Flicker||TLOUII {Joel x Reader}

•16•

Present

(Y/N) abruptly awakens, her hand going to her face to reveal that she had been crying in her sleep. Joel was sat in front of her and he looks at her when he hears she was awake.

"Hey, baby." He whispers, stroking her hair.

"Where's Dina?" She asks, wiping her eyes hastily and he sighs, helping her sit up. "She's just fixing a radio in one of the rooms. Also has a map, but she wants to apologise."

"It's okay, I can -" her sentence is cut off as she clasps her hand over her mouth, doubling over.

Joel grabs the empty bin he had bought over just in case and holds it in front of her. She throws up in it and he gives her a sympathetic look, keeping her hair back.

(Y/N) wipes her mouth, breathing heavily and gives him a small smile. "Sorry."

"Don't ever be sorry to me." He tells her and stands up, grabbing her hands and gently pulling her up with him.

"You okay to move on?"

"Of course." She reassures and he links their hands, taking her to where Dina was sat on the floor.

"Hey, (Y/N) I'm -"

"Forget it. Really."

Dina nods, dropping the conversation and as the adults sit down with her, she picks up one of the Polaroid's Joel had pocketed. "This guy... Owen. He went awol."

"Maybe Tommy got to him." (Y/N) says, picking up the picture to study it. Her hand grips it as she stares down at the face of her daughter's killer. "What about her?"

"Nothing yet."

"Unit Romeo, you are requested at site Two. You are requested at site Two. Confirm."

"So, the numbers are locations. The TV station we were at? That's Six. There's a lot of chatter coming out of Two, so I'm assuming that's their home base." Dina explains, her eyes casting worry to the Firefly who was wincing and her hand on her stomach.

Noticing her expression, Joel, was rubbing the small of his wife's back in an attempt to ease the pain. "She's okay, Dina." He reassures.

"Casualties reported in Fourteen. All available units report. Over."

"This is site Thirteen. Unit Lima nearby. How many Scars you got? Over."

"Negative on Scars. Lone male trespasser. Armed. Over."

"Tommy. Where's Fourteen?" Joel looks across the map that Dina had marked and she sighs. "I'm not 100% sure." She admits and he frowns. "Well then guess."

"If this is Seven..." She points and then drags her finger across. "Twelve's all the way over here." Dina bites her lip, moving up. "I guess it's somewhere in this neighbourhood?" She circles it.

"Hillcrest."

(Y/N) pushes to her feet, making her way back downstairs and the pairing follow her. Pulling the chair out of the handles, the door opens and she grimaces at the smell.

"Hey, why don't me and Joel or at least me go after him." Dina suggests and (Y/N) laughs. "Yeah, right."

"(Y/N), look. Ellie would've protected you with her life if she had known, I mean she would've done anyway, but - " Dina runs a hand through her hair, trying to get the words out. "What I'm trying to say is I will do the same."

The older woman's eyes glisten with tears and she pulls the young girl in for a hug. "You and Ellie were made for each other." She whispers, turning abruptly and wiping her tears as she leads on.