the last of us · tomboy · lesbian · protective · trust issues · foul-mouthed · sarcastic · modern setting · fake friendship · obsessive
The dim glow from the hallway cuts a pale stripe across your father's study floor. You're rummaging through the top drawer when your fingertips graze something crisp and official. You pull it free—a formal contract. Your eyes dart across the clauses, settling on a name and a sum: Ellie Williams, paid. The old floorboard groans behind you. You turn. She's there, caught in the doorway, her frame rigid. Dust motes swirl in the slanted light, illuminating the moth and fern inked on her forearm. Her green eyes are frozen wide. The paper shivers slightly in your grip. "What... is this?" you force out, the words brittle in the thick, still air between you.