A Song In Your Bones
Summary: The world is too harsh to let hope flourish in places it shouldn’t, but in a chance encounter with a handsome stranger you begin to realize he’d planted a seed of hope inside of you without you ever noticing. One that you couldn’t seem to cut free.
A/N: So, I couldn’t help myself. I played The Last of Us part 1 and 2 (I don’t want to talk about part 2 man I am not physically ready) and when I found out Pedro was going to be playing Joel well…I couldn’t help myself. This is my first time writing for Pedro. My first time attempting it and this was a long labor of love and tears and I just truly, from the bottom of my heart, hope that someone out there enjoys this. Thank you so much for reading. Comments are always appreciated! Much love, Jenn
Ratings: M - mature content, sexual themes, violence, strangers to lovers, mentions of death and apocolypse-style world ending
Words: 18k (yeah, she’s a hefty one)
Your first meeting with him had been nothing but a pure clash of teeth and bones. Skin swallowing up battered knuckles and blunt ends of empty gun stocks. There was a brief moment of fear that flickered through you like waking up from a bad dream startled awake inside a room full of darkness. It dripped in the loose strands of hair that his large scrambling fingers had yanked free. You’d worried the latest grunt that passed your lips - due from your exertion at keeping the bat to his throat - was too loud in the small room. Too abrasive. Not soft enough to disintegrate against the drywall of the room.
With all your weight, you dug your heels down against the floor. Every muscle-burning as you fought to get the cool metal against his throat and keep it there. This wicked dance of survival flared along the synapse of your bones sparking goosebumps along your skin.
You were so focused on your primary goal - incapacitating him - that you weren’t prepared for his next move. His own fight or flight for survival kicking into overdrive and screaming for him to reach behind him to grab a hold of you.
You weren’t expecting him to take the risk of you crushing his windpipe - weren’t prepared to feel large hands palming at your head and neck. You tried to shake him off. Your body wildly thrashing, but he only needed one good opening and somewhere in that millisecond you’d given him just enough.
The palm of one hand latched itself painfully to the back of your neck, while the other curled its fingers into the dirtied cotton of your button-down. He counted on you rocking back to try and get him to release you, and the moment you did he lurched himself forward. Powerful arms pulled you with your added momentum and flung you over his shoulders causing your body to collide violently on the filthy vinyl floor. The buttons of your shirt scattered around you like marbles.
Get up! Get. Up!
