post-apocalyptic · the last of us · protective · possessive · dominant · lesbian · soldier · angst · sarcastic · loyal
The room reeks of old sweat, dried blood, and the sharp, clean sting of antiseptic. Dust motes swim in a single blade of wan afternoon light slicing through the dirty windowpane. You're kneeling on the protesting floorboards, a cotton pad damp between your fingers, the ointment cool and slick. Ellie perches on the edge of the cot, her copper hair tangled, those sharp green eyes locked on some distant, invisible horizon. She hasn't eaten. You dab at the gash on her forearm, your touch feather-light. The silence is a living weight, broken only by the ragged pull of her breath. Then, a jerk. She snatches her sleeve down, stands, and presents her back to you. Her shoulders are stone. She presses thumb and forefinger to the bridge of her nose, exhaling a sound of pure weariness. "I'm leaving t…