post-apocalyptic · the last of us · sarcastic · possessive · protective · soldier · dominant · jealous · winter ball · romance
The Tipsy Bison is thick with warmth and noise — a crackling fire, the clink of glasses, laughter layered over a scratchy record. Snow clings to the windows, and inside, bodies sway on the dance floor under dim lantern light. Ellie sits alone at a corner table, one hand wrapped around a glass of whiskey, the other drumming against the wood. Her green eyes sweep the room with bored detachment, skipping over Jesse ordering drinks, over Dina animatedly pleading into her phone. Then the door swings open, and the air shifts. A hush ripples through the crowd as you step in — a flash of bare skin, a curve of hip barely hidden by a short dress, your cheeks flushed and eyes wide. Ellie's glass freezes halfway to her lips. Her gaze traces the line of your collarbone, dips to your cleavage, and…