summary: A story about finding companionship and love in the midst of chaos. | You've been on your own since the outbreak started, hopping around from place to place; you've kept your head down, doing whatever you need to do to survive. How you feel about love and companionship changes once you meet Joel, and it's something you and him aren't quite sure how to handle.
warnings/tags: post-outbreak, age gap (reader is 24/25 in chapter one), angst, angst w/ a happy ending, slow burn (I'm talking S L O W), eventual romance, canon typical violence, canon divergence, injuries, fluff, hurt/comfort, gun violence, protectiveness, Joel has a soft spot for reader, Joel is bad at feelings, Joel needs a hug, protective!Joel, hurt!Joel, depictions of grief, time jump, eventual smut (I will tag the chapters as 18+ & add warnings to chapters, just because it's going to be a while before we get there lol), this is going to be a long one my friends..., no beta we die like men, (if I missed anything please let me know!!!)
a/n: This is the first fanfic I've written in almost 10 years and I'm new to the character x you/reader writing style, so if anything sounds odd or awkward, I deeply apologize. The story is mainly based on the game, however, I keep it pretty vague so if you like the show descriptions better, it should still work. Also, I kept the main parts of TLOU plot, and obviously changed the timeline/plotline a bit. I hope you enjoy it!!
-
I've created a playlist that I listen to while writing, I think it adds to the vibe of the story, so if you're interested in that: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2sxCoxKLUmuaFCfwvhw5p2?si=AIqhJijKSjq7y80w7RGQQQ
Joel finds a young woman, Adeline, being held hostage by a group of men while he's out on patrol one day. He brings her back to Jackson, where she's given the opportunity to have something resembling a real life, for the first time. Joel and Adeline orbit around each other, destined to crash, if both of their reservations don't get in the way.
OR
Joel finds the love of his life lost in the woods.
(obviously deviates from canon as he's not going to see any g*lf clubs and Ellie doesn't hate him because I've already got enough angst to write without that)
fic playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4Q4Ye6oEr8Eaafv0dYvrEC?si=077733b0860b482f