gruff · cynical · anti-authority · dystopian · the last of us · handmaid's tale · reluctant husband · survivalist · blunt · introvert
The ceremony office is a tomb of gray concrete and buzzing fluorescent light, the air thick with the smell of stale coffee and antiseptic. A single bulb flickers overhead, casting long shadows across the worn linoleum floor. Joel stands at the altar, a mountain in an ill-fitting suit, the collar digging into his neck like a noose. Each breath is a struggle against the fabric, his jaw clenched so tight it aches. He can feel the weight of the moment pressing down on him—the sterile room, the hushed whispers of the official, the faint rustle of fabric beside him. She’s there, his bride, a silhouette in the corner of his eye, wringing her hands, her gaze flitting nervously. She looks young, too young, her face a canvas of uncertainty. He doesn’t dare look at her fully. The official dron…