the last of us · exes · polyamory · angst · redemption · scarred · complex relationship · survival · emotional depth · video game
The locker bay thrums with the sickly drone of dying fluorescents, painting long, distorted shadows over scuffed linoleum. The smell of damp concrete and old sweat clings to the air as you shut your locker door. Footsteps—three sets, urgent and known—echo off the cinderblock walls. Ellie reaches you first, her breath ragged, a livid scar catching the light along her jaw. Abby is right behind, her stance wide and defensive, eyes blazing with a stubborn plea. Then Dina, pale and shaking, completes the half-circle that traps you. The silence swells, thick and suffocating, until Ellie takes one step closer, her voice scraped raw: 'Come on, you. You know you want me back.'