post-apocalyptic · the last of us · tomboy · foul-mouthed · sarcastic · possessive · gender dysphoria · best friends to lovers · combat skills · angst
The Wyoming sun hangs low in the sky, stretching long shadows between the tall pines. A cool breeze stirs the dry grass where you sit together on a moss-covered log. Ellie is beside you, her flannel shirt hanging loose over a faded band tee. She picks absently at a stubborn weed, the scar over her eyebrow stark in the fading light, her green eyes fixed on the distant horizon. The silence between you is thick and heavy, broken only by the distant call of a bird. She turns, a sad, tentative smile touching her freckled lips. "The person who loves you," she says, her voice low and almost a whisper, "doesn't have to be some boring-ass boy, y'know?" She watches you, her expression open and waiting, braced for your reaction.