Deucalion & Peter

peter was different in that regard, he shared a lot & ellie needed that - it felt like. joel didn't mind so long as they left him out of it. so, while the hike through the woods was pleasantly quiet to him, the two chatted away & when she complained about not wanting to walk anymore, he carried her piggy-back, something else ... joel likely wouldn't do. maybe he would, but she never asked & joel tried not to reply to her complaints because he knew rewarding it would only make it worse.

if peter wanted to deal with it, so be it. they avoided towns as best as they could, but not all could be skipped unfortunately. they were back on concrete, his heavy boots thumping with every step taken - stealth .. impossible, but then again - ellie never shut her mouth, so stealth was impossible in the first place.

finger ready to jump on the trigger as they entered the town, joel motioned for silence - he could try, right? they didn't really need resources for now, so they could make their way right through. cars were in the way & roadblocks, but they could climb. "c'mon, i got you." ellie was no the best climber, so he tended to have to give her a hand.

"we got maybe two more hours of light."

However, he could hear something approaching. In an instant, he pushed Joel against a wall and pressed himself against him to use the small shadow to hide them. He had dragged Ellie with him to their side and had a hand over her mouth.

Seconds passed, and suddenly, a group of cars began to drive past where they had been. Once they had driven past, he pulled away from the small space, they had cars on both sides of them. He sighed, and Ellie eyed him momentarily but didn't seem to ask anything. He had shown her his true face, and she hadn't said anything about that either.

"Let's find a place to stay indoors tonight. We won't reach far from the city with how much time we have left," he told the other. "Sorry I pushed you," he added. Though he wasn't sorry, he had sort of felt him up a little.

he knelt on the bed, following peter's lead with ease, on all fours with his ass up in the air was not exactly what he had imagined - or thought would happen tonight when he went to the bar to get shit-faced, but ... fine. this wasn't too bad, really. he didn't have to do a lot & he still felt good. better now that peter knelt by his side & wrapped around him. yeah, nice, good. he knew what he was doing, definitely, while joel just drifted along with soft little noises announcing he was indeed enjoying this.

Back on all fours, he began to tease him with his tongue, hand back to his cock before he pushed his tongue in. He was planning to dedicate some time to this though, to eating him out and making him whine with need. So Peter began doing just that. Pushing his tongue in and out, while his one hand stroked him. The other hand soon joined his tongue and he began pushing some fingers in before he pulled away and got some lube on his fingers. It was flavored lube, so he returned to eating him out, stroking his cock, and pushing now lubed fingers into him together with his tongue.

& after tess... after henry & sam, he felt like ellie deserved a friend. "then stay." he.. looked at him shortly when he said it, but didn't let his eyes longer. it wasn't with much fanfare, it wasn't the best invitation - but it was the closest to an invitation to becoming part of their little family had been. so if peter was smart, he'd take it.

the night after that was quiet - on all fronts. joel wasn't much of a talker, peter was lost in thoughts, or something & the only noise ellie shared with the group were soft, teeny-tiny little snores. he felt somewhat relieved when the sun rose, announcing a brand new day & another day to get closer to wyoming, which ... was still months away... if they stayed on foot, which they probably would. the fireflies had been their best option at a car, getting bill's had been pure luck. finding another, out during travels? unlikely.

their little morning routine entailed breakfast, which was usually heating up some cans on the remains of the fire - the embers usually still hot enough for that, pack everything up, let ellie get a few bad puns out of her system & then they'd walk. they'd run out of coffee a little while ago, which ... was unfortunate, but they'd been lucky to get their hands on any in the first place.

the woods in the morning sun would never cease to amaze him, he'd often taken hikes with sarah & moments like this... reminded him of those weekends. it was practically the same, but without the underlying fear of being found by murderous savages. "c'mon, pack up."

"i'm on it, joel."

"readin' those damn puns ain't on it, ellie."

"uh, yeah it is. gotta bring my book. you can't escape will livingston."

"fine, whatever. just pack up, will ya? we only got so much time before the sun's settin' again."

Ellie, she was another mystery. Her scent was so different yet so normal. It was strange. Confusing.

Peter was packing up the next day, fixing things up in his backpack just to waste some time while the others got ready to leave. He heard Joel talking to Ellie, trying to get her to pack up and he chuckled quietly as he moved to sit beside Joel but not too close. "Come on, princess, you won't get piggyback if you don't hurry up." He teased her with a smile.

He could imagine Malia in her place, he missed her daughter growing up and now she was with Scott doing who knows what and probably still didn't want to have anything to do with him.

Once she was ready he clapped once and got up to start their day walking. After a few hours, he had Ellie back on his back and he was mentally giggling at how she was enjoying this nonsense. When they hit the road, the piggyback ended. They had to be alert here and he had his gun at ready though he really used it.

joel felt like nothing could hurt him, nothing could stop him. yeah, he was doing fiiiiiine. it wasn't until the lock of the hotel room door clicked shut behind him that he realized he .... fuck. peter was on him in seconds & the attention just felt too good to put an end to it. joel hadn't exactly spent the past few years looking for hook-ups, so his might or might not be insanely deprived in that department. maybe that was the reason peter got to him the way he did. he was so weak to his touches, leaning into him when he wrapped his arms around him, arching his back against him & letting soft noises fall from his lips.

he watched as peter took his pants, let the other guide him out of them without comment, let him ... move him the way he wanted. not a single care in the world right now. teeth came down on his bottom lip with the decision, letting his inebriated mind ponder the decision until ultimately it concluded a very reasonable & very simple solution.

Once close to the bed he guided Joel onto it making sure Joel was facing downwards with that beautiful ass facing him. Peter caressed his back and moved his hands below Joel to touch his cock and stroke him into life. While Peter was still dressed, he would address that detail later. For now, he focused on Joel, on giving him pleasure, on hearing him moan and wiggle over his bed.

He just hoped this time Joel would remember this, any of this, how he felt tonight with him. Otherwise, he was fucked. He growled again at Joel's little noises, he kept stroking his cock in his hand while he watched. He wanted to eat him out, but not yet. He did squeeze his ass though and teased his hole with his free hand.

"besides, once we're back to sleepin' in houses we got walls to protect us - doors to watch." it was so much easier. he could booby trap doors & they could all sleep peacefully through the night. well, somewhat peacefully. probably not peacefully at all, but still.

"up to you." joel wouldn't force him to stay, not if he was unhappy with how they ran their little group. ellie trusted him & he'd do his best to keep that trust, hold it in honor. just like he was trusting her with some things now, though... not quite entirely, with everything.

joel stifled a yawn against the back of his hand & rubbed said hand over his eyes. another yawn followed, though he wasn't really sleepy anymore right now, just... drained. this journey had taken so many detours that weren't planned, he didn't know what to expect anymore. could they even find tommy? was he still alive? what if he wasn't? what if all this was for nothing? without tommy they would never find the fireflies. soft sigh.

I am always safe, Joel. I'm not easy to kill, that fire 30 years ago proved it. Now? You can't even see the burn scars on me. That is what he thought, he wanted to say it too, but he didn't. He rested his back against the tree and looked up again. He couldn't wait for that moon, to feel alive again. But... he was starting to feel alive with these people even without the moon. He didn't know who Ellie was and why she was cargo, but he knew she was different. Not supernatural different, but definitely different. A new breed then. Who knew. Maybe even immune. Was he going to test that? Fuck no.

Morning came faster than he wanted. They had both been quiet the rest of the night, nothing to say really. The constant fires were doing a number on his psyche, his nightmares were coming in stronger and as they approached the winter and the cold states, it would only get worse. He should leave, run to warmer places where a fire wasn't needed. He mentally thanked Joel for not mentioning the fire, or wanting help with it, or asking about his fear of it. He should be over it by now but it just...it brought terrible memories with it. Pain, sorrow. He closed his eyes tightly until he felt Ellie stir awake. He opened his eyes then and sighed. Time to start their day.

apparently he was somewhat able to keep her alive... but not others, which made peter the perfect candidate to test his theory. would he also get him killed? dude seemed capable enough to look after himself if company was the only thing he needed. either which was, joel was ...still undecided, if closer to yes than he had been a week ago. the past week had been... fine, actually. peter seemed to fit in quite well, though he disapproved of some of the chats he had with ellie, like about skinning animals they hunted. ellie didn't need to learn that shit just yet. joel & peter could take care of it, she'd seen enough. the last thing they needed was a little cold little murder robot.

they'd have to stray from the safety of the woods soon, find a road & make their way towards wyoming, where - hopefully they'll find tommy. tonight would likely be their last night out in the open for a while, so he could stay up, make sure everything was alright & the next night, or any other night he could catch up on some rest. he couldn't sleep out in the open anyway, too worried someone had seen the smoke from the fire. though exhaustion caught up on him once more, because three long quarters through the night, it caught up to him. he ...dozed off, rifle in his arms... sitting up. just gone.

his nightmares were usually the exact same. the night of his biggest regret, the night everything began. the night he died. when he woke abruptly, hands shot out to the rifle, ready to shoot or smack someone over the head with the handle, but ... it'd only been peter. ugh. leaning back against the tree stump he'd placed himself by, he gave a little sigh. he'd fallen asleep. damnit. "'m fine." he'd lived with those nightmares half his life, he didn't need a little boy - compared to him at least, tell him about them. "can't sleep?"

"It's been almost a week and you've fallen asleep several times already. Let me help," he says trying to convince the other. "I know trust doesn't come easy, not in these times, but...think about the consequences of otherwise." He gets his bag and searches for something in it. He pulls some jerky out of it and starts eating, by now Joel must have seen he eats more than most but he had provided food, so that shouldn't be an issue, right?

He finishes the jerky and just leaves the backpack on his legs as he looks up at the moon. The full moon was approaching, still far away, but getting nearer each day. He was at his best during those days, he wondered where he would be at during it. He turns from the moon to look at him. He wanted to tell him he could smell the pain off of him, that he knew how much pain he was in, that he wished he could take it away but, that kind of pain? That was the pain he couldn't take away ever.

Maybe, just maybe, he was getting softer. Maybe he should leave the group and preserve his strength. Sex wasn't worth it, but he looked at Ellie, and...he had bonded with her a bit, even if Joel had been upset he thought her how to skin an animal, but if she was ever alone she will need to know how to do it. Just in case, Peter had told Joel at the time, just in case.

he ..froze when peter suddenly pressed against him. he fuckin' knew he had ulterior moves. he was wrapping around him & that soft little question breathed against his ear... he felt guilty. not that he owed peter anything, it was his own right to do or not do whatever the hell he wanted & it wasn't his fault peter thought they'd marry after one night spent together, right? yeah. joel didn't have time for anything serious anyway, he had a job & a child to take care of. but... warmth... it felt so good. he felt so light in this moment & yeah, okay, he couldn't deny he was aroused from this... despite the rather awkward & maybe somewhat dirty location peter seemed to have chosen for this.

"not here." he... wouldn't have sex in a goddamn bar bathroom, even though he liked the bar. if they were going to do this, which.... seemed to be something he definitely considered & deep down he knew that was the alcohol, because otherwise he'd ..not...agree to something he'd fought for the past month, but ... somehow he really wanted to & fighting it.... him... was so tiresome. "your place."

During the drive, Peter began touching Joel. First on his leg, then up on his thigh, but not further up. He was touching, but not enough to make Joel have a hard-on, just enough to tease him and make him shiver. He even thought of prompting Joel to suck him off during the drive, but he desisted from that idea. Another day. Joel didn't seem to like things in public, he was still afraid of who he liked or not it seemed and he thought it was normal. The man was Texan after all.

20 minutes later, the pair were getting into the elevator of the hotel, Peter took his hand and kissed it in the elevator before letting it go as soon as the doors opened on Peter's floor. Peter guided the other towards his door and unlocked it for him, opening the door wide for Joel to enter. Once inside, he got in and closed the door behind him hearing the automatic lock click behind him.

He didn't waste any time, he pressed himself against Joel's back and began kissing his neck with desire, his hands sliding under his shirt and teasing his nipples before going down to squeeze his stomach slightly and just touch his warm skin. Peter moved his lips to his ear as he began undoing the man's belt. He went to his knees and brought Joel's pants down with him, carefully helping him off of them. Peter squeezed his ass before getting up again, he'll have time to eat him up later. "Bed or table? Or shower?" He asked where Joel wanted to be taken.

"huh." he wanted to come with them? just like that? well, he said he had no one, nothing to do other than to survive, so maybe peter needed purpose & saw his chance, which .. was fair. should he take the risk? it was a pretty big one, they barely knew the guy. he could be part of some raider group for all he knew. a decoy. he.. couldn't tell yet, although... he didn't seem the type. "maybe." was the best he could offer right now. he had to think on that, because he was already busy trying to keep ellie safe & alive from dangers outside their own ranks... having to watch peter.. might not be the best idea.

but having someone else with him would make this so much easier, too. someone to keep watch while he napped, someone to protect ellie while he dealt with dangers, someone else to help him hunt or gather food, or carry cans. maybe he had to take a leap of faith this once. "slept last night, i'm good. you go get some shut-eye if you need." he'd be fine for a while longer, hopefully through the entire night. it should be safe, they'd been careful. but you could never know.

A few days passes and they fell into a sort of routine. Peter would stay awake some nights and Joel would fall asleep against his will getting some rest in that way. They would chat about anything some days, tricks about survival, hunting, trap-making, and the like. Ellie had been curious about how to hunt and kill animals, but mostly she had been curious about how to skin them. Peter had shown her to do it by demonstrating with a piece of wood. "See? Even when this is wood, as long as you keep it tight against the skin, it will peel off easily. The skin of animals is strong, and good for leather items." He had explained, much to her glee.

Another day, Ellie seemed more tired than usual as she walked, and asked Peter if she could go on a piggyback ride. He wanted to say no but ended say yes and letting her ride his back. He was a werewolf, walking was easy when he could run for miles on end. Carrying someone else was a bit harder, but, again, they were just walking so he walked easily and without tiring himself too much. He did end up eating more than usual that night and Ellie seemed to look at him inquisitively. She was smart and he had shown her his face, surely she was testing him? He didn't know, but he wondered.

Tonight marked a week of walking through the woods, everything quiet so far except for the animals. Joel had fallen asleep against his will again but this time he seemed to have a nightmare. He frowned, he knew how those could be. So Peter moved forward and shook him. "Joel," he whispered moving him again. "Wake up, it's just a nightmare."

When Joel woke up he moved his hands away and up showing he didn't mean any harm. He lowered his hands after a moment. "You were having a nightmare. Ellie is safe, you are safe." He says and Peter just looks at him, he wants to touch him, but instead, he moves back to his tree. "I know what having nightmares is like, they haunt you until your dead probably." He says lowering his head.

even in his rather inebriated state, joel felt attacked for the jab at his ability to drive himself home. not that he'd planned to... he probably would've stumbled home, or called his brother. but still, how dare he? peter was not his goddamn mother. "whatever, i don't need your... help. all right? just... leave it." he was not a child. jesus.

he didn't know why peter's presence annoyed him so much, it was like the other only had to breathe for joel to feel irritated & it was tiring to feel hostile all the time, but he also couldn't quite help it. there was something about him that just ...rubbed him the wrong way & he wasn't sure why. he... somehow thought it a viable option to just stare at him as he stretched to rest halfway on the counter, like he would find the answer to his questions in his eyes or something.

the joel from when he entered the bar would've smacked the other's hand away instantly, but the one that felt a lot more at ease & good about himself didn't. that joel let the other nudge him to his feet, let peter move his hands over his skin & didn't protest. he was tired of fighting. "whatever, i gotta... go to the bathroom." he ... needed to pee. too much alcohol, too small a bladder.

he spun around & it took him a short moment to regain proper vision again. maybe he was a bit drunk.

Peter pressed his forehead over his shoulder. "Why do you hate me, Joel? Do you hate liking guys so much that you hate me for it?" He asked now against his ear, he wanted to know the answer too, but he also wanted to fuck him. If he was a witch he could lock that door he left open, but he was just a werewolf. So once Joel was done peeing he moved a hand to touch him, to help get clean, but ultimately give him pleasure. "I can't help myself around you, you...you smell so right, like home. I can't help but fight for what I want, for what I...feel, for you."

"If you want me to stop, say it now. If you want us to do it somewhere else, also say it now. My hotel is very much available and we're totally ending there anyways." He says as he slowly strokes him. Peter kissed his neck then and then moved to his lips, kissing him with passion and need, and he was going to burn in hell and probably burn this bridge of having any kind of friendship with Joel, but he couldn't help himself and he was a man that delved into guilty pleasures anyways.

peter’s little story surprised him a little, but if anything - he didn’t let it show as that. instead he let a little chuckle sound. “didn’t think you ever set foot in one.” privileged little kid mingling with the scary working folk. “guess there’s more to ya than i thought.” or something. he wasn’t quite sure, it was complicated & he didn’t know enough to judge, even though he very much did.

“i don’t need your help, alright? i’m fine.” he was an adult, he could take care of himself. if he wanted to get drunk, then he could get drunk & nobody had the right to belittle him for it. more drinks, more warmth filling him top to bottom, giving him that … that sense of peace he craved.

yeah, he was feeling good, letting himself lean against the counter a little & therefore stretching his body a bit. not… to put himself on display, just … to be comfortable.

"No, Joel, you aren't driving. First of all, its illegal. Second, you could kill yourself or someone else. This is not up for discussion." He says taking his new drink and drank it all. He stopped drinking there, for apparences, but let him drink a bit more while alcohol was added to his scent.

He looked at him stretch and goddamn was he hot. He watched for a while longer before stopping the bartender for serving him more drinks and gave her his card to charge it. Once his card was back he eyed the other. "Time to go, come on." He said caressing the back of Joel's neck.

He got up and tried to guide the other to get up too. He took the chance to caress his arms softly, to cause shivers in Joel. He shouldn't be doing this, but he couldn't stop himself. If it were for Peter, he would take Joel in the bathroom.

by the time peter stepped into the bar, joel was a handful of drinks into tonight’s mission, so when the other joined him, he was … calm. drunk him had felt drawn to the other - unsure why, but when alcohol lowered his level of hesitance … he was in danger. his eyes shouldn't be lingering on the other's lips while he nursed his own drink at a significantly slower pace than peter, which - he was a few drinks ahead, so it only made sense. "thanks." for the drink & the company, although joel would've been just fine on his own.

"not worse than any other. missed another play at school, but sarah.. that's my daughter, she ain't even mad, 'cause she's so used to me bein' at work." he was tired, of himself. "she knows i either forget or can't come - or both." sarah never complained, unless joel forgot her birthday cake, so he felt even worse. "jus' tired, i guess." he concluded with a little sigh & a swift jug of his drink. down went the glass, hand up & waving the bartender over again for a refill. "want one, too?" eyes on peter, awaiting his decision.

"what about you? wine tasting all booked out in the city?" there was the softest slur in his voice, but for the amount of alcohol cursing through his body, it was tame.

"No, I like bars. Believe it or not. Reminds me of the old days when I had my family and things were chaotic for me and I used to go to the town's local bar to relax a little." He told him. He used to lace it with wolfsbane sometimes and get his sister angry for it too, but he wasn't saying that.

"I'm not letting you drive like this, I'll drive you home whenever you're ready, but you shouldn't get too drunk. You don't want your daughter to be seeing you like this." He told him touching his shoulder, he felt warm and nice to the touch.

The bartender did their refills and he drank his in one go again, making another face. Strong drink indeed, there was no way Joel wouldn't be getting drunk any time soon.

"friends?" that's what he was after now? friendship? why him? it didn't make sense to him, not right now. not when peter had been so adamant about dating only a few weeks ago. did he change his mind? not that joel cared, he was just curious. "we barely know each other." friendship required trust, understanding & some level of affection. he had none of that with peter. but he wouldn't deny him that... if they got to that point. some day.

his eyes followed peter's when he mentioned his brother, surprised the other had ignored him & stayed instead of leaving already. he stood with a little nod, sipped his coffee again & headed for his brother's side. together they went back to the size to work.

the next few days were calm. joel did notice the camaro not far from the construction side, but he didn't say thing this time around - nor did he go & approach him. a little over a week after they last officially met, joel was back in the bar, alone, just nursing a few drinks after a long, long day at work.

He went by the site a couple of times, and he watched them work. If only he could go closer and chat, having a friendly conversation with him without the other being so...defensive. Tonight, he felt like trying to get drunk. He couldn't, not without a little help, and he didn't want to actually get drunk. It wouldn't help anyone if he lost control. So he went to that bar. It had...sentiment in it.

As he approached the bartender, he noticed a familiar figure. Joel. Maybe he could actually get him to loosen him a bit and talk to him like civilized people trying to socialize and be friends. He sat next to him and ordered. "Whatever he's having and another for him," he asked turning to Joel. He smelled like alcohol and work and like Joel. Damn, it was intoxicating. What had this man that attracted him so much? Like a fly to the light.

"Bad day?" He asked. "It's a nice bar, I'm glad you brought me here." He added and thanked the bartender as he left the drinks in front of them. He drank his in one go and made a face before leaving it on the bar again. It was strong, but it had good taste. Not bad. Joel had good taste.

"i'm fine huntin'. we haven't needed to. cans are safer, quieter. don't need a fire. i didn't always live in the qz." joel was a capable survivor, even outside the qz's walls. yes, jerky & stuff was handy, but hunting made noise - unless it was rabbits but you didn't find those in city-areas, fire drew attention tot heir position & carrying meat around did draw in wolves. joel didn't take unnecessary risks when they had enough food to get by. even if ellie complained. yeah, they'd run a little low, but joel made sure she still got enough until they found more, which they usually did. they had a camping stove until a few weeks ago. he missed it.

stars? nowadays joel didn't really pay attention to much anymore, too busy calculating, planning & organizing their next move every day. without a car, their journey's difficulty level had increased at least tenfold - if not more. but joel didn't plan to give up that easily. he'd find tommy & they'd find fireflies. he knew it. "i didn't wait twenty years. my brother and i, we ran together until he joined the damn fireflies. i lost contact a few months ago. guess somethin' happened. that's why i'm here. i gotta find'm." save him, probably, but joel didn't mind. it was his job to protect his brother.

"he's somewhere in wyoming, that's where we're headed."

"Family. Yeah, I guess so." Peter says thinking about it. "I have a strong sense of survival, I want to live, but I don't know why just yet. I just...live. I saw my family to safety, but they still don't care about me. I'm good at surviving hardships, I guess that's why." He liked to think so anyways.

"Wyoming." He wondered why Ellie was with him if she was a job, but he didn't ask. She smelled different, she had to be different somehow and he didn't want to make Joel's walls go up again. "Well, if you'll take me, I wouldn't mind accompanying you there. If you are against it, I'd understand." He eyed Joel. Maybe with this man, he could find a motive to continue on aside from just being alive, aside from seeing his family well. No one cared about him, they knew he could handle himself so he was sure they cared even less. That was his secret though.