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[A pause, and a small nod. Their bed. Just the other night she found herself in there, looking for comfort like a little kid. She cried like a baby because she was tired. She'd give anything to go back to that moment, when she felt safe and secure and her little world made sense.]

Yeah, I'll--ah, sounds good. I'll head in soon.

[Right now, it sounded like waiting was the plan. She fucking hated it, but she knew better than to run off on her own again.]

Make sure you're fully dry - you go to bed wet in even the slightest, you'll catch something. [While it twists her stomach to turn away from the matter at hand (she'll try his tablet again in a little), she pats Ellie on the shoulder, slows the movement of her arm.] You need anything, I'll be here.

[Worrying, fretting. Least she's not alone in it.]

Okay. I actually think I'm going to take a shower, first. I feel muddy.

[Warm water sounds good right now, and while she's tired, she knows she's not going to fall asleep. Not when he's out there, somewhere.

She wishes she could be more reassuring, more positive for Tess, but she just doesn't have it in her.]

That's fine, that's fine. [She moves her hand away, scratching at that back of neck now in an effort to contain any anxieties. A sigh as she looks over, makes a motion.] No problem with that

Laundry finished drying, yours should be all good. If you're hungry, I could make something while you're in.

[Really. What the hell are either of them supposed to do?]

I think I'll pass.

--thanks, though. Maybe in the morning.

[Or maybe not. Food is the last thing on her mind.]

[Quiet, Tess watches Ellie carefully, trying not to step on any mines with her words. She turns her head away into her hand, scrubbing at her face. Was it going to happen to Ellie too, to her? Who else was gonna get up and walk away without reason or rhyme?]

Yeah, alright. [Hardly been at a loss of words her whole life, and here she was. Fumbling in front of a fourteen year old.] - I'll be here.

[Fuck, Ellie. Try harder. Tess deserves that much. If she can muster up something for Steph, she can do so for Tess.]

I... I just know it's not us. We didn't make this happen.

[Maybe it's her, but she knows it's not Tess. Ellie leans her side against the sink, arms folded.]

He said that having you around helps. It helps him. Even if he was in one of his stupid moods, he wouldn't throw that away.

[Much as she'd like to believe that, Tess finds it hard to do just that. It's a double, with Ellie initiating the contact first then saying... that. Taking in a slow breath, she keeps from flinching at it and lowers her head even as she shifts, gets an arm around Ellie's shoulder.]

And he's not about to leave you over this, hell - over anything. [She's seen that look on Joel's face. She gets it.]

So yeah. You're not at blame for this, either. [Whatever was said, whatever Ellie thinks? Tess wants to take some of that weight off her shoulders, somehow.] Now go take a shower.

... You're startin' to smell like the city.

[Looks like they're both having a hard time believing their reassurances. But Ellie nods again, certainly wanting to believe that Joel cared about her as much as she cared about him, needed her as much as she needed him.]

You're one to talk.

[Ellie doesn't exactly smile, but she puts a hand on Tess' arm before stepping away. Fine. She'll go shower.]

[As she watches her go, Tess looks down at the spot Ellie touched, brushes over it with her own hand before finger curl, clench once that door is closed and the water's on. Maybe she would have laughed, but she finds herself more uneasy, nervous. She goes to clean up a little at least, make things easy on herself by getting busy.

When Ellie's back out, clean and dressed, Tess is sitting on the bed with the door open and room welcoming. She's got the tablet balanced on a knee and yeah. She's wearing one of the spare shirts Joel had laying around. It's warm, and maybe it's a stupid as hell security blanket for her at this point. Closing the message log and making it look like she's been doing something else, Tess look over, calls out when she hears footsteps.]

In here, Ellie.

[It's amazing how much a shower and clean clothes will help. There's still a frustrating ache in Ellie's chest as she heads over to the bedroom that isn't hers, but she no longer feels like she's going to burst into tears or puke all over their floor.

She's running a towel through her loose hair when she pauses in the doorway.]

What are you doing?

[She means the tablet, not the shirt, but she does eye it momentarily.]

Was tryin' to see if anything like this happened in the past. [There's a hand being waved to follow up, excuse it because she's hardly had luck with it. It's evident in the way she moves to set the tablet aside, head shaking with the gesture.] Enough about that.

Still feel like you wanna throw up? [A careful look before she pats a spot on the bed.]

Not so much anymore.

[She trudges towards the bed, and flops down face-first onto the mattress. It's the side Joel tends to occupy, and she can maybe, just maybe, feel the slight dip in the mattress from where his weight has resided for the past month.

Where was he going to sleep tonight?]

Good to hear. [There's a snort when Ellie falls over and Tess scoots a little more to give her decent enough room, shaking her head as she looks. Reaching for the blanket, she pulls some of it over the younger girl.]

You get some sleep. Probably gonna need it.

[Ellie pulls herself up the bed, so that she can bury her face into the pillows. This one smells like Joel, and her brows furrow as she closes her eyes. There's a knot in her throat that won't go away.]

You should, too.

[The pillow muffles the tremor in her voice well enough. Tess needed sleep, too. God only knew what they'd find waiting for them tomorrow.]

[Watching the other, Tess gets quiet and gives a nod despite it not being visible. A hand up, she's doubtful for a moment as she reaches over, tentative as she runs a hand through Ellie's hair, not sure of much right now.] In a while.

Promise.

[She wants to make sure Ellie won't get up to leaving in the middle of the night. Just a little.]

[She's not going to sleep, but she exhales, letting Tess pet her hair. It feels nice.]

[There's not much to say past that. If anything, Tess keeps on running her fingers through, tries to be as comforting as she can, all things considered. Out of anything, she's on the edge of losing her cool and snapping, but that's the last thing anyone needs.

So she keeps quiet for the rest of the night, waits to hear Ellie's breathing even out before she even thinks about laying down herself. It's a long night.]

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