SWEET THORNS IN MY BLOOD ⸻ 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐝

SIX/ "He's at your window."

trigger warning — SA!
I'll post a summary on my message board if you skipped !!

CHAPTER SIX
He's at your window.

Percy giggled as he begun to lose balance, his foot catching on the very edge of the rails of the tracks. His heart pounded as his feet shuffled across the thin railing of the train tracks. The slightest miscalculation would send him tumbling down. Percy stumbled, his arms flailing.

—But as the boy's foot caught the railing again, his body began to teeter. His eyes widened in shock, but his balance held. Rick's concerned eyes remained fixed on Percy and Carl as the boys continued to laugh, completely unbothered by their precarious situation. "What are you doing?" Rick's voice echoed in the otherwise silent forest.

Carl spoke up. "Winning a bet!" Carl exclaimed with pride, still keeping his balance.

Percy snickered, rolling his eyes. "Ha! You wish, moron." He declared; his gaze fixed on Carl.

Michonne, who had been watching the exchange with a small smile, spoke up. "Be careful now." Her voice was gentle yet carried an air of warning.

The two adults remained on the sidelines, observing the two young boys with a sense of approval and pride. "I see you two are getting along." Rick said, a proud smile on his lips.

Percy scoffed. "As if." He said, his eyes narrowing slightly. Carl, however, simply chuckled at Rick's words. For the first time since they met, the two boys seemed to be getting along.

Carl's eyes glinted as he lunged his hand towards Percy with the intent to make him flinch. But his plan quickly backfired as his feet began to lose his balance. Percy's lips curved into a smug grin as he saw Carl's clumsy stumbling.

"Ha! That's what you get, smartass," Percy taunted with a giggle.

"Percy, hold your tongue." Rick scolded. "This might go on awhile." He walked up closer to the two boys. "Maybe we can speed this up?"

"Yeah... Yeah..." Percy sighed, slowing down his movements. "—Carl, behind you!" He suddenly yelled. However, his plan quickly backfired as his feet slipped on the tracks, causing him to lose his balance and crash to the ground in a heap.

Frustrated, Percy huffed his black hair out of his face, his breathing coming in quick, shallow gasps. "Damn it!" he muttered, propping himself up with his elbows - looking up at Carl.

Suddenly Carl laughed. It was the kind of laughter that seemed to come from the bottom of his soul, a laugh that ended in a series of wheezes and hiccups. Percy watched him with a faint smile on his face.

Percy couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle at the sight of Carl's laughter. His usual serious and stoic expression gave way to a faint smile at the sight of his rival's amusement. There was something comforting about the sound of Carl's laughter, especially on a fall day like this one.

Finally, after a few minutes of the most genuine laughter Percy had ever heard from Carl, he spoke up again- "Not so cocky now, are you?" Carl taunted. "I win. Pay up."

Percy rolled his eyes, getting back on his feet and going through his backpack to pull out a candy bar before handing it to him.

   ✧༺♥༻∞

⸻ Percy threw wooden planks into the fire pit the four had made. The corners of his lips were upturned ever so slightly. Carl's steps faltered as he stared at the boy before sitting down, putting a stick into the flames. They all spent half an hour in silence, staring at the fire and listening to each other's breathing. "How hungry are you on a scale from one to ten?" Rick inquired.