*crashes Through Ur Ceiling* Can We Have Dad Joel N Ellie Caring For The Horses And/or Going On A Horseride,,,,maybe

*crashes through ur ceiling* can we have dad joel n ellie caring for the horses and/or going on a horseride,,,,maybe ellie challenges him to a race n zooms off,,,

* you crash right onto my work table * ah ! right on time . here's a funny ! i accidentally spilled a dash of panic attack into it btw my bad !

ps : i watched that spaceship museum scene 18 TIMES while writing both this and the larger fic abt joel n ellie OOHMHJGOD pls tell me if i got their characters right IM SO BAD . IMSO BAD AT THEM . also rip callus my beloved but dw ellie gets a new horse :-] ! (* said horse dies later as well * we can't have SHIT in seattle)

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There’s only three things that Joel had told her when it comes to horses; one, she never, at any given time or situation, should stand behind a horse. Two, that one charged kick from its hind legs is enough power to kill a grown man, especially a tiny teensy girl like she is (much to her dismay). And three, don’t kiss the horse, Ellie, it’s dirty.

Now that they’re in Jackson, though?

“They’re not dirty anymore, Joel,” she snipes, tongue stuck at him while the man rolled his eyes from across the stable—and then she resumed her cooing, stroking the fur of one of the horses unlucky enough to find herself at her hands. “You’re all clean and pretty, aren’t you, big girl?”

Somewhere behind the other stables, Joel lets out a laugh. “I thought you came along to help me clean up.”

“I did!” Ellie says in defense, holding a hand up, “I just really like this horse!”

“Any particular reason why?” He teased.

“Nah,” Ellie frowns lightly with a shrug, “I don’t—”

She felt something stuck at the back of her throat.

The cannibals closing in. Her thoughts going Joel Joel Joel, grabbing on the reins and leaping on, bullets flying everywhere, a ledge, a sharp gasp, a fistful of brown fur—

Her chest tightened.

“Ellie?”

There’s a large hand pressing on her shoulders, her back. “Hey, hey—what happened?”

“I,” Ellie tries to breathe, but it came out all gasped and shaky and pathetic, “I’m—”

“Hey, hey. S’ okay. C’mon,” Joel shushes, low and reassuring, guiding her to slide down against the wall and sit on the dirt floor of the stables. “Breathe. You’ve got this. You’re okay.”

She lets out a dry sob, and Joel rubs on her back, gentle and grounding and her fist tightens on his jeans instead, trying to shake the feeling of fur from her hands. “I’m—M’sorry.”

“Hush,” he says, “I don’t need apologies, El. I need you to breathe.”

“Okay,” she nods, barely a whisper, inhaling shaky breaths one after the other. And then, like it was supposed to make sense to Joel, “he—Callus.”

“Oh,” he exhales softly.

“They—they shot him.”

Joel reaches out round his arms over her shoulders, pulling her closer. “I know.”

“I didn’t even get to bury him.”

“I know, baby girl,” he murmurs, calloused fingers stroking on her baby hair, “I know. I’m sorry.”

Ellie finally gives up, leaning against his side with another shaky breath. Joel feels strong and sturdy on her side, like an anchor—the crying comes slowly, this time; the thick pain in her throat, rising up and up until it forms a choked-out sob, and she stares into the distance, letting the tears burn its way down her cheeks. And Joel didn’t wipe them away. Not this time.

Her lungs ached, hands grabbing on Joel’s jeans tighter, and he lets out another soft shush before he holds her hand for her, squeezing it back just as tight. As his other hand rubs her arm up and down, the feeling in her ribs begin to lighten. Another sob lightens it, and then another, and there’s a small smile on her face when she looks up at Joel again.

“Okay?” He whispers, and she nods at him.

“Okay.” It hurts, but it’s okay to hurt. She’ll let it hurt. And then, maybe, one faithful day when her hair is as gray as Maria's—she'll finally learn how to grow around it, like wild vines that grows all over the remnants and ruins.

“I’m sorry,” there’s guilt in Joel’s voice when he spoke up again, patting on her shoulder gently, “I didn’t mean to make you remember things like that. When I asked “any particular reason why”, I meant as in that girl Dina you’re—”

“Oh my god, Joel,” Ellie groans with a laugh, throwing her head back before pushing him away. “I told you we didn’t break up, we’re just friends!”

“Well, she’s been scowling whenever she sees you and Cat around, and I’m sensing there’s some kind of triangle between—”

“—Joel!”

“Alright, alright,” Joel laughs gruffly, raising both hands in defeat, “although, Dina’s got a particular liking to horses too, don’t you think?”

“Fuck you,” Ellie laughs, returning to stroking the horse’s fur gently. This time, the feeling calms her again. It doesn’t hurt as much anymore.

“So,” Joel says, gently again, nudging his head towards the horse, “you naming her Callus junior?”

“Nah,” she shrugs lightly. “I was thinking… Shimmer would be nice.”

He gave her a look. “You’ve got a horrible taste at naming horses.”

Ellie smirks at him. “She still likes me a lot, though, so suck it.”

Joel huffs out another laugh at that, leaning back against the wall with crossed arms. “You look like the kind of gal horses would like.”

“The fuck’s that supposed to mean?”