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wrestlingwithlife · 11 months

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Texas Style

Most people quiver at the thought of having to face Ghost, let alone in hand to hand combat, but Ghost is about to have a sparring partner like he’s never had before. With a little Texas flare thrown in, of course.

Task Force 141 x Male!Reader

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Y/n fished around in his dresser, searching for sturdier tank top than the one he’d had on. The last thing he wanted was to rip another, especially after what had happened last hand to hand combat day. The h/c haired male didn’t even bother to look up when he heard his door swing, already having a strong idea about who it was.

“Howdy, Partner.” Soap laughed as he plopped onto Y/n’s bed. The s/t male only rolled his eyes at Soap’s humor.

“Hello, Soap.”

Y/n gave up on his search for a thicker tank top, shutting the drawer and turning back to face Soap. Y/n had learned his lesson on ignoring the Scott for to long.

A coy smile danced across the mohawked man’s face. “You sound like your not simply ecstatic to see me.” He teased, eyes blazing with mischief as he scanned them over his team mate.

“Hmm, how rude of me.” Y/n spoke flatly, but he couldn’t fight the smallest up turn of his lips. “Let’s go, don’t want Price on us for being late.”

Y/n leads the way out of his room, when they step out Gaz is there, waiting for them. “Would you look at us, we done got a reunion going.” Y/n drawled, shutting his door behind them. The three made their way across the base, turning a few heads as they did.

Now, Y/n was gorgeous. Everyone knew that. Well, everyone except Y/n himself but the poor guy didn’t have a mind for much more than his teammates, so who could really blame him.

But Y/n wasn’t just that pretty guy who went to your high school with you. No, he was the kind of pretty that was untouchable. Like a celebrity, or some guy at the airport that you’ll probably never see again.

The 141 squad understood this, and they reveled in the fact that Y/n was their’s. Well, mostly Soap and Gaz, but who’s really paying attention to that? However, as much as they loved to flaunt Y/n, there were times when even they’d get protective.

So when Soap slung his arm over Y/n’s shoulder and tugged him in closer the h/c haired male didn’t bat an eye. Not even when Gaz’s arm slipped around his waist. This was just his daily life, and he’d grown used to it.

In fact, when the looming figure seemingly appeared out of nowhere behind them he was the only one of the trio not to jump out of his skin. Y/n offered Ghost a smile, nodding in greeting to the silent male.

“So, Cowboy, you nervous?” Soap slung his arm over Y/n’s shoulder again, taking back his place pressed up to the male.

The h/c male blinked, tilting his head in confusion. “Nervous? What for?”

Soap had to bite his cheek to hide how adorable the head tilt looked from his point of view. “Well you and Ghosty are the only ones with undefeated records in hand to hand, means you two will be fighting today.”

Y/n shrugged, reaching for the knob of the training room door. “Ain’t nothing. I wrestled steers twice as big as Simon, and four times as mean.” The male shot Ghost a playful and teasing look, and Ghost was lucky he wore a mask or his pink cheeks would have been on full display.

When the group stepped into the training room heads turned. I mean, of course they did. This was THE 141 Task Force. Who wouldn’t look?

Price looked up from the trainer he was talking to to, a grin on his lips as he motioned the group over.

“Ghost, Cowboy, go get stretched. You’re up in five.”

Ghost’s eyes cut over to Y/n, but the smaller male was already looking at him. His e/c eyes are blazing with something that Simon could only describe as wild adrenaline. Cowboy grins, giving Ghost a wink before going off to stretch, Soap trailing after him like a little lost dog.

・゜゜・．・゜゜・．・゜゜・．・゜゜・．・゜

Soap’s hands worked into the muscles of Y/n shoulders as the male wrapped his hands. He didn’t plan on throwing many punches, but better safe than sorry.

“Really pampering me ain’t ya? Feel like one of my Pa’s show calves right about now.” Y/n chuckled, looking over his shoulder at Soap once he was done with his hands.

“Now I know how Ghost feels when I talk.” Johnny huffed, moving down to Y/n’s shoulder blades. “Well somebody has to pamper you, you’re about to face the grim reaper after all.”

Now, one could argue that Soap was only massaging the muscles on Y/n shoulders to give himself the opportunity to feel him up a little. However, those people would be hypocrites, because every person in the room was shooting Soap a jealous look.

And Y/n wasn’t complaining, so it was a win-win.

“Cowboy! Ghost! You’re up!”

Y/n pulled away from Soap’s hold, jumping a bit in surprise when he felt a hard slap on his ass. “Give him hell, Cowboy!” Soap cheered.

Y/n just shook his head, making his way to the ring. Ghost stood before him, a looming presence of muscles and angst. Y/n couldn’t help but shudder in excitement.

“Good luck.” The e/c eyed male smirked, taking up a ready stance. Ghost didn’t say anything, he only nodded, watching Y/n with careful eyes.

“Alright, you two know the rules. First one on their back for a three count or I call it.” The trainer spoke. “On my call… begin!”

Ghost was the first to make a move, throwing a right hook at the shorter male. Y/n managed to just barely duck under it, slipping past him with ease.

Cowboy hooks an arm around Ghost’s waist using his momentum to carry him to the skull masked male’s other side, catching him off guard.

Y/n’s arm slips up Ghost’s back, trapping his head and left arm in a tight grip. However, Ghost refused to go down easy. He did his best to break the hold, slinging Y/n around wildly, but his grip remained unbroken.

Gaz watched in amazement as Y/n clung to Ghost, his e/c eyes wild with delight and his face sporting an equally wild grin.

When Y/n’s feet finally hit the ground he saw his opportunity. The male dropped his hips, twisting his body and threw his weight around, flipping Ghost over his shoulder.

Ghost’s back hit the ground with a thundering noise, knocking the breath from his lungs. Cowboy was quick to straddle the man’s waist, pinning his arms above his head.

They sat there for a moment, Ghost breathing heavily and Y/n grinning down at him, before the trainer blew his whistle. The match was over, Cowboy had won, and Ghost had learned something about himself that day.

There were claps and whoops, and when the two stepped off the mat Soap practically tackled the poor country boy to the floor.

“I didn’t doubt you for a second!” He beamed, arm wrapped tightly around Y/n’s slim waist.

・゜゜・．・゜゜・．・゜゜・．・゜゜・．・゜

Y/n towel dried his hair as he stepped out from the shower, pulling on a loose pair of joggers. He was lounging in his room for the rest of the day, so he saw no need to bother with a shirt.

He opened his bathroom door and stepped out into his room only to see Ghost sat in one of his bean bag chairs reading a book while Soap and Gaz sat at the foot of his bed, engrossed in some true crime show.

“Hello people who do not live here.” Y/n huffed, three sets of eyes darted over to look at him. Ghost had the luxury of having a mask to cover his cheeks, the other two were less fortunate. Luckily for Gaz, Soap was there to take the attention from him.

“My oh my, aren’t you a sight for sore eyes.” Soap whistled flirtatiously, wiggling his eye brows. Y/n rolled his eyes, grabbing a pillow from the top of his bed and smacking the Scott with it.

Y/n plopped down onto his bed leaning against his pillows. Gaz and Soap shifted a bit, resting their heads on the southern males thick thighs, going back to being absorbed into their show.

The bed dipped a bit and Ghost sat down, laying back so his head was resting against Y/n’s chest. He didn’t make eyes contact with the male, eyes still focused on the book in his hand.

Y/n smiled softly, letting his hand rest on top of Ghost’s head. His eyes cut back over to the show that was playing on the screen, and he had to admit, this was pretty nice.

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Hope this was okay! If you guys like the cowboy!reader I’d love to do more. It’s hard to find any love for cowboy readers out there lol

- Author~Chan out ✌️

#cod mwf2 #cod mw2 #cod x reader #cod x male reader #cod x cowboy!reader #cowboy!reader #male!reader #codxmale!reader #ghost #simon riley #soap mctavish #task force 141 #cod gaz

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the-likesofus · 30 days

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Buddie Fic Recs

This is my 5th Buddie Rec List! I started compiling this list last April and omg looking back through them now I desperately need to reread them all. Highly recommend all of these fics, also please show the authors some love in their comments xx Happy Easter lovelies <3 REMINDER TO CHECK THE TAGS AND TRIGGER WARNINGS

where our eyes are never closing by @rewritetheending | T | 6k

After the lightning strike, Buck asks Eddie to take candid photos of him to help prove to Buck that he still exists. Absolute PEAK Softness. Buck through Eddie's eyes! I was a mushy puddle by the end. 10/10 would recommend.

i got all my sisters with me by @useramor | T | 6k

Established relationship Buddie. Eddie’s sister has a baby and they travel down to Texas to meet the baby. DIAZ SIBLINGS UNITE! Seriously though the sibling dynamic in this is off the charts and Buck and Eddie are sickeningly in love, it is quite beautiful.

meet me where the tide comes in by @iinryer | G | 4k

A 3+1 fic about Eddie getting kissed on the head. FOREHEAD KISSES PTSD MORE HEAD KISSES AND BOYS IN LOVE!! Need I say anything more??

The one where Buck gets turned into a dog by @911onabc | G | 9k

Law Suit era BUT WAIT WAIT….DOG BUCK!! I am a sucker for fic where one of them gets turned into an animal. They are much more free with their affection when they think it's just a dog, or just a cat, and the bond between Eddie and "Boy" is so so wonderful. And I do love a happy ending xx

can't do this anymore (do it anyway) by @chronicowboy | T | 2k

Short and sweet but GOD this packs a punch. Eddie starts dating after the lightning strike and Buck is feeling Big Bad about it. He is so sad it truly breaks my heart but all works itself out in the end and Eddie proves Buck’s fears wrong.

We Found Each Other (Over There) by @thekristen999 | T | 46k

Buddie WWII AU. A combat medic and a G.I. meet during one of the world’s greatest battles. This fic is a legitimate masterpiece. I cannot describe to you the quality of this fic because it is beyond words but I will tell you I stayed up until 3:30 am to finish it in one sitting and was left broken but made so so whole again.

the mortifying ordeal of being known by @the-amber-raven | G | 60k

AU where Bobby is Buck’s adoptive Dad and Eddie is dating Buck but Eddie and Bobby think they are talking about two different people. Buck is training at the fire academy but hiding it from Bobby. This fic is the most beautiful tangle of miscommunication, love and family.

like all good things are by @try-set-me-on-fire | T | 7k

Perfect, amazing, soul-destroying, magical, healing Fic. This literally covers all the bases. Chim and Bobby both get injured. OH! and Buck and Eddie were secretly dating all along. READ THIS FIC PEEPS!

find a way to you (if it kills me) by @eddiediazes | M | 19k

The one where Eddie decides to start dating again, Buck figures out his own feelings just a minute too late, and then he spends a week going through the five stages of grief. BUCK PINING LV.10000000!

and i’d choose you (in a hundred lifetimes) by @monsterrae1 | E | 16k

Amnesia Exes fic by the wonderful Rae. Buck and Eddie fall in love via a penpal program and then Buck vanishes. This fic is set four years later. I literally could not put it down. I was reading it in class and then sat in my car for who knows how long just to finish it because I could not continue my day without knowing how it ended.

he never thinks of me (except when i'm on TV) by @loserdiaz | M | 18k

APRIL'S FAMOUS!BUCK AND ARMY!EDDIE FIC!! In which Eddie finds out years later that his unrequited feelings for his high school best friend were not actually unrequited, Buck is stupidly famous now and they pine. OH THEY PINNNEEEEE! It’s delicious.

every time we stop talking (the universe starts screaming) by @chronicowboy | M | 21k

Alternative S7, Buddie Divorce Era Pt.2. Buck does something reckless and Eddie gets angry about it but these boys cannot communicate effectively to save their lives! This fic is peak angst to a happy ending and I felt like I had a hole in my chest OMG.

left your mark on this heart by @chronicowboy | G | 5k

Buck gets medically diagnosed with butterflies and the doctor makes him write in a notebook every time it happens. Surprise, surprise, the cause and effect is Eddie-related. The notebook entries kill me in the best way, the happiest happy ending

ALSO, YES THIS IS THE THIRD FIC BY THE SAME AUTHOR ON THIS LIST WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO ABOUT IT?? READ IT IS WHAT! COS THEY'RE SO DAMN GOOD.

endless numbered days by @cal-daisies-and-briars | G | 13k

Buck and Eddie's wedding but from Bobby's POV as Bobby reflects on the family he lost and the one he gained. Absolutely beautiful, I cried.

don’t wanna let you love somebody else but me by @shitouttabuck | T | 14k

Chris wants dating advice so obviously Buck and Eddie decide to Fake Date for research purposes. This fic is PEAK adorable, sappy, and awkward Buddie. They’re idiots but we love them and the certainly love each other. READ THIS FIC!

#buddie #buddie fic recs #buddie fic rec list 5 #buck x eddie #eddie diaz #evan 'buck' buckley #911 #911 fic recs #meegs rec list

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fluentmoviequoter · 2 months

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Finally Home

Requested Here!

Pairing: Tim Bradford x fem!shy!military doctor!reader (r is Lucy's adopted sister)

Summary: You enlist your boyfriend Tim to help you surprise your (adoptive) sister Lucy after being deployed for several months.

Warnings: brief angst and depictions of loneliness/depression, then lots of fluff!

Word Count: 1.6k+ words

Picture from Pinterest

Masterlist Directory | Tim Bradford Masterlist | Request Info/Fandom List

Being adopted into the Chen family continues to be the best thing that ever happened to you. It didn’t help your shyness much, but the love and sense of belonging you’ve found outweigh all the bad you’ve experienced. When you joined the military, becoming a military doctor, you overcame your shyness enough to be a great doctor. However, when you stop being a doctor, you’re back to the shy sister Lucy knows and loves.

The last time you were stateside, you met Tim Bradford and fell for him quickly. During the six months you were home, Tim learned nearly everything there is to know about you, and he loves all of you.

Now, in your seventh month stationed in Europe, you look forward to your weekly call home. You call one of two numbers: Tim or Lucy. They’re always together when it’s time to answer, so you know you’ll get a chance to talk to both of them and grow shy from across an ocean. Your dog is sitting beside you as the call begins.

“Hey, sis!” Lucy greets happily when the line connects.

The picture is blurry today, but you smile when you see your sister. She’s in her uniform, in an empty office at the police station. Being seven hours ahead means you usually catch her or Tim while they’re at work.

“Hi,” you answer. “Is Tim there?”

“He’s actually on patrol,” she answers. “I’m sorry; there’s a huge problem here right now so they’ve got a ton of people out there.”

“That’s okay. How are you?”

Lucy looks up when a door opens and turns the computer away.

“I’m pretty good. I want to hear about you, though, because not much has changed here.”

“Move,” Tim demands.

You can only see his hand as he reaches for the computer, and you duck away from the camera as they compete for your attention.

“Chen,” Tim says.

“Which one?” you ask.

“The one whose badge I can take. Just let me say hello.”

“Why don’t you just sit together?” you suggest. “Not to say I don’t enjoy this.”

Tim huffs as he pulls a chair beside Lucy, forcefully turning the computer so you can see both of them. He smiles, and you forget what you were going to say.

“Any word on when you’ll be home next?” Lucy asks.

“Nothing. I’m hoping to hear something soon though. There isn’t much happening, so they’ll probably need to move me soon anyway.”

“Then they should let you call more often,” Tim comments.

“I agree. I miss you.”

Tim elbows Lucy gently.

“She meant both of us,” Lucy argues. “Didn’t you?”

You nod and look up suddenly.

“I have to go,” you explain. “I’m so sorry. I love both of you and I’ll talk to you as soon as I can.”

“I love you,” Tim replies.

“Love you, sis. Be safe,” Lucy adds just before the call ends. “I miss her, Tim.”

“I know.”

Lucy continues staring at the blank screen, and Tim asks her about something he noticed days ago.

“What’s going on?”

“I just- I’m sad all the time. I don’t know if it’s just because she’s gone because I’ve been dealing with her deployments for years, but the only thing I want, have wanted for weeks, is to see her. It’s hard doing everything without her when she’s the only person I want to share things with.”

“I’m sorry, Lucy.”

“Bradford, Chen, we need you back out there when you’re done. This crime spree is getting worse each time we try to make progress,” Wade says.

“Lets go, well ride together,” Tim offers.

“Like the good old days!”

“I hope not exactly like those.”

✯✯✯✯✯

“Superiors are giving you a choice,” your MC commander begins. “Transfer to Germany or temporary leave before being stationed in Fort Bliss, Texas.”

“What would I be doing in Texas, sir?” you ask.

“Continued training and teaching, mostly. And the temporary leave is only two months, but after all this time in Europe I assume you’d return to sunny Los Angeles.”

“I’d like to take the Fort Bragg position, sir.”

“Okay, I’ll let the Surgeon General’s office know. I’m sorry to have interrupted your call; video broadcast has ended, but if you’d like to make a phone call, share the good news, go ahead.”

“Thank you, sir.”

You walk into a private office, dialing Tim’s number and hoping he’s alone. Lucy has been down the last two times you’ve talked. She hides it well, but you’re her sister and can see through her.

“Bradford,” Tim answers.

“Chen,” you reply. “Are you alone?”

“Yeah, I am. What’s going on?”

“Is my sister okay? She’s seemed really sad.”

Tim sighs before he answers, “She misses you. A lot.”

“Then I need your help with something. I’m coming home.”

“When?” Tim asks. “I mean, I’ll help you with anything, but I’m so happy to get to see you again.”

You press your lips together, feeling heat rising in your cheeks.

“I should be there in a week or so, but I’ll let you know a date when I have one.”

“Okay. And the help?”

“I want to surprise Lucy. Any ideas?”

“Well, there is a restaurant she can’t stop talking about.”

“Tim? I’m going to be home for two months.”

“I get you for two months?”

“I can’t wait,” you answer sarcastically.

“Give me a date and time and I’ll get Lucy there.”

“Will she get suspicious?”

“Who do you think I am? She won’t have a clue.”

✯✯✯✯✯

A week later, Lucy has been checking her phone nonstop. She hasn’t heard from you since you abruptly ended the last call, and her concern and sadness about missing you are beginning to overflow. All of her fellow cops have noticed, so when you call and ask a few of them to meet at Lucy’s favorite restaurant to cheer her up, they happily agree.

“Get ready,” Tim demands at the end of the shift. “We’re going to dinner.”

“Why?” Lucy asks.

“Because we’re both worried and need a distraction. She’s fine, but you’re going to make yourself sick worrying like this, Lucy.”

“Okay. Give me ten minutes. Where are we going?”

“Your favorite.”

Lucy smirks as she walks to the locker room. Tim checks his phone but hasn’t received any message saying you landed.

✯✯✯✯✯

“Easy, boy,” you whisper, patting your dog over the Military K-9 vest as the plane lands.

The other passengers are kind enough to let you get your duffel bag and exit the plane first, rushing to the car rental counter and leaving for the restaurant. You’re running late, and don’t even think about letting Tim know you’re back in Los Angeles. As you park, seeing the ‘Service Animals Welcome’ sign on the door, you realize you forgot to tell Tim your dog is with you.

“Let’s go introduce you to my family.”

Pulling your phone from your pocket, you call Tim.

“Hey,” he answers. “I don’t have long before your sister shoves me over a balcony to talk to me.”

“Patio?” you ask, smiling.

“Yep.”

“I’ll be over in a minute.”

“Is that my sister?” Lucy asks, attempting to pull Tim’s arm away from his ear to take the phone.

“Tim, I have to go. I love you. Tell Lucy I said hi,” you say before ending the call.

✯✯✯✯✯

Lucy sits down, dejected. She tries to enjoy the appetizers and her friends sitting around her, but she wishes you were at the party. The door opens, and Lucy glances over before picking up her head and giving her full attention to the person walking through the door. Her jaw drops as she watches you walk toward her, a dog at your side. Lucy’s shock turns to a smile as she jumps from her seat to hug you. As you return her hug, smiling as you whisper how happy you are to see her, Tim’s hand covers yours as he takes the leash from you.

“Hey, bud,” he says to the dog. “Lucy, could I get a turn?”

“No,” she says against your shoulder.

“Hi, Tim,” you greet, turning your face away when he smiles.

“Hiding from my smile,” he muses. “Can you survive two months with me?”

“Two months?!” Lucy repeats, pulling back.

“I like your dress,” you murmur, seeing her for the first time in too long. “And, yes, I have two months of leave before I move to Fort Bliss.”

“Where is that?”

“Texas.”

“You’re staying stateside?” Tim interjects, wrapping an arm around your waist. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

You shrug, turning in his arms to hug him.

“Welcome home,” he says, kissing your jaw as his arms tighten around you.

“Thanks for helping me with the surprise.”

“I’ll always be here with you.”

“So will I!” Lucy adds.

“Are you going to fight to hug me now?” you ask.

“Yes!” everyone at the table answers.

“And you brought a dog!” Lucy cheers, lowering her hand to pet your dog.

“I love you,” Tim says, pulling a chair out so you can sit between him and Lucy.

“I love you,” you reply softly. “I have one more thing I didn’t tell you, though.”

“What?” Lucy and Tim ask together.

“The position I took is a teaching job, so I’ll have more time to visit.”

They hug you simultaneously, no longer fighting over who gets to go first. You drop your chin towards Tim’s arm and smile. When your dog puts his paws in your lap and joins the hug, you know you are finally home. Sitting at a table with the two people you love most in the world, you know the next two months will be amazing, even if you're shy the entire time.

#hanna writes✯#tim bradford x reader #tim bradford fluff #tim bradford the rookie #tim bradford imagine #tim bradford #the rookie #lucy chen #requests #fem!reader

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pawoasispetresort · 1 month

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Unleash your dog's full potential with Pawoasis's premier dog training services in Plano, Texas! At Pawoasis, we understand that every dog is unique, which is why we offer personalized training programs tailored to meet your dog's specific needs and temperament.

#dog grooming #dog boarding #dog training #Dog Training Plano Texas

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pampanope · 6 months

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Graves Headcanons from Shadows’ POV (Part 1):

((Or, i wanna share some silly hc in this format in between all the art stuff • 3•))

Every Shadow, from the grizzled Spec Ops operator to the fresh faced civilian, no matter what background or experience, always had Graves as that one topic of gossip they turned to when things got too slow.

It’s become both habit and sport to catalog every detail of their Commander and then discuss their findings in a twisted peer review, preferably with alcohol involved, as if gathering intel on a high value target before the op.

Through the years it had been tradition for Elder Shadows to pass on Graves ‘lore’ to the newest Shadows and encourage them to take up the hobby of Graves Watching (it’s effective observation training, you see…if you happen to catch feelings for the boss, well, it’s par for the course)

There’s a ‘published’ (a fat binder of loose leaf) Graves Manual floating around,(bland cover and backing and with dick doodles all over for extra camouflage, pockets full of photos of the Commander from various angles) on base with multiple entries:

- first notable observation: Graves is fucking pretty. Too pretty (and relatively young) to be head of a band of mercenaries. And he knows he’s pretty (been seen smirking at tongue tied, blushing baby Shadows and civilians alike). Rival PMCs and militaries, on the rare chance SC has to cooperate with them, would ogle in envy as the Commander strutted around and barked orders in his tight preferred BDUs (the Shadows preen with pride at this. Every. Damn. Time)

- Graves is every bit the outspoken Texas stereotype. He’s loud, worships at the alter of Texas Barbecue, an avid Dallas Cowboys fan (staff found a jersey in his closet), had been winning gun competitions since he was old enough to compete (off-hand boast from the man himself) and blasts country music both out of love for the genre and out of sadistic spite (Every cookout. The trick is to get a stealthy Shadow to switch playlists while Graves is busy grilling)

- but he’s also been observed waiting for his Shadows to finish speaking, listening intently with full on eye contact (a bit overwhelming for the newbies). He prefers to workout in the evenings, alone, when everyone else would be in the rec rooms or asleep. He’ll take his tablet up to the roof and work in solitude drafting tedious emails or planning a difficult op. There are days, when nothing of note is scheduled, when he’ll almost retreat into himself and bask in the Company’s presence instead of engage.

- it’s this duality that started the Shadows’ fixation on Graves: a pretty loudmouth with Depth (the Shadows chuckled over this description but it was true dammit)

-the man is tight lipped about his childhood and family; braver Shadows have asked but were diverted to other topics or out right shut down (Note: more data needed on this!)

-his personal quarters are spotless and put together (bed made with sheets tightly tucked in, boots shined and neatly placed, everything in its place), his meeting room where he entertains clients is pristine and posh in furnishings, and yet his work office is an utter disaster, organized chaos is a charitable descriptor.

-the Shadows conclude each room represents a facet of the man; the orderly quarters is habit driven from years as a Marine, the opulent meeting room is the face of a successful CEO he wants to present to the world, and his work room, the one filled with binders, reports, coffee stains, knick knacks from his Shadows, is the realest representation of Graves out of the three, the Graves only they were privy to (high fives were exchanged over this big brain discovery, the Shadow who posited this theory was promptly dog piled)

((More to come, just wanted to vomit out these ✨t h o u g h t s✨))

#new to writing but this was fun!#phillip graves #shadow company #call of duty #mwii #mwiii #thoughts #my stuff

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justagalwhowrites · 7 months

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Yearling - Ch. 12: Animals

Joel makes sure Bambi stays safe from Simon. A continuation of Yearling ch. 1-11 found on Tumblr here.

Pairing: Joel Miller x Female Reader

Warnings: Canon-typical violence (torture and death.) No use of Y/N. Minors DNI 18+ Only

Length: 5.5k

AO3 | Chapter One | Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

August 29, 2023

The howl was distinctive. Three shorter cries and one longer one.

You knew what that meant.

Your morning rounds to collect prey from traps had been fruitful - netting you two rabbits so far - and you’d been able to forage for some vegetables and roots, too. It was getting to be late enough in the summer that you knew you needed to start preserving more. Winters were harsh and lean. You no longer struggled like you had 20 years ago, back when you were barely out of your teens and still trying to figure out how to safely cook let alone survive an apocalypse, but it still took conscious effort to not starve to death when the cold weather came. Today’s harvest would help with that.

But only if the intruders on your land didn’t try to take it from you.

You clicked your tongue at Nike and gave her ribs a gentle squeeze before urging her into a trot and then a canter toward the source of the howling.

It didn’t take you long to find, responding to the howl with your designated whistle, starting low and ending high. The dog howled again and you were able to tell where she was, finding her before too long.

Your other dogs had beaten you there. It looked like Ruger, one of your Belgian Malinois, had been the one to find the three men and one horse who had wandered onto your land. She was standing, teeth bared, in front of them, keeping watch for her sisters. Gattling, the other Bel Mal - both from the same litter, given to you a few years back by a man who’d taken up breeding and training attack dogs at the end of the world - had them at the back. The herding dogs - Venus and Juno - were at their sides, pushing the men closer and closer together.

You raised your shot gun.

“Who the fuck are you and why’re you on my land?”

“Why don’t you lower your weapon,” the man on the horse smiled. “Then we can have a nice, civilized conversation.”

“Don’t need one,” you replied, giving a short, sharp whistle. The dogs pressed closer. Ruger snarled. One of the men on foot jumped. You whistled again, the dogs’ attention back on you.

“Ruger, Gattling,” you said. “Savvy.”

They took off, back toward the cabin and your horse paddock. The men watched them run for a moment.

“Assuming you’re Texas?” The man ignored the remaining dogs at his feet, using the name you’d picked up in decades of trading with passers by. “Heard you trade for horses, was wondering if you had some you’d be willing to part with and what the going rate would be?”

You looked him over, the horse he was riding. You knew that horse.

“Looks like you already got one of mine,” you said. “But I know you didn’t get him from me. What did you do to Jennifer.”

Your gun was still up, leveled at the man on horseback.

“Got the horse off a girl who got bit,” he said before he smirked and shook his head a little. “She sure was a pretty thing, though.”

You adjusted your grip on the gun and bit back a snarl. You’d liked Jennifer, she was a sweet girl. She’d left the Kansas City QZ as it falling apart, too young to remember much of life before the world ended. She’d reminded you of yourself at the start of the end of the world, figuring out how to be on her own while learning how to survive. She’d stayed with you for a few weeks after she’d stumbled upon you when she got separated from a group. You taught her some things, like how to trap and track animals, what to avoid when foraging. She’d left looking for a settlement you’d heard rumors of near the coast. You’d always hoped that she’d made it. Apparently she hadn’t. You didn’t know if it was infected or the men standing in front of you that did it but it didn’t matter. You knew you didn’t trust them.

“When.”

“Few weeks back,” he said.

“She who told you about me?” You asked.

He smirked.

“Not exactly,” he said. “Been looking for you for a while. You’re a hard woman to find.”

“Plan to stay that way,” you said, finger drifting to the trigger. “I’ve got four rounds in this, don’t remember the last time I missed. You can turn, go and forget you ever found me. Or, I can kill you. But you’re not leavin’ with another of my horses. Up to you.”

The men looked at each other for a moment before the man on the horse gave you a nod.

“We’ll be on our way.”

He tipped his hat to you and you kept your gun trained on him. You gave another whistle and the remaining dogs backed down and you watched them until you couldn’t see them on the horizon anymore.

It was just two weeks before someone found you again.

His name was Mitchum.

July, 2026

Joel’s hand was on your skin when you woke up.

You’d drifted back into consciousness instead of shocked into it, your body relaxed and enveloped by his. His breath was warm against your head, his nose in your hair. His fingers were pressed into your skin, making little indentations on you in the shape of him and you were acutely aware of his hips and stomach and chest, his legs curled around the back of you.

It was an odd feeling, strangely connected and disconnected to your body all at once. You could feel the blood moving through your limbs and the heat of Joel against you but your skin was almost numb. You weren’t in pain, in spite of being slammed into Ares’ stall door and thrown to the ground. You didn’t want to move, didn’t want to disturb this quiet peace that had settled over you.

But as you slowly settled back into yourself, you realized something. There was an unfamiliar sensation between your thighs, slick and cool. You frowned and slowly slipped your palm into your shorts. You delicately traced your slit before bringing your hand in front of your face, fingers glistening.

You stared at them for a second. You were wet. Something over night had made you get wet.

It had been years since you’d last been wet because you wanted someone. Everything had been protection, your body trying to preserve itself, to make it hurt less. This was different. You weren’t sure how you knew but you did. Your face got hot.

There was a tightness in you, you realized as you became more aware of your body again, a heat that you weren’t quite sure what to do with. All you knew was that Joel didn’t feel close enough to you.

Just as you were thinking that, considering pressing yourself back against him so you could feel the outline of him more clearly to see if that eased the ache, his grip on you tightened and he gave you a gentle squeeze. His breathing shifted against you and he pressed his face closer to you. You quickly pressed your fingers into the leg of your shorts, wiping them clean.

“Joel,” you said softly.

He adjusted at your back.

“Mornin’,” he sounded tired, only half awake. You swallowed past the knot in your throat. His nose nuzzled into your hair. You hesitated for a moment put pressed yourself back against him, the aching tightness in you easing at the contact.You focused on the feel of him for a moment, all firm but gentle. You weren’t sure how long you lay there like that with him when his hold on you loosened.

“You OK?” His voice was gruff but tender, quiet. You pressed yourself back a little closer and his hand sank deeper into your flesh. You nodded ever so slightly. “Good.”

His hand spread a little more against you and your smaller hand went over the top of his, a low, soft whimper slipping from your lips.

“Bambi,” his voice was low and warm.

“Yes?”

“Should…” he took a deep, shaky breath against you. “Should go find Maria.”

“Yes,” your voice trembled as you said it.

“S’it OK if we stay like this another minute?” he sounded strained. You pressed your hand against his and he gasped quietly. “I just… I want…”

“Yes,” you breathed, cutting him off.

He held you like that for a few minutes, both of you silent outside of your quiet, needy breaths.

“C’mon,” he said eventually, pulling his hand away from you. “Should get moving.”

You separated from him slowly, reluctantly, and went upstairs to get changed.

It felt like you should be grateful for the distance. A chance to reset your mind after it had been clouded by his proximity all night. But, even as the heat and tightness in you faded, you still felt like he was too far away. You wanted him closer.

You shook yourself mentally and checked the bruise at your side before you gently cleaned between your legs. You put on Joel’s most recent shirt over a t-shirt before heading downstairs.

“Ready?” Joel asked, sitting politely on your couch.

“Yeah,” you nodded.

“I can’t figure out Ben’s role in all this,” Joel said, his hands in his pockets as the two of you walked through the hazy dawn toward Maria and Tommy’s. “Simon’s a piece of shit but…”

“I met him once,” you cut Joel off. “Before.”

He turned to look at you so quick it made you jump a little.

“He hurt you before?” He asked, his voice low and dangerous.

“No,” you said, though you weren’t sure that was entirely true. Someone had told Mitchum where you were. He was on the last group to come through. “But he wasn’t happy with me then, either. He and his buddies showed up on a horse I’d trained, they either took him from a dead woman or cut it away from her. So I told them they wouldn’t get any horses from me. They didn’t like that much.”

You hadn’t remembered him until that morning, just an ominous familiarity hanging over you whenever you looked at him. But you knew him. He’d been one of the two men on their feet, your dogs had nearly taken him down at the ankles.

You didn’t tell Joel about your suspicion, that he’d sold you out to Mitchum when you’d refused to give him a horse.

Joel nodded slowly as the two of you came up to Tommy and Maria’s front walk. He knocked on the door and you could hear the shrieking toddler laugh from inside somewhere. You smiled at the sound.

It took a minute for Maria to open the door, William on her hip.

“Not a great morning,” she said, a little frazzled. “What’s up?”

“We got a problem,” Joel said, his hand going to your lower back as he stepped a little closer to you. “Can’t wait.”

***

Joel fought to keep himself under control as you told Maria and Tommy everything that had happened the night before. How Simon and Ben had cornered you in the stable, how Simon told Ben to watch how he marked you so they could pass your death off as an accident, how they’d trapped you in the stall, willing to wait for one hoof to come down on your body in just the right way.

He clenched is fist. His blood was hot. Someone had tried to hurt you, pulled you away from right beside to him and tried to kill you.

“Know where they are now?” Maria asked, her face hard.

“If they got a lick of sense they took off,” Tommy said, his arms crossed over his chest as his eyes raked over you again and again. “No way they stayed in town.”

Maria nodded.

“Joel, Tommy, go out and bring them back,” she said. “You’re two of our best trackers, I trust that you’ll find them. And when I say bring them back, I mean bring them back. They’ll face trial and punishment assuming they’re found guilty. You’re not judge, jury and executioner here.”

“They ain’t gonna come quietly, baby,” Tommy frowned. “May not have another choice…”

“Don’t get yourselves hurt but do what you can,” she said. “Take some horses and track them down as best you can. If you haven’t found them in two days, come back.”

You wrapped your arms around your waist and clenched your jaw and Joel stepped a little closer to you. You leaned into him.

“Lemme grab some stuff,” Tommy said to the two of you. “Meet you at the stables in half an hour.”

Joel walked you to the stables and you insisted you were fine to be in there alone, already going about the work of getting his and Tommy’s horses ready to go. He reluctantly left you to it, going home to quickly pack a bag of his own before going back to you.

Being that far from you made him uneasy. He was certain Tommy was right, that Simon and Ben had left town. But it made him nervous. You were in danger and he was leaving you alone. He was about to leave you even more alone than he was now. It felt wrong. He should be close to you, protecting you.

But this was better, it would keep you safer. He knew that. He just had to convince himself of it.

You were finishing saddling up Tommy’s horse when Joel made it back to the stables. He wordlessly started working on his own, the two of you putting the tack on together.

“I’m gonna go check their houses,” Tommy said, mounting his horse. “See you up front in a few?”

He gave Joel a meaningful look. Joel narrowed his eyes at him.

“See you there.”

Joel gave Tommy a moment to get out of earshot before he turned to you. Your arms were crossed tightly over yourself again, your eyes wide and doe-like. You looked afraid. It made Joel’s chest hurt.

“Hey,” he said gently. Your wide eyes met his for a moment before tracing over his face. “Nothing is going to happen to you…”

You frowned, your eyebrows knitting together.

“What?” Joel frowned, too.

“You think that’s what I’m worried about?” You asked. “Joel, I don’t want you going out there and getting hurt because of me, I…”

He stepped closer to you and you went silent, looking up at him.

“Bambi,” he said softly, looking into your eyes, into you. “Nothin’ is going to happen to me.”

“Joel…”

He completely closed the distance between you and you dropped your arms to your sides so the front of you was just inches from the front of him. His hand slowly, delicately, came to your face and cupped your cheek, his thumb against your cheekbone, his fingers wrapping back and down around the column of your throat. It felt like he was holding the entire world in his palm, your wide eyes soft and earnest.

“Not going to let anyone hurt you, Sweetheart,” he said, voice quiet. “I’m going to take care of you. I’m going to keep you safe.”

He leaned his head toward yours, slowly and deliberately, giving you every opportunity to pull away, You didn’t take it. Instead, you stayed stock still and your breath caught in your throat with a quiet little gasp when he pressed his lips to your forehead, his nose in your hair. He kissed your soft, smooth skin for what felt like an eternity but nowhere near long enough. Joel pulled back from you ever so slightly, his forehead dropping to your own, his nose brushing yours. You closed your eyes for a moment, your breaths coming in shuddering little pants, your lips so close to his it almost hurt.

“I will protect you,” he whispered. “I promise you I will.”

Joel met Tommy at the main gate, feeling your eyes on him as he rode away, and the two of them set out, silent, into the foggy morning air. They started by circling the city, finding the footprints in the mud that gathered around the fence that surrounded the town.

“Fuckers,” Tommy muttered, looking up and Joel as he did. “Think we can track ‘em?”

“I’m not comin’ back ’til we do,” Joel said, his voice dark.

The tracks disappeared into the woods and, once the two of them were far enough away from Jackson, Joel looked at Tommy.

Joel had come to admire his little brother in the years since he’d come to Jackson, not that he would admit that.

For a long time, he’d felt like more of a father to Tommy than a brother. Joel was just six years older than him but, once their parents had both died, it felt like he had to step up. Sarah was barely a year old, Tommy was just 17 and on the verge of flunking out of high school. He had to pay the rent and put food on the table and make sure his brother didn’t drop out and keep a baby alive. It was like he was treading water at best, damn near drowning most of the time, but he’d kept it together. He’d all but begged Tommy to join the military, do something that would keep him out of prison and keep his feet on the ground.

And then the Gulf War started and Joel spent years horrified that he might have gotten his brother hurt, gotten his brother killed.

Tommy came back different. Instead of getting picked up for shoplifting, he started getting picked up for brawling. Joel had to bail him out again and again, ended up on the hook for Tommy’s rent after he cosigned for his apartment, needed to help him figure out a new car after Tommy wrapped his around a tree. Eventually, he told Tommy that he needed to get his shit together. He could either start working contractor jobs with Joel or he’d be on his own. Joel couldn’t keep letting Tommy derail things for him and Sarah and it killed him to give him that ultimatum.

But Tommy managed it. Mostly. He still wound up in trouble sometimes. Joel still had to make sure he was actually fucking eating real food and not just jerky and candy from the gas station or pick him up at the jail after a scuffle. But he was getting close, so damn close, to having the life Joel knew he could have if he just tried for it when the world ended. When Joel’s world ended. When Sarah died.

Things devolved then. Tommy was his only reason for living, for a while. There were times he wasn’t enough to stick around for but Joel just kept on living, anyway. He often wasn’t sure why.

They did bad things then, when Joel stopped caring. They hurt innocent people, killed innocent people, helped people even worse than them gain power and control in the increasingly dangerous and chaotic hellscape that had once been the United States. A lot of people suffered because of them. But they’d survived. For better or worse, they’d lived.

Joel wasn’t sure why, for a while. He supposed it was stupid to believe there was a purpose for it all, like the universe was suddenly going to succumb to reason after everything that had happened, but it felt like there had to be something.

Now, he knew why.

He had Ellie, of course. And now you. That was reason enough. But Tommy… Tommy had managed to actually make something of himself in spite of everything. He’d found Maria, made a place for himself in Jackson - and actually made the damn place better - and he’d become the father that Joel always knew he had the potential to be.

It threw Joel a bit, sometimes, that Tommy was the one who looked out for him. The one Joel needed to come to for help. He didn’t like it, that loss of control. But there were times he still needed his brother.

Times like this one.

“I know what Maria said…” Joel began but Tommy cut him off.

“They ain’t comin’ back to Jackson.”

Joel was silent for a moment.

“You know what you’re sayin’, Tommy?”

“I’m sayin’ that we’re going to handle this shit the way we used to,” Tommy said. “Wasn’t always right but it was always a way to protect what matters. And she don’t just matter to you, Joel. She might be your girl but I care about her, too. She already feels like family. She might be a pain in the ass but she’s my pain in the ass. Anyone wants to fuck with her will have to go through me.

“Besides. Can’t have men like that around Maria and William and Ellie. Ain’t safe. I’m sure they’ll put up a decent fight ‘fore we kill ‘em. Won’t even be a lie, then.”

Joel nodded once.

“Good.”

They tracked the men through the day, the two of them clearly hadn’t stopped after fleeing the day before and it was close to nightfall when Joel started noticing signs of them slowing down. Footsteps were dragging through the brush and the mud, leaves were crushed or stripped away from places where branches had been grabbed for support.

Joel was on edge, the hair on the back of his neck on end when Tommy gave a short whistle. When Joel looked at him, he indicated with his eyes what he was concerned with. A tree just off the trail, a lower branch snapped like someone too big had tried to use it to leverage themselves up. Joel nodded slightly and only once. They had to be close, very very close. He slung his rifle off his back and tucked it against his body where he could quickly aim and fire it. He had the sense that it wouldn’t be long until he needed it.

Joel was right.

It was only a few minutes later that, with a desperate wail, Simon leapt at Joel, a knife clutched in his ruddy hand. Joel reacted quickly, swinging the butt of the rifle around and slamming it into the man’s head. He dropped like a stone to the ground and Joel and Tommy quickly dismounted as Ben charged forward. Joel raised his rifle and shot him in the hip, the man screaming and falling to the ground, writhing in pain.

“Stick with him,” Joel said, nodding to Ben. “This one’s mine.”

Simon was still shaking off Joel’s hit when he dropped a knee to the prone man’s chest, ripping the knife from his grip and pressing it to his throat.

Part of Joel knew he shouldn’t take any pleasure in this. That hurting and killing someone - even someone like Simon - should take something from him. And it did once, what felt like long ago. But it didn’t anymore, not when hurting and killing would keep you safe. He liked keeping you safe.

Simon’s hands clawed and Joel’s arms and he ignored it, cocking his head slightly as he looked at the man below him.

“You got a few options here, Simon,” Joel said, his voice flat.

“Fuck you,” he spat.

“Not one of ‘em,” Joel replied. “You ain’t making it out of this alive, you decided that for yourself when you put hands on her…”

“Your obsession with that fucking cunt…”

Joel curled the hand not holding the knife into a fist and brought it down quick and hard on Simon’s face, making him cry out. Joel felt the man’s nose collapse below his knuckles.

“You only got so many breaths left,” Joel said, flexing his fingers, knuckles stinging. “Wouldn’t waste ‘em making shit worse for yourself. Cooperate and I’ll give you a quick death. Don’t and I’ve got all night.”

“Fuck you,” he panted through gritted teeth. “And fuck her, too.”

Joel sighed and grabbed Simon’s nose roughly between his fingers, making him cry out. Joel twisted it sharply, harshly, to the side, almost pulling his flesh apart. He could feel the cartilage moving under his touch, the gush of blood, the thrashing of the man below him. It was satisfying, this form of justice. He was doing something, he was making sure that he wasn’t going to fail with you. It felt, maybe not good, but right.

He released Simon’s nose and grabbed a fistful of his hair, forcing him to look up at Joel.

“Haven’t done this in a while,” Joel said, a little breathless. “Thinkin’ I should make the most of it, what do you think, Tommy?”

Joel looked over at him. He was standing over Ben, gun trained on him.

“Just thinkin’ that we needed somethin’ fun to do tonight,” he said.

Joel smirked.

“Just thinkin’ that, too.”

“Wait,” Ben said, his hands up by his face in surrender. “Wait, please, I’ll tell you whatever you want to know, I just don’t want to die here, please…”

Tommy looked at Joel who shrugged. Joel had no intention of letting him live. Neither did Tommy. Ben didn’t need to know that.

“We can work somethin’ out,” Tommy said, gun still aimed at the man on the ground. “Answer my brother’s questions and we’ll talk.”

“You workin’ with anyone else in Jackson?” Joel asked.

“No,” Ben said quickly, voice panicky. Joel bought it. He was answering too fast and was too afraid for it to be a lie. “No, it was just us, just the two of us, I thought it was too far but…”

Joel looked down at Simon.

“That true?”

Simon just panted for breath and glared up at Joel. He thought for a moment and pulled the knife from his throat and put the tip of it against his eye, a fraction of an inch away.

“Asked if that was true,” Joel said. “Better have a fuckin’ answer.”

“It’s true,” Simon said quickly. “It’s true, it’s true. There wasn’t anyone else involved, just us, please…”

“Anything you left behind that’s going to hurt her?” Joel asked, looking back toward Ben but keeping the knife near Simon’s eye.

“No,” Ben said quickly. Again, it rang true. “No, we thought… we figured the horse would do it and it wasn’t like we’d planned it for long, we thought it would look like an accident, please I’m begging you…”

Joel delicately pressed the tip of the blade into Simon’s bottom eyelid. His breathing picked up but he stayed still as a tiny bead of blood appeared on the knife.

“He telling us the truth?” He asked.

“Yes,” Simon said quickly, eyes shut tight. “Fuck, yes Miller, we just decided to, please…”

Joel nodded before pulling the knife from Simon’s eye.

“Why’d you do it?” He asked as the man slowly, cautiously opened his eyes. “Why did you decide to go after her?”

Simon looked afraid now. Like he finally, truly understood what was about to happen. He swallowed and Joel watched his throat working, aware for a moment that it was one of the last times his body would perform that function.

“I didn’t have shit after the outbreak,” he said, starting to hyperventilate. “Everything I knew, everything I loved was gone and then I had my place here and she took that from me. She fuckin’ took it and she disrespected me at every goddamn turn and I just…”

“She didn’t take a damn thing,” Joel was talking through gritted teeth. You hadn’t even wanted Simon’s fucking job and he’d tried to kill you for it. “You lost it by being a fucking idiot and you tried to take it out on her.”

He seemed to recognize then that there was no merciful way out of this. There never had been. His face twisted into something rage-filled and hateful, snarling up at Joel.

“She doesn’t belong here. She’s barely even fucking human, she’s more like those goddamn horses! She’s fucking feral and I was the only one willing to try to break her…”

Joel let out a roar as he brought his fist down on Simon’s face again and again and again, until he was barely breathing, his features nothing but bloody pulp.

“Joel,” Tommy said as Joel panted, his hand damaged and coated in red. “Just finish the fucker.”

Joel nodded once, pulling his knee off Simon’s chest and sitting back on his heels, thrusting his knife low in the man’s stomach. Simon managed a grunt of pain but nothing else as Joel dragged the knife up through his innards until he met his breastbone. He stood up, looking at the man’s mangled body.

“He’ll die slow,” Tommy’s gun was still on Ben.

“Better than he deserved,” Joel said, stalking over to Ben and jerking his head so Tommy stepped to the side. He went down on one knee near Ben’s head, a perverse proposal. “Another few questions, just for you. Then we can talk about a deal.”

There wouldn’t be a deal.

“Please,” Ben whimpered, blood coating his stomach now. His skin was pale.

“You knew her,” Joel said. “From before. That right?”

“Yes,” he nodded quickly. “Yeah, I did. Traveled with some guys for a bit, heard she’d trade for horses. She wouldn’t trade with us, pissed off the others, made life fuckin’ difficult for a while and I didn’t think he was going to try to kill her, please, I swear I didn’t think it was going to go that far, I promise I won’t even look at her again, please.”

“Before,” Joel said, fighting to keep calm, remembering what you’d told him that morning. It felt like so long ago now, waking up next to you, feeling you in his arms. You trusted him. You trusted him to be near you, to touch you, to protect you. You didn’t trust anyone else but you trusted him. “Before you came to Jackson, when you tried to trade with her. You do anything to her then?”

“Told some folks where to find her,” he said. “That’s all.”

Joel nodded.

“Anyone else you know outside Jackson know where she is?” He asked.

“No,” he said quickly. “No, haven’t talked to anyone since I got here. Please, I promise I won’t…”

Joel thrust the knife into his throat before he finished his sentence, his eyes going wide in shock before he went limp. Joel watched Ben’s blood pool on the dirt, soaking into the soil at first before collecting in a thick puddle, dark and warm on the ground. He pulled the knife free and wiped it on the man’s jeans before he stood, putting it away.

Tommy looked up toward the darkening sky for a moment.

“Head back about half a mile then stop for the night?” he said. “Put some distance between us and the bodies ‘fore the animals get to ‘em.”

“Yeah,” Joel nodded. “Sounds good.”

Joel and Tommy agreed on a story as they set up camp for the night, one that was almost the truth. The two men jumped them. They’d had no choice but to shoot them. Unfortunate but Jackson would be safe.

Getting back to town was faster than getting out of it, no longer needing to actively track the men and instead just find their way back home, and the sun was still up when they reached the gates.

Joel wasn’t expecting you to be at the stables when he got there. It was late enough that you should be at the mess hall for dinner or home and he had every intention of settling his horse down as quickly as he could before finding you but he didn’t need to. You were curled up in a corner of the stables near the tack, your eyes closed, head resting against the stable wall. You were in the same clothes you’d been wearing yesterday. Joel frowned. Hadn’t you been home? He unbuckled his saddle and put it away before kneeling next to you, taking your face in his large hand the same way he’d done the morning before. You startled, eyes shooting open, afraid for a moment before softening when you realized it was him.

“Joel,” you gasped it, throwing your arms around his neck, your whole body following, nearly knocking him down. He hesitated for a moment before he wrapped his arms around you, holding you close to him. “I was so worried, I didn’t… I’m so glad you’re back.”

“Me too, Sweetheart,” one of his hands went to the back of your head, holding you gently.

“Did you…” you began, but he cut you off, still holding onto you.

“They’re dead,” he said. Your breath caught for a moment and he pulled you closer. You were soft and warm and whole and alive. He’d kept you safe. He hadn’t failed you, not this time. “Not going to hurt you again.”

“Joel…” your voice trailed off, sounding sad. He pulled back from you enough that he could see your face, your eyes searching his. He brushed your hair back.

“C’mon,” he said softly. “Let’s go home.”

Next Chapter

A/N: FERAL JOEL

FERAL JOEL

FERAL JOELLLLLLLL :D

And everything else about this chapter, too 😌 Seriously, these two are sooooooo close to stuff happening. So so so so so so so so close, I promise they are.

I do have an alerts blog! Follow and subscribe to get an alert when a new chapter is posted. I will only post each chapter once so you're not being spammed, promise! 😊

Thanks for enduring the slow burn of it all, everyone, and thank you for being here. Love you!!

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#fanfic #joel miller x female reader #joel miller x reader #joel miller x you #yearling #joel miller x oc

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sorchathered · 2 months

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Sacred New Beginnings

Chapter 5

A/N- this is NOT a finale guys! After much deliberation I decided I have too much to say for only 3 chapters, so we are on this train until I’m ready to give it up! 😂

Summary- it’s the morning after Mav and Penny’s wedding, and there are revelations to unpack as new drama unfolds.

Song inspo- Sunday kind of love- Etta James, You send me- Sam Cooke, Ironic- Alanis Morissette, Karma- Taylor Swift

Pairing- Jake Seresin x reader (oc Stormy)

Warnings- language, drinking, smut (wrap it up kids) minors dni.

Bradley wakes up to one of the worst hangovers he’s had in his adult life. He made it home and proceeded to drain most of his liquor cabinet after the wedding, it had been a bad day all around and seeing you and Jake wrapped up in each others arms after years of worrying was the icing on the cake. He knew logically he had no room to be pissed off, you knew everything now and there would be no salvaging your love life. He had hoped to explain it himself, maybe find a way to convince you it was nothing but in reality he knew that wasn’t the case. He’d continued a relationship with Mirage after you left, whether or not it was just sex didn’t really matter, he’d slept with someone else. His therapist had told him weeks ago that he believed Bradley was in love with the idea of love and having a family, less in the people he was in relationships with and while it had hurt to hear he knew somewhere in him it was true.

He’d loved the attention and adoration from his partners, and some part of him had loved Stormy once; but the two of you disagreed fundamentally on so many things. You were career driven, he wanted you to retire in the next 5 years so you could start a family, he wanted to stay in California and you had always dreamed of settling down south near your grandmother’s old home. When he’d seen you becoming more successful than him it had set a fire in him and he used it to burn your relationship to the ground. He didn’t deserve you, and he certainly didn’t get to dictate who you chose to be with after him.

As he stumbled through the house to let out his dog he appraised the damage. His clothes were scattered everywhere, liquor cabinet raided and somehow he’d left the fridge open. He was a mess right now, if his mother could see him she’d be so disappointed. He finally finds his phone in the couch cushions, messages and missed calls from Nat and Rueben clogging his notifications. He couldn’t dig into all of that right now, so he just called Nat to let him know he was ok, yanking the phone from his ear as she screamed into the phone.

“WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?!”

“Jesus dude I was asleep what the hell is wrong? You have a key you could’ve just come over if it’s that serious, who died?”

“Bradley. You haven’t been on instagram today have you?”

“No, but I already know about Jake and Stormy so if they went instagram official I’d rather not-“

“Wait what?! Never mind that’s not what this is about. You need to go to Mirage’s profile, right now.”

Bradley scrolls through the app and clicks on her profile, expecting to see she decided to stop waiting on him and find a boyfriend now or something stupid like that, only to be met with a carousel of photos. Pictures of the two of them, and at the end a picture of a pregnancy test, two pink lines confirming something he never dreamed of. Not only had she hard launched them, but she also told the world he was going to be a father…without confirming with him first. He was fucked.

——————————————————————

Meanwhile on the other side of North Island Jake is waking up to his version of heaven. His bed may be empty but he can hear the soft sound of you singing, and the smell of coffee and pancakes has him wandering down the hall. Your hair is in a messy knot, you’ve got one of his Texas longhorn t shirts on and you and Patsy Cline are crooning “Walking after midnight.” Flitting back and forth between chopping fruit and flipping pancakes, you sway to the song (your grandmother’s favorite) and he’s sure this is the best morning of his life. He sneaks up behind you to spin you and you shriek and giggle, swatting him with the spatula as he kisses your cheeks and forehead.

“Morning Tex, how’d you sleep?” You say with a big grin, running your free hand over his tanned torso and you catch him close his eyes and shiver into your touch.

“Mm, I’ll be honest darlin’ might have been the best night of sleep in my whole life, ‘cept I woke up alone and almost thought you were a dream.” He plucks the spatula from your hand and hip bumps you away from the stove, taking over your spot cooking and you make your way to the coffee pot to pour him a mug.

“I uh- I cancelled my flight for this afternoon” you’re trying to be nonchalant about it but you can tell by the way his head snaps up he is holding on to your every word.

“And I may have asked Uncle Beau for a favor and extended my leave for the rest of the week… I hope that’s ok, I’m not ready to leave you yet.”

You look a little nervous as he turns the stove off and looks at you, but he takes two big strides and yanks you into his arms, pulling at your (his) shirt and kissing you hard and you know you had nothing to worry about.

You both laugh into each other’s mouths, he’s hoisted you into his arms and delicately places you on the kitchen table, rucking your shirt above your breasts as he nips and sucks on the exposed skin.

“Jake- breakfast” you breathe out and he grins up at you between your thighs

“I want you for breakfast first baby, then we can have pancakes. Be a good girl and take it ok?”

He brings you to your release three times before he lets you up, grabbing the plates from the counter and sitting you in his lap. Between bites you reach into his shorts and pull him free lining yourself up with him and he hisses into your mouth.

“What’re you up to sweet thing?”

“Shhh, wanna be close baby, need you”

You take turns feeding each other while you slowly rock yourself on Jake, and it definitely is the best morning either of you have ever had.

——————————————————————

Neither of you had even touched your phones since you left the wedding the night before, it was nearing 5 pm and you had spent the day watching movies and letting Jake fuck you in every room of his house, finally deciding the two of you needed to eat you dragged yourself to his room to get your phone off the charger to order takeout. When you turned your phone on you were bombarded with notifications, nearly deciding to just turn it back off once you noticed you had a notification from Bradley. You ordered dinner and continued to ignore the overwhelming amount of messages, annoyance etched on your face when you came back to the living room, and Jake reached for your phone already knowing you wouldn’t want to pop the perfect bubble of the day.

“You don’t have to look at any of this shit today if you don’t want to y/n, we can worry about it tomorrow.”

You sighed and ran your hand over your face, it wasn’t that easy even if he tried to make it that way. “Will you just look for me? Tell Nat I’m not interested in hashing out the drama tonight and we can talk at lunch.”

He nodded and scrolled through, but as you watched his face you immediately knew something was wrong.

“Ok maybe you do need to tell me, what happened? Is someone hurt?”

He shook his head but looked almost nauseous, so you yanked the phone from his hands, he didn’t even bother to try and keep it from you.

On the screen was almost 30 messages from Phoenix, begging you not to check instagram. It had been hours since her last message but she seemed insistent that you call her first. She picked up on the first ring, screeching into the phone before you could say anything.

“Jesus! Where the fuck have you been Stormy? I had half a mind to come over to Hangman’s to beat the door down.”

“We decided to shut our phones off, sorry Tash. What is wrong? Please tell me everyone is ok.”

“Everyone’s safe, it’s not that kind of emergency. But it’s not good y/n. Bradley apparently saw the two of you last night, and then…”

“Then what? What Nat?”

“Y/n…Mirage is pregnant.”

——————————————————————

You knew it was the wrong way to respond, Jake had dropped his fork right out of his mouth at Nat’s declaration; that definitely seemed like more of a normal response. You on the other hand looked unhinged as doubled over in laughter, gasping for air as tears poured from your eyes.

“Seresin, what’s happening? Is- is she laughing?”

Jake looks at you like you have 3 heads but still manages to take your phone from your shaking form,

“Yeah Phoenix it looks like it”

“Do we need to be worried?”

“Too soon to tell, let me figure this shit out and we’ll call you later.”

He hangs up and takes your hand, you’re coming down from it now as you swipe the tears from your face, still trying to stifle giggles.

“Oh God,” you gasp out “I’m so sorry, but you seriously can’t make this shit up can you?” You erupt into another round of giggles and now Jake can’t help but join in, this really is a shitshow.

Finally you settle and he looks at you with concern, but you wave him off and move your take out boxes to the coffee table as you scoot into his lap. Running your hands through his hair you lean in to kiss him and as much as he doesn’t want to he pulls back to get you to look at him.

“I’ll let you bury yourself in me if you need baby but you still gotta talk to me ok? What’s going on in that pretty head?”

You shake your head at him and peck his lips, you knew he wouldn’t let you get away with pushing it aside.

“Is it strange that I almost feel bad for him? He’s burned his whole world down, knowing what I know now I would never want to be around him let alone with him again, and while I have thrived in his absence he just keeps ruining his life. I don’t miss him, but I pity him. Does that make sense?”

It’s definitely not the response he expected, he thought you’d be hurt and that it would rehash all the emotional damage you’d dealt with, he can’t help but be impressed.

“You’re taking this a whole lot better than I thought sugar, I gotta be honest.”

You pull him close as you straddle his hips, running your nose along his cheekbone and press kisses to his face.

“Like I told you, I don’t miss him. I don’t want him. I want you. This isn’t avoidance Jake, I moved on and I want to spend the rest of my life with you if that’s what you want too. So can we stop worrying about Rooster and his emotional bullshit and just go back to being us?”

He lets you take the lead, settling into the couch with you and switching the long forgotten movie back on, whatever his wingman’s problems are don’t include him after all. He’s got bigger things on his mind, like getting you back to San Diego or requesting a transfer to Pensacola. Maybe getting the two of you a bigger house with a yard, a dog or two and a backyard big enough to fill with your own kids. As he falls asleep trapped under your warm embrace visions of what could be dance behind his eyes, and he makes a mental note to ask his mother for Grandma Seresin’s engagement ring.

Jake Seresin Masterlist

Thanks so much to @sailor-aviator, @mamachasesmayhem, and @bobgasm for talking me through this chapter!!

Tagging- @mamamaystbr @mamachasesmayhem @bobgasm @attapullman @roosterforme @pinkdaisies9285 @djs8891 @jessicab1991 @the-aspiring-fanfic-writer @mygyn @angelbabyyy99 @86laura11 @shanimallina87 @floydsglasses @jostan456 @kmc1989 @dempy @its-the-pilot @mrsevans90 @purelyfiction @nouis-bum

Let me know if you want to be added to the tag list!

#top gun maverick #jake seresin #top gun maverick fanfiction #jake hangman seresin #jake hangman fic #jake hangman x you #jake hangman smut #jake hangman x reader #jake seresin x reader #jake seresin fanfiction #jake seresin smut #Jake and Stormy #sacred new beginnings #snb

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50calmadeuce · 2 months

Text

Ch. 10: Texas Memories

Warning: Mention of miscarriage. Some chapters have sex.

Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Top Gun: Maverick world, trademarked by Paramount Pictures Corporation. I do not claim ownership of the characters and the world that I am borrowing.

The story and situation I am creating are a work of my imagination and I do not ascribe them to official story canon. This work is for entertainment only and is not a part of the storyline.

I am not profiting financially from the creation and publication of this story, but I do hope it gives you happy thoughts.

These stories are my own, so please do not take them and use them for yourself without my permission. If you see them somewhere else, please let me know. :)

Before:

Leaning against some pillows on Jake's bedroom at his parent's place, you tapped the answer button on the iPad, and immediately, an image of Jake, shirtless and with his dog tags hanging between his defined pectoral muscles, appeared on your screen.

"Hey, darlin'," he greeted.

"This is certainly a pleasant surprise. What's the occasion for this view?" you inquired.

"Just calling to give you a heads up on my next duty station."

It had been six weeks since Jake had departed from his family's home in Texas, while you remained there for a class.

"And?" you inquired, full of anticipation.

"I'm being assigned to Kingsville, Texas."

"Jake! That's fantastic! Your mom's going to be thrilled!"

"And what about you?"

"Jake, I wrap up this class in a few days, then I was offered a study in Wyoming, and then it's back to Wisconsin for me."

"Why don't you stay at my parents' place?"

You gave him a look. "Because we've been over this. The University of Madison has the best veterinary college in Wisconsin."

"Why not transfer to A&M?"

"Because a lot of my college credits won't transfer, that's why. Is there something you're not telling me?"

"No, I'm good."

Believing in his words, you chose to steer the conversation elsewhere. "So, how's the training going?"

"Good. I'm at the top of my class."

"Jake! That's fantastic! Have you made up your mind about what you want to fly?"

"I'm leaning towards the F-18 Super Hornet."

"That's a…?"

"It's a fighter jet."

"Oh," you respond quietly.

"Y/N, you knew flying was my goal."

"I did, but being a fighter pilot hadn't crossed my mind." You took a deep breath. "But if that's what you want, then go for it."

"How's school going?"

Glancing over on the bed, you caught sight of the white plastic pregnancy test that you had taken just minutes before, nervously twisting it in your hands as you awaited the results.

"It's going good. I'm finishing up this really interesting bioscience study."

"And that's what?"

"It's devoted to animal and human wellbeing and understanding to prevent and treat disease."

"Yeah. I've got nothing."

You let out a nervous laugh, your gaze fixed on the pregnancy test which now displayed the results. "Jake, there's something I need to tell you," you said, your tone shifting to a more serious note, and he could tell something was up.

Jake's attention snapped to you, his expression immediately shifting from casual to intensely focused, a trace of concern etching his features. He took a step closer, his eyes searching yours for a hint of what was about to come. "What's going on? Is everything okay?" he asked, his voice laced with worry yet trying to remain calm for your sake.

Taking a deep breath to steady your nerves, you held up the pregnancy test to the camera so he could see the positive result. The silence that followed was heavy with anticipation, as you watched for his reaction, unsure of what to expect but hoping for his support.

After a moment that felt much longer than it actually was, Jake's face transformed from concern to a mixture of surprise and joy. "Is this…? Are we…?" He couldn't seem to find the right words, his usual eloquence replaced by a rare loss for words.

You nodded, a small smile breaking through your nervousness. "Yes, we're going to have a baby."

"OMG!" Jake exclaimed as you watched him jump up and down excitedly on your iPad.

Jake's excitement was palpable even through the digital screen, his joy transcending the distance between you. He stopped jumping and leaned closer to the iPad, his face filling the screen. "This is the best news ever, Y/N! I can't believe we're going to have a baby!"

His enthusiasm was infectious, and you couldn't help but laugh, the sound bubbling up from deep within you. It was a relief to see him so happy, and it made the moment even more special, sharing it together even if it was through a screen.

"I wish I could be there with you right now," Jake said, his voice softening, a hint of longing in his eyes. "To hold you, to celebrate together... But we'll make up for it, I promise."

You reached out, touching the screen where his face was, wishing for the umpteenth time that he was there with you. "I know, Jake. It's okay. Just having you here with me like this means everything. And knowing you're just as excited about our baby makes this moment perfect."

Jake placed his hand against the screen, mirroring your action, creating a moment of connection despite the physical distance. "As soon as I can, I'll be there with you. We have so much to look forward to, Y/N. You, me, and our little one. We're going to be a family, and I'm going to be the best dad ever. Just you wait and see."

The promise in his words filled you with warmth and an unshakeable belief in the future you were building together. "I know you will, Jake. I can't wait for us to start this new chapter together. I love you."

"I love you too, Y/N. More than anything." His smile was a beacon of hope, lighting up the path to your shared future, no matter how challenging the journey might be.

Three months later...

Gradually, you opened your eyes, taking a moment to acclimate to the glaring brightness and the persistent beeping that filled the room. The first thing that came into focus was Cindy's face hovering over you.

"Y/N, how are you feeling?" she inquired, gently brushing a strand of hair away from your face.

"Where am I?" you managed to ask, feeling the dryness in your throat.

A man dressed in a white doctor's coat turned towards you. "Hello, Y/N. I'm Doctor Buchanan. How are you feeling?"

A dull ache throbbed in your abdomen. "Sore," you replied.

"As you would be after being kicked by a horse," the doctor responded.

You turned to Cindy. "What happened?"

"You were examining a horse during a class, and when you pressed on another sore spot, it kicked," he explained.

Suddenly, the memory of the baby flooded back, and you turned anxiously to the doctor. "The baby. What about the baby?"

"Y/N, I'm sorry," the doctor said gently. "The kick led to a miscarriage. But everything else seems to be okay, which means you can try again in the future."

Feeling a profound sense of loss, you sank back into the pillows, the tears beginning to flow unchecked.

Cindy gave the doctor a nod. "Thank you, Doctor."

Observing your tears, the doctor offered a sympathetic look. "I'll come back later," he said, before exiting the room.

Turning her focus to you, Cindy's expression was one of concern. "Y/N, why didn't you tell us?"

"I only found out a few months ago and had just told Jake. We wanted to make sure first and he wanted it to be a surprise for you all," you explained, your voice laden with emotion. "Where's Jake?"

"He's on his way home. He managed to catch a flight about an hour ago."

"Does he know about the baby?"

"No, I just found out myself," she replied softly.

"He's going to be devastated," you remarked, your voice slightly cracking.

Cindy continued to remove pieces of hair that had fallen onto your face. "He will be, but I'm sure he'll manage."

You turned to Cindy. "The house isn't even done being built yet. Until then, I can't go home."

"You'll stay with us. You don't need to worry."

"But I was supposed to go back before."

"It'll be okay. Do you want some water?"

"I'd love a sip."

Cindy extended her hand, picked up a cup filled with ice chips, and gently placed one in your mouth. Just then, her phone chimed. She reached for it and glanced at the screen. "Glen has just picked up Jake from the airport. They're on their way here now," she informed you, her voice a mix of relief and apprehension at the impending reunion. "You get some sleep, okay? I'll be right here."

You offered a weak nod, feeling the weight of your eyelids become too much to resist. As sleep began to envelop you, the events of the day seemed to drift away into the distance.

As you stirred from your sleep, you felt a gentle kiss pressed against your forehead and the comforting warmth of a hand holding yours.

Blinking your eyes open, you found yourself gazing into a pair of green eyes filled with concern and upset, silently conveying a depth of emotion that words couldn't capture.

"Jake," you whispered softly.

"Hey, darlin'," he replied, his voice tender. He then leaned in to gently kiss your lips, offering a moment of comfort amidst the turmoil. "How are you feeling?"

"Sore, but okay," you responded, trying to muster a reassuring tone.

Jake's gaze lingered on you, a mix of hope and fear in his eyes. "And the baby?"

Tears began to well up in your eyes as the weight of the news you had to share pressed down on you. "Jake… I'm so sorry," you managed to say, your voice breaking with emotion.

Jake tenderly cupped your cheek with his hand, his touch a source of comfort. "Darlin', it's okay. You're okay, and that's what's most important," he reassured you, his voice steady and full of unwavering support.

"I just want to go home," you murmured, longing for the comfort of familiar surroundings.

Jake gave you a look of understanding, his resolve clear. "I'll see what I can do," he promised, ready to take action on your behalf.

Several hours later, with gentle care, Jake assisted you into his parents' house and then into his own bed within his bedroom, ensuring your comfort and safety every step of the way.

You pulled the comforter over yourself, adjusting the soft fabric around you to make yourself as comfortable as possible in the cozy surroundings.

Jake leaned down and placed a tender kiss on your forehead. "Get some rest, darlin'," he whispered, offering a moment of solace and care.

"Jake. Lay with me," you requested, your voice carrying a longing for his presence beside you.

Jake quickly stripped down to his boxers, his dog tags clinking softly as they settled between his chest muscles, and then he carefully climbed into bed beside you. Gently, he wrapped an arm around you, his concern evident in his voice. "This doesn't hurt, does it?" he asked, making sure his embrace was comforting rather than painful.

"No," you replied, finding solace in his proximity as you snuggled closer to him. "I've missed you, Jake."

"I know, darlin'," he responded, his voice carrying a note of solemn understanding. "Maybe you should quit school and come with me," Jake repeated, his suggestion hanging in the air between you.

Your eyes widened in surprise, and you turned to face him more directly. "What?"

"Quit school and come with me," he said again, his proposal clear and earnest.

"No, Jake. Why would I do that? I have an opportunity to go back to Wyoming and examine some cattle there during the summer," you responded, emphasizing the importance of your career and the opportunities ahead of you. Your tone conveyed both surprise and a gentle reminder of your commitment to your own path.

"I just thought it might be safer," Jake explained, trying to justify his suggestion.

"Safer for who? Me or for you?" you asked, seeking clarity on his motivations.

"Y/N, just calm down. It was only a suggestion," Jake attempted to soothe the rising tension.

"No, Jake. It wasn't just a suggestion. I know you," you countered, implying there was more beneath the surface of his proposal, highlighting the depth of understanding between you two and the complexity of the decision at hand. "Then you quit being a pilot."

His eyes widened at your response. "No," he stated firmly, then took a deep breath, trying to regain his composure. "Y/N, you're supposed to be relaxing," he reminded, his tone softening, indicating his concern for your wellbeing amidst the emotional exchange.

Feeling the weight of the moment, you turned back around and nestled yourself deeper into the blankets, seeking comfort in their warmth and the familiar surroundings, allowing the tension to ebb away as you focused on resting and healing. You felt Jake let out a sigh beside you, a sound that carried a mix of frustration and resignation.

As you woke the next morning, the bed beside you was notably empty. Your gaze swept the room, a silent query to the whereabouts of Jake. Then, the inviting aroma of breakfast wafted through the air, drawing your attention and stirring a gentle hunger. With careful movements, mindful of your recent physical and emotional strains, you eased out of bed, and headed towards the kitchen where Cindy stood at the stove.

"Morning, Y/N. How are you feeling?" Cindy inquired with a warm tone as you entered the kitchen.

"Still a bit sore. Have you seen Jake?" you asked, hoping to find him nearby.

Cindy looked at you, a hint of surprise in her expression. "He left early this morning," she informed you, not expecting your reaction.

Your eyes widened in disbelief and concern. "He did what?" The news of his unexpected departure caught you off guard, stirring a mix of emotions and questions about the reasons behind his sudden exit.

Confused, Cindy looked at you. "He said he told you."

Seeing the confusion on Cindy's face, you quickly explained, "He didn't tell me anything about leaving."

Concerned and eager for answers, you excused yourself and made your way back to the bedroom, where your cellphone had been left untouched since the night before. With a sense of urgency, you picked up the device and scrolled through to find Jake's number. Once located, you dialed his number, each ring echoing your growing apprehension and the need for clarity on his sudden departure.

As the call went to voicemail, a sigh escaped your lips, disappointment mingling with concern. "Jake, it's me. Where are you? Call me back," you spoke into the phone, your voice steady but carrying an undercurrent of worry. After hanging up, you returned to the kitchen, trying to mask your unease.

Cindy glanced up as you entered, her expression a mix of concern and curiosity. "Any response?" she asked, hoping for some good news.

"Nothing," you replied, a hint of frustration in your voice as you placed your cellphone on the table. Cindy, sensing your distress, gently set a plate of food in front of you, perhaps hoping that the gesture might offer a small comfort amidst the morning's unsettling start.

As you settled into the comforting embrace of the outdoor papasan chair, wrapped in the warmth of a blanket with a book in hand, the sudden ring of your cellphone broke the tranquil morning silence. Seeing Jake's face flash on the screen, a rush of mixed emotions flooded through you.

"Jake! Where are you?" you answered, your voice a blend of relief and urgency, eager to finally hear his voice and understand the reason behind his unexpected departure.

Jake's voice came through, clear yet tinged with a seriousness that immediately set you on edge. "I'm back at the base."

The simplicity of his statement did little to soothe the whirlwind of questions in your mind. "Why didn't you tell me you had to go back?"

His response was unexpected, causing a deeper furrow in your confusion. "I didn't because I didn't have to. I made the decision."

Confusion swept over your face, a tangible reflection of the turmoil inside. "I don't understand." The words slipped out, a verbal embodiment of your attempt to grasp the situation. His decision, made without warning or explanation, left you searching for clarity amidst the sudden shift in your shared reality.

The conversation took a sharp, abrupt turn as Jake spoke again, his voice carrying a weight that suggested an underlying urgency or perhaps a discomfort with the conversation. "Look. I have to go. I'll talk to you later."

The quickness of his departure from the call didn't escape you, nor did the subtle hint of hurt in his voice, a detail that tugged at your heart. With a mixture of frustration and sadness, you found yourself responding almost instinctively, voicing the thought that had been gnawing at the back of your mind since his suggestion the night before. "It's because I won't quit, isn't it Jake?"

The words hung in the air, a silent plea for understanding, for a deeper explanation that might bridge the growing gap between you. The connection was severed before you could explore further. As the call ended, the arm holding your cellphone dropped to your lap, the device now a heavy weight carrying the silence of the unresolved conversation. The moment was a mix of disbelief and sorrow, a mental scramble to piece together the sudden shift in your relationship dynamics.

Cindy, sensing the change in atmosphere, chose that moment to walk out the back door. Her presence, always a comforting constant, felt especially needed now. Noticing your distress, she approached with a blend of concern and motherly intuition.

"Y/N. You okay?" Her voice was gentle, an anchor in the storm of emotions you found yourself adrift in.

"I'm okay. I was just on the phone with Jake."

"What did he say?"

You shrugged. "Nothing really. He's upset I won't quit my schooling because of the loss of the baby."

Cindy's expression softened with understanding, her eyes reflecting a mix of concern and empathy. "Y/N. I'm so sorry. Jake can be…" She paused, seemingly searching for the right words, understanding the complexity of emotions involved.

You interrupted her, not wanting to place blame or dwell on the negative. "No. It's okay. I leave for Wyoming next week." Your voice carried a determination, a clear indication that despite the emotional turmoil, you were set on moving forward with your plans and commitments.

Cindy nodded, respecting your decision. "Well, I just want you to know that we're here for you, no matter what. And if you need anything while you're in Wyoming, you just let us know."

"I will. Thank you."

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