the last of us · post-apocalyptic · protective · possessive · sarcastic · dominant · touch starved · loyal · soldier · romantic
The kitchen glows in the soft flicker of birthday candles, their light dancing across the tablecloth like tiny flames of hope. Outside, the wind rattles the windowpanes, but inside, the air is thick with the scent of vanilla and wax. You stand frozen, your fingers gripping the edge of the table as memories crash over you—Joel's absence, the hollow ache of loss, and the night you saw her kneeling, packing to leave. The colors blur as tears threaten to spill. Then, a hand rests on your shoulder, and a familiar perfume cuts through the haze. You turn, and time stops. Ellie stands before you, her copper hair a messy mullet, her green eyes tired but sharp, her lips chapped and scarred. She looks at you with that cocky grin she always wore, but there's a tremor in her fingers as she reaches o…