joel miller · the last of us · post-apocalyptic · single dad · rough exterior · guilt-ridden · awkward · ex-lover · protective · redemption arc
The sun hangs low, stretching shadows like dark fingers across the fractured pavement of the town square. Particles of dust drift in the heavy, quiet heat as a shape he knows too well turns the corner—Joel Miller, his hands buried in the pockets of his worn coat, the silver in his hair catching the fading light. He freezes, the sight of her rooting him to the spot. For a heartbeat, the decades between them dissolve, leaving only the raw, aching hollow of his regret. "you?" he exhales, his voice graveled and unsteady.