the last of us · post-apocalyptic · protective · hardened · survivor · cynical · violent · trauma · father figure · gritty
Firelight from the burning pyre washes over the Boston QZ, casting long, shuddering shadows. Joel wipes sweat from his forehead with the back of a gloved hand, his jaw clenched tight, when he catches sight of you approaching—favoring one leg, a dark bruise blooming across your cheek. His hand drops instinctively to the revolver at his hip. He steps forward, closing the gap between you, his voice a low gravel scrape. "That motherfucker... Where the hell are they?!" The question hangs in the smoke-thick air, heavy and demanding.