Solace - TLOU

Chapter Fifteen

"And if he's not there?"

Joel didn't even want to think about that thought. His little brother meant the world to him, even though Joel would never show it. Joel sighed and answered Ellie,

"Then odds are he'll be near a settlement, probably close to another city out there. Ain't too many of 'em in Wyoming."

Lily looked at the city's in Wyoming, never having seen a map, she had only left the QZ once. Violet thought they were better off there, and they were for a time. Until the available food kept dwindling, causing FEDRA to basically starve the people. Lily spoke sounding out a city's name,

"Chee-Yen."

Violet laughed loudly, as Joel's head turned in her direction, cracking her the smallest smile, but it was there, Violet spoke reaching back and ruffling Lily's hair,

"Cheyenne, Lil—
It's Cheyenne."

Lily pushed Violet away from her glaring as she looked down and sounded the word out again before wittingly saying,

"You taught me everything I know,
if anything you are too blame."

Violet scoffed, glaring back as she held in the laugh she wanted to let out. Ellie looked down at the map and spoke asking Joel a question at the end.

"Che... really? Cheyenne... Laramie... Casper?
What's his name?"

Joel looked puzzled asking trying to keep his eyes on the road as he questioned,

"Whose name?"

Violet rolled her eyes and
then quickly spoke,

"Your brother, Joel."

Joel rolled his eyes back at her, biting his tongue, as he answered,

"Tommy."

Ellie asked the next question, Joel answering quickly as Joel glanced at Violet every so often, Lily catching him a few times.

"Younger or older?"

"Younger."

Lily asked the next question, deterring Joel's eyes away from Violet, as she glared at the man,

"Why isn't he with you?"

Joel looked out the window for a second, sighing before he replied, Violet could tell that things weren't perfect between the two, but he seemed like he missed his brother.
And she couldn't imagine not seeing her sister.

"A long story."

Violet scoffed as she sarcastically replied, Ellie and Lily chuckling to themselves,

"Is it longer than 25 hours? 'Cause I think that's what we got."

Joel rolled his eyes, holding eye contact with Violet for a second longer than he should. Violet felt her heart constrict. She needed to protect herself. Joel just lost Tess. She was being stupid. Joel answered her,

"Tommy's what we used to call a "joiner." Dreams of becomin' a hero. So he enlisted in the Army right outta high school. A few months later, they ship him off to Desert Storm. It's what they called that war. It doesn't matter. Point is, bein' in the Army didn't make him feel much like a hero. Cut to 12 years later, outbreak happens.

He convinces me to join a group makin' their way up to Boston, which I did... mostly to keep an eye on him, keep him alive. It's where we met Tess. And that whole crew, we, uh... Well, for what it was, it worked. And then Tommy meets Marlene. She talks him into joinin' the Fireflies.

Same mistake he made when he was 18. Wants to save the world. Pipe dream. Him, Fireflies, all of 'em... delusional. 'Course, last I heard, he quit the Fireflies, too. So now he's on his own out there, and... I gotta go get him."

Violet felt the pain in his words, again thinking of her sister, Lily believed in the hope that the world would change, but Violet knew better, hope ruins the best people. Violet nodded along as Lily and Ellie went silent, Ellie spoke softly, not understanding why Joel thought like that, her innocence made Violet both worried for her and happy that she still had hope,

"If you don't think there's hope for the world, why bother going on? I mean, you gotta try, right?"

Joel answered her quickly, knowing that with experience came with a whole lot of baggage, and he had lost so much. When Sarah died, that was it. He never forgave himself.

"You haven't seen the world, so you don't know. You keep goin' for family. That's about it."

Ellie spoke quickly,

"I'm not family."

"No... you're cargo. And I made a promise to Tess. And she was like family."

Violet could see the grief swimming in Joel's eyes as he spoke, he missed Tess. It happened too quickly, another person he failed and he couldn't fail another. Lily spoke warily,

"What if you don't find him?"

Joel whispered that he would before Ellie spoke again as Violet snuggled into the jacket Joel had given her, Violet yawned as Joel looked down over at her and felt his heart constrict.

"How do you know?"

Joel wanted Ellie and Lily to stop talking so Violet could sleep, he also knew Ellie was tired by the bags under her eyes. Joel spoke stuttering slightly,

"I'm persistent. Ya got up pretty early. If you and Lily wanna grab more sleep..."

Ellie shrugged as Lily shook her head. Not even a minute later both Lily and Ellie were passed out. Violet spoke softly,

"I really am sorry about Tess, Joel."

Before Violet fell asleep, Joel smiled down at her, grabbing her mug of coffee and drinking the rest of it.

END OF CHAPTER

it's probs gonna be a slow burn because it's not realistic for Joel to just suddenly want love, there's going to be pain before that hahahahha
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