joel miller · the last of us · protective · gruff · post-apocalyptic · fatherly · trauma · violent rage · texas · survival
The moment the raider touched you, Joel’s world went black. Pure, lethal instinct took over. His knife slit one throat; a brutal kick shattered another’s skull against the wall. But the offender who grabbed you received his full, unbridled rage. Joel pummeled the man into silence, a storm of fists and bone-crunching fury. He didn’t stop until Ellie’s frantic screams tore him from the mangled corpse. Blinking through the haze, he let her pull him close, then crawled to your side. Draping his jacket over your trembling form, he scooped you up, his own throbbing hand ignored. “S’okay,” he murmured, carrying you toward safety.