Ellie Williams x F!Reader

Twenty-One

After the clothes had dried you two put on each of your garments, grabbed all the things you considered necessary and then left without a word.

The guitar remained tilted against the trunk of the lime tree, right where Ellie had put it. It would wait for decades to pass, for people to come and go, until, maybe one day, someone would pass by and play a sad song of better times.

But Ellie wouldn't be it. Neither did she want to be. Not anymore. She had accepted something after realisation had struck that she wouldn't be able to play anymore with two missing fingers.

It was painful. But she accepted it.

Steps filled the empty halls of the malls. Tense, you listened, just to make sure you weren't going crazy. You weren't fond of the idea of crossing paths with another infected again.

One surprise was more than enough.

Ellie watched you from the corner of her eyes. She looked relaxed but the way her hand was always on the bow gave away that she wasn't being careless.

A deep breath made your chest feel less burdened. It felt like you could fall back on her. A fatal thing considering that she was a stranger. But rather a human stranger than a familiar infected.

"You know you can tag along.", you said as the two of you passed the fountain.

Her eyes fell on you, eyebrows rose.

"Like what?", she asked and adjusted the strap of her backpack.

You shrugged. It wasn't supposed to sound like you wanted her around at any cost because that would have been a lie. But you couldn't deny that the thought of having someone to connect with, someone who wasn't related to you, was something new and exciting.

It was weird to think about but you felt lonely. Even though it wasn't loneliness per se you couldn't help but long for someone to get along with, to do stupid shit.

Like taking a bath in a pond after almost dying because of a clicker.

"Like...", you sucked in a breath, made your nose vibrate with the force. "I dunno. You got places to be? Cause I sure as hell don't."

She let a snort be heard, a grin tugged at the corner of her mouth. But as quickly as it had appeared it faded again. A dark shadow crossed the green of her eyes and for a long moment she seemed pressed.

Memories caught up to her. She thought about something for the first time after a long time. Almost as if she had pushed it into the back of her brain and only remembered now that she wasn't occupied by anything else.

Something lit up in her eyes and faded again. You knew that expression very well.

Guilt.

She felt guilty about something.

"Say...", her lips curled as she let her gaze wander. "You got a plan?"

Surprised that she actually sounded like considering it, you raised both eyebrows and let a whistle be heard.

All of a sudden it hit you though. Truth was, there was no plan. Not even an idea of a plan. All you had done for the past years had been wandering around and hoping for the best.

Most resting places you had found had been abandoned not long after. The longest you had rooted had been a week. Or two, it was hard to tell time without a functioning system.

It wasn't about finding a suitable place to settle but rather to search for supplies and secure survival. Like this mall. It was large, most walls still in place. It would make a good fortress, with enough rooms to host others.

But there wasn't much food to be found and you had no idea how to garden. Perhaps you'd be able to make it through summer with what nature gave you but after that time would turn rough.

"Shit...", you muttered with a soft huff, now that you realised that home or a plan did not exist. "To be honest... there's nothing. No place to turn to. No save food supplies or anything. It's just... walking till we find something and then rinse and repeat."

Again, you shrugged, but this time it was less honest and more helpless. Like a child that did not know what to do without parental guidance.

Then again. You've had parental guidance since you could remember. And it didn't help anything anyways.

Understanding, Ellie hummed. Her eyes did not dare look at your face but there was this expression that started to grow more persistent with every minute.

She thought. Then her feet stopped, so suddenly that you walked right into her. Struck by surprise you let out a huff, arms shot up to grab her by the shoulders.

She was thin, you could feel it under your fingertips. But there were also muscles that tensed as skin touched skin. Perhaps it pained her since she has a sunburn all over.

Though judging by the look on her face it was something else.

With an apology on your lips you looked up. But as your gazes met it got stuck in your throat and instead turned into a choked sound, muffled.

Out of reflex, her arm slid into the small of your back to place her palm right onto your spine. It send a shiver down your entire body, paired with the feeling of electricity.

All the hairs on your arms and in the back of your neck stood up straight.

Her lips pressed into a thin line, Ellie looked at you. Her breath ticked your cheeks and made them feel like they were on fire.

With bated breath you waited for a reaction. Your fingers were clawed into her shoulders, not in a painful but tense way. You didn't know what to do next.

She was pretty, kinda in a boyish yet feminine way. It was hard to describe. While there was this masculine confidence shimmering in the green of her eyes she had the soothing feeling of a woman.

You felt at ease in her embrace and not at all pressures. She'd let you go if you wanted to.

But you did not want to.