#tdtrt universe

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The Road Ahead l (J. Miller Series)

pairing: Joel Miller x Female Reader, Joel Miller x Daughter Reader, Ellie Williams x Platonic Female Reader

summary: You and Joel gave up your baby daughter in hopes that she could live a safer life outside of the Boston QZ. Just a couple years later, you have no choice but to take her back into your care. The problem is, you and Joel have been assigned to make the dangerous journey across the country to get Ellie to the Fireflies in hopes that her rare immunity to the cordyceps infection will be the answer to finding a cure that will save the world—and now you just make that journey with a three year old in your arms.

series preview

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Epilogue

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I completely understand your decision to not go “all in” on a new immersive fic for TRA. I’ll miss it but the anxiety would have probably killed me because the TDTRT broke me. But feel free to dash off any one shots about this sweet family in Jackson. Thanks for your work!! Loving ASH!

oh i absolutely plan to! the first oneshot will center around their reunion when Joel and Ellie return to Jackson 🤍

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BRB, just thinking about how Joel is gonna handle having to protect Ellie, Reader, and Gracie as they travel across the country. Man’s might have a literal heart attack

Having Gracie along with them is definitely going to…complicate things to say the least 🥺

he really is gonna go through it tho

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the road ahead l chapter one sneak peek

a/n 📝 so, I am back to full on writing after taking a few days off! chapter one of TRA is almost complete, and I am hoping to have it posted next weekend. it could be posted earlier, but I just want to give myself the few extra days because I am also working on a couple of other things and it will be nice to have that cushion of extra time. okay, enough babbling. I posted one preview already, but because the first chapter is going to be hefty (5k words so far and counting) here is one more sneak peek before I drop this series (ah I am nervous asf)

series masterlist

“Christ, I can’t fucking stand it,” You mumbled out in complete and utter misery as you paced around back and forth in the downstairs guest bedroom—the heart wrenching sound of Gracie’s wailing and her pleading could be heard throughout the entire two story house. If you listened close enough, you could also hear the sound of Bill and Frank’s softly muffled voices trying to calm her down.

Letting out a heavy sigh, you glanced over at Joel; he’d been sitting at the foot of the bed with a hard and stony expression on his face. He hadn’t said a single damn word to you all evening after the both of you had finally settled yourselves into the guest room for the night. It terrified the hell out of you to think Joel was beginning to shut himself away. He was slipping back into his old, shitty way of coping and it worried you, because not only were you two about to make a dangerous trip across the United Stated with a child, but now you would be making the trip with two children in tow.

And one of those two children happened to be his daughter—his daughter with you.

Needless to say, it just wasn’t the fucking time for him to shut you out. Not now.

“Do you think she even understands what they’re tellin’ her?” Joel questioned you quietly. He was gripping the edge of the mattress so hard that his knuckles had gone ghost white.

“She sure as hell understands that after tomorrow she’s never going to see the people who raised her ever again,” You stated, crossing your tightly over your chest as you continued to pace. You exhaled a small, trembling breath and tried your hardest to keep your composure as her cries grew louder.

“We can’t fuckin’ do this,” Joel told you. His voice was tight, strained. “We can’t take her with us.”

“You heard Frank, Joel. What other fucking choice do we have?”

He hesitated. “Well, there is another choice.”

You stopped mid-pace and looked at him.

Already, you knew you were not going to like what was about to come out of his mouth.

“And what would that other choice be, Joel?” You asked him rigidly, your arms still crossed.

“I take Ellie and we go find Tommy in Wyom—”

You didn’t even let him finish. “No.”

Joel tried again. “You take Gracie and you go back to Bost—”

“No.”

He glared at you. “Can you let me fuckin’ talk?”

“No,” You said for the third time. “Listen to me, we are not splitting up. Not a fucking chance in hell.”

“You have to go back. It might not be ideal, but it’s safer than her bein’ out there,” he reasoned.

You scoffed. “You killed a fucking FEDRA soldier. I go back without you and without Tess—and with a fucking three year old? They’ll take her away and I get the fucking rope. They will hang me, Joel. Not only will they hang me, those bastards will do it in front of the entire QZ and make an example out of me. Is that what you want to happen?”

Joel gripped the mattress even tighter at the mere thought of it. “You really fuckin’ askin’ me that?”

Dropping your arms back down to your sides, you walked over and knelt down in front of him. “Look Joel, we stick together, alright? We’re not splitting up, no matter what. Do you understand me?” You placed a hand over one of his and he stiffened. “It might not be what you want, but sticking together is what’s best for Ellie and it’s going to be what is best for Gracie. She’s our daughter. She needs us now.”

Joel’s lips pressed together in a thin, tight line.

“Joel, don’t you pull away from me. Not now,” You whispered up at him. “Please.”

But it was too late.

You could see it in his eyes—he already had.

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Cannot wait to see Gracie and Ellie interact 🥹

UGH nonnie let me tell you…I’ve only written the first chapter but I’ve outlined scenes for a total of 3 chapters so far and these two will most likely just melt your heart. like as awful as it’s going to be putting Gracie through the canon events of the series at her age…at least big sister Ellie moments will help balance out those terrible moments. sort of 🥲

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aww wait when is Gracie's birthday?

I don’t think I ever mentioned a specific date! I know in the story I mentioned June (which is why Joel gave his lil baby mama a pearl to wear) but not a day! Gracie’s birthday is June 26th

I chose 26 because that’s the day of Joel’s birthday in September. Yesss our little baby girl is a cancer ♋️

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is to do the right thing over?

nope! sequel series coming in June 🤍

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obviously this might be explored a bit more in the series, but does Gracie (despite being only 3) have a feeling that Joel and Reader are her biological parents? or does she at least have an inkling that they are more than just two people who often visited her and her dads?

Hi nonnie! In one of the last one shots I wrote for this lil family, Joel asked reader if she thought Gracie had some kind of feeling about him, so it was super lightly touched on but her behavior in that one shot kind of confirmed there’s definitely something there

she’s probably too young to really realize like oh shit that’s my mom and dad but in my head as the writer I do believe she feels a connection to both reader and Joel she just might not understand it 100%

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Wait, do Reader and Joel in To Do The Right Thing (and the sequel series) have an age gap? Sorry can’t recall

they do! I think I only ever put the warning in the first installment but in the first three parts of the series she was in her mid to late 20’s (for me it’s more late twenties because I mean…I’m in my late 20’s lmao) so that’ll put her in her early thirties in the new series

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I am so excited for the sequel series To Do The Right Thing! I do not want to feel like im rushing you at all. do you have any idea for when part 1 will release?

I told myself I’d post the first chapter when I made it half way to my next follower milestone which I am about 50 away from…tbh it’s creeping up a lot faster than I thought it would 💀

the reason I’m waiting to post it then is because it’ll be kind of like a lil celebration type thing cause TDTR is what brought so many people to my page! I’d say it’ll be up within the next couple of weeks 💗

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do you have a face claim for Gracie?

I do not and I won’t use one to hopefully allow readers to picture a little girl that looks like a mix of them and Joel. The only thing I can confirm is that she’s got dark brown hair and dark brown eyes like her papa

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I almost cried like 600 times when reading To do the right thing... (I cried a little) And of course, as I was finishing it the song "Future days," (the song Joel sings to Ellie) begins to play 😭

Im not okay- your writing is too good 🥲❤️‍🩹

omg that song began to post while you were finishing it?! talk about a double whammy to the freaking heart 💀💔

thank you so much for reading the series! man it’s crazy I think that might have been like my second tlou fic I ever posted back a couple months ago. I honestly only ever planned it to be a 3 part thing and now I’ve posted extra one shots and I have a whole ass sequel series in the works and it’s all thanks to lovely readers like you! 😭❤️❤️❤️

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I am so excited for your series! but also sad that poor sweet little Gracie is going to have to see such horrible things 😢

I KNOWWWW 😫 that’s why I’m so like nervous about it because it’s going to be a big challenge mentally and emotionally. my heart broke for Ellie, my heart broke for Sam

like children in this world…ugh it’s just awful. and here I am writing a toddler into it 🫠

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hey! <3 do you think you'll write another part of to do the right thing? i hope i'm not coming across rude or intrusive, just wondering. <3 i love you and your works so much!

Hi! Not being rude or intrusive at all 💗 so that series itself is complete, but as part of that “universe” I’m writing another series, a full one surrounding the first season of TLOU! It’ll be called the road ahead and I plan to post the first chapter within the next couple weeks hopefully!

I also had someone request a drabble/one shot and I loved the idea they gave me so I’ll be working on that too 🫶🏼

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Can you write a one shot of the reader going to see Gracie after leaves her with frank and bill ?

I’ve written one where Joel and baby mama reader go see her! im also working on the series. if you have any specific ideas for drabbles though I can do my best to whip something up 💗

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thinking about posting chapter one in honor of hitting 4.5k (hasn’t happened yet but almost lmao) I also requested an invitation to sign up for AO3 so I may be posting my work there as well at some point including this series 💗

the road ahead l preview (j. miller series)

a/n📝 in honor of hitting 4k followers this weekend, I decided to post a little glimpse at what I have been brainstorming: a full length series for the to do the right thing universe. I have been toying around with this idea for a while now and to be honest, I am really terrified taking on such a big challenge and writing this story, but also kind of excited too? part of me feels like I’m going to be in waaaay over my head but oh well lmao.

the first chapter is still a draft, but this scene is complete. what do we think? should i do it? please let me know your thoughts!

“Frank?” You knelt in front of his wheelchair and placed a gentle hand on his knee. “What is it?”

“We need you to take Gracie with you,” Frank told you, softly. His blue eyes had gone red, brimming with tears that he was trying his absolute hardest to hold back. Behind him, Bill stood there with his hand on his partner’s shoulder and you could have sworn that he was fighting back tears too.

“What?” You and Joel hissed out in unison. While you couldn’t see him, you could imagine the look of shock on his face mirrored yours as well.

“We need you to take her with you,” he repeated.

You stared up at Frank, your eyes wide in pure and utter disbelief. “What are you talking about?”

“Whatever this illness is, it’s progressing fast, way too fast. Look at me. The last time you were here, I could still walk. That was what, just a few months ago?” Frank let out a small and humorless chuckle and shook his head. “I’m getting worse with every day that passes. I can’t do anything for myself, let alone for Gracie. I’m in the most excruciating and unbearable pain and the reality is that I don’t have all that much time left.” He paused, hesitating for a moment before saying, “If I’m going to die, then I’m going to die in peace, not in agony.”

Your heart sank deeply, realizing what he’d meant by that.

“What about Bill?”

Joel’s gruff voice came from behind you, strained and tight.

“He can’t raise her alone. And besides, he’s made his choice to go with me.” Frank put his hand over his beloved partner’s hand, which was still resting on his shoulder.

You glanced over your shoulder back at Joel, who just stood there, the color drained from his face.

“How could we put her through that?” You asked, your voice thick with emotion as you turned back to look at Frank. “Don’t you realize how dangerous it will be for her to go with us?”

“She’s right. We’re goin’ across the fuckin’ country to get Ellie where she needs to be,” Joel reminded them. “We don’t know what kinda shit is out there or what we’re goin’ to run into. So how the fuck do you two expect us to take along a fuckin’ child?”

“Ellie’s a child,” Bill pointed out to him.

“She’s fuckin’ fourteen, not three—”

Frank held up a hand to stop him.

Finally, a tear slid down the side of his face. “Look, this isn’t a choice that we want to make, Joel. But let’s face it. I’m sick and Bill is old. Gracie will wind up alone.” He swallowed harshly, his eyes meeting yours. “I know you just wanted her to be safe, and sure, maybe she was safer with us here than in the zone for a while, but I don’t think that we thought this all the way through. I don’t think we looked far enough into the future. At some point, Gracie was going to lose us both.”

You turned and looked into the living room where Gracie was showing Ellie her favorite teddy bear.

“What’s his name?” Ellie had asked her.

“Teddy.”

She snorted, ruffling her hair. “Real original, kid.”

Gracie giggled, playfully swatting her hand away.

“I know she loses either way.” Frank’s hoarse voice garnered your attention once again. “I know it’s an incredibly dangerous risk, taking her with you. But it’s either that or she winds up alone.”

“We took care of her for as long as we could,” Bill said, quietly. “Now it’s your turn.”