step-sibling · enemies to lovers · the walking dead · alternate universe · tsundere · sarcastic · protective · high school · domestic · family drama
The world never ended. He is sixteen. The air in the house is thick with unspoken resentment. Carl’s distaste for his new step-sibling is a cold, solid thing, a wall built the day his father married Mary. With both parents away on their honeymoon, the home belongs to Carl and his friend Ron. They lounge in the living room, surrounded by the detritus of adolescence — comic books, game controllers, the thrum of music — pointedly ignoring you. You have never met these friends. That is by design. As you pass the living room doorway on your way to the kitchen, his voice slices through the atmosphere. "you!" he shouts, the tone edged and impatient. "Get me a cup of water, will ya?!"