Author's Notes: A special thanks to Art for beta'ing this thingo :)

October 24, 2037, Evening

Went out one night to make a little round, I met little Sadie, and I shot her down, went back home, jumped into bed, .44 pistol under my head.

The sound of an acoustic guitar echoed through the hall from a set of speakers at the far side of the room, though Ellie's thoughts soon drowned out the beginning of the first verse, her eyes focused on the floor ahead of her, and the throng of feet performing intricate patterns in a dance she barely knew. Her finger idly tapped on the glass in her hand to the beat of the song, and her gaze rose to take in the crowd. It wasn't long before her eyes were drawn to a specific face.

She knew Dina would be all over this thing, the younger girl dancing vivaciously with a boy she vaguely recognized from school, dodging and weaving through the other dancers almost effortlessly. She had a carefree smile plastered across her face that Ellie couldn't dream of replicating, and before she knew it, the two had disappeared into the crowd again. She took a sip of the whiskey in her hand, watching as the young boy held Dina close, a smile of his own creeping along his face. Ellie averted her gaze quickly, just in time to notice someone approaching her from her left side.

Closing her eyes, she mentally prepared herself, opening them again to find Jesse standing next to her, leaning against the bar she'd positioned herself next to. He sent her a smile that she returned, and his attention returned to the dance floor beyond. Sighing, he spoke to her, scratching at the stubble on his neck. "I hate these things." He, too, kept his eyes focused on something in the crowd, undoubtedly Dina. They were looking in the same direction, after all.

Ellie let out a dry chuckle, quiet enough to be almost lost in the noise around them. "Tell me about it."

They probably got roped into this by the same person, the very same one dominating the dance floor. The girl was the opposite of Ellie, right down to the bubbly and outgoing personality she gave off like an aura. It didn't take long for Dina to convince her to come, though. The promise of alcohol and a night away from her homework was more than enough to turn the tide in the girl's favor. That, and Ellie, despite feeling so fucking out of place here, felt almost… peaceful being surrounded by people she's gotten to know over the last four years, and every single one of them were enjoying themselves. It wasn't often they got to host these things, so almost everyone showed up.

The only exception would be Joel, but he usually was. Most likely bossing around a few unlucky teenagers being sent out on a night patrol right now. Safety of the community first and foremost, other than her own safety, as he would put it. She didn't mind all that much, since his absence did give her a minute to breathe.

"Your old man really laid into me today."

Speaking of…

Her lips twisted slightly, eyes falling to the floor again before finally looking towards Jesse out of the corner of her eye. "What happened?"

He smiled slightly, shrugging his shoulders. "Another big lecture about my patrols. Don't go here, don't go there. Funny how involved he gets whenever you're scheduled to go out."

"Yeah," the word slipped out in a hushed tone, a shrug of her own following suite. Her eyes followed Dina around the hall again, almost mesmerized by how ridiculously fucking good she was at dancing, something that Ellie still struggled with. She'd offered to give her lessons, though Ellie's turned her down every time. She managed to embarrass herself enough as it was without adding shitty dancing to the list.

"She's putting on quite the show," Jesse continued, his own eyes following the girl in question as her partner dipped her. Dina held the pose gracefully, laughing softly to herself as she was raised back to her feet just as the song came to an end. Applause filled the air for a moment, and Ellie turned her head towards Jesse.

"I give you guys two weeks until you're back together."

Jesse smiled, yet his tone remained neutral as he returned his gaze to the dance floor. "Not gonna happen." It didn't last long, however. His curiosity likely getting the better of him. "She, uh… she say something to you?"

Ellie let out a breath, an amused smile crossing her lips as Dina made her way towards them through the crowd. "Make it one week."

"Ellie! Hey!" Their conversation was cut short by the girl in question, and Ellie forced a smile onto her face, preparing herself for the onslaught of questions her friend would likely throw her way. She knew it had been coming, given how Ellie had tried to sneak into the hall without attracting too much attention, much later than she'd intended. "What took you so long?" Dina took the glass from her hands, downing the rest of her drink in one large gulp.

"Well, I'm here, aren't I?" Ellie quickly replied, her tone a mixture of amusement and tentativeness.

"Dina," Jesse spoke, raising his glass slightly in greeting. The girl matched his gaze for only a moment, returning the greeting simply before grabbing onto Ellie's hand, setting down the now-empty glass on the counter.

"Come on."

Ellie didn't resist as she was pulled onto the dance floor. Wasn't exactly the brightest idea to turn her down, anyway, even if being surrounded by people wasn't exactly high on Ellie's list of desires at that moment.

"Hey!" Ellie turned slightly as Jesse called after them. "Don't forget we leave at first light, so… get some rest."

Dina responded for her, saluting as she continued to pull Ellie deeper into the crowd. "Yes, sir."

She could practically feel the eye roll the other girl pulled, though Ellie couldn't help but smile. Finally, once they were near the center of the floor, Ellie whispered to Dina amusedly, "You're such a dick."

She received a smile back. "Come on, don't you start with me." The girl turned towards her, grabbing onto Ellie's other wrist, positioning it onto her waist. She wrapped her arms around Ellie's neck, her eyes not moving away from hers as she continued. "Okay. I have a very serious question for you…" she glanced towards herself for a fraction of a second. "How bad do I smell?"

Not the question Ellie had been expecting. Holding back the surprise inevitably threatening to flash across her face, she leaned closer to her friend, taking in a deep breath through her nose. She retracted her head, reinitiating eye contact as she mulled over what to say. "Like… a hot pile of garbage."

Her eyes widened slightly, though that same look she had on her face remained. "Oh… okay." Before Ellie could react, Dina leaned in for a hug, rubbing her cheek against Ellie's. Ellie groaned, cringing slightly as she could feel the sweat cover her cheek in a thick layer.

She clenched her eyes shut, failing to resist the urge to say "gross." Of course, it was hard to take herself seriously, giving that she couldn't get rid of the smile on her lips, having her friend so agonizingly fucking close to her being more than breathtaking. It seemed to elicit a soft chuckle from Dina, though, as Ellie bit her lip.

"You love it," she replied softly, wrapping her arm tighter around Ellie's neck, and laying her chin on her shoulder. It was overwhelming, the faint thumps of Ellie's heartbeat pounding in her eardrums as their bodies swayed to the rhythm of a guitar softly playing a chord in the background. It took every ounce of strength she had to keep the rhythm, to keep her mind focused on doing what was a simple task, something that was becoming harder and harder by the second.

Her eyes scanned the crowd around her, and she could feel her breath hitching. She lowered her voice, breathing in, before finally whispering to Dina, "every guy in this room is staring at you right now."

Dina lifted her chin from Ellie's shoulder. She could feel the shorter girl's gaze, yet kept her own eyes straight ahead, not daring to make eye contact.

"Maybe they're staring at you," Dina replied just as softly. Ellie let out a breath, shaking her head.

"They're not."

"Maybe they're jealous of you."

"I'm…" Ellie choked, eyes bouncing between Dina's cheek and the room around her.

She didn't know what to say, and the things that came to mind, she wouldn't dare utter. How her heart pulsated in her ears louder and louder; how Dina's funky scent seemed to be somehow intoxicating; how she spent what felt like years wanting the girl's arms wrapped around her. She'd never get that, though. She wasn't Jesse, or Miles, or a boy. She buried those feelings deep down, holding them close so they'd never slip out, yet that sense of control felt like it was slipping away.

"… just a girl," Ellie continued, her tone evening out. "Not a threat."

Dina pulled back, eyes searching Ellie's as she lifted a hand to her face, pulling back a strand of hair and tucking it behind Ellie's ear. "Oh, Ellie." There was an intensity in the girl's gaze, and Ellie instinctively gulped. "I think they should be terrified of you."

Dina moved closer, and Ellie's heart skipped a beat. Their lips pressed together, shock and awe leaving Ellie in a dumbfounded state. They broke apart for only a second before she kissed Dina back, closing her eyes in the process.

The feeling of her breath, the softness of her lips, how she tightened her grip around Ellie's neck, Ellie following suit by holding her closer. It all culminated into a feeling of euphoria she wasn't prepared for.

When they finally broke apart, there was no hesitance in Ellie's longing gaze, so many words left unsaid between them that felt as if they hardly mattered anymore. The sparkle in Dina's eyes were more than enough to relay the message, that her feelings of excitement and joy were shared in equal measure.

"See? I told you." Another smile. It was a miracle Ellie's heart was still beating at a semi-controllable pace. "They should be terrified."

How could she not grin at that statement? Something that seemed so silly now was nothing but music to her ears. Those worries she held in the back of her mind were gone, or pushed aside, and her grin grew wider with each passing second. Her brain was playing catch up, processing everything that just happened in what felt like slow-motion. She'd just kissed her best friend, in front of the whole town, and she found herself not caring at all. Right now, she was happy, happier than she's ever been before.

The strangeness of it made the very idea difficult to settle in her mind, as if the very thought of pure happiness was a figment of imagination, left to fairy tales and romantic comedies, and not for real life. The world was much stranger than that, and much more unforgiving. She'd seen that first hand, braved through some of the worst things imaginable and came out deeply scarred and clinging onto whatever life Joel had decided for them. She had fought to stay alive, to end up in this place, to live the life she got to now.

And now, for once in her life, maybe she had something to live for.