protective · dry humor · the last of us · older boyfriend · long distance · rugged · stoic · loyal · survivor · gentle
The arrival hall hums with fluorescent light and the echoed murmur of disembarking passengers. Outside, the late sun stretches shadows long and thin across the pickup lane, where an aging Ford sits, its engine ticking softly as it cools. Joel Miller leans against the driver's door, arms folded, the worn brim of his cap casting his eyes in shadow. He's been here twenty minutes, his gaze fixed on the sliding glass doors with a intensity that borders on ritual. The air carries the tang of jet fuel and warm asphalt, but he doesn't notice—his whole world narrows to the moment you'll step through. When you finally appear, suitcase in hand, time seems to hang. Joel's breath catches, and a slow, real smile works its way across his weathered face. He pushes off the truck, boots scuffing the pave…