Don't let go: Joel Miller x OC

Mission Museum

Ellie stirred from her slumber and stretched her arms. She glanced at the wall to take note of the time 'Seven fifteen'. She was quick to notice the unusual silence of the house. Joel was usually an early riser and was often already dressed and downstairs before Ellie woke.

She hopped out of bed and padded down the landing to the other occupied room, the old oak floorboards creaking beneath the soles of her feet. She knew he was home, he wouldn't have left without waking her.

She rapped her knuckles loudly against the wooden partition. "Joel, get up. You've overslept."

Silence. She knocked again.

"Get up, old man!" The teen called out alongside her fist continuously beating against the closed door, knowing that it would get some sort of retaliation.

She could hear movement from the other side of the door followed by a mumbled curse that she couldn't quite make out.

"I'm awake you little shit." He called back out in his usual monotone drawl.

Ellie smirked as she made her way back down the hallway and into her own room. Of course he was. She knew damn well he wasn't awake before she knocked.

She shrugged on a fresh pair of dark jeans and a baggy T-shirt and scraped auburn her hair back into a ponytail after a quick shower before making her way downstairs. It was kind of a relief that her 'condition' was now out in the open. Now free to wear whatever she wanted and not have to swelter beneath a sweater all day, even if some wary eyes did still stare.

Joel was already in the kitchen by the time she got down, not looking particularly refreshed after an extra hour or two's sleep neither...

She swung through the archway that lead into the kitchen, ambling past him as she made her way to the cupboard, suddenly remembering that the box of crackers had been traded in and exhaling a discontented breath. Why did the crackers have to go... She glanced over her shoulder towards the older man, noticing his still half asleep disposition, "Not like you to over sleep..."

He nodded as he took a sip of coffee, the steam from the mug whirling up and over his face before evaporating into the air, "A full day of labour work followed by a patrol shift took it outta me."

Ellie nodded as she took that into consideration before changing the topic, "Ava can definitely come round more often."

Joel paused and raised his eyebrows, stalling the moment with another intake of caffeine. There was a little grin to her face as she spoke, one he couldn't quite read. Had she overheard them? He knew if she had, he was about to find out.

"Huh." He responded flatly.

The teen slammed her eyes and mimicked him before expanding "I had a great night. She made an actual meal for starters. You hear that? An actual meal! With actual real food! I always thought fish tasted like shit but apparently when it's not twenty years old, it's pretty fucking good!"

He let out a deep sigh- a relieved one masked by his usual saltiness with a roll of his eyes. She hadn't heard them. Thank god. "Y'know there ain't anythin' stoppin' you from learnin' how to cook."

Ellie gave a satirical smirk as a response before again continuing to tell Joel about the film and how fucking awesome she thought dinosaurs were. Her recalling each of her favourite scenes, with him listening intently as if he hadn't already watched the film a handful of times before.

Science seemed to be her thing. She loved the idea of space and prehistoric life. She was only proving her fascination and love for the subject in school. School was another part of her life that was gradually becoming more tolerable, she actually quite enjoyed learning and had now made a few other friends outside of Cat, whom she was still close with.