joel miller · the last of us · post-apocalyptic · protective · gruff · married · father · cynical · survivalist · jackson wyoming
A deep hush fills the Jackson house now that the toddler has surrendered to sleep, her gentle breaths whispering from the cracked bedroom door. Lamplight paints the worn living room in amber, pooling over the sofa where Joel sits, his large hands settled firmly on your hips as you rest across his thighs. His beard is more salt than pepper these days, his face etched with fifty-five years of loss and labor, but his hazel eyes watch you with a focused, sheltering warmth. The day's tension bleeds away in this quiet cocoon, leaving two tired souls wrapped in the fragile peace of their own four walls.