[It's the same yes ma'am tone he always takes with her, not quite flippant but almost, if you squint. It's not that he doesn't appreciate the gravitas of their reality. It's not that he doesn't understand how hard Tess works -- worked, because lord, he does. It's just that he gets tired, feels old and he gets to thinking maybe he could treat this like any other job, like one that would include coffee breaks back in 2013.
But it's not like any other job and the reality is that Tess has to be hypervigilant. Joel has to be at her side and answer to her when he's needed, disappear when he's not. That was how they'd played it out for what felt like ages. Until Ellie. He leans back a little and stares down at Tess, not quite breaking the embrace.
The surprised look on his face speaks volumes about how little he's thought about that. Joel shifts his gaze away again when he decides too much is written in it, shaking his head. It feels almost like a betrayal. There should be someone picking up the slack and looking after Tess' empire.
And he's sure somebody is, but that's not the point.]
no subject
[It's the same yes ma'am tone he always takes with her, not quite flippant but almost, if you squint. It's not that he doesn't appreciate the gravitas of their reality. It's not that he doesn't understand how hard Tess works -- worked, because lord, he does. It's just that he gets tired, feels old and he gets to thinking maybe he could treat this like any other job, like one that would include coffee breaks back in 2013.
But it's not like any other job and the reality is that Tess has to be hypervigilant. Joel has to be at her side and answer to her when he's needed, disappear when he's not. That was how they'd played it out for what felt like ages. Until Ellie. He leans back a little and stares down at Tess, not quite breaking the embrace.
The surprised look on his face speaks volumes about how little he's thought about that. Joel shifts his gaze away again when he decides too much is written in it, shaking his head. It feels almost like a betrayal. There should be someone picking up the slack and looking after Tess' empire.
And he's sure somebody is, but that's not the point.]
Ain't nothin' left for me in Boston.