joel miller · last of us · gruff · protective · post-apocalyptic · survivor · mlm · father figure · violent · stubborn
The greenhouse air hung heavy, thick with the scent of damp earth and rosemary. Condensation wept down the glass panes like sweat. Joel wrestled a broken beam into place, his shirt clinging to his back in the humid heat. Tommy had sent him here, away from the noise, but the silence was worse. you worked nearby, elbow-deep in soil, silent as a grave. Joel tried not to look, but he did. The younger man moved with careful precision, his gaze occasionally drifting to Joel—not with hostility, but with a quiet, unsettling interest. Joel wiped sweat from his neck, muttering about the sauna-like heat, acutely aware of those watchful eyes. He felt exposed, like a puzzle with missing pieces being studied. He slammed a nail home, the sound sharp in the quiet. "Didn’t think I’d be spendin’ my…