Benny & Joel

Benny & Joel

I am absolutely dying over this piece of art that the wonderful @bumblepony surprised me with, commissioned from the amazingly talented @miranhas-art (who has made some of my favorite Pedro character art on Tumblr). Based on a scene from chapter 15 of As Long as You Follow:

Sometimes these evenings were a little different. Sometimes wine flowed a little more generously (for her) while familiar music played from Alexei’s CD player. He danced with her now whenever she asked him to, without protest, because he didn’t have it left in him to ever again deny her anything that he had the power to give. She was at her happiest when he twirled her slowly around the living room, and there was something nostalgic about these steps – something familiar that pulsed under his skin when she laughed as he lifted her arm and carefully spun her, something so free about how she always danced barefoot, her hair swaying back and forth against her back, something special about the way she always kissed him first, because even when he led their steps, she led everything else –

– something exciting about the afternoon where Ellie left a little earlier than usual, sunlight still spearing through the tall living room windows while Lindsey Buckingham crooned through the stereo speakers and Benny twirled through the motes of dust lazily, a glass of wine in one hand, her hair glittering in the light. She and Ellie had gone to the beach earlier in the day when he’d been occupied with fixing the balcony door, and she’d donned another donated dress for the occasion; a cascade of white with splashes of emerald leaves and blossoms, the skirt loose and flowing, and when she danced, a bittersweet thought struck Joel: that this was probably the closest he would ever get to seeing her in anything that even remotely resembled a wedding gown.

Sunburn kissed her shoulders with a rosy glow, a blush mirroring the flush on her cheeks, and when she beckoned for him to join her, curling two fingers in and out as she swayed, he did so with no hesitation, drawn to her like a moth to a flame – though he took her hand, first, spun her around slowly, and then wrapped her up against him from behind, all the better to trail his lips down her neck and over her shoulder, leaving fleeting white marks against her heated and red skin. And there was just something about this that felt different even when it was achingly familiar; there was a rawness to it, an uninhibited surrender in the way she tilted her head back with a longing sigh, finding rest against his shoulder, the way she tipped the wine to her lips and drank long sips, then held it up so he could do the same.

I put these two through so much - and I love that when the opportunity arises, people choose to show them in their better, happier moments. ♥️

I cannot, you are so talented. 😭

Shoutout to Bella and Pedro for once again being the goddamn cutest pals of all time ✨💕🩷

Anyway go buy Bella’s T-shirt to raise funds for LGBTQIA+ refugees 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

I'm touched! 😭♥️

Fic Rec

I love cats. A lot of them will ignore you when you call them, most cats will look at you threatenly if you even think about touching the tummy floof, some if they really love you, will even give you sandpaper kisses with their tounge. I also love The Last of Us.

In this fic, Elle and Joel are living in Jackson. Joel's not a cat person, but Ellie really wants a cat. It's a beautifully writen fic and is written by @chronicallyonlinewriter.

WIP Wednesday

Thanks for the tag, @sixhours! Here's a very small snip from the next chapter of As Long as You Follow:

He’d braced himself for the worst; for the sight of her raw grief, for tear-streaked cheeks and a rigid gate, for hands that trembled just as they had at the dam. Her eyes were still rimmed with red, her face blotchy, but when their gazes met she offered a smile – a genuine smile – filled with a warmth that reached her eyes and tugged at his heart. Without a word she hoisted herself back into her saddle, and when he reached out to hand the reins back she wrapped her hand around his wrist and forced him closer to her, leaning across the space between their horses and pressing her forehead against his. For a fleeting moment, the world shrank to the space between them. Everything else disappeared; the horses' startled snorts, the symphony of crickets, all faded into insignificance. There was only the dizzying pressure of her skin against his, the mingled scent of sweat and something more sour, overlaid with the subtle, sweet perfume of her hair and a hint of lilac, all of it filling his senses – until she drew back from him, her eyes locking onto his. “Okay," she breathed, her voice the first thread to pull him back to the present, each syllable bringing with it the reemergence of the cricketsong. “Now we can go home.”

Tagging: @bumblepony @mote-of-star-dust @two-birds-alone-together @lauronk and @march-flowerr (and whoever else wants to share).