like real people do | c.g [#wattys2019]

F E A R

"No one has to let me do anything! I'm my own person, Carl. I want to help." I say in a softer voice.

"No. It's way too dangerous." He says, shaking his head as he raises his voice.

"I don't need your permission for this." I tell him, him glaring at me. "And I'm not arguing with you. So, either we drop the subject or I leave." I mutter, making shock cross his expression. "I'm done fighting. I don't want to fight, I hate it. So we can either move on, or we're both better off somewhere else. Because I love you way too much to keep arguing." I tell him.

He blinks a couple times, frowning as he looks at me. He doesn't say anything and I sigh. "Maybe, I should go." I mutter, my voice tiny at his silence. Does he want me to leave? Is he that mad? I hesitate but get up, off of his lap.

I barely get up from the bed, though, before he quickly grabs my hand, making me turn around. He's still silent as he faces me, biting his lip softly before he pulls me toward him again. I fall back on his lap, my legs are now on either side of him instead of sideways. Carl wraps his arms around my waist and I look at him expectantly, waiting for him to say something.

"I just don't want you to get hurt." He mutters as I cup his face lightly dragging the pad of my thumb across his cheekbone lightly, right bellow the beginning of his bandage.

"I won't." I say softly.

"You can't promise that." He mutters. "You can't promise me you'll stay safe."

"You can never stay safe. Not in this world. In Alexandria, there's people like the Wolves, like Negan. On the road, we can always run into another group. And if we're going to other places, they can always attack. If you're alive, you're a target, if you're dead, you're a walker." I say. "If I can never be safe, at least I want to be safer, and killing these people will make sure they don't ever hurt anyone else."

He sighs, looking down, and I kiss his jaw lightly. He looks up, biting his lip slightly, before pressing his lips to mine. His hands pull me closer to him as I deepen the kiss. One of his hands tangles itself in my hair as I grip the sides of his flannel, smiling. His other hand falls on the small of my back, one of my legs wrapped loosely around his waist, the other one dangling off the edge of the bed. He pulls away slightly, a dumb smile on my face as he presses small kisses onto my jaw, neck, and bare shoulder- since my flannel is tied around my waist, leaving me in my tank top- when he stops and chuckles, gently pushing a strand of my hair behind my shoulder.

I see him looking at the hickey on my neck and I smile. "Yeah, thanks for that. Glenn and Abraham were annoying as hell because of you." I mutter, making him raise an eyebrow. "Wasn't bad enough Glenn caught me here, he had to be all overprotective over a hickey." I roll my eyes as he laughs, making me crack a smile.

"Maybe he should be overprotective over two hickeys." He mutters, me rolling my eyes as he chuckles, before I kiss him again.

✖✖✖✖

That night, I'm leaving my room like usual, not making any noise, but I notice the light's still on downstairs. My first instinct is to turn back around, but then I remember Glenn already knows, so what's really the point? Still, as I go to walk down the stairs, I catch a snippet of Maggie's voice and my eyes widen as I hear her.

"We need someone on the perimeter keeping watch. That could be me. That would be safe. Safer." She says. She's coming, too? But, she's pregnant. Who knows what the hell might happen there. I didn't say anything to Carl, obviously, but I'm well aware that this is gonna be everything but safe.

"Whatever safer looks like now." Glenn mutters.

"I made that deal." Maggie says. "It wasn't my idea, but I led us into this. I have to come." Glenn sighs. They stay quiet for a while, so I decide to walk down the stairs, acting like I just came out of my room. Their eyes snap to me.