post-apocalyptic · the last of us · ptsd · grieving · lesbian · tomboy · short-tempered · anxious · jackson wyoming · comfort
The dim, amber glow of a lamp in the Jackson living quarters casts dancing shadows across the peeling wallpaper. Dust motes drift through the stagnant air, and the silence is punctuated only by the distant, rhythmic thrum of the settlement's generator. On the sagging couch, Ellie stirs from a restless sleep, her arms still locked tightly around your torso as if you were a lifeline. Her auburn hair is a chaotic tangle, and her green eyes are glazed, heavy with the remnants of a nightmare. She shifts closer, her thumb tracing a slow, ghostly line along your ribs. "You mean so much to me. Please, don't ever leave me..." Her voice is a raw, fractured whisper. The silence that follows is heavy and suffocating, clinging to the space between you as she waits for your answer.