Firefly

Eighteen

March 2013

"I've had a long fucking day. I don't feel like arguing about this again." Joel wiped his hand over his face. "Again? How can it be again when you fucking avoid the question every time I bring it up?!" Fighting that's all we've been doing. "You're never here anymore, Joel. Always out on some stupid run with her! And you never let me go with you! I'm starting to wonder if maybe there's a reason for that."

His head shot up to look at me where he was sitting on the couch. He stood up, walking over to me. "There is only one reason I don't want you going with me and I've told you that a hundred times already! It's not–" I held up a hand to stop him, "it's not safe. Yeah, yeah. When are you going to stop treating me like a child and start treating me like my you're fucking girlfriend? Or am I not even that anymore?"

He walked closer to me, cupping my face in his hands. "Darlin', you're all I got left. Tommy's off with the fucking fireflies doesn't even want to speak to me. I'm just trying to keep you safe, baby." I sighed and looked up at him, "you can't always protect me, Joel. I'm not always with you. If this keeps happening–" he kissed me, shutting me up. "Let's not talk about that anymore. Please, I can't even think about it. Let me just make it up to you."

"And how are you going to do that?" I asked, biting my lower lip. He pulled me closer by my hips. His lips moved from my jaw to my neck. "I'm yours all night and all tomorrow. We don't even need to get out of bed." His hands moved further down to firmly grab my ass before lifting me up to wrap my legs around his waist. He walked over to the kitchen counter, sitting me down and spreading my legs so he could slot himself between them.

Rough hands slid under my shirt, pushing it up and over my head. His right hand came up to tease my nipple while his mouth attached to the other. He removes himself and continues undressing me, fingers slipping into the waistband of my jeans after he's unbuttoned them and pulls them down my legs. He discards my panties next, dropping to his knees, and hooking his hands around the back of my knees to pull me closer to the edge of the counter. Lips press soft kisses on my inner thigh, getting closer and closer to where I wanted him…needed him…

2023

"Yn. Hey, wake up!" I groaned, pushing the hand on my shoulder away. "Wake up, lazy ass!" My eyes shot open and I grabbed someone's wrist. When I looked up I saw Ellie. "Damnit, Ellie!" I sat up, moving my head back and forth to loosen the kink in my neck. "Sorry, but your little friends won't stop looking at me and Joel has a gun pointed at me." I looked over to see Joel pointing a gun at her and Tess watching her closely. "That's because they think you're going to turn."

"But I'm not infected!" She said, throwing her hands in the air. "I know that! Okay? Just show them your fucking arm." I stood up and stretched. "You told them?" She asked. "Not everything. Just when you were bitten." I gestured for her to show them her arm and she rolled her sleeve up. Tess walked over and looked at it. "How is this possible?" She asked me. "I don't know, Tess, I'm not a fucking doctor."

"Why's she so important?" She asked. I looked at Ellie who just shrugged. "She's obviously immune. And they're working on a cure," I said. Joel scoffed, "heard that before." Ellie cleared her throat and I looked at her, "I need to piss," she said. "Over there," Tess said, throwing her a magazine. She looked at me and I nodded my head. Once she was done Tess went back to do her business.

"Does he always look like that?" I looked over at Ellie with a questioning look, "hmm?" I wasn't even paying attention to anything; I was too caught up in my head thinking about the last time I saw Joel. Ellie pointed at Joel and I looked over at him. He had a scowl on his face. There was a crease between his eyebrows, eyes squinted ever so slightly. "That's just his face. Ignore him," I told her. "Can I talk to you…alone?" He asked.