The Last of Us (Joel Miller x Female!Reader)

Bill's Town

We walk along the highway until I see Lincoln's distant water tower. "Now there we go..." I said as I pointed at the tower. We walked over to the railing and looked down at the woods. "Yeah, it'll be faster to go through here." Joel said and he hops over the railing then Ellie and I follow suit.

"Man..." Ellie whispers as she looks around at the environment. "What?" Joel and I said. "Nothing. It's just...I've never seen anything like this, that's all." She replied. "You mean the woods?" I asked her. "Yeah. Never walked through the woods. It's kinda cool." She said as we continue to walks.

"Why don't you guys just take me back to Marlene?" Ellie asked us. "If she was up to the task, why'd she drop you off on us?" I asked her. "Well, maybe she's better now." She replied, shrugging. "Kid, I don't mean to upset you, but your friend's chances of survival weren't too high to begin with." Joel said to her. "She's a lot tougher than you think." Ellie retorts. "It don't matter. 'Cause I doubt (y/n) and I could get either of us back into the city in one piece. Trust me. I wish there was some other option." Joel said as made it through the woods and up to a gate.

Joel goes to open it but it was locked. "Well shit." He mutters. "Should we climb it?" Ellie asked and I look up to see barbed wires all along the top. "No, wire on top of it. We gotta find a way to go around." I said as I pointed it out to her. We go over to the side until Ellie said. "Whoa, look." We turn around and see that she was surrounded by the firefly bugs. "Fireflies. I mean, real fireflies." She said, in awe. "Yeah, we see that." Joel said as a small smile appears on my face. She looks over at us then said. "Sorry, I...I lost myself for a sec." 

The smile disappears off my face then I turn to see a small building in front of us. I run up to the air conditioner and climb on top of it then up the roof. Joel and Ellie follow as I found a wooden plank leaning against the side of the building. I pick it up the brought it over to lay across the gap between the building we were on to the building that was on the other side of the fence.

We walk across it when I look up to see smoke rising up in the far distance. "That you, Bill?" Joel mutters. "Where do you guys usually meet him?" Ellie asked us. "Different places." I replied as we walk along the rooftop. "You guys never been here, have you?" She asked. "We know this is where he lives, but...no, we've never been here personally." Joel replied to her.

"And that smoke, you think that's him?" She asked. "Sure as hell better be." I said. "Well, let's go check it out then." Ellie said. "Alright, come on." Joel sid as we jump down from the roof and walked down a steep hill. "Down here. Watch your step; it's a good drop." I warned her as the hill leads us to another rooftop. 

Then we head down and come upon a gate. "Oh, shit. It's jammed from the other side." Joel mutters and I look up to see a gap at the top. "Here, boost me up." I said and he turns around and cups his hands. I place my foot on his hand then he boosts me up to the gap and I climb up and jump over it then land in front of the door and pull the pipe off of the handle and open the door.

"Easy as pie." I said and Joel rolls his eyes at me as he and Ellie walk through the door. "So, let's say we get a car from this buddy of yours. Then what?" Ellie asked us as we continue through the empty street. "Well, then we go find Tommy." Joel replied.

"Marlene said he's your brother." Ellie said and Joel nods. "And more importantly he was a Firefly. He'd know where to take you." He said. "Oh, okay." Ellie murmurs. "He lives far from here which is why we need the car." I said as we come up to a yard and see a bunch of garden gnomes.

"Hey, look. Gnomes." She said as she walks up to them. "Yeah. Those are gnomes." Joel mutters. "Man, I had an art book filled with these. I always thought they were super cute. Not fairies though. They creep me out." Ellie said and I let out a small chuckle. "Alright, then." Joel grumbles and we continue with our walk.