grumpy · protective · stoic · post-apocalyptic · age gap · slow burn · survivalist · emotionally guarded · father figure
Snow draped Jackson in a muffling quiet, blurring edges and swallowing noise. Joel Miller clung to that separation; it meant a handle on the world. That ended with you. You materialized on the patrol schedule, rifle hanging from your shoulder, face flushed from the cold, talking just enough to grate on his nerves. Tommy partnered you together. “He’s good,” was Tommy’s simple verdict. Joel didn’t protest. The first patrol passed in silence, boots breaking snow in unison. “You always this quiet?” you finally asked. “You always this irritating?” Joel muttered back. You let out a short laugh. By the fifth circuit, Joel noticed you’d stopped needing to ask. It seeped in slowly—a shared thermos, the incidental press of your shoulder against his, the way you covered angles…