Joel Miller x Reader
I‘m thinking about making a series out of this!
Warnings: cursing, killing of infected, age difference
Summary: you and Joel are on patrol, when the events take a surprising turn.
“Hey Y/N, wait!“ A familiar voice calls out behind you. You stop your way to your home and turn around to find Jesse walking up to you. “Hi Jesse.“ You wave and smile, waiting for him to catch up. “What´s the matter?“ You ask after walking in silence for some seconds. “You know I am supposed to be on Patrol this morning?“ Jesse scratches his neck and looks at you. You nod and wave your hand in front of you. “I know, come to the point.“ You teasingly poke him in the ribs with your elbow and wait for him to finish. You kind of already have an idea where this was going, tho. “Could you maybe jump in for me? I wanted to talk to Dina and Ellie.“ Jesse looks nervous and you smile at him.You love going on Patrols. “sure, but you’ll do my fieldwork for the day. Deal?“ You extend your hand and Jesse shakes it. “Deal.“ He continues to walk with you to your house, and you take it as a chance to ask him some questions. “Who else is on Patrol?“ You look at your fingers and pick the dirt out from beneath your nails. “Oh, its group patrol. Tommy and Joel will be there for sure.“ Jesse shrugs his shoulders and you nod. „Cool, I like them.“ You look up and find Jesse smirking at you, his black hair flying in the wind. “sure you like him.“ He wiggles his eyebrows and you groan. “Oh shut up! He´s way too old for me.“ You shake your head laughing, but Jesse doesn’t budge. “No one cares about age these days, you said so yourself. I´d definitely fuck Joel if-“ Jesse talks in a high pitched voice but you stop him by slapping his arm. “Shut it! I was drunk when I said that.“ You couldn’t bite back your own smile any longer and hide your face behind your hands, cheeks growing hot. “Don´t worry, your secret is safe with me.“ Jesse pats your shoulder and you shrug him off, deciding to pay him back. “How kind of you. What is so important to talk about with Dina and Ellie, that you miss out on Patrol, anyways?“ You bite your lip and watch him blush, step fastening slightly to get faster to your house. “They kissed, and Ellie is avoiding me. Dina too. I want to talk to them to let them know there are no hard feelings, Dina can kiss whoever she wants.“ Jesse´s eyes meet yours for a second and you take in a sharp breath. “Sounds awkward. Is it really okay with you? I mean, Dina and you broke up last week.“ You kick a stone in front of you and watch it slide over the slippery mud. “Yeah, Dina and I are cool. She’s still important to me, obviously. But I like Ellie, I know she’s not playing games with her.“ Jesse hides his hands in his pockets and you do the same. “Yeah, Ellie wouldn’t do that. Don´t be mad, but I think Dina and Ellie would actually make a really cute couple.“ You say smiling, while thinking about your friends. “I´m not mad.“ Jesse laughs and stops as your house comes into sight. “Patrol starts in an hour, just meet the others at the gate.“ Jesse stomps his foot into the ground and you continue walking, turning around to walk backwards. “Alright, good luck with your little chat.“ You wave and smile one last time, Jesse doing the same. As soon as you enter the warm comfort of your home, you shrug off your jacket and throw it over a nearby chair, not before removing your shoes. Your fingers are freezing so you rub them together, looking around your room that once used to be a garage, to pack your backpack. Your home wasn’t big, but definitely big enough for you. You have everything you need, including a small cooking space and bedroom. “Okay, for Patrol I definitely need warmer clothes.“ You talk to yourself, grabbing a worn hoodie you once found in a mall to dress it on top of your current shirt. Next, you grab your favorite knife from the counter and stuff it into the belt of your jeans, along with a smaller one and your gun. Your backpack rests in the corner, shotgun and an empty bottle poking out. You hang the shotgun onto the backpacks side and prepare your backpack, more weapons and some clean rags with alcohol going inside, just to make sure. After you’re done, you decide to help Tommy prepare the horses and slide the backpack onto your shoulders, a sigh leaving your lips at the heavy feeling. Boots and Jacket being put back on, you leave your house and march to the nearby stalls, feeling a little excited to be out in the wild again after three weeks of not going. “Morning Tommy.“ You knock onto a wooden pole to make Tommy aware of your presence, and pet the nearest horse with a smile. “Oh, morning Y/N. Aren´t you supposed to be on the fields today?“ Tommy picks up a saddle and carries it over to his horse. You take your own one out of its box and start to prepare it. “No, I mean, yes. But I swapped with Jesse. Hope that’s alright.“ You take a brush to quickly clean the horses fur and saddle it after you’re done. “Of course, you’re a better shooter than Jesse, anyway.“ Tommy laughs and starts to prepare the next horse, while you laugh with him. “I simply had a good teacher.“ You take his and your horse, and walk them outside. “Meet you at the gate?“ You ask over your shoulder. “Yeah, I won’t be long.“ Tommy disappears into a box and you gently pull on the reins in your hand. “Come on guys, let’s go.“ The horses follow you and you’re quick to arrive at the gate, Seth and Joel already waiting. “Good morning.“ You greet them, a blush on your cheeks from the cold. “Where´s Jesse?“ Seth asks grumpily, grey brows knitted together. “We changed shifts.“ You shrug your shoulders and move your head, not interested into having a conversation with a man that offended two of your closest friends. “We don´t need a little girl out on patrol with us, She´ll only-“ “She killed more infected than you, Y/N can take good care of herself.“ Joel steps forward and his hazel eyes look at you. You smile shyly and nod, silently thanking him. Joel looks tired, lips firmly pressed together and backs under his eyes. “She´s your responsibility then, I ain’t saving her ass.“ Seth frowns and you give him a cold look. “Good, cause I won’t save your ass, either.“ Joel chuckles at that and takes Tommys horse from you, staying by your side. Seth just gives you another look and turns around, arms crossed. “I don´t get it why he has to be such a dick.“ You mumble under your breath, not even trying to hide your disking for Seth. Joel briefly eyes you up and down and takes in a long breath. “I asked myself the same thing.“ Joel scratches his beard and you try not to stare, watching him out of the corner of your eye. “How´s Ellie? I mean, after what happened at the dance.“ Joel rests his arm on the saddle and stands crosslegged, body turned towards you. “I don´t know, think she’s good tho. Ellie is tough.“ You lick your lips and push some leafs around your feet. “She is.“ Joel exhales and plays with the wristband of his watch, deep in thought. You want to ask how Joel is feeling, but decide against it. He rarely opens up, and you don’t want to push him. “Let´s leave before the weather changes for the worst.“ Tommy appears from behind you, two horses trotting next to him. Seth and Joel take their horses and get ready, while you do the same. “Open the gate!“ Tommy and Seth build the front while you and Joel follow closely behind. “Be safe, and come back if something is too big for you.“ The man at the gate opens it painfully slow, and closes it as soon as your horses set foot outside of Jackson. The chilly autumn air makes you shiver and you’re quick to pull the hood of your sweater over your head. “Alright, we’ll take the shortcut threw the woods and stop at the old town, scan the mall and supermarket for any infected, then come back. Okay?“ Tommy shouts over his shoulder, the heavy stomping of hooves on the ground underlining his words. “Got it.“ Joel grumbles, hunched over his horse and reins tight in his hand. You gently urge your horse to run faster, and follow your companions into the woods. Branches sway dangerously in the wind and small pieces of wood break under the horses weight. You close your eyes for a second and just listen, your breathing mixed with the chirping of birds and water running in a nearby river. If it wasn’t for the infected, you could stay outside forever. You open your eyes just in time to register movement to your right, slowing down slightly. “Whats wrong?“ Joel asks, pulling on the reins and slowing down as well. “Something is out there.“ You point to the bushes and alert Tommy as well, all eyes searching for any signs of danger. Just when you thought you were only imagining things, three runners come sprinting towards you. Their mouths are wide open as they scream and scratch the air with their bloody hands, head twitching from left to right. “Runners!“ You shout, before quickly pulling out your gun and shooting the closest one. The body drops to the floor, but that doesn’t stop the other two from trying to attack you and your horse. You aim for the next one and pull the trigger at the same time as Joel, two more bodies dropping to the ground. “We have to go, the gunshots will only attract more!“ Seth kicks his horse in the rips and starts galloping along the uneven earth, Tommy following close behind. “This way.“ Joel and you follow, leaning forward to get a better view of your surroundings. “More runners to your left!“Tommy makes a sharp right turn and slits the throat of a runner that got dangerously close to Seth. You gasp and almost run into a tree, dodging it last second. You look behind you and a string of curses leave your lips. “Fuck, they’re coming from everywhere!“ You take out a handful with your gun, the echo of the shots almost as loud as their screaming nonsense. “We have to split up!“ Tommy struggles to load his riffle and Seth isn’t much of a help, not even looking back to check up on you guys. You and Joel on the other hand work like a team, keeping each others backs free and shooting every runner that only dared to get close to Tommy. “Seth watch out!“ You scream breathless, hastily grabbing your small knife and throwing it blade first ahead of you. You’re lucky and it lands inside the eye of a runner who was cutting off Seth´s way, making him drop to the ground. Seth´s eyes widen in shock, and he looks back at you. „T-Thank you.“ He stutters before making another left turn and finally killing some runners himself. “It´s too many.“ Joel curses, gun tightly in one, and reins in the other hand. “Y/N, Joel, you go to the supermarket. Seth and I take the mall, we meet in the village. Hurry!“ Tommy casually throws his riffle back over his shoulder and makes a u-turn, dodging some runners, Seth hot on his heels. You and Joel waste no time and continue on your path, Joel showing you the way while you keep an eye out for more runners. The group of infected has split up and you only have a handful still following you, nothing you can’t handle. “We´re almost there.“ Joel shouts over his shoulder, face red and veins popping out of his neck. You swallow and quickly reload your gun, trying not to drop the bullets on the wobbly horseback. “You fuckers.“ With that you extend your arm and squint an eye, waiting for two runners to perfectly aline behind each other. Your finger pulls the trigger and shoots both in the head, needing only one bullet. “Impressive.“ Joel mumbles, as he slows down to help you. You don´t know why, but his comment made you proud. “Last one´s for you.“ Joel points his gun to a furious runner that bites the air and extends its claws towards you. You inhale and aim, confidently pulling the trigger one last time. You sigh in relief when the last one drops to the ground, and you can stuff the gun back into your belt. “That was close.“ You whisper and Joel nods, slowing down to the point you could comfortably sit back in the saddle. “The supermarket is right there, we should stop here and walk just in case. Makes us less of a target.“ Joel stops and hops off his horse, a loud grunt leaving his lips in the progress. You follow him and briefly brush the blood from your fingers onto your jeans. “We can bind the horses there.“ You point to a driveway that was half covered in grass with a big tree growing next to it. “Looks good to me.“ Joel nods in approval and you both take care of your horses before continuing walking by foot. “Whoever was on patrol last time, they did a shitty job. I haven´t seen that many runners for weeks, they must have been here a while.“ You shiver at the thought and Joel grabs onto the strings of his backpack. “I just hope the supermarket is clean, my back hurts.“ Joel rotates his shoulders and you stifle a laugh. “Feeling old yet?“ You step slightly closer towards him and make your arms brush, hoping he didn’t notice. He did tho, but doesn’t step away. You continue your way, arms occasionally brushing against each other. “Nah, nothing 8 hours of sleep can’t fix.“ He looks at you and you almost stumble over your own feet, distracted under his gaze. “Careful.“ Joel quickly grabs your arm and stops you from falling, an amused smile on his lips. You chuckle and regain balance, trying not to blush at how warm your arm gets where Joel is touching you. You know he’s older than you, and practically like a dad to your friend, but you can’t help it and feel attracted to Joel. It’s just a small crush tho, nothing too serious. That’s what you told Jesse one night while being drunk and playing truth or dare, and that’s what you tell yourself when you find yourself dreaming about the man next to you. Just a crush, no hard feelings. Everything else would only make things complicated and awkward. “Who taught you how to shoot like that?“ Joel lets go of your arm and casually rests one hand on his hip while the other holds a knife, just in case. “Tommy teached me a long time ago. I was new in Jackson and didn’t even know how to hold a gun.“ You chuckle at the memory and let your mind wonder. Would you still be alive if you never came to Jackson? Probably not. Maybe, with much luck. “You came there alone?“ Joel asks, voice deep and husky. You frown slightly and lower your head. “My mom and sister died when the outbreak started, and my dad got infected on our way to Jackson.“ You clasp your necklace between your fingertips and slightly pull on the charm, a small silver star that once belonged to your sister. “I know how you feel.“ Joel´s eyes darken and he straightens his back, face unreadable. “Most people do nowadays, don’t they?“ You smile and look at him with sad eyes, wondering what kind of man he was before the outbreak started. You barely remember the world before hell broke loose, but Joel does. He must had a normal life back then, maybe even family. You furrow your eyebrows, that thought sounds ironically funny to you. “That´s why most people keep to themselves. It’s easier to be alone than loosing another loved one.“ Joel looks at his watch and you tilt your head. “Is that why you only let Tommy and Ellie in?“ The question slips past your lips before you can stop yourself, and Joel tenses. “I´m letting you in right now, or am I not?“ Joel briefly looks at you and then walks ahead, walk stiff and fast. You follow without saying another word, trying to comprehend what just happened. “We´re here.“ Joel stops in front of the supermarket, looking at the smashed in windows and barricaded door. The roof broke in at some places, and nature started to overgrow the place. Still, some shelves weren’t empty and the back of the shop looks untouched. You turn on your flashlight and carefully light into the place, spotting a mushroom like growth in one corner. “Spores. Put your mask on.“ You step back and pull your mask out of your backpack and over your face, breaths quick and short. “They weren’t there last time.“ Joel puts on his mask and gently pushes you behind him, hunching over and preparing to climb in from one of the windows. “quiet, we don’t know what’s inside.“ He looks into your eyes for any kind of resistance, but you just nod and get out your knife, showing him you’re ready. Glass splinters crunch under your weight as you swing yourself over the windowsill and land in a crouched position. You bite your lip and look around, signaling Joel to follow you. Your feet grind over the ground and you carefully round the corner, flashlight flickering for a second. There it stands, a clicker with open skull and ulcers all over his body. Its torso is leaned forward and arms pulled back as it screeches its horrible sound. You flinch and quickly move to a nearby shelf, pressing yourself against it while Joel hides behind a wall. The clicker moves its head into your direction and clicks again, moving forward while doing so. You hold your breath and tighten the grip on your knife. You’d wait for It to round the shelf and then kill it from behind. The clicker swings its head from side to side and continues to scan its surroundings, getting closer to you with each step. You dare to take a look and crane your neck, almost gasping when the clicker turns his head directly towards you. You hurry to round the shelf and change position, while the clicker makes it way to your previous one. Joel observes your every move, but is stuck in his position or else the clicker is going to tick off. You feel sweat forming on your forehead and suddenly don’t feel so cold anymore, as your nerves kick in. The clicker almost disappears completely behind the shelf before you launch to the side and lock your arm around the clickers throat. You pull it down to your level and stab your knife into its temple, rotating it twice before pulling back out. The clicker looses its grip on you and silently slips to the floor, a puddle of blood forming beneath it. Joel comes out of his hiding spot and searches the clicker for any useful stuff. It’s last clicker echos inside the room and you hold your breath, praying to hear nothing else. But luck wasn’t on your side and before you could comprehend what was happening, a runner comes out of nowhere and screams as he sees you. Joel quickly pushes you aside and doges the runners swing, only to swing back at him with his knife. The runner cries angrily and jumps forward, barely missing Joel by a few inches. You get back up and prepare to help Joel, when the sound of another clicker makes you halt your movements. “Shit.“ You whisper-scream, turning around to see another clicker wandering the aisles of the supermarket. “Another clicker.“ You tell Joel as quiet as possible, while he held the runner tightly in his grip and was about to pop its neck. “for fucks sake.“ He mumbles, flexing his arms with a grunt and letting the dead body slip to the floor with a thud. “I´ll take him and you look for more.“ You tell Joel, already sneaking your way threw the aisles before he could protest. Luckily for you, the clicker is distracted by a bottle you kicked into the opposite direction, and walks away from you. You take the chance and slit its throat from behind, catching the body in your arms and silently laying it down. Blood is all over your mask and the inside starts to get foggy, making you breathe out in annoyance. You quickly round the other aisles and make sure that you’re alone, before going to the back of the shop to look for Joel. He´s in an office, leaning against a desk while clutching his face. You can’t see any spores, so you also take off your mask and carefully make your way over to him. “It´s safe.“ Joel says, voice tired and breathless. “Two more runners but I took them down.“ Joel holds his cheek while looking up at you, and you shyly wiggle yourself between his legs. There you stand, invading his private space, grabbing his wrist with shaking fingers. “What happened?“ You ask, as you slowly lower his hand and place it into his lap. A gash decorates his cheek, soaking his beard with blood. Its not deep, but long and nasty looking. “one of them surprised me and almost got me, tried grabbing my face and pushed my own knife in.“ Joel chuckles at your worried expression, but doesn’t pull away when you grab his face. “We need to clean it.“ You step back and get rid of your backpack, rummaging threw its contents for a cloth and rubbing alcohol. “I see you’re prepared.“ Joel slips a little lower and crosses his legs, hands gripping the desk behind him. You adjust your flashlight and stand between his legs again, blushing when your knee bumps into his clothed crotch. “You never know what happens.“ You shrug your shoulders and soak the cloth in alcohol before placing the bottle on the desk. “Look up, please.“ You gently cup his chin and push it upwards, so you could have a better look at his chin. His beard tickles on your fingertips and you don’t dare to meet his eyes, while he stares at you and tilts his head back. “This stings a little.“ You purse your lips and press the cloth against his bleeding cheek. Joel grips the edges of the desk tighter, but stays quiet. “What happened with your nose?“ You ask, trying to distract him while your pinky finger brushes over the light scar on the bridge of his nose. “Fist fight, I think. I don´t really remember, to be honest.“ Joel slowly moves his hands and grazes your hips. You blush and let your eyes flicker to his, to find him already looking at you. “I- I don´t think you need stitches. It already stopped bleeding.“ You whisper, intimidated by the closeness between you two. “Okay.“ Joel whispers back, breath fanning over your face. When did you get so close? You inhale sharply, knees getting weak as you smell him. His blood, dirt from outside and sweat. But also soap and, wood? He smells musky, and you like it. You lick your lips as you stare at his own, framed by his greying beard. You lower the cloth and open your mouth but close it, your mind running blank. You feel Joels hands on your lower back, and his eyes on your face. “Joel.“ Your fingers wander down his neck to rest on his chest, but instead of pushing him away, you hold onto the fabric of his jacket. Its soft and warm in your palm, and you find yourself pulling it closer to your body. Joel closes his eyes and you do the same, holding your breath. You don’t know who kisses who, but suddenly Joels lips are on yours and his beard prickles your sensitive skin. His hands brush upwards to cup your face, and his rough thumb gently slides over your cheek. You sigh into the kiss and open your lips further, waiting impatiently to taste him. He grunts and you feel the vibration in his chest, mentally taking a note of it as its one of the hottest sounds you ever heard. His tongue slips past your lips and your belly does a flip, goosebumps rising on your arm. What are you doing? The voice inside your head screams. Now its not just a silly crush anymore.
