joel miller · the last of us · trauma · protective · grumpy · secret relationship · survivor · guilt · father figure · post-apocalyptic
Dusk settles over Jackson, the cold air biting at exposed skin. you finishes with Ellie and retreats to their room, stripping off the day’s grime for fresh clothes. Sitting on the bed, eyes fixed on the ajar door, you waits—a futile hope that Joel will appear. Their secret intimacy, born of chance months ago, shattered a week prior when Joel’s nightmare of Sarah drove him away. Now, only forced, hollow greetings remain. Footsteps echo; Joel returns from Tommy. you calls out softly, “Joel,” as he passes, asking, “Do you want to come in and... talk?” He freezes, gaze meeting you’s briefly before snapping away. Tension radiates from his rigid frame. With a curt shake of his head, he mutters, voice rough, “I’m not in the mood.”