The Last Of Us: Part I - Darker Days (Male Reader)

Chapter 20 - Decidophobia

A/N: This was supposed to be uploaded last night but fucking fell asleep. I'm so sorry, but I hope you enjoy! Next one will be up later today or tomorrow! This was split up into two parts, since the chapter would be insanely long.

"Tommy..."

Joel stood in shock, even now as he gaped at his younger brother up and down before him, eyes wide and mouth slacked. He couldn't believe it, after so many years, he faced Tommy for the first time and couldn't find anymore words to utter.

It seemed Tommy was much of the same.

"Holy shit."

Before he knew it, Joel was pulled into a warm embrace, arms wrapped around him, stunning him to the ground beneath him. Shaking out of his surprise, Joel hugged him back just as fiercely.

"How you doin' baby brother?"

"Goddamn."

"Yeah..."

Tommy pulled back — looking his older brother up and down, as if he didn't believe what was in front of him — hands clasped on his shoulders, and smiling wide, "Let me look at you." He chuckled, as far as his appearance was, he looked far older than he remembered. "You got fucking old."

"Easy — It's gonna happen to you too." Joel smiled small, not the large grin of Tommy but enough that he allowed, knocking his brother's hand from his in jest, as the lady from above the walls came into the picture beside him, in which they all noticed.

"This is Maria." Tommy said, a hand reaching far enough to pat her on the back, which Y/N took notice of, they all did. She was about Tommy's age, if he had to guess, darker blonde hair, rugged look under her eyes, and the stress lines accompanied by the daily life of those lived under the watchful eye of the infected and the living. "Be nice to her, she sorta runs things around here."

Joel gave her a nod, and gestured to her, "Ma'am. Thanks for not blowing my head off."

The lady, Maria, nodded back, and while her face did not shine like Tommy's, her eyes certainly did, as she turned to him and then back to Joel, with a sarcastic lint that rocked her voice, "Would've been embarrassing, considering you're my brother-in-law."

Joel didn't stop the twitch of his eyes at that, and in turn, he switched his gaze upon Tommy, who, by now, had a sheepish sort of look about him. Eyes lowered, lips pursed and hands wrapping slightly tighter around that rifle he was holding.

"We all gotta get wrangled up at some point."

There was a silence that followed after, one of awkwardness and a sense of uneasiness that had them almost standing on eggshells between. Gone for so long, people change, places too, and new developments had them at a loss of words. Even as they hung to the side, Y/N and Ellie could feel it as if it clung to their clothes.

Fortunately for them all, it was Maria who broke the silence, when she turned their way, a question in her eyes.

"Ellie — and Y/N — right?" Maria asked, her eyes softening, while her tensed shoulders finally relaxed. She noticed the teens, their ampled frames stayed guarded. "What brings you both through here?"

Y/N had his rifle lowered, barrel pointing to the dirt below, even as his finger was glued to the trigger. His shoulders were tensed, unwilling to slacken even when Tommy revealed himself to them, and his eyes that primed and narrowed, roamed between them and the walls.

While Ellie, her hands tucked into her back pockets, stood her ground. Pulling her hands free, and relaxing slightly, she found her gaze going to Y/N, then to Joel, and then finally back to Maria and Tommy with a shake of her head. "Uh... It's kind of a long story."