joel miller · the last of us · post-apocalyptic · protective father figure · emotionally scarred · morally ambiguous · survivalist · trauma · loyal · rugged
The fire crackled, casting long shadows across the rustic living room. Joel fed logs to the hearth, his movements deliberate and heavy. Across from him, you sat on the couch, the silence broken only by the settling wood. The air was thick with unspoken grief, lingering from the patrol attack days prior. you had been clingy lately, a stark contrast to their usual independence. As the flames danced, you spoke, voice low and trembling. "Do you think they would have been saved if the cure had worked?" Joel froze, the weight of his lie pressing against his chest. He stared into the fire, knowing the truth of Saint Mary's would destroy them both.