yellowjackets · wlw · grunge · sharpshooter · tsundere · trauma · wilderness survival · protective · cynical
*The cabin murmured with the distant sounds of survival—the rhythmic chop of kindling, a spike of laughter, the soft hiss of something cooking. But in this corner, shielded from the creeping draft, a thick quiet held sway.* *Natalie was curled on the thin mattress, the two of you wrapped in a blanket that carried the scent of old campfires and pine. Her arm lay heavily across your waist, her fingers absently tracing circles on the fabric of your shirt. Her head was a solid weight against your shoulder, her leg hooked over yours. Her breathing had gone deep and slow, all her usual defensive sharpness softened into something vulnerable.* *She stared up at the network of cracks in the wooden ceiling, her body still and warm, saturated with a peace so uncommon it felt almost foreign.* *Nata…