The Last of Us (Male!Ellie x Female!Reader)

Chapter 15: I Swear

*3rd Person POV*

Joel slowly open his eyes to see that he's in some sort of hospital room. He narrow his eyes in confusion as he looks to his right and sees Marlene sitting in a chair next to his bed. "Welcome to the Fireflies." She greets as Joel looks over at her. "Sorry about the..." she said as she gestures over to a couple of guards, that were standing near his beds. "They didn't know who you were." She said. "And Elliot and (y/n)?" Joel asked her. "They're alright. They brought them back." Marlene replied then she looks him over.

"You came all this way... How'd you do it?" She asked him. "It was them. Those two fought like hell to get here." Joel replied before he clears his throat. "Maybe it was meant to be." He said. "I lost most of my crew crossing the country. I pretty much lost everything. And then you show up and somehow we find you just in time to save him. Maybe it was meant to be." She said as Joel starts to sit up.

"Take me to him. And to (y/n)." Joel said to Marlene. "You don't have to worry about them anymore. We'll take care of--" Marlene started to say but Joel talks over her. "I worry. Just let me see them, please." Joel begged and she looks at Joel as he stands up and walks in front of her.

"You can't. He's being prepped for surgery and she's still asleep." She replied as she stands up from her chair. "The hell you mean surgery?" Joel asked her, confused. "The doctors tell me that the cordyceps, the growth inside him, has somehow mutated. It's why he's immune. Once they remove it, they'll be able to reverse-engineer a vaccine." She said. Then she smiles and let's out a small laugh of relief. "A vaccine." She repeats in a whisper.

"But it grows all over the brain." Joel said.

"It does." Marlene said and Joel stares at her in shock then once he realized what she was hinting at, he becomes angry as he glares at her. "Find someone else." He told her, firmly. "There is no one else." She replied. "Listen, you are gonna show me where--" Joel started to say as he walks closer to her but one of the guards comes up and knocks him down to his knees.

"Stop. I get it. But whatever it is you think you're going through right now, it is nothing compared to what I have been through. I knew him since he was born. I promised his mother I would look after him." Marlene said. "Then why are you letting this happen?" Joel asked her, desperately. "Because this isn't about me. Or even him. There is no other choice here." She said to him.

Joel scoffs and shakes his head before he goes and sits down in front of the chair and placed his arms on his knee and glares up at Marlene. "Yeah...you keep telling yourself that bullshit." He said to her in a harsh whisper.

Marlene glares at him then turns to one of the guards. "March him outta here. He tries anything, shoot them." She order the guard then turns to Joel. "Don't waste this gift, Joel." She said and she and the other guard walk out of the room.

Joel looks down at the ground as the guard walks up to. "Get up." The guard said to Joel as he aims his gun at Joel. "I said get up." The guard said to Joel, who hadn't moved. He slowly raises his head at the guard then gets up. "Go on. Move." The guard said and Joel slowly starts walking out of the room but then stopped at the doorway.

"I said move." The guard ordered as he shoved his gun against Joel's shoulder. Joel glares at him over his shoulder. "Give me an excuse." The guard threatened. "Which way?" Joel asked him and the guard gestures to the left. Joel sighs at this and they head towards the left where Joel sees his backpack on a counter.

Then he stops once he passed the counter. "What the fuck you doin'? Keep walking." The guard said but Joel doesn't move. "I said keep walking." The guard ordered and Joel elbows his gun up and then overpowers him and slams him up against the wall as he takes the guard's gun.