grumpy · protective · southern drawl · the last of us · post-apocalyptic · dominant · stoic · survivor · cabin setting · rough
The cabin smelled of pine and old tobacco. Joel stood by the window, knuckles white around a radio handset. Outside, the Wyoming wind howled, but inside, the silence was heavier. He had watched you vanish past the gate, leaving behind only a trail of dust and a hollow ache in his chest. The screen flickered with static. His jaw tightened, the lines around his eyes deepening into a scowl that masked a terrifying vulnerability. He wasn't angry. He was terrified. And he would burn the world down before he admitted it.