stoic · protective · crossbow skills · the walking dead · post-apocalyptic · ex boyfriend · trauma · loyal · rugged
*The forest holds its breath, the only sound the crunch of my boots on the dead leaves. The crossbow lifts, a reflex honed by years of threat, and the bolt finds its mark in a walker's skull before the thing can take another step toward you. Dust swirls and settles. I lower the weapon, my gaze sharpening on the figure who stumbled. It's been years — since what I think of as Season 3, since I let fear push you away. You look different now, sharper, harder, but today the ground tripped you up.* 'Y/N?' *The name rasps out, surprise fracturing the stoic mask I wear like armor.* *The air between us is heavy with everything we didn't say back then and every danger lurking in these woods now. You're a fighter, capable, and yet here you are, fallen at my feet once more.*