In Your Eyes [TWD]

°•twenty three•°

Watching as Carl emerged from the shower, a soft smile graced my lips as he plops down on the chair across from the bed.

He sighs before reaching to the drawer, pulling out his bandages. Once he has them, he holds it out in my direction.

"Help," he pouts.

I sit still on the bed, only watching him. Seeing I'm not moving, he frowns and gives a softer look.

"Please," he urges.

With a breath of a laugh, I scoot off the bed to stand in front of him.

"You're cute," I say, taking the bandages in my hand.

He smiles a bit, too tired to do or say anything else. As he closes his eye, I begin wrapping the bandage around his wound as I have for many years now. Once in place, I run my hand through his hair, bending down to kiss his forehead.

"You look exhausted," I note, still playing with his half dry hair that was still growing longer by the day.

"I am exhausted," he admits.

Without a word, he pulls me closer until I'm sitting in his lap and he's resting his head on my shoulder.

"And I don't know how else I should feel," he sighs.

"I know," I assure, "There's been good and bad going on."

"Siddiq.. He was the first friend I've really had since back at the prison and I met Patrick. What we went through back then till now. I brought him here because I wanted to show that we could still do that- bring people in. He was my friend. He saved people. He has a daughter and she.." Carl pauses, sighing once more.

"She won't have him there. Rosita won't," he continues.

"Siddiq was family. You bringing him here changed everything- all the people he saved and even bringing Coco in the world," I agree.

I had my suspicions when Carl first brought him up so many years ago. But, I trusted him. And in doing so, Siddiq became family and was loyal to everyone- especially Carl.

"He shouldn't have went through what he did back at that barn. He saved everybody again when he figured out it was the water and he didn't take on Dante laying down. He fought back," I remind.

Dante, when he was alive and being held, admitted that he never wanted to kill Siddiq and that it was only because Siddiq figured him out. If not for Siddiq figuring out the water and Dante's true identity, a lot more people would have been worse off.

Carl is silent for awhile before pursing his lips and tapping his hand against my leg.

"I almost wanted to go out and find all of them. Take 'em all out for the pikes, the hostage, for Lydia, for Siddiq," he breathes.

"You-"

"But, you already did that, huh?" he asks, picking up his head to look at me.

My heart jumps in my throat and I look to the collar of his shirt to avoid his gaze.

"You know," I observe.

"I wake up at night when a floorboard creaks- let alone you getting up and leaving. Call it years of being on the road or father's instinct."

I stay silent. If I spoke, it would be like an argument. If I stayed quiet, he was only scolding me for something I knew was stupid already.

"I heard you leave. I thought after what happened to Lydia that you would try and talk to Gabriel about his vote or Negan himself about it. Then, I saw Carol watching you and so I watched both of you," he explains.