The Crash of Worlds - The Last Of Us

Part VII - Doing Something Good

James looked around for a window as Ellie told a few more jokes. He found one of those small ones just for light, with the butt of his knife he broke it. He then light a cigarette, taking a deep inhale from the filter before blowing the smoke out through the hole in the window. He really needed to smoke but he wasn't about to hot box this place with Ellie.

When he did however he took off his gloves and coat. The T-shirt underneath was pretty tight and it outlined a lot of his body. However that didn't matter as Ellie's eyes lit up,
"Holy shit you have tattoos?!" She asked, James looked back.
"Oh, uh yeah. I do."
"Dude those are so cool." She said, wandering over to essentially ogle his arms.

He had a mural on his left forearm, a deer surrounded by leafs that wrapped around his arm. His father loved deer, James remembers his father taking him hunting but his dad specifically didn't shoot any deer. He thought they were too precious. So the deer would always remind him of his dad, and he made sure to spell "dad" on the body of the animal.

His right arm had another mural however this one was around his wrist and looked like a band as it was clearly lined off like a photo. It wrapped around his wrist and it showed a field of lily's with bees. Two of his mothers favorite things as she was a beekeeper, she sold honey. She lived and breathed for bees and flowers. Of which her favorite were lily's.

He had others, an eye above his right knee that he got as a sort of watcher to see over him and keep him safe.

On his shoulder he had Ghostface, his last memory with Mark was that movie. He always wanted him by his side. The rest of his tattoos were small. He had an outline of Oregon state on the back of his left hand. And several small symbols across his body.

"I've always wanted a tattoo." Ellie smiled,
"Well if you get one make sure they mean something," James blew the smoke out of his lungs, "Otherwise it's stupid."

...

"What's your favorite movie?" Joel asked, James smiled.
"Scream." It was the only movie he felt close too. Because of Mark and because it was the first movie he ever got scared of. "What's yours?"
"Fargo." He replied, scooting a little closer to James almost instinctively. Ellie hadn't ever really sat through a movie so she couldn't say anything unfortunately.
"Oh yeah?" James asked, moving closer as well.
"Jesus just kiss already." Ellie groaned, Joel and James looked at her, she looked legitimately irritated.

With their cheeks red and their metaphorical tails tucked between their legs James and Joel sat back. Smiling and blushing like school kids.

Ellie found this little thing they had going on kind of cute, but irritating the way they beat around the bush. She started to think about what it'd be like to have them as sort of adoptive parents, two dads. It was really something she liked the idea of. Sounded almost too perfect.

...

After a few hours of them napping and sighing finally they no longer heard any of the infected. With a slow creak of the door they confirmed their suspicions, the bodies of the shooting victims were gone and there was fungus all about the interior of the shop.

After a brief search for any sort of infected still around they found the place finally completely clear.
"C'mon." Joel said, waving Ellie and James over as the three of them left out the backdoor of the building. There was a tree line behind the store so that's where they're heading, Infected don't like the forest. There's never really anything there for them.
"We really need to wash." Ellie groaned that way teens do. That annoyed sigh of adolescence.

It was Washington, there's rivers and streams everywhere. That what mountains cause. James used to visit up here during the summer, there's so many lakes that are perfect for swimming. Good times, so many people. So much joy and life.