I Cackled

Look for the Light - 4

Masterlist

Summary: Four years ago, Joel saved you from certain death. In return, you followed him faithfully. Always ready to do and give him whatever he asked, despite the hurt it inflicted on you, body and soul. Agreeing to go with him to deliver Ellie to the Fireflies… this would be the last time you’d follow him… After this, your debt would be paid.

Relationships: Reader x Joel Miller, Joel Miller & Ellie, Reader & Ellie

Warnings: Like AO3, I choose to give none. Read at your own risk. 18+ (So excited to share this with you. So much to come folks! 🙊😍)

Series Masterlist - Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

Joel stared at you for some time. His mouth opened and closed as he processed what you'd just told him.

"Joel?"

"Where did you find a pregnancy test?" He asked and you rolled your eyes.

"Does it really matter where I found them?" You asked and he shook his head.

"How did this happen?" He asked and you shook your head.

"Pulling out isn't exactly 100 per cent effective but I guess we've not been that careful."

"What do you mean?" He asked you you sighed before answering.

"I don't think that night... the night we got pissed on whiskey... I um..."

"You what?"

"I don't think you pulled out." You finished and he groaned.

"Shit." He breathed as he leaned back against the tree behind him.

"I know this is not ideal but-"

"Ideal?" Joel blanched "This is a fuckin' nightmare."

You shrunk back at his statement, hand resting on your belly as you waited for him to say something.

"Those tests must be nearly twenty years out of date." He continued "What if it's a false positive?"

"Unlikely. Besides, they're both positive." You stated as you pulled the second test from your pocket.

"Shit." Joel gasped as he looked at the stick of plastic in your hand "This can't be happening." He said, shaking his head and you felt years prick at your eyes "There'll be a doctor somewhere that can fix this!"

"What do you mean, fix it?" You growled and he looked up at you with teary eyes.

"Terminate it." He answered as he reached out to put his hand on top of yours but you shrank back "Wha...." His eyes widened at your reaction and his stomach twisted "You're not seriously thinking we should keep it?"

"We... don't have to do anything!" You scoffed "I want to!... If you don't want to do this with me then that's fine. I'll find somewhere safe to raise them on my own."

"Come on, you can't be serious darlin'? This world is no place for a baby!"

"And it never will be." You growled "Yet life has to go on." You finished before snatching the tests back and stuffing them into your pocket "Good to know how you feel about all this." You grumbled as you stood and quietly made your way back to your sleeping bag.

That was that then!... you were in this alone.

Joel didn't move from his seat on the forest floor. His eyes were glued to you as he watched your shoulders silently shake... knowing you were sobbing to yourself about his reaction to the news you were carrying his child.

Truth be told, he'd never imagined he would have the chance to be a father again after he'd lost Sarah. His wife had died just a few years after she was born and then, on that fateful day, his world had ground to a halt. Not for one second in the twenty years that followed had he allowed himself to hope that perhaps one day, he might get the chance to be a dad again.

Now he was going to be and he wasn't sure he wanted to be.

Morning came and you and Joel spoke all but one word to each other.

"Coffee?"

"Sure."

Ellie watched the two of you with what looked like an exasperated expression but you dared not push her for why. You didn't want to think about anything more than getting back on the road and finding somewhere to settle.

"This seriously how shit's going to be between you two?" She finally piped up when the tension became too much to handle.

Joel was finishing packing the truck whilst you washed the tins clean of the breakfast the three of you had finished consuming.

"What?" You grumbled as you proceeded to stack the tins and stuff them in the pack you'd originally pulled them from, eye not leaving the task at hand.

"Well, I'd hoped after being woken up to you two boning behind that tree over there that you'd at least worked your shit out." She grumbled and both you and Joel stopped dead in your tracks "What happened? He blow his load too quickly?" She chuckled and you felt your face burn with embarrassment.

"Ellie." Joel warned but the teenager ignored him "Clearly, the news that you two are having a baby together really got your motor running huh?"

"She knew?" Joel expelled and that's what pulled your gaze back to your two companions.

"Joel-"

"Ohhhh..." Ellie trailed off, her eyes widening as the realisation hit her "You weren't fucking cus of the baby news."

"Ellie!" Joel snapped but your head was swimming, eyes filling with tears as you looked down and noted the tests were still stuffed in your pocket.

"We had differing opinions on the baby." You piped up, finally rendering the child speechless "So the next town or QZ that we find is where we'll be parting ways." You stated, turning your attention to the teenager.

"No!" She choked, shaking her head and you gave her a weak smile.

"It's for the best!" You stated plainly "Joel will get you to where you need to be." You finished as you slung your pack over your shoulder and walked to the truck, climbing into the back without a word.

Ellie and Joel watched you as you climbed into the car and slammed the door shut behind you. Then the teenager's eyes were burning into the older man as she glared at him.

"The fuck you say to her?" She growled and Joel scoffed at her before tossing the last of their supplies into the truck bed "Joel?"

"None of your business." He grumbled and that set the girl off, her eyes burning as she stomped up to him.

"Like fuck it isn't!" She snapped "What did you do? Accuse her of fucking someone else? Tell her to get sell it?... Was obviously bad because-"

"I told her we need to terminate it." He barked and Ellie stared at him slackjawed "I told her we should get rid of it." He sighed as he scraped a hand over his tired features "It's for the best."

"For who?" Ellie scoffed "Her?... Or you?"

She didn't wait for the man to reply. Just jumped into the front seat and sat in the car with you. Waiting for him to get them back on the road and en route. He glanced up and caught you smiling at Ellie, your eyes sparkling as you laughed at no doubt a joke from that damned pun book the kid was carrying around with her. His heart ached at the knowledge that he'd hurt you. He never wanted to do that but he honestly couldn't see how keeping this baby would end any way other than badly. He also knew that changing your mind was futile.

He was gonna be a father again... If you let him.

Ellie pushed the door to an abandoned office open as you and Joel stepped in behind her. The events of that day had caught up with both of you. Ellie had had to shoot a kid to save Joel and you had been able to do nothing but watch through the small hole in the wall that Joel had made you both climb through. You'd felt so helpless, watching his legs kick as the kid strangled him within an inch of his life, that you hadn't even noticed Ellie pull out a gun she'd stolen from Bill's and slip through the larger hole in the wall. The three of you had then hidden out in an old bar and waited for a chance to slip into the shadows and avoid the search party that was currently occupying the streets.

So when you had all managed to make it to the building you were now taking refuge in, you'd breathed a small sigh of relief, your hand resting on your stomach as you caught your breath.

"Holy shit." Ellie breathed as her eyes scanned the dark room you all now occupied.

"Yeah." Joel panted as he slip down the wall, his age getting the better of him.

"Thirty-three floors. That's good." Ellie enthused and you chuckled at her condescending tone.

"It's gonna have to be." Joel grumbled as he squeezed his eyes shut and willed his heart to slow.

"Come on." Ellie called out as she motioned for him to get up but Joel simply shook his head.

"Gimme a minute."

"Get up, you lazy ass." Ellie chuckled and Joel grunted in reply.

"Lazy ass." He scoffed as he allowed the teenager to help him to his feet

"Fifty-six years old, you little shit."

You smirked at his statement before turning and walking further into the room, eyes scanning for anything that could be turned into a bed for the night. Nausea had taken up permanent residence and you noted what looked like a small cloakroom. You slipped off silently, hoping no one would notice before emptying little contents of your stomach into the toilet bowl.

Ellie had, however, noticed you disappear and her gaze drifted to Joel before shrugging off her bag and placing it onto the stained, twenty-year-old, carpet.

"She's not going to be safe here." She stated simply and Joel nodded.

"I know." He replied simply, his eyes looking off in the direction he knew you were.

"We can't let her go." Ellie pushed "She's safer with us."

"What about when the baby comes?' Joel grumbled, "What... you gonna help babysit?"

"We'll have found the fireflies long before then." Ellie scoffed but Joel shook his head.

"You don't know that for sure."

"Joel-"

"We don't have a truck." He continued "We can't expect her to keep walking when she's heavily pregnant with my kid."

"So you admit that it's your kid?" Ellie needled and Joel sighed.

"We need to find somewhere safe for her and then continue on." He finished, ignoring the teen's question.

"Then what?" Ellie grumbled "She raises that baby on her own?"

"I don't know Ellie." Joel barked and the girl's mouth snapped shut "I don't know what to do okay?" He choked and Ellie's expression softened "I love her and I wanna do right by her but I don't know if I can do it again." He confessed, his voice wobbling "I don't know if I want to."

Ellie's brow furrowed at his statement but didn't push him for more. She knew the man wasn't one for sharing his past and just the fact he'd admitted to her that he loved you, was enough for her.

Your heart thundered in your chest as his confession swirled around in yours. On the one hand. He has confessed to sharing the same feelings you felt for him. On the other, he admitted that he wasn't sure he wanted this baby. You were filled with conflicted feelings and you weren't sure what to do. When you were sure that they wouldn't be suspicious of you eavesdropping on their conversation, you made your way back out into the room, noting the makeshift cots that Ellie had started to put together. She gave you a smile when she noticed you enter and you returned it before glancing at Joel, finding your heart twisting in your chest as you allowed what he'd said to consume your every thought.

"JOEL!"

The older man rolled over and froze when he saw a child pointing a gun at him. Hands raised, he looked to his right and saw you and Ellie standing with your hands behind your head whilst a nervous-looking kid pointed his gun at you both.

"Eyes on me. Eyes on me." The kid ordered and Joel complied, his expression a difficult one to pinpoint as you studied him "You don't have to worry about what to say. We don't wanna hurt you. We wanna help you." He rambled as his hun switched between you and Ellie "Okay. Okay, um... I don't know what the next step is with something like this, but if I lower my gun... we didn't hurt you... so you don't hurt us... right?"

"That's right." Joel replied and you wanted to groan at the manner in which he spoke.

"That's a weird fսck¡n' tone, man." The kid replied nervously and Ellie's eyes widened.

"That's just the way he sounds. He has an asshоlе voice." Ellie snapped as she looked directly at the older man "Joel, tell him he's okay."

"Everything is great."

"Dude." Ellie grumbled and you shot him a warning look.

"Fսck!"

The kid was growing more and more nervous, the longer he and the child with him had their weapons trained on the three of you. It was clear that he was new at this and that helped you feel a little less worried about this situation. You truly believed they didn't want to hurt you.

"Okay... listen... I'm gonna trust you." He said as he lowered his weapon "Yes. But if any of you guys try anything... yeah? Yeah?"

"Yeah." You replied, nodding your head as you glared at Joel again.

"Can I sit up?" Joel asked as he looked over at the kid again

"Yeah. Slow. Get up slow."

"Who are you?" Joel asked as his eyes drifted from the Kid, back to the older one.

"My name's Henry. That's my brother, Sam." You looked at the child before sharing a silent stare with Joel.

Your eyes pleading for him to not do anything stupid.

"I'm the most wanted man in Kansas City. Although right now... my guess is you're running a close second." This grabbed Joel's attention and his back straightened as he leaned forward a little more "Why do they want you?"

"Long story." Henry replied "You got any food? My brother's hungry."

"Yeah." You replied softly, hoping to relax the situation a little more. "We got some food."

Henry's face seemed to light up at his and he watched as you make your way over to your pack, pulling out some rations you'd portioned up for the morning and splitting it into five small shares. It wasn't much but it was something.

You then all sat and ate in tense silence, Joel's eyes never leaving Henry.

"Where'd you get these?" Henry asked, breaking the silence.

"From Bill." Ellie answered, "He's dead."

Your head shot up when you saw Joel move from the corner of your eye, your heart softening when you saw him give the little boy the last of his meal. Despite his hard, gruff, exterior, the man could be soft when he wanted to be. The boy signed his thanks and you smiled warmly.

"He says thank you." Henry said, noting that your companions likely wouldn't know ASL "I'm guessing you don't have much, so... this means a lot."

"How old is he?" Ellie asked as she grinned at the younger boy, watching closely when Henry signed her question "He's eight."

"Cool." The child gushed, bouncing with excitement at being around another kid "I'm Ellie." She finished before looking over at you, smiling when you gave the brothers your name also.

You both stared at Joel, eyes wide and expectant and the man rolled his eyes before growling.

"I'm Joel. Look, you ate, we didn't kill each other, let's call this a win-win and move on."

You smirked at your companion's response before looking at the older brother again.

"Well, I'm betting... that y'all came up here to get a view of the city and plan a way out. And when the sun's up... I'll show you one."

"You can do that?" You asked and Henry nodded.

"Sure can."

"You can get us out of this city safely?" You pushed, your hand resting on your tummy again.

"She's pregnant-" Ellie piped up and your eyes flew open.

"Ellie-"

"She needs to get out of this shit show city as soon as possible!"

"Congratulations." Henry started and you gave him a small nod "I will do my best to help you get out of the city safely." He continued "But I'll need your help.

You and Joel stood at the window and looked out at what had once been a bustling city.

"Welcome to Killa City."

"No FEDRA?" Joel asked and Henry shook his head.

"Not as of 10 days ago, no."

"We always heard KC FEDRA was... Monsters? Savages?" You piped up, pulling Joel's gaze to you for a moment.

"Yeah, you heard right. Raped and tortured and murdered people for 20 years. And you know what happens when you do that to people?" You both stood and waited for him to continue, your stomach twisting in knots at the information you were learning "The moment they get a chance, they do it right back to you."

"But you're not FEDRA?" Joel pushed.

"No... worse." Henry signed and you both gave him a bemused look, waiting for him to elaborate "I'm a collaborator."

"I don't work with rats." Joel spat, glancing at you a moment.

"Yeah, you fucking do." The older brother all but ordered "Today you do... 'cause I live here and you don't." He stated plainly, rendering you both speechless "That's how I followed you here. I know this city, and that's how I'm gonna help you get out."

"Why help us?" You asked.

"I saw what you did... the way you killed those men." He paused, studying Joel's face a moment before continuing "Now, I know where to go but I don't know how to make it through alive, not if it's just me and Sam."

"You seem capable enough." Joel scoffed "You're armed."

"You're wrong and wrong." Henry argued "Never killed anyone. And pointing an unloaded gun at you was the closest I've ever

come to being violent." He confessed, eyes drifting to you "So that's the deal. I show the way... you clear the way."

The sound of laughing dragged your attention over to the table where Sam and Ellie saw, looking through the girl's joke book and completely unaware of what the three of you were speaking about.

"Haven't heard that in a long time," Henry said wistfully, as he looked over his shoulder at his brother.

"So how are we gettin' out?" You asked.

Henry started to draw out a small map and you watched as he marked out certain areas before explaining.

"Highways... Downtown. Us." He circled the area where your building sat "This whole area belongs to Kathleen."

"She's in charge?" Joel asked and Henry nodded.

"Leader of the resistance." He confirmed before looking down at his rough map again "You can see the way we're bounded by highways!" He continued as he pointed at each one "They got people posted all

around the inside perimeter. If we get close, we get caught... No question."

"So how do we get across?" You asked and he glanced at you a moment before drawing a tunnel.

"Boom."

"Kansas City has a subway?" Joel asked, brows pulled together and forming a tight frown.

"No, but they do have maintenance tunnels." Henry clarified "There's a bunch of buildings all put up by the same developers. And they share these tunnels, including... a bank building here." He said as he drew where the building sat "So we enter the tunnels here... travel underground, and pop up here." He circled the area again before looking up at you and Joel "Westside North. Residential. There's an embankment on

the other side of the houses... We head down, pedestrian bridge over the river... free as a bird."

"You're right. It's a great plan." Joel replied sarcastically "So what do you need me for?"

"You noticed anything strange about this city?" Henry asked, eyes flitting between you and Joel "I mean, other than the strange shit you've already seen?"

"No Infected?" Ellie piped up and you look to your right, noting how she and Sam had now joined you.

"Oh, there's Infected." Henry replied "Just not on the surface." He paused to let you both take that in "FEDRA drove them underground 15 years ago, and never let them come back up. It's the only good thing those fascist motherfuckers ever did."

"So you want us goin' into a tunnel?" Joel snorts and glanced at him a moment, heart racing as you wait for Henry to answer.

"Everyone thinks that it's full of Infected, including Kathleen, which means that we're not gonna be running into any of her people.

"But you see, what I know is... it's empty."

"You've been down there?" You asked, heart, thumping against your ribcage.

"No, but the FEDRA guy that I worked with told me that it's clean, completely clean... They cleared it out. All of it."

"When?"

"Like... three years ago."

Joel scoffed.

"Okay, maybe, there's one or two, but you handle it." Henry urged, eyes pleading with you.

"What if there's more?" Joel asked.

"Or one of those blind ones that sees like a bat?" Ellie added.

"Wait, you... you ran into a Clicker?"

"Two of 'em," Ellie answered.

"And you're still alive." Henry pointed out "You see? You're the right people... If it gets bad down there, we turn around, and run right back out the same way we came."

"Oh, that's your great plan?"

"No, that's my dicey-as-fuck plan." Henry growled "But as far as I can tell... it's our only shot."

Sam asked something, just out of your line of sight and you watched as the older brother answered his concerned sibling.

"They're saying they're going to help us escape." he signed back, giving his brother a firm nod "Right?"

Joel let out a sigh before glancing at you, silently willing you to give him some sort of guidance. Despite how tense things were between you both right now, he still looked at you to help him keep his footing. He relied on you to steer him straight at this was no exception.

"Right." You replied surely as you gave Joel a small nod before looking at Henry "We'll help you get out."

"Do you know where we are?" You asked Henry as your eyes scanned the area, gun firmly in hand.

"Yep." Henry replied, a grin painting his features "The other side."

"No. No one is here." Ellie pointed out pulling a face when you tried to hush her.

"No one's gonna be here because... my plan worked." Henry boasted, grinning at the teenager.

"So much goddamn talkin'." Joel grumbled and you smirked at his statement before returning to surveying your surroundings.

"I'm just saying... I delivered." Henry stated, "Make this right, go down the street, embankment behind the last house... and we're out."

"So we cross the river and then what?" You asked, "Where ya gonna go?"

"Don't know yet." The younger man replied, shrugging as he glanced at his brother.

"Well, we're goin' to Wyoming." Ellie announced, pulling a face when Joel glared back at her "What? It's a huge state. It can fit two more people."

"Yeah... maybe we just call this one a success and say our fond farewells." Henry chuckled.

"No, he'll change his mind. Trust me." Ellie upheld "This is how it goes... He's like, 'No, Ellie. Never, ever, ever happening.'..." The girl started, lowering her tone in an attempt to mimic Joel "And then I'm like, 'I'm gonna ask you a million more times...And he's like-"

Ellie didn't get to finish. Bullets started to ping off the car beside them.

"Move, move!" Joel ordered "Go!" He barked, the five of you ducking for cover.

"The fuck is that comin' from?"

"Shut up." The older man yelled. "- Fuck."

"Let's move. Let's go." Henry shouted as he nudged his brother to move.

"What are you doin'?!" You almost screamed, watching in horror as the two young boys attempted to escape.

"Gettin' the fuck outta here!" Henry replied before throwing himself back when bullets reigned down on him "Oh shit, oh shit!"

"What do we do?" Ellie asked as she turned to look at Joel, eyes shining with fear.

"All right." Joel stated, as he noted the house the shots were coming from "Stay here."

"What?" Ellie squeaked.

"If you don't move, he's not gonna hit you." The older man stated, "I'm gonna go around, try to get in the house through the back, and then I'll take him out."

"But if you go out there, he's gonna kill you." She choked, holding onto Joel for dear life.

"It's dark, and he has shit aim." Joel replied, trying to lighten her mood a little "Nobody's gonna kill me."

"Then he's gonna kill us." She argued.

"Do you trust me?" He asked and Ellie nodded "Take care of them all! He ordered, giving the girl a small smile "That includes my baby!"

Your eyes widened at his statement, something Joel spotted when he glanced at you a moment before sneaking off. You both shared a workless conversation before he went off to take out their attacker. The look said, "We will get through this."

And you believed him.

So you watched as he snuck off and you all remained where you were, waiting for it to be safe to move. Ellie huddled close to you, hand gripping yours tightly as you gave her a reassuring smile.

"We're going to be okay." You whispered to her and she nodded.

"Us and the baby yeah?" She asked and your heart swelled at the mention of the tiny being inside of you.

"Us and the baby."

A gunshot echoed in the air and you all looked up, hoping that it was Joel taking out the target and not the other way around. Ellie looked at your frantically, eyes wide and wet and then you heard shouting.

Shouting that sounded a lot like RUN

Headlights illuminated the abandoned street and large vehicles stormed through the abandoned cars that littered their path.

RUN

You did as Joel told you, running for your life and you and Ellie fired upon the vehicles as they came surging towards you. Joel fired upon the vehicles as you all continued to sprint and took out the driver of the lead vehicle, it veered into one of the ramshackle houses before exploding. The blast throwing you and Ellie to the ground.

Henry was at your side, helping you and Ellie back to your feet again.

"You okay?" He asked and you both nodded.

"Yeah."

"He's up there," Henry stated as he pointed to the window where Joel was situated and you gave him a small nod before sprinting for cover beside another truck.

The flames from the burning house at your rear threw off a heat that reached you all from across the street. The clicking sounds the fire made mingled with your heavy breathing and you all prayed that Joel would be able to give you enough cover to run for safety when the time came.

"Dead end, Henry." Came a soft voice... the voice you assumed belonged to Kathleen "Gonna step on out? Save us some time?"

You all looked at each other, wondering what to do and coming up empty.

"No?" She continued, her tone high and whiny.

Not the voice you'd expect from someone so terrifying.

"That's all right. Doesn't matter."

"I'll come out!" Henry called out, shaking his head when you pleaded for him not to go "Just let the kids go!"

"No." She replied "Sorry... The girl is with the man who killed Bryan. And Sam... well, Sam's with you."

"You don't understand!"

"But I do." She interjected, taking on a mocking manner "I know why you did what you did... But did you ever stop to think that maybe he was supposed to die?"

"He's just a fucking kid!" Henry yelled, his anger rising to the surface.

"Well, kids die, Henry." She replied, the statement making your stomach twist "They die all the time... You think the whole world revolves around him?" She scoffed "That he's worth... everything?"

Henry looked at you and then Ellie, silently communicating that he was okay with whatever happened next.

"Well, this is what happens when you fuck with fate." Kathleen finished, her voice wobbling a little.

"Get ready to take him and run." Henry stated as he put Sam's hand in Ellies "Yes." He urged when she shook her head. "Do it."

"It's time, Henry." She called and then the man stood, hands above his head

"Enough!" He called out, stepping out into her line of site.

Your eyes drifted up to Joel who was watching you from above. Your body ached from the fall and your heart thundered in your chest. You weren't sure you were going to make it out of this one but you were going to do all you could to try.

For Ellie... And for the baby in your belly.

"It ends the way it ends."

Groaning cut Kathleen off and you all turned your heads to look over at the crashed truck, watching as it sunk into the ground. Then...

Chaos.

The next however many minutes of your life became a fight to survive. You managed to take cover beneath a car, your eyes locking with Henry and Sam who had done something similar. You fired upon any infected that tried to come near you but some were taken out by an invisible force yet you knew who it was... Joel.

As soon as an opening showed itself to you, you were running towards Joel who was standing just outside the house he'd been shooting from, grabbing Ellie's hand as Joel urged you to run.

"Come on, come on!" He ordered, nudging you in the direction of the bridge just visible in the distance "Go, go!"

"Stop!" Kathleen's voice had you all stopping dead in your tracks, turning slowly towards her with your hands raised.

Then, your eyes all widened collectively as you noticed the infected child creeping up on her and she turned just in time to see her doom before it pounced on her. Screaming as it slashed her to ribbons.

"This way now! Move!" Joel ordered as he motioned for you all to run, his eyes locking with yours a moment before you all run for your lives.

Leaving the burning and blood chaos behind you.

The adrenaline was starting to wear off by the time you found an empty motel to squat in for the night. Ellie and Sam were given the twin bedroom and you the master. Joel and Henry opted to make themselves comfortable in the lounge area of the suite.

You could hear Joel and Henry talking between themselves, Joel's voice sounding wearing as the adrenaline from the evening's events wore off. You were glad of the chance to have some time to yourself, your own body sore and bruised. Your back ached and you rubbed as you eased yourself down onto the bed. Hoping a good night's sleep would help.

You were asleep in minutes.

...

You weren't sure if you'd been woken by the screaming, or the pain, but both of them had made you almost fall from your bed. Your hands shook as you looked down, the sight making you let out a sound that you'd never heard leave your mouth.

"Henry, no!" Joel's voice travelled through the thin door and then...

BANG

...

Joel stood in shock, eyes staring at the lifeless bodies of two boys much too young to have met such fates. Ellie's eyes were trained on Sam, the blood that was pooling beneath his head.

She'd failed him.

She had promised to stay awake with him and she hadn't...

As the gravity of the situation started to settle, Joel looked over to Ellie again, eyes glittering with tears as the tried to inspect the child for any signs of injury.

"Ellie?" He whispered, almost pleading for the girl to look at him and she did, tears falling freely down her cheeks.

Joel didn't hear the door open behind him... He was too focused on Ellie. But when the teenager's eyes flicked to something behind him and widened, he allowed himself to shift his focus.

"Joel." You choked and he turned to look at you, stomach dropping at what greeted him "Something's wrong." You finished as you held out your bloody hand "Something's very wrong."

Next

Taglist form

gif by @daryl-dixon-daydreams

Carol: Who do we know that has handcuffs?

Y/N: Well, Daryl and I—

Daryl: -elbows Y/N in the ribs sharply-

Y/N: ...think you should ask Rick.

(Sorry, decided to edit)

---

Daryl, knees cracking as he stands: Fuck.

Y/N: Jesus. Are they gonna glow in the dark tonight?

Daryl: …

gif by @daryl-dixon-daydreams

Glenn: Your smile? It makes my day.

Maggie: Your happiness? I live for that.

Daryl: A room? Get one.

Y/N: Hotel? Trivago.

---

🔥

This is amazing

Heels

Daryl sees reader walking around in a pair of high heels from her new closet in Alexandria and it drives him wild!

Warnings: loving smut!

Daryl Dixon was a leg man. 

Whether it was the models in Merle's nudie magazines or the real live girls in his hometown, the first thing the shy younger Dixon brother noticed was a nice pair of legs. You had the best he'd ever seen. 

When you appeared at the gates of the prison in a t-shirt and shorts as Daryl and Maggie were clearing walkers from the fence, you were sunburned and bug bitten everywhere. They gave you a bottle of water, asked you three questions, then let you in. Daryl hadn't thought about things like attractive body parts since the world ended, until he watched you walk away up the dirt hill with Maggie. He was suddenly glad he had walkers to take his sudden, overwhelming frustration out on.

Daryl was glad you kept those shorts after washing them, and wore them often, even if it distracted him. But it wasn't just your legs. It was your smile, your kindness, your work ethic, your playfulness with Judith, and your devotion the group. Daryl fell in love with every part of you. 

You only saw enough of him to be intrigued. He never stopped, never rested, never stood still, and certainly never had a full conversation with anyone. He only said what was necessary and got back to it, whether it was going on a run or a hunt, building or fixing something, or keeping to himself. He wanted to talk to you the most, but he couldn't do small talk, he didn't know how to express his feelings for you, and he was afraid to say the wrong thing, in the wrong way. You tried to initiate many times. You could tell his gruff exterior shielded a shy, sensitive soul, but you never got very far. You mostly learned things from each other during runs, when the other members of the group got you both talking. You kept thinking there would be time, that at some point the two of you would become more than friends. Then the prison fell.

Daryl didn't know you escaped with Carol and Tyrese. He laid awake every night mourning you, regretting that he was too awkward and insecure to even be around you, despite how much he wanted you.

As he kneeled in front of a slaughter basin at Terminous, believing he was about to die, he saw your face and had a brief moment of peace, hoping to see you again on the other side. Carol caused the explosion that saved everyone, then led Daryl back to you. He fell to his knees when he saw you, wondering if he was already dead, but feeling like he was in heaven either way. You went straight to him, knelt down in front of him, and swept his long dirty bangs away from his eyes. 

"There you are," you whispered through happy tears. 

For the second time in less than an hour, Daryl Dixon broke down in a woman's arms. But he wasn't pried away from you as quickly or easily. 

Life on the road to D.C. didn't afford much time for romance. More fighting, more separation, more death, starvation, and moments of hopelessness kept you both from verbalising how much you felt for each other. But you both knew there was something between you. Fighting side-by-side had to be enough, though, for now. As long as your two legs kept trudging on, Daryl would follow you anywhere. 

Then Aaron brought you all to Alexandria. You and Daryl walked through the gates hand in hand. You both prayed that the safety and comfort of the community wasn't just an illusion. You hoped it was a place where you could finally stop and get to know each other. 

Once your group split up into separate houses, you and Tara shared one of the smaller houses a few doors down from Rick's house, where Daryl set up camp in the basement. 

It had only been a few days. There was still so much to do. You'd get to each other eventually. 

The night of Deanna's party, you went for a little while to be polite, looking for Daryl the whole time. After one drink you couldn't fake any more small talk or avoid Spencer's flirting and went home.

You walked around the few barely lit streets, still searching for Daryl, but gave up and went back to an empty house.

You didn't know what to do with yourself. Free time - what was that? 

You decided to snoop through your own house. It was only your second night there. 

You decided to dig into the closet first. You had pulled a few pieces of clothing from the shared pile when you all arrived but every house was full of necessities and luxuries.

The style wasn't exactly "you," but everything was brand new, clean, no holes, rips, tears, blood stains, or mud-caked fabric. There were pajamas, underwear, and stacks of shoe boxes. Most were loafers or sneakers, but you were shocked to find a pair of black high heels mixed in with the other unassuming shoe boxes. They weren't too fancy or dressy, just plain black patent slingbacks, about 4 inches high with a rounded toe. To you, it was like finding buried treasure.

You practically lived in high heels in your old life. As a teenager you never took a job where you couldn't wear them. You wore them to the grocery store, family bbqs, even church (surely God didn't mind a little kitten heel). 

You checked the inside for a size. 8 medium. Just like you. You sat on the floor of the walk-in closet and slipped them on. It was like going home. It didn't matter that were wearing a long boring skirt, that your hair was in a messy bun, that no one would ever see how fan-fucking-tasticly you slayed in those shoes. You felt it. You owned it. That feminine pride was just for you. 

Of course you could still walk in them. Bitch, please, you never forget how to do what you were born to do. You did a lap around your bedroom, the click-clack on the hardwood floors sounding like your second pulse. You strutted over to the wall-length mirror and rolled the waist of the skirt up. After the fall of civilization and 2 years of near-death experiences, the last fuck you gave was about any physical insecurities. So what about length, shape, scars, ankle width, thigh gaps, knee fat (which sounded absurd even in the old world), if your ass was too big, too small or not high enough. You were still alive, you had 4 walls and a roof, food to eat, people you loved, and a pair of classic high heels on your feet. 

You wished you had discovered them earlier. Maybe you could've worn them to the party? No, you wouldn't have. It was still the apocalypse, you were all fighters, you never knew what shit would hit the fan at any given moment, and being caught in heels or bare feet could mean your end. You all needed solid, practical boots and shoes to kick ass or run on a dime. And Spencer would've done a lot more than just flirt. 

But maybe Daryl would've seen you in them. Maybe he would've finally stopped - just stopped - and talked to you. 

You sighed and went downstairs for a drink. Every house had liquor in it too, and another glass of wine, in your heels no less, sounded like a perfectly civilized evening for a woman to enjoy.

After Daryl left Aaron and Eric's house with a stomach full of spaghetti, he ran into Glenn and Maggie walking home. 

"Y/N still there?" He asked, gesturing to Deanna's house. 

"She left hours ago," Glenn shrugged.

"Alone?" Daryl asked, cautiously. Did one of those pretty Alexandria boys get to you first, or was something wrong. 

"I think so. She just wasn't comfortable," Maggie said. "It's gonna take time to adjust, you know."

Time, Daryl thought, was all you had now. Time to build bikes and have dinner at a table and talk to the person you fell in love with.

"A'right, thanks," he said as a goodnight and headed to your house.

He climbed the few steps up to your door and saw the window blinds were still up. None of you were used to having any kind of privacy, and wanted to see what was going on around you at all times anyway. Before knocking he peeked into the window to see if you were alone. If any of those shiny assholes were with you, making you smile or worse, he didn't know what he'd do. But at least he was prepared for the possibility. The unexpected sight through the glass knocked him on his ass in a different way.

You were sitting sideways on a stool at the counter, nursing a glass of wine, your beautiful legs crossed under a short bunched up skirt, and high heels hooked in the foot rests. You were admiring your own feet, extending your leg out in front of you, letting the shoe dangle off your toes, then reaching down to slide the strap back up your heel. You looked as sexy as you felt. 

Daryl was frozen as he felt all the blood in his body rush to one place. 

You suddenly felt someone watching you and looked over at the window. You jumped when you saw Daryl standing there staring at you and you quickly kicked the shoes off. He snapped out of it as you ran over to open the door.

"Daryl? You scared me!" You said with a smile, trying to play it cool, like he didn't just see you acting privately ridiculous.

"M'sorry sorry, I just, I wanted, I gotta," he stuttered and stumbled over his words.

"You wanna come in? I found a really good bottle of wine," you asked, to his relief.

He cleared his throat, put his hands in his pockets and bounced his leg to calm himself down, then nodded and followed you inside.

You ran ahead to kick the shoes where he hopefully wouldn't see them and hopped back on one of the stools. Daryl walked over to the stool next to you but didn't sit. He looked over at the shoes, knowing exactly where they were, and where he wanted them to be.

"Why'd you take 'em off?" He asked in that low, gravelly voice that immediately turned you on.

You didn't lie or play dumb. You finished your glass of wine in one gulp and said, "I was just being stupid. Can you please forget you ever saw me in those?" You felt your face burning and concentrated on your empty glass.

"No, I can't forget. Don't wanna either," he confessed. 

You looked up at him as every part of you started tingling. His blue eyes were burning into yours. He moved closer, looked down at your exposed legs, and asked, barely above a whisper, "Will you put 'em back on?" He then bit his lip, almost ashamed at what he'd just asked you. 

You were silent, dumb-founded. Just as Daryl was about to say nevermind and run out, it was your turn to surprise him by asking "Will you put them on me?"

He spun around to pick the shoes up, then knelt down at your feet. He had no idea what he was doing. He'd never even held a pair of high heels before, nevermind knew how they went on, especially with that strap. But he finally had the chance to be so close to the perfect legs that he longed to touch for over a year. If he could literally worship you at your feet, he'd figure it out as he went. 

You held up one pointed foot for him. He slid the right shoe over your toes. As your arch rested against the sole, he realized how to place the strap, just as if he was re-stringing his crossbow. When both shoes were on he kept a hold of your ankle and softly ran his other hand up the inside of your calf. Both of you held your breath as he reached your knee and looked up at you, silently asking if it was OK to go further. You nodded and parted your knees a bit. Daryl stood up and stared you down as his fingers gently advanced up your inner thigh. Just before he got to the soaking wet center of your underwear, he moved to the other leg, this time caressing your outer thigh. He stepped closer to you, in-between your now open legs. 

"I've wanted to touch these legs since the day you walked up to that fence," he sighed peacefully as he finally got to hold the object of his desires.

"I would've let you," you said eagerly as you pulled him even closer and pressed yourself against him. "I'm letting you now." You lifted one leg to his waist and he panted as he rubbed all the way up your thigh to your hip. 

You reached up to cup his face and bring it down to yours. You moaned into each other's mouths as your parted lips joined. You could feel his chapped lips and the soft wet inside as your mouths joined. When your tongues began to dance, you lifted your other leg, wrapped it around his waist, and melted into him.

You both released a year's worth of pent-up yearning in the kiss. You leaned back against the counter and gasped when you felt his hard bulge pressing into your center. You moaned louder and started grinding against him. 

"Daryl? Take me upstairs?" You begged as you looked into his eyes.

He grinned and said, "Only if I can watch you walk up in them heels."

You laughed softly and bit your lip sheepishly.

He released your legs and you hopped off the stool and sauntered across the living room. He followed you but stayed at the bottom of the stairs as you ascended, watching you confidently sway your hips with each step higher. Daryl's leg twitched rapidly as more of the back of your thighs became visible and his cock was straining against his pants. When you reached the landing and looked down at him over your shoulder, he bolted after you, clearing 2 or 3 steps up at a time. When he reached you he pulled you up off the ground and you wrapped your legs around him again. He pushed you against the wall and kissed you deeply.

"You got the sexiest fuckin legs I ever seen," he grunted as he rubbed into you.

"Oh, these old things?" You grinned before capturing his lips again. His grinding became overwhelming and you cried out into his kiss.

"Which one's yours?" He asked, looking down the hallway leading into three bedrooms. You pointed to the closest one. He carried you in and kicked the door shut behind him, then laid you on the bed. He tried to stand up but you locked your ankles together behind his back and held on. 

"I'm not letting you go!" You smiled. "I've waited too long for this! Please, Daryl? Can we finally do this? All of it?" You turned serious. "Please stop avoiding me."

"I was never…" He squeezed his eyes shut, cursing himself for causing you to think such things. "I don't know how to say things. 'Specially to you. And it kills me cuz I never wanted to say so much to somebody before." He gulped and kept going. "Never loved a woman the way I love you. Never thought a woman like you would want me."

You realized how much he'd confessed before he did.

"You love me?" You asked as tears welled in your eyes.

He nodded and rubbed your noses together. "You don't gotta say it back."

"You think I let just any man between my legs?" He smiled and shook his head, ticking your face with his long dark hair. "I love you, Daryl. But right now, I'm not that interested in talking," you continued, feeling bolder than ever. "So if there's something you don't know how to tell me, can you show me instead?"

"I can do that," he said in a confident, heated voice. He stood up, turned the bedside lamp on, and pulled his vest off. You sat up to help with the buttons but he gently stopped your hand and held it. His eyes turned sad and vulnerable.

"You can leave it on," you said softly. 

He shook his head and swallowed hard. "I want ya to know. Just… never showed nobody before." 

He released your hand and you both unbuttoned it together. You pushed his shirt open by rubbing your hands across his chest and felt the raised, bumpy scars before seeing them. They stopped you cold, and you suddenly understood a whole lot more about him. 

He hung his head and looked down, ashamed. You lifted his chin and pushed the hair away from his eyes. "Don't you ever hang your head, Daryl Dixon."

He huffed appreciatively, humbly, with a faint smile. You pressed your right hand over his chest and wrapped your left around his back, only to feel more jagged lines marking his strong body.

"The back is worse," he said, barely above a whisper.  

"You can tell me," you said as you both held each other.

"Later," he said dismissively but assertively before kissing you deeply again. His fingers hurriedly bunched up your shirt to pull it over your head. He tugged at your bra straps too, then pushed down at the waistband of your skirt. His hands roamed everywhere but his mouth never left yours. You shimmied out of your underwear too and kicked off one shoe but he broke away and said, "leave 'em on."

You smiled and stepped back into it. He took a few steps back to look at you as you stood there in nothing but the heels. You felt instantly self-conscious, unsure of what to do with your hands, but Daryl's gaze steadied you. He nearly dropped to his knees to worship you but he willed himself to stay strong and instead asked, "You even real?" 

"I'm real," you answered in a voice breaking with emotion. "And I'm yours." 

You sat back on the side of the bed and waited for him. He began undoing his belt and jeans as he approached you. The size of his bulge was even more impressive up close. Once he was immediately in front of you he kicked his boots off and pushed his pants and boxers down, finally freeing his extended length. You wrapped your fingers around him and leaned in with your mouth open but he growled, "No." 

"I… I'm sorry," you said, taken aback.  

"Nah, don't be," he corrected, cursing himself for reacting so harshly. "S'just… I want your body, not yer mouth."

"You can have whatever you want, Daryl," you said in relief. You leaned back and lifted your legs up with your knees bent but still together. You raised your eyebrows and smiled. "I know you like these," you said as you kicked your right leg out to him. 

He smirked and grabbed your leg, lifted it straight up, and rested your ankle on his left shoulder, slightly parting your legs. He started kissing at your ankle and caressing up and down your calf and inner thigh, still bewildered that his year-long fantasy was actually happening. His mouth and hands had free reign on the pair of stems that he dreamed about, longed for, and jerked himself to every day and night at the drab, sterile prison you once called home. He pushed your other leg to the side and grazed your folds with his fingers. He worried that his lack of knowledge and experience between any woman's legs would betray him and leave you cold but your quiet little noises turned to prolonged groans. The sight and sensation of Daryl stroking your clit overwhelmed and weakened you, and you dropped flat on your back. He almost drooled at the sight of you splayed out in front of him, willing and begging, gripping his arms tighter with each movement 

"Daryl! Please! Now!" You cried. He couldn't wait anymore either. His jaw tightened as he held his cock and started dragging his tip through your juices. You bit your lip and whimpered, then begged some more, until he finally pierced your opening. You held on to his arms as he began to fill you. You both lost control of your voices, filling the entire house with half-finished words, yelps, and groans, the gibberish of ecstasy. You closed your eyes and felt every inch slowly invade your senses, stimulating places throughout your body and being that you didn't even know existed. When you opened your eyes you only saw the curtained windows upside down, realizing you had thrown your head back in the first throws. It was suddenly silent and you looked ahead to see Daryl again. He stood still, fully engulfed in you, his eyes squeezed shut, breathing through his nose like a bull, gripping your ankle as if it was his lifeline keeping him from falling into an abyss. 

"Daryl?" You asked hesitantly, almost afraid to pull him from wherever his mind had gone for balance. He opened his eyes and his jaw dropped at the sight of where you were fully joined. He inhaled like a drowning man coming up for air and whimpered as he tried to push into you further, rubbing the top of his groin area against your clit. You cried out his name and he froze again.

"Daryl? Are you ok?" You asked, growing concerned.

"S'fuckin good. So… fuckin good," he said through heavy exhales. 

"Come here," you said as you pulled him down over you. He released your leg and knelt on the bed. You wanted to ask if this was his first time having sex but didn't want to embarrass him. He seemed overwhelmed by the stimulation and unsure of what to do or how to move. He was indeed inexperienced but not completely. He'd only been with the only two other women - one paid by Merle to take Daryl's virginity at 15, the other a drunken girl he barely remembered who threw herself at him, then nearly threw up on him when it was over. But you, this, all of it - the connection between you, your survivor's body, your loving gaze, tender motions, and acceptance of a marked-up, middle-aged redneck - it floored him. 

You planted your feet on the mattress and lifted your hips, then dipped back down, pulling him out, but not completely. The loss of your tight, heated grip on his shaft spurred him into action. He lifted your legs from under your knees and started rapidly rocking back and forth into you, holding your lower half in the air as he pounded you. You gripped the quilt above your head and watched him fuck you as if he would lose you if he didn't. You knew he wouldn't be able to release his grip on you to bring you to your peak. You reached down to strum yourself with one hand and pinched your own nipple with the other. It only took a minute before you splintered internally and screamed his name. The sight of you pleasuring yourself and coming hard as he took you was too much for Daryl. The force of his heavy thrusts moved the bed on its wheels and knocked it into the nightstand. You felt him begin to sputter as you came down from your high. Despite not having protection, despite your shared risk aversion, despite watching Judith grow up without a mother, nothing on earth could stop either of you from experiencing Daryl finishing your first time together inside of you. It was too late anyway - he didn't have time to pull out before he exploded suddenly and deeply. 

You beheld the magnificent sight of Daryl Dixon's moment of pure ecstasy as the muscles and veins in his neck bulged while he leaned his head back and wailed at the ceiling, his biceps flexed to keep your open legs high, his scarred, heaving chest beaded with sweat. 

He stayed locked in place as his high ebbed away. When he finally shifted his weight and pulled out, you lowered your legs and rotated to lay with your head on the pillows. You patted the bed next to you Daryl smiled, then joined you. He laid on his side to face you and pulled your left leg up over his hip.

"You really love my legs, huh?" I teased.

"Can't get enough of these," he grinned as he stroked my thigh. 

"Do you mind if I take the shoes off now?" I asked.

"Alright. But just for sleeping," he joked. "Ya can't ever get rid of those."

"Never!" I promised.

Thank you for reading!

@littlegodzilla @mariannambl @darylsgarden @minervadashwood @ravenwings73

Birthday Girl

Mikey Berzatto x Female Reader 

Summary: You show up at The Beef on your birthday, a bit earlier than Mikey was expecting you. But that’s alright, you’ll still get your birthday gift, dont you worry.

Warnings: explicit language, explicit sexual content, oral sex, unprotected sex, public sex, creampie, teasing, praises, pet names

Word count: 4.1k

A/N: Hi hellooo! So, this is a late birthday gift for my sweet @chelseasdagger because I know how hard she fell for Mikey, especially with how he looks in season 2? The beard?! I mean we all love it right? Thank you @suitsofwo3 for proofreading this mess and I hope those of you who choose to read it will enjoy it. This is my first time writing for Mikey so I hope I did him justice but if I didn’t…dont tell me, thank you. 

@chelseasdagger Pea I hope you’ll like this, this is all written with you in mind, and I know we talked about a lot of different ideas for birthday fics over the year and this is I guess a bit different but I hope its still okay. I love you, happy birthday!

You straighten up the dress one last time and clear your throat, mentally preparing yourself for the chaos that’s about to ensue the moment you step through the door of the Berzatto restaurant. You loved The Beef, of course you did. You enjoyed most of the time you chose to spend helping around the sandwich shop, but you also knew how overwhelming it could get.

Pushing the designated staff door on the back of the building, you step inside.

“CORNER!”

Keep reading

---

Holy crap. This is so good.

Nighthawk

Pairing: Daryl Dixon x Reader

Summary: After your lusty, short-lived relationship with a certain archer goes south, you decide to bring Spencer to the neighborhood Halloween bash to take your mind off things. Daryl isn't so easily convinced of your intentions and decides there's no better place than his motorcycle to show you just how much he misses you.

Warnings: NSFW. Unprotected p-in-v, semi-public fucking on Daryl’s bike and hints of exhibitionism, generally rough, jealous sex. Age gap. Assplay. Angst.

One swig of the witches’ cocktail brew, a couple candy corn jell-o shots, and several spiked seltzers in, and you were starting to have serious doubts about your decision to come out tonight.

You clutched your stomach in one hand and Spencer’s arm in the other. The man guiding you inside tried his best to stifle a chuckle.

“You good?” he asked, nudging you with his elbow.

“Great,” you lied through your teeth.

The two of you were weaving through a swarm of partygoers in the entryway now. A sea of masked faces and shredded costumes came dimly into view, and with the sight of the first goblin ensemble drenched in fake blood, you wanted to vomit. You’d think a community of people plagued with nightmarish walkers year-round would lay off the theatrics when it came to Halloween attire as gruesome and grisly as that, but no. Spencer laughed and clapped the ghoul on the shoulder.

“Abraham, my man!” he greeted, “You’re a vision in red.”

Abraham lifted his mask just slightly to heave a sigh.

“It’s hotter’n H-E-double hockey sticks in this sick contraption. I’m sweatin’ like a hog,” he scowled.

When his eyes had adjusted to the light and he caught a glimpse of you, practically green in hue, his face softened considerably.

“You alright, darlin’? You look ready to blow chunks.”

He wasn’t far off the mark. Your stomach was busy doing somersaults up and down your body, and your brain was on the fritz with a new wave of nausea.

“Need a little water is all,” you managed meekly.

Your red-haired companion nodded and started off down the hallway without another word, beckoning you and Spencer to follow. You passed through the rest of the house with relative ease, amazed at how much Alexandria appeared to have grown and how many of those people were here, in Deanna’s house, for some seemingly inconsequential Halloween celebration. You barely recognized half the faces.

Spencer grinned as he sensed those same people were all turning their heads to follow your path. It was his first time parading Officer Friendly’s daughter around a public gathering—the first time you’d agreed to make it known you two were a tentative “thing” since the messy conclusion of your last relationship—and he was pleasantly surprised to see the effect you had on others.

Never mind the fact you were wearing a white lacy bodice, miniskirt, garter belt and stockings. Paired with the makeshift halo and wings, breasts practically bursting at the seams of your costume, it seemed you garnered more attention than you knew what to do with. You were hot, and you were his, Spencer thought with a superficial sense of pride. He squeezed your hand a little tighter and secretly hoped you’d cross paths with everyone he knew in town, so he’d get his chance to prove it.

The three of you descended the few short steps into the garage, where it seemed most of the music, booze, and bodies had congregated. A smoke machine supplied a thick white mist about the room, and alongside the near-blinding white and purple strobe lights, you had only to cling to Spencer’s side and hope he was still following Abraham.

Suddenly, a red solo cup was thrust in your direction, and you smiled at the sight of water spilling over its edges.

“You’re an angel,” you beamed, standing on tip-toes to place a quick kiss on Abraham’s cheek.

Abraham opened his mouth to speak but was presently cut off by a louder, shouting voice:

“Quit your loose-lipped lolly-gaggin’ with the lady and get your ass over here!”

Eugene was drunk. So very, very drunk. You could tell by the sound of his voice alone.

“Kiss my freckled ass,” Abraham yelled back, baring a toothy smile at his friend as he started to make his way over. Tugging you and Spencer to follow suit.

You shot a worried look over your shoulder.

“Spence, I don’t think I—”

“Sure you can, sweetheart,” Spencer interrupted, already eyeing the white table at the center of the room, “Just drink your water, and you’ll be good to go in no time.”

You doubted you would but downed the liquid nonetheless. With each step ahead, it seemed you were only growing sicker, so you got to guzzling the water fast and just hoped you would be able to keep it together.

Unsurprisingly, the folding table was already crowded with plastic cups. Eugene and Aaron making sloppy pours across the tops with cans of Busch Light cradled in their arms and cracking up at every spill they made. You quickly scanned the group for any unknown, or unwanted, faces and felt relieved not to see Rick, your father, or Daryl, his best friend—and your ex-boyfriend.

That last part your dad still didn’t know about. You wanted to keep it that way.

Today marked six months since you and Daryl had started your ill-conceived affair and two weeks since you decided to call it quits—you know, after one too many occasions where Rick had almost caught you two boning on the sofa and Daryl swore left and right he was going to tell your dad everything, while you begged him not to. You sensed any such admission would be guaranteed to destroy your dad and Daryl’s friendship, so you made him promise not to tell.

Begrudgingly, Daryl had agreed, but he’d hated every minute of it. You knew it was only a matter of time before the whole thing blew up in your face, and eventually, it did.

Fourteen days after you’d broken the man’s heart, here you were, waltzing into a party on Spencer Monroe’s arm. Six long months after you’d kept Daryl your dirty secret, you were flaunting this fabrication of a relationship for all to see.

You knew he’d hate you for it. You needed him to. There was just no other way you could shake his affections—and consequently protect his friendship with your father, along with any last shred of unity in your group—unless Daryl despised you. You knew no surer bet than Deanna’s shitbrained son to accomplish that goal.

At present, Spencer pressed a beer-sodden pair of lips to yours, and you almost recoiled.

“You in, baby?” Nodding toward the drinking game still being set up before you.

You shook your head no.

“She’s in!” Spencer announced anyway. Then, quietly, he leaned in closer to you and said, “Quit bein’ a pussy.”

Defying all logic, he kissed you again. Harder. You reluctantly accepted his tongue in your mouth and feigned a smile when the rest of your group cheered their drunken, congratulatory encouragement around you.

When you pulled apart, you felt you wanted to puke again, this time for reasons unrelated to the alcohol. Then, as if on cue, your eyes fell on a previously undetected member of your party.

Daryl stood across the table now, gaze locked on yours with a look that could’ve killed you twenty times over.

To your horror, Spencer extended his arm across the way to shake his hand. Clearly trying too hard to ingratiate himself with a man who looked like he wanted him dead.

“Daryl Dixon!” he cried, smiling too wide for anyone even half as happy.

Your archer shook his hand and hardly seemed to see him. Disinterest painted plain across his features.

Spencer turned to you next, and you wanted to melt into the floor as he gestured toward Daryl, stupidly:

“Have you two met—”

“Your girl’s too young to play.”

Daryl didn’t even deign to grace you with a look. Spencer forced a laugh.

“You kidding? She’s practically a pro at rage cage,” he returned, pinching you playfully.

Somehow, you sensed Daryl wanted Spencer to shut up even more than you did. The stoic, tight-lipped frown with a set of deadened eyes sealed it for you.

At length, he chanced a look in your direction, and his expression didn’t change.

“Doubt it,” Daryl scoffed, “Better let her sit this one out before her daddy comes and gets her.”

He sure had been singing a different tune when he’d had his cock crammed down your throat a couple weeks ago. Didn’t seem too worried about Rick’s intrusion back then, you thought to yourself.

Before Spencer could respond, the whole table shook beneath you. Eugene was beating his fists against the surface, sending solo cups shaking every which way.

“Hear ye, hear ye—”

“Someone please cut him off,” Rosita grumbled behind you.

“This is the last—I repeat last—chance any one of you gets to join this game of rage cage right here,” Eugene declared, the end of his sentence punctuated by a hiccup.

One of Deanna’s goodie bags went sliding across the table to you. You looked at Daryl, confused.

“This one’s already itchin’ to pull trig,” he said to Eugene, “She better sit this out.”

Daryl then nodded toward the plastic baggie as if to suggest you go ahead and puke, but you flung the thing back at him fast.

“I am not,” you countered defiantly.

“Prove it,” Spencer interjected, useless as a screen door on a submarine.

You turned and saw him smiling ear to ear, oblivious to just how badly you wanted to rock his shit.

“Leave her be, chucklefuck.” Abraham boomed overhead.

“Well now, nobody has to prove—” Eugene paused to hiccup again, “—anything.”

In spite of your friends’ words of support, you felt a twist in your stomach and a familiar heat rise to your cheeks. You were blushing, you knew it, but you simply couldn’t lose out in the face of such a challenge. No matter how drunk and disoriented you were, you wouldn’t let Daryl, much less Daryl and Spencer, make a fool of you now.

You glanced at the handle of Everclear in Maggie’s hands just as she started to mix herself a drink.

“I can take a pull to prove it,” you said, motioning to the bottle.

Everyone who’d heard your suggestion and spared a look to the bottom shelf bottle of liquor made a face. Though piss-poor spirits were certainly no anomaly for your group, it was hardly anyone’s inclination to start chugging stuff close to 190 proof—least of all for folks who didn’t have a death wish or a liver made of steel.

“Fuck no,” Maggie and Daryl said in unison.

“Hell yes,” Spencer supplied just as fast.

So the matter was settled.

Maggie eyed you with an incredulous look when you reached for the bottle but knew better than to stop you after you’d made up your mind. Before you knew it, you were holding the thing by the neck and struggling, at length, to ignore Rosita and Abraham’s pleas over your shoulder.

“Don’t be stupid.”

“You’d be better off swallowing a bag of dicks dipped in Drano, darlin’.”

Even Daryl was watching you with wide, desperate eyes, silently pleading with you not to take the pull.

You would’ve gladly relented then, dropped the handle back on the table and stepped away without another word, but there was something in your brain telling you you needed to see this through. Whether it was self-sabotage or simple, drunken stupidity, you couldn’t be sure, but you probably wouldn’t care much longer.

You tipped your head back and flooded your mouth full of the grain alcohol.

Shortly after, a spasm in your stomach told you, without a shadow of a doubt, you wouldn’t be swallowing any of it.

You dropped the bottle and bolted out the door. Before you’d made it one step outside, you were already spraying a cloud of Everclear in the air, along with every food content and bodily fluid residing in your stomach. You dropped to your hands and knees in the grass and hurled like you never had before.

You closed your eyes and dug your fingers deep into the dirt below, desperately wishing you weren't wearing white. Convulsed in your tight corset and hoped this process wouldn’t be too painful to endure.

When you felt someone’s hands start to gather your hair in a ponytail behind you, you surmised you might not be so lucky. You spit on the ground and tried to shake them off.

“Get fucked, Spence,” you hissed.

The hands didn’t flinch from your hair and instead pulled it tighter between them.

“I said, get—” you struggled at the last, trying in vain to buck off whoever was above you. You cursed under your breath when it seemed clear they weren’t planning on budging.

“If this is how ye treat yer boyfriend, I’m glad ye dumped me,” a voice said with some amusement.

You groaned into the grass below you, eyes squeezing shut in disbelief,

“You don’t know the half of it.”

Daryl loosened one hand from your hair to start rubbing circles in your back. When you retched again, he moved his palm even more softly.

“I think I know ye well enough to say ya shouldn’t be chugging Everclear to prove a point,” Daryl said.

You didn’t have anything to say to that. He was right.

After one more pitiful heave, you started to struggle to get upright and eventually onto your feet. Daryl looped an arm around your waist and helped you up.

Your mind was reeling and your stomach was steeling itself against another potential onslaught of convulsions. When Daryl turned you around and steadied you in front of him, though, all concern for your current predicament ebbed gently from your mind. His blue eyes seemed to study every inch of you.

“Do you hate me now?” you asked abruptly.

You felt stupid for asking as soon as you said it. But then, to your surprise, Daryl smiled. He placed a hand on either side of your head and tilted it up to his.

“Do I look like I hate ye?” he asked.

Perhaps owing to your state of intoxication or the way Daryl made you feel when there was little more between you than a few inches and ample opportunity, you actually looked him up and down. Trying to detect any trace of hatred or the least bit of annoyance there but coming up with nothing. He started stroking your cheeks with the pads of his thumbs.

The memories and the feelings all came flooding back faster than you would’ve liked, but there they were, and there he was, standing tall and tame and perfectly blameless in this situation you wished you hadn’t shot to shit two weeks ago. You suspected if he’d been looking at you any differently that night, it was simply an act of self-preservation on his part; no number of dirty looks or disparaging jabs could mask the fact that he couldn’t hate you if he tried. One warm look from those wide, placid eyes turned your stomach inside out and made you ashamed you ever left him in the first place.

You weren’t sure who started it, but your lips were back together in seconds, placing hot, frantic kisses all over the other.

“Did you miss me?” you mumbled against his mouth, in between a barrage of kisses.

Daryl’s hands traveled down your back and squeezed your ass, prompting you to jump and wrap your legs around his waist.

“More than you fuckin' know,” he groaned as he slid his tongue between your lips.

Quick came the mind-numbing rush of intimacy in secret, that lovely, electrifying feeling of doing something you shouldn’t. It took no time at all to get reacquainted with that addictive sensation—you felt yourself lean into it even more this time around. You slipped out of his arms and back onto your feet, ready for more of him.

“We can’t—” Daryl started, out of breath already, “—keep doin’ this, honey.”

“Yes, we can,” you returned quickly. Reaching for his belt while your pupils widened with lust.

You made the few familiar maneuvers to undo his buckle, button, and fly, and when you palmed him over his boxers, he moaned.

“What happens when your daddy finds out, hm?” Daryl managed through gritted teeth.

“If he does,” you corrected him.

“When he does.”

You sighed, frustrated. Daryl sure wasn’t making things easier on you.

“What do you want me to say, D? That I—I can just come clean and tell him his best friend’s been bangin’ me for the past six months? You know he’d skin you alive,” you said, your voice a little less kind than you intended.

It was the truth, though.

Like clockwork, Daryl took you back in his arms and carried you clear across Deanna’s yard, toward a tiny shed in the back. You snuck a look over your shoulder and saw his old, trusted motorcycle propped up against its siding.

When he placed you on the wide leather seat, you knew this fight was far from over. You kissed again, anyway.

“I’ll tell him myself then.” Daryl pulled off of you and ran his hands up your stocking-covered legs.

He rubbed them up and down and up again until his fingers faltered at the edge of your garter belt, secured snugly across the tops of your thighs.

“Or we can tell him. Together,” he rejoined, calmly dropping a hand between your legs.

Your breath caught in your throat. You were already so sensitive, soaked through your panties and ready to take him whole. You whined when he swept his thumb over your clothed heat and clamped your thighs in defiance when he started to rub you up and down.

“I need you now,” you moaned.

Daryl didn’t bother concealing his smirk and just reached back to readjust himself—toying with your attention while you waited for him to take his cock out fully.

“No foreplay, huh?” he mused aloud as he eased his boxers down, “Must’ve been missin’ this cock somethin’ awful.”

You nodded without a second thought.

You were physically salivating at the sight of him. Watching him pump himself firm in one hand and brush your cheek with the knuckles of his other in a gentle touch.

“My baby won’t mind gettin’ stretched out again?”

“Nuh-uh.”

“Promise not to cry?”

“Uh-huh.”

He was teasing you now. He’d seen your wide, listless eyes drink in the sight of him and couldn’t resist.

When he told you to bend over the seat of his bike, you obeyed in an instant. You planted your palms on the cushion, stuck your ass in the air, and practically wiggled it for him there.

“Like a bitch in heat,” Daryl growled just loud enough for you to hear.

He took your ass in both hands and spread yourself just wide enough so he could see the leaking, dripping mess along the slit of your panties. You sighed when he pried your underwear off a second later.

Daryl’s idea of “skipping” foreplay still wouldn’t be complete if he didn’t tease you to the point of orgasm at least once or twice.

True to form, he leaned in and placed a kiss over your unclothed core, and your knees almost buckled. He pushed his tongue up your slit, circled your clit, and dragged it all the way down past your pussy to the point he was nearly veering into uncharted territory for you both.

You gripped the bike below you and moaned out loud.

“Daryl, baby,” you pleaded with no motive in particular. You didn’t know what he was doing, you just wanted him to keep doing it.

“Want me here?” Daryl asked, his thumb sliding to that same delicate spot.

You pushed your hips back into him in a wordless but enthusiastic answer in the affirmative. Daryl grew even harder.

He knew you weren’t ready for that just yet, knew he wanted to make that first-time experience in your other hole a little more sentimental than taking you over his bike with little to no lubrication—but the thought of the future endeavor excited him nonetheless. He peppered a couple more gentle kisses between your legs before standing up.

You whimpered at the loss of contact and almost turned around to say as much when he reappeared behind you, this time pressing the head of his cock between your folds.

“How bou’ here, honey? Can I fuck ya here?” he asked, all sweet words and civility when it came time to fuck you stupid.

“Y-yes, Daryl, yes,” you supplied your consent in a second.

“Then be good for me while ye take it, okay, doll?”

Before you could answer, Daryl’s cock was already starting to split you open. Soft, slow, and tender, with a stretch that made it feel like your first all over again, you both moaned at the feeling and rolled your bodies into one another.

Two weeks apart and you were all but fiending for an orgasm like he hadn’t been inside you for a year or more. Judging by the sounds Daryl made when he bottomed out, he was right there with you.

He dragged himself out to the tip and plunged back in, gripping your hips like they were the last thing holding him to earth. Then dropped his head back and groaned when you pushed yourself back to start meeting his thrusts.

“Ye feel too fuckin’ good,” he grunted, relishing the sounds of his balls slapping your ass with each bounce.

Your nose was buried somewhere between the seat and your own trembling fingers, scarcely breathing more than you could manage between each moan of his name. He loved you like this, all bent out of shape with your brain devoid of any other thought but his cock. He ran a finger over the pale, feathered wings of your costume—the ones that mirrored those emblazoned on the back of his vest—and couldn’t help but smile.

Just when you clenched and sensed you were dangerously close, Daryl hoisted you back onto your feet. Pulling out for a moment to switch positions and take you in his lap, now straddling him over his bike.

You sighed at the new sensation and smiled now that you could see him face-to-face. Daryl grinned right back and took your lips in his for a couple quick kisses.

“M’perfect girl,” he hummed, sponging kiss after kiss across your skin in sloppy, haphazard fashion.

You tipped your chin back and reveled in his gentle affections, moving your hips over him a little faster now.

“Gonna cum f’me? Show me just how good I’m making ye feel?” Daryl prodded, eyes alight with lust.

You pressed your forehead to his and nodded. Breaths coming out more ragged and strained than ever, you felt Daryl lift his hips and start fucking into you a little sharper, grip your sides a little less gently and just start giving it to you hard and fast and senseless so you’d be spilling over him in no time at all.

You were a mystery to him in many ways, but this realm was not one of them. Daryl knew just the right angle to take your soft, sensitive spot—strike it over and over and over again so you were clenching tight around him, begging him not to stop—and in a matter of seconds, you both got what you desperately wanted.

With one final squeeze around his member, you reached your peak and screamed his name, fucking him back with every vicious thrust he gave you. Then, try as he might to hold it in, Daryl grew just as oversexed and sensitive, shooting his load in you moments later.

The two of you rutted and moaned and clutched each other tight as you trembled through your highs. With Daryl’s warmth spreading deep inside you, you would’ve liked to stay this way forever—maybe rest in each other’s arms long enough to rally for rounds two, three, and four, if not more. But at present, you were content just to hold him.

A dull thump of music echoed from Deanna’s house. Daryl eyed you up and down, seemed set on asking if you’d like to go again, but took you by surprise with another question entirely.

He pulled you tight in his lap so his lips were close to yours. Sank his fingers into the flesh of your sides and said, ever casually:

“Ready to tell Rick?”

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Just finished the final chapter Justified and what a whirlwind! ❤️❤️❤️ I am confused as to whether Y/N loved Negan or not. Whether she'd choose him over Daryl or not. Is another story coming? How does this end for Y/N? Sorry for all the questions, I just really loved the fic!

🫶🏻

Thank you for reading it, I’m so glad you loved it!

There’s one more installment coming, I think it’ll wrap it all up nicely and answer all of your questions. So hang in for one more with me!

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This was a fun read! The palm kiss had me melting 🫠

Warnings: Violence, guns, hostage situations, and ambiguous angsty ending.

Pairings: Hans Gruber x Female Reader, Reader uses She/Her pronouns

Word Count: 2,300+

Summary: Hans is carrying out his infamous heist when his attention is captured by Nakatomi Corporation's secretary.

AN: I was watching South Park and Hans Gruber was there... the new chapter of Jasmine and Rose will be out sometime next week... hopefully. Please excuse the gap in updates, I was in Ireland. Excuse spelling errors and incorrect translations, I don't speak German.

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Read on Ao3

Christmas Day couldn’t have been going any better for Hans Gruber. Currently packed into a van like sardines with his crew, Hans and his men awaited their arrival at Nakatomi Plaza. There was nothing quite like being crammed into a van with several men that made you appreciate the smell of fresh air like never before.

Once the van came to a stop, he exited, happy to at least be out of the van’s sweaty confines. Standing there with his hands in his warm pockets, Hans waited for the all-clear from Karl and Theo. Once they had radioed in, confirming the security systems were down, he led his men expertly throughout the maze of the building. It was as if he had walked this very path hundreds of times despite never stepping foot in Nakatomi Plaza before, it was the mark of a true criminal mastermind, unwavering confidence that could get him anywhere he desired with so much as a smile and an arch of his eyebrow. 

Theo had ensured that every possible exit from the tower was now inaccessible, escalators, phone lines, and cameras were all powered off after he’d shut every gate. Power would still be supplied to ensure that, outwardly, everything looked fine. To be truthful, Theo was a smart boy, he had a mouth on him, sure, but Hans was sure he could make something meaningful with his life, god knows why he resorted to a life of crime, not that it was his business but he felt that out of everyone in his crew, Theo stuck out the most, he didn’t belong there, he belonged in some fancy college as a computer science major or something other. 

Shaking his head to clear his wandering thoughts he stepped into the elevator with his posse, humming softly to himself, he let his thoughts wander once more. So far, their plans were going off without a hitch, soon enough he’d be known as the man who robbed six hundred forty million dollars worth of bearer bonds right from underneath Nakatomi Corp’s noses, serves them right for their greed. Smirking to himself, he couldn’t help but imagine what he was going to do with his money, perhaps a nice vacation in Tahiti.

A soft ping rang out signaling they reached their desired floor, bringing Hans out of his thoughts, the noise was quickly drowned out by the loud party which had yet to notice them. Stepping out of the elevator first, Hans looked around before catching sight of the secretary who was seated at her desk engrossed in a Vogue Magazine, walking up to her flanked by his heavily armed men, catching her attention, he winked at her.  

Immediately, her eyes widened in fear as she glanced at the guns, gasping softly, Hans shushed her with a finger against his lips and a sultry smile. Stepping in front of the crowd, he let his men surround him from behind before Karl fired a warning shot into the air, screams from the party-goers filled the once joyful room causing everyone to fall into a fit of hysteria. He allowed his men a couple of minutes to gather everyone in the middle of the room, gesturing for the pretty secretary to do the same. Rolling his shoulders, he reached into the breast pocket of his suit and opened his notebook before raising his hand up in a “stop” motion. Effectively quieting the crowd, he cleared his throat.

“Ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen,” Hans spoke, looking almost annoyed by the noise, the crowd quickly fell silent not wanting to anger their new captor. “Due to the Nakatomi Corporation's legacy of greed around the globe, They’re about to be taught a lesson on the use of real power. You will be witnesses. If our demands are not met, however-” he paused frowning sadly, as if to mock them. He spoke quickly with ease and yet, Hans couldn’t keep his eyes from wandering back to the secretary.

“You may become participants instead.” He said in a noticeably more grim tone. Checking his notebook, he broke eye contact with her and inhaled deeply, searching the crowd. “Now, where is...'Takagi'? Joseph Yoshinobu Takagi, born Kyoto, 1937…” 

Stepping closer to the crowd, everyone took a step back in fear as Hans eyed them like a panther selecting its next meal, every so often glancing back at the woman. Toying with them almost lazily, he spoke cooly, inspecting the crowd, “Family emigrated to San Pedro, California, 1939. Interned at Manzanar, 1942 to 1943. Scholarship student, University of California, 1955. Law degree, Stanford, 1962. MBA, Harvard, 1970. President, Nakatomi Trading. Vice chairman, Nakatomi Investment Group.” Taking a breath, he inspected an older man curiously, pretending as if he didn’t know Mr Takagi was right behind him. 

“Enough,” Mr Takagi said, pushing his way closer to Hans. 

“And father of five,” Hans said turning around slowly to meet Mr. Takagi’s gaze, his face remained impassive, not giving away any clues as to what kind of captor the employees of Nakatomi Corp would be dealing with.

Looking at him, Mr. Takagi, no doubt scared, tried to keep a blank face under Hans’s scrutiny, “I am Takagi,” he said, managing to keep his voice from wavering.

Hans extended his hand and spoke civilly as if he wasn't indirectly holding them all at gunpoint, “How do you do?  It’s a pleasure to meet you,” after shaking his hand, Hans gestured to the elevator. Before giving Mr Takagi a choice to follow his directions, Karl pushed him towards the elevator forcefully.

Walking back up to the front of the room, Hans stopped in front of the secretary he was eying earlier, “Hm, a beautiful woman like you working as a mere secretary is preposterous. Mein Schatz, you deserve to be on a beach somewhere enjoying the sun,” Hans said circling her with sadistic joy painted on his face.

Looking at Hans with clear fear in her eyes, she didn’t respond, flinching slightly when he leaned closer to her, holding her breath in fear of angering him, she looked around at her fellow coworkers silently begging for help.

“Put your hands up, mein Schatz,” he said teasingly, enjoying the fear-stricken expression on her face as she followed his orders. Trailing a finger along the curvature of her hip, he smirked devilishly.

Suddenly, almost out of nowhere, the woman smiled arching an eyebrow at Hans as she slowly and teasingly put her hands up, “You wouldn’t hurt me would you?”

Even Hans’s very own men were shocked by this woman’s unusual behavior, one second she looked like she was about to burst into tears and now she was… smiling? Glancing at each other warily, they watched their boss flirt with the secretary.

“Absolutely not, that would be an unforgivable crime, a waste of the world’s most beautiful gem even,” Hans smiled admiring the woman’s beauty. Glancing at her hands, reached out for her hand so he could inspect her rather large wedding ring glinting in the light, anybody with working eyes could see it, the sheer magnificence of the diamond ensured that. “Married, hmph, must be one lucky bastard, huh? Does he treat you well mein Schatz?” he grinned from ear to ear, stepping closer to her.

“He’s truly awful. So much so he left me alone for a week,” she snipped, suddenly turning sour before turning away from him with an indignant huff. 

She was certainly feisty.

Did she not realize who he was? Or see the guns? Either blind or stupid they confluded, about to place bets on which of the two it was, Hans’s men saw him frown and make a sudden move, drawing their attention back to him.

Standing up to his full height, Hans moved closer to her taking her hand in his once more to turn her back around before placing his finger under her chin and tilting it upwards.

“I’m sorry Mein Schatz, I beg of you, please forgive me for this grave sin I have committed,” breaking his playfully flirtatious character, Hans frowned, reaching out to stroke her cheek with his thumb.

“Begging are we? I thought you were above that…” snickering softly, she leaned into his caress. 

Cheeky little minx…

“Meine kleine Schauspielerin, I see our time apart has not dulled your quick tongue, you’re still as mouthy as ever, meine Gattin” Hans growled playfully.

Did he just say… meine Gattin… as in… my wife?

Now his men truly were confused, this, this woman- you- you were his wife?!

“Was I believable?” you smiled smugly, purring into his ear seductively.

“I’m afraid your rather expensive tastes gave you away mein Schatz, the Vogue Magazine, your clothing choices, and not to mention your… ring…” holding your hand up to his lips, he pressed a kiss to your palm before pulling you closer.

Cupping his cheeks, you leaned forward and kissed him passionately, slowly trailing one of your hands down his chest. Pulling away, you spoke breathlessly.

“I missed you, you know the last thing I’d ever do is take off my ring,” you said sincerely. Despite your playful snark and attitude, everyone witnessing your little show of intimacy was able to tell just how deeply in love you two were with each other, the love in both your eyes was proof enough. 

“You’re a needy little thing, one week without my presence and you become all lovey-dovey. I won’t lie, I do like this side of you though Schatzi,” basking in your affection, Hans wrapped his arms around your waist, pressing you tightly up against his chest. 

He may be a criminal but he was still a gentleman, pressing a kiss to your forehead he paid no mind to his gawking crew or even Mr. Takagi. Your happiness was his number one concern and he could care less whether or not his men agreed, they were all replaceable anyway.

Gently running your fingers over the lapel of his suit you gazed up at him curiously with a teasing smirk, “Is this new? John… Phillips London is it?”

“You truly are my wife, yes, yes it is. Do you like it? I had it made in your favorite color,” he said with a smirk, placing a hand over hers.

“I think it looks rather dashing on you, though, I’d much rather see you without anything on,” tugging on his suit playfully, you leaned forward to whisper in his ear with a vexing grin.

Used to your seductive antics by now, Hans rolled his eyes before taking your hand in his to stop your hand from wandering, “Geduld, mein Schatz. I don’t perform well in front of audiences.”

“There doesn’t have to be an audience, I know of a couple conference rooms that are no doubt empty right now..” you said under your breath in a sultry tone, one which you knew would get him to bend to your will.

Clearly, under your spell, Hans’s will to resist was starting to waver, he considered himself impenetrable and unwaverable when it came to most things, but when you were involved? Forget it, all sense of rationale was thrown out of the window. As he was considering your offer, Karl cleared his throat trying desperately to get the attention of his boss as he and Theo were now ready to head up to the safe. Theo, knowing the safe would take a long time to crack, was eager to get started as soon as possible.

“Herr Gruber…” Karl paused, unsure of how to address you, “Frau… Gruber, sorry to interrupt your… reunion… but we must get going if we want to stay on schedule,” he said softly, trying not to come off as rude in front of his short-tempered boss. 

Narrowing his eyes at Karl, Hans glared at him before turning back around to face you. “Unfortunately, I must get back to work mein Schatz. Why don’t you go sit pretty at your desk and when I’m done I’ll give you your Christmas present? I need someone with a brain to watch over these fine people anyway,” looking back at the men he stationed to guard the hostages he rolled his eyes. Sliding his hand over your waist, Hans pinched your hip.

Playfully whacking him, you sighed, rolling your eyes as you detached yourself from him and plopped back down on your seat, “Yeah, yeah, I’ll just sit over here, forgotten, uncared about, and unloved,” picking up the Vogue magazine you were reading earlier, you pretended to be uninterested and unaffected by Hans’s departure.

Pressing one last kiss to your forehead as he bent down, Hans stood up straight assuming his usual put-together demeanor, before whispering to you softly so just you could hear him, “Ich liebe dich, mein Schatz.”

Reaching out for his hand, you lowered your voice significantly, losing your playful edge, “I love you too, please be careful.”

About to make a cocky joke, Hans caught himself once he saw the genuine worry in your eyes. He knew every time he went on a mission like this one, you became the epitome of a worried wife. Given the circumstances of this heist, he knew the stakes were much higher this time, it was half the reason he let you work undercover at Nakatomi in the first place. He found it endearing but the last thing he wanted was for his precious wife to worry.

“Don’t worry Mein Schatz, I will come back to you and we will celebrate Christmas together like a proper family,” he said, smiling at her as he squeezed her hand comfortingly.

“I promise,” he whispered, barely audible before letting her hand slip out of his.

“Now, Mr. Takagi, I believe we have business to conduct,” smiling charismatically, he gestured to the elevator once more before following him in.

Translations: Mein Schatz - My darling/my sweetheart, Meine Gattin - My wife, Meine kleine Schauspielerin - My little actress

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Yours truly,

Seriously. All yours. Truly.

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