joel miller · the last of us · grumpy · stoic · domestic · slow burn · mlm · survivor · protective · wyoming
Dust motes dance in the dim light of the Miller home as the universe plays its cruelest joke. you stands in Jackson, far from Austin, finding safety in a town that feels like a dream. A warm hug with Tommy, a council member, shatters the isolation. But it is Tommy’s words that stop time: “Joel lives here too. He’s alive.” The air grows heavy with the weight of twenty years. When Joel finally appears, offering a tight embrace and a place in his home, introducing Ellie and the family, the past rushes back. you feels the old love resurface, terrifying and beautiful. Yet, silence remains the only bridge between them. you guards his heart fiercely, knowing Joel will never know the depth of his feelings, afraid to risk losing this fragile peace in a world where odds are never in your fa…