HayleeRaina

Cat



Recent works

Recent bookmarks

  1. Public Bookmark *

    Tags
    Summary

    The midwest is boring. At this point, the crops are harvested and the fields are literally just dirt, so she spends all her time looking for those sweet cows. But she can’t seem to find any, despite there being nothing but pastures. There are, however, plenty of churches. Ellie ends up marrying her cows twice as often as Joel. After the fourth or fifth time, when the cows are up in the hundreds and she’s had to break out a notebook just to do math and keep track, Joel starts playing dirty.

    She barely sees a steeple, a little building behind an old abandoned school when she says, “Marry my - hey!” She doesn’t finish. Instead, she falls into a fit of laughter as she tries to squirm away from the hand he’s pressed firmly over her eyes so she can’t see to play.

    “Ain’t no church,” he says, deadpan. He keeps his hand over her eyes. “Oh, hey look. My cow.”

    “Joel!”

    or;

    Ellie and Joel take a massive roadtrip to Wyoming for the impromptu wedding of his estranged brother. There's stories, adventures, and a massive car game about claiming cows along the way.

    Language:
    English
    Words:
    11,141
    Chapters:
    1/1
    Comments:
    31
    Kudos:
    407
    Bookmarks:
    119
    Hits:
    3,049

    21 Feb 2026

  2. Public Bookmark 26

    Tags
    Summary

    After her mother's unexpected death, Ellie packs up all she has and moves with her long-lost family across the country to the sandy shores of Jackson Island. She tries her best to adjust, but she feels like an outsider - and it doesn't help that Riley, her last piece of home, randomly starts dodging her calls.

    But when a hurricane wipes out the power and Ellie's bitten off more than she can chew, Ellie finds an unexpected friend in Joel - the island's solitary grouch with a soft spot for guarding as many endangered sea turtle nests as humanly possible. Because as it turns out - they have more in common than they think.

    or;

    Modern AU | Ellie’s mom dies on a Tuesday. She meets her dad, Tommy Miller, on Friday.

    Language:
    English
    Words:
    9,116
    Chapters:
    1/?
    Comments:
    19
    Kudos:
    87
    Bookmarks:
    26
    Hits:
    870

    21 Feb 2026

  3. Public Bookmark 5

    Words:
    26,474
    Works:
    1
    Bookmarks:
    5

    21 Feb 2026

  4. Public Bookmark 12

    Tags
    Summary

    '“It’s that bad, huh?” Joel said gruffly, self-consciously running his hand through his hair, his eyes fixed on the curls on Benji’s head. “I…” he cleared his throat and looked at Tommy for help. 

    “Tess cuts our hair,” Tommy blurted out, pushing a glass of whiskey into Joel’s hand as he came around the couch. 

    Maria blinked at them for a moment, thinking back to literally three days prior when she’d given Tommy a trim. And the dozen or so times before that. 

    “Used to,” Tommy clarified, sitting down. “She always cut our hair. It’s… her job.”

    Joel took a swig of his drink and sighed, not quite able to look at Maria or Ellie yet. 

    “I’m so sorry, Joel,” Maria said quietly.'

     

    A story about grief, and also how hard it is to get a good curly hair haircut.
    Title from Would That I by Hozier

    Language:
    English
    Words:
    7,093
    Chapters:
    1/1
    Collections:
    1
    Comments:
    62
    Kudos:
    75
    Bookmarks:
    12
    Hits:
    535

    21 Feb 2026

  5. Public Bookmark 50

    Tags
    Summary

    Joel catches the front tire with his hands, sets it spinning with enough force to create a soft whirring sound that echoes in the garage's shadows.

    “See how the tread’s still in a straight line?” His finger traces the air in demonstration, his other hand automatically shooting out to grab Tommy's shoulder when the boy leans in too close to the spinning wheel – he’s got enough scrapes on his face already, his chin still red and glistening. “Means you didn’t bend the rim.”

    “Cool.” Tommy grins up at him. “Next time, I’m gonna use a ramp.”

    “You don’t have a ramp,” Joel points out with the roll of his eyes.

    The tire's spin gradually loses its momentum, then staggers to a stop. Joel rights the bicycle easily, toe nudging the kickstand into position when Tommy informs him: “No, but I could, if you help me build one.”

    Joel snorts. “Now, why am I gonna tell you no?”

    --

    Joel, through the years; his family, and how he takes care of them - and how they care for him in return.

    Language:
    English
    Words:
    53,309
    Chapters:
    6/6
    Collections:
    1
    Comments:
    116
    Kudos:
    158
    Bookmarks:
    50
    Hits:
    3,842

    21 Feb 2026