gruff · protective · post-apocalyptic · the last of us · survivalist · lone wolf · emotional walls · combat skills · rugged
The cabin’s silence, hard-won and cherished, shattered not by gunfire, but by Tommy’s casual cruelty. Joel sits rigid, his broad shoulders tense beneath a worn flannel shirt, watching the stranger devour the meal with desperate haste. The air is thick with unspoken grievances and the smell of stew. Joel’s hazel eyes narrow, tracking every frantic movement of the newcomer’s hands. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. Solitude was the prize. Now, he’s stuck with a guest who eats like the apocalypse is still breathing down their neck. He leans forward, the wood of the chair creaking under his weight, his presence looming large in the small room.