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messrmoonyy · 1 year

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Tess finds you on a side street in Boston all beaten and bloody after you’ve been robbed. She takes you back to her place to stitch you up.

Needle and thread

Tess servopoulos x fem!reader

Not my gif - viktorhargreeves

A/N- Tess has had me in a chokehold ever since I first played the game a few years ago. The show has only amplified this. She’s a badass. A massive Mf flirt. Man I adore her. And seeing as the tess x reader tag is practically Barron. Here I am. Just a little something to ease me into writing for her. I’m still getting to grips with writing her.

Warnings: Tess loves a good curse word and I know some of you are tetchy about that, mentions of violence, mentions/ descriptions of injuries, reader doesn’t have a specified age but was born before outbreak day but is younger than Tess.

Word count: 3.8K

Masterlist

The first thing you registered was how fucking cold you were.

In fairness it hadn’t been a particularly warm day to begin with. It was the middle of winter and the sky had had that odd light, that showed it was full of impending snowfall, all day. And to make things worse you were street sweeping all day, out in the cold. You’d worn your thickest jacket, but in that moment you felt as though you weren’t even wearing one.

Your entire body was throbbing, your head pounding and there was a dull ache in your side, your mouth tasted of that bitter metallic twang of blood.

Next you noticed that you couldn’t see daylight behind your closed eyelids. It was dark. Where were you? What time was it?

The surface beneath you was too solid to be your bed. Yeah the mattress back in your apartment wasn’t exactly the comfiest thing, but it wasn’t that uncomfortable. And that cold breeze hitting your skin, chilling you to the bone…Where. The fuck. Were you?

Your eyes refused to open maybe out of fear or because your body felt so weak. Maybe it was a mixture of both.

Last thing you remembered was leaving your work assignment, payment of ration cards in your pocket.

Getting cornered in the alley.

A kick. A punch. Black.

You groaned and tried to move but your body protested. But you needed to move. To get up. If you were outside. And it was dark… it was past curfew. You didn’t need arresting for breaking the rules, FEDRA were getting a little too trigger happy for your liking. Firing squads and public hanging were becoming too frequent. And youd lasted 20 years in the damn shit hole that world was now. A firing squad wasnt how you wanted to go.

You’d had far too much time to think about death over the years and if you were gonna go out, you’d do it yourself. You’d decided that a while ago. Not because of some jumped up military officer who probably had a bet with another of who could get the most arrests in a week.

As if to confirm your own fears you heard footsteps drawing closer, hushed voices. And maybe that was it. Maybe you were about to be arrested for breaking curfew and you’d be up on the gallows tomorrow morning and that was that. They’d make up some excuse about having held a fair trial. When in reality they didn’t give two shits

“ Jesus fucking Christ “ you waited for a radio beep, a soldier calling in about someone out. They wouldn’t care that you’d been beat to a pulp. They wouldn’t care it was clearly not your fault that you were lying there in the dark. It was starting to become a game to them now, how many executions could they get in a week.

But no radio beep came. No static FEDRA chatter.

“ hey. Hey you alive? “ you coughed in some attempt to clear the blood that was still seeping into your mouth and attempting to find its way down your throat “ yeah. Alive “

“ Tess what are you doing? “ this voice was a man’s. A heavy Texan accent dripping from his low voice, his tone hushed.

“ what? You want to leave her here? “ a pair of cold hands were on your face, tilting it to the side and clearly examining the damage done.

“ since when are you so caring? “

“ since some girl has had her fucking face kicked in on one of our routes“ you groaned and tried to push yourself up, failing miserably.

“ and what exactly are you planning to do with her Tess? We need to get this shit back. Now “ a pair of hands held you under your arms and positioned you sitting back against the wall. You blinked a few times to clear the blurriness and tears from your eyes, forcing them open.

A woman was crouched down in front of you, holding her hand up in front of her “ hey how many fingers? “

“ 3 “ you said only mildly certain through the blurriness of your eyes.

“ good. No double vision? “ you shook your head weakly and she sighed, checking over you and pulling at your shirt slightly. There was a deep gash on your side which told you why it had been hurting, oozing a steady stream of blood over your shirt “ you live near here? That’s gonna need stitches “ you shook your head again, and your eyes fell on a gun tucked away in the waist band of her jeans. Her baggy shirt covering it for the most part.

You tried to shuffle away and shook your head

“ no- no I don’t- I don’t have anymore cards please- “ the woman’s brow furrowed and she followed your eye line, gripping tighter to your arms to keep you in place.

“ hey. Hey! I’m not gonna fucking hurt you I’m trying to help you. I don’t want your fuckin cards I got enough of my own, not that they’re any use to anyone right now “ you stopped squirming, still unsure of the woman- Tess- but surely if she was going to rob you too she’d have done it by now. Winter rations were at an all time low, most of the time they weren’t even honouring full cards. People were getting desperate “ shit “ you looked down at where she had pulled a hand away from you, it covered in blood. Your blood.

She looked around the ground where she’d found you before sighing and nodding at something “ you fell on that “ a broken bottle with your blood dripping off of its jagged edges was clear enough evidence “ do you live near here? “ she asked again, her hands still holding you firmly.

“ few blocks “ she sighed again and ran a hand over her face.

“ she’s gonna fucking bleed out if we leave her here Joel “ the man, Joel, scoffed and you looked up at him. He was glancing around nervously, probably looking for FEDRA.

“ ‘we’ there is no we with this Tess. Fuck this we need to get out of here. You really wanna draw more attention to us when I’ve got a bag full of pills? “ Tess looked over you again, readjusting a black bandanna in her hair with a sigh.

“ Jesus Christ “ she muttered before standing up and holding out her hand “ come on, come with me I’ll patch you up. Don’t stitch that shit up soon and you’ll bleed out. I live closer less chance of getting caught. We need to get out of here before FEDRA is on our asses “ you hesitated for a moment and she raised an eyebrow. Kindness was rare nowadays and after such a brutal reminder of that, it was hard to readily accept it “ or you can stay here and bleed out. Or get arrested. I don’t give a fuck either way “ she looked mildly irritated and you accepted the hand and winced as she pulled you to your feet

“ Thank you “

“ get that shit back to yours. I’ll see you in the morning “ Joel opened his mouth to protest but she held up her hand and it snapped closed again “ go “ you expected him to protest again, tell her she was stupid and then let them leave you there to die. But she seemingly was the one that had the power. He answered to her and not the other way around “ come with me “ she nodded up the street, indicating for you to follow her. “ keep pressure on your side. Stick close to me “ she said over her shoulder and you did as she said, breathing deeply in some attempt to stop the pain surging up your side as you pressed down on the wound “ robbing people and leaving them for fucking dead. I know people are desperate but fuck me “ she muttered seemingly to herself and shook her head “ people are getting more and more desperate by the fucking day “ you followed close on her tail.

The winter rations truly were at an all time low. You hadn’t seen them so bad in a while. Handing out half’s and expecting people to be okay with it. All it was doing was making people more erratic and desperate. More fights. More arrests. More executions. More people trying to leave the zone, somehow thinking there was a better chance at food or survival outside of the wall.

Maybe it was.

You remembered your time before entering the QZ. It was hell on earth. But sometimes you did think you’d rather chance it out there than with the officers inside the walls.

You were light headed as you followed Tess along more back alleys, stopping every time she flung an arm out to stop you if a FEDRA patrol passed by.

“ holding up okay? “ she asked as she held an arm across your chest to keep you flush against the wall, an armoured truck driving past with its bright torches shining down the streets looking for anyone breaking curfew. You wondered how much longer it would have been before they’d found you lying there. If you’d be in the back of that exact truck now headed for a FEDRA lockup, ready for the gallows in the morning.

“ yeah “ you said a little breathlessly and doing your best to ignore the pain.

“ convincing “ she huffed a small laugh before nodding up the street and kept walking.

She lead you into a building and up a flight of stairs to the end of the hall. You followed her into what you assumed was her apartment, Standing a little awkwardly as she locked the door behind you.

“ sit down “ she instructed and pointed over to the small kitchen table, flicking on a couple of portable lamps. You sat down with a sigh of mild relief and looked down at your side, blood still oozing around the edges.

“ fuck “ you tried to distract yourself, looking around the room. The bed was unmade, clearly still in the state she’d left it in when she’d left. Dishes in a pile by the sink, A plaid shirt tossed over the back of a red couch that had seen better days. There were no pictures on the wall. Most people you’d met that were born pre outbreak had at least one picture from before. But she had nothing. Nothing to give away about who she was.

Your eyes fell back onto her as she joined you at the table, pulling the chair under her so she was sat so close to you that your knees touched.

“ look I’m no nurse and I can’t promise you that the finished product will be pretty but it’s that or bleed out “ she was very direct. To the point. It almost made you want to laugh and you wondered if the blood loss was sending you slightly manic.

“ right “ you watched her carefully as she threaded a needle before soaking it in alcohol. It didn’t seem even remotely hygienic. But you guessed nothing much was these days.

“ take your jacket and shirt off “ again, very direct and to the point. She didn’t seem the type to beat around the bush or bullshit you and you kind of liked that. So you did as you were told, gritting your teeth as you peeled the fabric away from the wound. She picked up a torch from the table and shone it over the area, inspecting it “ cant see any glass. You’ve got that going for you… here hold this “ she handed you the torch and guided your hand to hold it where she wanted it, her fingers over yours “ I won’t bullshit you. This is going to hurt like a bitch “

“ awesome “ her eyes darted up to yours, a small smirk pulling at her lips and she gave a small shake of her head.

“ alright sit back… that’s it. Good “ she leant forward and you instantly tensed as you prepped for the pain “ relax or this will hurt ten times more “ she said lowly, clearly focussed. You tried your best and closed your eyes “ okay on 3 take a breath… 1. 2. 3 “ you groaned in pain as the needle pierced your skin, the feeling of the thread pulling through so odd and uncomfortable you were almost scared you’d puke. And wouldn’t that be embarrassing

“ fucking Christ “

“ breathe. You’re doing great “ you refused to look at the needle poking in and out of your skin, looking at her instead. The entire thing was oddly… intimate. She was leant so close you could feel the faint cold of her breath on your burning skin.

You almost laughed that something like that was making you flustered.

“ was that your… husband? “ you asked quietly in some attempt to distract yourself from the burning pain in your side, hissing through your teeth and gripping tightly at her bicep as she threaded another stitch into your skin.

“ no “ she said, eyes glancing up to meet yours for a brief moment, that mildly irritated smirk playing on her face again “ he’s a headache “

“ aren’t all men? “ she actually laughed at that. It was the kind of laugh that you couldn’t pinpoint if she was genuine or if she was being sarcastic.

“ you got that right “ she tugged a little harder on the thread and you dug your nails into her bicep again, muttering curses under your breath.

“ so he’s your scary guard dog huh? “

“ funny “ she deadpanned, grabbing a cloth from the table and wiping away at a trickle of blood “ I don’t need him for people to be scared of me “

“ I’m sure “ Tess simply gave you that look again and shuffled a little closer as she worked. Watching her was actually a pretty good distraction. And you felt quite stupid to realise your brain was actually trailing off to think about how attractive she was now that you were looking at her so up close.

There you were with a hole in your side and you were thinking about how good looking someone was.

But she was. She really was.

She was older than you, 40s maybe, but no one really looked their ages anymore. Her dark hair was speckled with greys, faint lines adorned the corners of her eyes. She had several cuts and scars adorning her face too but somehow you found that made her more appealing. Her lips were parted lightly as she focussed, brow furrowing and truly you were mesmerised.

“ take a picture it’ll last you longer “ your face burned as you realised you’d been caught very much staring at her.

“ what- i- sorry “ she huffed a laugh and grabbed at your hand holding the torch, positioning it back where she wanted it.

“ why did you help me? “ you asked in some attempt to change the subject. She simply shrugged, leaning forward and biting at the thread to cut it. It was embarrassing how it sent butterflies exploding in your stomach.

“ random dead body on the street will make those FEDRA dicks close that whole area down, probably blame it on fireflies. And I need that area of the city open. You’d have been a major pain in my ass if I’d left you there to die ” it didn’t feel like a genuine answer, which also made you think you weren’t about to get a genuine answer out of her at all. But then again you didn’t know her so how would you know? She was clearly very guarded though.

“ how’d you even end up there? Flashing ration cards around? “ you shrugged slightly and placed the torch down, grabbing the cloth to wipe away the blood on your lip.

“ I was just going home. Some bastards stole my ration cards from my pocket I wasn’t flashing anything around. It’s whatever they must have followed me from work. I have more cards at home. I’ve been picking up extra assignments “ Tess shook her head and put the needle and thread down on the table.

“ FEDRA are probably keeping it all to their fucking selves anyway. Never hear a solider complaining he’s hungry do you? “

You watched her as she grabbed the bottle of alcohol from the table and looked back down at your wound “ sorry. But this is gonna hurt too “ she didn’t give you much of a warning that time before she poured some of the alcohol directly onto the newly stitched wound, clamping a hand over your mouth already anticipating you calling out in pain. It felt as though she’d poured straight acid onto your skin, making you jolt in the chair and attempt to be quiet. Which you failed at miserably “ shh shh that’s it. There we go “ tears stung at your eyes and you took deep breaths “ nice and quiet. It’ll pass. Breathe through it “ Tess removed her hand after a few moments and took a moment to admire her handiwork, simply shrugging before looking away.

“ thank you “ you said in a shaky voice and accepted the bottle that Tess then handed you.

“ drink. Trust me. It’ll help “ you hesitated a moment and she raised a brow.

You took a drink just as a way to hide the blush creeping over your cheeks again.

“ yeah. Better “ you deadpanned and she gave you that look again and rolled her eyes.

“ keep drinking I can’t offer you anything for your face other than drink until you can’t feel it anymore. Tried and tested “ you watched her as she stood up and walked over to a small chest of drawers, reaching into her waistband and tossing the gun on top and then pulling off her shirt. She rummaged around in one of the drawers before pulling on a new one over her vest, then tossing a shirt over at you.

It was at that moment you realised just how indecent you were. Sat at a strangers table, jagged stitched wound on your side and only your bra covering your top half. In your hurried attempt to pull the button up on you tugged at your stitches, hissing in pain and hand flying to hold your wound.

“ don’t. Don’t touch it. Fuck sake “ she strode over and picked up the shirt, swatting at the hand that was hovering awkwardly over your wound “ arm up. Slowly. Or you’ll fuck up my work” she helped you into the shirt, hands brushing over your skin “ you can stay here tonight. Unless you want to go out there and get yourself arrested. But I’d rather you didn’t. It’d have been a waste of my whiskey “

“ I’m sure you’d find some more “ she raised her eyebrows and shrugged, pulling another one out of the drawer as if silently agreeing with you, before taking a seat back opposite you at the table. She unscrewed the cap, tossing it to the table and raising her bottle towards you

“ cheers “ you watched her take a big gulp as if it were water, slumping slightly in her chair.

“ I didn’t know they gave out whiskey on ration cards? “ she eyed you carefully as you spoke, taking another sip from your own bottle.

“ if you’re trying to get some information and run off to FEDRA, I’d highly advise against that “ your mind played back to the mention of pills. The stash of alcohol. The way she had managed to get someone as menacing as Joel to be quiet, to do as she’d asked.

You were clearly in the presence of a very dangerous person.

But surprisingly. You weren’t scared. At all. Maybe it was the alcohol. You didn’t know the last time you’d actually had a drink. And it was clearly now going straight to your head.

“ and why is that? “ she was still watching you, carefully. Eyes narrowed and inquisitive. You felt as though you were a prey in a stand off with its predator. A rabbit trying to escape a fox.

She leant forward, arms resting on her knees and neck of the bottle loosely hanging between her fingers.

“ you don’t want to know “ the air had shifted. You didn’t know why you were prodding the bear. She could kill you any second if she felt like it. She had a gin after all. But something in you wanted to push her buttons and see how far you could. Maybe it was because for once in years someone was paying some attention to you. And someone that looked like her. Someone that looked at you like she could pounce any second.

You liked it.

“ I do “ her eyes still hadn’t left you. Not even for a second. She was taking you in, every inch of you. Reading you. Analysing. It was intimidating you couldn’t lie. It was a challenge.

You didn’t know what you expected her to do. Or say. She simply nodded her head slightly and stood up, closing the small gap between your chairs in a single step. She placed the bottle down on the table and nudged your chin up with her fingers, making you look up at her.

Your breath caught in your throat and your head was suddenly clearer than ever. She didn’t say anything straight away, simply kept that prey eating look in her eyes. You could hear the blood rushing in your ears you almost feared she could hear it too.

“ you’re either really fuckin smart. Or really fuckin stupid. Which is it? “ her voice had dropped. Low and slow. You were the rabbit with its foot in the snare and she was the fox ready to take advantage of the vulnerability she’d stumbled upon. And you liked it. God you liked it “ I asked you a question “ her words were almost threatening but the hold she had on your face was a stark contrast. It was tender almost. Gentle.

“ figure it out “ she gave you another one of those breathy laughs, her lips tugging up into a smirk and nodding again.

“ be careful “ she let you go and stepped away. You let out the breath you’d been holding, but already missing her almost domineering presence in front of you “ you should get some rest” you watched her toss a blanket onto the sofa and then flick off the lamps, the room now only half illuminated by the bright lights that sat on the watch towers along the wall “ I doubt I’ll be here when you wake up “

“ important smuggler business? “ she didn’t grace you with an answer and simply got herself into bed. You made your way over to the couch and wondered if you’d actually get any sleep.

But somehow you did. And , just as she said, when you woke up she was gone.

#eee first full Tess one shot. thriving #tess servopoulos #tess servopoulos x reader #the last of us #tlou tess #tlou #tlou hbo #x reader #lesbian #lgbt #fluff #hurt comfort #Anna torv #other characters for exposure:#joel miller #ellie williams

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