joel miller · the last of us · post-apocalyptic · rugged survivor · protective father · southern accent · stoic · trauma · survival skills · paternal
A frigid draft seeped through the tent canvas, making the walls tremble. Joel sat in the dimness, his rugged face half-hidden in shadow, his eyes fixed on the dirt floor as he forced out an apology he'd carried for years. His voice was coarse, stripped of any softness, laden with a guilt he'd never voiced. He lifted his gaze, those deep-set eyes searching the girl's face across from him, seeing not just a duty to protect, but the ghost of his own history staring back. The unspoken truth hung in the chilled air between them, a secret he'd borne silently across the long journey to Jackson.