Fandom Getting Out of Pittsburgh { The Last of Us 1x1 with icedthemoon }

[icedthemoon]

Asher McCoy
Former Hunter | 29 | Current location ;; Pennsylvania

He did not want to wake up. When he was awake, everything hurt. When he was asleep, he could live in the dreams where maybe he hurt but also maybe he didn’t. Not that they lasted very long. He only stayed in them as long as he did, because his body was trying desperately to deal with the fact that there was a hole going all the way through him. All the way. He rolled, which hurt, and therefore he groaned and moaned and made all sorts of pitiful sounds that he would be ashamed of if he knew he made them. His face clenched, eyes firmly shut as he tried to ignore it. The words of something elsewhere trickled in, and Asher curled again, this time entirely against the warmth that was right there. “But it hurts…”
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Jordan DeShay
Former Smuggler | 27 | Current location ;; Pennsylvania

The noises broke his heart and made it harder to keep the tears at bay. He felt Asher curl entirely against him and he sighed. “I know it hurts gorgeous. And it will hurt for a while, but I need to check on it. I need to make sure it’s healing.” Jordan wasn’t sure how much of his words Asher was hearing but he felt better speaking anyway. Jordan needed to lay Asher on the ground, so he could check him. But it was rather difficult with him curled into him the way that he was. “You need to move a little, just a little so I can shift us both. Just slide yourself, curl the other way.” Jordan encouraged.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Asher McCoy
Former Hunter | 29 | Current location ;; Pennsylvania

Gorgeous. That was him. He was the special one. That meant someone was talking to him. Jordan. Jordan was talking to him. Only he called him gorgeous. He tried to listen. He tried to hear what he was saying. Check. Check what? It hurt. It- check that. If Jordan was going to touch it, it was definitely going to hurt more. He didn’t want that. He was not aware enough to know that this was what he needed to do to make it better. Move. Shift. Slide. Curl the other way. He could do that. He could do that for him. Asher uncurled, and his face contorted with the pain from it. Instead of curling again, his addled mind decided that this was caused by the curl, and he slipped off of Jordan completely, falling onto his back. He gasped which turned into a groaned. He reached a hand out, searching for anything to grab onto. This was absolutely the lease amount of fun he had ever had.
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Jordan DeShay
Former Smuggler | 27 | Current location ;; Pennsylvania

Jordan winced as he saw the pain on Asher's face when he uncurled. And he bit his lip at the gasp to grown when he slipped of him completely and fell on his back. Jordan saw him reach a hand out and search for something. He needed both hands, but he didn't need his jacket. "Here gorgeous, hold onto this, squeeze it, tear it, pull at it. Whatever you need to do." Jordan said, pulling his jacket off and handing it to Asher. Once he did that, he turned his attention to the wound. It looked angry, but the stitching held through the night. Bruises were forming around the wound as it worked to heal. "It's looking beautiful." Jordan said. "Now time to roll over." He said before he counted down again to roll Asher onto his stomach to check his back.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Asher McCoy
Former Hunter | 29 | Current location ;; Pennsylvania

Asher felt the jacket on his hand and he squeezed it as hard as he could possibly could as Jordan poked around. The pain was waking him up the longer he fought to stay awake. There went his chance as blissful sleep. Or what was closest to it. “I’m sure it is,” he said through clenched teeth. He held his breath as Jordan turned him, and let out the smallest groan. He would not be bestest by this girl again. He pulled the jacked to his face and held it with both hands as he used it much like a pillow. “I don’t think I like this anymore,” he puffed. “Aren’t you supposed to be more romantic than this?”
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Jordan DeShay
Former Smuggler | 27 | Current location ;; Pennsylvania

Jordan heard his words, catching the clenched teeth. Once Asher was rolled over, he checked his back. He heard Asher's words and chuckled softly, at least the humor was still around. "Well gorgeous, it's not great and we shouldn't move you for at least a day or so to let that skin start healing internally. But I am going to wrap this now." Jordan said, gently working to roll Asher onto his back and then he'd help him sit up long enough to get a wrap around him.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Asher McCoy
Former Hunter | 29 | Current location ;; Pennsylvania

This whole flipping over and sitting up thing was less than exciting. In fact, he very much disliked it. “At least a day-“ he groaned again but not out of pain. This time it was annoyance. He hated injuries. He always felt so weak and incapable. He didn’t like when someone else had to take care of him or do things for him. Though, he guessed it was nice to have someone who could do this. He probably would have bled out with Darling. No. She would have had him poorly patched up and kept alive so that she could use that knife of hers to create an example of him. Staying sitting up was very difficult. He did not have the muscle power to keep himself up. This was the worst place to be stabbed. When Jordan finished, Asher collapsed back on him. “This is stupid. I would not have agreed to this if I’d known that I was going to be bleeding out in a forest.” This was a relatively new discovery. “Also, when did we get in a forest? I distinctly remember buildings. Of my home city. And a very blurry bridge.”
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Jordan DeShay
Former Smuggler | 27 | Current location ;; Pennsylvania

Jordan knew it wasn't fun being injured, feeling useless. It was a feeling he knew well. "Yes. At least a day." Jordan repeated as he wrapped up Asher as quickly as he could. He wrapped his arms around Asher carefully when he collapsed onto him. "I wasn't exactly anticipating you being stabbed either gorgeous." He said, pulling Asher closer to him almost like he was afraid he'd lose him if he didn't. "You aren't bleeding out, so get that thought out of your head. And I carried you from the main street, over the bridge and as far into the forest as I could go before I was sure we were safe. You're out of Pittsburgh."​

 

[icedthemoon]

Asher McCoy
Former Hunter | 29 | Current location ;; Pennsylvania

Asher closed his eyes, hoping they taking out sight would somehow take away the pain or at least lesson it. It didn’t. Arms wrapped around him, and though he didn’t exactly mind since those arms were keeping him from falling to what felt like his imminent death, they did also make him mildly uncomfortable. He didn’t understand what was happening, and he blamed it on the stabbing and the blood loss and not at all the confusing feelings that he had. “You don’t.. have to, um.” He lifted his arms and gestured to the ones that held him. He was afraid to turn his head or look up. He was afraid of what he was going to see if he did. So instead, he stared at some trees. “I’m probably fine. I don’t even think a whole day…” a whole day “that’s not really necessary…”
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Jordan DeShay
Former Smuggler | 27 | Current location ;; Pennsylvania

Jordan looked down at Asher, his eyes full of fear and anxiety. He’d almost lost this man, and he still could. He chuckled softly at the words and the gesture to his arms. “Yes I do. I apologize but I almost lost you gorgeous. I’m not about to let you go now. Unless you really want me to.” Jordan said, one hand rubbing his side gently. “And yes, a whole day. Unless you want me to carry you and then we can continue on.” Jordan told him, quite content with holding Asher like he was. It was calming him down, and the fear and anxiety was slowly ebbing away the longer he held him.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Asher McCoy
Former Hunter | 29 | Current location ;; Pennsylvania

This should not have made his breath ragged, but it did. The way Jordan just flat out told him this was how it was going to be made him question everything. Why? Why was he so worried about losing him? He could see maybe being worried for him before they made it out of Pittsburgh, but they did it. Why continue? Asher looked at the arms that held him, and slowly he put his own arms down. Carried? That mostly sounded like how he would be sick again. He turned his head to find Jordan’s face. He studied it. The way his eyes looked at him like that. “You really mean that, don’t you?” That was the part he couldn’t figure out. He may have saved him twice, maybe technically more, but that didn’t seem like enough for this kind of reaction. He didn’t understand.
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Jordan DeShay
Former Smuggler | 27 | Current location ;; Pennsylvania

Jordan looked at Asher, and saw him put his own arms down. He studied him with his own eyes as he heard his words. Jordan thought about what happened up to this moment, and he smiled. “I do really mean that. I’ve meant it the whole time. There’s something about you Asher that draws me in. I can’t explain it, but I feel it.” He replied, then he kissed the top of Asher’s head. “As long as you’ll have me. I’d love to have you join me in traveling the country gorgeous.”​

 

[icedthemoon]

Asher McCoy
Former Hunter | 29 | Current location ;; Pennsylvania

Asher didn’t know what to do about this. He didn’t know how to feel. When he looked at Jordan, he didn’t know who he was seeing anymore. He held his breath as he felt the kiss on the top of his head. He was afraid of that being the truth. He was afraid of what that meant if Jordan really did mean that he was special. He placed his hand on top of his stomach where his wound still hurt. The place where Jordan put him back together. No, Jordan had to be like this with everyone else. He heard how he was with the people who would torture him. How he spoke to Darling at the beginning. He looked at his stomach again. The arms that held him. “I’m sure you would feel the same way if you ran into someone else too.”
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Jordan DeShay
Former Smuggler | 27 | Current location ;; Pennsylvania

Jordan watched him place a hand on his stomach. He saw him looking at him. “See gorgeous, here’s the thing. I’ve run into so many people in my life and none have ever made me feel like this.” He said, continuing to rub his side. Jordan was naturally flirty, he threw out compliments like confetti, and he’s known people in more ways than one, but this? This was new to him. He’d never found someone like Asher, someone he wanted to keep with him. He felt that draw, that connection and he didn’t want to lose it. “You’re one of a kind Asher. And yes, I flirt with a lot of people, I love people but I want you by my side all the time. The other people come and go, but I want you to stay.”​

 

[icedthemoon]

Asher McCoy
Former Hunter | 29 | Current location ;; Pennsylvania

Asher had been doing this a long time. He may have only been 29, which in the grand scheme of the old world wasn’t very long but with this broken world seemed to be approximately middle age. He had been fighting this fight a long time too. His parents died when he was too young. His friends died. Everyone died, because they didn’t like the way FEDRA was running things. Over the years, he had people he kept around. He flirted sometimes. He played sometimes. None of it ever meant anything. It couldn’t. They didn’t live in a world where it even had that capability. So this wasn’t the first time someone told him that he was special. This wasn’t the first time he ran through buildings joking about who was faster or better. This wasn’t the first time he looked at someone else and thought that it might mean something more than a good time to get through the disaster of a week. And that was terrifying. None of his people would have taken on an entire group of bloodthirsty hunters to drag him to some forest and put him back together. None of them would have taken on Darling or even Diego. Asher breathed in and out slowly as he tried to deal with the fact that maybe Jordan was telling him the real truth and not just the truth of the moment. Or maybe it was just the moment. Was that okay too? slowly, he moved his hand up to take one of Jordan’s. He didn’t look at him when he did this. Instead, he moved that hand to put on top of his injury. He breathed. Finally he looked at him, confused and bewildered. “I had a gun pointed at your head. I would have killed you.”
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Jordan DeShay
Former Smuggler | 27 | Current location ;; Pennsylvania

Jordan watched Asher, his eyes studying him. He saw the hand, felt him take his and put it on his injury. Jordan’s eyes caught on Asher’s as he saw the confusion and bewilderment on his face. Then Jordan chuckled low. “Gorgeous, I’ve had so many people pointing guns at my face and probably would’ve killed me if I hadn’t had help, so that part didn’t scare me. What spoke to me, was that you decided to help me. You didn’t shoot me, you let me sleep in your secret vault, got me out of where they captured me. I’m not a big believer in fate or destiny, but I’m starting to be. Because I believe we’re supposed to be together. Asher and Jordan. Has quite a ring to it.” He said, leaning down and kissing Asher, rather deeply and letting all his emotions and feelings go into it. Letting actions speak where words sometimes can’t.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Asher McCoy
Former Hunter | 29 | Current location ;; Pennsylvania

There were so many things wrong with this moment. He could be anyone. Anyone could have decided not to shoot the guy who flirted with him. He had a certain alluring charm to him that anyone would fall for. Anyone. Not just Asher. Because that was what had to be happening. This was a smart move on Jordan’s part really. He needed to keep the guy who could get him to safety. Not that Asher could do that now. He was entirely at the mercy of Jordan. Jordan who called him gorgeous and fought his bloodthirsty competition. Who was kissing him like he mattered more than anyone else. He wanted to believe that. He so desperately wanted to believe that. For a moment, he squeezed the hand he held above his wound, pulled it tight against him. He raised his other hand to press against Jordan’s head as he kissed him back. So many things wrong, but it felt so right. It would, though, even if it were wrong. He knew that. The worst things dug into a person, made them feel vulnerable, and then tore them apart. He pulled himself away, gasping. He looked down. Back to the hand he kept against him. He let it go. This wasn’t him. This was.. Well, he didn’t know. He couldn’t let this be his downfall. Too many things cut him down already. “I’m sure it does.” His words were shields. He shifted away. He didn’t go far, because there was only so far to go.
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Jordan DeShay
Former Smuggler | 27 | Current location ;; Pennsylvania

Jordan felt the hand pressed against his head, the squeeze on the other hand. Then the kiss was broken. The gasp tore through Jordan.. was he moving too fast? Was this.. not what Asher wanted. Jordan didn’t think that was the case even as Asher let go of his hand, used words to shield him. “It does. And I’ll prove it. You aren’t getting rid of me so quickly gorgeous.” He said, refusing to acknowledge how it felt when Asher shifted away. “Now why don’t you get some more rest okay? You need to let that heal so we can move on. We’re still just a little too close to Pittsburgh for my taste.”​

 

[icedthemoon]

Asher McCoy
Former Hunter | 29 | Current location ;; Pennsylvania

He wished that he could move away. He wished that he could lay down unattached, but his stomach still hurt, and when he moved too much, it made him woozy. He was afraid that if he moved away now, it would probably only do horrible things that he would have to deal with later. He wasn’t in the mood for that. Asher didn’t know what exactly he was in the mood for. He could feel the ghosts of a kiss he wanted back. Of course he did. Anyone would. Anyone. Not just him. Anyone would want a kiss from someone like that. Someone good at this. It was what he did, right? Kiss and flirt and bend people to be wrapped around his finger. This was nothing new for him. This was probably every day. Why not enjoy the company of whoever you were traveling with? That didn’t have to mean anything. Did it? “Yeah.” He wanted to look at him again, but he could not show that kind of weakness. “Okay.” He shifted so that he was leaning more against the tree than Jordan. His hand rested on top of the wound as he tried to sleep.
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Jordan DeShay
Former Smuggler | 27 | Current location ;; Pennsylvania

Jordan couldn’t help but sigh and frown a little when he saw Asher acknowledge him but not say a word. And he couldn’t help but be upset at the fact that Asher leaned more on the tree then on him. Jordan knew that it would take time, but like he said, he was willing to prove that they were meant to be. That there was something more between them than traveling together, than surviving the worst city Jordan had ever been in. He hadn’t been lying when he said that Asher was completely different to anyone he’d met, different and intriguing. He wanted to know him, but that could happen as they traveled. Right now they needed rest. Jordan placed his hand on Asher’s hand, the one on his wound. A reminder that Jordan was there for him. That he was there to help him, patch him up, and maybe one day actually be able to show that he was falling in love with him. He just had to prove that Asher was his favorite person, was the one he wanted around till the end. But for now, he leaned his head back against the tree and closed his eyes. Allowing himself to rest as well.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Asher McCoy
Former Hunter | 29 | Current location ;; Pennsylvania

Sleep did not come quickly. It did not come slowly either. He lay there, trying not to think about the same things over and over, and failing at it, especially as he felt the hand on his. Part of him wanted to jerk it away while another part wanted to capture the fingers in his. Don’t be fooled by this, Asher. Don’t let a handsome face and a smooth talker make you forget who you are. And who was he? He didn’t know. If he didn’t know who he was, how could Jordan ever have inklings of this Asher and Jordan destiny? That didn’t make sense. Nothing made sense anymore. He kept his eyes closed, his hand still, and he laid there for so long. Just thinking. Resting. Surviving. It felt like ages that he sat there. Ages that he tried to understand something that only brought more questions and confusion when he considered it. Finally, he couldn’t do it anymore. He pushed himself forward from the tree. He still sat. He looked at Jordan and the hand on his. He placed his other on top. Gorgeous was for special ones. For Asher. Why Asher? He thought about them. His hands on Jordan’s cheeks. Kissing him. Closing that gap on the forest floor. Breathing him in. Feeling skin against skin. Then he tried to stand up.
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Jordan DeShay
Former Smuggler | 27 | Current location ;; Pennsylvania

Jordan didn’t sleep. He rested but he didn’t sleep. He had too much going on inside. His mind, his heart, and his stomach was clenched and knotted up. He thought of Boston, of Joel, of Tess, Robert, Marlene. All the ones he knew, flirted with, and even allowed them to fool him. Especially Robert. He’d trusted him at first, before he left Jordan for dead one night after a scuffle with some officers and Fireflies. That night he’d learned to keep people at a certain distance, never trusting anyone, not really. He trusted Joel. He trusted Tess. Tolerated Bill when he’d met him. His eyes opened as he was broken from memories at the hand on his own and looked at Asher. A warm smile. Then he frowned. Don’t stand up. “Don’t try to stand.” Jordan warned, moving to stand with him. He wanted to be ready to grab him if he needed to should this standing up not go well.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Asher McCoy
Former Hunter | 29 | Current location ;; Pennsylvania

Don’t tell me what to do. He paused because that was what one did when startled out of action. The concentration was broken. He needed to get it back. Don’t try to stand. Why not? Why did he have to stay a prisoner on the floor? Why was the dirt and tree his only bed? He couldn’t stay there forever. “I have to.” His voice was strained as he tried to make it do what he wanted. It betrayed him. Instead of being the confident hardness that he willed it to be, it showed that vulnerability. The plea. But he didn’t move. He didn’t stand up. He didn’t even try after that. He stared at Jordan entirely unsure again.
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Jordan DeShay
Former Smuggler | 27 | Current location ;; Pennsylvania

Jordan heard his words, heard the vulnerability. The plea. “If you stand.. you might make that worse. But if you insist.. then please let me help you.” Jordan’s own voice reflected his fear of Asher hurting himself more. He saw that unsure look. “I don’t know how to show that I’m here for you, but I’m trying.” Jordan added, holding a hand out. This one he’d give to help Asher stand. If that was what his companion wanted, then he was going to offer help. He wanted to help. “Please let me help you.” Jordan whispered, eyes searching Asher’s.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Asher McCoy
Former Hunter | 29 | Current location ;; Pennsylvania

That just made everything worse. He wasn’t sure what he wanted. He was going to get up and start moving, because he couldn’t sit there anymore, but he always wasn’t sure getting up was a smart idea. But if he stayed there, he was going to fall for it. He knew that he was. He was going to let himself fall apart and play straight into what Jordan was offering. And it probably wasn’t bad. He trusted Jordan enough to be reasonably sure that this wasn’t going to turn the kind of poorly that hurt him. Probably. Not physically. But what if Asher wanted it to be real? Not just some thing that happens in the forest? Not just a traveling game. What if he wanted it to mean something? All those words made it feel like it meant something. Something real. He hesitantly took the hand and brought it to his chest where his heart beat so fast and his breath came in deep and heavy. He slid the hand down, placing it somewhere near the wound. He wasn’t paying that much attention. Instead, he twisted himself to the side, falling from the instability, but catching himself with his hands on the trunk of the tree around Jordan. He looked from eyes to lips and back before he did close that gap. Kissed him. Heavy, hard. He didn’t know who he was, but he knew he wanted this. Even if it was going to hurt him later.
​