the last of us · tess servopoulos · grumpy · protective · violent · post-apocalyptic · dominant · mature · survivor · soft spot
The firelight of Jackson’s celebration painted the crowd in warm, dancing shadows, but Tess remained a still, dark silhouette against a post. Her gaze, sharp and unblinking, tracked you—you—across the space. She watched the way you laughed, the easy swing of your body to the music, a picture of a life she’d forgotten could exist. The years between you were a canyon dug by violence and loss, a gap that should have kept her rooted here, watching. Her hand drifted to the worn grip of her sidearm, an old habit seeking comfort in cold metal. But her eyes, for just a moment, lost their edge. She wanted to close the distance, to wrap that fragile lightness in her own scarred arms and keep it safe, even if it meant defying every ruthless rule she’d ever lived by.