Empty

She shouldn't have goaded the old man earlier.

Regretting her decision, she sat high up in the watch tower with him and two glasses filled with Johnnie Walker's Scotch Whisky. The bottle of said alcohol sat open on a small table between them, and the two glasses which were waiting for their drinkers to pick them up and take a swig. She really did not want to touch anymore of the 'demonic piss', as she now called it. Yet she could see the smug look on the man's face as he looked at her sneaking glances at the beverage. Ellie bit her lip in annoyance, trying to figure out how to get out of her sticky predicament.

Damn her for thinking she could handle such a drink.

She drank her few shares of beer and had shots of (cheap) vodka before, so of course she thought that she could take on scotch. The young woman thought of herself as a trooper, someone who could drink and not get what the older crowd called "shit faced". Her little adventures with alcohol gave her the assumption that she could handle stronger drinks, but Lord was she wrong. The scotch that Joel seemed to procure out of thin air was kicking her in the butt. Hard.

She heard him chuckle, so she threw a glare back at him. Usually Ellie would have welcomed these small moments where she could hear his heart racing laughter, but at this very moment she would have rather heard the clicks of a Clicker.

"Getting a little green there," he said with a smirk.

Ellie gulped, trying to keep the content in her stomach down.

"You're an ass, old man." She knew the nickname irked him but it was all in good fun, this they both knew. "I can still drink."

"Hmm," he said in a disbelieving tone as he took his glass to his lips and drank.

Just watching him drink made her want to throw up. She nearly did too when she took her first sip of the 'demonic piss', and Joel got a total kick out of it. When that liquid hit her tastebuds, she almost tossed her glass aside and ran for the railing. Although he got up to make sure she was ok, the man did it with an entertained look on his face the whole time. This was probably an experience he would never let her live down. He wouldn't tell everyone in the county, he was never that type of person, but behind closed doors he'd hold it against her.

When he placed his drink down, Ellie looked at him as if antennas were growing on top of his head. How he was able to drink that concoction without a look of disgust was beyond her. But that was what she adored about him. No matter how much time they spent together, which seemed to be a lot from what people told her, there was always this hidden side of him that she got to discover. She got to learn something new about this man every day and she enjoyed that. There was no person in this world that could probably make her feel this way.

She noticed his questioning look and quickly grabbed her cup filled with alcohol in embarrassment. How long had she been staring at him?

Putting the rim to her lips, she thought to herself 'Don't think about it' and closed her eyes. The swig she took of the scotch felt like forever, and the burn trailed down her throat before pooling in her stomach. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and placed her glass next to her. Ellie sucked in the winter air fast, trying to get the taste out of her mouth any way possible.

She heard him chuckle again.

"You finished it."

Ellie gave a nod before she felt her head begin to spin. When she gazed over his way, he also finished his drink with ease and settled the empty glass next to hers.

"I'll admit, you're a trooper for your first time drinking whisky, Ellie."

Her eyes opened wide a little when he complimented her, and she felt the hair on her skin stand on end when he said her name.

"Y-you think so?"

"Yeah."

"Will you still think the same if I told you my head's spinning a little?"

"I have water, do you want some?"

"I'll survive."

They went quiet for a moment and the two looked off into the dark distance. She didn't know when it happened but she was now gripping the wooden railing and staring up at the twinkling sky above them. The stars that night were bright enough to count and point out constellations. Winter nights like these made Ellie forget the first winter they spent together.

"How did you learn to drink like that?"

"Like what?"

He raised an eyebrow and she turned to face him and nodded slowly towards his empty mug. Ellie didn't miss the intent look in his eyes – was it because he was worried that she'd fall over?

"Like – like you just don't give a shit."

"Long story short, senior year of high school. Not really something you'd want to hear me talk about."

"You drank it like it was water."

"Well, being completely honest, scotch is actually my poison of choice."

"You're shitting me."

He laughed. She bit her lower lip again and forced down a smile.

"No, I'm not shitting you."

"You know, there are times when I think you're –"

The red head tried to make it back to her seat but along the way, her foot must have hit a raised floorboard or she tripped over herself. No, it was most likely because she was intoxicated. Ellie braced herself to hit the floor beneath her but was surprised when arms wrapped themselves around her body. She looked up to see him staring down at her with an unreadable expression on his face.

Ellie licked her lips, unable to look away from his stare, and tried to mutter a 'thank you'. She wasn't sure if she said it or not but he must have guessed it because he gave a small nod.

His grip was still tight and she also noticed that her hands were fiercely clasping his jacket. Although they had their winter gear on, the red head swore that his body pressed against hers was the one keeping her warm. Her green eyes stared up into his grey ones, trying their hardest to search for some sort of answer that would tell her what he was thinking. She felt her heart beat faster – or was it his – as they stood silently there together in that one moment.

Ellie wondered if it was the alcohol running through her system backing her up and letting her inhibitions run wild when she melded into his touch. The young woman began to lift herself up, tilting her head as she did so, seeing if he would budge and break away from her. To her surprise, he didn't and so she continued slowly upwards.

Disclaimer: I do not own The Last of Us.

Author's Note: MY GOSH. This was a pain to write because I didn't know how to end it. Also, this fic is dedicated to Twisted Cinderella and doomsta27; made this chapter a little bit longer for you guys! Well, I hope you guys like it. (;