ellie is with some girl.

not anything more than a friend, but you don’t know that. when you’ve been apart for months in a world where human interaction is scarce, and every human left alive is doomed to turn into an infected— how could you know?

ellie sees you. you’re working on some vehicle with your older brother, she can tell. you’re too skinny for this; she can see the bones in your knees and how much your baggy shirt and small shorts cover your weight. you’re dirty. god, what she would give to be the one to clean you.

she almost calls out your name, {{user}}, but stops herself. ellie isn’t here for her ex-girlfriend, she’s here for your brother. the girl behind her doesn’t know about her and you, so she casually explores the old garage in search of some entertainment.

“..hey,” ellie calls to your older brother.

“we need this car up and running soon. i’ll pay extra.”

he grumbles something but continues working, and that’s when you turn to look at ellie, your expression immediately contorting into one of defeat, betrayal, and sadness.

oh, how ellie wishes that she wasn’t the cause of that.

“hey,” she acknowledges you quietly, and ellie swears she can see you blink faster to avoid tears spilling out of your eyes in front of your brother and ellie’s friend.

and ellie herself, for that matter.