TOMMY KNEW IT WAS IMPOLITE, but even if you paid him a million dollars, he would not be able to look away from the man that was sitting next to his brother.
At first, Tommy thought that maybe he had recognized him from someplace, and that was why he found himself watching every shift in posture and every blink of an eye.
Then, Tommy decided that, even if he did recognize him, he still had every single right to be staring at the man who had waddled into Jackson with blood over his face and two weird little girls by his sides.
No matter what, with a valid reason or without one, Tommy was watching the man next to Joel like his very life depended on it. He hadn't introduced himself, and he hadn't been asked to because nobody really wanted to get too close to the stranger that was drenched in blood and bruises.
Apart from Joel, of course. Which was yet another thing that Tommy couldn't understand.
First off, he had no idea how or why Joel would trust some stranger with coming all the way to Wyoming with him. There had never been any mention of this man over the radio.
Second, Tommy had no clue why Joel would be booting up his own rendition of the Babysitter's Club on his way there. He had made the connection that the guy and the shortest girl were related, but he had no clue where the tallest girl had come from.
Third and finally, this guy was totally dangerous. He knew that he kept circling back to the "covered in blood part" but it really was fucking unsettling. And he also knew that it must've been difficult to maintain some sort of hygiene while you were on the road for so long, but Joel hadn't shown up with blood under his fingernails and blood on his hip, and blood on his face, and blood literally everywhere.
Despite his rough appearance and Joel seated next to him, he looked like he didn't want to be there. He knew every pair of eyes was on him, and it looked like he wasn't the biggest fan of that. Maybe he wasn't as horrible as he looked, but Tommy wasn't persuaded that easily.
'There's more if you need it.' Maria offered politely, looking just as captivated by the stranger. The voice of his wife made Tommy drift back to reality for a moment, shifting in his seat and clearing his throat.
'Thank you, ma'am.' Joel spoke for all of them as the remaining three in his group ate without a breath in between bites. 'It's been a while since we've had a meal.'
'Actually, I don't think I've ever had a proper meal. This is fucking amazing.' The brunette said happily, shoving scrambled egg into her mouth like there was no tomorrow. The table went impossibly more quiet, and Joel looked at the man next to him as if he was expecting him to do something about it. This seemed to be normal within their group because he did so without a second thought.
'Ellie, come on. Manners.' He scolded gently. His voice was quiet. Tommy wondered if it was like that naturally or if he was just anxious about sticking out like the sorest of sore thumbs.
The girl named Ellie said no more, just shoveled food into her mouth and looked at her friend, the stranger's daughter, who was smiling at someone from across the restaurant. A tall girl with brown hair and brown eyes was watching the two of them like a hawk, and had apparently already made friends with Lou.
'What!?' She shouted at her, scaring the shit out of the kid and causing her to run away as fast as she could.
'What is wrong with you?' Joel asked incredulously, glaring at her across the table.
'What about her manners?' Ellie waved at where the girl once stood with a grimace.
'She was just curious.' Maria assured them with a small shake of her head. 'Kids around here don't usually look or talk like you two.'
YOU ARE READING
borderline - the last of us.
Fanfiction'we're on the borderline, caught between the lines of pain and rapture.' in which ralph leaves his bedroom door unlocked, a nosey neighbour blackmails him, and now he's stuck backpacking across the country with his daughter and a strange little...
