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

It's All Your Fault

"Hey. How you doin', little man?" Henry asked Sam as we walk down a hill. "That was a close one, huh?" Sam said to him. "Yeah. Not one of our finest moments, but we made it out." Henry said, smiling. "Yeah." Sam mutters as we come up to a small neighborhood and could see the radio tower in the distance.

"Hey, look at that. Yep, what'd I tell you, huh?" Henry said as he points at the tower. "Let's find a way around to it." Joel said as we continue through the suburb. He looks over at Ellie and asked. "What about you, how you holdin' up?"

"Business as usual, right? When I was with Henry and (y/n), I took out a couple of infected by myself. You'd be proud." Ellie said to him. "I know I was." I said to her and she smiles up at me. "Yeah." Joel mutters. 

"It was pretty intense back there, huh?" Sam asked Ellie. "Yeah. Totally." Ellie replied.
"How'd you three end up together?" Sam asked her, looking between the three of us. "Oh...a friend of mine, Marlene, asked them to take me to the Fireflies." Ellie replied.
"You seem to get along well." Sam pointed out. "Yeah, well...now I just boss them around. Isn't that right, guys?" Ellie said, smiling up at us. Joel grumbles under his breath while I said. "Whatever gets you through the day, Ellie..." 

"Will shoot on sight. Lots of friendly people lived here." Sam said, sarcastically, as we come upon a house with that note on the building. "First few months after the outbreak, they had a lot of lootin'. Everyone got paranoid. You two remember any of that?" Henry asked Joel and I. "Everyone barricaded themselves in their homes, then supplies started running low. That's when you saw what people are really capable of." Joel replied.

"I was just five when the cordyceps hit. My memory's pretty hazy, but I remember living in a neighborhood just like this." Henry said as he gestures to the neighborhood. "What do you remember?" Ellie asked him. "Uhh...barbecues. Parents, they would throw these crazy big barbecues and invite a ton of people. You know, I remember the smell more than anything. Weird." He replied as we walk down a little hill and see some dogs at the end of the street as they bark and growl at each other.

"Oh. Doggies." She said but I place my hand on her shoulder. "You're gonna want to stay away from those. It's not like it is in the zone. These are wild." I told her and she nods until she looks over and sees an old ice cream truck. "What is this?" She asked as she walks up to the truck. "Oh, this is an ice cream truck." Sam replied. "An ice cream truck?" Ellie said, confused. "Yeah, Henry told me about these. They'd sell ice cream out of the truck." Sam told her. "What? No way." Ellie said then she looks up at us. "Joel? (Y/n)?"

"It's true. This thing would drive around and play real loud, creepy music and kids would come running out to buy ice cream." Joel replied to her. "You're totally fucking with me." Ellie said in disbelief. "Um-mmm. Serious." I replied as I shake my head at her and she tuts at this. "Man, you lived in a strange time." She said as Sam look over at her. "Told you so." He said, triumphantly, and we walk down the hill, the dogs had run off, and we come up to a large blockage of debris.

"Fireflies were here." Henry said and I look over and see a Firefly symbol was painted on a wall. "Yeah, by the looks of it." I said as I walk up to the symbol and look at it. "How're we gonna find them?" Sam asked us. " I know a guy. My brother, actually. He was a Firefly. Last I heard he was in Wyoming. We get there, we find him. We find the Fireflies." Joel replied and we look over at Henry. "Whaddya say, you in?" I asked him. "Sounds like a good plan." Henry replied, nodding, and we smile at him.

We make our way around the debris by going over to a house and go through the backyard and through a fence, which lead us to a cul-de-sac, but a gun opens fire almost at once. "Oh shit! Get down!" Joel yells and we run over to hide behind a car.
"Oh shit..." Ellie whispers. "Fuckin' sniper... Did you see where it came from?" Henry asked Joel. "Somewhere down the street. Alright now...y'all stay here." Joel replied and he starts to leave but I grab his arm. "No." I said to him, firmly.