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[justchobi]

hope everybody has a great tlou day <3

[justchobi]

“are you done yet?”

TLOU2! joel x platonic!reader (or pedro joel, whatever makes u happy)

warnings: nothing tbh, just joel being a grumpy old dad.

summary: after a shift of checking for hoards with joel, you guys decide to ride back to jackson a bit early. due to your curiosity, you end up talking to him longer than joel appreciated.

A/N: hi guys.. erm, this is a "found family" fic, so the reader is pretty much a teen. if this gets any recognition and you repost, don't repost as like a relationship type deal, plz and thx :p also, im like 14 so please excuse how awful the writing is, i'm still trying to get used to it lol

you walk close to joel after you did a few rounds outside of Jackson. with your earbuds in your ears, joel climbs onto the horse before lifting you to sit in front of him. clicking the pause button, you remove the buds and stuff them in your pocket. joel grabs the rein and kicks the horses side as it begins to gallop, slowly picking up speed. it was awkward between the two of you.

“soo..” you started off. “did you hear how dina and ellie are thinking of getting married?” it was painfully silent.

“yes.” he said. his voice was rough but quiet. you keep your grip around his waist the same. “i don’t know if she wants me at the wedding.”

the atmosphere was tense. it was obvious he didn’t feel like talking, let alone to a curious kid. you thought to yourself, should i keep talking? “well, maybe you should ask her. you’re like her dad anyways, right?” he nodded his head before keeping it low.

“you think you’ll get married, joel?” he whipped his head around and glared at you. his eyes said “what are you talking about?” it caused you to laugh. “kid, what are you saying?” you caved in and started giggling. “i didn’t mean it in a bad way! just.. ya know, curious. anyone back home that catches your eye?” he shook his head.

“of course not, son. i prefer being alone. i don’t need a partner.” you look at him. he hadn’t told you about his past, but joel was a handsome man. there was no way he didn’t have a wife before all of this. “you didn’t have a wife before? or even a husband?” he hesitated at first, but opened up. “i did. she uh, left me. so i just had to take care of my daughter alone. it wasn’t too hard.”

“by daughter, do you mean-“

“no, i had a daughter before ellie. sarah.” he rubbed in between his eyes. “i’ll tell you later, ‘kay kiddo? just.. stop asking me questions for right now.”

you looked at him, sticking your tongue out behind his back. the sky got darker and the cold continued to increase in temperature. you held onto him tighter to stay warm.

“what’s your favorite thing in the whole world?” you could hear him groan. “pure silence without the voice of an annoying kid.” you chuckled with pride. “come on, old man. just answer the question!” it was quiet before he spoke again. “ i guess..” he thought for a few seconds. “movies. loved ‘em since i was a little boy.”

smiling, you lay your head on his back. it started to get warmed now that you were closer to him. and he didn’t seem to mind the fact you were practically glued to him. “maybe we could watch a movie later? when you have time, of course.”

he silent nodded his head. “i would like that.” you could hear a smile form on his face.

after your trip with him, you leap off the horse and put your bag on. you holding onto the animal for support while you put on some sneakers. coincidentally, joel place his hand on yours as you meet eyes. “hey, before you go kiddo..” he gave you a soft smile. “uh, thanks for the talk. it was short but.. i appreciate it.”

“psh. no need to thank me, dad-“ you catch yourself. no way you just said that. you put your foot back down and stomped away without looking back. hearing joel’s chuckles from behind, you wave goodbye. so embarrassing.. “i’ll see you later, joel.. looking forward to that movie night.”