shutupanddancewithme



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  1. Public Bookmark 57

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    Being a dad again is like rediscovering an old shirt you thought was lost to the laundry forever.

    Initially, for Joel, it felt too good to be true. See, there were these little moments with Ellie on the road where he felt small pieces of his old self start to slip through like insulation spilling from cracked drywall.

    It started small, apart from the natural role of protector he had to establish due to being the only adult in their party. He’d grab her backpack straps just before she could step right into a ditch and brain herself on a tumbled over log. It was almost instinctual, somehow he just knew she was about to get hurt and his arm shot out without his mind being aware of the action.

    Well, really, it devolved from there and he was pretty helpless.

     

    (Joel finds his way to being a dad again after two decades of wandering)

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    06 Oct 2023

  2. Public Bookmark *

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    He frowns and picks the picture up, angling it to better see it in the light of the fluorescents of the hallway shining in. He looks over to Ellie’s sleeping face, smooth now in a brief reprieve from nightmares. He looks back to the picture. Back to Ellie. Back to the picture.

    It’s…it’s her. It has to be. Same nose, same eyes, same ears. The baby has the soft roundness of a young infant that makes it hard to tell jaw shape or cheekbones, but there’s no denying it.

    He’s holding a picture of an infant Ellie.

    (the fireflies steal ellie's fedra file) (in the hospital, joel finds it)

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    25 Jul 2023

  3. Public Bookmark *

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    “I thought it would be nice if you came over for dinner at ours sometime. It’s me, and my husband, and our two boys. I’m sure you’ve seen them around school?”

    Now that she mentions it, she does recognize the name. The Erikson boys are nice enough, one older than her, one younger. Both humongous. Just like their mother, who is towering over Ellie as they speak.

    “That’s…nice,” Ellie says, uncomfortable. “But, um. Why?”

    Mrs. Erikson smiles. “Because, dear. I thought it would be good for us all to get to know each other. Seeing as Tommy Miller came and talked to us about the possibility of you coming to live with us.”

    or:

    A series of misunderstandings has Ellie doubting her place in the Miller family. The remaining Millers do their best to show her where she belongs.

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    20 Jul 2023

  4. Public Bookmark *

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    The room is illuminated by a flash of lightning for a split second, and it’s enough for Joel to see that Ellie isn’t in her spot on top of flat cushions against the wall.

    “Shit,” he mutters, scrambling upright and unholstering his pistol. There’s a loud rumble of thunder again, and Joel spares a second to wonder if she’s the type of kid who gets scared by storms.

    Sarah had been like that, spring storms in Texas sending her scurrying to his room until she was at least ten. Even after that, when she’d stayed in her own room, he would go in to check on her and more often than not find her curled in a ball. He had never known why, since it wasn’t like they’d had particularly terrible storms when she was real little. She seemed to have been born with an innate fear of them, and no amount of reassurances or it's just angels bowling could make her relax.

    (ellie has a fondness for rainstorms and thunderstorms)

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    07 Jul 2023

  5. Public Bookmark *

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    “Are you in trouble? Back home?”

    The ends of her sweatshirt are grasped in her fists, wrapped around her hands. He half expects her to pull the hood up, tie the strings over her face, and completely tuck herself away. It makes him think of the other night with that nasty motel bedspread pulled right up beneath her chin, asking about locks on the door. It makes him think of a scared kid.

    “What difference does it make?” Ellie mumbles out while avoiding his gaze. “I’m out of there now.” She turns a steely gaze towards him. “And I’m not going back.”

    “Wasn’t planning on makin’ ya,” Joel whispers in the late night air. The stars are coming out. If it’s a clear enough night, maybe he can point out Mars to her.

    or:

    Ellie's a foster kid who helps herself to the bed of Joel's truck to get where she needs to go. Joel is a sucker who just can't turn her away.

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    28 Jun 2023