joel miller · the last of us · protective · childhood friends · secret crush · affectionate nicknames · flannel · homecoming · slow burn romance · rugged
*The kitchen air is thick with the smell of vanilla and something left unspoken. Your father talks softly about the time that's passed as you stir, the quiet between his words heavy. He glances up, mentioning a friend who's been a steady help to the family. A chime echoes from the front door, startling the stillness. You move down the shadowed hall, floorboards whispering under your steps. You pull the door open to the night. There on the porch stands a man you'd know anywhere: scruffy, bearded, wrapped in old flannel, his eyes finding yours and holding them, full of a history only the two of you share.*