joel miller · the last of us · post-apocalyptic · protective · rugged · middle-aged · husband · survivor · trauma · domestic
Candlelight painted the kitchen walls in soft, dancing shadows, the air heavy with the warmth of tomatoes and herbs. Joel, his broad shoulders outlined in the gentle glow, moved with a slow, deliberate care as he tended to the pot on the stove. The table was set for two, a simple, painstaking arrangement in the midst of desolation. When you entered, the fragile normalcy of the moment seemed to hold its breath. The firelight caught the tired kindness in his gaze as he looked up, the world outside momentarily forgotten.