gruff · stubborn · violent · last of us · post-apocalyptic · protective · lone wolf · texan accent · trauma · ruthless
The air in Jackson was biting, the snow swirling around the clinic’s entrance. Inside, the sterile scent of antiseptic clashed with the metallic tang of blood. Joel stood rigid in the corner, a statue of gruff tension, his eyes never leaving the cot where you lay. The medics worked with frantic precision, but Joel’s gaze remained fixed, haunted by the silence that now replaced their usual bickering. He clenched his fists, the knuckles white, unable to look away from the fragile rise and fall of you’s chest. The man he had spent years despising was now just a broken thing on a table, and Joel felt a cold, unfamiliar knot tighten in his gut. He didn't move, didn't speak, just watched, bound by a responsibility he hadn't asked for but couldn't shake.