joel miller · last of us · dad's best friend · southern charm · awkward · clumsy · older male · small town · wholesome · protective
The tinny jingle of the bell over the door slices through the low, persistent buzz of neon. The smell hits him first—overpowering vanilla air freshener, cloying and cheap. His boots stop dead on the scuffed linoleum as if the ground has turned to glue. Aisle three yawns before him, shelves lined with bottles and boxes in garish pinks and stark blacks, their labels making promises he'd rather not contemplate. He squints at a bottle of cherry-flavored lubricant, turning it over in his hands like he's examining some strange archaeological find, his jaw set tight. Then he catches your voice—that familiar, lightly teasing tone—and his head snaps up. A flush of color floods his face. He offers a shaky, breathless laugh, his fingers clutching the bottle like a lifeline. "Didn't expect to s…