𝐏𝐀𝐌𝐈𝐋𝐘𝐀. tlou (discounted)

𝐕𝐈.

━━━━𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒊𝒙.

  𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐁𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐒𝐎𝐁𝐒 send Tommy Miller bolting from his bed, the man who was once half-asleep now wide awake as his feet brushed against the cold hardwood flooring. His shoulder rams into the guest bedroom door, tense and ready to ward off any danger, but his panicked state soon turns into sympathy. Mason's frail form trembles as she sobs, forest green blanket tucked to her nose as the little's girl's glassy eyes met Tommy's brown orbs. The younger Miller quickly moves to scoop the girl into his arms, whispering comforting reassurance as he rests his chin on her head.

"I've gotcha sweetheart. I have you; yer safe." He murmurs.

The night Joel had gone missing, Mason's nightmares grew consistently, and without his brother to calm her, Tommy felt useless as all he could do was hold her. The brunette shook in his hold, sniffling as she clutched the fabric of the man's nightshirt in one hand, her blanket in the other. Her blue eyes stare off into the void as her night terror runs through her head. Her chin trembled at the gruesome sight of Joel's cold corpse, blood puddling around him as the breeze swept over his coat that he would no longer need.

"Let's go get you some water, yeah?"

The baby girl only locks her arms around Tommy's neck, hiccuping as he rises from the bed, carrying her towards the stairs. As they descend, Maria sits on the sofa, steaming cup of tea held in her hands, a second mug and a plastic cup of water on the coffee table. The blonde's husband sits beside her, little Maisie on his lap with her forest green blanket draped over her shoulders. The young brunette holds her cup with two shaking hands, sipping it slowly as her stare bores into the wall. It had become their nightly routine over the next two days, sit together with only the occasional conversation between the two adults.

Within the hour, Mason had dozed off, head resting on Tommy's shoulder as she curled up in his lap. The man closed his own eyes for a moment, only opening them when his wife spoke in a hushed tone.

"She can't keep living like this. Constant nightmares, most likely seeing Joel dead and alone." Maria grimaces as the final words slip from her lips.

"But Tommy, we have to think worst-case scenario. If Joel is-"

"He ain't," Tommy says quickly, the hold on the girl in his arms tightening. He breathes in deeply, looking at the woman beside him.

"He's got somethin' to fight for now; he has to come back to his little girl." The man says sternly. Maria looks at her husband a moment more before nodding.

"We're going to send the search party out again in the morning." She takes the man's hand, holding it tightly.

"We'll find him, I promise you. The both of you."

━━━━━━

Blood flung onto Joel's coat as he retracted his blade from the clicker's throat. Breathing heavily, the black-haired man takes a look at the empty apartment he had just cleared, slowly sliding his pack from his shoulders. With heavy footsteps, the man moves to the couch, a low grunt coming from him as he laid on his sore back. Brown eyes stare at the cracked ceiling above them, slowly closing as the silence washed over Joel.

All the man wanted to do was slip into paradise, sleep off the sweat and blood, and worry about making his way back to Jackson tomorrow. His eyes open once again at the thought of his home, one name coming to his mind, guilt swallowing his chest.

Maisie.

The older Miller rose his hand to rub at his temples, lowly cursing beneath his breath. She must have been so worried, and Joel already had a sneaking suspicion that her condition had worsened from when he last saw her. As he thought, he found himself missing the girl tremendously.

And at that moment, all he wanted to do was get back to his little girl.

His little girl.

Joel sat upright, hands on his knees. His eyes scanned the floor beneath him as he had an inner battle with himself. A side of him was begging the man to turn his back on the girl to protect his own heart, leave her with Tommy. The other part of him was pulling him towards the door, almost like a magnet. He gazed out the dirty window, the glare of the rising sun hitting his brown eyes. Joel bit at the inside of his cheek, he rose from his spot and hand going for his pack.

With his weapon at the ready, the man stepped out from the apartment, sighing as he made his way the stairs, his decision final in his mind as he exits the building.

━━━━━━

Mason sat perched on the windowsill, Bear on her chest and blanket around her shoulders. A fire started in the fireplace, the low crackle calming as she glanced at the neighbors that passed by, hoping to see the familiar face she was looking for, but to no avail. A rapid knocking soon came from the door, breaking the little girl from her concentration. Maria exits the kitchen, hand towel resting on her shoulder as she hurries to greet the person outside.

"Everything alright, Cal?" A string of hushed whispers follow her welcome, the man trying to hurry the woman to the gates.

"Tommy, we have a problem at the gates!" The blonde calls to her husband, pulling her coat over her shoulders as he follows suit.

"Maisie, stay in the house; we'll be right back!" Tommy calls as the three rush off into the fall breeze. The little girl whimpers as she's left alone, pulling her green blanket tighter around her as she closes her eyes tightly. In the next few minutes, the door opens again, yet she only closes her eyes tighter. Footsteps make their way to the living room entrance, stopping as the person they belong to stare at the scared girl by the window.

"Hey there, kiddo."

Mason opens her blue orbs the second she heard the comforting southern drawl, chin once again trembling. She bolts from her spot, Joel kneeling as she swings her around his neck, choked sobs wracking through her tiny body. The man rubs her back soothingly, shooshing her gently as he presses a kiss to the crown of her head.

"I'm here; I've gotcha. I'm right here, baby girl." He slowly pulls away from her, thumbs drying the tears on her cheeks as Maisie grips at his arms. She stares at him, anxiety bubbling in her chest as she prepares herself for her next action.

"Daddy."

Joel froze in his spot. The girl before him had just spoken, the mute little girl had just spoken to him. Her voice was raspy, and yet so childlike and small. The man watched as she grimaced at the dull burning in her throat, eyes widening as he slowly registered what his little girl had said.

What she had called him.

And all Joel could do was bring the little girl against his chest, cradling her as she cried off his return. He was home. After years of feeling like an outsider, Joel Miller finally felt at home all because of the little girl who worked her way into his heart.

All because of his little girl.