To the Light { a joel miller fanfiction }

hearth [ a To the Light one-shot ]

A.N. hello my beautiful friends! To the Light got to 25k hits on AO3 yesterday, so I wrote this little gift for you. I hope you enjoy! thank you so much for loving this fic <3

"I want to do with you what spring does with the cherry trees."

― Pablo Neruda, Love Poem XIV

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Adeline awoke to warm, milky sunshine, spilling through the gauzy inner curtain. The thick, heavy, outer curtains that blocked out the sun and the cold had been pushed to the side, most likely by Joel, who was noticeably missing from their bed.

She let out a little whine, stretching her legs out until they shook, toes pointed like a ballerina as she rolled over onto her side, smushing her face into Joel's pillow— inhaling the woody scent that lingered there. His side of the bed was cold, only faintly warmed by the sunshine that draped the sheets like an extra blanket.

As she drifted toward a more secure sense of consciousness she could hear the birds, whistling and chirping from the treetops outside, the beginning of spring had pummeled through the snow over the last few weeks, making way for warmer mornings, dewdrops in place of snowflakes, lush green emerging from the vast white that covered everything in Wyoming during those bleak winter months.

Not that she minded the winter so much anymore.

The birds were a soft chorus, weaving through the noise that drifted from downstairs— clanging pans and an incessant chattering in a little squeaking sing-song voice, interrupted occasionally by something in a much lower register, gruff and brassy.

A soft smile tugged at her lips, and she let that noise pull her out of bed. She slipped on one of Joel's worn flannels, a pair of his thick wool socks, then tiptoed down the stairs, standing at the bottom for a moment.

Vera was perched on one of the chairs at the small kitchen table near the window— her curly brown hair a chaotic halo atop her head. Joel was standing at the stove, muscles in his back rolling beneath his thin, worn, t-shirt as he stirred what smelled like scrambled eggs.

"Ellie told me that boys are stupid meanies though," Vera rambled on, clutching the floppy, stuffed elephant that she never let out of her sight. She'd tried to name it motherfucker after her older sister's favorite word, which had caused Joel to choke on his coffee before informing her that was a no no word and that she would need to find a nicer name for her stuffed friend.

She re-named him Travy, after her favorite uncle— much to Tommy's chagrin.

"Sometimes your sister makes a good point," Joel murmured, turning his head to glance over his shoulder, his brown eyes softening when he noticed Adeline standing at the bottom of the stairs. "Mornin' honey," he called out with a warm smile tugging at his lips.

"Mommy is a sleepy head!" Vera announced, bouncing a bit in her seat.

"Mommy deserved some extra rest," Joel said, placing a kiss on the top of her head when she reached him, wrapping her arms around his torso and resting her head against his chest.

"Thank you," she whispered, nuzzling into his warmth.

"'Course," he hummed, rubbing her back with one big, heavy hand. "Go sit down, baby," he urged, swatting at her butt with the hand that had been rubbing her back.

She let out a little yelp that caused a smirk to tug up one corner of his lips.

She walked over to the table, smoothing down Vera's hair before placing a kiss on the top of her head. "You been keeping daddy company this morning, sweetheart?"