Better days (book two , graves an reader)

Rants (chapter 24)

A/n- grays back with the milk again , short chapter? Enjoy

You and Graves push deeper into the woods, your eyes scanning for any sign of the threat for the next few hours.The sounds of the forest become louder, the chirps of insects becoming more frequent and the rustling of leaves growing stronger with each step. As you walked through you pushed through climbing over fallen logs and dodging branches that hang low from the trees. It's only been about 30 minutes into the walk so far and you kept quiet listing out and graves looked at you before speaking up As you moved farther into the woods. The tension grows thicker and The air feels heavy but he spoke up, deciding that it would be good to converse to pass some time as you both now traveled.

''Are you okay?''
He started quietly and you turned towards him with a bit of a deadpan look.
'' gonna start a convo like that every time? Does Not work that well.''
You mumbled and he crossed his arms over his chest.
'' well gotta pass the time somehow , better off i'm stuck with a young woman whos a debbie downer?.''
He joked and you sighed.
''You'd expect me to be all sunshine and rainbows after watching someone i cared for die?.''
You glared and he kept quiet as he didnt know what to really say to that.

You continued to make your way deeper into the woods, navigating the dense foliage and remaining alert for any signs of danger. The sounds of the forest surrounding you grew louder as you walked, the chirps of insects and rustling of leaves adding to the already tense atmosphere. The air felt thick and your chest was tight, but you pushed on knowing that it was important to stay focused in your current situation. As you walked Graves broke the silence and spoke up again, asking if you were okay again. You rolled your eyes at him and he put up his hands in a defensive gesture.
"Hey I'm just trying to pass the time."
You stopped walking and turned to face him, frustrated with his casual attitude.
"Graves, my patience is wearing thinner than your fucking hair , give me a damn minute."
You sighed and he shook his head.
"Still got wit...but y'know my hair is a bit shitty."
He smirked.
"I got it pretty bad being old , all alone with this witty young adult who tracking with a geezer."
He says sarcastically and you listened to him and cracked a bit of a small smirk , barely noticeable to which he did and he smirked to himself.

"See I got you to smirk a bit eh? We just gotta stay positive y'know?"
Graves hoped to raise your spirits a bit but you kept quiet.
"Even if shit seems shitty you just gotta make the most of it because the next day ain't promised to no one.."
He added softly and you sighed.
"Survive , that's it. I don't even know if the others are still living , as much as I wanna hope they are it's hard to as the world is clearly fucked.ghosts dead , soaps fucking dead , my real family's dead , the worlds dead. Yet i'm alive only to suffer without them , only to suffer to their own deaths."
You came to a halt as your voice raised as you began to rant and you grew a bit emotional as your Anger began to boil up and your grief caused you to get teary eyed. Graves noticed this and he looked at you. His face soft yet rugged and he gently cupped your cheeks forcing you to look into his eyes and hold eye contact.
"Look at me.."
He started as he saw your tears well up , growing close to falling and he gently took his thumbs and wiped away the tears that he earned to fall.

You were an emotional wreck. After everything is was understandable but graces knew he had to keep you from breaking down , to make sure that you kept moving for ghost , for your safety and sake as well.
"Graves, I-"
you started to say but your voice caught in your throat and tears started to stream down your cheeks. You hadn't realized how much you had been holding in until now. It was all too much, the fear, the uncertainty, the grief. It was too much for you but who could blame you?.

"It's okay"
Graves said softly, his hands still resting on your cheek. The warmth being evident and his rough callused fingers brushing against the soft skin of your cheek.
" we're still here, and that's what matters. Will find the others and I'll make sure I get you too them. I owe you more than the world can offer."
He pulled you into a hug, careful not to make you uncomfortable. You shook your head , feeling yourself starting to crumble as You began to cry into his shoulder for a while, trying to let out all the emotions that had been bottled up inside you.
"We just need to take it one day at a time," Graves said, his voice low and gentle.
"We can't control what's happened in the past, but we can control how we handle it going forward an I promise to get you back to your family.."
He adds as he rubbed your back gently , you , leaning into him as you accepted his comfort , letting yourself be vulnerable.
"I'll be with you...I won't let anything happen.."

One promises safety day and night for one knew truly the bigger fight.