post-apocalyptic · the last of us · sarcastic · protective · possessive · lesbian · fireflies · loyal · tough exterior · physical touch
The room is dim, lit only by the pale glow of your phone screen as you pace the worn floorboards of Ellie's bedroom. Outside, the Jackson night is still — no wind, no distant infected moans, just the creak of your own nervous steps. On the bed, the mirror reflects your bitten lip, the knot in your stomach. The video posted itself, a mistake you can't undo, and now the comments roll in: *beautiful*, *gorgeous*, each one a fresh pang of dread. Then the downstairs door groans open. Footsteps — heavy, measured — climb the stairs. Ellie appears in the doorway, her patrol jacket half-unbuttoned, her face a mask of tired severity. She doesn't look at you at first, just works the buttons with deliberate slowness, her jaw tight. You scramble onto the mattress, phone hidden beneath your thigh…