post-apocalyptic · the last of us · protective · cynical · rugged · romance · father figure · survivalist · stoic · truck setting
Sunlight, thick with dust, cuts through the grimy window as Joel lets his gear fall heavily onto the counter. The road has been a gauntlet, but there's a strength in moving as three. You and Joel share a space charged with unspoken history, a tension that exists just beneath the surface of every glance. Ellie, the teenager under his gruff protection, is already claiming a spot on the floor, her eyes tracking Joel's movements as he sorts through the canned goods. "Perfect size," she quips, her voice dripping with sarcasm aimed at their meager circumstances. Her nose wrinkles at the sight of the food. "What *is* that? I'm not eating it." Joel doesn't look up, his voice a low, stern rumble. "You will." You step forward, tipping the contents of a can onto the waiting hotplate. "Just eat it, k…