Fandom The Day The World Changed { The Last of Us 1x1 with icedthemoon }

[EquineGurl23]

Joshua and Jacob Smith
FEDRA Officer, FEDRA Civilian | 24, 30 | Current location ;; Washington State

Josh heard what the people said about the bombing and heard Soren’s words as he spoke. Josh nodded as they walked back towards central headquarters. “That would make sense even if I wish they’d kept us up to date.” He said as he tried to push his thoughts and fears away. He’d managed to block the fact that he might have killed his own father because he didn’t want to believe it. He opened the door to headquarters and let Soren in before following him, looking for anyone who might know about the bombing.

Kaiden laughed and giggled at the swoop up and flown in an arc. He looked at Hayden as he got up and grabbed his hand. “Stairs!” Kai giggled as he walked with Hayden. He held his arms up when they got there so he could be carried down. Jacob looked at Theo, hearing the fussy starting. He bounced and rocked him, making soft shh noises. “Come on buddy, it’s okay.”​

 

[icedthemoon]

Hayden Gaines and Soren Truelson
FEDRA Civilian, FEDRA Officer | 24, 35 | Current location ;; Washington State

Entering the headquarters was like walking into a mad house with everyone running around. Apparently they were not far enough into this for that to be something that they solved. Instead of asking around, Soren walked straight back to that room they had been in before. Sure enough, there were all those fancy strategists talking about something. “So? Any updates?” One man lifted his head to see who was talking, acknowledged both of them with a nod, and answered. “Sir, the dust is settling now, but our plane recon says they’ve seen a lot of dead. So far it’s looking like a success.”

When they reached the stairs, Hayden lifted up Kai but he decided that just going down the stairs was not going to work. He needed more to distract himself. So instead, they were going to fly down them. Like his dad for him. “Here comes the Flying Ace! Kaiden is a world class pilot!” He flew him up and down. Hayden ran down half the stairs and paused as he spun them both around. “One last stretch and then he’s going to make the most daring landing!” He ran down the rest of the way and flew Kai in an arc before getting down on his knees to deposit him on the ground. “And he sticks the landing!”
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Joshua and Jacob Smith
FEDRA Officer, FEDRA Civilian | 24, 30 | Current location ;; Washington State

Josh looked around at everyone as they came in. It was crazy with everyone running around. He followed Soren to the room they were in before. Josh’s blood went cold as he heard the man’s words. A lot of dead. Oh no. No. Josh’s fingers closed into a fist as he swallowed hard. He was going to have to go out there. It was the only way to know for sure. But he didn’t want to go alone. “Soren? I need to talk to you. Alone.” He needed someone to talk to, to go with him and he trusted Soren a lot.

Kaiden giggled as he was lifted up and then laughed as he looked at Hayden. “Weee!” Kaiden laughed as he was flown through the air. His eyes were wide with joy as he giggled and laughed. He couldn’t stop. As his feet touched the ground, he hugged Hayden’s leg before he looked at him. “Knock knock!” He cried out while Jacob was making his was downstairs, rocking Theo as he did.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Hayden Gaines and Soren Truelson
FEDRA Civilian, FEDRA Officer | 24, 35 | Current location ;; Washington State

A lot of dead could be a good thing. Since this man did not specify what kind of dead they were looking at, Soren chose to believe that it was infected. Many infected died which was like a mercy kill as well as saved all the lives that they could have taken. However, a small part of him was afraid that many dead also meant the people who were not infected and did not get out. They did not have enough time. They couldn’t get around something. It was a terrible thought. He looked over at Josh, eyes narrowed with concern. “Okay. Sure. Are you okay?” He could not imagine what was wrong with Josh, but he didn’t like it. He stepped out of the room and into the hall.

Theo was not assuaged by Jacob’s attempts though he was feeling moderately better. At least he had Jacob who he was thinking about getting used to. So he didn’t cry. Yet. He would consider it for later if he thought that might get him something that he wanted. Meanwhile, Hayden was right back to where they had been. He was having the time of his life. He would never have guessed that his life would be so much better by running down some stairs and through halls. When Kai started, so did he. “Knock knock!” He ran to the first door to start banging on it and then continued down the hall with the little boy.
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Joshua and Jacob Smith
FEDRA Officer, FEDRA Civilian | 24, 30 | Current location ;; Washington State

Josh looked at Soren as he heard him and followed him out into the hall. How did he bring this up? It wasn’t something he wanted to but he had to get it out here before he talked to Hayden. “I.. I got a message as the bombing started to talk place. And I think.. I think I killed my father.. but I don’t know.” Josh pulled his phone out and showed Soren with shaking hands. “I.. I think I killed Hayden’s mom too.” Josh whispered. His body was shaking a little bit. “I.. can’t… I need to tell him but I need to make sure first. Would you.. come with me when they’re done bombing?” Josh asked.

Jacob kept up the rocking as he walked onto the last floor. Kaiden giggled and laughed as he ran to the next door and banged on it. “Knock knock!” He called out as he did. Kaiden was having the time of his little life at the moment.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Hayden Gaines and Soren Truelson
FEDRA Civilian, FEDRA Officer | 24, 35 | Current location ;; Washington State

Killed his father? Soren was more than a little concerned with these words. So he read the text, and the truth dawned on him. Their parents were still there when the bombing started. “We don’t know that they are dead,” Soren countered. It was the only thing he thought to do, because he would want that to be true. “He could have texted you that before they heard the messages about how to get out. They could have heard the bombs and found cover somewhere.” The likelihood of that seemed pretty low. Soren suggested the type of bombing that was specifically made to not allow that to happen. “Of course I will go out there with you.” He put a hand on Josh’s shoulder. “I’m so sorry.”

They ran from door to door, banging and yelling. Just in case, Hayden did not look at any of the doors as they opened. Thankfully, they were moving so quickly that he was not at any door when they opened. At the end, he knelt down with his arms open for Kai to join him again. He was very quickly not wanting to be apart. As soon as they had their audience again, he gave the same speech he had and looked to Jacob to give his as well.
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Joshua and Jacob Smith
FEDRA Officer, FEDRA Civilian | 24, 30 | Current location ;; Washington State

Josh looked at Soren, hearing him. “But they could be.” Josh whispered and he shook his head at those words. The bombs were designed to prevent anyone from making it. Josh was closer to his father than his mother and it was hard. He felt his eyes water and he wiped the tears away. Stop. Stop that. He felt the hand on his shoulder and looked up at Soren. “Thank you. That means a lot to me.”

Once all the doors were open and Hayden knelt down, Kaiden snuggled into his arms. He looked at all the people with wide eyes as Jacob looked at them. Once Hayden was finished, Jacob gave his own speech as well. “Back to our floor?” Jacob asked, looking at Hayden.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Hayden Gaines and Soren Truelson
FEDRA Civilian, FEDRA Officer | 24, 35 | Current location ;; Washington State

“You’re right.” Soren felt for Josh. He may not have ever gone through anything like this personally, but he knew that he had to be hard, especially with a family that you actually cared about. He could only imagine. “They could be, and that would be terrible, but we don’t know. So we’ll go see. And if they are, we can mourn, but you have to know that this was the right thing to do. They would not hate you for saving the hundreds of lives that we did.” He turned back to the room. “Come on, let’s go see if we can find someone who knows all the status updates, and then we can go take a look.”

Hayden nodded. “Yeah, let’s go up to our floor.” With Kai in his arms, he lifted himself up. “Okay, little twin. Do you want to try walking up some stairs or are those cute little legs of yours tired?” He moved them to the stairwell and stopped so that Kai could decide.
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Joshua and Jacob Smith
FEDRA Officer, FEDRA Civilian | 24, 30 | Current location ;; Washington State

Josh bit on his lip as he stood there, knowing the truth in his bones but hoping he was wrong. “I know it was the right thing to do.. but I can’t.. I can’t tell Hayden. Not that it was my idea. I’ll tell him if his mom is dead, but I can’t.. he’s.. I just can’t tell him that it was because of me. Not right now.” Josh said, voice shaking slightly. This was not going to be a good day. At all. “Should we.. go ask if it’s safe to check it out?”

Kai felt Hayden stand up, lifting them both and they moved to the stairs. Kaiden looked at the stairs and shook his head. He rubbed one of his eyes with a little hand and yawned. “Tired..” He mumbled, turning into Hayden’s side. Jacob followed behind them, still gently rocking Theo.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Hayden Gaines and Soren Truelson
FEDRA Civilian, FEDRA Officer | 24, 35 | Current location ;; Washington State

“Josh, it’s okay.” Soren was not very good at being the consoling type. The fact that he was any sort of affectionate with Jacob, and by any he meant a lot, was beyond surprising. He never really felt compelled to be like this. Now that Josh really needed someone to reassure him, he wasn’t sure how. “You don’t have to decide anything right now. And then, once we know, we can work on how to tell him.” He knew that Josh was more than a little worried about how Hayden was going to handle the news. “I think we make it our job to go check it out.” He stepped back into the room and grabbed the attention of one of the men. “You’ve only done plane recon right?” The man nodded. “Great. We need to send out ground recon as well. Ground forces are going to be able to tell more. We need to know the damage firsthand before we can determine if this was a success and if we want to use this space.” A higher-ranking officer agreed. “The General will like that idea. You willing to go?” Soren nodded. “I’ll take a team out there. We can go gear up and get ready while you run it by the General.”

Theo was also sleepy. This was a lot of excitement for one day. He went from messing with buttons to closing his eyes. By the time they made it back up to their floor, Theo was asleep in Jacob’s arms. “You do look pretty tired,” Hayden agreed and carried him up the stairs. “Maybe it’s naptime. We can go check to see if Mom is still asleep. I don’t want to wake her up though..” He looked back at Jacob. “I don’t really have anywhere to take a toddler.”
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Joshua and Jacob Smith
FEDRA Officer, FEDRA Civilian | 24, 30 | Current location ;; Washington State

Right. Okay. It’ll be okay. Will it? He looked at Soren and nodded. Josh swallowed back his tears and swiped the remaining off his face. “Okay.” He said, following Soren into the room. Josh pushed his emotions down, tucking them into a small pocket in his mind. He could deal with that later. Now he had a job to do. He heard Soren talking to the others and once they agreed to getting a team together, he made to follow Soren to find the General.

Kaiden yawned again as he curled into Hayden’s side. He didn’t want to leave his side at all. Jacob noticed Theo was asleep in his arms. “Well. We can always create a space on one of our beds for them to nap on.” Jacob suggested. And as long as they were in the same room, it should be perfectly safe to do that.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Hayden Gaines and Soren Truelson
FEDRA Civilian, FEDRA Officer | 24, 35 | Current location ;; Washington State

Soren was not sure where to go to find the General, so he did what he would have done if this were the FEDRA that he remembered from a week ago. “Anyone seen the General?” The booming voice took some effort, but this was necessary. They had places to be and things to learn. No one had the time to sit and wallow. A woman pointed down a hall. “He’s set up an office. I think he’s meeting with some people about developing more efficient ways to determine if someone is infected or not.” That was enough for Soren. He walked down the hall with purpose. “Do you want to talk to him or do you want me to?”

Hayden cradled Kai in his arms, examining that sweet little face. He unconsciously smiled. “I think that’s a good idea, though they both seem pretty happy where they are. They may not let us put them down.” They moved down the hall to their rooms, and since Hayden was at the top, he opened up his and held the door open for Jacob.
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Joshua and Jacob Smith
FEDRA Officer, FEDRA Civilian | 24, 30 | Current location ;; Washington State

As they went to find the General, he looked at Soren when he heard that booming voice. He listened to the woman explain where he was and followed Soren down the hall. He too walked with purpose, though his mind was a turbulent sea of emotions. “I can talk to him.” Josh said, knowing he had to learn to deal with his emotions later and get the job done first. He knocked on the door of the office and would wait for the come in before he stepped inside.

Kai closed his eyes as he turned his face into Hayden’s shirt. Jacob looked at the sight and smiled, before he looked down at Theo. Once Jacob stepped inside the apartment and the door was shut, he thought for a moment. “Let’s try it, and worse case we end up sitting on the bed with them.”​

 

[icedthemoon]

Hayden Gaines and Soren Truelson
FEDRA Civilian, FEDRA Officer | 24, 35 | Current location ;; Washington State

The sounds of movement and talking on the other side briefly died away as the General’s voice called, “Come in.” Soren opened the door and stepped inside, moving to the side so that Josh could come in as well. “Ah, my young heroes.” He nodded to the two other men. “We can continue this discussion at a later date when other sects have more information for me.” The men nodded as well and left the room, closing the door behind them. “So, what can I do for you? I trust your project is going well. I appreciate you taking that on so willingly. I have heard that the bombings went well too.”

“Alright, we can try.” Hayden walked into the bedroom and shifted so that he was holding Kai with one arm so that he could smooth out the blankets and move the pillows. He slowly and gently leaned down to place Kai on one side of the bed. He was not even sure what he would do if they fell asleep.
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Joshua and Jacob Smith
FEDRA Officer, FEDRA Civilian | 24, 30 | Current location ;; Washington State

Josh followed Soren into the office and looked at the General. He nodded to the man in return as the other two that were in there were gone. “The project is going very well. And you’re welcome. As for the bombings, we heard they did plane recon but we’d like to take a team on the ground to check it out and see how it worked.” Josh said, looking at the General.

Kai grumbled softly at the shifting movement before he felt Hayden’s warmth disappear. A whine emitted from his throat as he shifted, looking for Hayden. He wasn’t very happy to be away from him. A fuss was bound to start. Jacob shifted Theo and made a little hole with blankets so the baby didn’t roll off the bed and leaned down to lay him down on the bed.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Hayden Gaines and Soren Truelson
FEDRA Civilian, FEDRA Officer | 24, 35 | Current location ;; Washington State

General Fontaine eyed the two men in his office, and Soren wished that he could read his mind. “Ground check. Right. We probably should send people in to see how well this went. It’s dangerous. We don’t know what kind of damage is out there or what survived. It would be very useful though.” He looked at Josh who spoke. “And you want to take the team out there? You’re just ripe with enthusiasm, aren’t you? I like that. Someone who isn’t afraid to do the work that needs to be done.” He sat back in his chair. “That’s how you get desks like this.” He rubbed his chin with his hand.

Oh no, now that was not okay. The little whine broke Hayden’s heart. “Hey, little guy. Don’t be upset. I’m right here.” He bent right back down so that his arms were around Kai again. So he was going to be laying on the bed with him. Got it. He looked at Jacob and shrugged before looking back at Kai. Theo, being fast asleep, did not even notice that he was moved. Not yet. Jacob was free for now. But only for now. Theo would soon awaken and cry like the world was ending around him, and that was because he felt like it was.
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Joshua and Jacob Smith
FEDRA Officer, FEDRA Civilian | 24, 30 | Current location ;; Washington State

He watched the General and wondered what he was thinking. Then he heard him and nodded. “That is exactly what I was thinking sir and thank you. I appreciate that.” Josh said with a smile on his face. He was still unsure of what he’d find out there but he was hoping that his fears were wrong. Then his mind drew to the General again. A desk like that? Did he.. want that? Kind of. He could be a big time hero to Hayden, a big time General. Hm.

Kaiden heard his words and whined again until he felt the arms around him. He curled into the body holding him and snuggled into it. A contented sigh coming out as he relaxed once more. Jacob saw the interaction and smiled. He could see how those two were forming quite a connection and it was beautiful. He laid down slightly beside Theo but not touching him. “They’re adorable.” Jacob whispered so as to not wake up the two little ones.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Hayden Gaines and Soren Truelson
FEDRA Civilian, FEDRA Officer | 24, 35 | Current location ;; Washington State

“Think about it,” General Fontaine implored him as he moved his chair from behind his desk. “You are exactly the kind of person who we need on these teams.” He flicked his gaze to Soren. “And what about you? You’re just as eager. Commander Hollis has told me about you. What do you think about working your way up?” Soren was not sure. He placed his hands behind his back and stood there like a good soldier. “Sir, with all due respect, I can’t think about myself and promotions when we have people out there who depend on us.” The General just stared at them for a moment before standing up and nodding. “Do you already have people working on gathering your team? How many people do you want for this?”

Hayden curled around Kai and just laid there for a moment. “They really are,” he whispered back. He never knew this about himself, though he probably should have known. He babysat for a couple of the younger kids in his family while they were in high school. He looked at Jacob. “How are you doing over there with the actual baby? He seems like he’s pretty well behaved.”
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Joshua and Jacob Smith
FEDRA Officer, FEDRA Civilian | 24, 30 | Current location ;; Washington State


Joshua nodded as he looked at the General.
He was highly considering it. He could be out, securing their zone. It was something he was considering heavily. Josh looked over at Soren and felt his face flush a little. He knew they had people depending on them, and perhaps thinking about a promotion was selfish. But the seed had been planted in his head. “We have someone forming our team as we speak. We wanted to talk to you first sir.”

Jacob smiled, looking at them. Then he looked at Theo. “He’s good, had a little bit of fuss earlier after he was handed to Harry.” Jacob said as he looked back at Hayden. “He certainly seems to like you.” Jacob said, nodding his head to Kaiden currently snuggled as close as he could be to Hayden.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Hayden Gaines and Soren Truelson
FEDRA Civilian, FEDRA Officer | 24, 35 | Current location ;; Washington State

“Good. That is going to make this easier.” The General moved from behind his desk and walked to the door. He opened it and nearly walked out but stopped. He turned back to Josh and Soren. “The two of you are a fascinating pair. Commander Hollis has told me that you suddenly appeared with each other recently and have been inseparable since.” He looked at them inquisitively before clearly making some sort of decision or observation. “Keep it up. I haven’t seen a duo of officers that work quite like you two in a long time.” He turned to face the open door. “The bombs have been done for enough time that it should be safe relatively speaking for you and your team to go out there. Keep safe and I want your report as soon as you return.”

Hayden’s grin was large and bright. “I guess. I am sure he would be the same with anyone who was willing to run up and down halls banging on people’s doors.” It was only now that Kai was asleep and the deed was done that he started to see how that may not have ended well. “It probably wasn’t my smartest decision, but…” His eyes fell on the little boy he was pretty sure he already loved. “I needed that. I think… I think I needed someone like him to pull me out, you know? I know that sounds silly. He’s just this little kid.”
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Joshua and Jacob Smith
FEDRA Officer, FEDRA Civilian | 24, 30 | Current location ;; Washington State

Josh had turned to follow the General out the door when he saw him stop and look back at them. His head tilted slightly in curiosity as he heard him. Oh. Wait. He thought they worked well together? So did Josh. He was finding that they did do very well together. He’d never had a friend quite like Soren. One who was quickly becoming a best friend or even a brother. Josh nodded as he heard that. “Yes sir.” He said, heading out the open door and turned to head back to the room they’d been in before.

Jacob could see how big and bright Hayden’s grin was. “It’s not silly. I get it. A little fun during these uncertain and stressful times is always a good thing. Sometimes we just need someone to help us with that. And I think we found yours.” Jacob said quietly. “I think if nothing else, you have a new best friend.” He said, smiling at the two of them.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Hayden Gaines and Soren Truelson
FEDRA Civilian, FEDRA Officer | 24, 35 | Current location ;; Washington State

Soren followed Josh back to the room, and as soon as they were away from the General, he nudged his shoulder with his own. “Look at that. I should have brought you along with me ages ago.” He shook his head and laughed. When they entered the room, the man who they talked to before waved them over. “I’ve got a team ready for you whenever you want to go. We set up an armory of sorts in the next hallway over. That’s where the team will be. Remember to take a radio so that we can keep in contact with you.” He nodded solemnly to them. “Good luck out there. I wouldn’t want to do that.”

A new best friend. That would mean that this little boy was replacing Josh. Josh had been his best friend for so long. They were so young when they met and knew they were meant to be a pair. Was it okay to share that love with someone else? He was already starting to think that Jacob was becoming a close friend as well as his brother too. Could he be friends with a toddler? Of course he could. He already was. “I think you’re right. Don’t tell Josh,” he laughed. “But I can’t pick him up and fly him down the stairs.”
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Joshua and Jacob Smith
FEDRA Officer, FEDRA Civilian | 24, 30 | Current location ;; Washington State

Josh looked at Soren when he felt the nudge to his shoulder and chuckled a little bit. “I guess so. We make a pretty good duo I have to agree.” Josh commented as they entered the room. He looked at the man they’d spoken to earlier waved them over. Josh nodded to him and looked over at Soren. “Ready?” He said, swallowing a little bit. “Thank you. We’ll be back.” Josh told him, turning to go find their team. Once there he looked at the group and grabbed a radio for himself and a gun with extra ammo.

Jacob laughed softly as he nodded. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell Josh you can’t pick him up and fly him down the stairs.” Jacob said as he looked at the little boy currently sleeping, face pressed into Hayden’s shirt and soft snores coming from him.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Hayden Gaines and Soren Truelson
FEDRA Civilian, FEDRA Officer | 24, 35 | Current location ;; Washington State

“I’ve never really seen anyone co-captain a team, but I kind of feel like that works well for us.” Soren followed him to the team who he greeted like he did with anyone they were around. He asked everyone their names even if he was sure to forget them soon after. He also grabbed a radio as well as a gun and plenty of ammo. “Okay, this is going to be a difficult mission. We will have many obstacles. We will have rough terrain. We will find people who are dead. I don’t know what else we’re going to find, but whatever it is, we are in this together.” He looked at Josh before also looking at everyone else. “If anyone finds something that is too much, that is okay. If you need to take a step aside and breathe for a moment, that is okay. We are not on a rush mission. We did that already. So, if no one has any questions for now, I say we get moving. We can always talk as we go.”

Hayden covered his mouth with the easiest hand to move so that he did not laugh too loudly. That would have been the silliest conversation. ‘Hey honey, we can’t be best friends because I cannot possibly pick you up and pretend that you’re a flying ace.’ Actually, that sounded like something he might tell him anyway. He was sure that Josh was going to need some silliness in his life after whatever they went through today. He hated that this was his life now. He was surrounded by… death. His hand fell away, and the moment of fun passed just in time for the despair to set in again. Remembering how the world was around them. “So.” He needed anything to distract him. “What’s the plan for the rest of our day?”
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Joshua and Jacob Smith
FEDRA Officer, FEDRA Civilian | 24, 30 | Current location ;; Washington State

Josh looked at Soren and nodded a little. "I think it does, we work well together after all." He said as they made it to the team. He heard their names but he did not think he'd remember them. Well. Not all of them. There was one who seemed very eager to be doing this. He looked around as he tried to remember that one's name. "Let's get going." Josh agreed, turning to lead the team with Soren towards the front door. "Are we taking a FEDRA truck?" He asked curiously as they walked.

Jacob smiled as he saw Hayden cover his mouth, and could only imagine that he was trying not to laugh too loud. Oh. No. He saw Hayden's hand fall away and he looked around the room. "So I didn't have a plan really, and we don't have much to keep these two occupied when they wake up either." Jacob replied as he thought for a moment. "Maybe we can play some hide and seek? There isn't much here, but it might keep Kai occupied. He seems like he'd like that maybe."​