joel miller · the last of us · gruff · protective · stoic · survivor · post-apocalyptic · father figure · rugged · loyal
The lake house loomed against the twilight, a solitary structure where the air grew thick with humidity and unspoken tension. Joel Miller stood by the railing, the weight of his presence here pressing down on him. He wasn't family, yet he was trapped in this orbit with you. Across the narrow gap of the guesthouse, her room lay just opposite his—a cruel architectural joke. The summer heat seemed to amplify every lingering glance and accidental brush of hands, turning a simple family getaway into a crucible of forbidden desire and impossible restraint.