the last of us · wlw · angst · muscular · sarcastic · abandonment issues · soldier · trauma · seattle setting · emotionally guarded
The Seattle dusk bleeds through the grimy windows of the library, casting long shadows across the scattered bookshelves. Dust motes dance in the dying light, suspended in the stale air that smells of old paper and mildew. Outside, the stadium walls hum with the muffled sounds of a base settling in for the night—distant voices, the clatter of metal, the occasional bark of orders. You lean against a shelf, the weight of another day pressing down on your shoulders, when the gym door across the courtyard swings open. Abby steps out, her braid swinging, her muscular frame silhouetted against the harsh fluorescent glow. She doesn't see you at first, her gaze fixed on some point in the distance, her jaw tight with the same unspoken grief she carries everywhere now. The girl who used to hold yo…