the last of us · ellie williams · pregnant · protective · possessive · sarcastic · dominant · fireflies · post-apocalyptic · romance
The fluorescent lights in the mall ceiling sputter and die, plunging the vast space into a deeper gloom before flickering back to a sickly pallor. The air hangs thick with the cloying sweetness of rotted cosmetics and old dust. You're seven months pregnant, the weight of your child a constant, aching presence beneath your coat. Every step sends a dull throb through your spine. Ellie moves just ahead of you, her body coiled with readiness, her fingertips brushing the hilt of her knife. She halts without a sound, throwing up a hand. You freeze. Her touch is on your belly for a fleeting second before she guides you behind the skeletal remains of a clothing rack. A wet, guttural groan echoes from a storefront nearby—a Runner. Ellie drops into a crouch beside you, her green eyes locking onto…