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

•Chapter 6•

Your P.O.V
     You were lost but would never admit it. The snow and wind got you so turned around you had no idea where in Jackson you were. You had lied about seeing the sun set, it was so cloudy you couldn't even see the sun. You had hoped Ellie would appreciate the joke but the way she was looking at Joel you didn't really want to be there if it blew up.  The cold was almost unbearable, regretting not bringing gloves you shoved your hands deeper into your coat pockets.
    The more you wandered Jackson the more you cursed the storm. You couldn't see anything anymore, the wind whipping around you throwing snow in your eyes every few steps. You just needed to get into a building and then you'd find Ellie in the morning.
     "Ellie!" You called out, your voice was swallowed by the wind. After stumbling down the icy street for a bit longer you finally spotted a familiar building. The Tipsy Bison. Part of you scowled at the thought of seeing Seth again but you had to get out of the cold, it felt like your ears were gonna fall off.  The door slammed shut behind you as you entered, sighing at the warmth from the fire kindling somewhere. You rubbed your hands together trying to warm them, the building was empty as far as you could tell. You wandered the bar, you hadn't seen much of it from when you were with Ellie. That night the bar had been packed, bustling with people and filled with laughter. It felt vacant now. You decided you'd warm up and then go back out, Ellie might be out there looking for you. Maybe Joel too. As you walked to the door to leave someone laughed from the bar, you turned around seeing Seth.
     "So decided to stay here after all." He chuckled darkly, he had a knife in his hand as he approached you.
     "Listen man, I'm sorry about earlier. I just let my emotions get the better of me." You apologized, holding onto the door handle.
     "You humiliated me, you and your little girlfriend." He snarled. You blinked at that.
     "Ellie isn't my girlfriend." You explained bluntly, you hated the way he talked about her. Ellie defended you in the stable, you'd defend her here.
     "Sure she isn't." He rolled his eyes twirling his knife in his hands. He cocked his arm back to throw it at you as you had done to him in the woods but you were already out the door. Trying to direct yourself to Ellie's house, snow clouded your vision and the wind pushed you down the street.
     "(YN)!" A voice called. You barely heard her. Ellie had come for you.
      "Ellie!" You yelled, finally her dark form came into view down the street. Her arm shielding her eyes and a beanie tugged over her ears. You called her name again and she saw you. Ellie walked to you quickly, you searched her green eyes as she got closer. She was worried and upset. Something happened with Joel, probably because of you and Seth's ordeal. Ellie's gloved hands gripped yours, she seemed to know where she was going. Finally she dragged you up the stairs to her home. Pulling you inside the wind snapped the door shut so hard the walls of the house shook.
     "Are you okay? You were out there for so long." Ellie worried. You nodded your head still reeling from the way Seth looked at you. It felt like he was going to kill you.
     "I'm fine, I don't think I would've been able to find my way back here if you hadn't come to find me." You smiled weakly at her. You didn't like that you needed help with this. With getting around the little town of Jackson. It made you feel uneasy, so many years alone and suddenly you need help?
     "I'm just happy you're okay, I'll make some tea?" Ellie asked me. You nodded at her. Anything to warm you again.
      "What did Joel want? If you don't mind my asking that is." You inquired as you shed your jacket and kicked off your heavy boots. Ellie was in the kitchen putting the kettle on.
     "It was actually about you and the whole Seth thing." Ellie called from the kitchen. You walked into the kitchen, sitting at her dining room table waiting for her to turn around. You wrung your fingers nervously.
     "Do they want me to leave? I can be gone as soon as the storm passes." You blurted. Ellie took two mugs from her cabinet then turned around.
     "They actually really want you to stay." Ellie said casually sitting next to you. Your knee brushed against hers and you felt heat rise into your cheeks.
     "Oh, what did he want to talk about then?" Your heart rate quickened as Ellie's emerald eyes met your own. She seemed nervous.
     "You're not allowed to patrol and they aren't going to let you out of Jackson for a while." Ellie rambled. You inhaled sharply. They wanted you to stay so bad they weren't going to allow you to leave. "If you want to leave I understand, I can get you and Atlas out, maybe I'd come visit Idaho every once in a while." Ellie would too. She would risk everything for your, to help you escape. You were grateful for Ellie's presence and the comfort she brought you.
     "I'll stay. At least for a while longer, I'm not sure how long I'll stay if I'm not allowed to leave sometimes. Jackson is nice and all, but I don't have enough things to trade to keep me busy here." You forced a laugh. You were going to try with these people, make them understand you. Ellie reached out and held your hand.
     "For the record, I want you to stay too." She murmured. Your heart skipped a beat, you stared into Ellie's eyes. They contained so many greens it was like staring into a forest you visitors in Oregon when you went to trade things.
     "You have beautiful eyes." You blurted, immediately regretting it. Ellie's lips broke into a soft smile.
     "Thank you, I was just thinking the same thing about you." Ellie laughed. You smiled back at her leaning in a little bit. Ellie's face turned red but she didn't back down.
"You humiliated me, you and your little girlfriend"
Maybe Ellie could be your girlfriend. You flicked your gaze to her lips then back up into her hypnotic gaze. Then the god damn kettle began to whistle.
     "I should uh, I should get that." Ellie stuttered standing from the table. She set a cup of green tea in front of you before returning to her spot next to you, not as close as before.
     "Thank you, for everything by the way. From saving me in Boston to giving me a place to stay." You thanked her. Ellie nodded. "When I was out walking around I ended up at the tipsy bison." You confessed, you knew Ellie was going to freak out. But you didn't like secrets.
     "What?" Ellie exclaimed tensing up and leaning her elbows on the table. Water dripped from her hair onto the table.
     "Yeah I couldn't see and it was the first familiar building I saw, so I went in. Naturally Seth was there and freaked out on me." You joked, but Ellie wasn't amused. You told her everything he said to you, minus the girlfriend remark. You weren't even sure if Ellie liked girls. She could have anyone she wanted with those eyes.
     "I'm gonna kill him." Ellie said bluntly. You reached a hand out setting it on her forearm where that tattoo lay.
     "Ellie it's fine, I did it to him after all. Besides it's not like he actually did anything. It would be all hear say if we tried to tell Tommy." You reasoned, Ellie was shaking.
     "It's not fine. I hate him and his stupid bigotry. Why is how we live our lives anyone's business!" She yelled. You raised a brow, we.
     "Ellie are you gay?" You asked bluntly. Ellie looked up at you, those green eyes widening in shock. Then she nodded. Part of you sighed in relief at that. That there was a chance this attraction you felt for her wasn't one sided.
     "Are you?" She asked. You shrugged.
     "I don't know, I think I'll fall in love with whoever I fall in love with. I'll know it when I know it." You explained with a wink. Ellie looked at you in shock.
     "Have you ever dated anyone?" She asked.
     "I've had moments with people, walking through the woods talking. Never actually anything that lasted. Never anyone who wanted or who I wanted to live with me." You didn't have much romantic history, but sometimes when trading around the country another straggler caught your eye for just long enough. "What about you any steamy romances I should know about." You giggled. Ellie scoffed at that.
     "My last girlfriend gave me this tattoo, her name is Cat. I think she still lives around Jackson but I haven't seen her in a long time." Ellie sighed looking at the ink that marked her forearm. You traced your finger along the elegant swirls of the moth wings.
     "It's beautiful." You whispered. Ellie just nodded. You could feel Ellie watching you intently at you loved her arm around admiring her ex's work.
     "I have tomorrow off from patrol, hopefully the storm lightens up over night I can show you the real secrets of Jackson." Ellie grinned at you. Smiling back at her you nodded eagerly. Despite being trapped here in this elegant birdcage of a town, it was nice having a friend.
     "I can't wait."