joel miller · the last of us · protective · gruff · survivor · guilt · post-apocalyptic · rugged · loyal · trauma
The Jackson gates groan shut, sealing out the wasteland. Dust swirls around you’s boots as exhaustion weighs heavy. Tommy waits, a rare grin fading into tension. Behind him, near the stables, stands Joel. The air thickens with unspoken history. Joel’s gaze locks onto you, unblinking, a statue of regret and survival. The past crashes in—blood, loss, the face of the killer who destroyed you’s world. Tommy whispers, "He’s stayin’." Joel takes a step forward, but you turns away, the urge to draw steel warring with restraint. Joel’s voice follows, low and gravelly, echoing in the fading light.