Pedro Pascal Character Stories

Big News - Joel Miller

Ellie x Dina

summary: Ellie and Dina have something to tell Joel.

rating: G (*Spoilers for S2E4* This is fluff, Joel POV, Joel being the best dad, Ellie giving Joel shit, big news, domestic fluff, AU where Joel lives, not canon compliant)

word count: 600+

a/n: *Spoilers for S2E4* Hi, I made myself really sad thinking about how excited Joel would be finding out he's going to be a grandpa, so I wrote it to make myself feel better. Enjoy this fluff!

"We need him to sit down," Dina whispers to Ellie, but Joel can clearly hear as the pair stand in front of him.

"Good idea," the other girl quietly replies. "He's old. We gotta think about his heart."

Joel takes a deep breath as he closes his eyes and presses his fingers to his forehead.

Ellie and Dina had met him at the house for their weekly dinner and movie night. When they arrived, they found him in the kitchen, where they are now, and said they had something to tell him.

"Girls," he cuts in, and lowers his hand to look at them. "What is goin' on? Did you get in trouble for messin' around on patrol and not checkin' in again?"

"Hey," Ellie responds. "That happened one time, and we've explained many times that we don't know how the radio got turned off!"

"Uh huh, and you smelled like weed because?"

"There was that blizzard, and we had to hole up at Eugene's weed-growing place, but forget about that. We have something to tell you, and you need to sit down."

He sighs and decides to humor them by walking the few steps to take a seat at the little breakfast table. In all honesty, his heart is pounding over what they possibly had to say. He's thinking the worst, but he's not quite sure what that would even be.

"Okay," he says. "What is it?" Ellie inhales deeply and says something so quickly on the exhale that it sounds like gibberish. His eyebrows pull together, and his attention goes to Dina. "What did she say?"

"We're having a baby," Dina answers.

Joel looks between them. "I beg your pardon, what?"

"We're having a baby," Dina repeats.

"I'm gonna be a dad," Ellie adds.

Now, Joel knows they've been dating for a month or so, and he loves seeing them together. He just has one question. "How...?"

Dina uses her thumbs to point at herself. "I'm pregnant."

Again, he asks, "How?"

"If you want to get into the specifics, I had sex with Jesse—"

That's enough for him to hear, Joel putting up a palm as he interrupts her, "Okay, okay, alright. Jesse's the father. That's all I needed to know." Then it dawns on him what they're saying, and his hand drops, his eyes widening as he looks at Dina. "You're pregnant?"

"Yes."

His attention goes over to Ellie. "You said you're gonna be a dad?"

"Yep."

Now, he's looking between them. "Does..." His throat feels tight. "Does that mean, I'm gonna be a grandpa...?"

Both girls nod and say at the same time, "Yep."

He stares off behind them at the kitchen wall.

He's going to be a grandfather.

After losing Sarah, and with Ellie dating girls, he never in a million years ever thought he'd be a grandfather. He figured he lost that chance when he lost his oldest. Really, it wasn't something he even thought about until now.

A grandfather.

He's going to be a grandfather.

His girls are having a child.

"Did we break him?" Ellie whispers.

"Shh, he's processing. Give him a second."

He doesn't even realize he's crying until he feels the tears rolling down his cheeks.

"I'm gonna be a grandpa," he breathes, focusing on them.

Dina nods, her eyes red-rimmed and teary. "Yeah, Joel. You're gonna be a grandpa."

There's no stopping his big grin, as he quickly rises to his feet. "I'm gonna be a grandpa!" he excitedly says, wrapping his arms around them. Dina giggles, and Ellie groans, but they hug him back. "I'm so happy for you kids," he tells them. He's already thinking about what he'll carve the baby—maybe a giraffe. "You're gonna be great parents."

And that's not a lie. They're good together.

This might be the happiest day he's had in over twenty-five years.