stumblingaway
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Joel wipes his mouth against his arm, taking a quick sip from the glass of water he’s been spending the past hour staring at. He clears his throat, then meets her eyes. “What did you just say?”
She rests her cheek against her hand, elbows still propped up on the table. “I asked if you wanted to get married at some point.”
Joel nearly chokes again. “I mean, I—Tess.”
“Take your time.”
Tess lives and makes it back to Jackson with Joel and Ellie. Something has to shift.
Ft. Joel being incredibly emotionally constipated and Tess being a good mom.
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Sarah only lets herself stop once she reaches an old, cracked sign facing away from her. She takes a step behind it, looking up.
WYOMING 22 TETON PASS
NO TRAILERS NOVEMBER 15 - APRIL 1
“What the heck?” she whispers.
Sarah is brought back to life, to a world she doesn't recognize and to a family that has undergone quite a bit of change.
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“You don’t touch her,” Tommy says. “You don’t fuckin’ touch her!”
“Not really in a place to be making demands, old man.” The man's hand leaves Ellie's hair, coming up to her chin instead. He moves the gun from her temple to the back of her head. She resists the urge to bite him, her teeth clenched. “Gotta be from a settlement. No one who’s been out for long is this clean. No girl stays out long either. Always hiding ‘em behind walls. Don’t leave much for the rest of us.”
Joel’s told her about people like this. People who wander around the country alone or in pairs. Usually very young men who don’t fit into even hunter groups for one reason or another.
“Sometimes they’re even worse than the groups," he'd said. "They don’t got anyone holding them back.”
When Ellie and Tommy are attacked, Tommy is forced to put his own potential for brutality on full display. They deal with the aftermath.
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They were supposed to be back before sunset.
Now the sun is setting, and they’re still not here.
Joel tries to avoid looking out the window, to the orange and pink that streak across the sky in watercolor. It’s a warm night with a pleasant breeze and a cloudless sky. On any other night, he’d be sitting out on the porch or standing in his yard, waiting for the stars, the one constant across all stages of his life. Now, he just feels sick. His chest tightens with each passing minute.
He closes the curtains in Maria and Tommy’s kitchen before lifting JJ from his highchair, wiping off his face, which is sticky with peach juice. The baby lets out an ear-splitting shriek the moment he does so. Lovely.
“Such a drama queen,” Dina says from behind him, her sleeves rolled up to her elbows as she washes the plates from dinner.
“He gets it from his great uncle.” Joel says.
Joel lives to experience the heart-pounding reality of having a grown kid who rides into battle.
Ft. Grandpa Joel
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Ellie’s pretty sure dudes don’t wear nail polish. She’s never seen a picture of them with it on, anyway. And Joel probably wants to go home. It’s late and he spent the day bashing in former human's skulls.
But her curiosity gets the better of her. She looks up as he walks into the kitchen after her, taking a few bottles out of the box. “I’m gonna do yours.”
“Right now?”
“Right now.”
Two girls. Two times. Numerous bottles of nail polish.
Recent bookmarks
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to the moon and Saturn by BarlowGirl
Fandoms: The Last of Us (Video Games), The Last of Us (TV)
03 Feb 2025
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Tumblr prompts
Bookmarked by stumblingaway
27 Jan 2025
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Ellie & Joel make it to the hospital and the Fireflies don't immediately try to take out her brain (because c'mon! Where's the fun in that?) Here's what happens next.
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a hand to hold, a hug to warm me through by two_birds_alone_together for 6hoursgirl
Fandoms: The Last of Us (Video Games), The Last of Us (TV)
08 Jan 2025
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She must fall asleep because the next thing she knows, Joel is tucking her in. With sleep so welcoming and comfortable, there’s no reason to open her eyes. Normally, he just tucks her in and says good night. Sometimes, when she’s almost asleep, he’ll say “G’night, baby girl” and kiss her head. It’s the only time he calls her that, and as much as she’ll never admit it, it makes her feel special. Wanted.
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(five times joel says goodnight to ellie + one time he doesn't)
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By any other Name by itainthardtrying
Fandoms: The Last of Us (Video Games), The Last of Us (TV)
13 Jan 2025
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“Apparently, soul marks are a big deal in FEDRA. You’re supposed to keep them always covered, never disclose your Names. They think it could create unnecessary camaraderie between the ranks, alliances they couldn’t control.”
“Fucking fanatics,” Joel mutters, and Tess snorts her agreement.
“Gets worse. That asshole told me it’s even more of a problem when there’s kids involved. FEDRA worries somebody could pick a fight with them, steal away one of their precious free resources. Or that the kids could grow and run – try to find whoever’s on their arms.”
Joel frowns. “So? Tell’em to cover their Names too?”
“Not really,” Tess says, finally turning to look straight at Joel. “With FEDRA kids, they erase them.”Soulmate AU. Everyone is born with their soulmates’ Names written on their skin. Joel meets his third when he’s fifty-six, and he’s tasked to smuggle her outside Boston’s QZ. This can’t possibly end well.
Bookmarked by stumblingaway
17 Dec 2024
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wild is the wind by dancingonmoonbeams
Fandoms: The Last of Us (TV), The Last of Us (Video Games)
19 Nov 2024
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When an unpredicted snowstorm hits while Tommy and Maria are out on patrol, they are forced to take shelter for the night in a hunting cabin a few miles outside of Jackson. As the storm rages outside, Maria gets the chance to learn more about one of Jackson’s newest residents.
Bookmarked by stumblingaway
22 Nov 2024