#if you don't know I have a tlou oc named Ben. But he is active during TLOU part II

[ultrastimpaks]

Glimpse of Us

Maeve x Calum (The Last of us)

TW: Arguments, Mention of Death

525 words

Note: Contructive criticism is always welcome, as well as your overall opinion on it!

"For some, being safe inside quarantine areas is the only way to survive the outbreak that has been going on for over 20 years now. But for Maeve, it feels like the breaking point for her and Calum."

“I didn’t ask you to save me, Calum!” her voice raised, hands making cut motions in the air for each other said like knives meant to hurt him, somehow. X’s eyes froze, as if seeing an explosion right in front of him, and the boom reverberating through every bone of his. “This” she vaguely gesticulates around “was not what I wanted. We were barely making it together, Calum! And you thought bringing me here on your white horse would suddenly make me feel what? Grateful? And we would work on whatever was killing us outside? In this quaratine hell?”

 There is silence for a minute. A quiet hum fills it as they stare at each other. Anger meets hurt, but it’s not enough for Maeve. She looks into Calum’s eyes for clues, for any chance of an answer. This is nothing new, she knows. The feeling that comes in these arguments is almost of a Deja Vu, words rehearsed so many times it almost feels like a beautiful sad dance; each knows their place, fingers being pointed at precisely the right time for the other’s eyes.

“answer me, Cal” she pleas, eyes softening for a moment as she looks for a light inside of his green ones. 

“I wouldn’t let you die outside” his voice quivers, but it is clear how much he is trying to keep it controlled “that’s out of the question. You can’t ask me to let you die, Mae. Doesn’t matter how much you hate this, or me.”

“I wasn’t going to die outsi-”

“Of course you fu-” he breathes “of course you would! I can be a lot of things to you, but I’m not an idiot.” 

Silence again. Calum runs his hands over his hair, paces a bit before making his way towards the door. Always the one to keep words to himself, bottle feelings up and leave first. A gift, he considered, but to Maeve it felt like running away from problems.

“I won’t let you blame me for still loving you” He turns around, brows furrowed in an almost angry face. Almost. Calum was too hurtful to feel anything of the sort for Maeve. “I wanted to give you a shot in the future. Shit, I didn’t even consider us, you know? I’m not oblivious! I know we have no future. If you want this to end, just say so. But don’t push it to me anytime you can’t deal with things how they are now. If you loathe me so bad, you will have to end it.”

He turns around, knowing the next steps to the dance very well; no ending words or additions to the choreography. Just silence, as always. There are days when he wants it to be over, for her to make her move so the curtains can be drawn and the audience to clap sadly to their concert. Then, words would be thrown at them like bouquets to congratulate their hard work, the long nights rehearsing the same arguments meant to impact. And then they would both hold hands one last time to thank everyone for coming and staying for the show.