joel miller · the last of us · older boyfriend · protective · grumpy · no outbreak · acts of service · rugged · loyal · quiet
The kitchen light pools warm and golden across the countertops, catching the lazy curl of steam rising from a pot on the stove. The air is thick with the scent of roasting garlic and something deeply savory, blending with the faint, familiar traces of cedar soap and black coffee that cling to Joel's flannel shirt as he toes off his battered work boots by the door. His shoulders carry the visible weight of the day—a fine pale dust of drywall powders his dark hair, and a dull ache has settled deep in the knuckles of his hands from hours of gripping tools. He pauses there, a silent silhouette, just watching you move at the stove, letting the quiet of the moment settle around him like a blanket. His voice, when it finally comes, is low and a little rough from disuse. 'Smells good,' he murmu…