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

[EquineGurl23]

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

Lucas smiled at Hayden as he nodded once. "It's very nice to finally meet you Hayden. Josh has talked a lot about you." "Daaad!" Josh whined as he covered his face with his hands, blushing a little before he turned to Hayden, face still red. "Nope! It's a surprise!" Josh said with a laugh as Claire drove away from Hayden's house. Jacob reached over and patted Hayden's shoulder. "Yes. It's a kidnapping. We've napped a kid. You." He said with a laugh and a grin. Josh saw that sheepish look on Hayden's face and smiled wide, but then he went quiet. The aquarium wasn't super far, especially once his mom got onto rt five. Soon they were pulling into the parking lot across the street from the aquarium. "Surprise!" Josh cried happily as he looked at Hayden.​

 

[icedthemoon]

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

Hayden didn’t know anything about Seattle yet. Though they used to visit their grandparents when they were younger, he was too young to have learned where things were. Since moving back, they hadn’t been able to go a lot of places. He had no idea where they were going. He laughed at each of them and eagerly looked out the window to see where they were going. There were so many places in Seattle. He had no idea where they could possibly be going. Until he did. Until he saw it, and he thought surely not today. Surely not because his mother didn’t have the money. No, it was so early on in Themis amazing friendship, and he couldn’t assume that any family would take someone who should have been a stranger somewhere so good. Except that then they parked, and he knew. He knew. He was literally slack jawed as he stared out the window. He was sitting in the middle, leaning over Josh so that he could see that building still. “No…. We’re not…” He turned his gaze to Josh with wide eyes. “Oh my gosh, did you kidnap me to take me to the aquarium?!”​

 

[EquineGurl23]

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

Josh could almost feel his heart pounding as he saw that reaction from Hayden and nodded fervently. "Yes!" He said giggling as Claire and Lucas both chuckled at Hayden's excitement. "Ground rules. You stick with Jacob or us the whole time we're in there. Other than that? Have fun." Claire said as she got out of the car as did Lucas and Jacob. Josh smiled at the one person who was basically becoming his best friend. "Come on! They've got a very young shark in there, poor thing was taken out of the ocean as a pup." He said as he tugged at Hayden's hand before he slipped out of the car and waited with a huge smile on his face.​

 

[icedthemoon]

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

Hayden couldn’t believe it. When they talked about this earlier in the week, he thought about it like a dream and not a reality. What? They were really doing this? He crawled out of the car and stared at this building like it might have been someone’s holy grail. And a young shark?! He couldn’t contain the excitement. “Yes, ma’am,” he responded, though he could hardly even look at her for staring at the building. He walked in awe like a kid seeing the best thing in the world. It was. It was the best thing, and he was with the best people. He already knew. He grabbed Josh’s hand and Jacob’s. These were his two favorite people already. He all but ran across the street when they could so that he could get closer. He was grinning so much that it would probably hurt him later.​

 

[EquineGurl23]

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

Josh smiled as he saw Hayden continue to stare at the building and he really liked seeing the awe on his face. It really made this worth it to his friend so excited. Jacob and Josh both chuckled as they felt him take their hands, and even Jacob moved at almost a run across the street. Claire and Lucas followed behind, hand in hand as she saw how happy her son was. As they got to the front door, Claire paused them. "Stay with me until we're through the front so that I can get us in. Our passes also allow for the stuff out back as well. Including the Ferris wheel." Claire explained as she opened the door into it. She led them to the front desk where she paid the normal discount fee and each person got a wristband to indicate that they had the passes. "Alright, Josh, Jacob. You know this place, show your friend around. We'll meet later at the gift shop before we head out."​

 

[icedthemoon]

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

This was possibly the most exciting thing that Hayden had done for a long time. And with Josh? How had he managed to find the best person in the whole world? Or rather, how did he get so lucky that he wanted to be Hayden’s friend? He waited as they got their wrist bands and then he ran forward and into the aquarium. He stopped, both hands covering his mouth as he took in the place. It was magical. All of these kinds of places were, but this one felt like a whole new level of amazing. Was this real? It had to be real! “Look at that!” He called with a laugh as he spun around and ran a little forward to stare at more. “It’s soooo big!” So big! He couldn’t fathom the size. Life size! There were so many people around and he didn’t care. This was literally just the lobby and he was already having the best time. He spun around again and again before running over and grabbing Josh’s hand. “You get to come here all the time? What other amazing things are here?” Where was the young shark?​

 

[EquineGurl23]

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

Josh had never experienced this kind of happiness before, but seeing Hayden so excited and happy made him happy. He laughed as he watched Hayden spin around and run forward. His heart raced as he watched how happy and excited Hayden was. "I know, and this is just the lobby. C'mon!" Josh said as he nodded, feeling Hayden take his hand. "There are so many amazing things here! You gotta see the center of the aquarium!" Josh said, pulling on Hayden's hand as Jacob followed, keeping an eye on the boys as he was told to. Josh led them through the lobby, through people. Dodging until he came to the center with the whales suspended from the ceiling and the fish swimming around under the glass under their feet.​

 

[icedthemoon]

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

“How can it be better than this?!” Hayden asked before they were even moving. He was a boy who was easily excited by these kinds of things. This was, after all, only the lobby. He moved quickly with Josh, using him to get through the crowds. Crowds that led to.. “Whaaaat?” His voice was so low it was practically a whisper. He couldn’t look away from the whale that hung over them. “Josh… it’s a whale!” He burst in laughter as the sheer absurdity of it. “It’s like a real life whale!” He grabbed Josh’s other hand and spun them both around as he looked up at it. He let go of one as he ran from one wonder to the next.​

 

[EquineGurl23]

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

Josh laughed as he heard the low voice and nodded, smiling wide. "I know! Did you.. look down?" He asked about the time as he was spun around and followed quickly after him. "Hayden! Wait for me!" Josh laughed as he moved. Jacob jogged after them through the crowd. "You wanna see something even cooler?!" He asked as he finally caught up to Hayden and led him away from the see-through floor and whales down the hall, up a set of stairs and to the shark tank. Inside was a large hammerhead swimming around and a young tiger shark swimming around.​

 

[icedthemoon]

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

“The floor?” Hayden looked down as he was running and nearly tripped as he saw it. “What?!” This is unlike anything he had ever seen before. He couldn’t marvel too long, because Josh was taking him somewhere new. “How can it be cooler than this?!” He was not going to make it. This was so far beyond the amazing that he thought this would be. Had he found the best place in the world? Josh loved the park. Hayden loved the aquarium, and he hadn’t even seen all of it yet. He moved with Josh, running up the stairs despite the people. They were obstacles. The second they got close enough to see, he stopped moving. Shark! He loved all of them. They were amazing. He ran. He literally ran as close to the glass as he could. “Hammerhead shark! Did you know that they are the only shark that can move their head up and down? They’ve got this big muscle that lets them do it.” He turned and smiled at Josh like he personally had given Hayden the best present.​

 

[EquineGurl23]

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

Josh watched as Hayden almost tripped, but before they could marvel at the fish under their feet, Josh was running off. "You'll see!" He called as they moved, through the throngs of people and then they were at the sharks. Josh looked at Hayden and moved so he was right beside him, just as close to the glass. He looked at Hayden and shook his head. "I didn't know that, that's so cool!" Josh said as he turned to look at the sharks again. The young Tiger shark swam over and slid past them. "Whoa." Josh whispered, the sharks never really came close to the window. "Beautiful." He whispered before looking at Hayden. "And this is just the sharks, ready to see more of this place?"​

 

[icedthemoon]

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

Hayden could have stood there the entire day and done nothing but watched these sharks. He loved them more than just about anything else in the world. “Give me… a moment.” He held his breath as the tiger shark swam so close. “Sharks are the most beautiful creatures to exist. They are majestic. People say horses are majestic. I can see it. But sharks. Watch how they move so freely. Nothing to stop them.” He smiled and watched for a little while longer. Then he nearly took Josh’s hand again. Didn’t. He looked down at it for a moment and reminded himself that things were different now. He couldn’t expect for this to be okay when he told Josh. He couldn’t be that person. “Okay. What else?”​

 

[EquineGurl23]

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

Josh watched Hayden look at the sharks, seeing him take in the young tiger shark. It made his heart do a weird flip in his chest that he didn't quite understand. "Sharks are certainly beautiful." Josh agreed as he watched Hayden look down at his hand but Josh made the decision for him. He took Hayden's hand and dragged him away. "You'll see!" He said as he led the way down a ramp and through a shark mouth tunnel and came to the otters and sea lion section. Both in their own separate areas but in the same big room. "Look at this! Isn't this cool?" He asked as he looked at the otters, still holding Hayden's hand in his own.​

 

[icedthemoon]

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

When it was Josh who initiated, it was easier. Hayden felt less like he was lying to him and more like he was doing what friends did. He was exploring an aquarium with his friend. His friend who somehow convinced his mother to convince Hayden’s mother to let Hayden come here even though money and time were tight. He ran after Josh, because he didn’t want to let go, and he wanted to see what else could be in this magical place. The answer was otters. And sea lions! “They are so sweet! And playful. I love them.” What marine wildlife didn’t he love? That would have been hard to answer.​

 

[EquineGurl23]

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

Josh smiled as he looked at Hayden and he laughed at his reaction. "They're so cute, I love watching the otters play. I remember when one of them was little and they had just released it into the exhibit. It was. that one! With the notched ear." Josh said, pointing out an otter that was swimming towards the glass. "I nicknamed him Spitfire because he was quite the fireball when he came into the exhibit." Josh said as he smiled at the otter and then at Hayden. "Oh! The show is about to start, come on!" Josh said, turning to lead Hayden to the stairs down the hall.​

 

[icedthemoon]

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

Hayden looked at the otters, searching for the one that Josh was trying to find. He did have a little notched ear. Spitfire. That was sweet. He loved that Josh nicknamed him. That was so thoughtful of him. How often did he get to go? “There’s a show?” He had no idea that aquariums could have shows as well. He had not been to very many, and the ones he had didn’t have shows, or at least not ones that he got to go to. Was this like Sea World? Those had the best shows! He moved down the hall with him, still hand in hand. It felt right to be there. He looked back at Jacob with a smile that was never going to go away. “We’re going to a show!” He put out his hand for Jacob as well.​

 

[EquineGurl23]

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

Josh nodded his head as he looked at Hayden, smiling and laughing. "Yeah!" He said as he squeezed his hand gently as he looked at Hayden. Jacob saw that smile on Hayden's face and nodded, as he walked over and took Hayden's hand. "Lets go!" He said as he led the two young ones out of the sea lion and otter exhibit. They headed up the stairs and through a tunnel into the large auditorium. Josh led them down the stairs and to the front row. "They have harbor seals that perform once a day." Josh said as they sat down, Jacob sitting on the aisle, and Josh sat between Hayden and Jacob.​

 

[icedthemoon]

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

Jacob felt like the big brother that Hayden did not have. He had Kyra who was only a couple of years older than him, and she was not the kind of person to go to aquarium shows with him. He really looked up to Jacob. Hayden sat down on the other side of Josh, marveling at the fact that they were int he front row. He never got to be in the front row of anything. His views were always obscured. “The true seal. Or at least that’s what some people call them.” He shrugged, sitting on the edge of his seat as the show began. His elbows dog into his knees as he rested his head in his hands to keep himself up as he leaned forward. He wanted to absorb it all.​

 

[EquineGurl23]

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

Jacob was more than happy to be a good big brother, usually to his little brother but now he had two. He was already feeling like a big brother to Hayden though it had only been a week. Josh looked at Hayden, smiling as he heard him. "Really?" He asked amazed before he looked over at the show. He pressed his leg against Hayden's as he watched the show. It was really cool, and he loved watching it, no matter how often. The show took an hour but soon it was done. "What did you think of that? Oh! We should go check out the sea turtles next!" Josh said as Jacob got up so they could all stand up from the seats.​

 

[icedthemoon]

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

That was a wonderful show. Hayden loved every moment. He was one of those people who had big reactions. He gasped, cheered, jumped, threw his hands all over the place, and frequently leaned over to tell Josh another fact that he knew. He had so many facts. He loved learning about marine life. Sharks may have been his favorite, but he loved it all. “That was the best show I have ever seen!” He was absolutely giddy. He thought that the day they first met was the best day he ever had, and now he was thinking it might be this day. Though, that could have been the high of the moment. “Yes! I want to see the sea turtles!” He practically ran out so that they could find the next place. “I wish we could stay here forever. We could do so many amazing things.”​

 

[EquineGurl23]

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

Josh had watched as Hayden had those big reactions that made him smile and laugh. He loved seeing that and nodded once again as he smiled wide. He all but ran after Hayden, Jacob behind them chuckling. Josh took his hand and ran with Hayden down the stairs and to the right, down into the sea turtles. They were swimming around the huge ocean tank with all kinds of sea life. Josh went to the glass and smiled, looking at Hayden. "We can come here again!" Jacob knew they had to get moving soon, a few more exhibits then they'd meet their parents at the gift shop.​

 

[icedthemoon]

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

Hayden watched the sea turtles swimming around, their little legs the cutest things he had ever seen in that exact moment. His attention was pulled from them as Josh spoke. Holding his hand, listening to his words, Hayden felt as his heart raced and his throat forgot how to function right. “Can we? Really?” He couldn’t believe that. This was a dream that could not be repeated like that. He never had something so great more than once. Never. That seemed impossible. “There’s so many places in here that I don’t know if I could really do it all in one day.” He wanted to take a whole day to only observe one. He wanted to bring research here as he watched them in real life. He wanted to help. More than anything he wanted to help. He wanted this to be his world. He wondered, for a moment, if this was how it felt when Josh was running. Josh was making Hayden’s dreams come true, so Hayden could help Josh make his come true too.​

 

[EquineGurl23]

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

Josh watched as Hayden looked at him and nodded, smiling at him. "Of course!" He said with a grin on his face. "We can come whenever you want! Every weekend!" Josh added as Jacob chuckled, watching the two boys. "You know, I heard that they take volunteers here, but you have to be in high school i guess. I was thinking of volunteering at the zoo. Maybe we could go there one day too. You'd love that place I'm sure!" He said with a smile as he looked at Hayden. "Boys, we can stay here for a little longer or go check out the touch tank before we meet up with mom and dad in the gift shop." Jacob said with a smile.​

 

[icedthemoon]

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

Every. Weekend. That was too much. He didn’t know how he was able to come this time, and he certainly did not see how he could ever come every weekend. How would his parents afford that? It wasn’t like he could get a job to pay for it himself. He had another three years before he could do that. “I would love to volunteer. Sad that we have to be in high school. But I would love to go to the zoo too!” There were so many things he would love to do. He turned to Jacob. “Touch tank? Oh, we have to go, Josh!” And just like that, he was running again. Given that they had been a lot of other places, he could assume at least the starting direction of how to get there.​

 

[EquineGurl23]

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

Josh smiled as he nodded his head, grinning. "Well, one more year and then you can!" He said, before he looked at Jacob, hearing him. Then he saw Hayden look at Jacob before they were off again. Josh only adjusted their trajectory slightly as they ran through tunnels, dodging people and came to the touch tank with small rays, bamboo sharks and catsharks, starfish and other things like horseshell crabs. Josh never put his hand in the tank, he always got nervous touching them but he loved to look. He stood at the edge with Hayden, hands gripping the fake stone.​