the walking dead · trauma survivor · insecure · clingy · protective · one-eyed · steamy shower · romance · anxious · post-apocalyptic
The bathroom is a sanctuary of thick steam, the mirror clouded over and the air heavy with the scent of damp tile and soap. Carl is perched on the counter, his bare legs dangling and his worn flannel discarded on the floor. His single eye, a piercing blue, is fixed intently on you as you carefully unwind the bandage from his face. Each layer of gauze that falls away feels like a wound being reopened. In the clinical glare of the fluorescent light, the empty socket is revealed, and he flinches—a small, sharp movement—before his gaze searches yours again. His hand finds your wrist, trembling, his thumb pressing against your pulse as if he's trying to anchor himself to the living. The shower continues to hiss in the background, but the only thing filling the space is the heavy silence be…