spores of life......'the last of us' fanfiction

chapter 12 "Ventura highway"

I shared a horse with Ellie. She shivered behind me in the wind. We had been traveling for about 3 days in the freezing cold. Each night we had to stop and find shelter. The nights were getting worrisome. "Now I have a question. When men sit down do they sit on their nuts?" Ellie asked. I laughed loudly looking back at her. "That's on your mind?"

"Well yeah! When you ride a horse you jump up and down up and down, don't men ever crush their balls?" Joel shook his head in disappointment. "Just thank God you don't have balls alright?"
I laughed loudly at the conversation. "Okay okay. I think we're sleep deprived. I say we try to sleep in between them mountains"

"You mean cave? What if bear lives in there" Ellie grumps.

"Ask him for porridge" I say. She gives me a weird look. "Goldie locks? Ever heard of her?" Ellie shook her head. I looked over at Joel. Joel nodded "yeah I got the joke Joplin. Now come on girls hurry up it's getting dark" we trotted over to the section of land. I tied our horses up to each other as we settled down for the night. Ellie and I bundled up in coats and blankets watching Joel make a fire. I glanced over at her as she stared head first into a comic book. "Ain't them things freaky?" I asked breathing hot air into my palms. "Nah. Not really. I've witnessed worse" she replied. I nodded "I get it" I began to pull sandwiches out of one of one of the book bags. I passed them around. "You gonna eat?" Ellie asked as she munched on her meal. "No I'm not really hungry" Joel mocked me in a cough "bullshit"

"Oh shhuttt uppp"

"That's the thing about her Ellie, ever since we got married, she always waited for everyone else to finish eating before she started"

"What? Why?"

"Beyond me. Every single meal we had. Even at a restaurant she brought her food home to eat after everyone else was done. Never understood why"

I laughed softly "well when you grow up like I did, you learn to feed the important people first."
"But you're just as important" Ellie says interested. "Not when you've got a baby to feed"
"Well you ain't got a baby to feed right now" Joel says. I shook my head "I can't describe it to you. Ya just won't get it."

"Well what I get is you should eat!" Ellie depicted. "Alright alright. In a minute. I gotta piss" I stood up gently laying the blankets down on Ellie. I draped one of the blankets I was using over her shoulders. I hobbled my way around the rock wall and squatted.

"I can hear you peeing!" She yells.

"Good!! You wanna cup!?"

"You guys are nasty as hell" Joel snarked. I giggle to myself as I finished up my pee, as I walked back I lowered myself beside Joel. I laid myself against him. "Are ya gonna eat now?" He asked petting my hair. "In a damn minute. Cant I rest my eyes?"

"Yeahhh that's another thing, 'rest her eyes' she's not resting her fuckin eyes. She's about to pass out for 8 hours" Joel chuckled. "She once missed our daughters soccer game because she was 'resting her eyes' she passed out at the soccer game"

"You slept though a whole game?"

"I had just finished an 80 hour week that weekend. It was Sunday, my only day off. I felt so bad. She came to me after the game saying 'did you see that mom did you see that?' I had to smile in nod because I infact did not see shit" I laughed softly holding onto Joel's arm. His hand rubbed against my thigh as I curled up.

"But she still never missed a game" Joel smiled proudly. "I mean physically I didn't miss a game"

"What is soccer?"

"Oh here we go" Joel rolls his eyes. I sit up and look at her "the most stupid sport in the entire world. You kick a fucking black and White ball, that you can not touch with your hands may I add! you simply kick it into a net. Stupid most boring game. May I also add that the goalies are allowed to us either hands! Talk about some commie bullshit! If you ask me"

"Nobody asked you bobby" Joel chuckled under his breath. "She did Joel. She did!" I lean back into his body as I close my eyes. Ellie watched the both of us with a tilted head. "Why do you call her bobby?"

"Tommy started it when we were kids. There's this singer-"

"Janis Joplin?"

"Right. And she sang a song called me and bobby McGee. Well, tommy thought it was hilarious" Joel rubbed my back as he explained. "And it stuck throughout highschool into adult years"

"Great isn't it?" I mumbled sinking into his body slowly. "I like that nickname, Bobby" Ellie smiles.
"It's fitting ain't it" Joel smiled softly as he looked down at me falling asleep very slowly. Ellie watched me as I dozed off. "Joel?"

"Hm?"

"Do you love her?" He whispered.
I felt him nod "more than anything"

"Promise me you won't hurt her again" Ellie whispered as she moved closer to us for warmth. "I promise you Ellie girl" I felt as Ellie laid her head on my lap. I slowly stroked her hair. "Thanks" I smirk with my eyes closed still awake. Joel laid a kiss on to top of my head. "Now tell her about your school band" I mumbled

"Joplin I thought we promised to never bring that up?"

"You were in a band!?" .....