Fandom Snapshots From The Past { The Last of Us 1x1 with icedthemoon }

[icedthemoon]

Hayden Gaines
Middle Schooler | 13 | Current location ;; Seattle, WA

Somehow, even as wonderful as the first lap went, the second was more. He was even faster, and Hayden couldn’t believe this was real. Maybe this was a beautiful dream. He had fallen asleep while waiting for his mother. This whole day could have been a dream and he would wake up for the real first day of school. Could he really have made this boy up? No. He couldn’t. He could not make up Joshua Smith. He cupped his mouth and screamed as Josh got even faster. Hayden’s excitement was infectious. Other bystanders were clapping, cheering, and watching too. When Josh made it back, Hayden was clapping so loud and fast it was like he had watched the best show. He had. For him, there was nothing better. “That was amazing!” He stepped forward and placed both hands on Josh’s shoulders. “Are you ready for that leisurely walk? Do you need to take a breath? Drink water?” Hayden’s eyes shone brightly with wonder and awe. “Sit? Or can you walk like normal after that? It’s because you’re a superhero. You can’t convince me otherwise.”​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Joshua Smith
Middle Schooler | 13 | Current location ;; Seattle, WA

Josh panted a little softer now as he took in deep breaths. He felt the hands on his shoulders and he’d heard the cheering of the bystanders as he’d run the second lap. His eyes shone with pride and glittered with happiness as he looked at Hayden. “Thanks! And I could use a water. Hold on.” Josh said turning and doing a light jog to the car where he grabbed his water bottle. He took it with him and jogged back, taking a long drink of it. He’d seen that look in Hayden’s eyes, the wonder and awe which made him smile in turn. “I’m good. Let’s go.” He said with a smile as he turned to head down the path. “I think.. I could really get used to having you cheer for me.” He admitted as he walked, his eyes on the ground before glancing up at Hayden. He’d never met a boy like Hayden Gaines before and he knew that they’d be best friends, somewhere deep down. Jacob watched them go as their mother texted that she’d be there soon with Logan. Their brother had his own car but he was at home that night, they were still searching for places to rent so they were at home for now.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Hayden Gaines
Middle Schooler | 13 | Current location ;; Seattle, WA

He was amazing. Jog over, jog after everything he just did, drink some water, and be good. How was he like that? Hayden joined him gladly as they began down the trail. His backpack was abandoned and he didn’t care. Who was going to mess with it out here? Probably no one. “Is it better? “ he asked as they moved. “When you have someone cheering for you?” He could only assume that others cheered for Josh too. How could they not when it was that amazing? If he had the means, he would cheer every day that he did this. He walked closer now, feeling the most comfortable he had felt in months. So many months. He looked back at Jacob and then forward in their walk. He wondered if his mom was on the way or not.​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Joshua Smith
Middle Schooler | 13 | Current location ;; Seattle, WA

Josh glanced at Hayden as they walked, hearing his question. “Yeah. It is. Makes it feel more real. No one usually sees me run by the few bystanders.” Josh admitted as he took another drink of water. He noticed that Hayden walked closer to him as they headed down the trail. He smiled and slung his arm over his friend’s shoulders. “You do make a pretty good cheerleader. Perhaps if I make the team, you can cheer me on then too.” He said with a smile on his face. He was enjoying spending time with Hayden. They had made it to the back side of the park now. “This is probably one of my favorite places in the world.” He admitted as he smiled at Hayden. He didn’t think much of the arm over his shoulders, he’d seen Logan do that with his friends.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Hayden Gaines
Middle Schooler | 13 | Current location ;; Seattle, WA

“No one?” Hayden didn’t see why more people wouldn’t want to watch. He could see how other people would want to come see this. How had fancy people or recruiters or whatever not seen him? Wasn’t that how this was supposed to work? He had seen movies and read books. His actual knowledge of the world was pretty limited. The arm over his shoulders made him feel nice and comfortable. It made him feel wanted. But it was selfish of him to relish in that. He was sure Josh wouldn’t want that much contact if he knew. “This park? It’s your favorite? It’s pretty nice. I haven’t been here before. I haven’t been a lot of places though.” His arms crossed over his stomach. His arm pressed into Josh’s side.​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Joshua Smith
Middle Schooler | 13 | Current location ;; Seattle, WA

“No one.” Josh repeated as he glanced at Hayden. “But that’s mostly because I don’t ask anyone to stay and watch me. I just kind of run. And eventually I run home.” Josh admitted as he grinned at Hayden. “But that’s okay, because I’ve got you now! My new friend and cheerleader.” He said with a smile on his face as he continued walking. Coming around the far turn on the path. “So, I hope you liked Seattle so far. It’s pretty great.” He said as they moved, feeling Hayden’s arm against his side. “Am I making you uncomfortable? I’m sorry. You can just tell me if I do.” He said as he dropped his arm and smiled at Hayden. “You can tell me anything and I’ll listen. If there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s listening!”​

 

[icedthemoon]

Hayden Gaines
Middle Schooler | 13 | Current location ;; Seattle, WA

“No!” Hayden didn’t mean to be so loud or shrill or sudden. His face flushed and he stammered on sounds that should have been words. “You’re not making me uncomfortable.” He didn’t want Josh to think he was the problem. He didn’t want him to feel bad when it was Hayden’s fault. “You’re good at running too. Really good.” His eyes slid down as they walked. “And I’m glad you’d listen. That’s good to know. But you’re not making me uncomfortable.” It was the opposite. He was making Hayden feel like a normal person again. Like all that mattered was Hayden the person. He wanted to tell Josh. He should know. This was a good time. No. He was afraid. So he didn’t. What if he lost his only friend already? He didn’t want to do that. “Um. You really haven’t had anyone else watch you? Is it just… just me?” He looked towards the parking lot to see if his mom was there yet. Not yet. He had a feeling she would be soon.​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Joshua Smith
Middle Schooler | 13 | Current location ;; Seattle, WA

Josh blinked in surprise at the word, and then looked at him, hearing those stammered sounds and the flushed face. Well, Josh wasn't sure if he should put his arm back or not, but he was glad that he wasn't making his new friend uncomfortable. "Thanks. I.. enjoy it. It's a good way to.. relax and it helps me work through stuff." He replied, and then decided to put his arm over Hayden's shoulders again. "Of course! I'll listen to anything you want to tell me. And, no. I haven't had anyone else watch me. It's just you." He admitted as he looked out at the parking lot. His mother and brother just pulled in, parking beside Jacob. "Looks like my mom and brother are here. Is yours yet?" He asked curiously.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Hayden Gaines
Middle Schooler | 13 | Current location ;; Seattle, WA

Just him. That shouldn’t have made Hayden feel so special, but it did. He really didn’t take anyone else out here to watch this amazing thing, and yet he still invited Hayden to go with him. Josh’s own family didn’t even come watch this. Yeah, he clearly did this a lot. Hayden felt like he didn’t want to be anywhere else. He had nothing that would be as good as this. How could none of the rest of them get that? He bit his lip as he looked at the parking lot. “Not yet…” he didn’t want to go yet. He wanted to keep this going. He felt so comfortable where he was. So good. This was such a good day. What if he didn’t have another day like this? He was so afraid that he was going to lose this one good day. He grabbed at the fabric of Josh’s shirt to stop him, and then crushed against him for a hug. It was close and intimate. It held every ounce of his gratitude for the day. “Thanks. For being my friend.”​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Joshua Smith
Middle Schooler | 13 | Current location ;; Seattle, WA

Josh never asked for anyone to watch him run, and no one ever volunteered to watch either. He wasn't sure what it was about Hayden watching that made him so happy, but he loved it. He enjoyed having someone cheering him on, especially Hayden. "I see." He said softly though he was also kind of happy because that meant they could hang out longer. He felt the grab to his shirt and turned, as he was crushed into a hug. Josh hugged him back just as tight as he heard those words. "You're welcome. Thanks for being mine." Josh replied as he held that hug for a moment before he pulled away, smiling at Hayden. "Race you to the parking lot?" He asked with a teasing smile.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Hayden Gaines
Middle Schooler | 13 | Current location ;; Seattle, WA

Hayden had a best friend back in Florida. His name was Miles. He was this tall, lanky kid with thick glasses. He brought the comics. He brought the books. He would check out books to give Hayden more when he couldn’t get enough about the ocean. It was good. Yet, as Josh hugged him back, the warmth felt better. The whole day felt like a great dream. He smiled as Josh let him go. “Are you kidding?! After what I just watched? You’re crazy!” He was laughing, grinning from ear to ear. Then he ran. No question. If he had the advantage, maybe he would get himself close to the cars before he lost horribly. He ran and ran as much as he could.​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Joshua Smith
Middle Schooler | 13 | Current location ;; Seattle, WA

Josh laughed as he heard that, hearing Hayden laugh and then he blinked, stunned as he watched Hayden take off and run. Josh laughed harder before he turned and took off after him. Josh kept his speed down but it didn't take long before he was catching up to Hayden. "Oh come on, you can go faster." He said with a chuckle but in all reality, it didn't take long for him to catch up and run by Hayden. Though they'd gotten pretty close to the parking lot. Claire leaned against Jacob's car with Logan and Jacob beside her as she watched her youngest son come running to the cars with another kid. Claire smiled as they drew closer. Josh slid to a halt at the cars, and looked back behind him at Hayden.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Hayden Gaines
Middle Schooler | 13 | Current location ;; Seattle, WA

Did he have a chance to overtake him? Nope. Did he think he could ever win this? No. He still was having a great time. “No fair!” He yelled as Josh passed him without any issue. He was so fast. “I can’t do that!” The end word turned into one of giggles as they neared the cars. Was that Josh’s mom? And… twins! He looked just like Jacob! Josh was waiting on him to get closer when he saw the minivan. Mom. He slowed just a fraction and realized he didn’t get his backpack. Shoot. He spun around and started running back to where they were when he abandoned it. He didn’t want to go. It made his stomach hurt to think about ending this. It was just so good for once. But all things have to end eventually. Emily Gaines parked her tan minivan towards the front so that when she got out, she could look for her son. She assumed he was somewhere nearby. He was an incredibly responsible kid. If he trusted this family, it was all she could do to trust him. “Hayden!” she called out in the hopes that she could find him. ​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Joshua Smith
Middle Schooler | 13 | Current location ;; Seattle, WA

Josh laughed as he heard Hayden's yell though he watched him turn back to run somewhere. Oh. Backpack! "Hey kiddo." Claire said as Josh smiled at his mom, before he heard a voice call for Hayden. Oh, that must be his mom. "Mom! I want you to meet my new friend!" Josh said as he turned to see if Hayden would come over with his mom. "You made a friend? I'd love to meet him." She said with a smile as she ruffled Joshua's hair which made him grumble softly. "Mom!" He huffed out as she laughed, before turning to see where her son's new friend had gone. Logan chuckled as he looked at Josh. "Didn't realize you knew how to make friends squirt." Logan said with a grin. "Oh, haha. Thanks Logan." He said, crossing his arms over his chest.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Hayden Gaines
Middle Schooler | 13 | Current location ;; Seattle, WA

Hayden was so tired. He was not meant to run like this. He should have asked Josh to get his backpack for him. No. No, he couldn’t do that. His mom would get into him for being lazy and letting someone do everything for him. He didn’t want to upset her. He grabbed his pack and spun back around, running again. Emily stood on the sidewalk, having finally found him, and waved her hand. Then the car door opened. Kyra stepped out. She looked like she had been through something. It must have been an interesting first day for her. “Hayd! Why are you here?” Hayden took in a deep breath as he ran and then pointed to the other family. Both his mother and sister turned to face them. Hayden slowed, panting heavily, and smiled. Kyra narrowed her eyes at them. “Which one? Him?” She pointed to Josh. Hayden nodded. Kyra was on him in a moment. She made a show of looking him up and down. “Kyra! Stop.” He groaned as he stopped closer to his mother. Kyra scrutinized him. “Smells like a boy,” she gruffed. Their mother sighed. “Okay. So. You must be the kind family to watch after my son. Thank you. I appreciate it.”​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Joshua Smith
Middle Schooler | 13 | Current location ;; Seattle, WA

Josh looked at Hayden and smiled at him, though he could tell that his friend wasn't use to running like he was. He looked at the girl who looked him up and down, and while confused, he still smiled, holding out his hand. "Hello! I'm Joshua." He said with a smile. Claire looked at the woman who came over and smiled at her, holding out her hand. "It's no problem at all. My name is Claire Smith, and these are my older boys, Jacob and Logan." Both twins smiled and nodded their heads. "And my youngest, Josh. It's very nice to meet you." She said, her voice soft yet kind. Josh looked at them, and hoped this meeting would go good, he really wanted to hang out with Hayden more.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Hayden Gaines
Middle Schooler | 13 | Current location ;; Seattle, WA

Now that the mothers were starting a conversation, Emily seemed to relax. She looked exhausted, bags under her eyes and hair a mess of what was left of a bun. This was how she always looked now, and Hayden wished that it wasn’t so. He wished that he could help his mother. Emily smiled. “I’m Emilia Gaines. This is my daughter Kyra. Kyra Marie, do not bite his head off.” Kyra smiled. “Mm, not my style.” She took his hand as her mother shook her head. “Nice grip,” Kyra commented. She took his hand and squeezed. “Kyra!” Hayden didn’t move but he called to her. She looked at him, let go and raised her hands, then backed away. He wanted to move to Josh, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t do that. His mother touched his shoulder. “It’s a bit… hard right now. We appreciate you being able to look after him for a while.” Hayden smiled at Josh. Smiled because he was great. The best person that he’d ever met. He looked down, suddenly very shy.​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Joshua Smith
Middle Schooler | 13 | Current location ;; Seattle, WA

Claire could see how tired Hayden's mother seemed to be and she gave her a soft smile. "I'm sorry to hear that dear. And it really is no problem, Hayden is welcome over any time. Josh could use the friend." She replied as Josh felt Kyra take his hand and squeeze it and he squeezed right back. "You too." Josh replied. He wasn't scared of her, he had two older brothers that loved to pick on him. Josh smiled at Hayden before he saw him look down. He walked over and held his hand out for Hayden. "I really enjoyed hanging out with you." Josh admitted. Claire looked at Emily and took her in for a moment. "If it's easier for you, Hayden's more than welcome to come home with us after school until you can pick him up. I've never seen Josh so happy before." "Mom!" Josh huffed out as Claire laughed softly. "Here, I can give you my number as well, how does that sound?"​

 

[icedthemoon]

Hayden Gaines
Middle Schooler | 13 | Current location ;; Seattle, WA

Hayden’s gaze fell on the hand Josh extended out to him. For him. Hesitantly, not looking at his mother, he took the hand and shook it though really he just held it. “Yeah. It was… um. Fun.” He didn’t know how else to say that he had the best day possibly of his life. Sure he did a lot of great things, but they weren’t like this. This was effortlessly great without having amusement parks and aquariums to do the work for him. Kyra put her hands on both of theirs and squeezed. She looked from one to the other. “I like him.” “Kyra!” Hayden pulled his hand away as he groaned. While they were doing that, Emily spoke with Claire. she thought about this for a while and then nodded. “That sounds lovely. My husband and I are… going through a rougher time with money, and well, time I guess. Having someone to watch over him sometimes would be immensely helpful.” She pulled out her phone so that they could exchange numbers.​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Joshua Smith
Middle Schooler | 13 | Current location ;; Seattle, WA

Josh smiled as he felt Hayden take his hand and shook it gently. "Very fun." He said with a laugh before he felt Kyra take both their hands and he felt the squeeze. "I like her." He replied with a smirk on his face as he took his own hand back, laughing softly. Claire looked at Emily and smiled at her softly, as they exchanged numbers. "No worries at all. He can come stay with us after school. We'd love to have him." She replied as she patted Emily's shoulder a moment later. "And if you need anything at all, give me a call. It's no bother at all, I promise." Claire said before she looked at her boys. "Anyway, it was wonderful to meet you, and I'll send you my home address so you can pick him up." Claire added as she texted that to Emily real quick. "Should probably get going though. I have some things to finish up around the house. Josh, say good bye." Josh looked at Hayden and without thinking, wrapped his arms around Hayden in one big hug before stepping away a moment later. "Bye! I'll see you tomorrow morning in class! Try not to be late." Josh teased good-naturedly as he waved to Hayden.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Hayden Gaines
Middle Schooler | 13 | Current location ;; Seattle, WA

Hayden felt the embarrassment coursing through him from Kyra and Josh alike. Then the hug came, and it was all there again. The huge embarrassment of being thirteen, having a new friend, and having public displays of any sort of affection especially in front of his mother was so much all at once. Before he knew it, Josh was pulling away. His mother was saying something about needing to get home to work on dinner and thanking them all again and talking about something that he wasn’t able to hear. Kyra had walked over to talk to the twins about something again he wasn’t noticing. All Hayden saw was Josh. “I’ll try not to be,” he answered with a smile as Kyra hooked her arm through his and led him to their van. Emily waved goodbye and they were gone. Hayden didn’t even know what was happening anymore. Kyra sat beside him in the back of the van which was weird because normally she sat in the passenger seat. “So.” Was she fishing for something? “He’s cute.” Hayden instantly went red and shoved her. That was how the car ride went. And then also dinner. He was interrogated by both of them. He filled out paperwork and got his mom to sign things. Then he went to bed excited for school the next day. That was strange. He didn’t know it, but his life was changed. Irrevocably changed that day. ​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Joshua Smith
Middle Schooler | 13 | Current location ;; Seattle, WA

Josh smiled as he looked at Hayden and nodded. He waved before his brother led him away. Logan got into the back of Jacob’s car with Josh and grinned. “So.. who was that?” Logan asked, nudging Josh who blushed heavily. He was interrogated as well during dinner by his dad and brothers. But as he went to bed that night, he thought about Hayden and smiled to himself. His life had been changed just as drastically today. The rest of the week went by so fast but Josh had never had a better week. He spent every day with Hayden, during and after school, and his parents had been able to convince Hayden’s to let him come over Saturday and they were picking him up this morning. Josh was wearing cargo shorts and a t shirt that day as he sat in the car as Claire drove him, Jacob and their dad to pick up Hayden. Claire had tried to convince Emily that Hayden could join them in their adventure today to the aquarium. She pulled up to Hayden’s house and Josh had gotten out with his mom to knock on Hayden’s front door. She’d know now if it worked or not, even making sure to tell her not to worry about anything, after she sent the kids to the car.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Hayden Gaines
Middle Schooler | 13 | Current location ;; Seattle, WA

It was the best week of Hayden’s entire life. He had never had a friend like Josh. They spent every moment they could with each other. When he wasn’t in class with Josh, he was thinking about Josh. He was thinking about being at the park with him. He was thinking about this like he thought of very little else. Every day after school was so great. He watched Josh run. He did his homework. Sometimes they went home because his mom was running super late and would pick him up at their house instead. Then it was the weekend. He was tired but it was worth it. It was the best week. He didn’t know what he was going to do this weekend. The doorbell rang and he wasn’t sure what was going on. “I’ll get it!” He moved to the door and opened it. This confused him. “Um…” Emily was at the door in seconds. “Claire! Hello!” Hayden looked from Josh to his mom and then moved out of the house as his mother nodded when they were sent to the car. She appreciated how much Claire reassure her. They didn’t have a lot of money, so she handed Claire a very small amount for whatever that would cover. It was all she could scrounge in that moment. in the car, Hayden was still confused. “What is going on? Where are we going?” He was wearing a t-shirt and jeans, which was pretty average for him. “Am I being kidnapped?”​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Joshua Smith
Middle Schooler | 13 | Current location ;; Seattle, WA

Josh smiled as he took Hayden's hand and led him to the car, giggling a little. "No silly. I told you that I was going ask if you can hang out this weekend!" Josh said as they got into the car with Jacob in the backseat. Jacob was on one side that left the middle and other side for the two boys. Lucas shifted so he could look into the back seat. "We haven't met yet since usually I'm not home till late. Name's Lucas. I'm their dad." He said as he held his hand out to Hayden. Claire looked at Emily and smiled, though she tried to deny the money from Emily because this was something she wanted to do for her boy. She'd taken Jacob and his friends, Logan and his friends to the aquarium when they'd go, but Josh never asked to take anyone. That made Claire happy he had a friend. After a few more minutes, Claire smiled and told Emily they'd bring Hayden back tonight before she headed out to the car and got in. "Ready to go boys?"​

 

[icedthemoon]

Hayden Gaines
Middle Schooler | 13 | Current location ;; Seattle, WA

Hayden did remember that Josh wanted to hand this weekend. He remembered that he wanted to hang too so much but he wasn’t sure if his mom would let him. It wasn’t out of meanness. She had a lot on her plate. He respected how much work she was putting into keeping everything together. He looked at Lucas and smiled shyly. “Hi. I’m Hayden.” Like their father hadn’t figured that out yet. He wished that he could introduce Josh to his dad. Not right now. Hopefully sooner rather than later. “Where are we going? To your house?” He couldn’t fathom what was happening. He looked at Jacob who he already liked a lot too. “This is a kidnapping isn’t it?” He laughed. “I knew I couldn’t trust someone so great.” He sheepishly looked at Josh before saying, “You were too good to be true.”​