borderline - the last of us.

11. co-existing.

'MY BUTT HUUURTS.' Lou wailed, waddling out of the gas station with Ellie in front of her and acting like she was on the brink of death.

It made sense, because they had been driving for a while now, and even though Ralph didn't like to judge, it was obvious that Bill and Frank hadn't chosen the car with the most comfortable seats.

'You're lucky you can still feel yours.' Ellie countered, shimmying over to Ralph as he sat on the bonnet of the car Joel was draining and stared off into space in his big, pink shirt.

They'd all taken clothes from Bill's because he had literally everything. Ellie got a grey long-sleeve top, put a maroon t-shirt over it, and stocked up on jackets while she could. Joel had the same idea, just with a green flannel instead of a t-shirt.

Lou bagged herself a dark grey sweater and a pair of jeans that were a little too big on her, but they had piles of pockets, so she was able to classify them as 'tactical' rather than 'stylish.' Ralph had a little less freedom in his clothes because when he emerged from his shower, Lou had already tossed a pink button-up onto the counter of the bathroom. He guessed she thought it would've been funny, and it was, until Ralph started to pull it off and she just looked really stupid.

Joel peered over the hood, having heard the footsteps falling on the gravel, and huffed a little bit when he saw the girls approaching.

'Be nice, you.' Ralph taunted, looking down at him. Joel looked back up at him and offered him a slight smile. They hadn't talked much about the basement, about what was said. All they knew was that, for once, they were finally okay with each other just being there. No more stupid arguments, no more passive-aggressive comments, no more yelling. Just Joel and Ralph co-existing.

Ralph turned around to greet the duo as they got closer and closer, completely forgetting his warning to be nice and shouting, 'Hey, losers!'

He heard Joel scoff but let himself believe that it was a joking one.

'Hey, senior citizens!' Ellie yelled back, no need for it because of their close proximity. Lou shuffled up to the edge of the car where her dad and sat hugged him, completely out of the blue. He reciprocated instantly.

It left Ellie in a bit of an awkward situation, standing there like a statue and just watching them be normal, affectionate family members. She hoped it would pass soon, and it did. They pulled away from the hug, but they still continued to talk to each other. Ellie was too far away to hear, and she didn't want to intrude any more than she already was, so, she went for the next best option.

'We have to do this every hour?' She nagged Joel, walking to the far side of the car and standing in front of him, casting a shadow. He didn't even have to look up to know who he was talking to.

'Gas breaks down over time.' He said. He was acting like Ellie was his second option too, now that Ralph and Lou were spending time together, and, for the first time, she actually understood him. Not about the gas thing, about the awkwardness. 'This stuff's almost water. Back in the day, we'd drive ten-twelve hours on one tank. You could go anywhere.'

'So, where'd you go?' Ellie asked.

'...Pretty much nowhere.' Joel shrugged, holding his handmade siphon up to his lips. After a couple of seconds, the gas began to drain into the can he was holding, and Ellie stepped forward with amazement on her face.

'Nice! How does that work?' It was no surprise that FEDRA school had failed her in basic physics.

'It's a siphon.' He explained. She squinted at him. 'It's when liquid travels against gravity... Because pressure—'