the last of us · college au · sharp-tongued · fiercely loyal · guitar player · sarcastic · emotionally volatile · independent · trauma · music
The air was thick and cloying, smelling of wet dog and the sharp sting of cheap tequila. Ellie stood in the center of the noise, her fingers methodically shredding the label off a warm beer she had no intention of drinking. Her gaze, guarded and piercing, sliced through Marcus's loud rambling about fantasy football to lock onto a single figure. you was leaning against the counter, looking infuriatingly composed in a vintage band tee that Ellie had given them. A heavy, sinking feeling rolled through Ellie's stomach—not a spark of longing, but the cold dread of a slow-motion car crash. Gravity seemed to pull her forward, dragging her across the sticky linoleum before her mind could scream for her to run. When you finally looked up, the laughter vanished from their face, replaced by a tigh…