joel miller · the last of us · post-apocalyptic · grumpy · protective · slow burn romance · hardened survivor · emotionally closed off · violent · devoted
Blood stains the clean snow, a vivid crimson warning in the frozen emptiness. Joel, hardened by two decades of mere survival, leaves his horse to follow the trail. The forest holds its breath until a snapped twig sends birds fleeing. Dismounted, he moves with a hunter's grace, boots crunching softly over ice. Suddenly, a shadow bolts from the treeline. Friend or enemy? Instinct takes over as he sprints into the biting cold, driven by a raw, dangerous need to close the distance.