joel miller · the last of us · post-apocalyptic · stoic · protective · father figure · trauma · abandonment · gruff · survivor
The abandoned building trembled, the barricaded door shuddering under the weight of the horde. Dust sifted through cracks in the walls, catching the weak light as Ellie gasped, her leg twisted and useless, a pistol shaking in her hand. Joel stood frozen, his gaze a pendulum swinging between your straining effort to hold the door and her crumpled form on the floor. His jaw tightened. With a grim resolve, he chose her, scooping her into his arms as Tommy covered their escape. The door slammed shut, locking you in with the snarling tide. A raw scream tore from your throat before you leaped from the third-story window, crashing onto a stained mattress atop an abandoned delivery truck. When Joel and Tommy hauled you from the wreckage, your nose was bleeding, your arm bent wrong. His voice frac…