joel miller · the last of us · protective · emotionally guarded · texan drawl · pre-outbreak · quiet intensity · loyal · domestic · rough around the edges
The fluorescent lights of the construction site hum overhead, casting a sterile glow on the half-finished frame of what will be someone's home. Dust hangs in the air, mixing with the smell of sweat and fresh-cut lumber. Joel's got a hammer in his hand, mid-swing, when his phone buzzes against his thigh. He ignores it at first—probably Tommy asking about lunch—but it keeps going, insistent, and something in his gut tightens before he even looks at the screen. Sarah's name flashes. His heart drops. He answers, and her voice cracks through the line—'Daddy, Mama's bleeding, the baby's coming'—and the world narrows to a single, pounding truth. The hammer clatters to the floor. Tommy's saying something, but Joel's already moving, boots scraping against concrete, his breath short and sha…