#older sister Ellie
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Family Wrath
( Implied SA, not actually SA, POV outsider misunderstandings )
Okay I want all the misunderstandings!
Misunderstandings galore my beloved!
Anyway!
For this intrusive thought that decided to hit me as I was minding my own business-
Danny is the baby that Stephanie gave into adoption when she was young.
Obvi trans Danny,
So after Stephanie realizes just who Danny is she investigates (You can't escape the Bat paranoia training)
But here are the misunderstandings: Ellie and Dante (de-aged)
" Oh my God guys I'm a grandmother! "
But wait there's more!
Danny is how old?! With kids, that are very much not newborns?
" So who's the dad? "
" Oh some fruit-loop named Vlad, he was obsessed with my mom when they went to college together but she wasn't interested at all & now he's obsessed with me. He really wanted the 'perfect' son but I told him to fuck off not that he cared about what I wanted. So yeah, sorry for rambling-are you okay you look a little pale, is the heat bothering you? "
Danny forgets that peoples first thoughts aren't " Oh yea clone! " Or timeline shenanigans
So what these concerned people heard was " Yea this adult man wanted my mom and when he saw that that wasn't an option he targeted me as a child "
Dante & Ellie are just enjoying the show intentionally creating more misunderstandings and havoc, they hope someone will finally go beat Vlad since they're now too small to beat him.
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Dante: " Momma practically died when I was born. "
Ellie: "Yea I almost killed him too! "
They're technically not lying just using what actually happened in a different context
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Alfred after hearing what's going on grabbing his shotgun: " I still have good aim."
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Jason/Stephanie: " A little murder is fine, as a treat "
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Just more and more misunderstandings happening around Danny with him being none the wiser.
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Feel free to add to my nonsense, I love it, it's fun to read what people come up with
~
Just an (Intrusive) Idea
#parent danny#older sister Ellie#little brother Dante#mom danny#de aged ellie#de aged dan#misunderstandings galore#misunderstanding#tw: sa#but not really#don't worry#stephanie brown#dpxdc#dp x dc#danny phantom#dc x dp#batman#danny fenton#dp x dc crossover#dc x dp crossover#dcxdp
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Desperate Pleas
This idea is, of course, based on Jack and Maddie finding out Danny is Phantom and not taking it well. They are so distraught though, and can't make the ghost talk and tell them where their baby is. He has his face. They can't bear to do anything to the ghost, so they turn to the GIW. They had partnered with them before, and they helped equip them with all their weapons, so it was only logical they hand over the...specimen.
Of course, the GIW experiments on him and gives a token try at making him admit to doing something to Daniel Fenton. Ellie finds out about Danny being captured and is planning to free him along with Jazz, Sam, and Tucker. Danny didn't know that all of them had prepared for a reveal gone wrong and made go bags.
But with not only Jack and Maddie being against him but also with Jazz, Tucker, and Sam being under suspicion of working with Phantom, it's up to Ellie to get things done. It's her turn to look out for her bro. So they enact their most desperate plan.
Plan W.
The rescue happens with thankfully nobody else getting captured but also with roaring success on all fronts. Tucker was able to scramble and destroy the GIW and the Fenton's data from the comfort of his home and his parents thinking he was playing Doom. Sam was able to help break into the base with Bubbe Ida being an alibi. Jazz was able to get the conjoined go-bags out by the town's welcome sign with the excuse of going on a college touring trip with her friends. (It was true it's just that she left the house earlier than planned and had waited on seeing Danny safe before leaving.)
They all needed to have alibis because of being under suspicion, and the only one who didn't was Ellie. They had to pretend to buy the excuse that Danny was visiting his Uncle Vlad that the Fenton's gave them (Jazz had already decided she would be changing her name when she left for college. They weren't her parents anymore. She already came up with telling them the wrong college from whichever she picked.) Thankfully or not, Vlad had no idea about Danny but Maddie had asked him to cover with Jazz if she called, she told Vlad they were working on a surprise with Danny and didn't want Jazz to find out. Of course, he had been delighted to comply. (Anything for his Maddie.)
Everything had gone off without a hitch...except.
Danny was very injured (Ellie couldn't make herself look at the y-incision besides when she patched him up as best she could.) but they expected that. What they hadn't expected was him to be so freaking tiny!! Seriously! He was a shrimp more than usual. Ellie made the very educated guess that he somehow got de-aged. That plus the green sticky note that had been waiting for her next to an unconscious Danny that told her he was about four years old now and basically eluded that their plan was going to work. The bonus, though, was that apparently the age change happened because of Clockwork and that Danny should be healed by the time they got to their destination. Something about time magic but Ellie wouldn't pay that any mind as long as it helped Danny.
Though she didn't really understand how him being 4 helped anything.
Anyway, besides that small hitch, the plan was going smoothly. They just had to meet Jazz at the sign and go from there. The flight was relatively short.
"Ellie? I wasn't expecting you for a while. Did everything go okay? Where's Danny?" Jazz, of course, was worried when she didn't immediately see her 16 year old brother.
"Sooooo...funny thing. I know we were prepared for him to be...affected by his time in the GIW labs. But uh...I don't think we planned on this affected. But don't worry! Clocky basically said this was needed, so...meet tiny Danny!" Ellie held out the very unconscious toddler so Jazz could see him from under the blanket Ellie had stolen to hide said toddler.
Jazz had been frozen in shock for a good minute before she slowly held her arms out for the toddler. Ellie easily gave her the dead weight and simply floated there awkwardly. "Oh baby brother..." Jazz croaked out as her eyes filled with tears.
"He's going to be okay." Maybe Ellie was trying to convince both of them of that.
Jazz just stood there and gently stroked Danny's hair despite it being sweaty and kinda gross. She did that for a while before an alarm went off, which Ellie guessed was for Jazz to keep track of the plan. So with a soft kiss to Danny's forehead and a small hug she handed him back to her little sister. She wiped her tears and handed over two large duffle bags. One for Ellie and one for Danny.
"I know I don't have to ask, but please...please make sure you two are safe. I don't know what I'd do...." Jazz shook her head. "Just let us know when you reach Gotham...and...and let us know if Plan W works. If it doesn't...we'll figure something out. "
Ellie choked back her own tears and nodded, not trusting her voice. She handed danny bag to Jazz briefly so she could cross the duffle bags on either side of her and took Danny back before Jazz decided to keep him and do who knew what. "I'll be in touch. I promise."
With that, Ellie took off. She couldn't open portals, and she couldn't exactly ask for help in the Zone since, by now, the portals to it should be destroyed. Yeah, even Vald's. All part of good ol' Plan W.
So she flew and flew as fast as she could with as few stops as she could allow before she reached her destination.
So that's how she found herself in front of the whole Wayne family who were all at the Manor conveniently for family dinner, with a laptop open to the PowerPoint that Team Phantom made together about why Bruce Wayne should adopt both Ellie and Danny. Well mainly Danny but like hell was Ellie going to leave him alone.
She had found out that Bruce Wayne was Batman and only told Team Phantom because it could be useful to their Save Danny's Behind Plans. Turns out it was useful.
Hopefully, Mr. Wayne agreed. The PowerPoint was pretty solid, so Ellie had faith. But she would definitely love some feedback from the gobsmacked family, please.
#dpxdc#dc x dp crossover#dc x dp#dc x dp ficlet#de aged danny#older sister ellie#jazz fenton#danielle “ellie” masters#danny fenton#danny phantom#sam manson#tucker foley#jack and maddie bashing#jack and maddie fenton#giw#ghost investigation ward
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Prompt 163
Danny pinched the bridge of his nose, taking a deep breath, counting to ten and then letting it out. Why was this always his luck? Alright. Okay.
Time to move again thanks to Dan pushing his body too far again, and ending up in his core. This was not how he was expecting to spend his days when he ghost-adopted his clone and sort-of son now actual son. Welp, he’ll throw a dart at the map to figure out where he’ll go next.
Hm. Well, pack up Ellie! They’re moving to a place called Smallville, you always wanted a horse, right?
#dcxdp#dpxdc#prompts#The Nightingales end up the Kents’ neighbors#Which is probably very useful when a spaceship crashes in the yard#Danny is good at hiding his powers but a baby Dan is in fact Not#Jordan and Clark are inseparable#They’re really good at Bad Cop & Good Cop#Ellie is delighted to be the older sister and encourage all their mischief#Or help them fly (again in Dan’s case)#Martha teaches Danny how to cook without accidentally bringing something to life#Dan is definitely not jealous of how much Clark talks about his new BFF Batman when he starts superheroing#Well as the older-by-a-couple-months person it is his duty to make sure this dude is a good friend for his barely-younger cousin#Somehow he ends up the inbetween of Clark’s optimism & Bruce’s pessimism#He also just sometimes Shows Up at the watchtower after the league is formed despite not being a hero
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Some alien royalty comes to Earth to claim Captain Marvel as their husband for his power. He manages to get out if it by proclaiming that he's already engaged to the Princess of the Infinite Realms, Princess Danielle "Ellie" Phantom.
Extra: Billy is still hiding the fact that he's actually still a child from the rest of the League. Ellie is roughly his civilian age, so when the League asks to meet her, hijinks ensue as Ellie has to keep up the appearance of being far older than she actually is, both physically and mentally.
#dp x dc#dpxdc#dc x dp#dp x dc prompt#danielle phantom#captain marvel#danny phantom#I imagine that Ellie has some kind of shapeshifting powers so she can appear older#though maybe she's having trouble keeping her adult shape#Kinda like that one episode of Steven Universe#Danny is probably helping them keep the ruse up because that's his sister/cousin/daughter#and he also finds the entire thing hilarious#extra extra: the League thinks that Captain Marvel is in a loveless engagement and try to help him out of it#The two don't actually mind being engaged to one another because it can keep them away from less pleasant partners#how they got engaged is up for you to decide#they aren't going to actually get married until Billy dies#which hopefully won't be for another couple decades
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togetherness pt.3 | matilda’s x reader
lowkey have come to detest this series chase i started it in first person and i no longer write in that format butttt some of yall want it so i have to supply 🤷♀️
warnings/themes: self harm implications, talks of past sexual abuse, lots of trauma, comfort, just general sadness tbh
As we pulled up to our own hotel Sam and Steph were smiling like idiots, joking about something or another. I was lost in thought, thinking about everything that had just happened. My haze was cut short though as my door was opened for me and Sam stood on the outside, waiting for me to hop out. I unclicked my seatbelt hurriedly before climbing out of the car and ducking behind the car to grab my bag quickly. My coping mechanism was to grab my phone out of my pocket and to start to scroll through it as I waited on Sam and Steph to collect their own things. My phone was my social crutch, when I felt awkward it was what I leant to.
“Kiddo, let’s go?”
My head was pulled from my phone as I came to the realisation Sam and Steph had both collected their belongings and were walking towards the front of the hotel, Steph passing her car keys off to the valet. I scurried after the two older women, my behaviour was oddly skittish and I was sure the both of them were picking up on it.
We flashed our ID cards at the front desk before making our way into the team front room where we left our kit bags, just so there was no confusion of them in the rooms. We all individually stowed away our bags, collecting whatever essentials we needed from our bags before leaving them in their spots for the night. I grabbed my drink bottle, my airpods and my ugg boots from my bag before walking over to the food table, it was the table where they left all the snacks that were there to be taken at any time of the day. I picked up a packet of gummy bears instead of a granola bar, Leah wouldn’t have been happy with my switch but I wasn’t eating a granola bar so it was an improvement?
After grabbing the bag of gummy bears, filling up my water bottle and grabbing a bottle of gatorade I followed Steph and Sam towards the elevators, waiting patiently as they clicked the button for our floor. They conversed between the two of them as we went up in the elevator, just general stuff.
“So Y/n/n, we’ll go get Steph’s stuff and we’ll bring it into your room and we’ll move whatever of your stuff is there into my room, okay?”
I nodded at Sam, excepting that this was happening.
As the doors opened I found myself following behind them as they walked towards their room. I followed them into the room as Sam unlocked it with her keycard. The room was similar if not identical to Ellie’s and I’s. Two, matching queen beds, a joining ensuite and two reasonable sized wardrobes. Steph very quickly packed her stuff up, throwing it all into her bags before procuring Sam’s help to move it down the hall. I wordlessly unlocked the door to formerly Ellie and I’s room. When we walked in Ellie was already in there, sitting on her bed, cuddled up in a pile of blankets and sweatshirts. She looked like she’d been crying and I found a part of me feeling bad for her. She was a good person, a person who had been through a lot considering her age.
“Y/n, can we talk?”
I couldn’t find it in me, even with the guilt riding through my body to look at her eyes. I knew that they’d betray me, that I’d no longer be able to be mad at her or annoyed if I was forced to look into those eyes.
“Ellie, how about we try this tomorrow morning? Y/n/n's tired, she’s not feeling too well.”
Steph’s voice was pretty forceful but Ellie found room to rebut.
“I just want to talk to her for fucks sakes, I deserve that at least before my fucking roommate is uprooted.”
I jumped back at Ellie’s harsh tone, finding myself in Sam’s personal space bubble. She didn’t flinch back at my sudden intrusion, instead pushed one of her own arms to my side, steadying me slightly.
“Ellie Maddison, you have already caused yourself enough trouble for one night, I would stop now. I already told you, Y/n/n isn’t feeling up to it. We can try this in the morning, if she wants. We wouldn’t be uprooting her if it wasn’t for you two behaving like three year olds. You both need sleep, not more petty arguing that is going to get us nowhere. Y/n, grab your things, we can talk this all out in the morning, both Sam and I are too tired to put up with any more of it.”
I scurried to collect my bag, I’d never really unpacked so it wasn’t hard. I just grabbed my pillow, bag, phone charger and backpack before scrambling my way out of the room. Sam helped me to haul my big bag down the hallway and into her room.
As soon as we closed the door behind us I could feel a part of me break, the part that broke inside of me every night when I crawled under the covers of my hotel bed or I collapsed on the floor of the ensuite. The vulnerable part of my soul that had never been prepared for this, never prepared for fame or attention. I mean as a kid I’d shied away from it as much as I could, kid Y/n was an insecure, anxious mess who had no idea what she wanted, that part of me was still the same.
“Do you need help unpacking? Steph had housekeeping come in today and clean our sheets so the beds are all clean, I try to keep fairly organised and clean but just a disclaimer that there are some stories about me sleep-talking that I neither deny or confirm.”
“I think I should be fine to put it all away, thank you though.”
Sam smiled at me and nodded, it seemed like there was something else hanging off of the tip of her tongue that she was deciding whether or not to say.
“Okay then, I’m just going to have a quick shower, I do not apologise if I start to sing, it’s a canon event.”
I snorted and nodded Sam’s way as I watched her dip into the ensuite. I set myself the task of firstly, getting changed. I clawed off my layers of matilda gear and very quickly changed into a pair of Qantas pyjamas that we’d gotten on our flight to Sydney, they were fresh and unopened and everything about them seemed comfortable. After I was done getting changed I set myself the task of stowing my bag away on my side of the wardrobe, I didn’t do much more than that, I didn’t really want to unpack right now. So I did a very quick version of my skincare routine and then climbed into my bed. It was comfy, the same as my one in the other room except it just felt different. Once I’d properly situated myself in the pillows I grabbed out my phone and started to scroll on instagram.
It was safe to say that when I was in a bag head space I spiralled a lot.
So when I was in the dumps about a bad game I would often find myself reverting to the hate pages on the internet. The internet is a fucked up place. Some of the things that strangers are willing to put out in the world about a person they don’t know is fucked. It was still a bad habit of mine though to constantly look at those posts.
Leah was always confiscating my phone after bad games, after bad days. She knew me too well, knew how when I got wrapped up in my own head there was nothing to do besides just be there for me. I fiddled anxiously as I flicked through the countless news articles that had been posted. The Australian had a particular hatred for me, had since I was a rookie and since they’d found some photos of me doing drugs back when I was a teenager and published it on the front cover of the Saturday papers. I’d had a particular shared hatred back at them after that. They had a field day every time I had a bad game, I was pretty much the leading lady of page 6. Our game last Saturday had been no different, one wrong kick and I was washed up and cracking under the pressure. The slew of twitter pages and reddit links that I’d been sent after that had been enough to make anyone feel sick to their stomach.
That was why I think I’d gotten roomed with Ellie, she was probably the most hated in the media on the team besides me. I think Sam had thought maybe we’d bond over it but neither of us were vulnerable enough to talk to the other about it. So it had just stewed between the both of us and honestly probably made it worse than it should have been.
“I don’t think I have ever seen a person in such an intense staring competition with their phone.”
I squealed as Sam very stealthily grabbed my phone from my own hands. I immediately sprung up, trying to retrieve it from her hands, I hadn’t had the opportunity to lock it.
“What are you hiding?”
I saw Sam’s interest peak as I fought intensely to grab my phone back. She held it above her head and I might have been taller than her but I couldn’t for the life of me manage to retrieve it from her hands even as I attempted to use her body as a climbing frame. After a few jumps and attempts I gave up, collapsing back into my bed and covering my body and head with the sheets and duvet. The room stayed silent as Sam did the inevitable and looked through my phone screen.
“Y/n.”
Her voice was even and I felt her bodyweight sink down onto the spot at the bottom of my bed. I felt her arms work their way up to the top of the duvet and slowly try to pry them out of my own hands. She succeeded fairly quickly, smiling at me as my face was revealed to the light of our hotel suite.
“There’s that pretty face, no need to be ashamed honey. You ought to not read into what Roger writes, he hates anything to do with women's sports, especially women who are succeeding so heavily at such a young age. You shouldn’t let your mental image of yourself be contorted by words written by a person who doesn’t know you or care about you, don’t do that to yourself, you deserve better.”
I looked at Sam, in all of her glory, sitting above me, an old nike shirt that looked like it had been washed 600 times. Her hair was brushed smoothly back into her classic low pony. It made me cry. Not sobbing crying, just wet, fat tears dripping down my face as I thought about that article. I could probably quote most of the journalist's work, I’d read it over and over and over.
“Come on now, don’t cry, please. You’ve done enough crying for tonight, don’t make me tickle you.”
Sam’s eyebrow rose in challenge as she stared down at me, silently challenging me to keep going. When I did, her hands found their way to my sides and started to tickle me intensely. I immediately let out a choken laugh, trying to suppress my giggles and cries.
“S-Sam stop ittt. S’ not fair.”
She smirked at me as she continued her abuse of my sides.
“Stop crying then, c’mon, there are better things to do with your time then cry over bullshit. I know Williamson would have my head if she knew that I was letting her girl get down in the dumps over something that’s out of your control. I am telling you now, honestly, your whole career there is always going to be someone who is going to try and take you down, journalists, social media, other players. It’s wrong, but we are women in a field that is predominantly presumed to be male dominated, we aren’t appreciated, we’re underpaid and we are slaughtered in the press for anything. The more you feed into it the worse it’s going to get, and I understand that the other stuff isn’t going to just go away but it is going to eventually get better, I promise you that.”
“You promise?”
Sam rolled her eyes and extended her pinky towards me.
“I pinky promise.”
I rolled my eyes at the cliche but interlocked my own pinky finger in hers and shook it. Sam reached down to wipe the tears from my face and smiled at me, a little glint in her eye.
“Now, I think it’s about time we got you tucked in, it’s been a big day for you.”
“I’m not tired.”
Sam rolled her eyes at my immediate defiance and plonked herself down next to me on the bed, resting beside me against the headboard. She lazily placed one of her arms around my shoulder, there was something so simple but complex about the whole situation.
“Do I need to explain to you the importance of getting eight hours?”
“This feels like one of those captain moments where you try and mom me into doing something that’s not going to happen.”
Sam snorted at my reply, nodding her head concedingly.
“Is the defiance just a young people thing or do you just enjoy being a pain in the ass?”
“There’s no fun in it if I agree to everything you tell me to do.”
Sam’s eyes damn near rolled into the back of her head.
“Is it hard using defiance as a defence mechanism constantly?”
The question took me back a little bit, it hadn’t been what I was expecting. She’d turned a pretty mild conversation into something deep so quickly that it took me a few seconds to recover.
“I don’t use defiance as a defence mechanism.”
My voice wavered a little bit, just enough for doubt to seep in.
“Yes you do.”
Sam’s voice was so matter of a fact, like she knew me better than I knew myself.
“No, I don’t.”
“You push everyone out, you don’t listen to anyone who is trying to help you out, you do things that are harmful to yourself without caring, you play with injuries, you put yourself in harms way a little bit to often, you hide your emotions, I could keep listing off if I wanted to.”
I hated how right Sam was, how observant she was, it made me queasy.
“Okay, so I do some of those things, but that doesn’t make it a defence mechanism.”
“What does it make it then? A form of self harm? A form of punishment? I think you’ve punished yourself enough, when does it all become enough, when in the mind of Y/n do you atone for your sins? Because from where I’m looking at it you are leading yourself in the direction of a cliff's edge and you aren't going to stop until you are over that cliff.”
I gulped, unsure of what to say to my skipper, because I couldn’t lie to her, not for the life of me but I also wasn’t going to sit here and listen to her pretty much tell me that I was suicidal or something.
“You don’t know what I’ve done or who I’ve hurt to get here.”
“I know you're a good kid, with a good heart and if Williamson decided to take a shot with you then you have to be worth it. I know you carry baggage, a lot more than you’ll ever tell anyone, some things that you don’t even tell Leah. I have my inferences, I know things are rough with your family, always has been. I know you're hard on yourself, far too hard on yourself considering you are nineteen. I know that you never saw yourself here, never saw yourself as being capable of being here and now that you are you are having an identity crisis because you are secretly terrified that you are never going to be good enough to be here, even though you are. You’re hurting a lot, I know roughly what you're doing to self soothe, it’s not good and I’m worried about you, all of us are.”
I bit down on my lip, staring out at the wall in front of me, unsure of what to say to Sam, because she was right in so many ways but her words were also like a stab in my heart, because until someone is telling you about your behaviours I don’t think it subconsciously sinks in.
“Something to think about, I’m always here kid, if you ever need to talk, or need help, or just someone to keep you company then I’m here, whatever you need.”
“I didn’t ever plan on being a professional football player,” I snorted in between my words, realising I was actually about to go down this path with my captain, a woman who had pioneered womens sport in Australia, “This sounds stupid but all I ever wanted growing up was to own a cattle station, wanted to live the humble life out on the farm. I know that sounds so stupid, because it’s so simple. But I never planned for this, I never wanted this. My parents put me into football and gymnastics when I was six and I was good at them, really good and it was for fun so it was fine. Then it wasn’t for fun and I was playing in national teams and olympic qualifiers. Then I broke my back falling off of a beam and I was happy, I was glad, because it meant that I could do what I wanted. Then I was in the party scene and everything was good, until it wasn’t. Then my parents were shipping me off to the AIS and I didn’t have a say. Next thing I’m here and I’m doing this and I’m grateful, don’t get me wrong. But a part of me never wanted this and I know that’s bad of me to say because there are thousands of girls who would die for my spot but it’s the truth.”
I took a deep breath as I finished up my spew of words, it was a lot, I wasn’t an oversharer, most of it was probably word vomit but there was something about Sam that just made me feel comfortable with being vulnerable, I didn’t know what it was.
“That’s not stupid, having dreams isn’t stupid and it’s okay for you to be upset that you didn’t get what you wanted. You have a gift Y/n, the way that you play on the field is truly exceptional and I am telling you now that if you want to be the best professional footballer, then you can. You could be one of the best players in the game, better than me or any other player on this team, I believe that whole-heartedly. You deserve that, if you want it. If you start to make healthier decisions for yourself, decisions that don’t harm you. When was the last time you ate a proper meal? The last time you took time out of your day to look after yourself? How long until it starts to seriously harm you? Do I need to tell you how dangerous it is for a professional athlete to not be looking after their body, you are important Y/n, and so is your health.”
I fiddled with a loose thread that was protruding from the doona below me. My captain's words were sinking in, deep, like a tattoo. Etching its way into my skin, painfully.
“I am fine, our doctors have had no issues with clearing me, I eat and I do look after myself.”
My justification was weak, it was in my voice and in my mannerism. My statement just wasn’t believable, as much as I was trying to push it.
“So you know how to pass a medical test? I’d expect you too considering you fooled Tony the whole time you were at the AIS that you weren’t using. I’ve heard the story, it just proves to me that you know how to get around testing.”
Fuck. Fuck. It wasn’t surprising Sam knew my history with drugs, I mean anyone who read the papers knew, it wasn’t private information. I was clean now, four years and proud of it. I’d had a bumpy road to recovery but I’d gotten there with time.
“I can look after myself.”
“Doesn’t seem like it.”
“It’s none of your business.”
“See, as soon as anyone tries to care for you, you close up.”
“I don’t close up. I just don’t respond to being interrogated.”
“You aren’t being interrogated.”
“Sure seems like it.”
“That’s a bit overdramatic, all I am trying to do is care for you, something you are adamant on avoiding.”
I didn’t know what to say to that, because I couldn’t deny Sam in what she was saying, I did push people out who tried to care for me. Long ago Leah had accepted there were some parts of me that I was never going to be able to talk to her about, that was why she’d forced me into seeing a therapist.
“I don’t need you to care for me.”
“The scars on your thighs say otherwise.”
I blinked for a few seconds, taking a deep gulp as the words that Sam had just said set in, had she actually gone there? Had she actually just said that.
“That was a low fucking blow.”
Sam was clearly taken aback by her own words, it had clearly just spilled out of her. Sam was no filter, so it had come to me as no surprise that she frequently blurted, just the fact she’d said that though hit me deep.
“I’m not wrong.”
I could feel tears stemming at the back of my eyes, at the realisation that I was about to have this conversation.
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Does Leah know?”
“She’s had her queries, she doesn’t push it.”
“She doesn’t push the fact that you cut yourself?”
If her previous words hadn’t hit hard, those ones had, because those words, that assumption, that accusation was so confronting.
“It’s not like that.”
“Explain to me what it’s like then.”
I pushed Sam’s arm off of my shoulder, feeling like I need a more face to face conversation. I pushed myself off of the bed head, so I was sitting between Sam’s two legs, my legs crossed. It was vulnerable for me, just talking to someone about my feelings was vulnerable for me.
“When I was 15, when I gave up the drugs. I was in a lot of pain, I hated myself. It wasn’t easy, I mean I was trying pretty much everything I could to get injured. I got arrested for speeding underage twice, both times Tony had to bail me out. I was just a mess, so I started to hurt myself, to stop myself from seriously injuring myself. It was the only thing that I could do that would make me feel better, the only thing that I could turn to when shit got real. So it became my thing, then I turned pro and I stopped for a while, especially when Leah started to get on my case about it but then we got to training camp and it was all too much so I started again and I know it’s a bad habit and it’s serious but Sam, I wouldn’t be here right now without it.”
“Are you suicidal?”
It was a question I definitely wasn’t prepared for.
“I’ve had suicidal thoughts over the years, I’ve had my fair share of bad moments but no, I’m not suicidal. I don’t do it because I want to die, I do it because it gives me relief, from life, from football, from stress. For me it's an outlet, when life gets hard that’s how I deal with it. It's unhealthy but it’s what works for me and I know that it’s bad but it’s what works.”
Sam nodded at me, there was a certain softness to her words and features the more I spoke to her, the more barriers that I let go. Sam’s own hand found its way to my bicep, silently comforting me and telling me to stop rambling.
“I get it. You do what you have to do to survive, and there is nothing wrong with that. You do what you have to do to get through the day. You’re not broken. This isn’t something to be embarrassed about or guilty for. You are still a child Y/n, in so many ways. The world is hard sometimes, what we do is hard sometimes, we all have needs. You scavenge for anything that helps you to get through because you want to survive, you want to be ok. Then it works, so you continue to survive. Good for you, you figured out how to survive. You don’t need to spend everyday in survival mode anymore though, you have love in your life that prevents the constant need to survive.
The words burnt my soul and I could feel the tears brimming up again. I hated crying.
“You’re living your old life Y/n/n. But it’s done, it’s over. You get to have the good things that you never had, you can meditate, or go on holiday, you can read books, you can learn a new language, you can learn how to live in a way where you don’t have to hurt to handle all of the things that scare you. No shame, just growth, okay. You don’t have to hide in your ensuite at night by yourself, like you taught yourself to do to survive, am I clear?”
Sam’s eyes bored down into my soul, her words were so strong and definite.
“You’re going to call me, or Leah, or your therapist next time you feel like doing it, that’s an order. You are going to call one of us, call me, and I’ll talk to you, I’ll talk to you for however long it takes for you to understand that this,”
Sam’s hand fell down to my thigh, where we both knew the scars laid, underneath my sweats,
“Isn’t the solution, not anymore, we’re leaving it in the past. This isn’t your way to survive anymore, from now on you aren’t going to just survive, we are going to make you live, I promise you that. From here on out you are going to live, and enjoy living. I am going to try my hardest to keep to that promise, but you need to as well. Promise me you are going to try and do more than just survive, because this shit in the press, it sucks, but it’s going to go away and once it does you are going to be lost, you are going to struggle and that fight that you put in everyday to be here, it’s not going to be as present and when that happens, when all of the outside threats are denominated you are going to hit rock bottom, there’s one positive of hitting rock bottom though, there’s only one way up and when you realise that you have the potential to go upwards and you want to, life is going to get better.”
“Y’know I get why Polks and De Vanna recommended you for captain.”
My words were said with tears and snot running down my face, with the realisation that right now, I was being held accountable for my shit and it was a hard realisation. My captain's words had hit home for me with the realisation that there wasn’t room for me to behave like I previously had.
“I try my best, I expect you to do the same. This relationship, this situation, it doesn’t work if you aren’t prepared to put the work in, if you aren’t prepared to hit rock bottom and work upwards from there. When you do hit that bottom, I want you to call me, tell me you’ve had a bad day, or don’t, talk, or listen, whatever you need.”
I nodded at Sam.
“I am going to try.”
She smiled at me and nodded, all encouragement and comfort.
“Okay then, okay. Come here kid,”
Sam opened her arms for me and I collapsed into them, grateful for just the warmth and comfort of Sam’s arms. I understood why all of the girls gravitated to her, why they seeked her out so often. She understood, she didn’t judge, she listened and then she gave advice, good advice, meaningful advice. One of her hands went to my back, gently rubbing across the nooks and valleys along my back. The other hand reached to the nape of my neck, gently twisting and brushing out the hairs that laid at the beginning of my hairline. I lent into her touch, silently finding so much comfort in her actions.
“M’ sorry, sorry that I didn’t come to you earlier.”
“It’s okay kid, I understand, you were scared and you didn’t know who you could talk to about that. What’s important is you know now, you know that I am always here for when you need help and I expect you to come to me from now on, no more hiding and struggling in silence, okay?”
I nodded into Sam’s arms, just silently finding so much peace and solace in being held. I hadn’t been held in months, not since I’d been with Leah and the last few months with Leah had been hard to say the least. She’d done her ACL, and it wasn’t anybody's fault, I hadn’t been prepared for it though. Both Leah and I were going through rough patches and neither of us were prepared to look after another human being besides ourselves. There had been countless nights between the two of us spent crying and fighting with each other. It was rough, we’d worked through it though. It was hard though, and a part of me felt guilty for not being okay, and a part of me felt like Leah was going through so much worse than me and I could never burden her with my stupid problems.
“Now, I think it is definitely time that we get you tucked in and asleep, I won’t take any arguments, you look like you could sleep for days if you needed.”
I just nodded at Sam, any fight, any defiance that had been in my body was gone, I just didn’t have it in me. She was right, I was tired, I’d hardly slept the whole world cup. I was an insomniac, so that was to blame partially, partially I also just didn’t feel safe sleeping. Ellie was always on the phone with her girlfriend, when she wasn’t she was trying to talk to me or do yoga or something. She’d also been slaughtered in the press most of the tournament, it was messing with her, everyone could tell. Her techniques for combatting her anxiety about it though was annoying to say the least, being the younger one in the situation I didn’t have the confidence to tell her that her habits were fucking annoying to say the least.
I didn’t fight back as Sam gently laid me down on my bed, pulling the covers up over my body and very gently tucking me in.
“Have a good sleep, kid.”
She smiled at me and I smiled back.
“You too cap, thank you, I really appreciate everything you’ve done for me.”
Sam patted me on the head, giving me her signature smirk.
“It’s no trouble, now get some sleep yeah, I need you to be coherent for tomorrow.”
I nodded along with Sam’s statement, watching as she got up off of my bed and walked towards the light switch, turning it off before jumping into her own bed. She rustled around in her sheets for a few minutes before finding her spot, a few minutes after the rustling ended I heard her breath slow and even out, indicating that she’d fallen asleep.
The situation was not the same for me, it took me a few hours to fall asleep and once I did I only slept for two hours, it was fitful sleep, very light and not very good. I laid in bed for a while before deciding around 5 that I was going to go for a run. I got up as quietly as I could, throwing on a pair of shorts and a sports bra. Once I’d gotten dressed I picked out my pair of running sneakers before creeping my way out of the hotel room and trying my very hardest to keep my steps silent as I walked down the hallway and into the elevators that took me down to the lobby. Our hotel was about 200 metres from the beach, so I made the decision I would take my morning run along the beach.
It was still dark out as I made my way out onto the main road and started my jog down to the water's edge. The sun probably wouldn’t rise before I came home. I planned to do about ten km, the beach was around 4 or so long so If I ran up and then down I would probably do about that. As soon as I got down to the waters edge I started to run properly.
Running had been one of my releases since I was 12. Whenever I was angry I went for a run, when I ran everything stopped. It was just me and the music that I had running through my headphones. It felt the same as I set my pace along the sand, like all of the fucking mayhem from the past twenty four hours was just mellowing out, becoming background noise. If I could always be running I would. The only time I ever felt like I was myself was when I was running. The feeling of your heart pounding against your chest, the feeling of your breath hurting in your throat and the dryness in your throat. As I ran the sun slowly started to rise, slowly climbing along the horizon. I made it about three quarters of the way before I ran into someone, one of the last people I wanted to be seeing.
For a second I wasn’t quite sure who it was, they were the only other person on the beach, standing along the shoreline. As I sprinted my way back to my starting spot the body slowly started to become bigger and the fear in my gut slowly grew. I couldn’t make out much more than their body, with the lack of lighting present in the room. As I slowly approached though, more features slowly started to become more recognisable and I silently screamed internally as I realised who exactly was.
As I approached them I slowed my pace, down to a slow jog, almost a walk. I slowly approached them and internally froze as they turned to face me. Fuck.
“It’s a nice morning.”
Lucy’s face was stone serious, and her words didn’t reflect the general attitude that she seemed to hold.
“So you're enjoying the motherland, then, the sunrises are unbeatable.”
“I’d be enjoying it more if I hadn’t been pulled out of my bed at 5am this morning to come and find you because Kerr texted Leah saying you’d disappeared and she didn’t know where to.”
“I’m allowed to go on a run.”
“You didn’t leave a note, after having what I’ve perceived as a fairly rough twenty four hours.”
“I don’t need the lecture.”
“La Reina wouldn’t have a bar of this attitude.”
“Alexia isn’t here.”
“It could be arranged, if I deem you in need of some attitude adjustment.”
I braced myself in front of Lucy, she was a scary woman. When I’d started in the WSL I’d originally been selected by Barcelona, then after half a season I’d been traded to Arsenal. I’d liked it at Barca, if I hadn't been traded I probably would have still been there, Barca was good, when I’d gotten there I had been a basket case, it had been what I’d needed. I was 17 at the time, and had no idea what I’d wanted, Barca had taught me how to wake up every morning and do something with life.
Lucy opened her arms up to me and I let myself fall into them, letting the older woman embrace me. Her arms were strong and they hugged me to her tightly, comfortingly, in the way that a mother would embrace their child. That was what Barca had given me, a good relationship with people that were like substitutes for my mom.
“It’s good to see you, Luce.”
“It’s good to see you as well kid, although I would have preferred it to be under different circumstances.”
She released me from her arms and sat herself down on the sand, nodding at me to sit down next to her. I followed suit, so we were both sitting on the sand, looking out at the sunrise.
“You’ve been doing it again.”
“I don’t know what you're talking about.”
“I don’t want to tell Ale that you’re lying to me as well.”
I crossed my arms across my chest in frustration, grumbling at Lucy.
“She’s not even my captain anymore.”
“She’s still the woman who took you under her wing, she’s your blood, mija.”
I pursed my lips and looked out at the horizon, the sun was truly rising now, the bright pink and oranges mixing into a tie dye across the sky.
“How’d you know I was going to be down here.”
“Just a hunch, I know how much you like your runs.”
“I wasn’t running away or anything, I just needed to think.”
One of Lucy’s arms fell over my shoulders, it was heavy but so soft at the same time.
“I know mi amor, you should have told someone where you were going though, especially considering the events of the last few hours, you worried a lot of people.”
“Leah told you?”
“She told me she was worried about you, that you had a lot on your plate right now, more than a 19 year old should be handling.”
I pursed my lips again, Lucy’s words were so pensive, so calculated but present at the same time. It was bizarre.
“I, just, this world cup, it was supposed to be the defining moment in my career, when I proved to everyone that I was as good, if not better than everyone else they were comparing me too. But I haven’t been performing, the press hates me, I just can’t catch a break.”
“Sounds like you need a sabbatical.”
I snorted a little bit at Lucy’s words.
“I’m serious, you know, after this, you should take some weeks off. Leah needs it as well, go somewhere, wherever your heart feels like you need to be and just live, or learn to live. Turn your phone off, eat as much as you want, exercise as little or as much as you want, just let yourself be happy, without everyone else, without football, without social media and other people. Learn to love yourself.”
I’d been handed so much emotional advice over the last few hours, it was a lot to absorb, a lot to think about.
“I miss La Reina, I miss Barca.”
“I know mi amor, but you have to be here, you have to be in London. It’s what you are destined to be doing, Ale and us all miss you but you are doing such good things where you are.”
“Your taking me back to the hotel, aren’t you?”
Lucy nodded at me sadly and I took one final deep breath before lifting myself off the sand and dusting any remnants of it off of my clothing. I helped Lucy up and then we both started to walk towards the beach exit.
“I’ll be there to watch you tomorrow, Kei, Leah and I. Play for us yeah? Make us proud.”
The walk back to the hotel was rather sullen, both Lucy and I staying fairly silent, her guiding me to the doors with a hand secured on my lower back. When we got to the door I gave her a hug before parting ways and stepping into the lobby. The team room was a little bit more alive then it had been when I’d walked through earlier in the morning. Kat, Harper, Charli and Ky were all awake, having breakfast together, as well as a few of the other veterans. I made my way through the lobby as quickly as I could, I couldn’t be bothered with talking to anyone.
When I did get back to my room, I was very surprised to find Sam, Steph, Haley and Alanna waiting for me. I was the first person to speak, slipping off my shoes next to the door and breaking the tension.
“Isn’t it a bit early for a mothers group meeting?”
#woso#woso community#sam kerr#sam kerr imagine#matildas x reader#matildas#matildas imagine#leah williamson#arsenal wfc#lucy bronze#steph catley#ellie carpenter#sam kerr being protective#older sister sammy k#woso imagine#woso fanfics#woso x reader#little bit sad#self h@rm#pain#i’m sad
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Dp x dc idea 145
When vlad creates Dani she was much younger. He was unsuccessfully able to age her up. She was only aged to 5.
In this Dani doesn’t try to help vlad. She overheard him talking about melting her down. She goes to Danny. She gets stabilized. But Danny can’t keep a 5 year old.
Plus vlad wants her gone. The only thing he can think to do is give her to someone who travels a lot. People who would take her in. One day Halys circus came around.
A nice family with a boy the same age agreed to take her in. He didn’t give too much information. Just that she was in danger if she stayed in town.
He hoped the graysons would take good care of her.
#dpxdc#dpxdc prompt#Dani gets adopted by the gray sons#i think it puts them 3 years before Batman#Dani is Dicks sister#Dani and Dick can be chaos robins together#they both have that gremlin energy#both are just chaotic messes#dick Decided he was older#Ellie says she is older#just to annoy dick#dick refuses to believe that#he has existed longer and they both know it#but he won’t put her as a clone#dick will take great offense when Superman has a tude about Conner#tangles prompts
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Dan is not a hero, so will the Justice league PLEASE leave him alone?!
When Dan was born, he isn’t just Danny. He’s also half Vlad, which means when he was created their obsessions combined. Danny’s obsession is protection but Vlad’s obsession is family. A ghost’s obsession develops based on how the ghost acts after they are born, what they latch onto, what they like. It usually takes a few weeks to fully form which is why ghosts can have such different obsessions. Danny’s obsession became protection due to his constant actions of protecting people. Vlad’s obsession became to create a family as that is all he thought about during his hospital visits. To make a family with Maddie. Dani even developed her obsession with freedom after she went out exploring. And once an obsession is created, it cements the ghost’s instincts to follow it. That this is what the ghost must continue doing to survive. To get stronger.
But Dan didn’t have that time. He was combined with two ghosts that already had fully formed obsessions, and so those obsessions merged with each other. Dan’s obsession is to protect his family, but by the time it formed, his family was already gone. And that…really messes with a ghost.
Vlad thought that Dan had gone evil because of his evil ghost side. But in reality, it was due to the loss of an obsession. In his initial madness upon formation, he ended up killing Danny. The only person he might have considered family. As for Vlad, the fruitloop hated himself so much that even if part of his ghost, part of his soul, was within Dan, it wouldn’t recognize him as family. And Danny’s ghost half certainly wouldn’t. And when a ghost looses their obsession, they go mad.
All Dan had left, was his own life. He wasn’t truly an older version of Danny. He was something new created from half of two souls. He had parts of both Vlad and Danny. Where Danny was stubborn, Vlad was cunning. Where Danny might feel uncomfortable with social interaction with his peers, Vlad would put on a mask or try to seem more threatening when stressed. He had fragments of their memories but none of the emotional attachment unless it was connected to his obsession. So when a younger him came to his future timeline, all Dan focused on was making sure he would still be created.
And then he lost.
But loosing wasn’t the end. He eventually managed to be free of his cage and sent through therapy (Likely curtesy of Jazz who felt it wrong to keep him trapped forever). And Dan was forced to go through therapy until he eventually got to the point where ok…fine he won’t kill anyone (as long as they don’t attack him first). It also helped that his obsession madness was wearing off. Now that he had his family again, and they were safe, it eased off a bit of the pressure, allowing him to think again.
But now he didn’t know what to do. For the first time in a while, Dan was free. But it wasn’t like he could indulge his obsession. Maddie and Jack hated ghosts and since he’s technically made of two ghost halves, he wasn’t a halfa and couldn’t take a human form or just walk up to them. Moreover, he wasn’t Danny or Vlad so could he truly consider them family?
That’s when he started interacting with Phantom. It was small at first, just checkups to see how his therapy was going or Dan even sneaking into Fenton works to watch what was happening because she was bored. Eventually, they got a bit closer and developed a sibling like relationship (if Dan was a prickly older brother who refused to show he cared) and his obsession latched onto Danny. For a while, Dan was in denial of this. The kid a twerp, only half the power he was (ignoring the fact that the kid beat him) and full of human emotion and teenage drama. So Dan tried to limit his visits. Only coming every month or so. The other time kinda wandering the zone and getting into fights.
And then one day he came to visits only to see a scene from his nightmares.
(Warning for gore)
It was dead quite, the lab covered in green blood, various organs preserved on jars or just lying on the surrounding lab tables. Scalpels, syringes, and other tools dripping green. And on the center of the lab, strapped to a table, was a small blue orb.
Dan knew what a core looked like. He had ripped out enough in his previous timeline to know that they should not be that dim. That they should not have cracks running down their surface, and that they absolutely should not have chunks gouged out of their sides. It barely looked like an orb anymore but there, Dan could faintly feel the energy of a young ghost. And he knew exactly who this core belonged to.
So Dan did the only think he could think of. He took his little brother’s core and ran.
Dan had no idea how to heal a broken core, and Danny’s core (his soul) felt room temperature which couldn’t mean anything good for an ice core. It was also severely lacking in ectoplasm (Dan refused to think of all the green splattered across the lab. This was also the day he decided that NO, the Fentons would not be considered family).
A normal core would have melted down into goop by now with all the damage it sustained. It was likely only still ‘alive’ due to Danny’s halfas status. There was no known cure or medical procedure for this. The only thing Dan could do was place the core within himself, nestled right next to his own core in an attempt to absorb his access ectoplasm and get stronger. But that wouldn’t be enough. A ghost needed to fulfil their obsession to get stronger. But Danny was unable to protect anyone in his current state. Which meant there was only one option. Dan would have to act like a host and fulfil the obsession for him. Which meant Dan would have to feed his brother….by…saving people…
Oh joy….
And thus begins Dan’s various attempts of heroism against his will. He is incredibly efficient and powerful but he looks like he hates every moment of it and might even be scowling at the people he saved. Moreover, he can’t even kill anyone! Killing is the opposite of protecting and wouldn’t help his brother heal so he has to restrain himself. (And when he attempts to smile, it looks so forced and with such sharp teeth that people become even more scared). The justice league have no idea what to do with this unknown.
He’s not a villain (they don’t think?). Just some overpowered guy who is saving a bunch of people (and even the heroes themselves) but has the prickliest personality you can imagine. Dan is not a people person. Add onto that him trying to escape Vlad’s attempts to ‘help’ (he doesn’t trust that fruitloop as far as he can throw him). And resisting going anywhere near the Fentons. As much as he wants to seek vengeance against them for what they did, he doesn’t want them near Danny and there is nothing that could make him drop his brother’s core somewhere else. It’s safest with him. The Fentons haven’t even realized Danny is missing. So this is basically just Dan forced to be a hero and he hates every second of it (but would do anything to protect his baby brother). And Dan maybe sort of befriending rogues and heroes (or them trying very hard to befriend him).
He is a loner. He does not like company, and he is incredibly self conscious when powerful people get near him and his precious cargo.
One day, they might realize Dan doesn’t enjoy being a hero or even really care about the people he saves (despite his meticulousness when it comes to getting everyone out alive). And if they ask, he could say he saves people because he’s selfish which just makes them more confused (or he says he has his own reasons).
Dan basically acts like a wet stray cat around everyone. (A cat with a kitten). He won’t attack them, but he will make it very clear that he does not like them (despite saving their lives multiple times) and he will not respond to their affections. It’s his fault the Justice league misunderstand his actions. He’s only doing it to heal his brother (not that he will ever tell them) but now the Justice league just think he’s a tsundere. Trying to hide that he cares.
No, Dan literally could not care less. Seriously, please leave him alone.
Later, much later, something happens where Dan takes a hit that affects his core/ectoplasm and he freaks out. The Justice league might not understand why until he takes out a second core and checks it over like a mother hen, hissing and snarling at anyone who gets close. This core is unlike anything the magic users have ever seen. They know what a core is, they know it’s a soul. To see one so damaged, it’s nauseating. (Dan is either freaking out for nothing or is actively trying to save the core that was dying in his hands and has to trust his magic user teammates/sort-of-maybe-but-not-yet friends to save him).
When everything is over, they ask who the core belongs to. It has to be someone Dan cares about. Ghosts don’t normally protect or try to care for other cores (it’s usually survival of the fittest) and Dan didn’t seem like the caring type. So they ask despite Dan trying to ignore their questions or brush them off. Eventually, he caves and drops the bombshell that it’s his little brother (and either admits it was their parents who did this to him or just the ‘Fenton’ scientists) and that he became a hero to try and replenish his brother’s strength since he’s a spirit of protection. He explains about cores and obsessions. How his brother’s obsession is protection and his obsession is to keep his family safe.
The Justice league’s hearts break.
Also, Ellie is in this and also has a sibling like relationship with Danny although is a bit distant with Dan (since they remind each other too much of Vlad to be comfortable) and they work together to try and bring Danny back and care for him. Ellie knows how to make ecto dejecto and tries to bring some. Also, in this au, Danny isn’t the ghost king. He’s just a normal ghost. So Dan will fight other ghosts to keep him safe.
Would it be funny if Ellie basically treats Dan as if he’s fragile? Like, she knows Dan is carrying Danny’s core so she’s like “why don’t you lay down?” “Are you eating alright?” “Be careful in that fight!” But at the same time, she’s constantly getting on his nerves and doing everything in her power to annoy him or just doesn’t seem interested in his life. The Justice league are very confused by their interactions. Especially when they see Dan take on an entire army single handedly. Dan hates the hovering even though he understands why she does it. (And when the Justice league realize Dan is carrying his brother’s core they might hover too.)
#DPxDC#Kizzer55555 ideas#Redeemed Dan#Dan is Danny’s older brother#Ellie is Danny’s younger sister#They both love their reckless idiot.#Protective Dan#Dan is forced to be a hero and he HATES it#The Justice league is so confused#Dan is not a people person#He strikes fear into the papariazi#Dan is a mother hen#Ellie has no mercy for people her hurt her brother#Jazz is called.#She keeps the two phantoms from killing anyone#Jazz is the only reason they have not killed someone yet.#Danny’s core is injured.#Unconscious Danny.#Attempts at making ectodejecto.#The first few attempts were…not that successful.#Ellie may or may not have blown up a few buildings.#One might hav been the watchtower.#Dan is overpowered but literally could not care less.#Danny isn’t the ghost king in this. GASP!#Vlad is a fruitloop.#Dan and Ellie have a kill on sight mode when they see Vlad.#They also have a kill on sight mode when they see the Fentons.#They try to avoid the Fentons for Danny’s sake. Vlad gets no mercy.#Ellie treats Dan as if he’s pregnant. He hates it with a passion even if he understands why.#When the Justice league learn about Danny they also treat Dan as if he is super fragile (Dan can take on an army single handedly).
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Please Hold to My Hand
Part Four of A Sinner's Redemption
SERIES MASTER LIST | MAIN MASTER LIST
Previous | Next
Word Count: 11.4k
Warnings: Canon typical violence, gun violence, people, death, gore and injuries, lots of feelings, horrible jokes (that I even laughed at), language. (Let me know if I have missed anything)
Author's Note: Finally! It’s out. I’ve been writing this between classes and really haven’t had time to review the work. Piper is finally letting down some walls and so is Joel! Yay! We get some more flashbacks and, of course, Ellie and Piper's shenanigans. I hope you enjoy this chapter. If you liked it, I’d love to hear from you either with comments or reposts! Thanks!
Dirty. Piper felt dirty as she stood in the moldy gas station bathroom. Moss grew from the cracks in the ceiling and she was sure the black substance behing the sinks was something otherworldly. Shivering, Piper squeezed her limbs as close as she could to her body making herself as narrow as possible. Behind one of the bathroom stalls was Ellie, taking a bathroom break.
Piper couldn’t understand how her sister could relax herself enough to use the restroom in a place like this. With the creak and slam of the bathroom stall door, Ellie appeared with a care in the world. Again, Piper shivered and took a step away from her sister as Ellie stepped in front the the broken mirror.
“Jesus Ellie let’s go,” Piper said before turning around to face her sister. “What are you–” Piper laughed and for a moment she forgot about the disease infested place she was in.
“Pew, pew. Pew,” Ellie whispered. In her hand was the gun Piper had given from her.
Piper shook her head at her sister’s antics. “No, no, no. Here’s how you do it.” Stepping forward, Piper reached out a hand to grab hold of the gun, but Ellie pulled away.
“Hey, let me do my thing,” Ellie begged.
Rolling her eyes, Piper crossed her arms and sighed. “Well you’ll shoots someone’s eye out. At least take out the bullets.”
“Hmm,” Ellie hummed not realizing that was an options. She turned the gun around looking for a way to remove the tiny deathly objects in the gun.
“Here,” Piper muttered as she showed Ellie how to remove them. The young girl watched and took note of everything that her sister did. The dull metallic bullets fell out the cartridge and into Piper’s hand. “See?”
“Hmm? Oh yeah,” Ellie said and she retrieved the gun from her sister’s hand. Once again Ellie raised the gun at the mirror and put on her best menacing face. It was practice for when she actually got to shoot the weapon. In her mind, Ellie wondered if she would be as good of a shot like Piper was.
“Can we go now?” Piper asked. Her shivers got worse and Piper began to believe she could turn infected from just standing in the bathroom any longer.
Cocking the gun back, then shoving it deep into her backpack, Ellie nodded and the two girls trudged through the mess and out the doors to the fresh dry air.
Coming around the corner, they saw Joel just as they had left him; On the ground with one knee raised as support as he blew into a long straw like thing.
“We have to do this every hour?” Ellie sighed.
Piper could see Joel was just as annoyed as Ellie when it came to stopping every hour. “Gas breaks down over time. This stuff’s almost water. Back in the day, we’d drive 10, 12 hours on one tank. You could go anywhere,” Joel said.
“So,” Piper asked, “where’d you go?”
Joel looked up at the two girls. His eyes squinted underneath the bright light of the summer sun. “Pretty much nowhere.”
“Boring,” Piper muttered before finding a rock to kick around.
Joel continued blowing into the big straw.
“Nice!” Ellie leaned in close. “How does that work?”
“It’s a siphon. It’s when liquid…” Joel paused thinking about his words. “travels against gravity because pressure…”
Ellie smirked and chuckled. “You don’t know.”
“I know it works,” Joel quipped back making Ellie laugh even more.
Once the laughter was over, the young girl soon sought other sources to still her boredom. Lifting her legs up comically into the air, Ellie began to peruse around the rusted cars that Joel was searching for gas from.
As her eyes followed the rock on the ground as it rolled back and forth, Piper called out to Ellie. “No wandering”
With the biggest sigh she could conjure, Ellie replied. “Okay. This is your fault then.” She warned. Then dropping her backpack to the ground she pulled out a small book. Flipping it open she began to read. “It doesn’t matter how much you push the envelope, it’ll still be stationery.” Briefly, Ellie looked up to gage Joel’s and Piper’s reaction. Laughing, Ellie revealed the cover of the book. “No Pun Intended, Volume Too” by Will Livingston. “Volume Too.” Look. You get it? “Too”? Like, T-o-o.
“Jesus,” Joel grumbled.
“What did the mermaid wear to her math class?” Ellie paused. “An algae bra. Like, algae bra. Okay, I stayed up all night…”
“No.” Joel tried to interrupt Ellie, stopping her from telling the next horrible joke.
“wondering where the sun went…,” Ellie continued. “...and then it dawned on me.”
This joke made Piper laugh. It wasn’t so much the joke, but how much Joel despised them. His face contort with each failed attempt at a joke and it made both of the young girls laugh.
Joel sat up and glared at the two of them. “Feel free to wait in the truck.”
Piper’s eyes widened at the warning. “Going now,” She mumbled before leaving her rock on the ground for the safety of the boiling hot car.
“Ugh, okay,” Ellie sighed. “but just know,” the young girl warned, “you can’t escape Will Livingston. He’ll be back. There’s nothing you can do to stop him.”
As the girls hopped back into the car, Joel returned his mind back to retrieving gas. It was only a few more minutes for the dark liquid shot thorugh the hose into the gas canister and Joel was ever grateful for those few minutes of silence and solace from Will Livingston and his terrible jokes.
꧁_____________꧂
Everything was the color of rust. Rust was the color of time and those forgotten and neglected, left to the mercy of nature. It was boiling and there was noting the air conditioning in the car could do. There wasn’t anything in sight except for dirt, sand, and crumbling cars. Even the normally blue sky was tinted a shade of brown. Piper felt like she was stuck in a valley of emptiness, not a living thing around.
As the car drove further and further down the road, Piper moved her gaze away from the window and instead to the rear-view mirror. There in the mirror she saw something alive, something that kept her alive and going, Ellie. The younger girl sat lazily in the back of the truck using her bag as a head rest. Meanwhile, her hand gripped a pencil dragging it back and forth across a notebook. At least someone was entertained.
Eventually, Piper brought her sight back onto the endless road in front of her. Cars were pilled high to the sides as if something huge parted the sea of metal carcasses.
“Must’ve been some truck,” Piper mumbled.
Joel glanced over the side at the girl. “Yeah, they used to stick big-ass plows on them, and clear the roads for their tanks and such.”
Piper nodded her head in response. It seemed like Ellie had tuned into the conversation, her sketch book forgotten beside her. “I wanna see a tank,” Ellie chirpped as she scanned the sea of vehicles.
“You will,” Joel assured Ellie. “Tanks, choppers, all that stuff. But they’ll fight the wrong enemy. Just scattered around now.”
Bitting the inside of her cheek Ellie pretended to listen beyond the words “You will” before changing the topic.
“I got somethin’. Here,” Ellie passed up a small tape. Joel, curious, snatched it from her hands. “This make you all nostalgic?”
He had to pull the tape farther away from his face to read the fine print. His eyes pulled into a thin line finally making the words readable. Damn he was getting old. “This is actually before my time,” Joel corrected.
Ellie’s smile faltered. “Great,” she mumbled.
A strange tightening in his chest formed at the disappointment in Ellie’s voice and Joel couldn’t help but want to salvage the situation. “It’s a winner, though.” Ellie’s smile was back on her face. Upon seeing her smile, Joel placed the tape into the slot and hit play.
♪ We met in the springtime when blossoms unfold ♪
Tapping her finger on Piper’s shoulder to the melody of the song, Ellie’s flashed with a wicked glint. Withdrawing her hand and shoving it into her bag she pulled out something new. “Oh, man. Got somethin’ else,” Ellie said. Joel and Piper mindless nodded at her words. “It’s, uh… light on the reading, but it has some interesting pictures.”
As Piper and Joel whipped around Ellie’s smirk grew.
Gotcha! She thought.
“Oh. No, no, no. Put that back. That’s not for kids. Ellie!” Joel’s and Piper’s voices seemed to blend together as they tired to discourage Ellie from looking further.
Playing align with the ruse, Ellie buried her face between the pages, getting a good look at the images upon them. “How would he even walk around with that thing?”
“Fuuuckkk,” Piper groaned as she placed her head between her knees.
“Please get rid of it,” Joel begged. His hand reached back to take the magazine away from her.
Ellie swatted his hand away. “Hold your horses. I wanna see what all the fuss is about.” She quickly perused the rest of the magazine, except for a few pages. “Why are all these pages stuck together?”
Piper gaged like she was about to throw up.
“Uhh… the…” Joel was speechless.
Then Ellie burst out laughing. Her head thrown back as the giggles overcame her small figure. “I’m just fuckin’ with ya.” A window rolled down. Dusty wind blew around the car. “Bye-bye, dude!” Ellie had thrown the magazine to the wind.
♪ Alone and forsaken by fate and by man ♪ Oh Lord, if you hear me, please hold to my hand ♪ Oh, please understand ♪ Oh, where has she gone to ♪ Oh, where can she be ♪ She may have forsaken some other like me ♪ She promised to honor, to love, and obey ♪ Each vow was a plaything that she threw away ♪ The darkness is fallin’, the sky has turned gray ♪ A hound in the distance is starting to bay ♪ I wonder, I wonder what she’s thinkin’ of ♪ Forsaken, forgotten without any love ♪
꧁_____________꧂
The scene had changed now. It was green. There were trees and fields of grass. It was a welcomed changed to the drylands they had just drove through. The air was cooler now and the car wasn’t as hot. Piper could even imagine she was on a real roadtrip driving through the world before the outbreak. She felt normal.
She pressed a button and the passenger window opened. A brisk air kissed Piper’s face blowing the freed stands of her hair behind her. Yet she wanted more, so she slowly pulled out the hairtie. Her scalp groaned as the pressure was released. Then came the bliss as the wind weaved between the strands of her hair massaging her scalp. Her eyes close shut opening her arms to the comfort the wind gave her.
A shiver creeped up Joel’s shoulders and he turned his head to Piper. His mouth hung open with his forgotten wish to close the window. She seemed at peace as the music played and wind blew through her hair. She looked like what a kid like her should look like: Brow not filled with the worry of survival, hair not tied up and closed off to the world, happy, calm, and content. A thought of pity grew in Joel’s chest. This is how Piper should be living. Both her and Ellie. Afterall, they’re just kids. Kids with the future of the world on their shoulders. It was a weight they shouldn’t have, that no one should have. Joel knew that better than anyone.
“All right,” Joel sighed. “That’s enough for today.”
The wind release Piper’s hair from it’s hold as the window rolled back up. Rocking side to side, the truck turned away from the road into a grassy field. They were headed to the forest up ahead. A forest that would give them shelter for the long night.
Together, they did their part to unpack and get food started for dinner. Sitting down on the ground, the three of them ate. Piper wasn’t quite sure what they were eating, but it was cold and good. The square like noodles just slide down her throat easing her stomach’s plea for food. It was delicious.
A slurping noise came from beside her. “Jesus, Ellie. Slow down,” Piper said.
Ellie was slouched over her bowl devouring the food. Red sauce encased the skin around her mouth. “This is slow,” She mumbled with her mouth full of food. “What am I even eating?” Ellie asked.
Joel using his fork to point to the food inside his bowl answered. “That is 20-year-old Chef Boyardee ravioli.” His tone made the two girls think that this was the best food ever created on planet earth.
Ellie shoved another fork full of food into her mouth. “That guy was good.”
“I actually agree,” Joel added.
“Hmm…” Piper hummed. “How long we staying out here?”
Placing his bowl down into his lap, Joel replied. “I figure I sleep tonight… and drive tomorrow all day, all night, get us to Wyoming by next mornin’.”
Ellie sighed and rubbed her now fully belly. “So can we start a fire? I’m freezing.”
“No.” There was no hesitation in Piper’s answer.
Ellie rolled her eyes. “Well, you’re not in charge, now are you Piper?”
“Hey, hey,” Joel interrupted and waited for the two girls attention to be on him. “Now, why am I gonna tell you no?”
Sinking into the ground with disappointment Ellie answered, her voice as monotonous as they come. “Because Infected will see the smoke.”
Joel shook his head. “No. Fungus isn’t that smart. This is too remote for Infected, anyway.”
“People?” Ellie guessed. “So what are they gonna do? Rob us?” There was a hint of sarcasm in her voice as if being robbed was so horrible.
It was Piper who spoke next. There was no emotion as she spoke. The peace Joel had seen her face earlier evaprotated and he could almost see the ghosts hiding behind Piper’s brown eyes. “They’ll have way more in mind than that.”
“Okay.” Joel softly said as he observed Piper. There it was again, that same tightness his chest, but he couldn’t bring himself to say anything to her. Instead he told the girls to hurry up and eat then get ready for bed.
“Actually smells kinda good,” Ellie commented as she flung her sleeping bag out, laying it onto the ground.
“Well, that would be Frank’s then,” Joel replied doing the same with his sleeping bag until a shuffling nearby caught his eye. “What are you doing?” Joel asked Piper.
Her sleeping bag was still bound. Instead, she stood by the truck grabbing something from her bag. It was a gun.
“Getting ready for watch,” Piper said. Her focus on checking her gun.
Joel pushed himself off the ground and approached the girl. “No. We’re all sleeping.”
Piper ignored Joel as she checked the bullets, counting them out. Joel did the only thing he thought would work. Placing his hand on the gun, her forced Piper to lower the weapon and look at him.
“Trust me,” Joel said. “No one is gonna find us.” His voice was clear and full of comfort. It was the same voice he’d use whenever Sarah cried to him at night about the monsters in her closet.
The teenager scoffed. “Bullshit…” Yet the longer she looked at Joel, the more she felt like letting go of that gun and letting the walls fall just this once. Her eyes fell to the ground. “jesus fuck…fine.”
Removing his hand, Joel returned to his sleeping bag. He watched as Piper placed the gun next to her sleeping bag, which now laid out on the ground next to Ellie’s. Eventually the girl did lay down, pulling the covers over her shoulders. Satified Joel followed suit and the lamp light dimmed until it was dark.
“Joel,” a small voice whispered. “Joel.”
Joel groaned. “What?”
“Can I ask you a serious question?” It was Ellie.
“Ellie…” Piper warned with a tiredness in her voice.
“I’m serious!” Ellie said.
“Yeah,” Joel said giving her the go ahead.
“Why did the scarecrow get an award?”
Joel was silent for a moment before he answered. “Because he was outstanding in his field.”
A whispered wave of giggles escaped the two girls. Both of whom didn’t expect the answer.
“You dick! Did you read this?” Ellie asked a bit louder.
“No. Now go to sleep.” Joel commanded.
“Hm,” Ellie mumbled before settling back down. “...Those people you said… there’s no way anyone knows we’re here, right? No one’s gonna find us.”
With those words, Joel was thrown back into his past and all he could hear was his daughter crying in the dark of her room. All sign of sleep and exhaustion evaded him now. “No one’s gonna find us.”
“Okay. Goodnight Pipes” Ellie whispered.
“Night Els…,” Piper replied. “...night Joel.”
꧁_____________꧂
There was no way Piper could ever sleep. Her sister’s words floated around her head and Piper had to be sure. Ellie had to be safe. It felt like eternity waiting to hear Joel’s breathing slow. Once the old man had fallen asleep, Piper peeled herself free from her sleeping bag. Each movement was carefully calculated to achieve the least amount of noise as possible. With her gun in hand and jacket zipped up to the top, Piper climbed on top of the truck, finding a seat on the roof of the car.
She had to admit, the forest was beautiful at night. There was a low chirping noise rumbling throughout the trees. Crickets, Piper guessed and she prayed it wasn’t something more. After a moments, contemplation the teen concluded her original hypothesis was correct and she soon tunned her ear into the other sounds of the night.
Piper was glad that they had the truck. It proved to be a useful vantage point. Even in the dark, Piper felt as if she could see more of the forest, than she would on the ground bringing the teen comfort.
The girl and the woods fell into a rhythmic cycle as the minutes passed. There was the cricket’s song, the breeze tickling the trees, and her own breathing. Again, and again this cycle came. Crickets, breeze, breath. Crickets, breeze, breath Crickets, breeze, breath, shuffling. Piper froze. Her head whipped around, and her gun raised defensively. She was ready to shoot.
“Kid?” A gruff voice spoke. It was Joel. Piper’s shoulders lowered at the sight of the man. “What are you doing?”
Piper didn’t answer for a moment. “On guard.” Not wanting any more conversation, she whirled back around, her sight on the forest once again.
Joel stood up and his hands found their place on his hips. He looked at Piper as she sat defiantly on the truck. Her back turned to him. The sight almost made him chuckle as he saw himself reflected in her figure. Almost. Instead, a worry fell over him. She was a kid. A kid who deemed sleep just as pointless as him. Releasing his hands from his hips, Joel pinched the bridge of his nose. Piper needed to sleep, but she was stubborn. Just like him and if he guessed now, Piper wouldn’t go to sleep without a fight.
He was too tired for this and too old to fight a headstrong teenage girl. Instead, Joel kept his mouth shut, picked up his rifle and turned his back to her, guarding the other half of the forest.
The two held their ground in silence and the forest fell back into the rhythm again. As the pattern repeated, the more Piper felt unease. Sighing, she turned around to find Joel.
“I’m sorry,” Piper said. She wasn’t even sure why she said it, but she knew she needed to.
Joel turned his head around at her voice. He wasn’t sure why she apologized yet still he replied. “It’s fine.”
Silence fell over them again and Piper bit the inside of her cheek. It was awkward to say the least. She waited, but then realized Joel wasn’t going to say anymore, so she turned back around.
“...the stars…are nice,” Joel noted.
Piper looked up for the first time that night. There they were. The stars were breathtaking. She hadn’t ever seen them that clear. “Yeah,” she agreed. Together, Joel and Piper withdrew their attention from the forest to the sky. “You know, Ellie is a fanatic for the stars, space, whatever else is up there.”
Joel glanced at Piper and there he saw it once more. The very expression in the car he saw on her face, now bloomed under the night sky. There was the kid she should be.
“...that one, the one that looks like a demented spider. Apparently its called Hercules.” Piper pointed up into the sky.
“Huh,” Joel hummed.
“Yeah, that’s about all I know. Ellie, I swear, knows them all.”
Joel tore his eyes away from the demented spider constellation. “Kid, you should get some sleep,” Joel suggested.
“In your dreams, Joel.”
꧁_____________꧂
It was official. Ellie hated sleeping outdoors. This was the second time she woke up with a knot in her back. Groaning she pushed herself off the cold ground of the forest. Looking around, she saw the rolled up sleeping bags nearby.
“Look who’s finally awake,” Piper commented as she walked by Ellie carrying her supplies to the truck of the car.
Ellie waved her middle finger in the air for Piper to see earning a laugh from her sister. Soon the young girl’s stomach began to rumble. Fueled by her hunger, Ellie crawled over to the pots and dishes piled together hoping to find something to munch on.
Lifting a lid, she found a boiling liquid. Taking a brief sniff, she pulled back and slammed the lid back on. “Ugh! The fuck is that?”
“You don’t like coffee?” Joel asked.
Whipping her head around to face him, Ellie replied. “If it smells like that, no.” Piper walked up beside her sister and crouched down, lifting up the lid to the coffee pot. Ellie saw the darkened circles underneath her sister’s eyes. “How’d you sleep?” Ellie asked Piper.
“Like shit,” Piper replied. She eyed the coffee. “Can I have some?” Joel nodded and Piper grabbed a cup and poured the black liquid into it. She raised the cup to her lips and drank.
Ellie gagged. “You are no longer my sister.”
Piper chuckled. “You’ll get it one day.” Ruffling Ellie’s hair, Piper stood back up to help Joel finish packing the truck.
“Is that seriously what those Starbucks in the QZ used to sell?” Ellie questioned.
“Well, theirs was a lot fresher than what Bill saved up, but, yeah, this is what they sold,” Joel explained.
Ellie shook her head. “Smells like burnt shit.”
Piper laughed once more. “Alright, hurry up and eat. We’ve gotta leave soon.” Leaving Ellie, to scavenge once more for food amongst the pile of dishes, Piper sipped her coffee. She hoped that maybe the caffeinated liquid would keep her sinking eyes awake and the exhaustion in her bones far away.
꧁_____________꧂
“Eyes on the map,” Joel instructed. His voice clear and firm.
Piper shot up in her seat. Her eyes wide open. She observed she was in the car. The vehicle hummed as it traveled along the road and Piper couldn’t recall how she even got into the car in the first place.
“Alright,” Joel said as the car pulled off to the side of the road, coming to a stop. When the shift stick was in park, Joel turned to the back seat. “Ellie, switch with Piper.”
Shaking her head, Piper replied. “No, I’m fine, just–”
“In the back,” Joel said and Piper knew she couldn’t fight him on this.
Unbuckling her seat belt, Piper reluctantly opened the passenger side door and crawled into the back. On the other hand, Ellie was esctatic to sit up in the front next to Joel. Jumping in her seat and getting a feel for the cushioned leather, Ellie beamed.
“Wow, it’s so much nicer up here. I’m never sitting in the back again!”
Just as Ellie was about to fiddle with the stereo, Joel shoved the map into her hands.
“Here.” Joel pointed to the map. “We’re here and need to go here. Remember.”
Ellie’s eyes narrowed, following Joel’s thick finger as it danced across the map. “76 west and then… 70 west for, like, ever.”
“Yep. Now eyes on the map.”
Rolling her eyes, Ellie glanced back down at the map. Her small fingers ran along the path that Joel had shown her moments before. Each time she got to the end, the image in her mind only grew more potent until Ellie was confident she could recite the map from memory. However, there was only so much of “eye on the map” she could take and soon Ellie diverged her attention elsewhere.
First, she experimented with the rearview mirror. It wasn’t something Joel particularly needed, so Ellie had free rein, so long as she didn’t annoy the old man. The small rectangular mirror, let her see the dusty road behind her. She ogled as the cloud of dust rippled out behind the truck clouding the green scenery behind her. Soon Ellie discovered that the mirror could move, tilting up and down and side to side. She tilted the mirror to look at Joel for a brief moment before she caught his glare. Quickly, she turned the mirror to herself. She extended her legs, leaned in close, and chuckled. Her face looked more stretched out than it normally did, and her eyes looked funky.
Ellie could have looked at herself for god knows how long if it weren’t for the pothole the truck conveniently rolled over. Thumping down in her seat with a huff, Ellie found a new target in the rearview mirror. Piper was fast asleep. Her body limp as her head rested on the stacked up sleeping bags in the back seat. Ellie thought Piper looked weird sleeping. It seemed against her older sister’s nature to relax and be at peace. Afterall, Piper was always on guard with a battle happening deep in the pit of her eyes. Yet, the sight of her sister asleep in the back seat created a warm feeling in Ellie’s chest. Even if the sight of Piper in a dormant state was bizarre, Ellie knew it’s what her sister need. It’s what Piper deserved.
“Where in Wyoming did you say your brother was?” Ellie found herself asking now that the mirror was back in place after Joel corrected the tilt.
“Last contact came through a radio tower close to Cody,” Joel replied.
Nodding Ellie peered down at the map scanning the tiny words and roads for Cody. “Cody, Cody. Ah, man. That is deep up in there.”
“Yeah,” Joel said.
“...And if he’s not there?”
“Then odds are he’ll be near a settlement, probably close to another city out there. Ain’t too many of ’em in Wyoming,” Joel explained.
Soon, Ellie found herself finding the other cities in Wyoming. “Chee-Yen,” she read aloud.
“Cheyenne,” Joel corrected.
Ellie’s eyes widened at Joel’s correction. It couldn’t be right. “Che… really?” Joel nodded. Ellie continued to look for cities. “Cheyenne… Laramie… Casper? What’s his name?”
“Whose name?” Joel wondered.
“Your brother,” Ellie clarified.
Joel breathed in deeply before answering the curious girl. “Tommy.”
“Younger or older?” Ellie curiously asked.
“Younger.”
Peering back at Piper, Ellie asked yet another question. “Why isn’t he with you?” Afterall, her and her sister were always side by side. Never apart and always together.
“A long story,’ Joel said hoping that it would satisfy Ellie. It did not.
Ellie scanned the map once more. “Is it longer than 25 hours? ‘Cause I think that’s what we got.” She peered up at Joel with the most convincing eyes she could conjure.
Joel could feel her expectant gaze on him. Biting his tongue, he continued to drive in silence until Ellie’s stare grew too much. Finally, Joel “Tommy’s what we used to call a ‘joiner.’ Dreams of becomin’ a hero. So he enlisted in the Army right outta high school. A few months later, they ship him off to Desert Storm. It’s what they called that war. It doesn’t matter. Point is, bein’ in the Army didn’t make him feel much like a hero. Cut to 12 years later, outbreak happens. He convinces me to join a group makin’ their way up to Boston, which I did… mostly to keep an eye on him, keep him alive. It’s where we met Tess. And that whole crew, we, uh… Well, for what it was, it worked. And then Tommy meets Marlene. She talks him into joinin’ the Fireflies. Same mistake he made when he was 18. Wants to save the world. Pipe dream. Him, Fireflies, all of ’em… delusional. ‘Course, last I heard, he quit the Fireflies, too. So now he’s on his own out there, and… I gotta go get him.”
“If you don’t think there’s hope for the world, why bother going on?” Ellie asked. Joel glanced at her with his brows raised. “I mean, you gotta try, right?”
He shook his head. “You haven’t seen the world, so you don’t know. You keep goin’ for family. That’s about it.”
“I’m not family,” Ellie blurted.
“No…,” Joel paused to look at the young girl next to him. “You’re cargo. And I made a promise to Tess. And she was like family.” There was a flash of change in Ellie’s expression. “But you have Piper. Piper’s your family.”
“Yeah she is,” Ellie said with a dejected tone. “You know she reminds me of you.”
“How so?” Joel wondered as his eyes glanced into the mirror to catch sight of the sleeping teen.
“You’re going for Tommy. Piper goes for me.” Ellie said. “What if you don’t find him?”
“I will.”
“How do you know?” There was a challenge in the young girls voice.
“I’m persistent,” Joel answered.
Ellie smiled. “Yep, exactly like Piper.”
There was an uneasy feeling growing in the pit of Joel’s stomach at Ellie’s conclusion. It was to similar to the thought he buried deep in the back of his head. Piper was like Joel. It was something he didn’t want. Piper shouldn’t be like him. Joel was damaged, old, broken, and cruel with walls built as high as some of the skyscrapers that existed before the Outbreak. Piper was a teenage girl. She was still a kid. She shouldn’t be like him at all.
“Ya got up pretty early,” Joel mentioned. “If you wanna grab more sleep like Piper…”
Ellie waved Joel off. “Pfft. I’m not even tired.”
“Sure,” Joel said trying to fight of a smirk.
꧁_____________꧂
A quiet snore escaped the young girls mouth as she dozed off in the passenger seat. The smirk on Joel’s face finally won when Ellie had closed her heavy eyes. It was now peaceful in the car with the two girls sleeping. Their inhales and exhales were in tandem. Both of their faces were calm as the mid-day dreams over came them.
Joel’s momentary peace and quiet was never meant to last. Soon, there was a stirring in the back seat and a head of dark brown hair sat up. Piper’s hair had frizzed up in her slumber and the young teen tried to soothe the mess with her hands before giving up.
“How long I was out?” Piper asked as the sleep slowly left her voice. Her eyes scanned the scenes passing by the car windows.
Turning his head back to face her, Joel replied, “A few hours.”
Piper nodded before carefully peering over the front seat to find her sister fast asleep. “How long has she been out?”
“Not very long,” Joel said.
“Hmm…,” Piper couldn’t help but softly smile at Ellie as she brushed some stray hairs from her sister’s face. “Where are we now?” Piper grabbed the map from Ellie’s hands.
“Not far from Kanas City,” Joel explained.
She scanned the map and her surroundings for any signs to signify where they were. It didn’t take long for the teen to estimate their spot along the highway. Joel was right. They weren’t far from Kanas City. “We should go around,” Piper whispered.
Joel’s brows raised as his ears caught Piper’s words. “What do you mean?”
Piper solemnly glanced out the window. Her eyes darted back and forth as the sight flew by them. “Heard the QZ is horrible. Definitely not a place we want to be.” Once she had finished speaking, Piper had grown eerily quiet.
Joel wanted to say something. To ask if she was okay, but his vocal chords refused to make a sound. Soon the shuffling of the girl in the passenger seat drew everyone’s attention.
Piper smiled. “Hey there sleepy head.”
Ellie’s eyes closed and opened as they adjust to the harsh light of the day. “Fuck you,” she groaned. Her response made Piper laugh, but her laugh was cut short by the slowing of the truck.
The teen hadn’t been aware of how close they actually were to Kanas City. The road between all the cars and trucks was significantly more narrow than before. In front of them was an obvious barricade. They weren’t able to drive through this. Piper’s jaw clenched as she watched Joel unbuckle his seat. She wanted to tell him to drive back and go around the city. She was sure she saw a route they could take, but it was Joel’s voice that spoke instead.
“Stay put,” Joel told the girls.
Piper and Ellie watched the man look around the cars and underneath the larger trucks before he trekked back with a scowl on his face.
Fuck, the girls thought.
“Where are we?” Ellie asked as soon as Joel got back into the car.
“Kansas City,” Joel grumbled. He motioned for the map and Piper placed it in his hands.
“How far back do we have to go to get around this?” Ellie peered over Joel’s shoulder as worry spread across her face.
Joel sighed looking at the map. They’d have to turn around and drive a few hours just to get around the barricade. To Joel, it wasn’t worth it. Tommy was waiting. Time was precious. “Screw it.” Without another word, Joel pulled away from the barricade and drove the car onto the exit ramp. The road led straight to Kanas City.
Panic filled Piper’s being. “What are you doing?!” She yelled at Joel, “No, no, Joel. Away from the city. I’ve heard some things back in Boston QZ, we don’t–”
He knew the fear in Piper’s expression well, but a teenager’s fears weren’t going to add more time onto their trip than needed. “We can jog right around this tunnel… take the next ramp… and we’re back on the road. Minute tops,” he hurriedly explained to calm the girl.
Piper glared at Joel as she bit her lip. Tears began to well up in her eyes from the pain. The disturbing turning in her gut only got worse as they drove deeper and deeper into the city and the only comfort she could find was gripping the handle of her gun.
“Where the fuck is the highway?!” Joel fumed. His eye frantically over the map and then the road in front of him.
Ellie did her best to help. “I can’t tell from this. I’m all turned around!”
“Don’t look at the state map, Ellie. Look at the inset.” Piper was on the verge of snapping. “That there!”
The younger girl’s voice began to break. “Well, I don’t know where we are in that either! This is my second day in a fucking car. I mean, I think we’re heading north?”
“It’s gotta be the right,” Joel muttered, before swerving the car to the right.
The car jolted everyone as Joel tried find a way out of the labyrinth like city.
“Stop!” Ellie hollered.
The car came to a halt. Tires screeched and Piper barely had time to brace herself on Ellie’s seat. “What the fuck?” She asked her sister. Ellie just stared at pointed out the window.
“Is that the QZ?” Ellie asked. Everyone was now looking at the burned down gate. Smoke was still in the air. “Where the fuck is FEDRA?”
Piper wanted to spew. “Joel–”
“Hey! Please help!” The voice came from outside the car. It was a man. His right leg hung limp behind him and his arms waved in the air.
Her eyes widened and, using her free hand, she grabbed Joel’s shoulder with a painful grip. “Joel, we need to get the fuck out of here!”
Joel’s eyes darkened. “Put your seatbelt on,” he said with a low voice.
Ellie searched his eyes. “Aren’t we gonna help him?”
“No,” Piper and Joel said simultaneously.
There was a click. Then a stomp. Soon the car jumped forward as Joel pressed his foot down on the gas. The truck was headed straight for the man.
“Joel! Reverse!” Piper screamed.
“Fuck!” the man yelled as he jumped out of the way. “Go, go, go!”
In an instance, there was a deafening thud. The car slid. Joel turned the wheel to a nearby building’s glass doors. Gun shots fired. Their heads ducked down as they braced for impact. With a crash, the car came to a halt.
“Fuck,” Joel groaned. He turned to Ellie. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” Ellie wheezed.
Quickly, he turned to Piper. “You’re not hurt? Nothin’?”
Piper shook her head. “I don’t think so.”
Their momentary relief was destroyed by bullets firing. They had hit the truck’s windows.
“Belts off. Fast!” Joel shouted.
The girls did not waste time unbuckling the seat belts and opening the doors of the truck.
“Let’s see you, motherfucker! Give us your shit, you make it through this! I promise!” One of the raiders yelled.
Once all of them had left the truck and found brief cover, Joel looked around the room. “Hey, you see that hole?” He pointed to a small hole in the drywall. “Can you two squeeze through?”
Ellie and Piper followed Joel’s hand. With one scan of the hole, they knew they could fit.
“Last chance!” the raider snarled.
“When I say go, you crawl to that wall, and you squeeze through, and you don’t come out until I say, okay?” Joel instructed the teens.
Ellie nodded her head. The shock evident in her eyes.
Piper shook hers. “No, let me help.” She raised her gun up for Joel to see.
Joel growled and his jaw clenched. “This is not a negotiation. You’re going.”
A gun shot echoed around the room. They seemed to be getting louder and louder with each fire. Ellie felt her legs go limp and a cold sweat over come her body.
“they’re not gonna hit you. Look at me!” Joel told Ellie, “They’re not gonna hit you.”
Bang!
“You stay down, you stay low, you stay quiet,” Joel explained and Ellie absently nodded her head.
“I’ve got you Els,” Piper whispered to her sister.
“Mm-hmm,” Ellie hummed back with tears in her eyes.
“Okay,” Piper said before turning to Joel and nodding.
“Okay,” Joel commanded. “Go!”
Immediately, Piper shot off the ground and grabbed Ellie’s jacket collar dragging her along. They stayed low to the ground until they reached the hole. “Come on, go!” Piper yelled before shoving Ellie through the hole.
Bang!
Piper cried out in pain as she examined her shoulder. She was shot. The bullet had grazed her arm. “Fuck!” She cried before crawling through the hole.
Another shot was fired.
“Fuck! You motherfucker!” One of the raiders screamed.
There was another shot and Piper could hear the sounds of guns falter. Joel was doing it. He was taking them out one by one.
Crunch.
Glass had been broken and there was heavy breathing. It was breathing that did not belong to the old man. A shadow covered the hole. Ellie’s eyes widened and Piper pulled her back against the wall.
There was a grunt. “Now you’re gonna fuckin’ pay! What you fuckin’ did, you fuckin’ killed yourself, motherfucker!” A raider yelled. The girls could hear the voice so clearly.
Bang.
Something had run into the wall. Piper flinched and Ellie was no longer by her side. Turning her head, she saw her sister at the hole. Her gun in hand.
“Ellie, no,” Piper pleaded as Joel struggle with the raider.
Ignoring her sister, Ellie crawled through the wall.
“Fuck,” Piper groaned before following her sister out the hole.
The sight in front of her was pure chaos. Joel had his head tilted back with a long rifle underneath his chin. Behind him stood a raider. Piper didn’t care to note the specifics about him except for the fact he was choking Joel. It wouldn’t have been long before Joel would lay unconscious on the floor of the abandoned laundromat.
A clear shot rang through the air. The raider fell to his knees. The rifle choking Joel was gone. Ellie had shot the man. Her shoulders were stiff and her eyes were cold. Her skin was paler than white as the gun followed the man as he dragged himself across the floor.
The demeanor in the raider had flipped. Tears screamed down his eyes as the violence in his voice fled. It was replaced by terror as he pleaded with Ellie.
“No, no, no, no, no! It’s okay. It’s okay. It’s over. We’re not fighting anymore. I’m gonna go home. I’ll tell everyone you’re good,” his voice broke as a cry escaped his lips. “I don’t know what to do. My legs don’t work. My mom isn’t far, if you could get me to her. We could trade with you guys. We could be friends. I didn’t know.” Ellie stood unwavering. “I’m Bryan. I’m Bryan. What’s your name?” Bryan whimpered.
Joel stepped forward. “Wait, wait, wait!” Bryan pleaded, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a knife. “You can have it… It’s a good knife.” He tossed the knife to Ellie. It fell to the ground beside her feet.
“Get back behind the wall,” Joel muttered to Ellie. He was still out of breath. His hand came to her shoulder, breaking her from her trance. Lowering the gun, Ellie turned her back to Bryan and crawled back through the wall. “Kid,” Joel said to Piper.
“I’m not a kid,” Piper whispered. With Ellie’s gun was quickly replaced by Piper’s. Joel’s eyes widened.
Bryan’s cried got louder. It annoyed Piper. Someone who moments before seemed to strong, now was at her feet begging for mercy. Something she didn’t have. Not anymore. “No, no, no, no! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! Please, please. We could just talk. I’m sorry! I’m sorry! Please, please. No, no, no! Please! No, please! Please! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! Please! You don’t have to! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! Please! No, no, no! We can just talk! Mom! Mom! Mom!”
Piper’s heart clenched at Bryan’s call for his mother. It was a brief moment, before her finger squeezed. A shot thundered around the room. Then there was silence and a small hole in the forehead of what used to be Bryan. Piper wanted to revel in it, but instead she felt sick. Swallowing down the rising bile, she lowered her gun. In the silence, adjusted the straps of her backpack and moved to the hole in the wall.
“Let’s go,” she mumbled.
“I can’t fit through,” Joel said.
Piper sighed and grabbed her shoulder massaging the pain. “There’s a door to the next room just around the corner.”
Joel nodded as he shuffled around to the door before turning the knob. The door didn’t open. It wasn’t locked, but it just didn’t open.
“There’s some stuff against the door,” Ellie voiced.
“Well, can you move it?” Joel asked.
“Uh…yeah.”
It didn’t take long for Joel to hear scrapping and shuffling behind the door. Soon the blockage was free and the door swung open. Joel stepped inside and closed the door behind him and darkness flooded the room.
“You okay?” Joel asked to either girl.
Piper didn’t answer. Ellie did. “I’m okay… I’m good. I, uh, got some food in here still, and I got your light still.” Ellie handed Joel the light. “What now?”
“We go up,” Joel answered.
Ellie looked up at Joel. “To get a better look?”
Joel nodded. “Hopefully, we spot a clear route out.” Leaning back, Joel peered out the door, briefly shutting it. His eyes flitted between the girls.
“Ready?” He asked.
Ellie nodded. The two of them turned to Piper. The elder teen gripped her gun close and raised her head up an down.
Light spilled into the room. The bright light momentarily blinded the three of them as they rushed outside. Their bodies crouched down low as they ran. One fact rang clear in their minds. They had to get far away from here. Some place safe, although it seemed as if they’d never be safe again.
꧁_____________꧂
“You fingers go here and then…Piper are you listening to me?” Levi asked with a knowing smile on his face.
“Huh? Oh yeah. Totally,” Piper chirped back.
“Right. How was I telling you to hold the gun?” Levi knew Piper’s reaction before the guilt on her face could manifest.
“Like…this?” Piper fiddled with the gun in her hand and Levi shook his head.
“No. Here,” Levi said as he reached over to fix Piper’s grip on the gun. Fingers go here and use both hands.”
“But that’s not how–,” Piper muttered.
“I know that’s how you were taught by FEDRA. It’s wrong. Now listen to me sweetheart,” Levi continued on with his demonstration. “...Soon enough you’ll be able to shoot.”
After some adjustments, Piper finally mastered her grip on the gun. Levi beamed. “See, now. I want you to try your hand at shooting. Don’t be afraid to miss.”
Piper huffed and moved her feet to a better stance, the very one she saw Levi take when he used his gun. Her small eyes narrowed to the targets on the other end of the room. They were old beer bottles, but viable targets nonetheless. Taking a slow breath in, Piper pulled her finger back, trigger the gun to fire. She missed.
“Fuck,” Piper hissed.
Levi chuckled. “Hey, what did I say? You can miss. You’re safe here. You miss here so that when your shot counts, you don’t miss. Got it?”
The young girl nodded before turning to look back at the targets. Piper puffed her cheeks with disappointment. She wanted to hit the target. She wanted to never miss again. She wouldn’t make a shot that night. She wouldn’t make a shot until it counted. Yet, time and time again, she heard Levi’s voice saying, “Try again,” and she’d get back up to fire once more.
꧁_____________꧂
Refuge was found in a broken down bar. The windows were sealed with old newspapers. To pass the time, Ellie tried to read the clippings. Some were stories about dead people. Boring. Then there were some stories about what the local school board was doing. Also boring. As she jumped from story to story, Ellie concluded that the news was boring. Instead she took to peeking out the window in the cracks where the news didn’t cover.
“They’re not FEDRA, and they’re not Fireflies, so who are they?” Ellie asked. She peered up at Joel who was also looking out the window.
“People,” Joel grumbled.
Ellie nodded and drew her knees in close. Her tiny body crumpled together on the wooden floor. “Are we okay in here?” Ellie’s voice was small.
Joel’s ear’s perked at the sound of uncertainty in Ellie’s voice. He withdrew from the window and sat down on an abandoned chair. “For a little bit, maybe. Looks like they’re checkin’ out apartment buildings first. But they’ll be coming through these places soon enough.”
There was a sigh from the corner of the room. Piper’s head fell back against the wall. “There’s a really tall building, like, four blocks away,” she noted. Her long dark hair fell to the side as her eyes cast down. She had lost her hair tie a while back during the chaos of running from building to building.
"Yeah. Saw it,” Joel said.
Ellie sat up and peeked out the window once more. Her brown eyes darted around until they landed on the building, she believed Joel and Piper were discussing. “So that’s the one?” She pointed to the building.
“As soon as we don’t hear a truck, we move,” Joel instructed. “Fast as we can.” There was a loud hum as an armoured truck drove by and Ellie ducked down. The group froze as they listened. Their shoulders were tensed and backs stiff.
The rumbling of the trucks dispersed and a laboured groan escaped Piper’s mouth.
“Are you okay?” Joel asked. He was now standing up and moving towards the young teen.
Piper made a noise that was a mix of a scoff and a snicker. “I’m not the one you should be asking.”
Joel groaned at Piper’s stubbornness. “You were shot, weren’t you?”
“No.” Piper shook her head.
“I saw you got s–,” Joel rebutted.
“The bullet grazed me!” Piper heaved. “It’s not the end of the fucking world. I’m fine.” She squeezed her arm in hopes to divert the pain. “Ellie, how are you doing?” Piper tensely asked.
“I’m alright,” Ellie replied. “Joel?”
Roughly running his hands through his peppered hair, Joel answered Ellie. “Yeah.” Taking a few more steps closer to Piper, Joel crouched down. His body only a few feet away from the girl. “Thing is, is I didn’t hear that guy comin’, and… you shouldn’t have had to… both of you shouldn’t have had to…you know?”
“Well, you’re glad we did,” Piper concluded.
Joel shook his head. He was glad to be alive, but not at the expense of child. “You’re just a kid,” Joel pinched his nose. “You shouldn’t know what it means to… But… shootin’ or… I know what it’s like… first time that you, uh, hurt… someone like that. If you, uh… w… uh…I’m not good at this,” Joel confessed.
“Yeah, you really aren’t,” Ellie commented.
“I mean, it was my fault,” Joel apologized. You shouldn’t have had to. And I’m sorry.”
Those two words echoed in Piper’s head. They were such simple and unthreatening words, yet their delivery broke down her walls. I’m sorry. Piper gulped and dug her nails into the palms of her hands. I’m sorry. A new ache formed in her body at the sound of the words and the pain from her shoulder only dulled in comparison to the pain of her heart. I’m sorry. Instantly, her vision grew blurry, and against her will, a few tears escaped and trailed down her dirtied cheeks.
“It wasn’t my first time,” Piper sniffled . She looked up forcing the tears away.
“Right. Show me your grip,” Joel looked at Piper and never for a moment did he dwell on her tears. Piper was grateful for that as she pulled out her gun and showed Joel her grip. He took a step closer to check. “Good.” Then Joel turned to Ellie asking her to do the same. “Finger off the trigger. Now, who taught you that?” Joel asked Ellie.
“FEDRA school,” Ellie mumbled.
“Figures. Your thumb…over your thumb. Left hand… squeezes down on the right. You got it?” Ellie nodded. Suddenly, Joel’s hand reached out and tried to yank away Ellie’s gun. Her grip stayed unwavering. “There ya go. Look,” Joel noted.
Piper smiled as Ellie’s grin grew from Joel’s praise.
“How come you didn’t check Piper’s grip?” Ellie asked Joel.
Piper chirped up before Joel could reply. “FEDRA didn’t teach me to shoot,” She said and all elements of a smile has vanished.
Joel looked back at Piper before standing up. The joints in his knees and hips were displeased at this sudden movement. His movement created a wave of action from the other girls. Piper stood up and Ellie placed her gun in her hand.
Tapping Ellie on the shoulder, Joel shook his head. “Uh-uh. You’ll shoot your damn ass off.”
Piper snickered. “Be fucking hilarious.”
Ellie whipped her head around to face her sister. “You fucker.”
“Hurry it up, girls,” Joel grumbled as he retrieved his things. The girls quit their bickering to do just as Joel had.
Soon enough, the three of them were standing at the door. They shared a cautious breath as they awaited Joel’s cue.
“We’ll get through this,” Joel found himself saying. His eyes flashed with worry as he glanced at the weary expressions on the girl’s faces.
Ellie shrugged her backpack and looked up at Joel. “We know.”
For a moment, they waited. All their ears tunned into the sounds of the world outside the degenerating bar. With bated breathes they stood. Ellie gripped the straps of her bag tightly finding comfort in the constriction. Piper stood low behind Joel. The pain in her arm was now blaring at her. She clenched her eyes shut, waiting for the pain to subside. All Piper had to do was wait it out. Soon they’d be safe. Soon they’d be out of this god forsaken city.
“Go,” Joel commanded. The door shut behind them and a bar was left empty once more.
꧁_____________꧂
Joel was old. It was a fact that he knew quite well. It seemed to be Joel’s downfall that he was old in a world that favored the young. Especially when it came to survival. Except now, Joel had youth on his side, except this youth seemed…well, partially incompetent.
“You’re just gonna put your foot here,” Joel explained. “One, two…” With all his strength he raised Ellie into the air. The young girl’s arms flailed around trying to find stability.
“Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit,” Ellie cursed.
Piper couldn’t contained her laughter as she watched Joel and Ellie struggle.
Joel huffed and rolled his eyes at Piper’s reaction. “You could always help.”
“Nah, you’ve got it,” Piper replied.
Ellie cried out as Joel’s muscles struggled to keep her up. “Straighten up. I got you,” Joel said.
It took a moment, but then Ellie followed Joel’s advice. Her hands reached the opening and her fingers scrounged around for a grip. It didn’t take long for the weight on Joel’s shoulders and arms to lessen.
“Okay, I’m in.” Ellie’s voice echoed around the opening.
“Take a look around first. Ellie.” Joel instructed. There was silence from the other side. “God damn it,” Joel muttered.
“Hey, that's my sister,” Piper reprimanded the old man.
As if on cue, a nearby steel door swung open and Ellie’s head appeared. “Where would you be without me, huh?” Ellie smiled.
“By now, Wyoming,” Joel responded as he walked passed Ellie into the building.
Ellie’s shoulder’s dropped. “Oh, yeah. Walked into that one.”
Once they were all in the stairwell, Joel at the two girls. “All right. We’ll make our way up, and come morning, I’ll take a look at the city, and find our way out.”
A large white sign flared in the dark of the stairwell, illuminated by the flashlights of the group. Ellie groaned upon reading the mixture of numbers and words on the metallic surface. “We’re goin’ up 42 flights?”
“Forty-five,” Joel corrected and then shook his head. “But no… not all the way.”
Piper slumped against the concrete wall with a bang. The contents of her backpack were squished between her and the unmoving force of the wall. “Jesus. How far?”
The man’s brow furrowed with thought as he calculated an answer for the girls. “As far as I can make it.”
And so their ascent up the stairs began. Their footsteps clambered along the thick walls echoing to and fro. The stair case had a supreme level of acoustics. It was a fact acknowledged by all three of them, especially Ellie. By floor ten, the young girl’s thigh muscles contracted and with each step the burning sensation only grew stronger. In her mind she prayed Joel could only take so many more. Afterall, he was old. However, Ellie realized she had misjudged Joel’s determination and strength by floor seventeen. Her body was heating up and sweat oozed out of her skin. She was suffering, and it seemed like no one else was. Piper stood stoically as she climbed each step. The only hint of their physical stress was a slight shade of pink that tinted her cheeks. On the other hand, Joel’s brow shimmered under the light of his flashlight. He was sweating. He was feeling the effects of their activities. He was suffering, but not enough.
“What did the policeman say to his belly button?” Ellie asked with a devious smile as she watched Joel’s shoulder’s slump with defeat.
Piper snorted before rolling her eyes at Ellie. “I don’t know…um…hi?”
“Nope,” Ellie bit her lip trying to contain her laughter. “You’re under a vest!”
“Jesus,” Joel mumbled and Piper wasn’t sure if it was a prayer or a curse.
The stairs now echoed a new sound, Ellie’s giggles. “Okay, okay. Next one.” She cleared her throat. “What’s the difference between a well-dressed person on a unicycle and a poorly dressed person on a bike?” Dark brown eyes darted to Piper and Joel for any hint of an answer. “No one? Okay,” and throwing on her best posh accent, Ellie drove the punch line home. “Attire.”
Again, the young girl was thrown into a fit of giggles as Joel grumbled to himself occasionally sending her a warning glare when he broke free from his elderly annoyance of the youth present.
With each joke Ellie delivered, the laboured and steadfast demeanor Piper held up slowly chipped away. She wasn’t sure if it was the fact her body no longer had the will to fight against the abominable two-liner jokes, or if it was the sight of Ellie at such ease and joy from tormenting her and Joel. Although, Piper had to admit seeing Joel at such loose level of discomfort was quite funny. It was moments like these she had to remember when Joel would eventually discard her and Ellie just like everyone else.
“Ooo! This one. Okay,” Ellie cleared her throat. “What did the fisherman say to the magician?” She paused waiting for the internal drum roll to conclude. “Pick a cod, any cod.”
Piper sinched her lips together to contain the outburst waiting to pop. She was so focused on not laughing that she almost ran into Joel. The man had stilled and with his hands on his hips he glowered down at the girls with an unknown look in his gaze.
“No more jokes,” Joel said.
“Okay, just trying to lighten the mood,” Ellie mumbled as she shoved her joke book into her back pocket.
Upon seeing the book placed away, Joel collected his breath and the marched up the stairs continued.
They had passed four more floors when Ellie spoke again. “Hey, you know that guy who said he was hurt?” She waited for Joel’s acknowledgement. “How did you know it was an ambush?”
Joel’s chest rose pushing his shoulder close to his ears. “I’ve been on both sides.” He glanced back at caught Piper’s knowing stare. “It was a long time ago. We did what we needed to survive.”
“You and Tess?” Ellie asked. It was strange to think of Joel and Tess like the man who attacked them. They were protectors and that’s all Ellie had known them to be. She didn’t think she could imagine Tess hurting anyone. Joel on the other hand, she could see it…sort of.
“And the people we were with,” Joel explained. “My brother, too.”
Ellie took in a shaking breath, which she blamed on the physical exertion. “Did you kill innocent people?” Her voice faltered.
Joel was silent.
“Ellie,” Piper interjected. “Save your breath for the stairs.”
Joel’s jaw unclenched at Piper’s words. He was grateful for her interruption. He knew the answer and it was not an answer he wanted to tell Ellie. In a world full of death and decay around everyone corner, sometimes all you could do was kill. So, yes. Yes, Joel had killed innocents. Back then he wasn’t ashamed. He did it to survive. He had to. Now…now Joel just wanted to lie.
꧁_____________꧂
The stairwell door slammed open and Ellie toppled inside. Her knees hit the carpeted floor as breath hit her lungs like a tidal wave. “Holy shit,” she tiredly said.
Piper plopped down next to her throwing her head between her knees. “Yeah,” she agreed.
“Thirty-three floors ,” Ellie barely voiced. “That’s good.”
“It’s gonna have to be,” Joel panted. He placed his coarse hand on the wall for stability. Everything burned: his lungs, his calves, his thighs, hell, even muscles he didn’t know existed burned in a frenzy.
Pushing herself off the floor, Piper crawled to a standing position. “Come on,” she huffed.
Ellie shuffled around before reaching her hand out to Piper. Together the two of them got Ellie to a stand.
Joel looked at the two girls with a puzzled expression. The power of the recovery in the youth astounded him. “Gimme a minute,” Joel begged.
Ellie chuckled. “Get up, you lazy ass.”
“Lazy ass,” Joel grunted as he stood up. “Fifty-six years old, you little shit.”
Piper and Ellie laughed at his response as they watched Joel waddle down the maze of hallways on the floor before entering a large office. The office was in a pristine condition considering the start of the apocalypse two decades prior. The carpet was free of dirt and Piper could still see the design within the fabric. Ellie was in awe at the fluffiness of the couch cushions in the seating area. They were a little stiff but practically new. She smiled to herself as she laid a few of the cushions out on the floor for the three of them.
“Better than any bed I’ve ever slept–Joel?” Ellie turned her attention to Joel who had just shattered the glass door. “Joel.” He didn’t respond. Ellie looked at Piper with a worried shine in her eyes. “Joel!” Ellie yelled.
The man in question turned around with a quizzical look. “What?”
“What are you doing?” She pointed to the glass now on the floor. Not the best sleeping conditions, if she was saying anything.
Joel furrowed his brow as if his actions are obvious. Piper sighed and dropped her bag onto the floor before laying down next to Ellie. “He doesn’t want someone sneakin’ up on us while we’re sleeping.”
“Ohh, I get it. Crunch, crunch, crunch,” Ellie animately said. Her hands marched around in the air like feet ‘smashing’ the shattered glass. “Are you sure you’re gonna hear it?” The young girl asked Joel.
“Of course, I’ll hear it,” Joel said. “That’s the damn point.” He glanced down at the ground. The glass was evenly spread out. It’d be difficult to not step on the makeshift alarm. Satisfied, he shuffled over to the girls and sat down on the open cushion next to Piper.
“If he doesn’t,” Piper added, “I will.”
“Okay. Well, good night,” Ellie said. She snuggled into the couch cushions and drew her jacket tightly around her body.
“Yeah, good night,” Joel whispered back as he laid down settling in for the night.
“Night,” Piper mumbled.
A darkened shade of blue encased the room. Everything was a different shade and Piper could make out each of the objects in the room. The desk was a darker blue than the chair behind it. The ceiling was a light blue, and the young girl was sure she could hear the buzzing of the fluorescent lights, even though they were turned off. Shifting around on the cushion, Piper let out a disappointed sigh. Sleep evaded her.
“Hey,” Joel spoke.
“Yeah?” Piper hesitantly responded. Behind her, a small snore escaped Ellie’s mouth. Piper could hear Joel let out a heavy breath.
“When we were talkin’ about hurtin’ people…,” Joel paused. “What did you mean it wasn’t your first time?”
Piper rolled around onto her side. Her eyes glued to Joel’s back. “…I don’t wanna talk about it.”
“All right,” Joel quietly said. “…You don’t have to. I’m just sayin’… it isn’t fair, your age… havin’ to deal with all of this…”
Piper’s nose scrunched up and a line between her brows formed. “There’s a lot I’ve had to deal with…” Tears built up in the corner of her eyes. Piper wasn’t going to cry. She didn’t want to cry, but why was it so easy to cry at night? “The first time I…I was twelve…does it gets easier when you get older?” Piper sniffled.
“No, not really.” Joel rolled over and found lips pulling into a tight line. Piper was crying. The dark hid her tears well, but Joel was a father. He knew when a child was crying. “But still.”
Piper gulped and took in a shaky breath. She wasn’t crying. She refused to cry, but it was a lie. She knew and she knew Joel knew. Yet, there was an ease that filled her being as she cried on the floor of that office with Joel laying across from her. Even as war and torment surged outside, as people searched for them, Piper felt safe. She was safe under the shadow of Joel’s figure. Piper was safe, so she could cry.
“The reason Ellie asked whether you’d hear the glass or not is ’cause both of us have noticed you don’t hear too well from your right side… Is it ’cause you were shot there?” Piper pondered once her tears had subsided.
“Probably more from shootin’,” Joel honestly replied. “So if you wanna keep your hearin’, you stick to that knife.”
Piper chuckled and a small smile crept onto her face. “Too late.” Piper asked, “Joel?”
“Hm?” Joel raised his brow.
“Did you know diarrhea is hereditary?” Piper smirked.
“What?” Joel’s head turned to look over his shoulder. Utter confusion was placed on his face at Piper’s words.
“Yeah,” Piper whispered. “It runs in your jeans.” Then she laughed. It was a quiet laugh given the circumstances, but a laugh nonetheless.
Joel rolled back over. “Jesus,” he said before laughing along. “That is so goddamn stupid.” He shook his head at himself for laughing at the joke, yet he couldn’t stop. He laughed and then Piper laughed. He feared it be an on going cycle that would awaken Ellie.
“You laughed, motherfucker,” Piper noted. “Just wait till I tell Ellie.”
“I didn’t laugh,” Joel gruffly said. There was still a hint of laughter in his face.
“Yes, you did,” Piper said. She wouldn’t let him deny it.
“Jesus, I’m losin’ it,” Joel smiled. His face felt funny and alien as the smile stretched across his features. His cheeks hurt and his eyes crinkled in a way that they hadn’t in years. Piper had made Joel smile.
“You’re losin’ it big time,” Piper giggled and Joel laughed once more.
“Go to sleep,” Joel gently said.
Piper fondly smiled. “You too, Joel. You too.”
꧁_____________꧂
Sleep found Joel quickly that night. It must have been the thirty-three floors of stairs, the fight for his life, and driving consistently for days that finally brought him some rest. His mind was blank. He didn’t dream and didn’t think of Sarah, of Tess, or of Tommy. He felt at ease. Soon the pleasantry of slumber escaped him. The room was lighter and faded color crept into his view.
“Joel?” A muffled voice was calling out to him. It sounded worried. It sounded scared. Joel’s eyes widened. “Joel!”
He grunted as he lifted his head. There was Ellie and Piper. Ellie was looking down at him. Her dark eyes reflected the fear and confusion in Joel’s. Piper sat with her jaw clenched. Her shoulder were held back and an inferno was a lit in her eyes. The thing that scared Joel the most was where Piper was looking. She wasn’t looking at him. No, Piper was glaring down the barrel of a gun.
Something cold touched the back of Joel’s head. He whipped around. There in front of him was a child with paint around his eyes. In his hand was a gun.
Well, fuck.
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#a sinner's redemption#what if ellie had an older sister#ellie and piper are sisters#ellie williams x sister! reader#joel x platonic!reader#dad! joel miller x reader#joel miller x platonic!reader#joel miller comfort#joel miller x daughter!reader#joel x daughter!reader#joel the last of us#hbo the last of us spoilers#hbo the last of us#hbo tlou#tlou hbo#the last of us hbo#ellie and piper are sister's forever#ellie williams x sister!reader#ellie is immune#ellie williams#ellie tlou#ellie the last of us#joel and ellie#took long enough for me to finally write this fic#thanks for the support
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good days aren't easy to come by
#simblr#ts4 legacy#valentine gen 4#fun fact for context on why i care so much abt him finally choosing to play the piano on his own#but it's gonna get Long so strap in#basically. the guitar he used to have had been with him since he was like...... my god. probably about 15#he bought it at a yard sale for pennies from an older woman#it belonged to her late son originally and it wasn't even . supposed to be a part of the sale in the first place. she just took a liking to#devin and figured that really it's better in the hands of someone who would use it than for it to collect dust in her garage forever#and he couldn't really practice at home. his parents... are not exactly the kindest people you've ever seen#he was too afraid of them destroying or throwing it away so he'd sneak off to god knows where and learn how to play it from old#youtube videos on his busted up phone#it quickly became Everything to him. his most prized possession. and it wasn't a shitty guitar either. the son was a professional musician#that's how ellie and devin met in the first place. he was playing at the market she used to sneak out to in the evenings to#and she instantly knew . this boy is going places and really they might as well go together#enough backstory of the backstory. long story short: he was struggling to make rent eventually and was out of vinyls to pawn off#so he had no choice left. it was either that or he'd get kicked out along with his sister. who was still struggling a lot w/ addiction#so he sold it. and it broke him. he's literally just not been the same since losing it#his sister stole him a guitar from a music shop she'd go to sometimes but it just wasn't the same and he had not played an instrument since#until now anyway#still not a guitar. but maybe someday#or he can find his old one and buy it again.........#lmfao if you made it here congrats. you win nothing bc im broke but i do respect you
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am I the only one who gets squicked out when people call Danielle Danny's daughter??? 🥲
its just.
that is a 14 year old child you're assigning parenthood to???
like I actually do think canon did one thing right: having Danny and Ellie's relationship be functionally "uuuuuuhhhh????? okay you can do your thing and. I will do mine. waaaaaay over there. see'ya cuz!" and then they both awkwardly dip out FAST
not because they don't have affection for each other! because they do! but one of them is a 14 year old kid, neck deep in hiding everything about himself from everyone except all of 3 people (also kids), who was just unwillingly cloned by his creep arch enemy-- and the other is a (???) 12 year old (??ig??) who may have only been around for a few months at best but is still functionally a 12 year old, FIERCELY independent, and just recently tried to murder the person she was cloned from-- then betrayed her dad-- then abruptly had nothing to her name, which also isn't even really hers--
I think they want to be friends-- family, even! but I also think they have ALOT of complicated Feelings about it. none of which touches on a "father-daughter dynamic"
#also i will never get over the post that implies that not even sam and tuck have any fucking idea whats up with ellie#because danny never willingly offers up information#dp#danny phantom#spirit chats#also yes i call dani ellie. my headcanon.#ALSO no hate to people who do the whole father-daughter angle#if it makes you happy then more power to you!#i just really dont like it much personally#(for the record i DO 100% think they become gremlin hellion twins eventually.#one day jack and maddie come down to breakfast and greet their children 'mornin jazz. moning danny! good morning danny.'#only for one of the dannys to pipe up 'mooom you know i prefer ellie!'#'oh my bad sweetie!' with a lil kiss on the head. absentminded. half asleep still.#and then. pause. wait a goddamn second.#one.... two.... three?#looks to the walls. three children in every photograph#looks at her kids. all unconcerned. danny and ellie heckling their older sister#.....oh GOD. 'JACK!!!! A GHOST MADE ME FORGET OUR DAUGHTER'#anyway plan 'gaslight the fentons into believing they had 3 kids all along' worked like a CHARM.)
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Having some ideas for a "10 years later" valzhang kid fic (featuring trans leo & other fun hcs)
Where a couple years after Leo and Calypso split (early 20s at this point) Athena goes and works with leo in his shop for a few months before giving him a daughter, because she believes that he is one of the smartest minds of his generation (I just KNOW Athena heard all of Leo's plans through out Hoo when he would talk to himself around the Athena Parthenos, and was impressed with his (honestly incredibly smart) strategy to succeed at doing 2 things no human nor god had ever done, then succeeded with both plans all while remaking a metal dragon all in secret, plus Annabeth loves her friend alot so that's a bonus)
(This will be long so more after the cut)
So now, at like 23, Leo is the father of a beautiful baby girl named Sophina Esperanza Piper Valdez, and he loves it, he really does! Although he was terrified to ever be a parent, and this certainly wasnt how he planned to ever have kids, he loves his daughter more than anything and is determined to not have her experience anything he had too, and because shes a greek demigod he knows she will taken care of by the camp.
PLUS the seven ADORE Sophina!!
Piper loves her god daughter, and she and leo love to tell her all about Jason knowing he would have loved her so much too! Although it's weird in the beginning, Annabeth really loves and cares for her little sister, but much prefers to be seen as her aunt, (percy is definitely the cool uncle and loves to babysit Sophina along with looking after his own kids)! Hazel couldnt have been more excited to have a neice, just like leo she cant help but see so much of sammy Sophina!
And Frank? He adores Sophina too, he loves seeing Leo excel at being a dad, and he finds it hilarious at how devious this little girl is, how the combo of incredible building/ strategic mind from her godly heritage plus that insane intelligents from her father alone made the now 3 year old an adorable MENACE!!
No normal kiddie pen could ever keep this child contained! And frank would know, he offered to babysit more often than not, whenever he wasnt doing his praetor duties, he was looking after Sophina. And when he wasnt doing that he was often having her and leo over for dinner or lunch.
So much had changed since they where 15/16, living on a flying boat trying to save the world, it had been an entire decade even. And sure they were only mid 20s but that's practically middle age with a demigods track record. Leo and Frank went from hating eachothers guts to having a weird bond, formed of complete and utter trust in the other, while never quite getting rid of their petty bickering, tho this time on far more friendlier jokeing terms, (loving bullying piper called it) plus it helped they admired eachother and their abilities greatly. And now as they were both freshly single, welp dam it sometimes feelings just sorta surprise ya!
Frank and Hazel split the year before Sophina was created, both realising they had different ideas for their futures, and in the aftermath they became even closer friends, so when Frank started realising just how long he had been harbouring feelings for leo, well Hazel was the first one to say she both knew it, and to become his ultimate wing woman.
Leo, who has been single since 19, and hasnt thought about dating again properly since after having his daughter, suddenly having years old feelings from the argo2 reserface after frank starts helping him out more with his little girl, feeling like a percy out of water when he thinks about wanting to get back into dating again, especially when dating involves one of his best friends...
Buttttttt :) when you have the favour of both the godess of love and the godess of marriage and family on your side (abit reluctantly on your end) things end up going great!! Everyone was surprised it hadnt happened sooner and well, it's been going smooth for the last few months at least! Plus Sophina absoulutly loves having Frank around more!!
That is until 6 months later, 3 months before Sophinas 4th birthday, Frank is called away for a quest with his legion, which isnt uncommon, but it's the first one since the two became official, so Leo wont lie if hes a little bit more stressed than usual.
It doesnt help no one has heard from Frank and his quest group in over a week... nor the fact not either of the camps or even the hunters could find them... and definitely no the fact that Leo's cycle is late and has been throwing up for the last few days...
So when Annabeth comes over to help with a project while Percy takes care of Sophina for the day, the first thing she does is tell him to take a pregnancy test or have them call Will, even tho Leo is adamant its probably just a stomach bug.
Of course, 3 positive tests, 2 breakdowns in the arms of Annie, Piper and Hazel, and 1 check up from Will, Leo discovers hes around 6 weeks pregnant and the other father could only be Frank and he is still MIA!!!
Not only that, but Leo, after the war, becoming a double amputee, still grieving Jason with so much regret, and a now no longer single father of an amazing little girl, he was now facing becomg a father AGAIN only this time hes going to actually carry his own child, unlike the first time. Leo was trans, he always knew that if he ever in the place to have a child, he would have to carry them, and at the time he mostly only dated women anyway! But when Athena came along and gave him Sophina, well that was the perfect out to all that. Until now...
Leo doesn't know what to do, he cant make any decisions about the baby without Frank, and by now it's going on 2 weeks without any word. Hazel has been staying with him and Sophina when she hasnt been out doing search missions with Arion, the two have been sharing the stress.
Its week 2 and a half, 4 weeks from when the original quest started, when the questing group finally returns, found by Rayna and Hazel, mostly badly injured and being carried by Frank who had transformed himself into (all be it a very hurt) Elphant.
According to what they said the group had somehow fallen into some of the uncollapsed tunnels of the labyrinth which messed with people being able to find them.
But that doesnt matter, Frank is back and Leo is a flood of emotions because he just spent the last 3 weeks worrying if the guy he was inlove with was dead or dying, and the last week and a half thinking he was going to be a single dad AGAIN
But Frank, big dumb lovable Frank, is here, hes alive, and as he returns from the elephant to normal with the kindest most apologetic smile as he walks over to Leo before being directed to the med tent. He holds Leo close as he says hes sorry for disappearing over and over again.
So of course Leo, in all his blazing adhd glory, not exactly chooses, more word vomits the thing that he had been desperate to tell Frank since he first found out.
So in sitcom style dramatics the moment frank hears the words "I'm pregnant" from Leo's mouth he immediately passes out.
Que some shenanigans, but it ends with Frank being so excited, he already loved Leo, (not that either had said it out loud yet), he would be thrilled to have Sophina as his step daughter, and to to be an actual dad himself, for them to have a child and give Sophina a little sibling?? For them to be a weird chaotic family (oh gods they're going to be a family, they're going to need to find a bigger place to live all together, would Leo even want to move to New Rome? Wait would Leo want to even move in with HIM?? Panic for another time)
It becomes a hectic next 9 months, the Valdez - Zhang family has a new family home at the edge of New Rome, Sophina has never been more excited finding out she was going to be a big sister (being told the week before her 4th bday) (she had a party thrown by the Athena & Haphaestus kids at CHB) and happily helps her dads prepare. The 7 are thrilled for the new addition to their found family (my hc this would be the 4th kid from the group)
And finally they eventually wecome Ellie Jace Valdez - Zhang, Greek/Roman legacy of Haphaestus, Mars & Poseidon, future fighter extraordinar who eventually inherits the Zhang shapshifting, also inherited her fathers firewood
#this got so away from me im sorry#i needed some plot for how Valzhang had there daughter + leo and athena child too#and it got so chaotic#if anyones confused btw they leo is 26 - 27 and frank was 27 by the end of this#also Sophina is just a mini leo vs Ellie who ends up 6f sweetheart with the determination to mock her older sisters hight 24/7#i have so many ideas for this “10 yrs later au” this was just the part that was currently on my mind#i hope it even made a little sence#if anyone wants to hear or see more i do wanna make a couple comics for this au#valzhang#leo valdez#frank zhang#kid fic#future au#kids au#hoo#Ellie Jace Valdez- Zhang#Sophina Esperanza Piper Valdez#leo and frank love their daughters very much#they also end up adopting and fostering many of the young wayward demigods and legacy kids that need some parental figures#they become the family Leo and Frank didnt grow up with
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currently writing a little something. In the finale, they both mention Sarah so casually that there is no way that's the first time they've talked about her. So I'm writing a thing about the first time Joel talked to her about Sarah because I have too many emotions about it. Don't know when it'll be up but should be soon!
#the way joel talks about sarah like she's ellie's older sister makes me want to rip off my skin#so I'm writing a thing lol#because apparently that is the only way I know how to deal with feelings#is by writing about them#Z talks
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GUYS I HAVE A FIC SERIES IDEA
BLUEY AU WITH JOEL AND HIS TWO BABYGIRLS
I’M HYPERVENTILATING
I NEED TO WRITE THIS RIGHT NOW
#mainly a bunch of one shots and multiple different aus#mainly with Sarah being alive and being Ellie’s older sister in all that#essentially making her bluey and making Ellie bingo#which will be funny considering they’ll have the exact opposite personalities then their bluey counterparts#seeing as Sarah is more like bingo and Ellie is more like bluey#but fuck it#I’m gonna have some fun with this#my two hyperfixations being combined into one#joel miller#the last of us#the last of us hbo#tlou#tlou hbo#ellie williams#ellie miller#miller family#sarah miller#bluey
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Prompt 81
Danny blinked at the small children Ellie was holding the hand of, looking quite proud of herself. The small children- between ten and twelve so somewhere similar to Ellie’s age- who both practically stank of magic and Gods.
He took a deep breath, pinching the bridge of his nose even as Dan cackled while opening the door more to let them inside. “Alright, what’s your name, kids?”
“B-billy…um, Billy Batson...”
“‘m Percy! Percy Jackson.”
“Nice to meet you two- any idea where in your family you have a god or two, because one of you definitely smells like Zeus and I’m pretty sure Poseidon and I am not dealing with either of my half-brothers.”
#prompts#dcxdp#dpxpj#percy jackson#percy jackon and the olympians#billy batson#Danny was adopted by Clockwork who is the origin behind Kronos#Oh they're both orphans? No one to take care of them?#Goddamnit Clockwork you made sure Ellie found them didn't you#Liminals are hidden from monsters thanks to feeling like them & the dead#CW: If they won't take care of their kids then I'll give the lil demigods to my favorite son :)#The JL finding out Billy is a child: You need a guardian- how could we let this happen#Billy: Actually my older sister has looked 12 for the last 100 years and my younger brother looks 20 so that's very human-ist of you#Percy peering out at some camp people who are trying to see if he's home: MA There's some weird ass cats outside!#Percy: Am I allowed to throw the pool at them 'cause they aren't taking no for an answer#Danny teaching the kids how to use powers: Alright and now we're going to your other dad and moms to learn magic#Danny: And how to shoot a gun in Val's case because I will forget gun safety#Everlasting Quartet#Phantastic Four#“Hey Marvel how do you know that info about Dr Fate he looks so pissed??”#“Oh one of my parents know him and they don't get along so now we always take the chance to call him a lil Bitch but politely”#Percy: Billy if you can summon lightning and I can control water can we combine them#Billy: One way to find out- hey Daaaaan#Camp people trying to find Percy: Wtf wtf wtf#The pantheon: WHAT DO YOU MEAN KRONOS HAD ANOTHER CHILD?! WHERE?! HOW!?#Clockwork: Look at my Favorite Child who doesn't Fuck with the Timeline or are Raging Hypocrites & takes care of his kids#Clockwork curled up with Danny & new grandchildren in his chest like a mother crocodile: Everything is as it should be :)#Marvel: Look at my lil brother isn't he adorable he's a year younger than me but takes more after our other mom#Percy: Hi Mr Aquaman I can control water & talk to fish and was wondering if you have any tips#“Marvel we're going to die-” “No we're not lemme call my big brother- if he can destroy the timeline he can fix it” “If he What”
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do we ever get a canon explanation for where/with whom dina lived in jackson before she was an adult or are we meant to assume it's another ellie-and-her-garage situation
#bc according to the wiki her parents and her older sister are all dead#and it seems like it happened before jackson#so. where was she at#like clearly they seemed more chill about teenagers just doing whatever#bc again. ellie and the garage#but she basically was in joel's backyard?? and she still had adults around who were hers kinda#this doesn't even matter bc its for fic and i can just do what I want#and i already said fuck the garage anyway#but still!!! where was she!!!!#tlou2#lexi writes sometimes
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okay but we need to see Negasonic and Gabby Kinney interact like we need all of Deadpool's besties to see each other smh!!
#marvel plsplsplsplspls#ellie would have such older sister vibes#gabby kinney#scout#honey badger#ellie phimister#negasonic teenage warhead#deadpool#marvel#x men
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