⋆。‧₊°♱༺ THE WAY WE USED TO ༻♱༉‧₊˚.
ellie williams x fem!reader
summary: after ending things on a sour note with ellie before seattle, the both of you haven't spoken since her return, and a less-than-unexpected relationship with dina . she manages to slip away once again, this time leaving you with nothing but the memory of her. third time's a charm, right?
warnings: post-santa barbara, angst, talk of trauma, the usual deep dives when it comes to tlou2, not proof-read
a/n: kinda missed writing for ellie lowkey, my baby deserves the entire world and much more. another part is for sure in the works, maybe even two?? also my asks are open ;) i'd be very grateful if you guys would send some stuff! enjoy around 5k words of angst <3
There was once a time when the feeling of contentedness devoured you whole — swallowing you pleasantly. Its teeth were sharp, jaw wide — unhinged as it grabbed you with flexing, greedy fingers, tossing you into the warmness of vulnerability. Once you were in, the euphoric feeling would start at the tips of your toes, expanding throughout your body slowly.
You could remember how it would scratch a particular itch in your brain, soothing every worry lingering in your dreary mind's dark corners. In truth, it was a way to escape the endless violence, to relieve the throbbing pressure that had your heart aching within the confines of your chest, behind brittle human bones that were supposed to protect you from harm — but it did nothing to stop her from leaving. You had etched it into the stubborn tissue that took refuge within your skull even if you went down on your hands and knees, she just didn’t find it in her heart to be with you.
Those walls you had spent your entire existence fortifying with your blood, sweat, and tears had all been for nothing. Absolutely nothing.
You had foolishly taken the monster of aliveness for granted, and he had taken his sweet time crushing you, breaking your fragile bones within seconds.
He had won.
With the unforeseen defeat, you found yourself wanting to expel her from your mind. Her musky, wood-burned scent, the crinkle of her nose, the light rose blush that would decorate the apples of her cheeks, and the wringing of her hands when faced with uncomfortable situations.
Those little things were what you’d remember; nights when the rare sight of dewed grass would tickle your nose hairs. Jeans damp from the small droplets of rain resting atop blades of deep green seas, wet hands snaking through soggy soil to entwine with hers in secrecy. Those were moments when love had made itself known within you, albeit a foreign feeling you embraced with mass hesitance.
Foolish girl — you were merely a child. A child who selfishly put herself aside to care for another when she could barely care for herself.
You see, that was the issue with you. You never knew when enough was enough.
Maybe that’s why she had given little to no thought about ever uttering a single word to you in almost three years.
With your jaw clenched, you ground your teeth together, tightening your grip on the pen as you pressed down on the tattered, yellowing piece of paper with arising anger. You were struggling.
Your lack of presence in the outside world and limited interaction with others could attest to that. It wasn’t as if it was your intention. Human interaction seemed to drain you lately, and so you found yourself hunched over the wooden pine desk located near a window to the right of your bedroom, a withering chair accompanying the depressing set-up. Glancing upward, you rapidly blinked, lashes fluttering against the deep bags under your eyes as you reached your hand toward your face.
There was a dull throb behind your lids as you rubbed your palms against them, ridding your eyes of any trace of lingering tiredness as you opened them soon after, pupils adjusting to the rays of clouded sunlight bleeding through the thin material of the curtains.
With a deep sigh, you curled your fingers around the leather cover of your journal, the digits on your other hand snatching the nearly broken pen away from its place wedged between smeared ink. Slamming it shut, you slid it aside, biting the inside of your cheek as a means to snap yourself out of the deep hole taking refuge in the foreground of your mind.
It was an endless abyss of numbness, laying awake at night with the sheets tucked around your waist, eyes focused on the darkness of the ceiling as you tried to suppress the sudden blur that tried to overtake your vision. There was a certain sadness lingering within you, and it spread as if it were sugar water injected into your veins.
Scratching the back of your right ear, you lifted yourself from your hunched position, back aching from the time spent madly scribbling your scattered thoughts onto an ancient sheet of paper.
You’d have to stop obsessing over it eventually. This wasn’t a healthy way of thinking about things.
Pursing your lips, your bare feet padded against the maple hardwood of the floor, guiding you into the tight kitchen space occupying the small one-story home that you called your own. Shivering at the sudden rush of cold air that seeped through your pores, you pulled on the fridge door, spotting a glass jar half full of milk. Maria had given it to you just three days prior, hoping to coax you out of the house and over to the Tipsy Bison for a drink.
You had adamantly refused, telling her that you knew those weren’t her exact intentions with you, and by the look that she threw in your direction from the doorway, you were right.
She was a gentle-hearted woman with a tough exterior and a shielded heart. And although it was something she wouldn’t part her lips to say aloud, you reminded her of herself back when she was navigating through looming death and betrayal peeking behind every corner. It bared its teeth as if it were the predator, and you were the prey; open and unaware.
Placing your lips against the cool rim, you leaned your head back, gulping the rush of liquid, focusing on the way it glided down your throat and into your stomach, satisfying your thirst and easing a quarter of your heart all in one.
Darting your eyes around the area, you settled on the scenery through the single window, paying close attention to the individual bright greens of leaves that swayed in the light wind, the sun low on the horizon, a mix of blues and light orange hues painting the sky in watercolors.
Ripping your eyes away from the tempting scenery, you took in a breath of stale air, enveloping yourself in the comfort of the surrounding silence as you frowned deeply to yourself, index finger tracing the rim of the glass. Setting the short cup in the sink, you lifted your head once more, outstretching your arms to grab at the edges of the counter as you leaned forward.
Narrowing your eyes, the rusty gears in your head worked on overdrive to make out the figure walking past your window — shadow visible to you thanks to the angle of the lowering sun.
Your worrisome face formed even more creases if possible, contorting your face in such a pained way that it felt as if you were stabbed in the side, right between the ribs. Gulping the maturing lump in your throat, you slowly made your way to the chipped wood of the front door, standing a mere four feet from it.
With three quick knocks sounding from the other side followed by a clearing throat, you nearly deflated at the muffled voice on the other side of the door. It was tired, low, and gruff, struggling.
“Hey kiddo, I know you’re in there. I saw you from the window.”
Rolling your eyes as far back as they could go, you cocked your head to the side, puffing out your cheeks before blowing out a dramatic breath. The coolness of the metal knob against the clammy heat oozing from your palm soothed you for only a moment as you twisted your wrist — coming face-to-face with the short-haired man.
His locks were glossy, shining in natural oils, giving him a temporary unappealing look that paired well with the rest of his appearance. Crossing your arms over your chest, you unashamedly lowered your gaze to his disheveled clothing, noticing just how wrinkled his plaid button-up shirt was — the first three undone as if he had looped the rest of them through holes in a rush.
“You look like shit.”
Clicking his tongue on the roof of his mouth, he balanced most of his weight on his right leg, “Well hello to you, too.”
Pulling the skin of his lips back, he grimaced from the slight pain that jolted through his left.
Furrowing your brows in concern, your legs automatically moved to his side, lifting his arm and gently placing it over your shoulder, helping him hobble inside, away from the buzzing flies in the warm, summer air.
“You need to take it easy, Tommy.” You mumbled, slowly guiding him to the kitchen and plopping him down onto one of the creaky wooden chairs backed up against the scuffed white of the walls.
Waving one of his calloused hands, he waved you off, muttering something under his breath before he sighed loudly, scanning his one eye around your messy space. “Now don’t get your head all twisted. I ain’t nothing worth worrying about.”
Frowning, you pulled out the other chair from its place tucked near the small, circular table and slowly eased yourself down, leaning back, crossing one denim-clad leg over the other.
“Says you. Someone needs to keep an eye on you, old man. Especially now, since you like to perform your little disappearing acts once and a while.”
You watched as he parted his lips to speak, pressing them thinly right after, scoffing in slight annoyance. “You stalking me or somethin’?”
The corners of your lips curled, a lop-sided smile sneaking its way to your mouth. “I have better things to do with my time —”
“— Sure don’t look like it.”
“ — Okay, anyways. No, I don’t stalk you. You’re a grown man with grays and a gait. I doubt you can get very far.”
Cocking his head back in faux hurt, he put a shaking hand over his heart. “You’ve been underestimating my abilities to move despite my age. This conversation is a prime example.”
Rolling your eyes for the second time, you lowered your head, pinching the bridge of your nose. “Did you just come here to insult me, or was there something you needed?”
Any traces of playfulness twinkling in his dead eyes diminished as he sat there, searching through the mess in his brain for the correct words to say to you. Your kindness was something he was less than deserving of, and it was something he was very aware of as he stared at your hunched frame, defeated and small.
“I - I know anything else I say to you won’t make it easier —” he started, coming to a halt at your startling interruption.
“ — I don’t need you to start mindlessly talking to me about it.” You spat, glancing up at him through your lashes, head still aimed toward the floor, eyes following the patterns of the grimy tile. “I already told you that I was still beyond pissed.”
Furrowing your brows, the flood of frustration boiled over, as if it were a pot of water on high heat. “How ignorant are you? To send someone on your fucking revenge mission because you had no way of doing it yourself. I can’t forgive you for doing that to her.”
Nodding his head, he outstretched his bad leg, wincing as he did so, the heel of his boot connecting with the floor with a ‘thud’. His curt nod wasn’t in understanding, it was in regret of not finishing the job sooner, back when he had the capabilities to do so.
It was a laughable situation considering the severity of it. He‘s lost his eye, his ability to walk normally, the warmness of his heart, his brother, and his sanity — but still consumed with a fury so deep, that it permanently rattled his soul.
Without a second thought, he spoke again, tapping the pads of his dirt-covered hands onto the grass-stained denim of his jeans. “Now, hold on a minute. I’m not asking for your forgiveness. I’m just asking ya to understand.’
“There’s nothing else to understand, Tommy. She’s not coming back. No matter how many times you sneak out of Jackson and pray to whatever the fuck you believe in that things would’ve ended on your terms.”
Scrunching your nose, you turned your head to the side, not wanting him to see the tears threatening to spill onto your heated cheeks.
“She’s not fucking coming back here. I appreciate your constant reassurance throughout these past couple of months but it’s not doing anything for me.”
Rubbing your wet hands on the rough texture of your jeans, you lifted yourself from your position, wiping furiously at your puffy lids with the back of your hand. “I think we’re done here. You should go.”
Giving him no time to respond, you quickly scurried over to the door, pulling it open to let in a rush of warm air that did little to decrease the number of goosebumps dotted on your skin. Despite the blurriness of your vision, you eyed him cautiously as he struggled to lift himself, slowly limping over and out to the creaky, dented wood of the porch.
“There’s a bonfire tonight… I know the time isn’t right but you’ve been cooped up inside here for a month. Everybody wants to see you there.”
Lifting a hand, you circled the pad of your thumb around the shape of your lips — a habit to distract yourself from thinking about her.
God, think about anything else but her. Please.
“Uh - I don’t know.” Without waiting for a reply, you shut the door right in his face, the frame rattling from the force, an echo from the sound the only thing keeping you company.
But as it faded to silence, you were back with your thoughts, left to wallow in self-pity.
You were alone.
And that’s how it was always going to be.
· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·
Flickers of orange ember lifted upward - curling themselves around lingering smoke. It easily dispersed in the thick surrounding air, transforming into nothing as you blinked, vision blurred from the harsh burn of the blackening, ashed wood that sat upon muggy soil.
Droplets of water from earlier rainfall reflected in the sun, perfectly placed on vibrant green tree leaves.
The scent of wet grass and damp earth made you sniff lightly. Your nose scrunched, left hand moving near your nostrils to wipe at it with the elongated sleeve of your thin sweater.
With the flesh of your lips pulling back, a pained expression crossed over the muscles in your face, the rough material stinging the skin right under your nose - above your upper lip.
You weren’t crying.
That was something you had tried to convince yourself for the thousandth time in the past half hour as you stared ahead at the flames of the small fire that had been started just an hour ago.
There was already a small pile of ashes, just about an inch or so, being carried by a gentle breeze that would occasionally appear.
Secretly, you were thankful for the gust of wind seeping through the small holes embedded in your shirt and slowly easing its way to your skin, chilling the heat oozing off every crevice of your being. Gripping the tiny, tin cup in your left hand, your fingers bent around the handle - almost unnaturally as the blood drained from your knuckles, leaving them sore.
After a long debate with yourself in the foreground of your mind, you had taken Tommy up on his offer for some fresh air. The decision wasn’t as hard as you were making it out to be despite wanting nothing more than to crawl back under the comfort of your sheets. You needed this. You needed to get out of your house and socialize with people who were - hopefully - still your friends albeit the large lack of communication.
It wasn’t as if you were expecting them to understand - it was quite the opposite. You weren’t in the position to assume that they’d be able to take the time and make sure that you were okay, despite the amount of grief you were going through. The sadness, the sudden anger, a dimming spark within you. It was all something that you had to deal with yourself.
Although you kept yourself hidden behind cracking walls and a dust-collecting shell of space, it was obvious.
You were an open book. You fucking hated it.
Out of all the things you could dislike and disregard about yourself - about who you are as an individual forced to kill — one single thing always stuck — the small amount of hope that fluttered in your chest cavity.
It was strong, and that kept you up at night, back pressed against your springy mattress, eyes wandering around the cracked foundation of the ceiling, finding something — anything that would slowly ease away the lingering numbness within you.
“Hey, you okay there?” Blinking rapidly, you cocked your head to the right, coming face to face with Dina whose face had morphed into one of concern.
Her left arm was wrapped around JJ’s midsection, the leg she propped him on bouncing up and down to eliminate his sudden fuss. Quirking your lips at the corners, you smiled lopsidedly, pressing them into a thin line after a small nod.
“Yeah… just thinking.”
The look she gave you was enough to have your left arm raised, uneven fingernails hovering over the nape of your neck as you divert your gaze to a tiny pebble under the sole of your right shoe.
You leaned to one side as she playfully bumped her shoulder with yours, cooing at her son as soon as he started to mindlessly babble to himself.
“Thinkin’ about what?” Her lips were pulled back, pearly whites on display as she darted her eyes around the area.
You lifted your shoulders, dropping them a couple of seconds after in a shrug, eyes still glued to the pebble near your foot as if it was somehow going to come to life and walk away from you.
Clearing the non-existent lump in your throat, you shook your head from side to side, gliding your thumb across your nose, sniffling lightly. “I don’t think you’d wanna know. You seem pretty happy right now.”
Awaiting a response, JJ’s babbles filled the tension-filled silence, the crackle of the small fire accompanying his rants as well as the muffled conversations taking place around you. Her brows furrowed, her bottom lip being tugged between her teeth as she swallowed thickly. She understood what you meant. How could she not? She knew you still love Ellie in the same way she does.
Nothing could change that. As strong and resilient as Ellie was — always a fighter — she wasn’t immortal. It was a realization that had smacked you across the face as soon as Dina had come back in shambles, expressing how Ellie’s need for revenge took away the last bit of sanity she had left.
At first, she’d lay awake at night with JJ sleeping soundly beside her, making sure to keep a spot on the bed big enough just in case Ellie somehow managed to find her way back home. So she’d have the touch of something familiar against her skin, and breathe in the scent of clean linen and soft pillows.
She was struggling.
With pressure building behind her eyes, Dina bit the inside of her cheek, not quite knowing what to do with the constant thoughts buzzing in her frontal lobe, swarming like bees in a hive as she stared at the side of your face, eyes twinkling with empathy. She knew you had some sort of hope that Ellie was out there, she did too.
“Y’know…” She trailed off, mouth opening and closing as she searched for the right words. “I used to think it was the end of the world - not having her here I mean. I got so used to a routine with her that I thought she made peace with letting her go.”
Momentarily closing your eyes, you took a sip of whatever was in your cup to soothe the dryness in your throat, a frown forming on your lips soon after, a small breeze causing you to breathe shakily.
You remembered your earlier conversations with Tommy a couple of months after he returned from Seattle. He had told you that Ellie and Dina had up and left Jackson to go live on some farm a good bit away. This honestly came as a surprise to you because it seemed somewhat out of character for her, but then again, you never really know someone when you think you do.
He had told you all about his journey to Seattle; who and what he encountered. It was odd. A once well-composed, calm, and talkative man lost himself after the loss of his older sibling, his appearance was forever altered as well as his mindset.
Feeling your heart sink at the thought, you focused on the warmth of the fire hitting your face, smoke billowing from the orange flickers as the moon took over the sky, slowly replacing the sun.
“She’s stubborn. You should know that. When Ellie starts something, she finishes it, no matter how stupid it is.” Rolling your eyes to no one in particular, you looked down at JJ whose small head was buried into his mother's side, lashes fluttering as he struggled to keep his eyes open.
Dina snorted. “God, I hate that you’re right.”
“She loved Joel a lot, y’know. I’m guessing whatever the fuck Tommy said that day got to her.”
Dina furrowed her brows, adjusting JJ so that he was in a more comfortable position, the side of her face glowing a gentle red. “It was fucking ridiculous. You should’ve seen the look on her face. She wasn’t doing well initially, but he made it harder for her. ”
“Tommy didn’t tell me exactly what he said. Only that he regretted it badly after and that you told him off for it. Rightfully so.” Puffing out your cheeks in a breath you scanned your eyes around the area, zeroing in on a group of children happily eating sandwiches, bent over close to the dirt, pointing out small insects burrowing beneath the still damp soil.
Hearing Dina sigh, you watched from her peripheral as she lifted herself from the thick log, careful not to disturb JJ’s deep slumber as he stuck his tongue out of his mouth.
“I think I’m gonna call it a night. Should take advantage of the fact that he’s sleeping.” She chuckled lightly, moving her mouth at an odd angle to blow a strand of dark hair away from her eyes.
Giving her a tight-lipped smile, you nodded curtly, watching as she distanced herself from you and went over to a group of older folks to say goodbye to. Turning your attention back down to your cup, you sloshed it from side to side, ready to zone out once more until you felt the presence of someone behind you.
“Are you gonna keep standing behind me like some sort of creep or…?.”
Jumping slightly as his hand landed harshly on your left shoulder, you rubbed you set your cup down next to you, rubbing your arm in slight discomfort. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare ya. Glad you came despite uh, you know....”
“I didn’t come because you wanted me to.”
Sighing loudly, Tommy cocked his head toward the sky, inhaling largely before exhaling, getting himself lightheaded in the process. “I know. I guess that was my way of … apologizin’.”
Raising your eyebrows in surprise, the expression disappeared as quickly as it had come. “Oh wow. Did you fall and hit your head on the way over here or something cause I could’ve just sworn you said sor-”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Waving a hand in your direction, he rolled his eyes, chuckling under his breath when your laughter reached his ears. Although he would never admit it aloud, it was a nice thing to hear.
“I accept your lame attempt at an apology.” You stated playfully, clapping your hands together and entwining your fingers with one another.
“Good.” He sighed, clearing his throat afterward to get rid of the sudden awkwardness that took over.
“Have you talked to Maria yet?”
“She wouldn’t wanna talk to me even if I tried, kid.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I do too. She said so herself.”
Clicking your tongue on the roof of your mouth you gave him the most intense side eye you could muster, sucking in cool air through clenched teeth. “Wouldn’t hurt to try.”
“It would.”
Rising from your position, you dusted your palms off on your jeans, looking back at him as the wind whipped through his untamed hair, making small tendrils stick in different directions. “You motivate me to stop sitting on my ass so I'm telling you to get up off of yours now. Seriously, Tommy, you’re miserable.”
He chuckled dryly, slapping his right hand on his thigh as if you told him the funniest thing in the world. The loud slap echoed enough to have a couple of people snap their heads in your direction to see what exactly warranted a reaction like that from him. Rolling your eyes as far back into your head as they could go, you turned your body to face him fully, hand on your hip.
“What’s so funny?”
“I appreciate you trying to give me an encouraging speech — “
“ — It wasn’t supposed to be encouraging, merely just an observation.” You sputtered, feeling your face heat at his correct assumption you tried to adamantly deny.
“Sure. Well, whatever that was, you’re bad at it.”
With the feeling of slight embarrassment walking its fingers up to grip your shoulder, you widened your jaw a bit, licking your chapped lips before you put your hand over your heart in faux hurt. “Ouch.”
“Regardless, I am thankful for how you’re trying to help me.” He expressed, staring up at you with dark eyes, lids heavy with lack of sleep. “But, it’s not the right time to say anythin’ to her just yet. I must sort myself out before making a big leap like that.”
Running the wet muscle of your tongue across your teeth, you took in his words, blankly staring at the creases in his forehead as he pinched the bridge of his nose in growing frustration.
The tone of your voice softened, words coming out above a whisper, “That’s respectable. I don’t know how it doesn’t drive you insane though. Constantly trying to figure out solutions to problems that are out of your control.”
Tommy lifted his shoulders in a shrug. “Even before all of this,” Motioning to the crowds of people scattered about, innocent children playing with toys and the aging buildings that still stood, “problems are always out of your control but in someone else’s hands. There’s a reason for everything.”
“But there’s a solution for everything too.” You tutted, wagging a finger at him.
“Since when you’d become so wise?”
“Since you told me that I'm bad at giving encouraging words.”
“I thought you said you weren’t trying to encourage me.”
“Whatever.”
Spinning on your heels, a cloud of dirt appeared around your feet. You shooed him away. “I’m going home. Keep yourself out of trouble.”
Tommy shook his head, fighting the strong urge to smile as he shouted at your retreating figure. “Always do!”
“I beg to differ!”
With a cheeky smile on your face and aching cheeks, you kept your head high as you made your way home, waving at those who lingered outside, having their private conversations under the dim light of the moon. The air was crisp, the crunch of leaves beneath your feet all you could focus on until you turned the street, your shadow combining with the shapes it came across. During heated nights, you and Ellie would sneak out — roaming the streets of Jackson without a care in the world, shushing each other to not cause a disturbance to those curled up in their beds.
She enjoyed making shapes underneath the strung-up lights littered around every corner, having you guess what animal she was making, bending each of her fingers. You were never really good at it. No matter how hard she tried to teach you the different kinds of objects you could shape your fingers into, you had given up quickly, insisting that she was a natural at everything she tried her hand in.
Stopping under a source of light illuminating the concrete from a nearby porch, you raised both of your hands, staring at your shadow as you bent your fingers in an attempt to make a rabbit, failing drastically.
“I was never good at that shit.” You mumbled to yourself, dragging the soles of your beat-up sneakers against the pavement.
Shoving your hands in the pockets of your sweater, you picked at a loose string, pinching and pulling as Joel’s house came into view.
As you neared, interest was piqued within you at the source of light that stuck out like a sore thumb, shrouded by a large tree but very visible in the darkness of the night. Quickening your pace, you raised your brows in curiosity, making your way up the steps and around to the back of the house where Ellie’s shed stood.
You were dreaming. That had to be the only plausible explanation as to why you were seeing what you were currently seeing right now — or maybe you were hallucinating — you had to be. With your heart beating quickly in the small space in your chest, thumping loudly in your ears, you drew in a sharp breath, biting the side of your cheek as you slowly took in the back of a plaid, button-up shirt, gaze drifting to dirt covered jeans before landing on the old converse sneakers you knew all too well.
“Ellie?”
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