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#ghost of you series

romana-after-dark · 10 months

Text

Ghost of You: Finale

Ellie Miller & Joel Miller

ft. Tommy Miller, Lorenzo and Zach Aleverano

Masterlist

Summary: 16 years after her mom and dad's death, Ellie is finding her place in Jackson, being raised by her Uncle Tommy with the help of her uncle's Lorenzo and Zach. She loves them, but can't help but feel stifled. Soon, she finds out her suspicions were true, and her uncles have been lying to her. Will Ellie learn the truth? Can she trust anyone in this situation?

Takes place after The Wrong Way, but if you havn't read that series (too dark for you, too long, etc) you can read this. Since it's through Ellie's perspective, you can discover the truth alongside her.

DARK FIC! This is a dark!Joel, with canon typical violence and extra on the Joel. Anything discussed or shown in TWW is liable to be discussed here. There will be violence, but no shown sexual violence. Although this Joel is very dark, he is NOT DARK TO ELLIE. None of the things that happened to Ellie's mom are applicable to Ellie, but will be discussed.

Content warnings for entire series, not chapter by chapter unless more is added.

Talk/mentions/discussions of post rape, molestation, torture, violence, branding, forced breeding, major age gap (early 20's to later 40's), death. Child endangerment, major character death, murder, homophobic remarks, minor hate crime, manipulation, identity crisis.

This is it. It's bad, I cried tbh.

**************

Lorenzo was pacing. Zach and Tommy were arguing.

Ellie had never really picked up on tension between the two, if anything occasionally Lorenzo was the one to make a comment, but after Lorenzo’s account of her origins, it seemed like Zach held some anger towards Tommy for not saving her mom.

“I told you!” Zach shouts as Ellie stands to the side of the kitchen. “I fucking told you we should’ve killed him years ago!”

Tommy wasn’t convinced. “That man is absolutely insane! He’s goddamn Micheal Myers when he’s out to kill, there’s no way we’d make it out alive!”

“You just don’t want him dead because he’s your brother, but how many girls has he raped and totured the last 16 years! That is blood on your hands!” The comments about the girls Joel potentially victimized hangs in the air as all three of her uncles turn to a shaking, crying, Ellie. It was Zach, of course, that approached her, hesitantly placing hands on her shoulders. “Elles… Answer me honestly sweetheart. Did Joel… did he touch you.”

Tearfully, Ellie shook her head. “N-no.”

Lorenzo spoke for the first time in a while, big brown eyes pleading with her for honesty as the floor cracked along with his gentle step forward. “It wouldn’t be your fault if he did, Ellie belly.”

Tommy placed a hand on her wet face, coaxing her to look at him. “He’s right, honeybun. Even if you didn’t fight, no matter what the circumstances, we’d never blame you, okay? Nothing you could do would make that your fault.”

Ellie swore to them, no, Joel didn’t touch her. She knew how her uncles felt on the subject, never shying away from ‘the talk’ which revolved more around consent than anything.Granted, despite her uncles and uncles being gay, the discussion was surprisingly straight. Old habits and phrasing die hard. She knew that if anyone touched her without her consent she could come to them, and they would handle it. “I told you the worst of it.” Ellie had broken down, telling Tommy about Joel, Jack, and watching the old farmer die, and Tommy had quickly called over Zach and Lorenzo to discuss the next steps.

“Ellie…” Lorenzo began. “What did you guys… do? All summer, I mean. He’s not really a hang out kinda guy”

Ellie shrugged a little, a tad defensive. “I mean… like I told Tommy, he- he wanted me to take over so we would… we spent a lot of time patrolling but we… we fished, and talked and he would cook for me…”

Rolling his eyes, Zach scoffed. “He sure does like to play dad.”

For whatever reason, that didn’t sit right with Ellie. “But he is my dad! I’m not fucking stupid, Zach, and none of this would have happened if you hadn’t all lied to me! He’s my dad and I wanted to get to know him, I just… I didn’t think it was… that he was…” She choked back a sob, hating this disgusting display of vulnerability.

Tommy looked at her, knowingly. “You didn’t think he was capable of all that, did you?” He waited for her to shake her head before continuing. “He’s good at that, you know. I get it. I do. Joel knows how to manipulate. But I also think he loved you, honeybun” Tommy ignored Zach’s scoff in the background, saying the bastard wasn’t capable of love. “I do, it’s hard not to love you, you know?” Smiling softly, Tommy held her gaze. “But everything Lorenzo told you is true, Ellie. I ain’t ly’n to yuh anymore. After all this settles, anything you wanna know about my life before, about your dad, our childhood, being raiders, me and your mom, all of it. Anything you wanna know, it’s yours, the good and the bad. And I know it’s gonna take a long time before you trust me, if you ever do, but I swear to you, I will never lie again… including if I ate the last honeybun”

Ellie gave a soft chuckle, but Zach was back to business. “Elles, does he still live in the old house?”

She nodded. “Yeah, we went out there a lot…” Turning, she faced Lorenzo. “He showed me my moms grave-” Ellie was interrupted by a loud ‘FUCK’ from Zach, whipping her had over to get her uncles palms to his eyes, Lorenzo rushing over to hold him.

“I knew it!” He groaned loudly. “I knew that fucker had her. God knows what depraved shit he did with her body before he buried her!” Sometimes, Ellie forgets that her mom was Zach's biological sister, not just someone he loved. That was family, someone Zach had taken care of for 20 years and feels like he failed.

Ellie watched as Zach cried, held tightly by Lorenzo. For perhaps the first time, Ellie realized how her moms life and death wasn’t just something that affected her, it didn’t exist in a vacuum. Her uncle, her aunts, they all were in pain, only worsened by the fact Jack was dead now, a loss they all felt. Ellie had been privileged, she realized, to not have had the life the others had. It wasn’t just her mom, who all she had known was violence and sexual abuse from men around her, including those she was meant to trust, her only respite being Tommy, Zach, June, Lorenzo, and the little bits of Joel when he deigned to be kind, but the others too.

Tommy, who had to be practically raised by his older brother after growing up with no money, two parents who worked multiple jobs, Tommy, who joined the military at young age, join the fireflies, joined Joel and saw all the horrors life can give one man, who watched his niece dye in his brothers arms and watched his brother depend into madness. Lorenzo, who grew up poor, watching his sisters get used by shitty men, most of them getting pregnant before leaving high school. Lorenzo, whose ex-wife and every sister and every single niece and nephew had died in the fallout of the outbreak, leaving a man who had only ever known a big, loving family all alone. Zach, who was beaten his whole childhood and tried to protect his sister and her best friend when no one else would, who was shot trying to save her, who lived with the guilt eating at him for his baby sister’s death for 16 years.

“I should’ve fucking done it.” Tommy mumbled, the remorse clear in his voice. “I had the gun pointed him that day and I don’t fucking know why-”

“He’s your brother,” Lorenzo interrupted, still holding Zach. “I can’t say I get it, but I can’t say I understand a lot that’s happened with Joel. He had a hold on both of-”

Tommy wasn’t having it. “But he killed her!” He was shouting at no one but himself. “He killed her and now he’s got my daughter wrapped up in his bullshit, traumatized her, and messed up her head just like her mom.”

Ellie broke through the voices. “It’s not like that!” Every turned towards her. “It wasn’t all bad stuff, he was… he was my dad, he did normal dad stuff like fishing and telling me to go to bed and eat my vegetables, just like you guys do!” Ellie didn’t know why she felt defensive of him, but it was almost biological, the primal urge to protect family. It wasn’t always like this. It wasn’t always violence and murder and manipulation. He was her dad. “He didn’t just walk up one day and shoot someone in front of me, I’m not that fucking stupid!”

“Elles,” Zach began. “We don’t think you’re-”

“He took care of me! He gave me clothes and books and he sang while I played piano, he was a dad first and then, and then, and then, and THEN the other stuff started and it was confusing! It was confusing because I wanted to be strong and make him proud but I was scared! I don’t wanna kill innocent people!”

Zach left his husband’s arms to take Ellie in his as a fresh bout of tears began. She was so confused, so frustrated with herself and everyone around her and she was terrified out of her goddamn mind.

But Lorenzo caught something the others didn’t. “Wait… where did you play piano? Were you at our house?” Piano’s were a rare commodity, Lorenzo getting one from Zach by likely less than Maria-approved methods.

Shaking her head vigorously, Ellie denied that. “No, we never came to Jackson. It was at the house, I told you we went there, remember?”

“What is it, Ren?”

Lorenzo turned to Tommy. “I don’t remember no piano there. Joel don’t play, does he?”

Tommy confirmed no, his face giving away that he had the realization that Lorenzo had come to. “Only guitar and mandolin.”

Looking back and forth between the two who were having a silent conversation Ellie was growing frustrated. “What are you guys talking about now? Joel said my mom played piano, didn’t she?”

“No, I did.” Zach stood up, facing Tommy. “I tried to teach her like I did you, but she really had no interest.”

“But he said… He said Red River Valley was her favorite. He’d sing it while I played…”

Zach groaned again, griping at his hair. “It was her favorite. But I’d play, she’d sing…”

“She used to sing it while Joel played…” Lorenzo recounted his memory of one of the less disturbing things he heard in the thin walls of that house.

“I can’t have a single memory of her that isn’t tainted by him, can I?”

But Lorenzo was onto something more. “Guys, you know what this means right? Joel knows Ellie can play piano, he got a piano for her… that means he’s been watching her, and pretty in depth…”

Ellie watched as anger filled Zach’s face.

“What? No way he could get in here without someone seeing him. Does he have someone spying?”

“I don’t know”

“He’s gotta right?”

“Who would betray Maria like that? Even Seth respects her too much.”

“Well, it’s gotta be someone, because theres no other way for him to know she plays piano, right?”

The silence was long an uncomfortable before the married couple and Ellie turned to a very guilty looking Tommy.

“Tom. Something you wanna tell us?”

He looked to be hesitating, like he wanted to lie, cover his tracks, but when he locked eyes with Ellie… he seemed to remember his promise. No more. Lies. “I might have… I might have seen him a few times.”

The room erupted in argument, Zach screaming “YOU’RE SO GODDAMN PATHETIC TOMMY!”

“He’s my brother and that’s his daughter! He cornered me and wanted to know how she was doing!”

Joel found Tommy and asked about her? Tommy saw her dad and didn’t say anything?

Lorenzo lost his cool. “You told a psychopath intimate details about my niece?! How many times did you see him!”

He hesitated again, but eventually admitted to seeing him about every year. Tommy would never search him out, it was always Joel finding him and they’d talk for a bit. Tommy would tell him how she was doing in school, her personality, likes and dislikes. That’s how Ellie found out her favorite joke book came from dad way back when she was 8. Her three uncles arguing with each other about the severity of Tommy’s betrayal, what they needed to do next, repeating over and over again all the times they should’ve killed him, should’ve should’ve should’ve… should’ve killed her dad, a murderer, a rapist, a cruel, disgusting human being who had treated her so tenderly and yet for a year, made her moms life hell

Ellie couldn’t take it anymore, the lights were too bright in her burning eyes, her head hurt from the crying, the long day, the arguing… so much had happened in the last few months, few days, few hours… and many accusations that Joel had no chance to refute. It wasn’t that she didn’t believe her uncles anymore, she did. She believed the horrific details of what her mother endured, the circumstances surrounding her premature birth, the things her uncles witnessed and suffered at the hands of the man who made her, but she needed to hear it from Joel. She needed to hear his side. There was no excuse for what happened, but this was the man she came from, and she needed to know his side of the sordid history she’d been unraveling piece, by piece, by piece…

“Dad?” Ellie called him from the walkie talkie in her room that he had given her that second day. “Can you come? It’s an emergency.”

It wasn’t long before Joel was just outside of Jackson, Ellie running to meet him. He held out his hands, the worried expression clear even in the lack of artificial light. “What’s wrong baby girl?”

Ellie, despite her better judgment, ran into Joel’s arms. It might be her last chance to, after all.

“What’s wrong?” He repeated. “Tommy do something? Seth? You need me to take care of-”

“No!” Ellie quickly refuted the idea that Joel needed to take care of anything. She’d seen what that meant for anyone who crossed him. She stepped back out of his arms.

“Then what’s going on? Do you wanna move in?” There’s a glimmer of hope so prominent Ellie almost said yes because she couldn’t bear to watch that shine crumble… Almost.

“Dad, I need to talk to you and… it’s important that you listen to me.” She fought the urge to wring her hands, tap her feet, fidget in any way. This was important, and Joel needed to see her as an adult about it, not a child.

He nodded. “I’m listening, Ellie June. Whatever it is, I’m listening.”

Ellie took a deep breath. It was now or never, it was now that she needed to tell Joel, shatter the bubble they’d been living in, end the relationships he had with her father after only a few months. “They told me, Joel. Lorenzo did anyway.”She watched his face shift, realization dawning upon him but not daring to confirm anything lest he be wrong. “About my mom-”

“He’s lying. Always has. He’s a slimy, lying fucker who-”

“No he isn’t!” Ellie yelled, perhaps too loud and too close to town.

Joel took a step forward, reaching for Ellie’s shoulder. “You don’t know him, Ellie, you’re too young, you don’t know what he’s really like, what any of them are really like-”

“STOP DOING THAT!” It was a scream now, backing away from the man who towered nearly a foot taller than the short girl. “Stop telling me I’m wrong, and I’m too young and I’m too inexperienced! Stop making me doubt myself!” She took a few calming breaths, watching Joel watch her. “I know they’ve done things in the past, bad things, but Uncle Lorenzo is not slimy, and he’s not lying. None of them are.”

“I don’t know what they told you-”

“I think you do.”

Joel and her were in a standoff now, largely silent as she watched Joel process the change and no doubt assess his next steps. If he was what Lorenzo claimed, he managed to make her mom fall in love with him despite the horrors. He knew all that and Tommy still held loyalty to him, still telling Joel parts of her life knowing he was the rapist of someone not much older than she was now.

He took a breath. “Ellie June, it’s not like what they’re telling you” Another step forward.

She tried to move back, but tree bark scratch at the skin exposed by her tank top. “And just what are they telling me?”

“They're telling you I kidnapped her, aren’t they? That I raped her, beat her, tortured her, tried to kill her. That’s not exactly true.”

Ellie couldn’t help but scoff at that. “Not exactly? Joel, there is no good version of that!”

“What I said was true. Her dad was a damn bastard, offered her up to me for sex, selling her virginity. And I took her-”

“What the fuck-”

“TO SAVE HER, SARAH! You don’t understand, you can’t possibly understand-”

“What did you just call me-”

“It was better, I took care of her, I gave her a home, she had Tommy, she had Lorenzo, she had safety” Another step, Joel placing both of his large hands on either side of Ellie’s face. “And all she had to do was give me you, give me you, my precious baby girl. All she had to do was give me my daughter back, and she did.” All Ellie could manage was a whispered ‘what?’ as Joel stroked her cheek. “She gave me you, and now we get to have the life we were robbed of by this damn infection, we get to be a family again.”

“No” A small cry from her lips as her eyes filled with tears again. He didn’t want her. He didn’t love her. He loved Sarah. “I don’t want this, dad, please”

“I know it’s confusing right now, but I promise you, everything is gonna be okay, you’re gonna be okay, I’m gonna get you somewhere safe.”

“Joel-”

“I know, I know I know I know I know. But I’m sorry for what I’m about to do, okay?” Joel touched his forehead to hers, eyes closed shut.

“Dad, please stop-”

“I’m sorry, babygirl, I’m gonna make this better soon.” His forehead was replaced by the barrel of a gun. “Come out where I can see you Tommy.”

Ellie was frozen, back pressed against a tree as the cool end of the gun warmed to her skin. Slowly, Ellie watched as Tommy, Lorenzo and Zach came into the clearing from different sides, guns raised, the crackle of sticks and the forest floor tracked their footsteps where Ellie was unable to keep place. She wanted nothing more than to run into their arms, but she was stuck. She didn’t know how far Joel’s madness ran, and if she was just a replacement for Sarah, that meant she was replaceable herself.

“Let her go, Joel” Zach spoke first, but Joel was having none of it.

“You shut the fuck up, Zach. You couldn’t even protect that little girl when she was being molested, you sure as fuck can’t protect Ellie.”

“You don’t know a goddamn thing about what happened there-”

“And you don’t know a goddamn thing about what happened between me and her mom so how about you just shut the fuck up!” His gun swung to point at Tommy as his brother took a step forward.

“You’re right Joel, but I do. I was there, so was Lorenzo. We saw what you did to her. Ellie don’t deserve a life like that.”

Joel glared at the insinuation. “I would never hurt my daughter. Give me your guns.”

Lorenzo scoffed. “No goddamn way”

“Kick your guns over or I start blasting off Ellie’s fingers, how about that? You think I’d hurt my baby girl? Let’s test that theory.”

To her own disgust, Ellie whimpered, the thought of this insane man before her shooting off her fingers one by one…

“Ellie, look at me baby” Tommy’s soothing voice coaxed her back to reality. “We ain’t letting nothing happen to you, honey. I promise.”

She trusted Tommy. Tommy would make things better. He always did.

Zach’s angry tone made her eyes flick over to him, chastising Tommy as he lay down his gun. “What the fuck are you doing, Tom?”

“Just go along with him for now.”

“No way am I-!” But Zach stopped at the sound of his husband calling his name.

“Baby, just hand it over. It’s gonna be okay, we'll fix it.”

Lorenzo always calmed Zach the way Zach calmed her.

The three men kicked over their guns to where Joel stood, Joel picking them all up before he lowered the gun that was pressed to Ellie’s head. She was too scared to move, Joel stepping in front of her.

“I’m sorry, Tommy. I didn’t want it to be like this, but you took my baby from me. Now I’m taking her from you”

Tommy left an exasperated sigh. “Why don’t you ask her where she wants to go, Joel.”

“She’s just a kid, she don’t know what’s best for her.”

Lorenzo interrupted them, brutally honest as always. “And you do? Joel you are literally insane, you spent a year raping and abusing that girl-”

“She was my WIFE!”

“SHE WAS YOUR CHILD BRIDE!”

Joel laughed, loud and cruel and unlike anything Ellie had heard from him before, but from the look on her uncle’s faces they were not surprised. “And Tommy was so much better? He’s only 7 years younger than me. A 20 year old and a 38 year old ain’t exactly clean itself.”

Much smaller than she’d like, Ellie’s voice peaked from behind Joel. “W-what?”

Joel turned slightly to face her. “Oooooooh, they didn’t tell you that part?” He was condescending, and she’d be lying if she said it didn’t hurt. She didn’t like being treated like a child, and she though Joel was someone who wouldn’t…

“Elles, don’t listen to him-”

“It wasn’t all rainbows and butterflies. Your mom cheated on me with my own goddamn brother, Ellie June.”

Ellie’s eyes flicked to Tommy’s, and the look on his face… she didn’t need to ask if that was true.

“Ellie, it wasn’t like that honeybun. She was scared, she asked me, she wanted-”

“Tom, stop, you aren’t helping” Zach’s voice was bitter, an unfamiliar tone to Ellie and she suddenly felt guilt. Everything was falling apart, her family, her uncles, her life. The second identity crisis in one summer and she felt like she was coming undone, unable to keep up with all the twists. She almost wanted to go back to not knowing, just to get her family back… but she also knew ignorance would not help her.

It was dark out, cold, the weather cooling for a Wyoming winter, the only kind of winter Ellie had ever known. Tommy was in his signature denim on denim, a noticeable blue under the moon light above them. This had to end, this had to end somehow, and soon. She couldn’t keep watching this, standing helpless to the side.

“You guys know he fucked her the night before she died too?” Joel sneered. “You stole my wife then you fucked her on a cold floor, 8 months pregnant, that’s probably why Ellie was premature!”

Lorenzo lost his patience with Tommy. “Oh for FUCKS SAKE TOMMY!” He shouted, apparently being done mediating between Tommy and Zach. “What the fuck is wrong with you!”

Tommy, for his part, was trying to keep calm with his eyes closed and voice steady. “It’s not like he’s framing it, I loved her-”

“Joel said he loved her too”

“I’m not like Joel!”

“You sure didn’t do much stop him!”

Ellie watched Tommy and Lorenzo go at it when she heard something she never thought she would. Zach making a dig at Lorenzo.

“Oh, and you did?”

For a moment, Zach paused, letting the words roll off his back before turning to Zach. “Excuse the fuck outta me?”

Zach’s tone was accusatory, pointing a finger at his lover as if his sister's abuser wasn’t right there, watching the men who had come together united for Ellie fall apart at his prodding. “You didn’t get her out either!”

“I literally took her away!”

“After he almost killed her! After she was pregnant from rape! After the worst psychological abuse I can imagine!”

Tommy came to Lorenzo’s defense, or, moreso ready to make a get at Zach. “I’m sorry, but who was it that let her get molested and mouth raped by random men?”

“And now you’re using Joel’s talking points?”

Ellie watched Joel watching her uncles, smirking as the trio who were once a coopt in the effort of raising her disintegrate, falling apart at the seams after just a small tug of their thread by Joel. He was good at what he did, manipulating people, manipulating relationships, twisting everyone's minds up in just the way he wanted… it was no wonder Tommy was incapable of killing him (and he was, Ellie thought, incapable of doing it). She wanted this to end, needed it to before their relationships became irreparable, before she could never have a semblance of a life like she had filled with love and affection and fun and family. She needed to do something before Joel took her, before Joel killed one or two or all of them, before the killing started a psychotic break and he killed June and Maura or came to Jackson or-

Her jackknife was in Joel’s neck before she realized what was happening.

Red splattered from his neck with the initial impact, getting on Ellie’s face but not much considering her head barely reached his shoulder.

“JOEL!” Tommy screamed, running to his brother as Ellie stumbled back, taking the knife out with her.

She caught the look of horror on Tommy and Zach’s face. “He was reaching for his gun! He was going to shoot-”

“Sarah”

Joel’s broken and choked voice croaked from Ellie’s feet, Tommy desperately trying to stop the bleeding as Ellie.

“C’mon Joel don’t do this.”

This would have implications later on, Lorenzo and Zach watching on with confusion as Tommy tried to save Joel… but they didn’t get it. They never would. They would never understand what it’s like to love and be loved by him. It was a disease, a cancer that eats away at you until it becomes on with your being, impossible to separate. Only death in death.

“It’s okay baby, we’re safe, we’re safe” Joel muttered, not really looking at anything in particular as Tommy held him. Ellie took a few steps forward, Zach telling her to stop, moving to stop her himself but Lorenzo holding him back. Lorenzo may not get it, but he understands the pull, the deep wound that Joel caused. He knew Ellie needed this. This was between Joel, Ellie and Tommy. Lorenzo and Zach were merely players in the sick game. She knelt by his side, hand on his clean shoulder and upper chest. Joel was her dad, despite it all.

Joel spoke again. “We’re not sick…. We're gonna get you to safety and go back for him, okay?”

Ellie looked to Tommy for clarification, but Tommy shook his head. “I don’t… I don’t know what he’s talking about.” He held his big brothers wound, attempting in vein to keep the blood in.

“Please don’t… Sarah? Move… move your hands baby”

Ellie dropped her hands away, but Tommy shook his head. “He’s not talking to you… he’s talking to Sarah” The realization hit Tommy, and he watched in pain as Joel died in his arms.

“He thinks I’m Sarah.”

“No, he- I know mija, I know, I- He’s reliving Sarah’s death…” Tommy’s eyes welled up with tears, the anguish clear on Joel’s face as he was forced to exist once more in the hardest moment of his life, the moment he likely lost himself completely, the moment that made him who he was.

“I know, baby! I know it hurt, come on baby! Please! I know, baby! I know.”

“Dad-” Ellie reached out again for Joel, this time her hands on his face.

“Ellie, maybe don’t…” But Tommy made no real effort to stop her.

“I know, I know, I know. Please babygirl, don't do this to me.”

“Tom.” Zach voice was soft, sympathetic to the plight of the pair before. Despite the previous argument and the issue’s they’d had, it was clear Zach felt for Tommy, having spent the better part of two decades raising a little girl together with Lorenzo and having lost a sibling himself. “He’s bleeding out slowly, but he's bleeding out. It’s best just to… end it.”

“Don't do this to me, baby. Come on...N-no. No...don't...please. Please. Please. Please don't do this to me.”

Tommy looked at Zach, then Lorenzo, then Ellie. “I- I can’t. I couldn’t do it before, I couldn’t do it for it her I c-can’t!” Tommy’s voice broke, cracking at the last word. “I know I’m weak, Ellie. I know. I couldn’t stand up to him, I couldn’t protect her, I could protect you-”

Joel continued mumbling to ‘Sarah’ telling her it’d be okay, he’s taking her somewhere safe, he’ll come back for uncle Tommy, please’s and don’t do this to me, occasionally reverting back to the “We’re not sick!”

“Tommy” Ellie reached out for her uncle's hand, covered in her dads blood, blood she spilled. Tommy looked up at her, reduced to tears, he looked so young, so vulnerable… she wanted to stop his pain, but she couldn’t. “We have to do this.” Ellie pulled Tommy’s hand back with her, pressing her knife into it, the knife that used to belong to Joel. “We’ll do it together, okay.”

“Ellie, no, this shouldn’t be on you, you don’t have to-”

“I want to.” It seemed only right, for them to be the ones to do it, to end it all.

With one hand on the knife, her other found Joel’s face. “Dad? Dad, I’m here okay?”

Suddenly, Joel’s eyes found Ellie’s, wide and scared and sad and so, so human. “Sarah?”

Ellie smiled. “Yeah, it’s Sarah. Uncle Tommy brought me to safety. We’re okay. Everything’s okay.”

“T-Tommy?” His breath was growing ragged, heavy and unsteady as his words began to slur.

Tommy’s calloused hand held Joel’s, together as they had always been. A bond no one could understand, not even Tommy. “I’m here, Joel. Everything’s okay. They stopped the virus, we’re safe, everyone is safe now.”

“You can rest, dad” Ellie coaxed him down. “Close your eyes, dad. It’s okay. We’re safe. Uncle Tommy’s gonna take care of me, just rest.”

Ellie saw Joel squeezing Tommy’s hand. “O-okay. Yeah. Just… just a little rest.”

“Just a little rest, Joel. Then we’ll all be together again, okay? You me and Sarah.”

Joel nodded, small and weak and barely there as he closed his eyes. Together, Ellie and Tommy sliced through his throat, ending Joel’s 3 decade reign of terror and a splash of blood.

When Ellie fell back, beginning to sob, she found herself caught in Lorenzo’s arms and turned into him, allowing him to comfort her the way he had been trying to. After a moment, Lorenzo coaxed her up, Zach on the other side of the dead body helping a shaky Tommy stand.

Ellie continued to cry quietly looking at her dad, a relationship that came and shifted and changed and left so many times and so fast that she could barely keep up. He was a horrible person, someone she should despise… and she did, to some respect… but there was another side to Joel, a dad who lost his daughter, the most precious thing in his life… and was never the same since. She still loved her dad, even if she didn’t love Joel.

“C’mon, baby girl” Tommy’s voice was beside her now. “Let’s go home.”

Tommy and Lorenzo’s arms helping her, Zach helping Tommy, they began to walk away from what they had all witnessed. The body would be dealt with, Tommy would go to Maria and explain the situation and they’d dig a grave. Maybe Tommy could convince the pastor to say some words… Joel wasn’t really practicing by the end of the world anyway but he had Sarah baptized, and went to the local baptist church for holidays. Tommy would also, as he promised a guilt ridden Ellie he would, tell Maria about the older teen and the children who Joel had orphaned, taking them to Jackson, to safety. Ellie knew this meant the girl would probably tell the whole town who she was, who her father was… but Ellie was prepared to deal with that. This was her reparation.

“Baby, I don’t blame you for not saving her, you know that, right.” Zach said to Lorenzo on the way back.

“Yeah, I know. We all had our chances, but we all failed her.”

“You didn’t fail me.” Ellie spoke. She was starting to realize… her uncles were growing older. They’d spent 16 years caring for her. It was her turn to care for them. “You did right by me, you kept me safe, happy. I think that mattered to my mom more than anything.”

Tommy turned to her. “Ellie?”

“Yeah?”

“Joel was reaching for his gun, right?”

Ellie swallowed, feeling caught, feeling watched as Lorenzo and Zach looked at her. “Yeah, I was scared he was going to hurt you guys.”

None of them looked like they believed her… but it didn’t really matter, did it? Joel deserved to die. No one looked like they were casting judgment.

“I love you, honeybun. Always. We all do, your aunts do… No more secrets. Tomorrow, whatever you wanna know, I’ll tell you.”

Ellie didn’t know if she even wanted to know more… but considering the trouble not knowing brought her before… Ellie was going to learn all the grizzly details. She was going to learn, she was going to stop sneaking out, she was going to be more disciplined in school, take on extra patrols. Ellie was going to do better. She was never going to lead raiders, she was never going to kill innocnet people and terrorize those around her. But she was going to be a leader. She was going to be the one to stop evil men like Joel, and protect the vulnerable like her mom. She was going to do what the men in her life couldn’t.

“I love you all, so fucking much.”

And she meant it. With everything in her, she loved her family. All of them.

************

Well kids, this is it. The end.

I have a few AU's and shit I wanna do just for funsies but this is all I'm commiting to for now. I want to finish out a few series on my main and get me 1000 followers done, then Im working on another dark!joel series, a yandere, dbf sugar daddy joel but a much shorter series.

Anyway, as always, THANK YOU SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR LOVE AND SUPPORT!!! you kee me going despite the rude anons! I've made pals through this sight and i love yall

please please tell me your thoughts! How we feel about tommy? zach? lorenzo? ellie? and esp joel?!?!?! do you think ellie and tommys reaction was warrented? did ellie do the right thing?

@maura-honey @my-secret-shame-but-fanfiction @the-fox-den @not-a-unique-snowflake-blog @koshkaj-blog @miraclesabound @ramblers-lets-get-ramblin @pimosworld

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lethalchiralium · 6 months

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“Simon.”

His teeth nipped at your neck, a little giggle escaped your lips. Hands holding his head and back as he pressed his own grip into your hip. Your smile was small, trying not to entertain him while waiting for one of the girls to wake up from their naps.

“Simon, I mean it-“

His forehead pressed against your jaw, slick with sweat as he panted, “Five minutes. Five minutes and I’ll be quiet too.” You didn’t have to look at him to know his desperate gaze, the way his bottom lip would be swollen from your teeth chewing on it a few moments earlier.

Your nails scratched his scalp, his body involuntarily shuddered. “The girls will be up any moment-“

His nose pressed against your pulse, the knee in between your legs pressed up a little bit - you gasped, gripping your husband’s head and back like your life depended on it.

“Y/N.”

“Mhm.”

“You’re not letting yourself relax again.” His forehead rose from your skin, his dark eyes met yours with a gentle gaze. “We don’t have to fuck but it’s not always about the kids. Sometimes it’s about you.”

You let a huff escape your nose, eyebrows furrowed and your eyes rolled. A smile tugged at your lips.

“Five minutes.”

He kissed your cheek. “Gotta remember you need time for yourself too.”

“And for my needy husband.”

He kissed your nose and lips, the lips he was tracing with his tongue a few minutes prior. “You can always kick me off and call it a day.”

You shook your head, your nails dug into his back. “You’re so sure they won’t wake up.”

“Door’s locked anyway.” He smirked, pressing his lips with fervor. You tilted your head upwards, deepening the kiss and feeling your husband’s hands dip underneath your waistband. He pulled away after only a second, mischievous and greedy. “Tell me to stop if you need.”

You nodded, letting your head fall back onto your pillow as your husband began to kiss down your chest, his lips parting as soon as they met your cunt.

#happiness series #happiness #simon ghost riley #simon riley #call of duty #simon riley x reader #simon ghost riley x reader #lethalchiralium #lethal chiralium #simon riley call of duty #simon riley x wife!reader #simon ghost riley x f!reader #simon riley x f!reader #simon ghost riley x wife!reader #simon ghost riley x you #simon riley x you

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kizzer55555 · 2 months

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DP x DC: The Most Dangerous Card Game

Ok so Danny has essentially claimed earth as his. And he is fully aware that there are constant threats to the planet. Now he can’t stop a threat that originates on earth (that’s something he’ll leave to the Justice league) but he can do something about outside threats. Doing some research on ancient spells, rituals, and artifacts, he cast a world wide barrier on the planet to protect it from hostile threats so they cannot enter. This will prevent another Pariah Dark incident. However, barriers like this come at a price. You see, there are two ways to make a barrier. Either make one powered up by your own energy and power (which would be constantly draining) or set up a barrier with rules. The way magic works is that nothing can be absolutely indestructible. It must have a weakness. The most powerful barriers weren’t the ones reinforced with layer after layer of protective charms and buffed up with power. Those could eventually be destroyed either by being overpowered, wearing them down, or by cutting off the original power source. No, the most powerful barriers were the ones with a deliberate weakness. A barrier indestructible except for one spot. A cage that can only be opened from the outside. Or that can only be passed with a key or by solving a riddle. So Danny chooses this type of barrier and does the necessary ritual and pours in enough power to make it. And he adds his condition for anyone to enter.

Now the Justice league? Find out about the barrier when Trigon attempts to attack, they were preparing after he threatened what he would do once he got to earth. How he would destroy them. The Justice league tried to take the fight to him first but were utterly destroyed, so they retreated home to tend to their injuries, and fortify earth for one. Last. Stand. Only when Trigon makes his big entrance…he’s stopped.

The Justice league watch in awe as this thin see-through barrier with beautiful green swirls and speckled white lights like stars apears blocking Trigon and his army’s advance. The barrier looks so thin and fragile yet no matter how hard the warlord hits, none of his attacks can get through and neither can he damage said barrier. That’s when Constantine and Zatanna recognizes what this barrier is. Something only a powerful entity could create. For a moment, the league is filled with hope that Trigon can’t get through yet Constantine also explains that it’s not impenetrable. And clearly Trigon knows this too for he calls out a challenge.

And that’s when, in a flash of light, a tiny glowing teenager appears. He looked absolutly minuscule compared to Trigon and yet practically glowed with power (this isn’t a King Danny AU though).

And that is when the conditions for passing the barrier are revealed. And the Justice realize that the only thing stopping Trigon and his army from decimating earth. The only way he can get through….is by beating this glowing teenager in a card game.

Not just any card game though. The most convoluted game Sam, Danny, and Tucker invented themselves. It’s like the infinite realms version of magic the gathering, combined with Pokémon, and chess. And Danny is the master. So sit down Trigon and let’s play.

(The most intense card game of the Justice league’s life).

After Danny wins, this happens a few more times with outer word beings and possibly even demons attempting to invade earth, yet none have been able to beat the mysterious teenager in a card game. Constantine might even take a crack at it and try to figure out how to play. He’s really bad though. Every time this happens, the Justice league worry that this might be the time the teenager looses. Yet every time, he wins (even if only barely).

Meanwhile, Danny, Sam, and Tucker have gotten addicted to the game and play it almost daily. Some teachers might seem them playing the game are are like ‘awww how cute’ not realizing this game is literally saving the world. Jazz is just happy they aren’t spending as much time on their screens playing Doomed.

#DPxDC #Kizzer55555 ideas #Danny makes a card game to save the world.#Technically he worded the ritual so that they had to ‘beat’ him as those are the most powerful barriers and most reliable.#keys can just get lost or stolen (like the one to Pariah’s Coffin)#A riddle would be useless once someone figured out the answer. Like how no one takes the sphynx seriously anymore.#(Sorry Tuck. But it’s true).#And there is NO WAY Danny is just leaving a hole open for anyone to pass through. No thank you!#So…beating him. But it’s not like Danny wanted to fight so…he edited the ritual a TINY bit. Card games are good. Much less painful too.#Danny Tucker and Sam made the most complicated card game they could imagine.#It’s based on their strategies for fighting ghosts. Capturing them in thermoses. And MUCH based on a on field battle strategy.#It often requires spontaneous thinking on the spot. So Danny? In his ELEMNT. It doubles as practice for his actual ghost battles too.#They had SO much fun making this.#Sam added an entire series of plant cards that act as traps and healing ointments and duds that just take up the field.#Tucker added legitimate hyroglyphics combined with Latin as well as English and ghost speak.#Yes. You actually have to speak that language to play. With proper pronunciation. (Amity Parker’s think the three are talking gibberish.)#I headcanon Sam and Tucker are fluent in Ghost.#Constantine WILL figure this game out SO HELP HIM!#Some of the cards also have combinations related to constellations either in name or placement on the board.#By the way the board is based on a Hexagonal summoning circle with Rhunes along the edges #And the placement of the cards on the board and on what rhune MATTERS.#Also the cards move disintegrate and have certain abilities. Think of Harry Potter Wizard Chess.#But they are normal when Danny plays at school. This is just for ✨effect✨ Against invaders.#Danny faces multiple opponents. He also halts alien invasions.#While Danny COULD stop crime on earth he’s not sure how to fight a normal human and hold back so he sticks to ghosts.#The Justice league are going crazy trying to figure out who this entity is and after deep research are convinced this is some sort of #Ancient being who has protected earth for millenia. They have paintings on ruins and everything.#Danny is not aware they think this.#Raven starts praying to Danny as if he is a god and wrangles the other Teen Titans into doing so as well. Danny is still unaware of this.#Danny is not a King or an ancient. Just a very VERY strong ghost.

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phantom-of-the-keurig · 2 years

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This is by far the funniest thing to ever come out of the Kenobi show, the entire thing was worth it just for this

#WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN LMFAO #shows up a week late with a force ghost iced coffee and no fucks to give #qui gon jinn #kenobi spoilers #kenobi series #obi wan kenobi

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a-small-writer-in-a-big-world · 2 months

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Roommate!Simon who loves to listen to you talk and likes talking to you but wishes you would stop talking just for a little bit so he can kiss you

He just got back from deployment. You’re both laying in bed catching up, having talked to each other for hours now, and he’s yet to kiss you.

He wants to so badly. He wants to feel your lips against his, to hold you and feel your weight in his arms before he falls asleep because he desperately needs to show you how much he missed you.

But he can’t bring himself to interrupt you. Not when you’ve got that twinkle in your eyes, not when you’re so happy he’s home.

Every time he thinks you’re done, he leans in to go for it but then you start talking again.

He’s tried staring at your lips, he’s tried practically getting up in your face to hint at it, putting his hand on your hip to pull you closer but you’re obvious to it.

You’re just so happy he’s home safe.

“Love.” He somehow manages to get the courage to interrupt you but you’re not mad. “I want to kiss you.”

“Then kiss me?” You gave him a confused look.

Usually he doesn’t ask, he just pulls you in for a kiss and you happily accept it.

Simon scoffs but finally, finally pulls you into him and kisses you deeply. He heaves a sigh of relief, pouring every ounce of love he has inside him at that moment into the kiss as he practically smushes you against his chest.

when you break apart you’re both breathless and he caresses your cheek gently.

“Didn’t want to interrupt you.”

Your eyes widened and you can’t help but feel a little embarrassed. You hadn’t realized you had talked so much since he got home.

“Sorry.” You gave him a sheepish smile but he shook his head.

“Don’t be.” He pressed another kiss to your lips. “Keep going.”

For the first time two weeks, Simon fell asleep to your voice.

#the roommate series #simon ghost riley x reader #simon ghost riley x you #simon ghost riley #call of duty #from a certified yapper #sometimes I talk too much #lol

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gauntletqueen · 2 months

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When a non-horror game has a horror section, I often find it a little more effective or memorable than a full-on horror title's horror, in a way. I think that's because, for characters in fiction, they usually don't know they're about to experience a horror story, so they aren't mentally prepared at all. As the audience, we know that when we boot up Silent Hill, we're gonna see some scary stuff and can mentally prepare accordingly. But when some innocuous children's platformer or RPG or whatever suddenly throws genuine horror elements at me, I'm taken out of my comfort zone much more roughly since I don't expect it at all. I think that's neat :>

#Fallout has some great examples of this #A Hat in Time and Rayman as well #the Zelda series of course #One of the most fun uses of this trope to me is in games with sidequests #Where you're send to some location that might be kinda suspicious #maybe sent to get an item or look for someone who got lost #and Oops! The places is Haunted by Actual Ghosts!#An until now unknown element of this world!#That's so fun #you get to feel just like some investigative journalist or whatever from a horror story #who has no idea what they're about to get into

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romana-after-dark · 11 months

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Ghost of You: Chapter 2

Ellie Miller & Joel Miller

ft. Tommy Miller, Lorenzo and Zach Aleverano

Content warnings for entire series, not chapter by chapter unless more is added.

Yeah I wrote two fics in this universe in one day what about it?

*******************

“Where you running off too? Dinner’s almost done.” Tommy called as Ellie tried to sneak out of the house. He was making diner, and it smelled fucking good as his food usually did. Uncle Lorenzo said Tommy used to never cook very well; Lorenzo had to eat a lot of it back in the day, and he much preferred her moms cooking or Zach’s, and Ellie asked if he cooked. Lorenzo dodged the question, saying that when Tommy took Ellie in, he learned how to cook from Zach… he learned how to do a lot of things, actually. June, Maura, Lorenzo, Zach, they all taught Tommy what he needed to know.

“I’m going to Dina’s for the evening, gotta practice shooting.” Ellie replied, trying to not look at him. If she looked at Uncle Tommy, she’d feel bad and stay, and she did not want to stay.

“Honeybun, I told you you’re uncles are coming over for diner tonight, they miss you.”

“I saw them last week!” And Ellie’d been avoiding them since she found out they lied.

“Ellie, I think you should stay-”

She was out the door.

Tommy was a good dad, but if Ellie had been a worse behaved kid he wouldn’t have stood a chance.

It had been a week since Ellie met Joel- her dad- finding out he was actually alive and the whole story of her upbringing was a lie. The reason she had avoided her family all week. She hadn’t dared sneak out again, afraid of Joel, afraid of confronting everything she wanted to keep to herself.

It was Dina that told her too. It wasn’t that she actually told Dina what happened; she couldn’t, not yet… but Dina was someone whose opinion she trusted, someone she valued. Only telling her that she found out her family had been lying to her and she has the chance to find out the truth but it’s a little dangerous. Ellie told her as long as it wasn’t putting her in immediate danger and she stayed alert, to follow her gut.

Her gut led her here, midnight, same spot, just as Joel told her to do.

“Didn’t think I’d see you again.”

Ellie whipped around, jackknife in hand, prepared. “We didn’t really have a chance to confirm any plans.” She said, slightly sarcastic.

Joel huffed a laugh, but smiled. “I’m happy you’re here, Ellie June.”

Ellie narrowed her eyes at him. “Why do you always call me that?”

“Ellie June?” He asked, taking a careful step forward. It was clear he was trying not to spook her, but the look Joel had on his face was soft, not unlike the way Tommy looked at her… it put her at ease. “Well, that’s your name, isn’t it?”

She lowered her knife. “Well duh, but no one calls me that.”

His smile was wry. “Yeah, Ellie wasn’t exactly what I wanted to name you. I liked June though.”

It was strange, the way that just seemed to make so much sense. Tommy wasn’t supposed to be her dad. This wasn’t supposed to be her life. Ellie wasn’t supposed to be her name…

“What was it supposed to be?” Her voice sounded so small at that moment…

“Dorothy June” Joel replied, then laughed as Ellie scrunched up her face. “Yeah, okay, maybe Dorthy wasn’t the best, but in my defense, we were going to call you Dolly.”

“Then why am I named Ellie?”

“I bet you got a lot of questions, don’t you? Can we take a walk? We can stay close to town”

Ellie considered this. It seemed harmless, but Lorenzo was sure to warn her time and time again that men that seem harmless are often the most dangerous. Still, she felt drawn to him, she wanted to get to know her dad.

“Fine, but you try any shit, I’ll fuck’n shank ya.” Ellie held up the knife.

Seemingly distracted by the knife, for a moment he simply stared at it sadly.

“I don’t doubt you will.”

Whatever questions Ellie had, Joel had an answer.

“Why is my name Ellie if you wanted Dorothy?”

“Well, I wanted Dorothy. After your great-grandma, and your ma didn’t protest. She just wanted June, after your aunt of course. When Tommy found you, she told him she wanted to name you Ellie June, and we take deathbed wishes pretty seriously ‘round here.”

Something stuck as odd to her. “What do you mean when Tommy found me?”

He sighed, hesitating. “I didn’t really wanna talk about this today but… I suppose you’ve been lied to enough. Tommy and I weren’t talking back them. A few months after your mom joined us, I found out Tommy was going behind my back, telling my enemies my business. I kicked him out, and we didn’t talk since.” Joel sounded to sad, so genuinely hurt…

“Uncle Tommy did that?” Ellie questioned, it was so unlike Tommy… but she had learned that everything she know of her uncles, especially Tommy, was up in the air.

“Yeah. It was a real betrayal, I was so fucking angry with him. ‘Shamed to say I hurt him, it might have been worse if your mom didn’t step between us. Refused to move until I let Tommy go.”

Ellie should be shocked and upset that he admitted to hurting her father figure… but Joel seemed to understand the seriousness of his actions, he seemed sorry, and would Tommy, or Lorenzo, or Maria react the same way if someone had done something to threaten Jackson’s security? “She wasn’t scared?”

Joel smiled fondly at the memory of her mom. “No, she knew I would never hurt her.”

They talked for hours, questions and answers, slowly but surely she began to get a picture of the reality of her past, her origins, her family. It was obvious how Joel always tried to paint Tommy is a good light, despite the things Tommy had done… Joel still loved his brother. He asked how he was doing, if his trick knee that got him honorably discharged from the army was hurting him too bad, even asking about Lorenzo. By everything Ellie could tell, Joel cared about the ones she cared about, and cared about her. Around 3 AM, it was Joel that suggested she head home before it got too late.

“Nooo!” She whined; there was still so much more she wanted to know, so much she wanted to tell him… “You’ve been gone my whole life, why can’t we have another hour?”

The saddened look on his face made her regret her word choice, but still he shook his head. “Because I’ve been gone for 16 years, I think it’s only right I get to tell you to go to bed for once.” That sad smile again… “Ima gonna reach into my pocket, don’t stab me or noth’n” he winks playfully, and Ellie can’t help but chuckle just a bit. Joel pulled out two walkie talkies, handing one to Ellie. “I won’t call you, don’t wanna get you in trouble, but you can call me up if you wanna meet up or someth’n. I don’t wanna be presumptuous or noth’n. Maybe you just wanna ask me a bunch of questions about your mom and then never talk to me again. And that’s fine.” His southern drawl was prominent, thick like Tommy’s gets whenever his emotions are high. “I’ll take whatever I can get. But maybe… maybe you wanna see me, see what I do or…” There’s that nervousness again, evident in the way he shuffled his feet; hand in his pockets and he kicked a rock. “Maybe you miss me. I dunno. But you can call me up. Anytime you need help or have a question. I’ll answer, every time.” He was so earnest in the way he looked at her, like he was desperate for anything…

Ellie tucked the walkie talkie in her coat pocket. “Any time?”

“Any time. Don’t matter.”

Ellie believed him.

That night as she snuck back into bed, Ellie laid down, examining the walkie talkie. She was pretty sure Lorenzo had the same kind… she’d have to make sure she wasn’t on their frequency, but she could also use their charger. Convenient for her. There was really no reason to trust the man she had seen tonight, but she couldn’t help it. Joel was her dad. Not Tommy. Tommy had taken her, Tommy had lied, Tommy continued to lie even as she grew older because he was selfish… She wanted her mom… A mother she never had the chance to meet, to know, only knew through stories her aunts and uncles told her and god, how many of those were even true? None the less, like a child, she wanted her parents. Ellie was hurt, she was lonely and felt the world around her falling apart. She wanted her dad. But instead of Tommy, instead of the man she knew she could wake up right now and he’d hold her, instead of the man she new she could crawl into the safety of his bed in the thunderstorms still scared her, instead of the man she called for just last month when she woke up puking on herself, she looked at her walkie talkie.

Click

“Ellie June, everything alright?”

“Yeah… you said I could call you if I missed you, right?”

For a few weeks, Ellie and Joel continued to meet up, turn more and more into the day time. Dina covered for her a lot, but sometimes she told Joel she was out with Uncle Renzo when she knew he was working fields. Ellie always liked to accompany her uncle during farm work depending what they were doing. Renzo was a talker, so even if Ellie was feeling down or tired for one reason or another, he could carry the conversation. She liked listening to him talk. Right now, however, she was using him as a cover story and only felt a little bit bad about it. Joel continued to answer her questions, but they slowly began to just…. Be. Joel couldn’t spend all his time just talking, so he took her with him hunting or fishing.

But the more time she spent with Joel, the more time she spent away from Tommy. Ellie hadn’t sat down with him for a meal in a month, mostly eating with Joel, Dina, or the leftovers Tommy always left for her. She knew she was hurting him, but she didn’t care. He deserved it after everything he did to Joel.

It was well past dark when Ellie walked to her house again, annoyed to see Tommy strumming his guitar on the porch.

“You have fun with Lorenzo?” He asked, looking up and setting his instrument down. He always tried so hard to be present with her, to show he was listening, to not be distracted…

Ellie didn’t want to talk. “Yeah” She skipped up the stairs and tried to open the door, but it was locked.

“That’s funny, because he came home two hours ago and said you hadn’t been with him.”

Fuck.

“Well I was-”

“Actually, he tried to say you were with him, no doubt covering for you. Thing is, you should’ve just told him you needed him to lie, he would’ve.” Tommy crossed his arms over his chest, bundled up in that blue jean jacket of his. “Unfortunately, he stuttered one too many times. Where were you? With a boy?”

Ellie panicked. “Yes.”

Tommy groaned, scrubbing his face with his hands. “Elles, I told you, you’re old enough to have a boyfriend but you can’t be keeping it a secret and you can’t be dating alone, I don’t want you-”

“Yeah yeah yeah!” Her voice grew louder in frustration. “I’m a fucking child that needs to be swaddled at all goddamn times, okay, sure!” Ellie tried to open the door jiggling the handle, but it wouldn’t go.

“Elles, that’s not-”

She took out her pocket knife, trying to pick the lock. “Or maybe I’m a whore and that’s why you feel the need to lock me up-”

“Ellie! Jesus, I would never call you-”

“GOD FUCKING DAMMIT!” The stupid door wouldn’t unlock, leaving a frustrated Ellie banging on the frame as she tried to unlock it. Why hadn’t uncle Lorenzo taught her this?

“Ellie! Can you just-” But as Tommy reached for her hand in an attempt to still her, he placed his hand on hers at the door handle.

She didn’t mean to. She really, really didn’t. It was just that he touched her hand, the hand holding the knife, and when she jumped back, startled.

“Fuck!” Tommy shouted, holding his bleeding hand.

Zach and Lorenzo were at their side in second, having heard the shouting.

“Ellie!” Lorenzo chastised, holding her shoulders and keeping her away from Tommy. Initially, her reaction had been to go to Tommy’s side, she wanted to see how badly he was hurt, tend to his hand, but Lorenzo had pulled her back. She watched in horror with herself as Uncle Zach took off his shirt and wrapped up the cut hand.

Though his teeth were gritted in pain, Tommy was quick to defend her. “It was an accident.”

She felt bad, she did… but if Tommy hadn’t locked her out, hadn’t tried to touch her, none of this would have happened. Ellie felt defensive of herself, the need to shift the blame away from her even though Tommy had absolved it. “You shouldn’t have locked me out!”

Zach threw a look over his shoulder. “Ellie, stop it.”

She couldn’t stop. Ellie didn’t know why, maybe it was the anger of feeling betrayed by the man she loved so much, maybe it was the pent up frustration of feeling so stuffled, maybe it was all the goddamn hormones everyone around her won’t shut up about, but she was angry at Tommy. “I’m not a child! You don’t get to control me!”

“What is going on with you, Ellie?” Tommy asked through the pain. “You’re gone all hours of the day, you won’t talk to me, this boyfriend doing something to you?”

Ellie hears Lorenzo mutter ‘boyfriend’ confused, but Ellie ignored him. “You always do this! You think I’m not capable of making my own choices, it’s always someone else influencing me-”

Zach spoke over her, Tommy’s blood starting to soak through his shirt. “Ren, take her to our house.” He wouldn’t hear of Tommy’s protests. “You two can deal with this in the morning, but I'm never gonna stop this bleeding if you don’t get your heartrate down.”

Lorenzo practically dragged Ellie to the guest room in their house, instructing her to go to bed. Ellie had clothes, a toothbrush, pads, everything she might need at her uncles and before the revelation of everyone lying, she used to stay over sometimes. Ellie laid down after getting ready, images swirling in her head of Tommy bleeding. Had she really done that? It had been an accident, a result from moving the hand holding the knife too fast, never meant to do anything to him, but he scared her.

Since when did her uncle scare her? Why had she jumped like that? After what Joel had told him, about him being a raider, him taking her from Joel, betraying Joel… why was she so scared of Tommy who had never so much as raised his voice at her.

A knock.

“Who is it?”

“You’re favorite uncle”

A sigh. “Come in.”

Lorenzo leaned in the doorway, looking her over. His arms were crossed but not in the upset way Tommy’s had been. “Boyfriend, huh?” He didn’t seem convinced.

“Uhhhh yep.”

“Hm. You gonna tell me who it is?”

“Uhhhh. No?”

“Hm. Well, my loving but annoying husband wanted to ask you if that boyfriend is mess’n with you or something. That why you been acting so weird?”

Ellie groans loudly, flopping on the bed. “Noooooooo.”

“Yeeeahhhh didn’t think so, kid. I told ‘em you’re probably just figuring some shit out. I remember being 16 and they should too. Tommy’s old, but he ain’t that goddman old.”

She turns over, facing the wall. There’s a long silence before you ask him to go away.

It was Lorenzo’s turn to sigh. “Okay. You can talk to me, you know that, right?”

Ellie didn’t answer him.

It was the next morning that was the hardest part. She knew she’d have to face Tommy.

When Ellie walked in the doorway, Tommy was sitting at the table; honeybuns laid out for her. “I’ll leave yuh be in a minute. Can we talk about last night?”

It was clear Tommy was hiding his bandaged hand under the table so as not to upset her. “It was an accident.”

“I know.” He conforms quickly. “I know Ellie. I meant the other-”

“I don’t want to talk about it.” She was still angry. She hated this, the fury she felt, the anger, the rage at what Tommy had done to her dad, the life she had robbed from her.

He simply nodded. He was so understanding it was infuriating. “Okay. Listen, whoever it is you’re seeing, you can see, but it's gotta be in public or at our house. I don’t think it’s unreasonable to-”

“Fine, whatever.” Ellie stormed off to her room. She pick up extra patrol shifts, something that Tommy could verify but not know where she was and sneak off with Joel that way, she could start back with meeting up at night, whatever it was she was going to keep seeing Joel, and she told him as much that night when they met up, Ellie explaining the situation with Tommy and what had happen.

So there it was for a few months, Ellie sneaking off in pockets of time, mostly ignoring Tommy but occasionally spending time with Renzo and Zach. Every few weeks or so Aunt June and Aunt Maura visited, and Ellie tried to spend time with them. She wasn’t as angry with them as she was with her uncles, and she wasn’t as angry with Lorenzo and Zach as she was Tommy. To her, it was Tommy’s fault, Tommy was the catalyst, Tommy was the one she wanted to punish… even if it hurt. She’d be lying if she said she didn’t miss him.

But Ellie was making up for lost time with her dad.

“Yuh know.” Joel started as they were fishing one day. “I was think’n. I’m getting older, I ain’t gonna be able to do what I do forever, I need someone I can trust to take over… I can’t have just anyone, it’s a lot of power, and you know what they say, with great power comes great- you know what, you’re not gonna get that joke. Anyway, what I’m saying is…” Joel took a deep breath, look at Ellie seriously. “I wanna start showing you the ropes of what I do. There’s no pressure to take anything over if you decide it ain’t for you, but you’re a smart kid with a good heart. I think you’d be able to take care of the people like I hope I do.”

Ellie was flabbergasted. She had taken an interest in Joel’s work, yes, but she had never expected this… never expected Joel to feel she was worthy of his work he clearly cared so much about. “Yes!” There was no second thought to her next action. Ellie hugged him.

Joel paused for a moment, probably shocked at the sudden physical affection, but quickly wrapped him arms around her. “I’m very proud of who you've become, Ellie June. I’m sorry I wasn’t there to watch it happen, but I am so, so proud of you.”

************

Not a super eventful chapter, I know, but after examining the time line I decided this is the best course of action. We'll have 6 chapters over all, getting progressively more eventful. I just wanted to show how Joel is slowly replacing Tommy.

Anyway, I think thats all i gotta say! Oh! except hellooooooo to this anon I will continue to not have a single new idea nor will i be proof reading, so eat my ass about it <3

Remember, reblogs are the only way this gets spread and while likes are lovely, they don't help it come to other people unlike other social media. Comments keep me writing and mean the entire world to me.

Comment to be added to the tag list!

@maura-honey @my-secret-shame-but-fanfiction @the-fox-den @not-a-unique-snowflake-blog @koshkaj-blog @primosworld @miraclesabound @ramblers-lets-get-ramblin

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todayisyourturntolose · 8 months

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idk what possessed jim to be extra chaotic and odd as pat during this season, but i'm all here for it.

#been there. done that. got the t-shirt mate.#thank you jim for this impeccable performance #what would we do without ya #bbc ghosts #ghosts s5 #ghosts spoilers #ghosts series 5 #jim howick #pat butcher

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lethalchiralium · 6 months

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Three hours. Three straight hours of screaming and you were itching for the moment Simon walked in from work. You loved little Mellie being this small, but teething all night and day has you physically and mentally drained. You never remembered Winnie being difficult at all, but Mellie was pulling, kicking, biting, and screaming. Your gentle little baby was in pain and was temporarily a rabid dog with no teeth poking through.

The best weapon you had to combat Mellie’s reign of terror was a frozen teething ring, her little eyes pricked with tears. She couldn’t even look at you, she looked anywhere but you as the time ticked down - you were desperate to hear Simon’s footfalls. Mellie still squealed with pain, little hands gripped the teething ring for dear life.

Simon was on cue at that point, the short walk across the porch to the door opening, relief flooded through you before dread, realizing your mistake. As soon as Mellie saw Simon, her hands threw down the teething ring and she let out a blood-curdling screech, hands out and tears running down her face. You held her out a little, Simon didn’t even take off his shoes to come pluck his daughter from your hold. You bent down and grabbed the ring, expecting to have to hear Mellie scream for another few hours - but her voice quieted when you stood back up.

You grew agitated when you watched Mellie silence, all because she was staring at her dad’s face with curiosity.

“How do you do that?”

“Do what?”

Your eyes stung with tears. “Get her to settle like that instantly.”

“You’re a part of her right now, love. The whole ‘Mum is an extension of me’ thing.” He placed the joint of his pointer finger on Mellie’s gums, allowing her to gnaw on his hand with drool dripping down his arm. “She sees you as a part of her, so when she sees me, she sees her dad. She thinks baby and Mum are one.”

You took a breath there, comforted by his words. You gave him a nod, letting tears fall as you spoke, “I’m so tired, Simon.”

His hand reached up and rested on your cheek, wiping away tears. “I know. I’ll handle the rascals and dinner.”

You melted into his touch for just a moment before pulling him to you - Mellie slobber barely grazing your face as he kissed you, kissed your cheek and forehead. His dark eyes kept their unwavering stare, like always, but it carried a warm undertone.

“Go rest, love. I mean it.” Another kiss to your lips and he pushed you away towards the staircase, not without a gentle rub on your back.

#happiness series #happiness #lethalchiralium #lethal chiralium #simon ghost riley #simon riley #call of duty #simon riley x reader #simon ghost riley x reader #simon ghost riley x f!reader #simon ghost riley x wife!reader #simon ghost riley x you #simon riley x you #simon riley x f!reader #simon riley x wife!reader #simon riley call of duty

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theywhowriteandknowthings · 2 months

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Grocery shopping with Simon “Ghost” Riley.

My blog is predominantly 18+ minors DNI

No warnings but there are mentions of food and alcohol. 440~ Words

Simon is the king of loyalty cards.

He has a Nectar card. He religiously swipes his Tesco Club card. He has a Morrisons Fuel card for Christ’s sake.

He claims it’s because it saves money, even though he frequently grumbles that “it’s a con to make you shop there more”.

So when you’re out grocery shopping he’s always looking for good deals and will use up every point, coupon, and special offer whenever he can.

Before you he wouldn’t dare put something in the trolley if it wasn’t on offer, switching deodorant brands frequently, eating the same soup for weeks because he had to buy ten cans to get the best price.

Now, however, he has loosened his rules. Relaxed his near-obsessive frugal habits, because he wants you to have the best.

If that bottle of wine/brand of crisps/favourite ice cream you like is on offer? Well that just sweetens the deal. Literally.

You call him out on it one day when you’re in the frozen aisle, trying to decide between a branded frozen treat or Asda’s (cheaper) own brand.

“Get the more expensive one,” he coaxes you as he notices your decision paralysis as you hover in front of the glass door.

He snakes his thick, muscular arms around your middle and pulls you back against him as he places a kiss to the side of your temple. You lean back and squeeze his forearms with both hands as you look up at him.

“Don’t think it’s a waste of money?”

“Nah, besides, we earn enough to not worry about,” he pauses to peer at the prices, “A fifty pence difference.”

“Who are you and what have you done with Simon Riley?” You ask with a chuckle as he smiles against your skin, a soft hum rippling through his chest.

“Shut up and just get the ice cream,” he growls but there’s no menace in it.

You both know how much he’s changed, how much he’s grown since he met you. It warms your heart to know that you’ve impacted his life so positively.

Heavens know he’s done the same and more for you.

You finish up the shop and are getting ready to pay when the woman at the till beams at you.

“Ah the sign must have fallen off, this is actually half-price!”

She wiggles the tub of ice cream in the air and you can’t help but grin at the way Simon exhales in a silent laugh. Nostrils flaring as he tries to stifle the triumphant grin on his face.

CoD Masterlist Grocery Shopping with Gaz Grocery Shopping with Soap Grocery Shopping with Price Grocery Shopping with König

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im-totally-not-an-alien-2 · 1 year

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Danny died young. That wasn't what made him powerful. No, but it was part of it. His obsession was Protection due to that being one of the only forms of love he ever received. His parents swearing to protect him from monsters that they never found and his sister protecting him from his parents more...extreme actions.

He died at 6 and if there was one lesson he had learned from his short life, it was that to love was to protect and to be loved is to be protected.

So Danny, ever the explorer, had spent another 6 years after death wandering around the zone and saving people. One day he slipped out of the Infinite Realms and into a new reality but he didn't expect to see a kid around his own age dressed in black and red.

The kid jumped from rooftop to rooftop, doing flips and handsprings with a small smile on his face. Danny stared at him wide eyed while standing frozen on the ground like an idiot. Just like that, Danny developed his first crush.

Following behind the kid was a large man in a gray and black outfit. Supervillian? He watched as this guy jumped from rooftop to rooftop running after the kid.

Danny almost blasted the guy right then and there if it wasn't for the kid turning around and talking to him. Eavesdropping wasn't exactly polite but Danny needed to know if he needed to rescue his crush this kid. Luckly it didn't come to that as "Batman and Robin" discussed a case and left.

Later, back in the IR, Danny was caught by Kitty while he was picking flowers. Upon asking what he was doing he stated the obvious. This of course, led to Kitty following Danny back to Gotham and getting front roy seats to Phantom popping his head up from the rooftop while Robin was running and startling him.

Robin got into his battle stance alongside Batman, all the while Danny didn't ride up from the roof any farther than his shoulders. Danny was too nervous to say anything and just blushed before he chucked the bouquet at Robins feet and bolted.

Robin jumped back, fully expecting the object the kid threw to be a weapon or explosive of some kind. Even after realizing they were flowers and the other kid was gone they still suspected it might be a trap.

Eventually they brought the glowing flowers to the batcave where they were examined. Alfred took the liberty of putting the ones that weren't being examined in a vase.

"I don't get it. Was he trying to send a message? I don't even recognize any of these flowers, what was he trying to tell us?"

"If I may, Master Tim." Alfred interrupted the boy, "Is it possible he gave you flowers for another reason? One more...mundane?"

------

Aka Danny gets a big ole crush on BTAS Tim and the other ghosts coo at Danny for "baby's first crush"

The bats are never normal so they're absolutely convinced Phantom is up to no good

#dp x dc #fanfiction prompts #prompts #danny phantom #danny fenton #batman #batman the animated series #tim drake #robin #robin iii #robin tim #danny is stalking Tim but convinces himself its okay cause hes protecting Tim #so weird stuff keeps happening around tim both in and out of costume #bruce is losing it especially after tim compares Phantom to an angel and Phantom being an idiot says hes more of a demon logically #up to you if the other ghosts try to help

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a-small-writer-in-a-big-world · 1 year

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The Roommate Series

Pairing: Simon “Ghost” Riley x f!reader

This is an (18+) story which means if you are a minor, you are not allowed to come onto my page and read this story. Smut will have a * in the link to the part

This series is complete

Synopsis: Three years ago you decided to go to college after being out of high school for so long but the only problem was that you needed a place to stay. You found an ad about someone needing a roommate for their apartment and ended up becoming roommates with a man named Simon Riley.

Now you've become best friends with Simon even when he disappears to work for months on end and shows back up randomly while never telling you what he does. As your relationship with Simon begins to change, you wonder if maybe his secrets were meant to stay hidden.

Heaven Help a Fool Who Falls in Love

My Heart is Yours

It was Only a Kiss

The Only Exception*

I Missed You, I'm Sorry

Home is Whenever I'm With You*

Lover Boy

So This Is Love*

I Surrender Who I've Been, For Who You Are*

Summertime Sadness*

Ptolemaea

In My Time of Dying

Aren't We Just Terrified?

Bury Me in Your Kiss*

Epilogue*

The Roommate Series on AO3

Extras

Why did Ghost fall in love with you

Dream

Flowers

Future

Argument

Sick

Nightmare

Zombie/Roommate!Simon 1

Zombie/Roommate!Simon 2

The tag list is closed!! I am so happy that so many of you want to be tagged for this story but I will not be accepting anymore requests to tag people in this series since this list has gotten long and it's hard to keep track of how many I have to add! Sorry for the inconvenience!

I don’t own these characters, Call of duty, or any of the Modern Warfare titles. You do not have permission to sell this work. (2/27/2024)

#masterlist #simon ghost riley x reader #the roommate series #simon ghost riley x you #cod ghost x reader #simon riley x reader #simon riley x you #simon ghost riley

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ghostly-schematics · 5 months

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I think what more people need to understand is that the pjo cast were cast with the intention of matching the reasoning behind their book appearance, rather than just how they were described. Luke, for example, was described in the books as a blond, muscular surfer kind of guy. At the time of publishing (2005), that was your generic attractive character, and he was described like that to make you trust him more so the betrayal was more unexpected. Now, almost twenty years later in the show, he looks like a tiktok fuck boy because that’s what people now tend to like more. On the other hand, Annabeth was blonde in the books because that was what made people doubt her intelligence, which isn’t something as common now. However, racism is still very real (as proven by people’s responses to Leah being cast), which makes people underestimate her, giving way for the same character arc. This concept works with the rest of the castings as well. Grover still gives the vibes of a lovable loser. Percy looks ready to sass a ninety year old man. Chiron looks appropriately wise and the Ares kids look ready to fuck you up.

The only character that I would say is different is Clarisse. In the books she’s described as big and muscular and ugly, as it was quite common at the time to say ugly = bad which is something that has not aged well at all. Dior’s casting goes against those negative attitudes and ties into the theme of “not everyone who looks like a monster is a monster and not everyone who looks like a hero is a hero”

And at the end of the day, everyone in the cast perfectly captures their characters’ personalities regardless of their appearance

#anyway the moral of the story is if you don’t like it fuck off #percy jackson #percy jackon and the olympians #pjo tv show #pjo series #percy jackson tv series #luke castellan #charlie bushnell #annabeth chase #leah sava jeffries #grover underwood #aryan simhadri #walker scobell #chiron pjo #clarisse la rue #dior goodjohn #my posts #the worst of ghost

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