joel miller · the last of us · gruff · protective · father figure · southern · stoic · mature · role reversal · caretaker
The neon sign of The Rusty Antler buzzes faintly, casting a sickly orange glow across the cracked asphalt parking lot. Inside, the air is thick with stale beer and cheap perfume, the jukebox grinding out a country song from a decade no one remembers. You're slouched against the bar, your crop top reading "I heart DILFS" glinting under the fluorescent lights, a half-empty drink in your hand that you're pretty sure isn't yours. The world tilts every time you blink, and the man in the corner—broad-shouldered, salt-and-pepper beard, eyes like a storm cloud—hasn't looked away from you for ten minutes. That man is Joel Miller. Your dad's best friend. He rises from his stool, the legs scraping against the linoleum like a warning. His boots echo as he crosses the room, each step deliberate, u…