Work Text:
The bar bustled with life as you made your way through the crowd. You carried as many beers as you could at a time for the group that had arrived in Jackson earlier that day. It was nothing unusual, and you were used to the busy nights when travelers came into town and stayed for the night for rest and safety. It was exhausting, but you were happy to provide a little bit of relief in a tough and demanding world that you all lived in. And most were grateful for the hospitality that Jackson offered.
The rare few, however, were more bothersome and liked to test the line with their comments towards you.
“Hey there sweets, can we get another round over here?” one of the men called over to you.
“Coming right up,” you replied as you ignored the pet name and the way his piercing gaze lingered on you for a little too long.
It was just for this one night then you never had to see any of them again. You could do this. Besides, you had two watchful pairs of eyes that kept a close eye on you from the corner of the room.
You made your way back behind the bar and filled a pitcher of beer for the table. Alcohol was a rare commodity in this world, and you all were lucky enough to have figured out how to brew your own beer in Jackson: something that you were sure word traveled around about.
“Here you go,” you said as you set the pitcher down at their table, “Enjoy, boys!”
“Thanks, sweetheart,” the same man with the beady eyes looked you up and down as you stood by him, “Is there anything I can repay you for this?” he leered at you with a wicked grin that sent chills up your spine. His friends tried to reel him back in, but he ignored them and kept his focus on you.
“Just relax and enjoy the night,” you kept your cool as you replied and turned away.
Immediately, you rushed over to the small table in the back of the bar where Joel and Tommy sat. You felt their eyes on you the entire time you brought the travelers their drinks, and you were grateful for that.
“Man that one guy gives me the creeps,” you sighed as you stood right next to Joel.
He immediately wrapped an arm around your waist and pulled you in close, “You alright, baby?” His voice was soft and his grip on you was tight enough to bring comfort to your trembling hands and pounding heart.
“Yeah, I’m ok,” you whispered as you leaned into his touch.
Tommy kept his gaze on the table of travelers as he joined in, “Don’t worry, we’ll keep an eye on them for you.”
You looked over at Tommy and gave him a genuine smile, “Thank you.”
“You don’t have to thank us, baby,” Joel said as he rubbed his thumb across your side.
It did make you feel better knowing that Joel and Tommy kept watch over you, and you knew you were always safe with them. Just as you were about to say something back, one of the bar regulars called your name and asked for a refill. With a sigh, you leaned over and placed a soft kiss on the top of Joel’s head, “Duty calls.”
“Go get 'em, tiger,” Joel playfully patted your side before he reluctantly let go of you.
Both brothers watched you disappear behind the bar before they relaxed their shoulders again.
“I don’t like the way ol beady-eyes was looking at her,” Joel mumbled as he took a sip of his own drink. The two of them positioned themselves so that between them, they had a full view of the bar and at least one of them had eyes on you the entire time. It also gave them a chance to rest one at a time while the other kept watch. “Thanks for staying, by the way,” he added as he met his little brother’s eyes.
Tommy grinned, “You don’t have to thank me,” he threw Joel’s words back at him, “That’s my future sister-in-law. I care about her too.”
Joel let out a short laugh as his gaze dropped to the table, “I ain’t even asked her yet,” his voice was surprisingly sheepish as the ring he always secretly kept in his packet suddenly felt very heavy.
“Oh come on man,” Tommy playfully chastised him, “She is head over heels in love with you,” he smirked, “ For some reason,” Tommy waited for Joel to give him a stern look before he laughed and continued, “There’s no way she won’t say ‘yes.’”
Joel hummed as he lost himself in thought for a moment. Ever since he found the perfect ring one day and fixed it up so that it suited you perfectly, he planned on asking you to marry him. The time just never felt right. He loved you so much, and he always swore that he would do anything to protect you and keep you safe. Which was why, even after being out early for his patrol this morning, Joel stayed at the bar until you were done so he would keep an eye on you.
“Man I wish we had some coffee here,” Joel mumbled to himself as he ran his hands through his hair.
He and Tommy kept their watchful eyes on you and we hustled back and forth across the bar. As the hours passed, people started to trickle out for the night and things slowed down for you. Joel saw on your face how exhausted you were, and he couldn’t wait to get you home and wrapped up safely in his arms.
As you were needed less in the front, you made your way back behind the bar to start cleaning up and closing things down for the night. Joel glanced over his shoulder and watched as you hauled a bag of trash out to the back until you were out of sight completely. When he turned back to Tommy, he was met with the biggest grin he had ever seen on his brother.
“What is it?” Joel asked.
“Just thinkin,” Tommy leaned back, “You really love her, don’t you? I ain’t never seen you like this before.”
The smile kept up on Joel’s face at just the thought of you before he could stop it, “I do,” he looked down at the table in embarrassment as a blush tinted his cheeks, “I really do,” Joel whispered to himself softly.
Tommy smirked at how flustered his older brother was, but his face quickly dropped when he noticed something, “Hey Joel,” his tone dropped and turned serious, “Where did ol beady-eyes go?”
*
With a heavy grunt, you dragged the heavy bin to trash out to the back with every ounce of strength you had in you. Your feet screamed at you, your back ached, and you were desperate to sit down for a few moment’s rest. It had been a very long day, and you wanted nothing more than to go home with Joel and fall asleep in his arms.
“Almost done,” you told yourself in a breathy voice as you stretched and just took a moment to enjoy the fresh air outside. A smile crept on your face as you thought about Joel, and how much he cared about you. To still be here even when he was up before the sun meant so much to you, and you always felt safe under his watchful eye. Even in a life as tough as this one, you were happy to have found Joel.
Just as you turned to head back in, however, the door burst open and the traveler who had been eyeing you all night walked through with a confident stride.
“You aren’t supposed to be back here,” you immediately went on the defensive and tightened your fists into balls.
“I just wanted to talk to you, sweet cheeks,” his dark grin made your blood run cold and you wished you weren’t alone with him at that moment.
“Don’t call me that,” you snapped. Every bit of nicety went out the window the moment he stepped out that door. You weren’t about to hold back now.
He stepped closer to you with his arms out in an attempt to trap you in, “You’ve got to be the prettiest thing I’ve ever seen.”
“I’m spoken for,” you retorted as you took a step back to keep distance from him.
“It can be our little secret then,” he lunged forward at you and before you knew it, he had you pinned against the wall, “I can do you better than that old man anyway. Just give me a chance, sweet thing.”
“Get the fuck off of me!” You reeled forward and punched him right in the face.
He screamed as he staggered back and his hands flew up to his face. Tears filled his eyes involuntarily as blood dripped from his nose. He looked at you with rage in his eyes as he yelled, “Bitch!”
You tried to scurry past him, but he was faster than you were. Before you reached the door, he grabbed you and yanked you back so that you were up against the wall once more. You opened your mouth to scream, but he wrapped a hand around your throat and squeezed before any sound came out.
You clawed at his arms as you tried to make any sound and wriggle free, but both were pointless. He was bigger and stronger than you, and though you tried to fight him off, he was able to overpower you. In one last attempt to free yourself, you shifted your weight to one leg and kicked forward as hard as you could.
He grunted in pain as you hit him right between his legs and he keeled forward, but he did not release his grip on you. Instead, his hand seemed to tighten around your neck and you gasped for air as you saw splotches of black in your vision. He pressed his body up against yours as you heard him take a deep inhale against your ear.
You fought to hold onto consciousness as you croaked out a weak, “Joel…”
Suddenly, the man’s body was ripped from you and he found himself on his back on the ground. You let out a heavy breath as your lungs filled with air once more. You leaned forward as you coughed when you felt a pair of strong hands on you and heard your name in a familiar, comforting voice.
“Hey, it’s me,” Joel pulled you close and wrapped his arms around you, “I’m here baby, I’m here.”
“Joel…” your voice was weak as you trembled in his arms as a rush of emotions caught up with you.
Behind Joel, Tommy launched himself at the man and tackled him to the ground. After Joel threw him off his balance, Tommy easily pinned him down and grabbed his arm one with hand as he pulled his gun out and pointed it at the back of his head with the other.
“Stay down there pal,” Tommy warned him with just as much anger as Joel had.
“Hey, look at me. Keep your eyes on me, baby,” Joel cupped your face as he looked you over. He saw how red your eyes were as you tried to fight back your tears. He felt the way you gripped onto his shirt as your arms shook from the adrenaline that ran through your veins. But what made his blood boil was the marks around your neck where the man had choked you so hard that you nearly passed out.
Joel growled as his rage burned within him. Before he even had a chance to think about it, he pulled you in close against his chest and covered your ear with one hand. In one swift movement, he turned around with you pressed against him, pulled out his gun, and shot the man right between the eyes.
“Joel!” Tommy jumped back as the man went limp in front of him. When he looked up at his older brother though, he decided not to comment any more on what he’d done. Tommy knew Joel would do anything for you, and he didn’t blame him for the way he reacted at all. It would just be harder to explain to the rest of the man’s group.
“Why don’t you get her out of here?” Tommy suggested, “I’ll take care of this guy and deal with his buddies.”
The rage still burned bright within Joel, but Tommy saw that his suggestion calmed him down slightly. Joel only nodded before he turned to you, “Come on baby,” he whispered as he tucked you under his arm and led you back home.
You didn’t even remember the walk home, but the entire time, Joel kept you securely in his arms as he whispered soft comforts in your ear. Vaguely, you were aware he spoke to you, but you were so lost in your head that you barely registered more than the comforting tone of his voice. It wasn’t until the front door of the home you shared with Joel closed that you were brought back to the present.
“It’s ok, baby,” Joel rubbed your arm, “It’s just the door. We’re home.”
You nodded as your gaze dropped to the floor.
“Come on, let’s sit you down,” he whispered as he fought to keep his voice steady for your sake. He almost regretted killing that guy so quickly, but his first thought was you and your safety. And now, Joel just needed to be there for you.
“Ok,” you barely even heard yourself as Joel led you over to the couch and tenderly sat you down.
The moment you sat down, the dam finally broke and you burst into tears. Joel immediately pulled you in close so that you were practically in his lap as you cried into his chest.
“Shh, it’s alright baby,” he fought back his own tears as he comforted you, “You’re alright. You’re safe now,” he kissed the top of your head, “I ain’t never gonna let anything happen to you again.”
“It all happened so fast,” you murmured against him, “I tried to…”
“I know, baby. I know,” Joel went quiet for some time as he just held you tightly until your tears stopped, “You need anything, baby?”
You shook your head, “No… I think I’m ok now. It was just…”
“I know,” he interrupted, “You don’t have to think about it anymore.”
A silence fell between you and Joel, but it felt more calm this time as the steady rhythm of Joel’s heartbeat soothed your nerves. You let out a deep sigh as you breathed a soft, “Thank you, Joel.”
He squeezed you even tighter, “You never have to thank me, baby,” Joel paused before he added, “You know I’ll always protect you, right?”
“I know, Joel,” you shifted yourself so that you looked into his eyes, “I know I’m safe with you.”
Joel smiled at you as he leaned in and placed a soft kiss on your lips, “Just rest now. I’ve got you.”
You gave him a soft smile back and laid your head back down on his shoulder with a heavy exhale. Just as you got comfortable in Joel’s embrace, the front door burst open and Ellie’s voice called your name first, “Joel?”
“In here Ellie,” he replied back over his shoulder.
Ellie rushed in and sat on the couch on the other side of Joel as she looked over you, “Tommy told me what happened. Are you ok?”
You looked at her from Joel’s arms and gave her a soft smile, “Yeah,” you said weakly, “I’m alright. Just a little shaken.” Joel gave you an extra squeeze as you spoke.
He let out a deep breath, “I heard you broke the asshole’s nose. I’m proud of you,” she tried to cheer you up, “Tommy talked to his group too. They didn’t seem surprised. Apparently he’d tried to mess with people before.”
A soft chuckle escaped your lips as you reached out for her, “Thanks, Ellie.”
She took your hand in hers, “If I was there, I would have shot him right in the balls. Make him really hurt!”
“Alright Ellie, that’s enough,” Joel interjected in a soft tone, “It’s been a long night for all of us. Let’s just get some rest.”
“Rest sounds good,” you agreed as you rested your head against Joel’s shoulder.
Ellie let out a breath before she joined you and nestled herself on the other side of Joel and laid her head on his other shoulder. In no time, both you and Ellie fell asleep under the watchful eye of Joel. He, however, stayed up for some time and just watched over both of you: the two people who were his everything, both safe and sound in his arms.
Joel also made a silent promise that tomorrow would be the day he finally gave you the ring he’d been carrying around.