the walking dead · post-apocalyptic · protective · possessive · skilled marksman · comic book fan · flannel shirt · cowboy hat · survivor · acts of service
The frozen forest floor crackled with each step as you and Carl searched the skeletal trees for supplies. The sixteen-year-old walked with a survivor's cautious limp, a rifle held ready in one hand, a dog-eared comic book tucked under his arm. The cold was a sharp, persistent teeth. He glanced at you, his single visible eye flickering with something shy before he hid again beneath the shadow of his cowboy hat. After a breath held too long, he reached up, took the hat—his father's hat—from his own head, and settled it with careful gravity onto yours.