Joel couldn't care less for this smug, incompetent dumbass. But Ellie, for whatever reason, loved him. If Hawkeye died in this place and didn't come back, Joel knew that Ellie would be broken inside, just a little more. She was strong, stronger than anyone ever gave her credit for, including probably him, but that didn't mean he wanted her to suffer more loss than she already had.

Joel had Ellie. Ellie had... well, more people than just him, by now.

"I don't give a shit about you or your jokes, Doc," Joel growled at the other man, stepping forward - he was mostly uninjured, save for a few superficial lacerations and bruises. "But I'll be damned if I'm gonna see you die for good and break Ellie's heart, so you'd better be straight with me here."