ᴘᴇᴅʀᴏ ᴘᴀꜱᴄᴀʟ ᴏɴᴇ-ꜱʜᴏᴛꜱ

ᴡʜᴏ ᴀʀᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ɪꜰ ɴᴏᴛ ᴀʟᴏɴᴇ | ᴊ. ᴍɪʟʟᴇʀ

Only under the cover of darkness would the two of them drop the facade. The remnants of who they once were peeking through the shadows. Whispers and secret meanings met with lingering touches from the both of them. Moments of intimacy that would never be discussed in the daylight.

The afterglow was their safety net. Regardless of what they might've done throughout the day, what sins they may have committed. As soon as the "post sex bliss" washed over them, everything went away. Joel was free to trace patterns against her skin, fantasizing about waking up under sunlight with her the next morning. But it never came, whenever one of them would fall asleep, the other would slip away.

There was an ache in her bones as Y/N walked through her apartment. Shuffling across the creaking floors after a long work day. Hauling bodies paid well enough when it came to ration cards, but the mental and physical toll it took out was never worth it. Falling into a routine, Y/N reached blindly for the glass cup on her kitchen table, finding herself collapsing into the large red arm chair in the corner.

What she really needed was a hot shower. One where the water was so scalding, you felt like you were left with brand new skin when you got out. She hadn't even finished her first drink when a familiar set of footsteps approached. There weren't many people that Y/N would trust with a key to her apartment. In fact she didn't even think Joel should have one. But after he had broken down her door one too many times, she figured it was best for him to have one.

They weren't strangers to barging into the other's apartment. In fact Y/N had been guilty of doing such a thing herself. But after walking in on Joel and Tess having a 'private moment' she had stopped going over entirely.

However, Joel seemed to be stuck in a bad habit. Even though he pretended not to care, if he went without seeing Y/N for longer than a day- he always feared the worst. Leading to him pulling some type of heroic act, and breaking down her door. Luckily he was a carpenter in his past life. Whatever he broke, he also fixed.

His slumped figure is the first thing she notices as he enters. His work shirt is covered in soot and grime. Much like the woman in the chair, he too smells like death. "I told you to wait for me." He grumbled under his breath. Dropping his backpack against her kitchen counter. "You can't be going off on your own." Even though they had their own routines, lately it seemed like Joel was paranoid. Regardless of where she went, joel wanted to watch Y/N like a hawk.

The moonlight casting in from the living room window illuminates him. Even at his greying age, he's built well physically. Hard labour will do that to you. Staring up at his from her drink, Y/N rolled her eyes. "I had other shit to do than wait for you, old man." She hummed. There was a gentle smile against her lips- one that only he ever got to see. If he were anyone else, Y/N would've told them to fuck off. "I've been going off on my own all along." She reminded him. Just because she had been helping him a bit on jobs lately, did not mean she didn't do things alone. "I don't need you to walk me home every night." She assured.

Joel could be a sight for sore eyes on the best days and every man's worst nightmare the next. As he lived and breathed, Y/N always appreciated this about him. On the rare instances they did walk through the city together, he served as a warning. Whoever fucked with her would always have him to answer to. He pointed out the window. "You see that? Pitch black." He walks towards her and pushes her legs off the arm of the chair so he can sit. "I make you wait for me, so none of these assholes even look at you." He takes the drink from her, ignoring her protests as he swigs back the amber liquid. "If you're going to work the night shift, you'll wait for me."

Looking up at him softly, Y/N can see the tension in his shoulders. His hands are scarred and there is a shake in his limbs. It doesn't take her long to sit up straight and press her hands into his back- massaging at the taught muscles. "I don't need you to look out for me Joel." She mumbles under her breath. As her lips graze across his neck, she sighs. "I'm a big girl... I take care of myself." She reminded him. Even before they had started sleeping together, Joel had made it very clear that he didn't watch out for anyone. Whatever jobs they did together were purely strategic. It was up Y/N to make sure she was taken care of.