This Isn't The End [Ellie Williams x Fem!Reader]

•Chapter 4•

     You had stayed in Jackson as opposed to going out on patrol with Ellie and her friends. She stayed up with you the few hours before she had to leave insisting she'd be fine despite you telling her to go to bed. You two had sat on the couch on opposite ends despite the comfort you obviously had with her. You think she doesn't want to overwhelm you or scare you away. The two of you watched an old movie that was apparently one of Joel's favorites. Maybe you'd seek the man out today. But one look outside at the snow covered landscape had you tugging the blanket Ellie wrapped you in a little a tighter.
     You were bored. Spending the first few hours of the day wrapped in a blanket reading that limited edition book you had found in that bookstore. Finally getting up around noon, you got changed and headed for the stables where your saddle filled with goods you'd collected and more importantly Atlas.     People waved nervously at you as you jogged through the streets and you waved back. Showing these people you were friendly seemed like a start.
     When you approached the stables Maria was there, almost like she was waiting for you.
     "Hey Maria." You smiled at her. The woman stood a little taller as she took you in.
     "You here for your stallion?" She asked.
     "Uh yeah, his name is Atlas. I wanted to grab some more of my things too, maybe start trading around." You explained. Maria sighed opening the stable doors. She lead you to where your spoiled horse stood in his stall. He huffed as you approached.
     "He's a fine horse, where'd you buy him at?" Maria asked as she placed her hand out, gently patting his snout.
      "I stole him actually, when I was 17." You grinned sheepishly combing your fingers through his dark mane. Maria gaped at you.
     "How on earth did you manage that?" She laughed, leaning against Atlas' stall door. You peppered your horse with kisses.
     "A group of people had him passing through Idaho when I was looking for shelter from a bad storm that was heading in. They were going to eat him, I just looked at such a beautiful creature and I knew I couldn't leave him to die. I waited until nighttime and while they slept in an abandoned cottage and left him outside. I stole him." You told her. Atlas pressed his head against your shoulder. Maria gave you a genuine smile then.
     "I hope you decide to stay. I know it's hard, there's so many people here and Jesse tells me you've been on your own since you were a baby." Maria sympathized. You didn't like sympathy about how you had to do most things alone. You all did your part to survive, and your loneliness was mostly a choice based on your mom's last words.
     "Yeah I was 14 when my mom was infected and gunned down by the military just outside of Boston. She told me not to trust anyone." You revealed with a shrug turning and focusing on your horse instead of Maria's eyes. She watched you with such focus it almost felt like an interrogation not a conversation.
     "Well I'm sorry for your loss." She sighed. Silence hung in the air between before Maria spoke again. "Ellie really wants you to stay. She won't admit to it but I can tell. Things have been... tense between her and Joel. It's nice to see her loosen up."
     "I still don't know. I'm not really sure about anything yet. But I do like to see Ellie, we never actually spoke before this. We just ran into each other in Boston. She saved me from being caught." You were rambling now. Finally looking up into Maria's eyes, you smiled at her nervously.
      "Jackson would be lucky to have you. So would Ellie it seems." Maria grinned shaking your hand.
     You left the stable with one of your duffel bags from Atlas' saddle, it was filled with goods you had stolen from when you ventured into the Dakotas. You had leather journals, crystals, artifacts, weapons, beaded jewelry, and even some pottery packed gently in the bottom of your bag. You wandered around the town until a familiar face popped around the corner.
     "Hello." He greeted. You smiled up at Joel. He didn't know you though, thank god he didn't spot you behind that car.
     "Hello, you must be Joel." You greeted sticking out your hand. He shook it warily.
     "You must be (YN). Tommy told me about you, you still holding up in Ellie's place?" Joel asked. Not even subtle about his worry for the girl. You nodded opening you duffel bag. "What do you have there?" He raised an eyebrow peeking into your bag.
     "Things I've found when I took a trip through the Dakotas." You explained vaguely, then you found it. Smiling down at the old revolver you pulled it out of your bag. "You don't know me but I was there in Boston. That day the fireflies gave you Ellie. She saw me and didn't give me away. You seem important to her, and she saved my life that day." You explained to him. He raised an eyebrow at you.
     "What's this then." He asked. "You don't know me either."
     "This. Is an old revolver I found in a town called Deadwood. It's a real Wild West like town. Ellie showed me a movie last night and said it was one of your favorites. I think you'd like this." You talked fast. Nerves made your fingers twitch around the handle as he looked at it.
     "What's your name kid."
     "(YN)."
     "What do you want for the revolver?"
     You smiled at the older man and handed it to him so he could inspect the gun. Joel seemed to like it and the weight seemed fine. He was telling you he would probably never fire a bullet but it would look nice in his home. You traded the gun for some coffee beans he had. A nice blend of flavors, it made you smile as you packed in into your bag.
     That was how you spent your day. You meandered around Jackson talking to people and their children. Trading chunks of quartz about the size of your palm for a free meal or a small knife. The children of Jackson simply adored you.
     Trading with kids was always your favorite. Adults had extreme values and were sometimes hard to negotiate with. But a kid? You gave them chocolates you had found under a tipped over shelf in a gas station and in exchange they gave you a small bracelet they had braided out of string they found or whatever cool trinkets they made.
     "(YN)?" A familiar voice called from behind you.  You stood from where you crouched to be eye height with a little girl who really wanted a pretty beaded necklace.
     "Hey Ellie." You beamed at her. Then you took in her appearance. Blood crusted at her temple and soaked in her hair, a bruise already blooming on her cheekbone. She smiled weakly at you. You turned back to the little girl clasping the necklace around her throat and telling her she owed you one with a wink before sending her on her way.
     "It's not as bad as it looks." Ellie blurted out. You scoffed at her.
     "That bruise begs to differ." You raised an eyebrow at her. Ellie's shoulder slumped.
     "I don't want to go see the doctor. I'm ready to crawl into bed and sleep for four days." She groaned. Guilt flipped in your stomach.
     "I told you to go to bed last night." You frowned. Ellie rolled her eyes at before beginning to walk back to her house. The sun began to set, the sky painted in rosey pinks and tangerine oranges as night gave way.
     "Patrol lasted longer than expected. I would've been back hours ago if we didn't run into that horde." Ellie explained.
     "You ran into a horde? Are you sure you're okay Ellie?" Worry began to turn in your chest. Ellie was the first person in a long time you'd been able to trust.
     "Yeah I'm fine, thankfully it was a group patrol. Jesse and Dina are getting patched up now." She sighed, wincing as she climbed the steps to her porch.
     "I'm going to patch you up before you go to sleep. That's non negotiable." You tsked as you shut the door behind you. The cold had turned your cheeks red, your ears and fingers stinging at the sudden warmth of Ellie's home.
     "Whatever you say boss." Ellie grinned at you. It was forced, she was hurting pretty bad. You sat her down on the couch, telling her not to move before rifling through her bathroom. You brought her painkillers and some water before returning your search for some alcohol and bandaids.
     "Ellie, where on earth do you keep your first aid things?" You called into the living room.
     "Under the kitchen sink!" She replied. You scoffed at the ridiculous placing of her things and walked into the kitchen. You froze when you looked into the living room to see Ellie shedding her outer layers, she sat there in just her bra and jeans. You snatched the first aid kit before returning to the living room. Bruises and cuts peppered her skin varying in severity.
     "Fuck Ellie. What happened ?" You asked taking your warm towel and swiping it across her back. Blood dripped down her back.
     "Fucking clicker shoved me out of window on the second floor of a building we were clearing." Ellie hissed as you gently cleaned her skin.
     "I'm gonna disinfect these cuts." You warned her. Your warning didn't stop her from swearing like a sailor when you pressed the towel into her skin. The smell of alcohol hung in the air.
     "What did you do today?" Ellie asked, trying to distract herself from stinging.
     "I did some trading mostly, I didn't get off the couch until almost noon though." You chuckled.
     "Did you like it? Jackson I mean. Getting to explore on your own and talk to people." Ellie asked turning to look at you. You smiled at her placing a bandaid on a particular deep cut. You'd send her to the clinic tomorrow to make sure there wasn't any glass trapped underneath her freckled skin.
    "Yeah. It's beautiful here, I talked to Maria and I even bumped into Joel." You said softly as you walked around the front of the couch to inspect the cut on her temple. Ellie tensed up greatly at the mention of her old mentor and friend. You began to clear away the blood that had dried in her hair and on her face. Clearing away the copper and discovering the freckles that splattered across her face.
     "(YN). Thank you, for this." Ellie sighed watching your face as you examined her head. You waved your hand at her. She didn't need thank you. After all she was the one giving you a place to live.
     "It's not a big deal Ellie, I have something I think you'll like by the end way." You said nervously meeting her emerald eyes.
     "You don't have to give me anything that you need to trade away." Ellie frowned. You rolled your eyes disinfecting the cut on her temple. "Fuck that hurts." She swore.
     "I'm sorry, I know this shit sucks. But imagine how much it would suck if they had to shave your head cause it got infected." You pointed out. Ellie let out a chuckle at that as you wrapped a bandage around her head. "All better now." You cooed at her walking over to your duffel bag. You pulled out a leather sketchbook. You set in Ellie's hands, her mouth slightly open.
     "I can't take this. It's beautiful." Ellie breathed as she examined the pressed pages. You smiled at her.
     "I can't think of anyone who would treasure it more." You argued. "Now you should get to bed. I think I'll take your patrol tomorrow, so you can get some good sleep." You said tugging Ellie up from the couch down the hall to where you saw her room earlier.
     "(YN). Thank you. I mean it, this is probably one of the nicest things anyone's ever given me." Ellie said when you arrived at her doorway. You just smiled timidly at her.
     "Guess you'll just have to draw me sometime." You grinned at her. She laughed and then pulled you into her arms. Ellie was hugging you, tightly, and you hugged her back. It's been so long since someone held you in their arms just out of comfort.
    "I'll make it the first thing I do tomorrow."