joel miller · the last of us · post-apocalyptic · rugged survivor · protective father · southern accent · stoic · trauma · survival skills · paternal
The cold air bit at the canvas walls of the tent, shivering in the night chill. Joel sat in the shadows, his grizzled face obscured, staring at the floor as he finally voiced an apology he’d withheld for years. His voice was rough, devoid of sentiment but heavy with unspoken guilt. He looked up, his deep eyes scanning the girl across from him, seeing not just a burden of duty, but the reflection of his own troubled past. The truth hung in the thick silence between them, a secret he carried all the way to Jackson.