The Crash of Worlds - The Last Of Us

Part XI -A Year's Time

"James?" Joel asked, the blonde finally came to. Woozily sitting up from some sort of bed,
"Wha... what happened? How'd-" James was silenced with a kiss, Joel planted a deep and passionate one onto James's lips.
"Don't ever do that again." Joel demanded,

- ONE YEAR LATER -
-2024-

James sat down, watching Joel and Ellie through a window as Joel taught Ellie how to use a bow. James found himself coughing pretty hard, damn he must've caught a cold. She was actually pretty good. Made James feel kind of proud for some reason, he and Joel had all but taken the roles of her fathers. Briefly Joel joked that James should be the mother but he's not a woman that's kind of the whole point of being gay.

They found this old family cabin up in the mountains, overlooking a lake. Surely belonged to some rich family before the outbreak. It was the most intact home James had seen in years, the windows were broke and vines and foliage had begun to grow inside the house; However otherwise it was just kind of dusty.

The place hadn't been raided, everything was neat and tidy. There weren't any signs of human activity in the home, the damage was just nature taking back the mess humans made. It wasn't two stories but it did have a sort of basement above ground. The entire place was on stilts of sorts just in case the lake floods? They aren't sure.

The three had made the place into the best home they could, Joel boarded up the broken windows. James dusted everything and swept. The house was stocked with cleaning supplies, and tons of water toys and floats. It was a long process to get the place truly clean but they had.

James almost felt like the world was normal once more. Of course they still killed infected that wandered nearby, but it still felt safe. It felt weird to just kind of live, no jobs, no goals, no anything. They were just living off the land happily.

A month or so ago they made things official, Joel finally called him his boyfriend. Or partner as he prefers. They were actually dating, and the blonde had never felt happier. And the following morning their love was all but ensured.

Joel decided it was finally time to accept he wasn't getting any more sleep. The bedroom air chilled the arm he didn't have pressed against the mattress. The covers were only up to his waist, but his torso didn't exactly feel cold; James had snuggled close to him a while ago, sharing his body heat by throwing an arm around his waist and pulling him close against his chest. James was always warm, maybe unnaturally so, but he proved to be a good big spoon in the winter. For someone stirring so much in his sleep, it was almost miraculous that he was still perfectly in place, pleasant and soft against Joel's back, his breath tickling his skin.

For a few minutes, he stayed like that, not yet making a move.
"Hey." James's voice was gruff as he spoke into Joel's ear.
Joel groaned drowsily in response,
"Morning, baby." He spun around and shuffled closer to James, humming contentedly once his face was buried in the crook of his neck, refraining from opening his eyes with every single shred of willpower he had.

James's hand found Joel's shoulder blades, fingers dragging downwards and sending chills down his spine; Pleasant ones that he craved more of, unlike the ones he got from the cold air.
"Did you sleep alright?" James asked,
"Not bad," Joel murmured, chapped lips brushing James's throat. "Couldn't sleep at first. But it was fine after that."
"Yeah, I woke up to you tossing and turning a few ti-m-" James coughed almost painfully so.
"You okay?" Joel asked,
"Yeah I J-" he coughed again, "I think I caught a cold."
"I'll make you something in a bit." Joel replied.
"How's your head?"