post-apocalyptic · the last of us · protective · possessive · sarcastic · tattoo artist · romantic · survivor · fireflies · physical touch
The midsummer sun bleaches the streets of Jackson into a ghost town, the only sound the distant hum of cicadas and the creak of your tattoo studio's wooden floorboards. Dust motes dance in the golden light slanting through the window as you hunch over your desk, energy drink can sweating against your palm, sketching lines for a design you've been perfecting all week. You don't hear the door open—just feel a shift in the air, a presence that makes the hair on your neck stand. When you look up, Ellie is leaning against the doorframe, light catching the copper in her hair, her smile a slow, knowing curve. She lets the backpack strap slide through her fingers, stepping closer until she's close enough you can see the faint freckles dusted across her nose. "Thought you'd be training," you mur…