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

[icedthemoon]

Hayden Gaines and Soren Truelson
FEDRA Civilian, FEDRA Officer | 24, 35 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

It was good that his injury was not so bad. If it were bad, they would have to figure out how to finish all of what they wanted to do and get back without further harm. It would be difficult, but he was sure they could pull it off. He followed to the bedroom and grabbed the second suitcase. “Can do.” He started with the pictures first and then moved around the apartment to grab anything he thought looked well loved, in current use, or something that would be important. He repacked a couple of times to fit more things in as he could. He stole a couple of clothes here and there to pad the pictures and trinkets. “Alright, this is looking pretty good. You see anything else we might need?”

This military thing was already becoming frustrating. Hayden was not the biggest fan of militaries before everything happened, and now that it was everywhere, he was not sure how much he was still a fan. “I’m sure it will be fine. They can’t expect us not to do anything. Surely.” But he didn’t know. No one knew how this was working. It was still too new. If he did not have this cute little baby attached to him, he might have gone down those stairs and started asking questions. What were they going to do to him? Punish him? What could they possibly do to him to make this worse?
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Joshua and Jacob Smith
FEDRA Officer, FEDRA Civilian | 24, 30 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

Josh was thankful that he did not have an bad injury. As he packed clothes, he noticed that Soren would take a couple here and there. He looked around and saw he took all the pictures, the important things. Oh. He walked over to the closet and under the shelf was a box of books. He pulled it out and brought it over. "Almost forgot these." He said, the box had all kinds of young adult novels. He tucked them into the suitcases, splitting them between the two of them. "Alright, that should be it." Josh said, zipping them up. "Should one of us take both and the other watches for anything bad?"

Jacob shook his head and sighed. "We can try, but maybe we should be careful. I don't trust them.." Jacob said, worry filtering in his bones. Sure he trusted Soren and Josh but.. he didn't trust the rest of FEDRA. There was something about them, between the bombing and the quick drop into Martial Law. "I just don't want to see you hurt." Jacob added, looking at his brother. He couldn't stop Hayden and he'd be right beside him the whole time, but that didn't mean he'd keep his opinions quiet.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Hayden Gaines and Soren Truelson
FEDRA Civilian, FEDRA Officer | 24, 35 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

Soren smiled at the box of books. “Certainly can’t forget those. What would I read to him then?” This was a strange thing to ask, though it was perhaps not that strange. He knew plenty of people who liked to read. He was not sure how many people he knew who read to their partners though. He liked it. He thought that was a unique thing that they did. “That’s a good plan. Let me take them since your foot got injured. I know it’s not that bad, but these things are heavy.” He pushed aside the barricade for the door and then pulled at the suitcases. “You ready to go?”

Hayden frowned at that. He had hoped those fears were just him being irrationally upset by the ordeal. He was, after all, the one who kept seeing things that weren’t real. Yet, here was Jacob confirming that the trust was not something that they earned. “I don’t either. Which is why I have to try. If we don’t do something, we may end up just wasting away up here. They might even forget about us. I know Soren and Josh are trying for us, but they have to do what they are told too. So we have to do something.”
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Joshua and Jacob Smith
FEDRA Officer, FEDRA Civilian | 24, 30 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

Josh looked at Soren for a moment, and he was thankful his brother had such a good man in his life. Especially after everything went down when the world basically ended. "I'm sure we'd find something for you to read." He replied with a chuckle and then nodded. "Okay, that sounds good." He said, and he nodded, once the door was unbarricaded, he grabbed his gun and held it, opening the door and peering out. He shook his head "Clear." He said and gestured for Soren to follow him out.

Jacob saw that frown and sighed softly. "I don't know what we can do though, what if we do something wrong and they... kick us out or.. take it out on Josh or Soren?" He asked softly, thinking about how things could go wrong. "Maybe we should just.. stay here. I'm not sure what else we could do." Jacob admitted as he looked at Hayden. He didn't want to do something wrong and have it come back on them or their partners.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Hayden Gaines and Soren Truelson
FEDRA Civilian, FEDRA Officer | 24, 35 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

“Sure,” Soren replied. “All those kid books.” He grinned as he waited at the door for Josh to check. Soren did not have a way to wield his gun properly, so he was trusting Josh to protect them both. Thankfully, he trusted Josh. The apocalypse happened, and suddenly he had far more interesting and serious relationships. It was crazy how that worked. He followed out, pulling at the door with his foot as he moved so that it would close behind them in the hopes that it could be preserved if they wanted to risk coming back later. He heard the sound again, and it was closer than when they got to the apartment. He frowned as he tried to find the source. No luck yet.

Hayden knew this was true. They could not risk putting their partners in trouble because he was restless. He groaned and leaned back onto the headboard. “We can’t just sit here. I sit and-“ he did not want to say what happened when he was sitting on his own with nothing to distract himself. He looked away. “We have to do something. It seems silly for us to wait for Josh and Soren to do everything for us. They’re busy, um, saving the world or something.” He would never be able to live like this. He could already tell.
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Joshua and Jacob Smith
FEDRA Officer, FEDRA Civilian | 24, 30 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

Josh heard it this time as they stepped into the hallway, something was around but he didn't know what or where. But it sounded close as he moved, and Josh stopped for a moment, looking around. Something wasn't right, and then he heard it from behind them. A loud screech and footsteps. He whirled around, turning and meeting the runner. He slammed the butt of his rifle into it's head and it went down, where Josh slammed his foot into it's head. "Alright.. let's get moving before more show up shall we?"

Jacob heard the groan and listened to him. He knew what Hayden was going to say, or at least had a pretty good feeling anyway. "Ok, so we can't sit here and.. think. Something we could do, maybe when they do come back we can talk to them about bringing us with them? Maybe if they ask about us doing something, perhaps it would work better?" Jacob suggested, reaching over the sleeping Kai and patting Hayden's shoulder gently.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Hayden Gaines and Soren Truelson
FEDRA Civilian, FEDRA Officer | 24, 35 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

Soren stepped towards the wall when the screech finally told them where the source of the sound came from. He watched Josh, ready to drop everything if he needed to. Nope, Josh had it. “Good plan. Lead the way.” He readjusted the suitcases and kept his head on a swivel as he scanned around them. No signs of anything else so far, which was nice.

It was not enough. He wished he could do more. Maybe he should wait. Maybe he was overreacting. Maybe- Hayden’s attention pulled to the hand on his shoulder, and he tried to smile. Tried. This was unfair to Jacob. So much was unfair to Jacob. So much was unfair to Hayden and the rest of the partners in the apartment complex. The children like little Kai. He hated it all. “I-I’m sorry. I shouldn’t get so worked up.” He closed his eyes and shook his head. “Were you tired? I think I’m keeping you from a nap?” He couldn’t remember and he didn’t think he would be able to.
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[EquineGurl23]

Joshua and Jacob Smith
FEDRA Officer, FEDRA Civilian | 24, 30 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

Josh looked at Soren, as they walked towards the stairs. "I'll go first, and you follow behind, just in case." Josh suggested as he pulled open the stairwell door and looked inside. "Clear." He said quietly, stepping inside and letting Soren in before he shut the door. Josh turned and made his way down the stairs, quietly and cautiously. His head turned as he listened, so far so good as he came to the bottom of the stairs.

Jacob looked at Hayden, seeing him and he smiled. Sure this was all unfair, but at least they were safe. Their soldier boys would not allow anything to come and attack them here. He blinked, hearing those words and the closed eyes, that shake of his head. "It's okay. I understand that it's all kind of crazy. And no. I'm not tired. Would you like to keep talking?" He asked, wanting to be there for his brother. That was his job now, be there for Hayden, be there for Kai and Theo, for everyone else in this building.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Hayden Gaines and Soren Truelson
FEDRA Civilian, FEDRA Officer | 24, 35 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

Soren nodded and followed silently. He waited until Josh closed the door and started down the stairs to move down them as well. He was slower than usual with the suitcases. The weight was not unwieldy, but having the extra mass did make things a little bit more difficult. They made it down the stairs and he too listened just in case. It was eerily quiet. It was still so soon after the outbreak. He nodded again to say that he did not hear anything and was ready to keep moving.

Hayden shoved a palm to his face and breathed out slowly. He had to be careful not to move too much so that he did not wake up Kai. He just realized how much a kid could be a hindrance. Not that he thought Kai was not worth it, but he could see why Emily might want a break from him every now and then. Hayden had so many things he would like to do. He could give Kai back. He didn’t really want to do that though. That was crazy. This was not even his kid. Not his nephew or anything. Who was Kai, and why did Hayden feel like they were meant to be a pair? “I don’t know. It’s so hard for me to figure out anything anymore.”
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Joshua and Jacob Smith
FEDRA Officer, FEDRA Civilian | 24, 30 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

Joshua looked around as they came to the bottom of the stairs and he listened. Nothing so far. He made it to the front door and looked around before he waved for Soren to join him. Josh stepped outside of the building, rifle held against his chest. "It seems clear enough, and the truck isn't too far." He said, starting to walk forward towards the truck.

Jacob watched Hayden shove a palm to his face and he sighed softly. "Okay. Let's try something. I'm going to ask you a question, and I want you to give me the first thing that comes to mind. Don't think, just speak. Okay?" Jacob asked. He'd done this exercise with Logan, it's a way to get the reactive side of the brain going versus the thinking side. Kai curled closer to Hayden with a soft sigh.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Hayden Gaines and Soren Truelson
FEDRA Civilian, FEDRA Officer | 24, 35 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

Soren followed silently, trying to move quickly with the bags and not make noise. It was difficult with the loads. He stopped frequently to readjust. They could not risk getting into trouble with those infected. He too eyed the area, hoping they their luck would suffice for then. As they moved, he saw something out of the corner of his eye. They were close to the truck now. He peered over and someone shuffled at the other end of the parking lot. He kept an eye, making sure it did not get too close. He didn’t want to do anything to draw attention to them. All he did was quickly nudge Josh and point that direction.

Hayden pulled his head away from his hand and looked at Jacob. There he was, trying to make him better again. This seemed like a silly and meaningless game. Maybe that was what they needed. “Okay. what’s first?”
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Joshua and Jacob Smith
FEDRA Officer, FEDRA Civilian | 24, 30 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

Josh felt the quick nudge as they headed outside, and he looked over in the direction. Oh. So far this was fine, and as long as they were quiet then there shouldn't be an issue. He could see the truck up ahead. He looked back at Soren and shook his head, gesturing towards the truck and moved a little faster. He didn't want to shoot bullets needlessly and especially if they didn't know who else was around.

Jacob looked at Hayden and thought for a moment. "Okay. What is the color of the sky?" He asked, a simple question to start but enough to get the brain working on reactive versus thinking.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Hayden Gaines and Soren Truelson
FEDRA Civilian, FEDRA Officer | 24, 35 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

Soren agreed that moving to the truck quickly and silently was the best call. He moved behind Josh, though he kept his eye on the infected who seemed to be wandering towards their direction. By the time they got to the truck, all was well, though the second they started it, that infected was surely to hear them. He shoved the suitcases in the truck and turned it on. Sure enough, that caught their less than friendly companion’s attention, and they came running.

Hayden narrowed his eyes as he looked at Jacob. “Blue…” this was a strange question. “Even though really it’s not. It’s the same color as everything else around us because it’s just the atmosphere. But blue.” This was a strange game so far.
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Joshua and Jacob Smith
FEDRA Officer, FEDRA Civilian | 24, 30 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

Josh watched for any other 'friends' that were walking around but he didn't see anything. Once they got to the truck, he waited until the suitcases were shoved into the truck and then he got in. As the truck turned on, he heard the infected and leaned back through the window with the gun. Now that they had a getaway vehicle, he was more comfortable shooting at them as Soren drove.

Jacob saw the narrowed eyes and then he nodded. "Good. And true. Okay. What's the fin on top of a sharks back? And what does it do?" He asked, shifting a little on the bed as he looked at Hayden.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Hayden Gaines and Soren Truelson
FEDRA Civilian, FEDRA Officer | 24, 35 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

Soren started driving away as the infected came out in swarms. They were lucky to have missed them before. They must have all been outside. He drive fast out of the way, though sometimes he was driving over them too. “That’s a whole lot of ‘em! I am glad we did not bring Jacob!” This would have been a little much for someone who was not ready for this level of infected.

Without hesitation, Hayden asked, “Are you talking about the first dorsal fin that’s the major fin or the second dorsal one closer to the tail?” Before Jacob could answer, he continued. “I assume you mean the first dorsal fin, and that’s to help with stabilization when they swim. Otherwise, they would roll onto their sides.”
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[EquineGurl23]

Joshua and Jacob Smith
FEDRA Officer, FEDRA Civilian | 24, 30 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

Josh looked behind them as he saw the swarms of infected and he fired when he had to. There were too many for the amount of bullets he had and he heard Soren. "I'm glad we didn't either, and I'm also thankful we got lucky to get this stuff first. Should we drop this stuff off at the apartment first then head back to headquarters?" Josh asked as they finally made it to the gate, the doors opening so they could drive in.

Jacob was lost, he didn't know much about sharks though he knew that Hayden did so he went for it. "Uh. Yes. The first one." He said as Hayden continued talking and he nodded. "Okay good. Um." But before Jacob could come up with another question, Kai grumbled and yawned, starting to wake up as big brown eyes blinked open.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Hayden Gaines and Soren Truelson
FEDRA Civilian, FEDRA Officer | 24, 35 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

Soren was thankful to have Josh with him otherwise, he would have to hope that the swarming infected were no match for the truck. When they were further from them, he breathed better. “Did you still want to go look for your brother? We could drop this off at the apartment first if you want. Then we could tell them we are going to look for him. What are you thinking?” He wanted to find him, but he also wanted to follow Josh’s lead on this.

Hayden laughed at Jacob’s reaction. Not everyone knew about the sharks, so he was not upset by that. He was going to say something about it, but instead he heard Kai. “Hey little buddy.” He rubbed Kai’s side to make him more comfortable.​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Joshua and Jacob Smith
FEDRA Officer, FEDRA Civilian | 24, 30 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

Josh looked at Soren when he spoke and nodded. He did still want to look for Logan. "Let's drop this stuff off, see our men and then go find Logan." Josh said, that was the best thing to do. The sooner they got Jacob's stuff to him, the less chance of something happening to it should they search for Logan first. He missed his brother and especially now with their dad gone, he didn't know what was going through Logan's mind.

Jacob heard Kai's noises and he smiled softly, seeing Hayden's reaction to the little one. He could see that connection between them. Kai yawned again as he blinked, looking at Hayden. ""Ayden.." Kai's voice was tired and quiet as he looked at him. He'd need a few minutes to really wake up.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Hayden Gaines and Soren Truelson
FEDRA Civilian, FEDRA Officer | 24, 35 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

Soren agreed. This was a good plan. He drove with the intention of going back through the gate that would get them closest to their apartment building. He did not mind lugging all of this stuff since it was not that much, but there was no reason wasting time doing that when they needed the rest of the day to find Logan. “I think checking your parents’ house is the smartest way to go. If I were him, I would probably still be there.”

His entire attention was redirected to Kai now. Hayden could not help it. That little boy was so quickly becoming everything that mattered to him. He poked his little nose and smiled. “Hey there, little man. You had a nice nap, didn’t you?”​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Joshua and Jacob Smith
FEDRA Officer, FEDRA Civilian | 24, 30 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

Josh looked around at the Zone, his lip between his teeth. "That's a good plan." He agreed, nodding his head as he heard Soren's words. "I just hope he's okay. I don't know.." What I'd do if he was gone too.. That was what Josh didn't say out loud as they came up to the gate closest to their apartment.

Jacob smiled, looking at them. Kai rubbed his eyes with his little hands and blinked again, looking at Hayden. "Yeah." He said, giggling at the poke to his nose. Kai shifted on the bed before he got up on his knees and looked at Hayden. "Play!" Kai all but yelled, his energy coming back quick now that he'd woken up.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Hayden Gaines and Soren Truelson
FEDRA Civilian, FEDRA Officer | 24, 35 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

“He’s going to be okay,” Soren insisted as they slowed at the gate. “He’s one of you. Every one of you Smith men are ridiculously resilient.” He spoke to the guard at the gate and they opened it up for them. Soon he was parking where he was allowed. “Come on. Let’s get Jacob these things. Maybe you can check on Hayden before we go get Logan?” Soren knew how much Hayden worried Josh. Honestly, Hayden worried him too.

Hayden waited as Kai woke up and was laughing along with him as his energy came back in full force. “Play? Already? What do you want to play? I’m going to run out of games, you know.” He did not have a whole lot with him. He really was not sure what two-year-olds like to play. He wished he had been a little more prepared for this responsibility that he gave himself. He guessed these kinds of things happened to people when the world turned upside down.
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Joshua and Jacob Smith
FEDRA Officer, FEDRA Civilian | 24, 30 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

Josh heard that insistence and chuckled at the comment about his family. "True." He said with a laugh and once the truck was parked, he slipped out of it and looked at Soren. "Yes. Let's get this stuff to Jacob and check on our men before we head out. I'll take one of the suitcases this time." He said, grabbing one of them now that they were in the Zone. Once he had the suitcase, he headed to the building.

Kaiden giggled hearing Hayden as he kneeled and pressed his hands on Hayden, before he managed to stand up the bed. The buoyancy of the bed though made him lose his balance and he waved his arms trying to catch himself but then he fell backwards on the bed, sitting on his butt as he looked up at Hayden. "Bouncy!" He giggled.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Hayden Gaines and Soren Truelson
FEDRA Civilian, FEDRA Officer | 24, 35 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

Soren grabbed the other one and walked through the Zone that felt like it was still ever changing. They had not settled into anything. Actually, did it seem like there was less out here than earlier? Maybe they were moving things around. When they reached the apartments, he pushed open the door for Josh. “After you, partner.”

Hayden was briefly worried for his instability and then decided that since it was just the bed, that was fine. “You like bouncing on the bed?” he asked. He leaned in and looked around in the goofiest way that he could manage. “Wanna bounce a little more?” He pulled himself up so that he was crouched on the bed. “Like this?” Then he bounced once and landed on his feet.​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Joshua and Jacob Smith
FEDRA Officer, FEDRA Civilian | 24, 30 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

Josh looked around as they made it to the apartment and he smiled at Soren with a nod. "Thank you partner." He said, stepping through the door and headed up the stairs. "I never used to hate stairs, but I'm starting too." Josh said with a laugh as he made it up the first floor of stairs.

Kaiden looked at Hayden and heard him, giggling as he nodded and clapped his hands. He nodded his head as he watched him move up the bed and bounced. Kaiden bounced up kind of high as he giggled. Jacob sat on the bed and watched as Kai bounced but when he landed on the bed, he ended up rolling to the side and he was headed for the edge of the bed and he fell off the bed, and landed on the ground. Fortunately the bed was not that high up and he landed on Josh's jacket that he'd tossed off last night. Kai's eyes brimmed with tears as he whimpered and tears started tracking down his face as he got ready to cry.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Hayden Gaines and Soren Truelson
FEDRA Civilian, FEDRA Officer | 24, 35 | Current location ;; Seattle Quarantine Zone

Stairs were something he was used to for the most part, though he never had to use them when he was hauling things up and down. “I know what you mean,” Soren agreed as they made up the second flight as well. “Really wondering why we need to be so high up with all the work we do.” He knew that there were a lot of people to house, so he was not that upset about it. He did like a little complaining though.

Hayden loved watching Kai play. He was so cute and little. The way he moved made Hayden almost feel like he was alive again. This was the reason that Jacob brought Kai to him. It really must have been, and later, if he remembered, he would have to tell Jacob as much. He did so much for him in these past few days. His eyes widened as Kai rolled, and as he fell off the side of the bed, Hayden was off the bed as well to join him. “Hey there, little guy. You’re okay.” He reached out with both hands and swooped him up without any thought. “You fell pretty high, didn’t you? That was a little scary.” He brought him to his chest, holding him close, and bounced him. “So why don’t we try bouncing a little less dangerously for now then?"​