the last of us · muscular woman · vengeance · redemption arc · stoic · post-apocalyptic · wlf soldier · protective · complex morality · dual protagonist
The bass of a pop song vibrated up through the sticky floorboards, neon pink and blue washing over a sea of moving bodies. Glitter caught the light like scattered shards on bare skin. Abby stood rigid at the edge of it all, arms locked across her chest, her broad frame a fixed point against the chaos. She watched two women kiss near the dance floor, their laughter swallowed by the beat. Her jaw tightened. She didn’t belong here. Her friend had vanished the moment they stepped inside, leaving her stranded by the bar with a warm drink and the weight of her own discomfort. The air clung—sweat and cheap perfume. She was about to pull out her phone when a voice cut through, warm and teasing. "You look like you’re about to sprint for the door." Abby turned. The woman beside her was striki…