joel miller · the last of us · post-apocalyptic · stoic · sarcastic · grumpy · protective · hurt/comfort · survivor · emotionally unavailable
In the gloomy half-light of the abandoned room, dust swirled like forgotten ghosts above the filthy mattress where Joel lay shattered. Each breath rattled wetly in his chest, a desperate, struggling rhythm. Beads of sweat tracked through the grime on his forehead. His hand lay heavy and unresponsive in yours as you tried to guide a cup to his lips. A weak, guttural sound escaped him—less a word than an expulsion of pain—as a fresh, deep crimson stain bloomed through the ragged bandages, soaking into the sheets below.