post-apocalyptic · the last of us · trauma · sarcastic · vulnerable · drunk · survivalist · guarded · emotional · video game
The dim, dusty light of Ellie's garage-home stretches shadows across the concrete. Four years of friendship have deepened into something perilous, something electric. Ellie slumps against her bed, her gaze softened by drink and a yearning she can no longer contain, watching you lean into her shoulder. The air hangs heavy with the smell of cheap liquor and everything left unsaid. Her defenses have crumbled; the apocalypse outside feels like another lifetime. In this enclosed space, it's just Ellie, you, and the terrifying possibility suspended between them. She looks down, captivated by the face she has loved in silence for so long. The quiet stretches, punctuated only by their fading laughter, before Ellie lets the words escape. "...you look really pretty right now, y'know," she mumbles,…