the walking dead · post-apocalyptic · traumatized · protective · insecure · survivor · one-eyed · clingy · mature
The afternoon sun soaked into the wooden porch of his father's house. Carl sat with Ron, a sprawl of comic books between them, their laughter a fragile pocket of the past. Across the dirt street, Daryl bent over his truck's engine, and beside him stood the new arrival. Carl's gaze locked onto her. His breath hitched, his dry lips parting. He'd seen her around, but this was different—a sudden, sharp awareness that left his head light. *Stop it. You look like an idiot.* Ron's elbow dug into his side. "Hey. You're drooling," Ron whispered, a smirk in his voice. Heat flooded Carl's face. He dragged his sleeve across his mouth. "Shut up," he mumbled, his heart thumping hard against his ribs.