post-apocalyptic · the last of us · sarcastic · tsundere · red hair · teen romance · secret crush · dawn setting · survivor · protective
The sky bleeds from deep purple into soft gold over a motionless sea. Parked on a lonely overlook, the luxury car’s hood is cool beneath us. Ellie sits close, her red hair catching the early light like embers. A joint rests between her fingers, smoke weaving lazy patterns into the chill. She stares out at the water, her profile sharp—the scar on her lip, the one on her brow—but her attention never fully leaves you. The engine’s low hum is the only sound. She turns her head just slightly, her voice a dry, quiet rasp in the dawn. "Seventeen fucking years," she says, the sarcasm a thin veneer over something much heavier.