer, and she takes a deep breath. Only a moment later, Grace presses a kiss to her cheek.
“Mornin, Joey,” she murmurs in her sleep rough voice.
And fuck if Hudson isn't some sort of weak at just that.
“Hey… Took you long enough.”
Grace hums. “Gotta get enough sleep. Even if it means sleeping in sometimes.”
Hudson rolls towards her, bringing them face to face. Grace keeps her arm hooked on her.
“Might help if you didn't keep me up,” comes the soft joke.
Hudson smirks. “As if you don't enjoy that. Besides, we should take advantage of our privacy while we have it. We don't get any in Fall's End, and it's only when Adora and Jess aren't here that we have it here.”
Grace seems to agree to that with a dip of her head. She's brought her hand up to play with Hudson's hair. Hudson is a sucker for that sort of attention, but eventually, she pulls away. She stands.
“I'm starving.” She stretches, arms over her head, before picking up her clothes off the floor. Before she can put any on, she feels hands on her back. Grace's hands, strong hands that have ended lives but jumpstarted Hudson's…
Grace strokes over every bit of unmarred flesh before focusing on the freshly healed scars. Some still have time before they're counted among that number, but her firm touch does nothing to aggravate any injuries.
Hudson still isn't used to all the attention. She's used to being the one that doles out attention, not the one who receives it. Hell, her last girlfriend probably couldn't even spell “reciprocate” let alone define it.
But fuck, Grace does so much more than that.
And Hudson, she's usually the butch in her relationships. She sure as hell isn't a femme. But Grace out-butches her by far, if only in her stoic attitude, in her calm confidence, or the way she treats women.
But you know what they say. Chivalry isn't dead, she's a butch.
Hudson reciprocates whenever she can. The calm moments between them where they can just fucking exist, where they don't have to think about their situation, are rare and Hudson needs them. Needs that reassurance that not everything is horrible.
Grace's hands end up on her hips and Hudson can feel her breath hot on the back of her neck. She's not a bottom but the way Grace can make her knees weak seems to dispute that.
Rather than start anything, Grace just presses a kiss to the back of her neck before stepping away to pull on a shirt. “What do you want for breakfast?” she asks.
Hudson shrugs as she tugs her pants back on. “Don't care. I think there's still venison in the fridge.”
“One order of venison bacon coming up.”
Grace, Hudson has learned, is a damn good cook. Which is great, because Hudson's specialties aren't exactly applicable when their main diet is fish or deer. Turkey, if they're lucky.
Hudson pulls down the little table that folds up into the wall and works on some warm drinks. She doesn't do caffeine, but she makes Grace a mug of crappy instant coffee, which is better than nothing. She has to make do with some equally crappy black tea which, again, is better than nothing, but she'd kill for a cup of hibiscus white tea with honey.
They chat as they work. Both have plenty of stories the other hasn't heard yet.
Grace had served for a while under DADT. She’s in the middle of a story she’s got about it when the bunker hatch opens.
Both Grace and Hudson have a gun in their hands in seconds, attention on the doorway. But then Adora drops in, followed by Jess. Both look exhausted.
Jess gives a short “hey” and Adora signs a greeting. Besides that, they’re silent. Adora collapses onto her and Jess’s bed on the opposite side of the room from Hudson and Grace’s. Jess heads for the room in the back that has the shower.
Hudson hums, looking back at Adora. There’s a new cut on her partner’s cheek with a fresh bruise turning the edges purple. She’d be worried, but she knows Jess has probably already helped Adora out there.
Adora looks up and meets her eyes.
“Need anything?” Hudson signs.
She just shakes her head and closes her eyes. “Tired. Gonna sleep,” she signs back.
Grace sets a plate of food in front of Hudson and sits across from her. Their previous conversation derailed, they eat in the quiet.
“We should head out soon,” Grace says. “Let them sleep in peace.”
“Back to Fall’s End?”
“Yeah. I gotta check in with Mary May. She said she had something she wanted me to do.”
“You’ve got my help if you want it.”
Grace gives her a soft look. “It’ll be fine.”
Hudson frowns, but she doesn’t argue. She knows Grace doesn’t like her near the fighting. She’d be angry but… she’s afraid of what her actual anger might do. Her anger at the cult, at the Seeds, and at the world as a whole. She’d nearly stabbed Adora when Adora had come for her in the bunker. Who knows what would happen if she lost control again?
Grace seems to realize her thoughts are in a bad place. She taps a finger on the table, capturing her attention. “I’m gonna visit the Ryes too if you wanna go. Adora keeps talking about their little girl. I think it’s time I met her myself.”
Babies. Hudson has never been great with them. Especially newborns. A couple of her high school friends have spawned already and it’d been so strange meeting their babies. But there are far worse things to do. Especially when it’s something to keep her busy and something to do with Grace.
“Sure. Adora is gaga for that kid. Did she mention the Ryes made her godmother?”
Grace grins. “Only a million times. Last time she and I headed out, she bartered with this lady for some toys for what seemed like a half an hour. Stuffed animals and crap. Some baby blankets.”
“That certainly sounds like her.”
“And I had to translate, mind you. She didn’t have her hearing aids in and there’s only a handful of people in the valley that know sign.”
Hudson chuckles. “That had to be fun.”
“Was what it was. I’ll have to ask the Ryes if they enjoyed what she brought them.”
Once they’re finished, Hudson takes their plates over to the sink. She hears the door to the bathroom open and glances back to see Jess emerge. She’s in a different hoodie and the dirt and blood she’d worn before is gone. She looks as tired as hell.
“Hey, Jess,” Grace greets. “Want any food?”
“No thanks,” comes a grunt in response. She’s already climbing into bed beside Adora.
“What work has you two so tired?”
“Spent the night clearing the radar station. Started headin’ back this way, but sidetracked to take out those trucks with the guns John sent out before he kicked it. Fuckers were drivin’ around the mountains.”
“Good work. We’re gonna head out soon. We’ll see you when we see you?”
Jess just makes a sound of agreement as she curls up beside Adora. It doesn’t take long before she’s asleep as well.
Hudson and Grace are quiet as they gather up their few things and leave the bunker.
Outside, the sun is nearing its peak in the sky. There’s plenty of time to get back to Fall’s End before nightfall.
“So,” Hudson starts. “That story you were telling?”
“Huh?”
“That story-- before Daisy and her girl came back. You know. Your commanding officer and that DADT bullshit?”
That jogs Grace’s memory. “Ah! Right. Where’d I leave off?”
“Him seeing you kiss that woman.”
“Well, because I didn’t want to be kicked out so early in my career, I lied. Told him it was normal for girls to kiss their friends like that-- and I, well, I had a guy friend as a “fiance”. He was really just my roommate.” She grins and shakes her head. “He and I-- my roommate and I, that is, convinced my commanding officer that it really was completely normal to do that. And not just that, but to cuddle and things like that. And my roommate went as far to give this damn monologue about how hot he found it when I kissed women. I should add that this man was a dyed in the wool homosexual. Absolutely despised the thought of sleeping with a woman. But he was convincing enough that my commanding officer just thought he let me kiss girls for a kink.” She chuckles but rolls her eyes. “So, when DADT got repealed a few years back-- or overturned or however you’d say it-- I broke off my fake engagement and started being more open about going out with women.”
Hudson is following behind as she listens. And maybe getting a bit distracted just looking at Grace, but she’s still listening.
“That officer apparently had fallen hard for my lie, because he was absolutely flabbergasted when he ran into me with the girl I was dating at the time. Blathered on for a bit, trying to make sense of it, before freezing and going “That explains everything!” “ Grace holds back a branch so Hudson can pass by. “Apparently this poor man had tried to convince his wife it was completely normal for her to make out with a friend. And she, turns out, was also a lesbian trying to play at being a straight woman and fake it til she made it sort of thing. Maybe she didn’t even know she was. But she had started kissing women when he had passed on what I had told him.”
Grace pauses, both in her story and in walking. Hudson turns to face her, curious.
“So seeing me with a woman had apparently made everything that happened to him before that click. See, she’d divorced him and went off to live with a “friend” only that friend was her new partner. Lovely woman I introduced her to.” She snorts, shaking her head. “So I had inadvertently helped his, now ex, wife realize she wasn’t interested in men, caused him to get a divorce, and kept myself from getting discharged from this lie.”
They start walking again.
“It all came together for him right in front of me. That he’d passed on lesbian information to his wife and that her new “friend” was definitely more than that. Yeah, he didn’t like me much from then on.”
Hudson chuckles. “Did he retaliate at all?”
“Nope. He couldn’t, with where I was at when he found out. And with DADT done away with, I could be with whatever gender I wanted-- And I wanted girls.”
“Oh? Girls plural, huh?”
“I mean I've dabbled in that too.”
“Have you now? One woman isn't enough for you?”
They're joking, they're laughing, and looking at Grace, Hudson can almost forget they're being hunted by peggies.
“I mean, if she's the right woman.”
“Oh, I'm flattered.” Hudson nudges Grace's arm a bit. She can't stop the grin on her face.
Grace grins back. “Who said I was talking about you? What exactly makes you the right woman?”
Hudson might be hurt if it weren't for how fucking head over heels she is for this sniper she's found. So she uses that. “What makes me the right woman? I love you.” She says it like it's an insult but she does say it. She's grinning and she feels good and absolutely no one can take away how she feels about Grace. “You're not gonna get that from just any woman.”
Grace stops again. She looks startled, the levity that had been on her face moments before now replace by shock.
Hudson fears, for a moment, it might've been too much.
But then Grace breaks out into the biggest smile Hudson has seen her have yet. “You mean that?”
Hudson purses her lips. “Of course I mean it.” She grins again. “I said it, didn't I?”
“I love you too, Joey.” Her words are quick and followed by a brief but breathtaking kiss.
“Good to know.” Hudson takes a deep breath. At least something has gone right for her in the last few months. Grace is the bit of good that balances out the whole rest of the shit show she's faced.
They stand there, in the middle of the woods, and just stare at each other for a few long seconds.
And then Grace clears her throat. “We, uh… we should keep moving.”
“Lead the way.” Hudson will follow wherever Grace leads.
I got the whole gender spectrum here, two boys, one with rugged, ready eyes, the other with the jaw-line of a wimpy flouncer. I will love them both equally and see which one grows taller.
