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Bloggers who only post screenshots of posts from other social media sites are not reliable sources of unbiased or accurate news btw. This should not be a controversial or surprising thing to say.
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(Iâm not American) I feel like I had a stroke while trying to read these. They just make no sense to my brain
My Argentinean housemate just got a book on proper American accents and Iâve never felt more attacked
like whyâs it gotta be so accurate
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Mithril Thicket - Kili x dhampir!gn!reader
Request: so imagine kili getting caught/found by a scary creature, like a vampire or something and just getting pampered, his worldview coming crashing down kind of.
Dis' request played in his mind, enter Mithril thicket and pick a basket full of wild berries for the pie she was making for his uncleâs birthday. Kili had tried desperately to worm his way out of going, suggesting first that she recruited the help of his brother and then that he was busy himself with work but neither had worked. Instead Dis had forced him out of the house basket in hand and told the young prince not to come home until it was at least half full of berries.
The specific berries his mother was after only grew in Mithril Thicket. Since his boyhood Kili had heard stories of a creature of the night residing in the thick forestlands. He'd asked Thorin about it once as a dwarfling, eyes full of wonder and a belly full of fear. Thorin had reassured his nephew that vampires were a rare breed in Middle Earth and the likelihood of one living so close without any known interaction with the dwarven settlement in all that time was unlikely. His uncle was an honest manâŚand yet Kili had never entirely shaken the fear from his mind.
It was a joke amongst generations of youth that you were not to venture alone into the Thicket, or the bloodsucker would get you. But here Kili found himself at the start of the winding forest path. The rational part of his brain knew that he had about a million more chances of running into orcs than he did a vampire but that did nothing to slow his heart. Drawing a deep breath, he set himself straight, beginning down the path towards the berry patch.
---(time skip)---
Kili was a good while into his berry picking when he stumbled across a peculiar sight. Two legs poking out from under one of the bramble bushes. Panic at the thought someone was injured overtook the rational part of his brain and the young prince dashed over for a better look. Grabbing the person just above the knee Kili began to violently shake them, making sure the person was only asleep rather than dead and dumped. The stranger bolted straight up, leaping out of the brambles with a frightened yell causing Kili to jolt backwards away from them in startlement. The pair stared at each other a moment as they each caught their breath.
"Sorry I wasn't sure if you were okay" Kili bashfully started still slightly winded. The stranger let out a breathy chuckle, giving a genuine wide smile in return. In normal circumstances Kili would have returned it instantly with no hesitation. Instead, the tips of two fangs poking out turned his blood to solid ice in his veins. Reeling back in fear Kili stumbled backwards onto his butt, knocking over his berry basket, and scattering his hard afternoon across the forest floor.
The creature raised their hands palms up in a gesture to comfort him, "please it's okay I won't hurt you." Kili eyed them wearily from his place on the ground. "I promise. I'm not a vampire, I'm a dhampir. I survive off food just like you, I don't drink blood. You might call me a vegetarian of sorts" the dhampir attempted a weak joke to appease him, "what's your name? I'm (Y/N), I live nearby in the forest." It was being nice to him, and Kili wasn't sure how to feel about it, he certainly wasn't about to give it his name.
"Shy hmmm? It doesn't matter, you don't have to tell me if you donât want to" (Y/N) kindly comforted, "here let me help you." (Y/N) moved to come towards him and Kili scooted back in the dirt as fast and far as he could. Seeing his discomfort (Y/N) once again raised their hands in appeasement with a nod of understanding. Then squeezing their eyes closed muttered a few words under their breath. The basket beside Kili righted itself, the berries floating one by one back into the basket before it settled back gently beside him.
With a small smile (Y/N) nodded at their work. "It was nice to meet you, even if you are scared of me. It's so rare that I see anybody else out here" (Y/N) mused, "well I should probably be heading home, my nap under the brambles while I was out eating berries has put me quite far behind on what I was doing. I hope to see you later friend." With that the dhampir disappeared, a gentle breeze blowing Kili's hair the only indication that someone had been stood there.
The encounter left him stunned, sitting momentarily longer in the dirt contemplating the interaction. Why was (Y/N) the dhampir out here alone? And most importantly were they a "vegetarian" dhampir like they claimed? The young prince certainly hadn't heard any stories of dwarves of the Blue Mountains or humans from the nearby settlements being attacked. He wasn't sure whether he should risk coming back to see the strange dhampir another day to find out more or avoid the thicket completely. As frightened as he was, they had been kind to him. He'd have to reflect on it later, if he reached home without being attacked then maybe he could risk coming back. Fili would know. Not wanting to lag around and risk finding out Kili hiked himself up and began hightailing it home, berry basket in hand.
Part 2 Masterlists
Tag list: @awkwardspontaneity @theblogofdurin @the-fragile-heart-of-a-lady @ferns-fics @sadndnboii-reads @kpopgirlbtssvt @fizzyxcustard @kami-chan1512 @mrsdurin @thewhiteladyofrohan @midearthwritings
#kili#kili x reader#kili durin#kili imagine#kili x y/n#the hobbit#the hobbit fic#thorin#the hobbit x reader
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This is gorgeous!
Lead me to the truth and I
will follow you with my whole life (joel miller x platonic!reader)
joel miller x platonic!reader
summary: perhaps now, twenty one years later, joel finally found the courage to face his fears. aka joel finally allows himself to accept the role he has in your life.
warnings: father-figure joel miller (more like an invitation rather than warning), fluff, slight angst at times, father-daughter duo kind of moments.
words count: 9.5k
a/n: joel miller was always the coolest father but pedro's portrayal took that to a whole new level. dedicated to all the daddy issues strugglers out there (myself included). here's the dad you deserved to have.
ps: this is my first work focused solely on joel's character so be patient with me. <3
enjoy!
"and I will go if you ask me to. and I will stay if you dare."
â˘
You were a mission, something that was supposed to have a beginning and the end. Someone he was supposed to lead to a given location and walk away. It was supposed to be easyâthat what Tess promised to Joel when she begged him to take you, fulfilling her dying wish. How easy it was for her to ask, how difficult it was for Joel to keep that promise.
There was a reason as for why was Joel so reluctant to take youâto temporarily care for you. Reason unknown to you. He was cold from the day you met him; made sure you knew all the rules and understood that whatever role you were going to assign him, he was not going to take it. After all, that was what he promised himself.
To keep his distance, to put the walls up and protect himself from the possibility of being hurt again. But you were too determined to tear them all down.
And at a certain point, he didnât know for whom he was fighting anymore. To protect himself from you or to protect you from him? Youâve encountered things, places, people and tragedies one could only fear.
And with each strike he took, with each throat he slit before they lied their hands on you, Joel fell deeper. Into the sense of protection that was rising within him each time a danger appeared in your sight. Before he knew it, he was in the same spot he was twenty years ago.
Thatâs when the breaking point came. And he turned around, grabbed your hand and walked back to the only place that couldâve offered you the life you deserved. And deep down hoped Tess wouldâve understood. In the end, he kept the promiseâhe made sure you were safe, more than that. He gave you the opportunity of the best life you couldâve had, given the fungal conditions around.
And you didnât protest, didnât utter a single objection. Because you wouldâve followed Joel to the edge of the universe and back.
Or at least to Jackson.
You arrived at dawn, holding tightly onto his back, nearly falling asleep on the horse. The last few weeks youâve spent outside were taking its toll on you. It was deadly cold out there with temperating falling down every second. You heard his voice, calling out your name three times before you opened your eyes. You were standing by the stables with Joelâs younger brother walking towards you.
âWeâre here,â Joel whispered.
âOh,â you yawned. âIâm sorry,â you pulled your hands away and slowly got off the horse with Tommy immediately offering his help.
âGood to see you,â he smiled politely, âboth of you,â his eyes landed on his brother.
You waited outside whilst Joel and Tommy stabled the horse.
âSo,â Tommy spoke again as soon as the three of you were together, âhow long is it this time?â
And your eyes met with Joel. He shrugged his shoulders and briefly looked at you before his eyes met with Tommyâs again.
Joel was never good with words which you learned pretty quickly. It was all about his subtle actionsâthatâs how the two of you bonded. For all those days on the road and nights under the dark skies, you never led any deep conversations, instead found a comfort in each otherâs presence. In your signals.
Being back in Jackson felt strange at first. Accustoming to such world after months in the wildness was odd to say the least. But it felt easier with Joel by your sideâor at least, thatâs what you were hoping for since he brought you here. Yet, after a few days in, you couldnât overlook the way he was trying to distance himself from you.
First, it was about the house.
With the previous one being given to a family that recently came to Jackson, Maria and Tommy had to find a new place for you.
âI wanted you to have something of your own,â Joel admitted one night whilst the two of you were sitting in the kitchen, eating leftovers. âBut Maria said theyâre full right now. As soon as something opens, I will let you know⌠if youâd like.â
You were caught off guard by that.
There was a part of you that hopedâno, that took this as a foregone conclusion that you and Joel would be living together. You couldnât even picture yourself being alone considering how accustomed youâve gotten to Joelâs constant presence. In certain sense, he represented some sort of safety blanket. He was the reason you came to Jackson in the first place.
Perhaps, you thought, now that his job was done, he might have thought that the two of you should go your separate ways. At the end of the day, he wasnât your familyâjust someone who was promised to look after you.
Perhaps, you were not as significant to him as he was to you. There were too many scenarios running through your anxious mind. But you never asked.
Then, it was the patrol duty.
When Tommy showed up at your doorstep, three days after your arrival, he mentioned that kids your age were starting to learn how to shoot so they could join the junior patrol groups.
âYou should go,â Joel proposed once Tommy left. âTommyâs good with guns. Youâre going to learn from the best.â
He sounded almost uninterested.
You looked up from your bowl of breakfast, hurt glancing in your eyes.
And he quickly became aware of that.
âWhat?â he asked and you didnât know whether it was care or rather annoyance that you heard in his voice.
âYou promised you were going to teach me how to shoot.â
There it was again in his eyesâthe regret.
He thought, with genuine worry in his heart, that giving you space was what you wantedâwhat you deserved. Without realising he was hurting you both in the process.
Joel didnât know how to walk in this, how to approach this new situation he found himself in. He wanted you around, he wanted to make sure were alright. But didnât know how.
That afternoon, when you left the house to join Tommy and the rest of the kids, Joel was already gone. His brother had him signed on old kinds of duty around the settlementâgiving him an opportunity to contribute. And as much as Joel complained and growled, he like the idea of being of useâbeing needed.
You arrived by the Tipsy Bison, joining the group of kids standing around and registered.
A young man, approximately in his early twenties looked upon the list of names he was holding before his eyes met with yours.
âYouâre signed on the East Gate, Tommyâs waiting for you there,â he informed you.
You squeezed the straps of your backpack as you walked by the stables, nervously looking around. You were still trying to adjust but it felt so difficult at times, especially when you were alone. Tommy was nice, considering he most likely knew nothing about you, beside what Joel must have told him. But you didnât felt that kind of safety you had around Joel.
Joel, who was standing three feet away from you, with riffle hanging over his shoulder.
Maybe he joined the patrol group as well, you thought as you headed towards him.
âDo you know where Tommy is?â you asked as you looked around, looking for his brother.
Joel frowned, almost offended.
âAm I not capable enough?â he mumbled playfully.
You couldnât quite comprehend what was going on.
âWhat?â
Before you uttered another mumble of confusion, Joel stepped closer and handed you the riffle.
âCâmon kid, itâs gonna be dark soon.â
The gate opened and Joel headed outside the safety, with you following his steps. There was a smile on your lips as you looked up and saw him, already explaining the route you were going to takeâthe high spots you were searching for. This was his way of apologisingâhis way of trying to do better.
Of making sure you knew that.
That day, you spent the whole afternoon together. What was supposed to be a regular two hour training that most kids took Joel turned into five, with the two of you coming back shortly after sundown, already past dinner time. It was the first time in a while you saw Joel genuinely laugh as he watched you struggling to reach the target.
You returned to Jackson with an empty magazine and one successful shot. But as you the two of you were walking home, side by sideâit didnât matter to you. It didnât matter how terrible your aim was, how much of Tommyâs ammo you waisted. What mattered to you was the look in Joel's eyes, the smile on his lips he had as he was watching you.
He let his guard down, even if it was just for a second. And there he wasâthe Joel that was watching stars with you on the road.
It was about these moments. They meant whole world to you.
âYou hungry?â he asked as you passed the dining hall.
You shook your head. âIâm alright. Besides, I think weâre already past the dinner time.â
âAre you sure? I havenât seen you eat since breakfast,â he commented. âI could make you something at home.â
Home.
It stuck with you.
He didnât think about it when he said that. Perhaps, that was the revelation you were waiting for. That Joel felt the same way and what you had was, indeed, a home.
Joelâs parental instincts were always there, no matter how determined he was to suppress them. Every night on the road, he stood by your side with gun in his hand, every time you fell asleep without ur blanket, Joel made sure you were tucked in. Each time he promised himself it would be the last. But always failed to do so.
Truth was, without the fear of enemies lurking in every corner and in the safety of Jacksonâs settlement, it was easier to slip back into his old, fatherly habits without even realising. Only took a few weeks for Joel to accustom to this lifeâto having you around every day.
You sat together for breakfast every morning and met by the gates every afternoon after your assignments ended to take you for another shooting lesson.
Month later, you hit three out of six targets. Each time, he stood beside, that proud smirk on his lips. Three weeks after that, you hit five of them. That night, Joel even offered to take you to the movies as a reward for your successful lesson.
You were so excitedâyou wanted to join the others for so long but didnât feel like going by yourself so having Joel propose that idea felt quite nice. But after all the training and another two hour long shooting lesson, you started to get weary. Twenty minutes into the movie, your head crashed onto Joelâs shoulder as you slowly fell asleep. His eyes landed on your sleepy face and there it was againâthat smile. The one he didnât have in a while.
Two hours later, you woke up in half empty dining hall.
âNeed a hand?â you heard a familiar voice around you, mixed with laughter.
âI got it,â Joel replied.
A few seconds later, Joelâs hand caressed your cheek. âKid?â
You quickly became aware of your pposition and immediately pulled away, despite the tiredness still wearing off.
âShit,â you whispered, rubbing your sleepy eyes. âIâm sorry.â
Joel shook his head. âLetâs go get your jacket.â
He got up and you, still not fulling woken up, followed his steps. Joel noticed how somnolent you were, so he walked you to the door, helped you put on the your jacket, wished Maria and Tommy good night before you headed out back to your place.
You were barely seeing above your own feet, tiredness still having power over you as you struggled to keep up with Joelâs pace. Didnât take long for him to realise that you were two feet behind. He swiftly turned around, rushing towards you.
âIâm so tired,â you yawned. âI just want to lie down.â
âAbsolutely not,â Joel mumbled. âLetâs go, weâre two streets away.â
âThatâs so far,â you whined. âI could just lie down right here and fall sleep.â
He couldnât help but laugh over your statement. He stepped closer, threw his hand around your shoulder and pulled you closer to keep you warm. âTwo streets and weâre home.â
There it was again.
Being too tired to notice, you paid no mind. This time it was Joel who was caught off guard by his own words. As the two you walked through the quiet streets of his brotherâs settlement, it slowly dawned on him. There was no point in denying. It was a homeâto you, to him. Even if he wasnât strong enough to admit it out loud, it was your home.
Three weeks later, Jackson county was covered in snow. Due to an ongoing blizzard, all of Joelâs shooting lessons were postponed until further notice, as Maria prohibited him from taking you outside the settlement in such unpredictable conditions.
That afternoon, she showed up unannounced by the east gateâalready figuring out your and Joelâs teaching schedule. To keep the two of you busy, she signed you to decoration duty instead.
As the holiday season was slowly approaching, the whole settlement was getting ready.
Joelâs disgruntlement over her orders couldnât be more obvious. But he swallowed his need to object and accepted the orders, leaving you in Mariaâs hands.
âIâm going to be honest with you, I donât like those little trips of yours,â Maria admitted whilst the two of you were scavenging the decorations for the Christmas tree Tommy, Joel and other men were putting up.
You shrugged your shoulders, âWeâre not going that far. Just around the settlement.â
âWhy canât you just go with the other kids at school?â she asked.
âDonât you always say that we should only head out there with those we trust?â
She saw the look in your eyes and knew there was no need to say anything more. You knew she meant wellâMaria wanted you to adjust to this place, to make friends of your own age. But she was also aware of the fact that separating you from Joel would do more harm than good. She did not agree with most of his actions but still respected that man. After all, he was her family.
That day, you got there late. Joel was already back, sitting in the living room with book in his lap. As interesting as the crime thriller could have been, Joelâs attention was elsewhere. Sitting in an old chair by the window, he was impatiently waiting for your arrival. It was shortly after nine when you came. As soon as he saw you on the porch, he grabbed the book, suddenly finding interest in every line.
You entered the dark hall, seeing the only source of light coming from the living room. Thatâs when Joel finally looked up, seeing you standing there with snowflakes in your hair.
âHey, didnât hear you coming,â he greeted you, closing the book. âHow was your decorating duty?â
âHow was yours?â you mumbled sarcastically, ready to roll your eyes.
Joel chuckled over your reaction. âFair enough.â
For a second, the awkward silence crept in until Joel spoke again.
âI grabbed you some food on the way back,â he announced. âLeft it in the fridge for you.â
âOh⌠thanks,â you whispered, quite taken aback by that gesture. âBut uh, Maria took me to dinnerâŚso.â
âItâs okay,â he shook his head.
There was a reassuring smile on his lipsâeven if it was for a moment.
âBy the wayâŚâ Joel spoke again, sensing that you wanted to head upstairs. Once he got your attention again, he continued: âTommy asked me today if weâd want to join him and Maria for Christmas Eve dinner next week.â
We.
You tried to hide that unexpected excitement his words left in you, yet Joel still managed to spot that glimpse of sparks in your eyes.
âItâs not mandatory, so if you donât wantââ
âNo!â you interrupted him. âI mean yes⌠yes, we can go.â
âOh,â he whispered, surprised by your sudden reaction. âAlright then, Iâll tell Tommy.â
After that, the awkward silence appeared again. You stood there for moment or two before Joel considered that it was time to goâhe wished you good night and quietly disappeared upstairs, whilst you stayed there for another second. It was so unusual to see Joel this nervous and you wondered what couldâve been the cause of that.
With the holidays approaching, the thought of the old days was harder to avoid, especially with all those children running around. Everywhere he went, he saw her, saw the memories tied to her. It was easier to avoid those when he lived in Boston. The only haunting things were his nightmares which he usually deadened with a bottle of whisky and sack of pills. But here in Jackson, it was different. There was the glimpse of normal lifeâas normal as one could get in such world. It was way too easy to look at those luckier than him and wonder what could been.
That could been the root of the problem as for why Joel struggled with the way he felt about you. Each time he grew closer, it frightened him. He was frightened by the idea of encountering the same pain again because he knew that this timeâhe couldnât bear through. He couldnât suffer through the loss of another daughter.
Because that's who you were for Joel.
You were his daughter. Despite the numerous times he tried to fight, despite his inability to express this, deep down, Joel knew it. Even as terrifying as it was to admit it, you were his kid. He never stopped being a dad, he was just now yours.
And when he lied awake that night, he made a decision. Maybe it was time to stop running away from itâto stop running away from you.
When you woke the next morning, something felt different. Dressed up and ready, you ran down the stairs, surprised to see what was in front of you. Lighted and decorated, there was a Christmas tree standing by the fireplace. You couldnât quite comprehend that sight.
It was barely after eight oâclock. You couldnât help but wonder when did Joel managed to do this. In the kitchen, you found a message on the table along with a piece of apple pie that he must have brought from the dining hall.
Tommy and I had to leave early,
thereâs been accident at the power plant.
Mariaâs going to bring you dinner tonight.
We should be back in a few
days but if not, Merry Christmas kid.
â Joel
A part of you felt saddened over the thought of Joel possibly missing the Christmas Eve. But at the same timeâyou couldnât help but smile over him doing all of this before he left. Putting the Christmas tree, getting you breakfast. He wanted to make sure you would still have good time, despite him missing it.
Later that day, Maria stopped by with dinner. As soon as she entered the hall, she couldnât overlook the shining Christmas three. You two dined together in silence, washed the dishes and even offered for you to stay at their place until Joel and Tommy return. But as kind as her offer was, you politely declined. That night, you fell asleep on the couch, staring at those lights, hoping Joel was alright.
The blizzard out there wasnât going away anytime soon. Each morning, whilst walking to your training, you couldnât stop worrying. You knew he was more than capable of taking care of himself, yet that didnât stop the ongoing fear that was rising within you each time you came home and he wasnât there.
The house felt so empty without him there. Even though the two of you spend most of your time in silence or in separate rooms, you both had your comfort in each otherâs presence. The idea of Joel being door away from you felt reassuring. Naively, you never thought that could change. In this sense, Jackson has softened you. Those gates around gave you sense of protection.
But he didnât have that.
Each night, you waited. Sitting in his old chair by the window, you held your switchblade between your fingers and waited until you fell asleep. Fell asleep with a hope and woke with coldness wrapping around your body and disappointment that dawned on you when you found his room empty.
Three days before Christmas, you felt the need to express your anxiousness to Maria.
âThe plant is a few of miles away. And with the snowstorm out there, it would be too dangerous to head back in such conditions,â she explained. âTheyâll be back soon, youâll see.â
You knew she was worried as well. But she did much better job at hiding it. She promised you that even if Joel and Tommy didnât make it in time, you would still celebrate the Christmas Eve, together. And as much as you appreciated that effortâyou didnât care about celebrations of any kind. The only thing you cared about was Joel.
On twenty third of December, the clouds of fog and heavy flakes of snow finally disappeared. Yet there was no sign of Joel nor Tommy. You waited by the East Gate whole afternoon until your fingers felt numb from the coldness. You waited there until the sundown when Maria came to pick you up. You protested, begging her to let you stay up with men from the night watch.
âYouâll wait for him at home,â she insisted. âCâmon, Y/N. Youâre freezing.â
But you didnât care and she knew. But there was no point in fighting with her. You sighed, jumped down from the lookout and with disappointment hidden behind your eyes, you returned to that empty house. That night, you sat in that chair with switchblade in your handâjust like all those previous nights and waited.
On the twenty four of December, Christmas Eve, you were sitting by the kitchen table with Joelâs note in your hand.
âWe should be back in a few
days but if not, Merry Christmas kid.â
The chances of Joel and Tommy returning before the Christmas dinner were slimmer with each hour that past. At noun, it was decided that small group of patrollers would head to that plant and bring them back. With the weather conditions improving, you knew there must have been a different reason as for why they were still not coming back. And Maria knew it as well, despite her best efforts to keep you calm.
âThereâs Christmas dance going on at the hall tonight. We could go if youâd like,â Maria offered when the two of you met at the stables. âOr we could still make the dinner.â
âI think Iâll just stay home,â you whispered, grabbing your backpack from the floor. âIâm quite tired. And I have the kindergarten duty tomorrow, so.â
âY/Nâ?â
âJust tired, really,â you interrupted her. âDonât worry.â
âAlright then,â she sighed, not trying to persuade you. âBut tomorrowâdinner at my house. No excuses, six oâclock sharp.â
You felt guilty for declining again. So this time, you agreed to her proposal. After all, you could really use a moment out of your house. Maria meant well, she cared about you and she wasnât exactly happy with the thought of you being all alone there.
On your way back, you passed the gate again, stayed a second or two and waited. For a moment, you thought you could sneak out tonight and try bribing one of those junior patrols guys at the watch to let you sneak up there. But you knew one of them would tell and you didnât want to cause any more unnecessary worry for Maria. She already cut you a lot of slack with all those assignments you signed yourself off of.
When the clock stroke eight, you lost all your hope that Joel could make it before midnight. But knew that he wouldnât want you to stare out of that window forever. So you decided to stop by the Christmas dance to grab a dinner, at least. When you returned, you lit a candle and sat down by the tree. Though as much as you tried, your eyes always landed on that view.
Shortly before midnight, you headed upstairs to his bedroom. His bed has not been made since the day he left. There wasnât much of sight of him, besides the stuff in the clothes where you were headed. You opened the wooden door and took out his old jacket. Maria forced two of you to get rid of most of your old clothes and gave you new, not ripped and stained ones, but he still kept that one jacket.
You took it off the hanger and put over your sweater. It still had it scent.
With that, you went back and with switchblade in your hand, you sat down on the stairs on the front porch. You heard the celebratory noises coming from the hall but didnât feel the need to join. Instead, you looked up at the stars.
During one of those night out there, you told Joel how much you loved the constellations and even showed him some of themâwhich he found profoundly interesting, as much as he tried to tell otherwise.
There you saw itâBig Dipper. The one you showed him, the only one he managed to spot.
Thatâs when midnight stroke.
And tears rolled down your face. As you looked ahead and saw the darkness.
And a shadow.
Shadow of a man.
For a second, you thought you could blame it on your somnolent mind. But when your name slipped from his lips, twice, it wasnât your imagination anymore.
It was Joel.
âJoel?â you whispered as you saw him, heading towards you.
You couldnât quite believe it.
âJoel!â you called out, not waiting another second to rush towards him, meeting him halfway.
He was out of the darkness, standing right there in front of you.
It was him.
But the smile you had on your lips faded away the second you saw a blood seeping through the fabric on his right leg.
âAre youââ you gasped, eyes landing on his injury.
He immediately realised where your mind went.
âNo,â he reassured you, stepping closer. âItâs just an injury, a scratch. Nothing more.â
You noticed the trouble he had whilst walking.
âI still have aid kit in my backpack upstairs,â you mumbled, worried thoughts jumping from one another in your mind. âItâs not much but I can fix it. I could just go and fix it, just let meââ
âY/N!â
His voice echoed in your ears. Suddenly, he stood right in front of you, his cold hands grabbing both of your puffy cheeks. There was one thing you had in common in that very moment. The fear that rose in both of you, the worry that was put on display when you looked into his eyes. You couldnât hold it together anymore, despite the efforts.
âI thought,â you gasped between the sobs, âI thought you didnât come becauseâŚâ
âNo,â Joel reassured you again, this time with a smile on his lips. âSee? I didnât. Iâm alright, Iâm alright.â
âJoel,â you whimpered, trying to comprehend what was going on.
And as he saw you, standing there in his old jacket, freezing and cryingâif there were any remaining walls, they all fell down. In that moment, every single one of his parental instincts kicked the minute he pulled you into his arms.
âIâm alright, kiddo,â he whispered, caressing your hair as you cried out. âIâm alright.â
As soon as you pulled away, Joel threw his hand over your shoulder as you quickly helped him get inside. Sitting him down on the couch, you ran upstairs, throwing the backpack on the bed as you impatiently took out one thing after another until you find the first aid kit. Only then you rushed downstairs, fix Joelâs wounds.
You almost tripped over your own feet.
He was sitting in the same spot, eyes landing on the lightened Christmas tree.
After you sewed his injury, the two of you sat there in silence. Neither of you needed the words in order to embrace the comfort you had in each otherâs presence. You sat there, watching the lights until you fell asleep on his shoulder. In that momentâJoel didnât need anything else. He was home.
âMerry Christmas, kid,â he whispered, looking down on you.
Twenty minutes past midnight, Joel made it.
But then the dawn came.
You woke up, eight hours later, finally without those worries hanging over your head. In the same spot you fell asleep, only with blanket covering your body. It was quiet, peaceful. Until you slowly awakened and your eyes landed on the wall clock above the living room dresser.
Within a second, you were up on your feet.
âShit!â you yelled out, ignoring the possibility of Joel, still being asleep.
With tiredness wearing off, you tripped over your feet tree times, with each almost landing on your face. You quickly changed your clothes and ran back downstairs.
And there he was.
Leaning against the kitchen desk with cup of coffee in his hand, Joel couldnât overlook the distress pictured all over you.
âEver heard of a hairbrush?â he commented your appearance, being in the mood to have a little dig at you.
You didnât have the time to roll your eyes over his words.
âIâm running late,â you whispered, looking around, trying to find your backpack. âI was supposed be at the kindergarten twenty minutes ago!â you cried out, stressed, trying to find your possessions. âMariaâs going to kill me. And where is that fucking thing?â
âTried your room?â Joel proposed, visibly being amused by your current state.
âDammit!â you yelled out, running back upstairs.
Within seconds, you were rushing back down, pushing your switchblade into your back-pocket.
âGotta goâ!â before you managed the disappear outside, Joelâs voice stopped you.
âWhere do you think youâre going?â he headed towards you.
You turned from the doors, âto my assignment? I already missed most of them this week. Canât screw this one as well.â
âWhereâs your other jacket? The down one that Maria brought the other day?â
You stared at his, utterly confused over that question.
âWhat?â you shook your head. âWhat are you talking about?â
âY/N, itâs freezing out there, youâre not going in this,â he pointed to your windbreaker.
In this moment, you couldnât help but roll your eyes.
âI donât have time for thisââ
âY/N, this is not open for discussion,â he stepped closer. âGo and get the other jacket.â
âJoelâ!â
âNow, Y/N,â he repeated, admonishing look in his eyes.
He was never more parental than in that moment as he watched you grumpily running upstairs to grab your other jacket.
You came down, clothes changed.
âNow hat, and gloves. Where are your gloves?â
âSeriously?!â
There was something unimaginably funny as he watched you losing your temper when you did a second round of running and came back, redness in your cheeks.
You put it on and looked at Joel, annoyance expressed all over your face.
âHappy?â you mumbled sarcastically, grabbing your backpack from the floor.
âThat youâre not going to freeze out there? Yes, I am,â he shrugged his shoulder. âAlthough,â he stepped closer and pulled the zip of your down jacket up to the top. âNow, I am.â
You rolled your eyes, once again.
He couldnât help but chuckle over that response.
âYouâre warm enough?â he asked.
âIâm sweating like a pig, Joel.â
âBetter than freezing, donât you think?â he couldnât help but have another dig at you. âIf you caught cold, I would be the one running around you.â
âWell, I couldnât rob you of your favourite I told you moment, could I?â you grinned. âBesides, with this leg⌠you can barely walk so I donât know what running youâre talking about, old man.â
He bursted into laughter.
âYou're such a stubborn pain the ass, you know that?â he observed between laughs.
But then it happened.
âOkay, dad.â
That one sentence that was supposed to be an innocent jokeâa little dig.
Carrying little no meaning.
Until you saw how Joelâs eyes suddenly shifted. And the laughter was no longer there. The spark was gone and he stood there, quiet and frozen. Stiff and numb over your words.
Itâs been more than twenty one years since he last heard that.
His heart dropped into his stomach, the world around became too heavy.
There she was, in his mind again. That day, that exact moment. His eyes landed on his watch.
He heard his name coming out of your mouth, three times before he looked upâseeing the genuine worry displayed right in front of him.
âJoelâ?â
âGo,â he whispered, so coldly.
You shook your head, confused. âJoel, are youâ?â
âGo,â he repeated. âYour assignment is waiting. Leave.â
You stood there for two second, before you heard him againâurging you to leave. All at once, you couldnât recognise him. You had no idea what caused this strange reaction, but didnât dare to ask. Instead, you obeyed. You bowed your head and walked out of your house.
Each step you take, the further you were from the house, the more guilt was rising within you. What could you have done to displease him this much?
Youâve experienced Joelâs anger a few times, while the two of you were on the road. To be honest, Joelâs patience was thin and you knew what strings to pull to get him into rage. Him yelling at you became a daily routine at one point. But youâve never seen him like this. The stare he had, the emptiness in his eyes.
As if you were dead to him. Truth was, you would much rather had him screaming at you than being this eerily quiet.
You arrived to your assignment and quickly got to work, hoping no one would notice your delay. But even with the amount of work you had around, you couldnât stop thinking about that odd encounter with Joel. What couldâve been that made him so upset?
Couldâve been the joke, you thought. But it was an innocent statement, with not much truth in it. Or was it? Or was it something that accidentally carried more truth that you were willing to let on? Could Joel sense that?
One too many scenarios running through your worried mind.
âY/N?â Mariaâs voice snapped you out of your thoughts.
You looked up and saw her, standing by the door.
âHey,â you mumbled, putting the basket with toys on the floor. âWhatâs going on?â
âJust checking in,â she replied, smile on her lips. âI stopped by your place but forgot your had your duty today. Wanted to take Joel to infirmary but looks like you already took care of that.â
âOh, yeah. It was nothing,â you whispered, eyes landing on the floor, the desire to avoid every conversation that included his name rising with each second. âI have a lot to finish today, soâŚâ
âI wonât keep you any longer,â Maria laughed. âJust wanted to say that since Tommy and Joel got back in one piece, we thought we could have the Christmas dinner today. After all, the holidays are still on.â
âI donât think Joelâs in mood for celebration of any kind,â you admitted.
âI already talked to him and he agreed.â
So maybe he managed to cool down, you thought. Or at least, you were hoping for that.
Maria stayed for a few more minutes, asking you to come earlier tonight to help prepare the dinner. She freed you from your afternoon assignments to have enough time to change and get ready. You stayed at the kindergarten until one in the afternoon, then helped for two hours at the stables before you headed back to your house.
You learned from her that both Tommy and Joel had a day off so part of you hoped you would run into him. But when you came, the house was empty. Joelâs backpack and gun were lying by the chair but he was nowhere to be foundâas you searched every room around. You tried to not think much of that but there were still those doubts inside you.
Luckily, you were running out of timeâwhich meant you had to hurry up and pull yourself out of your worried mind. You didnât have any decent clothes to wear, except for the regular ones. So you just grabbed a clean sweater, pants and tied your hair up before you headed to Mariaâs.
When you arrived, Maria was already cutting the vegetables in the kitchen. You let yourself in, throwing the jacket on the hanger in the hall as she called you in. It was the first time you were in their home as they mostly came to visit you and Joel. It was much bigger than what the two of you had but all those details displayed around implied that theyâve been here for quite some time. Each corner had a track of them. There were pictures on the walls, books on the coffee table with an empty cup, flower pots on the windowsill.
But what caught your attention was a board, resting on the top of the fireplace.
You didnât mean to snoop but when you saw those names, you couldnât look away. There were two of them, along with four dates. Took only few seconds for you to realise what this was supposed to meant.
Shivers went down your spine. Especially once you heard Maria calling you again.
âIâm sorry,â you whispered, rushing into the kitchen.
âItâs alright, just finish these carrots,â she handed you the knife. âI need to start preparing the meat.â
You took the orders without any objections.
You wondered. Were they Tommyâs or Mariaâs children? Or did each belong to one of them? You wouldnât guess the two of them to experience such loss since theyâve both seen so well put together.
But you knew yourself how easy it was to put up a believable surface. You did that after Tessâs death, despite how painful it was to lose someone so close. You didnât have any other option. Maybe they were once in a similar position.
Eventually, every person finds a way to live with their pain. They either face it or suppress that, deep down.
You only now realised how important must have been this child to Tommy and Maria. Get a second chance in a world like this was almost a miracle.
âTommyâs memorial caught your attention?â
Almost as if she read your mind.
You startled, nearly accidentally cutting yourself.
âI wasnât⌠you mumbled, embarrassed. âI didnât⌠Iâm sorry.â
âItâs alright,â Maria looked up, reassuring smile on her lips.
She was kind, like always.
âIâm sorry about your kids.â
So you felt the need to let her know.
Her eyes locked with yours again, âThank you. Although, just a kid, Kevin.â
âOh,â you nodded. âSo Sarah was Tommyâs daughter?â
âShe was his niece,â Maria replied, still preparing the meet.
In that moment, the world around stopped for a second.
Tommyâs niece.
Meaning?
You had to take a deep breath.
âSo, she wasâŚâ you swallowed, feeling the frog in your throat growing bigger each second.
âJoelâs daughter,â Maria finished your sentence, paying no mind to your current state.
Joelâs daughter.
Joel had a daughter. A daughter just three years younger than you.
You needed a moment to process this.
He used to be someoneâs dad.
Then the last piece of the puzzle was found. And the mystery was solved.
And your shattered heart dropped into your stomach.
He used to be a dad.
Suddenly, it all made sense. Suddenly, youâve never felt worse. For what you said, for being so cruel. All those days, all those moments, all his wordsâall at once it made sense. It was the last clue you needed to win the prize. Was it worth though, was the question.
âY/N?â you heard Mariaâs voice calling your name.
Three times before you looked up, still a little spaced out.
âHe didnâtâŚâ she whispered, putting two and two together. âOhâŚâ
âThatâs alright,â you shook your head. âItâs not your fault.â
You didnât know how to approach this newly revealed information, how to solve the problem without causing even more of them. Joel was never the most sharing individual, neither of the two of you was. Though you couldnât blame him. He was keeping this inside of him for more than twenty years. One could one fear how difficult that must have been.
âHow did it happen?â you dared to ask.
Maria looked you. She knew this wasnât her place to talk but still gave in. âI donât know the details. Just that it was the day of the outbreak.â
You thought there was no chance this could get any worse.
âDay after Joelâs birthday.â
Somehow it did.
And you felt even more guilty for asking these questions in the first place.
You thought of this afternoon, when you were rushing back to your house, hoping you would find Joel there. Now you were on the verge of praying to every none-existent higher power that he could change his mind and not come. You wanted to do everything you could to avoid him, out of the shame that you were feeling.
That of course, did not happened.
At half past six, Tommy arrived from Tipsy Bison with bottle of scotch and smile on his lips. He had a stitch above his eyebrows, meaning both him and Joel were involved in whatever fight that went down at power plant, probably with those raiders Maria kept mentioning. Greeting both of you, he kissed Maria on the cheek, placed on the bottle on the kitchen desk and disappeared upstairs to change his clothes.
Thirty minutes after him, Joel arrived.
You were in the middle of settling the dinner table when you heard the door slam. You paid no mind, placing the four plates on their spots. Only when you turned to get the cutlery, you saw Joel standing by the coffee tableâhis eyes immediately landing on you.
The fear in your face was difficult to overlook. For a second, your sight shifted from Joel to the memorial board right next to him.
For a second.
Yet he still managed to catch that.
Without a thought, you turned around and headed towards the kitchen to grab the tray with glasses and cutlery. When you came back, you saw him standing on the same spot. Only now, his full attention was directed towards that board before you caught his attention, again.
It didnât take much for him to realise the nature of your behaviourâbeside what happened this morning.
You stood there, staring at the each other. Your heart was pounding louder with each second, hands were sweating, the tray in your hands shaking. Only when Tommyâs voice called out for Joel, you looked away and went to finish your job.
Feeling even more ashamed than before, if it was still possible.
To say the dinner was awkward would have been an understatement. The four of you sat by the table in silence, with mostly Tommy or Maria leading the conversation. Their words and the conversation in general was revolving mainly around Jackson and things related to that as both of them sensed that none of you were in the mood. Maria kept checking on youâshe didnât miss how determined you were to avoid Joelâs eyes.
It was after dinner when you saw him lighten up a little. Tommy grabbed the bottle of scotch and took Joel into his little office space downstairs, right in the entrance hall. Which you and Maria used as an opportunity to wash the dishes.
You placed the dishes right next to the kitchen sink when you heard Tommyâs laugh.
ââŚitâs time consuming!â
Shortly, it was followed by Joelâs brief laughter. Still, it was nice to know he was easing up.
âItâs that stupid clock joke Tommy heard this morning,â Maria commented as you handed her the dishes, one by one.
There wasnât any response coming from you. Your mind was too preoccupied for that.
And as much she didnât want to cross the boundaries, she was worried about you.
âJoel cares about you, you know,â she spoke, snapping you out of your thoughts.
You looked up at her, handing her the plate.
âIâm not really sure about that right now,â you admitted. âAlthough, I couldnât really blame him.â
âYou worry too much,â Maria chuckled.
âCan you blame me?â you muttered, looking down.
âI had plenty of evidence to be confident in my previous claim.â
âLike what?â you sighed.
âA, he brought you hereââ
âI saw him spare a rabbit once. So not leaving me out in the cold is not a strong argument.â
Maria chuckled again.
âHe brought here and asked for the two of you to be placed together.â
Wait a minute.
You looked up once more, confused over Mariaâs words.
âNo,â you shook your head. âJoel said you just didnât have any other place for meâŚâ
âWe have a few houses specifically for kids of your age. Since I knew your situation and wondered if it wouldnât have been better to be around your peers. I offered that to Joel. But he insisted that you stay under his roof.â
That sudden new information needed a second to process.
You thought that, perhaps, he thought the two of should take your separate waysâthatâs why he mentioned that you should have a place of your own. When in reality, he wanted you around. He asked to have you around.
âWhatâs B?â
Maria took a deep breath and placed the plate into the sink.
âItâs tough to lose a child, in any kind of world, fungal or not. And it is even harder to allow yourself to care this way again, for somebody else. Which is why you might have felt like he was pushing you away at times, maybe even right now. But despite his actions saying otherwise at times, you mean a whole world for him. You are his whole world.â
You wanted to believe every word of that statement. Because thatâs what Joel was to you. After everything youâve encountered, Joel was the closest thing to a family one could have in this world. And you wanted to believe that you carried that value for him as well.
âYou just have to cut him some slack. He might be scared,â she continued.
âScared of what?â
âScared of having another chance to be a parent. Itâs way too easy to screw that job, in every world.â
Maybe all you needed to understand Joel was one conversation with someone who was once in the same position.
Suddenly, each attribute of Joelâs personality, each strange detail about him pulled together a one, bigger picture. Although the losses in your life might not have been as traumatic as those of Joelâs, you were starting to understand him. And deep down, hoped that you didnât blow up all your chances to fix what youâve broken.
That evening, you headed home first. After you helped Maria clean everything, you asked her to tell Joel that you were tired and left early. Even though there was a part of you, wanting to run after him and apologise, you couldnât do it. Once you heard his laugh, you knew you owed him a moment of peace. Your conversation could wait for another day or two.
It was first time since this morning there was even the slightest amusement on his face. Couldâve been the simple stupidity of that joke, the bizarreness that somehow made him chuckle. He stood there, leaning against the grey wall with scotch in his hand, trying so hard to suppress those laughs.
âYou can laugh, itâs funny,â Tommy teased him, finishing the rest of his drink. âItâs a great joke.â
âA really lame one,â Joel commented, squeezing the glass in his hands.
âWell, you never really had a good sense of humour so,â Tommy chuckled.
Joel shrugged his shoulders over that statement, partially agreeing before he drank the rest of his liquid courage.
It was getting late, he wanted to head home and get some rest. He handed Tommy the empty glass, patted his shoulder and gave him a fleeting smileâenough to let him know that he was thankful for the distractions. Only then he went into the living room, looking for you.
He found Maria instead.
She knew the answer he came for in the first place.
âShe left a few minutes ago,â Maria answered the implied question. âBut she left this in here,â she turned around and grabbed pair of green gloves. âCould you give that to her?â
Joel nodded, bitting his lower lip, slowly immersing into his thoughts.
âWell,â he snapped out his head after a second, squeezing the gloves in his hands, âI should probably go too. Thank you for the dinner, though.â
âMy pleasure,â she smiled.
He knew where he was going. Yet before he made a single step, the memorial board caught his sight again. He was aware of not always being the most pleasurable human being to others around, though he always justified that by saying that he was only trying to protect himself. But when he visited today, for the first time, and saw the boardâthere was regret. For, maybe, being too harsh at times.
Everyone was carrying around their own kind of pain. Some were just too good at hiding it.
So before he left, he turned to Maria.
âListen,â he cleared his throat, trying to find the right words. âAboutâŚâ
She knew where he was headed. And wanted to spare him the difficulties.
âI know,â she whispered. âMe tooâŚâ
Nothing else needed to be said, they both understood.
With that, Joel grabbed the rest of his stuff and set off.
As he walked through the streets, seeing the lights hanging on the houses and snowflakes falling to the ground, his mind wondered. Towards you, towards this morning. Part of him felt guilty for pushing you away so suddenly. You must have meant it as a joke, he thought. Thatâs what heâs been trying to tell himself the whole day.
Yet there was a part of him. Part of him that was terrified of you, being serious with that title. Joel came to terms with the way he felt about you, with the amount of care and sense of protection he had for you. But why was the idea of you feeling the same way about him so frightening? Why was it so easy to accept you as daughter but hesitate to become your father? He was in this same position twenty one years ago. And he couldnât promise to not fail again.
There was guilt. Guilt he was carrying around for more than twenty years. Guilt of failing, for not being the father Sarah deserved to have in that moment. And it felt selfish of him to put another child through that. Maria was right. It was scary to have another chance with something so fragile. Perhaps, he shouldâve just walked away, couldâve given up.
But somehow found himself standing in front of your door. With pair of green gloves in his hands and shame in his eyes.
He knocked on the door two times to make sure you were still awake. Only when he heard your voice, he let himself in.
You were standing by your closet, carefully folding your things.
Somehow, in this moment, seeing you so accustomed this place, it made Joel happy.
Then he saw the curiousness in your eyes and panicked. For a second, he panicked, overthinking his actions.
âMaria,â he mumbled, looking for the right words, âMaria⌠Maria said you left this at their place,â he finished his attempted and stepped closer into the room.
Your eyes landed on the pair of gloves in Joelâs hands.
âOhâŚâ you raised your eyebrows. âBut these⌠these are not mine. I gave them back to Maria weeks ago because they were too small for meâŚâ
You stopped for a moment and realised she achieved exactly what she wanted with that gesture. And you couldnât help but chuckle over that.
Joel, on the other hand, couldnât ignore the embarrassment rising within him.
Quickly, you saw that. Saw him clearing his throat and placing the gloves on the edge of your bed.
He stood there, for a second or two and you wondered if, perhaps, there was more to his visit. You looked into his eyes and saw the struggleâsaw how desperately he was trying to find the appropriate approach to this situation and took this as an opportunity to set things right.
âListen,â you whispered, catching his attention. âI justâŚâ
You both struggled with finding the right words.
Placing the clothes you were holding just a second ago onto the closet shelf, you stepped closer to him.
âIâm sorry for what I've said this morning. I didnât mean to upset you. I didnât know thatââ
The shame he had in his eyes was now glancing in yours. And he saw that, saw every bit of that.
Thatâs why he stopped you.
âNo,â he shook his head. âY/N, please no.â
He followed your lead and stepped closer, sitting down on the edge of your bed as the frustrated sigh left his mouth.
âItâs not your fault. How could you knowâŚâ
It was the first time you saw Joel like this. It was the first you spoke of this.
There was hurt in his voice and you knew he must have been trying to suppress that for quite some time.
You quietly joined him, eyes landing on the floor.
âMaria told you?â he asked, filling up the hollow silence.
âI saw the memorial Tommy made⌠you probably figure the rest,â you whispered.
Joel nodded.
âDonât be mad at her, please. I swear, if I knew⌠I wouldnâtââ
He finally looked into your eyes, stopping your words. âY/N, itâs alright. I am not mad at her.â
There was a sense of relief that flew through your body.
Although, there was also one question remaining.
âWhat about me?â you dared to ask.
He heard the tone of your voice and saw the worry in your eyes.
There it was, the confrontation he couldnât keep running away from. For a moment, the hollow silence returned just as your fears. In the same exact moment that Joel finally decided to face his.
âIf you think about me this way, if you feel about me this way⌠then I donât⌠I donât mind if you want to call me that.â
That certainly was not what you were expecting.
But it turned out to be better.
âIâm trying to say that even though I canât promise you that Iâm worthy of that title⌠if you want me to have that role in your lifeâŚâ he whispered.
âI thought you already had that,â you admitted.
The shock in his eyes was evident.
âListen,â you whispered, turning to him. âI was on my own for most of the time before Tess finally found me and brought me to you. Iâve never had anyone like that. So I donât have much to compare with. But if dad is supposed to be someone who makes you feel safe, who feels like home, then for me, Joel, you are worthy of that title.â
There it was. It was no longer just an assumption but a long lasting wish. He got the truth, got what he wished for and feared at the same time.
âDepends on if you want it.â
In that moment, he wanted to allow himself to want it. But in order to do that. There was one last step remaining.
Joel needed to forgive himself.
He needed to finally put down that baggage of guilt heâs been wearing around for twenty one years. He needed once and for all, stop looking behind him. And look ahead and take the opportunity the universe gave him.
Perhaps, you were what he needed to achieve that. By making sure you were safe, he would able to forgive himself for failing at that twenty one years ago. Deep down, he knew, she would never want him to wear his sadness around his neck. There would always be a part of her in Joel, nothing was going to change that. But maybe now, he was finally able to make space for you, too. To be your dad.
You heard the chuckles and looked up again. And there he was, looking down at his something to fight for. His whole world.
He smiled quietly and replied, âI do, kiddo.â
And when the word left your mouth, calling him that officially for the very first time, he barely managed to hold it together. Every remaining piece of his baggage disappeared, every last piece of the sadness he was wearing around his neck fell down as he finally put his guilt to rest.
And he kept the promise he gave. To both of his daughters.
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just realized that there were definitely celebrities who got infected in the last of us which is hilarious to think about. imagine getting attacked by a zombie and your last thought before you die is "is that fucking justin timberlake?"
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Makes me laugh when people like tlou but are homophobic. Like my dudes one of the most central characters is canonically a lesbian right from tlou1 & thereâs a heap of other queer characters too. You came to the wrong apocalypse series lmao
Tell me you never played or watched the games without telling me
You better get used to it assholes.
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this scene is so importantÂ
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Even the game doesnât prepare you for it. Frank is barely mentioned & itâs only (subtly-ish) mentioned that Bill is gay
i experienced every emotion on the human spectrum plus maybe 1 or 2 more in the past hour
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I Need a Hero (Thorin x reader)
A/N: Potentially going to make this into a series if people are interested. Also I have finished a part 2 to Floral Arrangements but I am stuck away from my usual PC so it will be a week or so until I get it up sorry.
Youâd heard tales of a lost prince trapped within his mountain home, guarded by a fire breathing dragon. Legend said that the one to free Prince Durin would be blessed by Mahal himself to eternal happiness and all the other joys a dwarf could imagine. It was then of no surprise to you that the remining Dwarf Lords sent their sons and daughters to free the dwarven prince. None were successful and no word had been heard from them since.
What shocked you was your Lordâs command, sending you to try to recover the prince. You were a member of the royal guard, but you certainly werenât the most notable of the guard by any means. Going would be a death sentence but refusing your Lordâs request was treason of the highest degree. With heavy reluctance you undertook the two-day journey to Erebor.
You found yourself at the foot of the mountain, wondering if this place would be your tomb. A cold stone mausoleum. With your mule tied down you made your way to the makeshift rickety wooden bridge up to the entrance. The original stone bridge and much of the entrance had fallen away, whether to time or the dragonâs rampage you were not sure. From the size of the hole in the entrance, you assumed that the dragon had smashed through it on the day of the siege. To survive this, you would have to have your guard up.
Creeping forward through the entrance you began to survey the interior entrance, looking for some sign of where you should go. Your Lord had shown you an old map of Erebor from during its heyday. Amongst the litter of broken stones, melted metal, and scattered skeletal bones you saw what looked to be a large stone sign laying amongst it. Scanning around you saw no sign of life. Taking this as a sign you stealthily crept over to read it. MARKET. THRONE ROOM. GREAT HALL. LIVING QUARTERS. ROYAL WING â were all marked out on the sign. Your mental map of the mountain layout was somewhat correct, you would need to head down the left-hand tunnel to the royal wing. The entrance to the wing was further back in the room,
Heading to the left wing you began climbing over a pile of rubble to get through the entrance. The material was like nothing you had ever felt before, firm underhand and unshifting. It was not until the pile moved, letting out a chuckle that made you freeze in place. âOf all the witless fools who have entered my mountain, never have I had one practically walk into my jawsâ the pile puffed in amusement. Scrambling off to the other side and tumbling to your feet in the hallway of the beginning of the royal wing you began to run. âFlee, flee, run for your life, there is nowhere to hide from my fiery death.â
The pile had not been a pile at all but the great dragon Smaug who had cloaked himself in shadows. Looking over your shoulder as you fled you looked on in horror as the dragon began to force his body through the doorway, cracking the stone to fit his bulbous body through. Facing forward once again, you squeezed your eyes shut and mustered all the strength and will within yourself to continue faster without looking back, skidding around corners without slipping over.
After an eternity of running, you came before a door at the end of the long corridor. You heard the dragon in the distance behind you, wriggling its body down the corridor like a great wyrm. Not wanting to take the chance that he may catch you, you pushed the great oaken door open and slipped in.
The golden torch light took you off guard, you hadnât expected to actually find the prince let alone find him by mistake. A large spacious suite was laid out before you, completely untouched by the devastation youâd seen in the entrance way. On one of the couches staring at you in awe was a dark haired and bearded dwarf of substantial build and handsome profile. You were unsure of what to say to him.
It was he who broke the silence, âSixty-years. Sixty-years I have not seen another living soul though I have heard the echoes of their screams. Thank you, I am indebted to you. Who may I call my hero.â Smiling warmly at the young prince you answered his query, âI am (Y/N) of (Y/K/N). I was sent by my Lord to recover you your highness.â â(Y/N)â he tasted the syllables of your name on his tongue, âa noble name.â Never had you heard of a noble of your name but for the sake of argument you agreed, you would need the co-operation of the prince if the two of you were to survive.
âTell me (Y/N)â he paused, âhow did you slay the beast?â A loud grumbling roar reverberated on the stone surrounding the pair of you, the dragon neared. Thorin stared at your slacked jaw in disbelief. âYou didnât slay the dragon! The prophecy says you are supposed to slay the dragon before you rescue meâ Thorin snapped, âno, no, no, this is all wrong.â âWe donât have time for this your highness. We have to goâ you pleaded motioning to the window, "or do you want to be stuck here for another sixty years." Pulling his lips back in a snarl Thorin grunted, âyouâve given me no choice. Whatâs your plan?â âWhere does this window lead?â you questioned. âThe courtyard after the entrance. It was built to wow our foreign visitors.â
âExactly where we need to be. If that doesn't work, we head for the secret tunnel. That's our escape. We just have to avoid the dragon until we reach it. I doubt he knows of its existence.â You mused. âSecret tunnel?â Thorin questioned doubtfully. âMmhm. Built by Thror when he founded your mountain home and kept secret from all but his heir. Iâm surprised that he never told you of it. Though Iâm sure when it came time, Thrain would have told you all the Kingly secrets of this placeâ you affirmed to Thorin, âcome now, enough talking. Letâs tie the sheets together and escape your stone prison.â
The two of you worked quickly together knotting sheets, cloak, and shirt alike to make a long enough chain to escape the tower. You scaled the tower first, checking for any sign of the dragon before beckoning the prince down. Neither of you dared call out for fear of alerting Smaug to your scheme. Instead, you crept into the airy silence, staying low to the ground out of fear of being spotted.
The longer the two of you crept in silence, the more worried the two of you grew. It was the clatter of golden coins bouncing off the stone floor beside you that shook the two of you. Simultaneously your eyes met the princeâs, both wide as dinner plates, before gazing up to the dragon's belly above you as he slunk through the castle.
The two of you lay prone on the floor mapping out the course the dragon was taking. Crawling close to Thorin you pressed in against his side and leaned over to whisper into his ear, "We follow the dragon. Keep low, keep quiet. It's heading in the direction we need to go." Thorin nodded in response and the two of you headed off, crawling after the dragon.
You crept like that for what felt like hours, scared even to breathe too loudly, and alerted the dragon to your presences. Finally, the dragon stopped just before the gate, staring out over the nearby land, likely surveying for the two of you. Thorin nudged you and gestured at a cove of rock that the two of you could cover in. With a firm nod the two of you made your way over and got comfy, waiting the dragon out. It would be easier to wait him out than it would to make for the hidden entrance now.
Though it seemed that Thorin didn't quite have the same idea. Instead, the darrow grabbed a huge hunk of broken rock, vaulting it as far as he could back into the entrance way before quickly hunkering in with you. Smaug's head snapped around to the source of the sound and he began to stalk across towards it. Neither of you had expected was for the dragon to pause before whipping around and breathing molten fire across the entrance way debris. With a satisfied smirk he turned back around and stomped down the hallway, disappearing around the corner into the darkness.
"What now" Thorin whispered harshly. "We could have waited him out" you grumped with a pointed look, "but now we have to find another way up and out around the fire." Thorin sighed with a defeated look and nodded, gesturing for you to take the lead. "Move as fast as you can while still being quiet. The last thing we want to do is tip the beast off to our location, he's already suspicious of us" you affirmed before taking the lead out towards the flaming gate.
You scanned frantically around the entrance looking for a way around the flame. Thorin gripped your shoulder, "focus." Drawing a deep breath, you narrowed your focus. Homing in on the wall you found an old half rusted chain fixed to one of the walls. "That's our way out come on."
A tug on the chain caused it to groan but it stayed fixed in place. Signaling upwards you spoke to Thorin, "You first. I'll stay down here and keep looking out as you climb." "Let me get this straight, you want me, the crown prince, to climb an old, rusted chain up a forty-foot wall hoping that a) I don't fall and b) that I don't get spotted by a fire breathing drake that you failed to kill" Thorin huffed. Smiling sarcastically, you answered, "exactly. Now unless you want to be stuck here even longer, get up the wall. Besides there's no guarantee that the chain will hold two of us."
Rolling his eyes at you Thorin begrudgingly took the chain and began scaling the wall. On edge you clenched your teeth, scanning for any sight of the scaly magot. Groaning of the chain caused your breath to catch in your throat. While you wanted the prince out of the mountain and safe, you hardly wanted to be stuck within the mountain crawling around looking for another way out while the dragon stalked around looking for you. You leaned tensely against the wall, begging your body and mind to calm themselves for the sake of your survival.
The familiar clink of a coin hitting the concrete shot you out of your thoughts, though this time it bounced and rolled to land off to your side. Frightenedly, you cast your eyes upwards only to find Thorin at the top of the wall trying to signal he was ready for you to make your way up. Grabbing the chain you began the climb, hauling yourself up your limbs groaning as the tension was forcefully stretched out of them. Higher and higher you climbed, stopping only briefly to steady your grip on the vertical drop. All the time you stared upwards to the top of the wall, meeting the prince's anxious gaze.
Nearing the top Thorin reached an arm down to you, helping you over and up on the top of the exterior wall. The two of you smiled briefly at one another as he helped you up to your feet. You watched his face change as he looked out over the remains of Dale and the changed wilds. Most would have turned their noses up in horror, but Thorin gazed on in wonder, the edges of his mouth turning up into an appreciative smile. He hadn't seen the outside world since the Sack you realised. You knew it was only a small gesture, but you laid a comforting hand on his, stroking his palm gently. Thorin looked at you tenderly, taking in the touch of another being and the sight of your hand within his. "Welcome back to the world Thorin Durin."
Taglist: @awkwardspontaneity @midearthwritings @thewhiteladyofrohan @kami-chan1512 @fizzyxcustard @kpopgirlbtssvt @sadndnboii-reads @tschrist1 @shethereadinghobbit @lathalea _@theblogofdurin @the-fragile-heart-of-a-lady @ferns-fics
#thorin#thorin x reader#thorin fanfiction#young thorin#thorin oakenshield#prince thorin#thorin imagine#thorin oakenshield x reader#thorin x you#prince thorin x reader#thorin and company#thorin fic#the hobbit#the hobbit x reader#the hobbit fanfiction#hobbit#shrek inspired???#the hobbit fic#lotr
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ughhh where them tommy miller fanfics at đŠ
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I was thinking about Wounded Animals and what pairing I should go for.
Something tells me Tommy would be good for her, like he had been in love with her even before the outbreak, and he felt terrible when Joel told him they got engaged. But now he has the chance to see if they would really be as good together as he imagined in the past.
But another part of my stupid brain wants to see Joel slowly come out of his shell for her, and only her, after seeing the engagement ring (and getting mad because he gave it to her and wants her to fucking keep it) and maybe seeing her with Tommy once.
He would be jealous, and also mad at himself for snapping at her like he did when they met again. So maybe he would try to convince her to leave his brother, to go back to him, because they were engaged, because she loved him first, and she belongs to him alone.
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Wounded animals
Pairing(s): It's supposed to be a Joel Miller x reader piece, but Tommy took control when I wrote it so it might be a Tommy Miller x reader story. Idk.
Note: This is like a pilot chapter. I'm more of a short chapters kind of girl becauseâto quote Neil ElliceâI have the attention span of a bag of squirrels.
Warning: afab!reader
It had been a very long shift so far and you still didn't see the end of it. Since the night seemed to be relatively quiet, you lied down on the bottom bunk bed in the on-call room, hoping you could catch some sleep.
You had no idea how much time had passed, but you were woken up by someone coming in and talking to you, saying words you couldn't quite understand just yet. Your eyes slowly opened and you found a man standing there, suddenly falling silent as he watched you.
"I can't believe it," he muttered under his breath as he walked inside and closed the door behind him. "It's really you."
He knew you, he was familiar, but the pieces of the puzzle simply didn't click in your head after spending so much time awake. But then you noticed a scar on his forearm, right below his elbow, that jump-started your memory. "Tommy!" you squealed as you stood up and rushed over to hug him.
His arms sneaked around your waist as he embraced you, keeping you in a bear hug you couldn't escape from. "We thought no one got out of the hospital alive, we thought you died," he said, chin resting on top of your head.
With a quiet chuckle, you leaned back a little to look up at him. "The military came in and took every staff member somewhere safe. They put us in quarantine to see if we were infected, but once we were proven to be clear, they took us to different clinics to help whoever got injured in that mess," you explained.
"I'm so happy to see you," he said, murmuring into your hair before reluctantly letting you go as he stepped away from you.
"What about Joel and Sarah? Do you know anything about them?"
"Sarah was killed by a soldier right at the start, we couldn't save her," he began to tell you, sitting down on the edge of the bed, elbows resting on his thighs. "Joel⌠Something broke in him that night, he's⌠not the same."
Not the same. Tommy's words echoed in your mind, making you wonder what had happened to him. Losing his daughter and finding himself in a strange new world probably had its toll on him, but at the same time his younger brother seemed perfectly fine. How bad could that be?
"Is he here in the QZ?" you asked quietly.
Tommy nodded. "He's right here, on this floor. I came in here because he finally woke up and it would be great if someone could take a look at him. The doctor who helped him went home apparently," he told you with a smile.
You sat down next to him, your eyes fixed on the door as you thought about this. Twelve years. It had been twelve years since the world went crazy. Since you had to leave everything behind. Since you were separated from Joel. Since you last felt love.
Now? Now you weren't sure you could look Joel in the eye. Your heart had been empty lately. It was much easier to deal with your job in this new world if you didn't have any feelings for others. No friends. No lovers. No family. Nothing. You were just an empty shell compared to your old self.
Suddenly you felt Tommy take your hand in his, fingers absentmindedly tangling with yours as he watched you. Tilting your head to the side, you gave him a questioning look. Something was wrong, you could feel it, but you also didn't want to force him to tell you what bothered him.
Then he stood up and pulled you up with him, his hand not letting go of yours, even when you left the room. As he led you to the room Joel was in, you wondered what you should say to him. What do you say to your ex-finacĂŠ you hadn't seen in over a decade?
"It's gonna be alright," Tommy told you when he stopped in front of a door. You gave him a doubtful look, and he leaned down to kiss the top of your head in return. "Just don't expect the old Joel, okay?" You nodded obediently. "Good. Let's go."
Your heart was beating in your throat, the world around you slowing down as he opened the door and stepped inside. You followed him like a lapdog, your eyes fixed on your shoes as you walked. It was hard to look up, to look at Joel again after all those years.
"You've gotta be fuckin' kidding me," you heard Joel say bitterly.
That's when you finally looked up, facing the man with a sad look in your eyes. He didn't sound like the old Joel. Your Joel. This man was a stranger, with no softness in his brown eyes.
"I found her sleeping in a room," Tommy said with a short laugh, probably to lighten the mood. "After all these years it turns out she survived."
"I heard what happened to Sarah. I'm soâ"
"Don't you dare finish that sentence," Joel growled like a rabid dog.
You took a step back at the same time you felt Tommy's hand on the small of your back. When you looked up at him, he only shook his head with a sad smile. Don't ask, don't object, just stay calm. You could certainly do that.
With a sigh, you finally pulled yourself together and walked closer to the bed. "Can I take a look at your wound?" you asked cautiously. You were a doctor, it was your job to help him.
But Joel had a different idea. "I want another doctor," he snarled.
This took you off guard, and you soon felt Tommy put a hand on your waist to pull you behind him. "Joel, calm down, she just wants to help. She's a doctor in case you forgot, and you're a patient. Let her help," he tried.
"Get out. Both of you."
He didn't have to say twice, you shook your head and turned around to leave the room as he asked. Once outside, you leaned your back against the wall and started to cry silently, his words replaying in your head over and over again, each time hurting you more than before. Tommy had been right, this wasn't the Joel you knew so well.
"Hey, hey, don't cry, it's not worth the tears," Tommy said when he showed up in front of you, raising his hand to wipe your tears away. "He's been like that for a long time, don't take it personally. I think you remind him of his old life, of Sarah, and it's too much for him. Also, he's like a wounded animal now, attacking anyone who goes near him."
You didn't object when he pulled you into a hug, his hand rubbing along your spine to soothe you. Soon you stopped crying, your brain focusing on him instead, listening to the mixture of the steady rhythm of his breathing and the way his heart pounded against his chest.
Maybe this was for the better. If he really had changed this much over the years, it would probably be for the best if you didn't talk to him. He was in the past, it would be better to keep nothing more but the good memories.
Your hands instinctively moved to your necklace and the ring you had on it. He gave you this engagement ring before the military took you away, and you weren't about to let it go until now. But today you realized the Joel you remembered was nothing more but a ghost that kept haunting you.
So you took it off and placed it into Tommy's hand. "Could you give it back to him?" you asked.
He took a look at the piece of jewelry and you saw a glint in his eyes that you didn't really understand at the time. But he eventually flashed a smile at you and nodded. "Sure. When will your shift end?"
You let out a long sigh as you thought about whether or not you wanted to think about hanging out with him. Because that's what he wanted to ask, you could feel it. In the end you looked at your watch and let out a thoughtful hum.
"I still have five and a half hours left, and then I'm gonna hit the bed at home," you replied.
Tommy suddenly leaned over to place a kiss on your forehead. "Okay, sleep is important, especially on your line of work," he began. "I know where to find you now, so we'll talk some other time then."
Apparently he wasn't about to give up so you gave in. After nodding, you said goodbye and left to return to the on-call room, hopefully catching some sleep.
Not like you could sleep with Joel on your mind.
â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘â˘
Taglist (although I won't do this in the future - hit the get notifications button and you'll know when I post something): @kyuupidwrites
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Iâm loving this series so far! Canât wait for part 3!!!
Shereshoy Series Masterlist
Main Masterlist
â smut/18+Â fics âž angst â pure fluff
Shereshoy [sheh-REYSH-oy]: lust for life and much more - uniquely Mandalorian word, meaning the enjoyment of each day and the determination to seek and grab every possible experience, as well as surviving to see the next day - hanging onto life and relishing it. An understandable state of mind/ emotion for a warrior people.
Duraani, burc'ya? | Ni Ceta | to be continued...
âI had a lot of feelings about this idea, and ran a little wild with it...â
A friend of mine got inspired by this prompt to my fic, Courting, and has finally graced me with the pleasure of bringing it to the world!
Also read on Ao3
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Wes ainât the only nu metal guitarist who wore the shit out of a corset back in the day, jus sayinâŚ
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just started writing part 2 for floral arrangements hehe
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Iâm glad you liked it! I actually forgot that the flower shop was already a bit of an established trope in fanfiction until I read youâre comment đđ¤Śđ˝ââď¸ Iâm definitely going to be writing a part 2 (hopefully soon)!
Floral Arrangements (Thorin x gn!reader)
A/N: I have been working on this for ages but couldn't finish it, so here is part one. Hopefully I can get on to writing part 2 soon if people are interested.
The reclamation of Erebor by the company of Thorin Oakenshield had come with mixed emotions for (Y/N). You were excited to return to your childhood home with your two brothers. The three of you were given standard family quarters and small allowance to help you to settle in. The only downside was that so many who returned were also skilled in dressmaking, crafting, and forging leaving the three of you out of the job. To honour your fathersâ memory, the oldest of your brothers joined the royal guard, fulfilling your fathersâ old position. Both you and your youngest brother had no desire to follow suit.
Instead, the two of you decided to set up your own business outside of a stall in the market square. Flowers were neither common nor traditional in gifting practice within Longbeard culture. But the two of you were counting on the clansâ heavy involvement in the human world. It wasnât uncommon for dwarves to adopt foreign human practices, even those of gifting and courting means. Thus, the two of you decided to adopt and adapt.
You took care of the purchasing, finances, displays and arrangements for the stall. There was limited private garden space within the mountain and requests for a private plot outside of the mountain for flower growth going unanswered, you had resorted to buying fresh flowers from a farmer just outside of Dale. Your fresh floral arrangements and bouquets proved popular enough amongst the mountain residents and its visitors, but they certainly were not what set your business apart.
The true jewel of your enterprise was the flowers crafted of precious metals and jewels of the most vibrant hues you sold. A sign of un-wilting and passionate love was the motto associated with them. Such a product was much more suited to the nature of dwarven love and courtship. You designed singles, arrangements and bouquets while your brother brought them to life.
With the introduction of said product, the popularity of the stall had doubled. The word had soon spread of the glittering creations and dwarves from across the seven kingdoms travelled to visit your stall. Within its first year and a half of operation its notability had grown to such heights that you were able to move from a stall to a rather comfortable store. This notability had additionally brought the attentions of the royal family upon you.
It was a warm afternoon when you received word from a steward that Princess Dis would be stopping by to look at your wares. After his departure you had bustled around the store preparing for the royal visit. A visit by a member of the royal family to look at your joint creations was incredibly humbling. Your bustling was disrupted by the sound of a customer entering the store. Peering up from where you knelt behind the counter you were shocked to see Princess Dis herself was already here.
âPardon my lady, I was not expecting you yetâ you politely greeted while stumbling up to your feet. âThereâs no need pleaseâ Dis gestured at you kindly to continue what you were doing. âHow can I be of service to you? Would you just like to browse or were you looking for something in particularâ you gently prodded. The last thing you wanted was to drive away a customer like Dis Durin by being overbearing and pushy.
âIâd heard of the brilliance of your jewelled flowers and decided to come and have a look at the crafts myselfâ she praised glancing around, âdo you make them yourself?â âNo Maâam. I design and arrange them, but my brother is the one who crafts themâ you answered in earnest. âWell, you are both truly talented. The delicacy with which your brother has crafted them and your eye for colour are truly well paired togetherâ she praised. Embarrassed by the praise you bowed your head in thanks and smiled shyly at the Princess in return.
Dis fluttered gracefully about your store for the next half hour inspecting the different florals on display, making conversation with you as she went. Eventually though she asked about whether you took custom orders. The two of you had never actually made a specified custom order for a client, instead you typically just sold the premade stock. Every piece was one of a kind so most customers were content by the uniqueness that the piece they choose offered. However, this was the future Queen mother, the honourable Lady Dis which had ruled in Thorinâs stead while he was on the quest to Erebor. So, you agreed that the two of you would be happy to make her a custom piece. Dis had been excited by the offer and promised to come back in several daysâ time to plan out what she would like. With her departure you shut up shop and rushed home to tell your brothers of the great news.
 ----Several days later ----
You hadnât seen nor heard from the Princess. You both were disappointed that Dis hadnât followed through and placed an order but kept your heads up. After all the reason that you had moved to the shop was because of the influx of other noble and rich customers. Instead of dwelling on Disâ missed order, you carried on organising and designing to pull your previous customers back.
It was late one evening while you were preparing to close the shop for the evening when a surprise visitor appeared in your shop. With your back to the doorway, you had failed to hear the quiet footsteps making their way up behind you. It was the unfamiliar gruff tone of a clearing throat that alerted you to the other presence. Whipping around you stepped back in surprise. Before you stood Thorin, Son of Thrain, son of Thror, King under the Mountain.
Remembering your manners, you were quick to greet and bow to the King with all of the Court courtesies you had been taught as a child. Thorin nodded in acknowledgement of the respectful gesture as you rose. âMy sister visited you store a few days ago and has been raving about the crafts you sell ever sinceâ the King began, âI convinced her out of investing in one because my nephews and I would like to get one for her birthday.â You smiled broadly as you dwelled on the Kingâs words. Princess Dis had not forsaken your store nor had forgotten your arrangement. Instead, she had gushed about to the rest of the royal family.
Switching back into business mode you got straight to work, âWere you interested in buying one of our premade arrangements or were you looking to commission a custom piece as your sister was looking into?â Almost instantly Thorin answered, âa custom, if you are free now then I would like to go over the details while I have time.â His curtness took you slightly off guard, but you tried not to let it show, âof course, I will just close the shop front so that nobody comes in and disturbs us. Then we can begin.â
You had been quick to close the shop front as you had done many other nights and then led the king to your workstations in the rare of the shop. After settling in you had questioned him rigirously about what he was looking for. From the types of flowers, sizing, number, types of jewels, and colouring of the joinery the two of you had discussed it all. Thorinâs demeanor had relaxed the more the two of you spoke, seeming almost as if he was enjoying the informalities of the conversation. He had even asked personal questions of you while you had jotted down notes of the details, he fed you; who had come up with the idea for the shop, how many of you run it daily, where you had lived during the clanâs refugee years, if many of your family members had been able to return to the mountain, your age, and even if you were married.
By the end of it you had come up with a comprehensive plan of what the Durinâs were looking to have done for the matriarch. You promised Thorin that over the next few days you would come up with several design compositions to showcase to him. He smiled warmly at you and promised to return in a few daysâ time as he bid you, his farewells. Giddily, you found yourself looking forward to a visit from the mountain king, a man truly unobtainable to you due to his status and yet had asked about your marital status out of curiosity. A dwarf could dream.
Taglist: @awkwardspontaneity @midearthwritings @thewhiteladyofrohan @kami-chan1512 @fizzyxcustard @kpopgirlbtssvt @sadndnboii-reads @tschrist1 @shethereadinghobbit @lathalea @blulemonades @themaya2345us
(comment or pm me to be added to this taglist)
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Floral Arrangements (Thorin x gn!reader)
A/N: I have been working on this for ages but couldn't finish it, so here is part one. Hopefully I can get on to writing part 2 soon if people are interested.
The reclamation of Erebor by the company of Thorin Oakenshield had come with mixed emotions for (Y/N). You were excited to return to your childhood home with your two brothers. The three of you were given standard family quarters and small allowance to help you to settle in. The only downside was that so many who returned were also skilled in dressmaking, crafting, and forging leaving the three of you out of the job. To honour your fathersâ memory, the oldest of your brothers joined the royal guard, fulfilling your fathersâ old position. Both you and your youngest brother had no desire to follow suit.
Instead, the two of you decided to set up your own business outside of a stall in the market square. Flowers were neither common nor traditional in gifting practice within Longbeard culture. But the two of you were counting on the clansâ heavy involvement in the human world. It wasnât uncommon for dwarves to adopt foreign human practices, even those of gifting and courting means. Thus, the two of you decided to adopt and adapt.
You took care of the purchasing, finances, displays and arrangements for the stall. There was limited private garden space within the mountain and requests for a private plot outside of the mountain for flower growth going unanswered, you had resorted to buying fresh flowers from a farmer just outside of Dale. Your fresh floral arrangements and bouquets proved popular enough amongst the mountain residents and its visitors, but they certainly were not what set your business apart.
The true jewel of your enterprise was the flowers crafted of precious metals and jewels of the most vibrant hues you sold. A sign of un-wilting and passionate love was the motto associated with them. Such a product was much more suited to the nature of dwarven love and courtship. You designed singles, arrangements and bouquets while your brother brought them to life.
With the introduction of said product, the popularity of the stall had doubled. The word had soon spread of the glittering creations and dwarves from across the seven kingdoms travelled to visit your stall. Within its first year and a half of operation its notability had grown to such heights that you were able to move from a stall to a rather comfortable store. This notability had additionally brought the attentions of the royal family upon you.
It was a warm afternoon when you received word from a steward that Princess Dis would be stopping by to look at your wares. After his departure you had bustled around the store preparing for the royal visit. A visit by a member of the royal family to look at your joint creations was incredibly humbling. Your bustling was disrupted by the sound of a customer entering the store. Peering up from where you knelt behind the counter you were shocked to see Princess Dis herself was already here.
âPardon my lady, I was not expecting you yetâ you politely greeted while stumbling up to your feet. âThereâs no need pleaseâ Dis gestured at you kindly to continue what you were doing. âHow can I be of service to you? Would you just like to browse or were you looking for something in particularâ you gently prodded. The last thing you wanted was to drive away a customer like Dis Durin by being overbearing and pushy.
âIâd heard of the brilliance of your jewelled flowers and decided to come and have a look at the crafts myselfâ she praised glancing around, âdo you make them yourself?â âNo Maâam. I design and arrange them, but my brother is the one who crafts themâ you answered in earnest. âWell, you are both truly talented. The delicacy with which your brother has crafted them and your eye for colour are truly well paired togetherâ she praised. Embarrassed by the praise you bowed your head in thanks and smiled shyly at the Princess in return.
Dis fluttered gracefully about your store for the next half hour inspecting the different florals on display, making conversation with you as she went. Eventually though she asked about whether you took custom orders. The two of you had never actually made a specified custom order for a client, instead you typically just sold the premade stock. Every piece was one of a kind so most customers were content by the uniqueness that the piece they choose offered. However, this was the future Queen mother, the honourable Lady Dis which had ruled in Thorinâs stead while he was on the quest to Erebor. So, you agreed that the two of you would be happy to make her a custom piece. Dis had been excited by the offer and promised to come back in several daysâ time to plan out what she would like. With her departure you shut up shop and rushed home to tell your brothers of the great news.
 ----Several days later ----
You hadnât seen nor heard from the Princess. You both were disappointed that Dis hadnât followed through and placed an order but kept your heads up. After all the reason that you had moved to the shop was because of the influx of other noble and rich customers. Instead of dwelling on Disâ missed order, you carried on organising and designing to pull your previous customers back.
It was late one evening while you were preparing to close the shop for the evening when a surprise visitor appeared in your shop. With your back to the doorway, you had failed to hear the quiet footsteps making their way up behind you. It was the unfamiliar gruff tone of a clearing throat that alerted you to the other presence. Whipping around you stepped back in surprise. Before you stood Thorin, Son of Thrain, son of Thror, King under the Mountain.
Remembering your manners, you were quick to greet and bow to the King with all of the Court courtesies you had been taught as a child. Thorin nodded in acknowledgement of the respectful gesture as you rose. âMy sister visited you store a few days ago and has been raving about the crafts you sell ever sinceâ the King began, âI convinced her out of investing in one because my nephews and I would like to get one for her birthday.â You smiled broadly as you dwelled on the Kingâs words. Princess Dis had not forsaken your store nor had forgotten your arrangement. Instead, she had gushed about to the rest of the royal family.
Switching back into business mode you got straight to work, âWere you interested in buying one of our premade arrangements or were you looking to commission a custom piece as your sister was looking into?â Almost instantly Thorin answered, âa custom, if you are free now then I would like to go over the details while I have time.â His curtness took you slightly off guard, but you tried not to let it show, âof course, I will just close the shop front so that nobody comes in and disturbs us. Then we can begin.â
You had been quick to close the shop front as you had done many other nights and then led the king to your workstations in the rare of the shop. After settling in you had questioned him rigirously about what he was looking for. From the types of flowers, sizing, number, types of jewels, and colouring of the joinery the two of you had discussed it all. Thorinâs demeanor had relaxed the more the two of you spoke, seeming almost as if he was enjoying the informalities of the conversation. He had even asked personal questions of you while you had jotted down notes of the details, he fed you; who had come up with the idea for the shop, how many of you run it daily, where you had lived during the clanâs refugee years, if many of your family members had been able to return to the mountain, your age, and even if you were married.
By the end of it you had come up with a comprehensive plan of what the Durinâs were looking to have done for the matriarch. You promised Thorin that over the next few days you would come up with several design compositions to showcase to him. He smiled warmly at you and promised to return in a few daysâ time as he bid you, his farewells. Giddily, you found yourself looking forward to a visit from the mountain king, a man truly unobtainable to you due to his status and yet had asked about your marital status out of curiosity. A dwarf could dream.
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