Light in the Dark||TLOU||Joel x Reader

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Spring

"Ellie!" Joel shouts. "Ellie!" He yells louder and the teenager jumps, turning to look at the couple who stand next to an abandoned car on the highway. The pendant around his neck was exposed from the top buttons of his shirt undone and the Firefly on it shines from the hit of the sun.

"Did you hear me?" He asks and (Y/N) tears her eyes away from the signs.

"What?"

"Look. Hospital. This is where we get off." He points. "Let's go, kiddo."

They begin walking down the highway and Joel smiles. "Feel that breeze, huh? I tell you, on a day like this I'd just sit on my porch, pick away at my six-string."

(Y/N) grabs his hand, linking their fingers and he hums softly. "Yeah, once we're done with this whole thing, I'm gonna teach you both how to play guitar."

"And you're gonna sing for us." (Y/N) adds and he nods. "Sure, I'd reckon you'd really like that."

Ellie stays silent, staring at the ground as she walks ahead. "Whaddya say? Ellie, I'm talking to you." Joel says.

"Huh? Oh yeah, sure. That sounds great." She mutters.

Joel frowns and (Y/N) shakes his head at him, signalling to just leave the poor girl alone for a minute. They had managed to find water to clear up. (Y/N) and Ellie had scrubbed the blood and dirt off their face but they couldn't get rid of the pain and danger they had felt.

All three of them wore light clothing in the sun beating down on them and Ellie softly sighs. "I dreamt about flying last night."

Joel gives (Y/N) a look, who frowns and nods for her to go on. "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Go on. Tell us about, El." She tenderly prompts.

"So I'm on this big plane full of people and everyone is screaming and yelling 'cause the plane's going down. So I walk to the cockpit, open the door, but there's no pilot."

The pair listen to her explain, walking slightly behind and Ellie pulls the straps of her bags forward. "I try to use the controls but... I obviously have no clue how to fly a plane. And right before we crash, I wake up." She stops, turning to face them. "I've never been on a plane. Isn't that weird?"

Joel makes a hmph sound. "Well, dreams are weird." He concludes and Ellie rolls her eyes, continuing on. (Y/N) hits his shoulder, shaking his head but he looks confused. "What! What?"

They make their down, following the sign that had stated 'tunnel east' and once down off of the highway, their road becomes blocked by a gate.

(Y/N) clambers onto the bus that had crashed into it and hauls Joel up beside her and he points. "There's that hospital the Firefly mentioned. C'mon, kiddo." He says.

She then drops down and makes her way into an open building. "We can cut through here." The trio make their way through, past the broken down metal barriers and Joel continues but Ellie and (Y/N) slows down.

Ellie sits down and the Firefly sits with her. "You okay, El?"

"I'm fine."

"You just seem a bit extra quiet today."

"Oh, sorry."

"No, it's not -" (Y/N) stops herself, giving a sympathetic sigh. "It's fine. Okay?" Ellie looks up to see the smile back and she nods. "Okay."

"We can use that ladder." Joel yells back at them and (Y/N) pats Ellie on the leg and stands, heading over. He leans against the wall, cupping his hands together. "C'mon sweetheart, up you go."

He pushes her up and she grabs the ledge, chuckling slightly. "Sweetheart, eh?"

"Just - just trying something new." He mutters, a red tinge on his cheeks and she pushes the ladder down for him. Ellie climbs up first and her eyes widen. "Oh my god." She whispers, accidentally kicking the ladder down as she scrambles to run off.

"El!" (Y/N) shouts, looking down at Joel, who grumbles and picks the ladder up to place it back in its position.

"What is it?" He yells and she shrugs, taking off after her.

"(Y/N)? (Y/N)!"

"Oh, you gotta see this." Ellie tells him, the pair stood at the window and then taking off down the corridor.

"What is it?" He asks again, but they ignore him. Joel follows them into the break room, where the wall was broke into and leaving a gaping hole.

"Are you kidding me?" Ellie breathes.

They make their way out and down the hallway, the teenager shouting at them to hurry up. "You see this?" She asks, walking through the doorway to a room where just opposite them, stood a giraffe munching on leaves.

Joel moves closer and Ellie shushes him. "Don't scare it."

"I won't, I won't." He whispers back, gently placing his hand on the giraffe and (Y/N) frowns. "Uh, what are you doing?"

"It's alright. C'mere. C'mere." Joel waves at them to join him and hesitantly, the pair make their way over.

"Go on." He nudges Ellie forward and takes (Y/N)'s hand, placing it on the giraffe and she smiles. "Hey there."

"So fucking cool." Ellie mutters.

The giraffe turns away from them and she frowns. "Aw, where's it off to? Here, c'mon let's go!" She rushes the adults out of the room. Joel chuckles at her eagerness and he links hands with (Y/N). "Slow down, kiddo."

"Hurry up. C'mon, c'mon, c'mon!" She shouts down the stairs, her face beaming with excitement. (Y/N) pushes open the door to the outside, overlooking the greenery and the giraffes that occupy the area.

"Oh, wow... look at those things." Ellie breathes and she leans on the wall and takes the scene in. Buildings tower in the distance, an eery and serene tranquility in the hazardous world that they live in.

"So...." Joel begins, stood next to Ellie one side and (Y/N) occupies the other. "...this everything you were hoping for?"

The teenager smiles. "It's got its ups and downs. But -" she sighs in peace "- you can't deny the view though."

The Firefly inhales and then exhales, breathing slowly as she lets time drift past her for a moment. Joel pulls himself away from the bubble and goes towards the exit, his hand on the handle as he bites his lip, staring at the floor.

"We don't have to do this." He suddenly states as the two approach him, (Y/N)'s arm draped across Ellie in a joking yet comforting fashion. Her smile instantly turns into a frown and her arm drops.

"You know that, right?" He asks but Ellie shakes her head in disbelief. "What's the other option?"

"Go back to Tommy's. Just, be done with this whole damn thing."

"After all we've been through?" (Y/N) quizzes, confused at his sudden change of heart.

"After everything that I've done." Ellie adds, taking a deep breath and letting it out in a sigh. "It can't be for nothing." She makes her way past him, pushing open the door.

Joel looks down at the ground, his face forlorn and (Y/N) grips his arm. "Hey... we're almost there." She whispers and he nods, giving her a smile and he takes her hand and kisses her knuckles.

"Let's go, cowboy." She says, brushing past him and he takes one last look at the giraffes and the view before following behind.