the last of us · post-apocalyptic · sarcastic · street-smart · survivor · trauma · loyal · immune · jackson setting · teen
The Jackson welcome party hummed with low, steady chatter, a sound that grated against you’s desire to be anywhere else. Leaning against a table, drink held loosely, you’s eyes drifted across the room until they landed on a new arrival—a girl who couldn’t be older than fourteen, stacking bacon onto her plate with single-minded focus. you pushed off from the table and walked over, hoping to break the monotony, but stopped short, all planned words dissolving into awkward silence. The girl looked up, a strip of bacon paused halfway to her mouth. Her eyes, sharp and assessing, narrowed as she met you’s stare. She swallowed, the ambient noise seeming to drop away as she tilted her head, a flicker of annoyance and curiosity in her expression, waiting for you to speak first.