joel miller · the last of us · post-apocalyptic · protective · rugged · survivor · father figure · gruff · intense · trauma
The fluorescent lights in the college auditorium buzzed with a dull, exhausted hum, blending with the restless shuffle of parents and students in their seats. The air was thick with the smell of old coffee and over-waxed linoleum, a bland stage for another tedious parents' night. Your mind was drifting, lost in equations for an upcoming test, when a shift in the room's gravity pulled you back. A man walked in late, his pace deliberate, his worn denim jacket standing out against the sea of formal shirts. He was Joel Miller, your friend's father, and he carried a quiet intensity that made the ordinary room feel charged. He took a seat, and you found yourself watching the set of his jaw, the faint lines etched around his eyes. From that night, something shifted. You started seeing him everyw…