inthesewords
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Recent works
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i’m getting older too by inthesewords
Fandoms: The Last of Us (TV), The Last of Us (Video Games)
20 Aug 2023
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Summary
It’s bittersweet for them to see each other get older, when what they never had was time.
(Or: Ellie and Joel grow older together the rest of their first decade in Jackson)
Series
- Part 2 of to build a home
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a world alone by inthesewords
Fandoms: The Last of Us (Video Games), The Last of Us (TV)
09 Jun 2023
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Summary
On his 36th birthday, Joel’s world ended when his daughter died.
On his 56th birthday, the world ends for everyone else, and somehow he finds himself stuck with another 14 year old who’s definitely not his daughter.
(An AU in which Sarah still died in 2003, but the apocalypse doesn’t happen until 2023, and Joel and Ellie are forced to survive it together.)
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Summary
Adjustment disorder: an emotional or behavioral reaction to a stressful event of change in a person’s life.
OR: The plan was this: Joel would get them back to Jackson, and then everything would get better. They’d settle into that house from last time, take a shower, eat some food, get some sleep, build a life.
And Ellie would be fine.
(His plan might need some tweaking).
Series
- Part 1 of to build a home
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Tags
Summary
Judith furrowed her brow and looked down at the newspaperthat they had been huddled around. Her eyes immediately went to the headline in all capital letters.
“WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE FOR THE MURDER OF COMMONWEALTH SOLDIERS.
REWARD $10,000 EACH”
In which the cabin scene in the 11B finale goes very differently and leads to all things unexpected and necessary
Canon divergence starting 11x16
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Summary
Daryl and Carol write to one another while she's away at sea.
Post 9x16/Pre 10x01 and after the story "home"Series
- Part 7 of the long road
Recent series
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to build a home by inthesewords
Fandom The Last of Us (TV), The Last of Us (Video Games)
20 Aug 2023
- Words:
- 30,387
- Works:
- 2
- Bookmarks:
- 22
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Summary
Carol and Daryl take the long road to being together.
A series of post-eps and missing moments throughout the series.
- Words:
- 15,738
- Works:
- 7
- Bookmarks:
- 3
Recent bookmarks
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Summary
The day that Melissa King first meets Frank Langdon is also the first day that she ever argues with an adult.
- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 46,415
- Chapters:
- 8/8
- Collections:
- 1
- Comments:
- 96
- Kudos:
- 198
- Bookmarks:
- 52
- Hits:
- 2,880
Bookmarked by inthesewords
01 Jul 2026
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Summary
Frank huffed, setting the mug down. “How many times are we going to have to go over this, Mel? I like listening to you talk. I’m not just being nice. We’re friends.”
“It’s important to ask,” she said, still watching him carefully. “Because sometimes people say they want to know something but they don’t actually mean that they do. They’re just being polite. And it’s hard for me to tell that, always.”
“I’ll tell you what,” he suggested. “Let’s make this easy. With me, you never have to ask. Consider it my… blanket approval, I guess.”
He pointed to himself. “I, Frank Langdon, am interested in what you have to say.”
- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 23,566
- Chapters:
- 1/1
- Collections:
- 1
- Comments:
- 111
- Kudos:
- 504
- Bookmarks:
- 149
- Hits:
- 3,462
Bookmarked by inthesewords
29 Jun 2026
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Tags
Summary
Some nights were, naturally, worse than others.
Nights where Frank laid in bed for so long, staring at the ceiling, that it made his heart start to race with anxiety and his back ache and ache and ache no matter how he positioned himself. Nights where his thoughts spiraled out into worst-case-scenarios that seemed so vivid and inevitable that he would have to get up and go to the bathroom, just to turn the light on and look at himself in the mirror to remember what was actually real.
Those were the nights when he wanted the pills again the most: alone in his guest bedroom, trying to wring sleep out of his body like the last few drops of water out of a dirty dishcloth.
He tried not to call Mel on nights like that. He did not always succeed.
- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 90,073
- Chapters:
- 4/4
- Comments:
- 566
- Kudos:
- 1,498
- Bookmarks:
- 614
- Hits:
- 30,630
Bookmarked by inthesewords
13 May 2026
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Tags
Summary
Mel King was a creature of habit.
There was a specific sort of choreography to her life beyond the chaos of the Emergency Department. A carefully controlled routine, a color-coded calendar, a rigid set of rituals that kept her grounded enough to keep showing up day after day, to keep on doing the work that was required of her to save lives.
Everything was going fine for Mel. Her personal life was predictable, unexciting, and perfectly fulfilling, thank you very much.
Enter Frank Langdon, agent of chaos.
- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 23,804
- Chapters:
- 1/1
- Collections:
- 1
- Comments:
- 305
- Kudos:
- 2,949
- Bookmarks:
- 915
- Hits:
- 30,179
Bookmarked by inthesewords
13 May 2026
Bookmarker's Notes
Google calendars and Mel has a bad day because she realizes she’s dependent on Langdon
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Summary
And for a little while, she doesn’t think about anything else. Not about the fact that he isn’t hers. Not about how, when this is over, he’ll go back to his kids. Back to his wife.
For now, she lets herself have this moment. Just the two of them, doing what they always do, supporting each other, listening, being there.
Just her and him.
Bookmarked by inthesewords
01 May 2026