I Draw Somtimes

Pairing: Joel Miller x Male!Reader

Warnings: None!

Content: Praise, Fluff, Soft!Joel, Touch Starved!Joel

Sorry for yet another little brake. I have had awful writer's block and just had no motivation. But I'm back and I hope you enjoyed this! 😅Thanks for the request! 💙

Under Your gaze

You had been experimenting for about a month now. You had been testing what could make Joel blush. So far brash flirting and gift giving had no effect. You were starting to get a bit frustrated. So you tried something different. Praise. Joel had made dinner that night and you thought that was the perfect time to start. After cleaning your plate you sat back and looked over at him.

“That was amazing Joel, you should cook more often.”

He glanced back at you, avoiding your eyes, and nodded. You could see the corners of his mouth twitch upward. You got up and walked back to the living room, brushing his shoulder on the way out. You heard his breath hitch slightly. Test number one’s results looked promising.

The next day, you found another opportunity rearing its head. He had just gotten out of the shower and was towelling his hair dry. Once he tossed the towel into the laundry basket, he walked out to where you had been laying back and reading. He stood in the doorway with his hands on his hips, seemingly lost in thought.

“Lookin’ good Joel. That a new shirt?”

You tossed a lopsided grin his way and watched closely. The tips of his ears were pink but you couldn’t tell if that was from the shower or from you.

“Yeah it is, Tommy got it for me.”

He mumbled. You sat up and put your book down.

“Blue suits you.”

Another smile and Joel ducks his head down. He gave a quick and quiet thank you before shuffling into the kitchen. Test number two looked just as promising.

Over the next few days, you tried to compliment him at every opportunity you could. You give kudos to his shooting, his cooking, his smile, his clothing, his music taste, and anything else you could imagine. By the end of the week you had finally gotten Joel to blush fully. It didn’t take much really. He was so used to going without any kind of affection, that just the slightest hint of it would get him to blush like a lovesick teenager. All you had to do was compliment his new haircut and he was putty in your hands.

You were walking down the streets of Jackson before running into him. He was stepping out of the stables and jogged over to meet you as soon as he laid eyes on you. His haircut wasn’t much different, just a bit shorter, but he looked great. You turned to look at him and beamed.

“Damn Miller! And I thought the shaggy look suited you. Love the new haircut.”

Your smoothe voice cut through the chilly weather. You reached a hand up and brushed it through his hair. His face lit up and his cheeks turned a lovely shade of pink. He closed his eyes and leaned a bit closer. Joel had to physically hold back a whine when he felt your warm hand leave his head.

“I knew I'd get you eventually.”

You laughed and nudged him with your shoulder. Joel looked confused.

“I’ve been tryin’ to get you to blush for a month.”

You kept walking, Joel following close behind.

“So that’s why you've been so nice to me.”

He looked disappointed, his shoulders hunched slightly.

“No, I said all of those things cause they're true. You gettin’ all flustered was just a bonus.”

You walked up to your shared apartment and unlocked the door. You gazed back at him, signalling for him to go in first. He nodded and sort of hid his face in his scarf before walking in. The both of you started to strip off your outerwear, hanging up your coats and putting your boots by the door.

You walked over and sat on the couch with your head back and your eyes closed. You heard Joel moving around. The noise stopped and you opened your eyes to see him standing in front of you. He surprised you by climbing into your lap. He found a comfortable position, his head buried in your neck. You wrapped your arms around his waist and traced patterns on his back.

“Y’know I really did mean all the things I said.”

You said quietly. You felt him nod.

“Can I see your face?”

He hesitated a moment before slowly sitting back. His face was still a bit red and he avoided looking into your eyes, his gaze fixed on your shirt. You reached up and took his chin between your fingers.

“There you are. So pretty. Look at you.”

You smile, genuine and warm. He finally meets your eyes. You start repeating all the compliments you could remember giving him that week. He squirmed in your lap, somehow getting more and more flustered. He seemingly couldn’t take all the praise, pulling his face from your hand and burying it back into your neck. You went quiet for a moment.

“Do you want me to stop?”

You questioned, not wanting to overstep a boundary. He shook his head no but didn’t say anything else.

“Use your words, handsome.”

“No. Keep going. Please.”

Pairing: Joel Miller x Male!Reader

Warning: None!

Content: Fluff, Ellie’s bad jokes

This is a sort of AU where Ellie never needed to go to that Firefly hospital.I just had an Alien movie marathon so I thought it was appropriate!😄Thanks for the request!! 💚

Movie Night

You gave Ellie an apologetic look before following Joel outside. You rubbed his back gently as crumpled up the note from Bill. You saw that he was a bit shaken up but he kept a neutral face.

“I'll check the truck. You can go grab supplies and get Ellie to help you.”

You hesitate, not wanting to leave him alone. He notices and turns to face you. He puts a hand on your shoulder and pulls you in slowly. He kisses your forehead and mumbles.

“I’ll be alright, I promise. Go on.”

He nods his head forward and gives you a small smile. It reassures you enough to shuffle back inside. You see Ellie still sitting at the table as you hear Joel open the creaking garage doors. You toss her an easy smile, signalling that he was alright.

“You mind bringin’ out that joke book while I grab supplies?”

She lights up and jumps to get at her pack. She pulls out the book and opens to a random page. You walk around the house taking things that you need while she follows you, spouting stupid puns.

“Did you hear about the Italian chef who died?”

Ellie stifled a laugh.

“He pasta-way.”

She lets out a loud giggle as you look through the bookshelf. You set down the box of stuff you had and thumbed through all the movies Frank had organised alphabetically.

“Did you hear about the claustrophobic astronaut?”

She laid down on the couch, book in hands.

“He just needed some space.”

Ellies eyes crinkle as her laughter fills the room once again. You grin and continue to look through the movies.

“A dyslexic man walks into a bra.”

She hides her face behind the book as you turn to look at her, eyebrows raised.

“What do you call a psychic little person who escaped from prison?”

She pauses.

“A small medium at large.”

Joel walks through the front door, reading out the punchline before Ellie could. You chuckle at the offended look on her face. He walks over to you and grabs your box before escorting it back out to the truck.

“How do you make holy water?”

Ellie checks over her shoulder to make sure Joel isn’t there.

“You boil the hell out of it.”

You hear Joel laugh as walks in once again. He had mentioned something about a movie night a few days ago and you had just found a movie that you hadn't seen in a while. You carefully pull it from the shelf.

“Hey Joel, remember this gem?”

He ambles over and takes the disc from your hand.

“Alien Resurrection? Jesus, I haven't seen this since it came out in theatres.”

He smiles and hands the familiar box back to you. You shove it into your bag and continue to salvage what you can from the late couple house. After helping Joel lift the heavy stuff into the truck, you all loaded in and set off back to Jackson.

The three of you had to carry most of the stuff due to the loss of traction. The car couldn’t make it in the snowy terrain so you hiked up to grab a few people and horses to hoist the rest of the supplies into town.

It took until sundown to get everything and everyone situated. You and Joel finally got a second to yourselves. Flopping down on the couch, you sigh.

“You still up for movie night?”

You pull the movie from your pack. He nods and sits down next to you. You get up and put the dvd in. The fact that he found a semi-functioning dvd player was the closest to a miracle you've ever witnessed. The movie started playing and you sat back down next to Joel. You pulled him closer until he was laying his head on your lap.

You ran your fingers through his hair as the movie played. The two of you laughed at the cheesy horror and the special effects. About half way through, Ellie sauntered in and plopped down next to you.

“What’s this?”

She cuddled up into your side, watching the movie.

“Alien Resurrection.”