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"Hey." Ron smiled at the boy walking up the stairs, his smile beamed at the new face. Alexandria hadn't had many newcomers recently, especially not teenagers. He thought it would be nice to have someone new around.
The boy nodded, furrowing his brows ever so slightly "Hi" he replied, his voice slightly deeper and rougher than Ron's, he looked around the hallway before pausing on Ron, looking him up and down.
"I'm Ron. Enid and Mikey are in my room" Ron said, gesturing towards the door.
The boy plastered something that resembled a smile on his face "I'm Carl" he said, looking towards the door, it was weird for him to be with people his age, he was trying to remember how to socialise.
Ron opened the door, his mouth dropped as the door swung open, he stepped back, almost falling onto Carl. Words wouldn't leave his mouth as he stared in awe at the scene in front of him.
Carl stepped back as well, slightly confused by what was going on.
Ron focused on his bed, where a couple of minutes ago the three had been reading comics and laughing together. He stared at his girlfriend, straddling Mikey, kissing him intensely. He clenched his fist in anger, they hadn't even noticed he'd opened the door. He looked at his friend, one hand on the girl's thigh and one up her top. Ron took a step forward, he couldn't believe what was happening.
"Fuck you" he muttered, spitting out each word in disgust.
The two looked up at him, Mikey immediately, pulling away from underneath her and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, his face matched Ron's.
Enid looked at Ron sorrowfully "I can..."
Her words were cut off by Ron's "No Enid, you can't explain." His voice cracked as tears built up in his eyes. He glared at Mikey "go grope each other somewhere else" he muttered, gesturing to the door.
Carl was utterly dumbfounded, realising what was going on, he felt sorry for Ron and stepped out of the way of the door.
Enid stood up, staring at the ground and walking out the door shamefully, she glanced up at Carl before leaving Ron's house.
Mikey looked at Ron, "I'm so sorry" he said, looking genuinely apologetic "she came on to me" he said, looking at the ground.
Ron raised an eyebrow at him "I'm pretty sure it was a joint effort" it was taking all his power trying not to hurt him, "hmm?" He added, tilting his head at Mikey.
Mikey continued to stare at the ground "I" he said, stopping mid sentence knowing that nothing he said would help
"just get out" Carl muttered, walking into the room with them and glaring at Mikey.
Mikey looked up at Carl before walking down the stairs quickly and out the house.
Ron sat down on his bed, resting his head in his hands and breathing in deeply before standing back up and looking at Carl.
The room was utterly silent, Carl looked at the boy "you'll be better off without her" he said, wondering how long the two had been together.
Ron nodded, he knew Carl was right, he was slightly shocked that he'd stepped in "I guess so" he said, looking at Carl.
"Is she always like that?" Carl asked, sitting on the bed making sure he wasn't taking up too much room; he already knew him and Enid weren't going to get on.
Ron shook his head "we'd never even kissed, I mean" he paused "we've been together 2 months" Ron looked at Carl, "I just presumed she didn't like that kind of thing, y'know?" Ron sat down on the bed and looked at the wall opposite him.
That shocked Carl, he felt bad for Ron, "it's a safe place you've got here" he said, trying to change the subject.
Ron nodded, "safe from the walkers maybe" he said, remembering the countless amounts of times people had tried to steal from them.
Carl looked at Ron "How long have you been here anyway?" He asked, thinking of all the places he'd been since this all broke out.
"My whole" Ron paused, struggling to say the next word "family has been here since it broke out" he looked around the room and saw the comics strewn over the floor, he stood up and picked them up, piling them in the corner of his room.
Carl looked over at him, he wondered why Ron had paused at the word family but dismissed the thought, standing up and helping the boy gather up comics, he smiled seeing some comics he used to read.
Ron, looking up from the copies in his hands, saw Carl smiling "You like comics?" He asked, glancing at the copy Carl held in his hands.
"I used to, haven't really had the chance to read any since this broke out though" Carl replied, placing the comic on the pile. Carl sat on the bed and Ron sat at the other side, they chatted, occasionally laughing at something funny, reminiscing time before everything went to shit. Carl had a lot of catching up to do, he hadn't had anyone his age to talk to in a while and it felt good to just chat. It felt nice and almost natural to just be able to laugh and almost just be a teenager again, without the constant worry about everything outside.
Carl stared into space, Ron had been talking for a couple minutes and he'd zoned out slightly
"Carl" Ron looked at the boy, waving his hand in front of his face, he glanced outside seeing how dark it was. Carl quickly snapped out of his previous state and looked outside at the dark sky "it's getting late your" Ron paused, he remembered Jessie had said that Carl's mum had died "your dad's probably wondering where you are" he said, standing up.
Carl nodded "yeah, I'll go" he smiled a little, standing up and walking down the stairs, he smiled at Ron's mum, who he presumed was Jessie.
"And Carl" Ron said, running down the stairs after him.
Carl turned around, looking at the boy "What?" he said, raising an eyebrow.
"Thanks for helping me with Mikey" he said, truly grateful that this boy that he hadn't even known for 10 minutes had stood up for him.
"It's nothing" Carl said, opening the door and walking out into Alexandria, guiding himself back to the house he shared with the group, he walked in and exchanged hugs with Michonne, Maggie and Glenn and smiled at Rick, everyone was glad that they were back somewhere safe, he glanced at Judith who'd been given a little cot and claimed a little corner of the room to sleep in, dragging a pillow over there. He was laid on a wooden floor but it was still safe and he felt comfy in the presence of his friends.
"He seems nice" Jessie said, looking at Ron and ignoring his comment about Mikey, she knew if she asked about what had happened that Ron would just lie.
Ron looked at his mum and nodded, knowing she would be wondering why Enid and Mikey left so suddenly "Enid and Mikey left because I caught them with their tongues down each other's throats" Ron paused, choking slightly on his words "on my bed" he added.
Jessie tried her best to not squeeze Ron into a tight hug, she knew how much Enid meant to him. She knew that they were together, no matter how much Ron had tried to deny it, "Are you okay?" She said, keeping her voice soft and comforting, looking at Ron.
"I'm fine mu-" he paused, seeing Pete through the window. Pete looked drunk, Ron shared a concerned expression with his mother and he smiled reassuringly "Go put Sam in the safe room." He said.
Jessie knew that Ron wouldn't take no for an answer as she took her younger son upstairs into the little room that locked from the inside.
"Please don't go" Sam whispered, tears building up in his eyes, pleading for Jessie not to leave.
Jessie looked at him sadly,"Breathe like how I told you" she said, forcing a comforting smile "and lock the door as soon as I get out" she whispered to him, hugging him tightly.
Sam nodded, gulping and trying to swallow the sobs that we're going to escape his mouth before Jessie opened the door and ran quickly downstairs.
Ron was sat on the sofa in the living room, he wasn't quite ready. He knew what happened when his dad got drunk, he knew someone was going to get hurt, this time he just prayed it was going to be Pete.
"I've made us dinner." Jessie said.
Ron could hear their conversation from the other room. He could hear her forcing a smile. He could hear her being pulled into a kiss. He could hear her being forced against a wall, trying to struggle out of Pete's grip. He could hear her crying out as her head slammed into the side of a cabinet.
"Stop it." Jessie slurred, losing consciousness. That was when Ron stepped in; standing up abruptly and opening the door, seeing his mother slumped on the floor. Seeing Pete stood over her clenching his fist. Ron clenched his own fist, walking up to his dad and -using all his strength- punching him in the face, knocking Pete backwards. Ron's hand throbbed from the impact and Pete grabbed his arm, gripping it tightly Ron knew he was in trouble. He saw the anger in Pete's eyes, the grip from his arm tightened even more before he was thrown against the counter, hitting the edge with his arm and clutching it. He felt his dad's foot kick hard into his chest before his eyes closed.
Carl's back ached when he stood up, he'd been laid uncomfortably on the wooden floor. An array of "morning sleepy head"'s were said as he walked into the kitchen, he'd apparently slept in. Carl smiled as he walked over to Judith, squeezing her hand lightly. He was so happy that she had made it and her smile in response brightened his day. Rick smiled, he hadn't seen Carl happy in a long time and the smile on his face was a sight to remember. And of course, a group hug, Carl and Judith in the middle and everyone else joining in, laughing and being happy to be safe and together.
Ron's chest and arm throbbed as he woke up but his first instinct was to check on Jessie. As he stood up he clutched his chest urging himself to be stronger. Being weak wasn't only hurting him, it was hurting Jessie. Ron got a glass of water and a painkiller from the bathroom cabinet pausing to glance at himself In the mirror, a horrible purple and blue bruise spread down around 10cm of his arm - he clenched his fist- mad at himself for not being able to protect himself.
"Mum" Ron said quietly, using a flannel to wipe the dry blood from the side of her head, it wasn't a bad cut and luckily her hair could cover the bruise. Jessie opened her eyes, sitting up abruptly and clutching her back before standing up, she looked at Ron.
"Ron your arm" she gasped, her eyes widening.
Ron stood up beside her and squeezed her hand, he didn't want her to worry about him. "Mum, your head." Ron replied, handing her the flannel.
Jessie smiled weakly in response, thanking Ron for the flannel, she knew that he would never back down and that worried her; He was going to get seriously injured. She pulled him into a weak hug, he ached all over after being slammed against the wall. The hug lasted a couple of seconds before Ron pulled away, getting dressed and sitting in his room.
Carl had Judith on his side,
"Bye" he said, smiling at Rick. He knew that he would be back, he'd be careful.
Rick placed his hand on Carl's shoulder and looked at him "Look after her" he said, smiling at Judith "Jessie said she can help look after her" he added. Carl nodded. He waved as his dad left with a couple of the others and walked towards Ron's house, knocking on the door.
Jessie opened the door with a smile on her face, the cut on the side of her head hidden by her hair.
Waving her arms for attention, Judith smiled before being pulled into Jessie's arms.
"She's got the same eyes as you" Jessie said, looking at Carl and holding Judith on her hip.
"They're my mums" Carl muttered, he knew Jessie hadn't meant to bring it up but he really didn't need to be reminded.
Jessie looked at the ground, feeling bad, knowing they'd lost their mother "Ron's upstairs" she said, changing the subject.
Carl nodded, his face lit up a little hearing that Ron was in "It is okay if I leave her here?" He asked, smiling at his little sister.
"Both of you are always welcome here" she said.
Ron sat up, hearing a light knock on his door, he opened the door to see Carl. Grateful that it wasn't Enid or Mikey he smiled.
Carl immediately noticed the new large bruise on Ron's arm but ignored it, wanting to start the conversation on a good note. "My dad's on a run" Carl said, averting his eyes from the bruise and looking at Ron "your mum's looking after Judith."
Judith... Oh, Carl's sister Ron thought. Ron nodded "I've got a couple of video games" Ron said, watching Carl's face light up "I've completed them 100s of times but they're fun" he added.
Carl smiled, he couldn't remember the last time he'd held an Xbox controller in his hands and it felt weird, he'd almost forgotten how to play. They both laughed, Ron thrashed Carl in a game of Fifa, Carl glared at him sarcastically and punched his arm playfully.
Ron gasped, grabbing his arm. He knew that Carl hadn't meant to hurt him but the bruise from the night before throbbed.
Carl's eyes widened "oh I'm... Uh I'm sorry" he said, looking at the bruise on his arm.
Ron looked at the boy, it was taking all his effort to not punch the boy back, he knew he was playing but to him it didn't feel like that. Ron shook his head "Don't worry" he said, removing his hand from his arm and forcing a smile at the boy.
Carl looked at Ron, his expression entirely serious, he lowered his eyebrows "Ron how did you get that?" He asked, he knew for a fact it hadn't been there the night before.
Ron looked at the ground before looking back up at Carl "My da-" Ron paused, remembering that he couldn't tell anyone "darn feet, I slipped down the stairs" he said.
Carl highly doubted that, but he knew Ron wasn't going to tell him what really went on. "Be careful" he said, looking into Ron's eyes and smiling, he hadn't had a friend in so long and he didn't want to lose him to whatever was hurting him.
Ron nodded, slightly transfixed on Carl's smile "Yeah, I will" he smiled back, focusing on Carl's eyes before looking away quickly and back at the screen "rematch?" He said, it was almost comedic how crap Carl was at the game but he was better company than the other two had ever been.
Carl nodded and they played matches until it was dark, snacking on crackers Ron had stolen from his kitchen. It was the most fun Carl had had in a while and he was exhausted.
Ron turned off the game and laid back on the bed "I well and truly thrashed you." He said, laughing.
Carl laughed but glared sarcastically in response "I bet I could thrash you at something else" Carl paused, thinking "like... Can you shoot a gun?" He said.
Ron looked at Carl, he wanted to lie and say he did but he knew there was no point, "I've never learnt" he muttered.
Carl smirked "Well there's something I'm better at" he laughed "I could teach you if you wanted" he suggested.
Ron nodded happily, that would be great he thought. The two were getting tired but continued to chat, Carl eventually fell asleep at the bottom of Ron's bed, Ron laughed at the tired boy before falling asleep himself.
Jessie walked into Ron's room after putting Judith to bed on a little chair in her room, she smiled at the two boys asleep. She thought she should probably wake Carl but decided not to, he would be fine here. She shut the door quietly and went to bed.
Carl woke up first, he was slightly confused before realising where he was. He looked at Ron who was asleep, Carl smiled at the older boy who looked so calm, he looked away, picking up a comic from the floor and reading it for a while. Ron woke up eventually, yawning and sitting up, slightly shocked that Carl was in his bed before remembering they'd fallen asleep. Ron crossed his legs as he sat up on his bed, smiling as he saw his mum creak open the door
"Morning boys" Jessie said, smiling at the two. They both smiled back
"Where's Judith" Carl asked worriedly, standing up. Jessie smiled at the unnecessary concern
"She's with your dad, downstairs" Carl nodded, knowing there was no need for concern. He sat back down.
The boys played video games. For a while and for once it looked like Carl was winning.
He smirked as he won the game, he wasn't as bad as he thought.
Ron glared sarcastically, tackling Carl playfully. Both of the boys landing with a thud on the carpet, Carl underneath Ron. The two looked into each other's eyes, not sure what was happening. Silence.
Carl's tummy fluttered, Ron's arms holding him above Carl ever so slightly, Carl couldn't move. He didn't want to move. He could feel Ron's warm breath on his neck and his heart started beating faster, he could feel Ron's breathing getting faster. Carl- in the heat of the moment- moved his hand from beneath him to Ron's head, feeling down the back of Ron's neck. He paused, looking deeply into Ron's eyes.
Ron felt Carl's cold fingers on his neck, it felt good, they were cold yet warming. He lowered his face to Carl's, placing a short kiss on his lips.
Carl moved both his hands to Ron's neck, pushing his lips onto his a little harder.
Ron kept his hands on the floor, not wanting to crush Carl, he deepened the kiss.
Carl rolled them over, now on top, he looked into Ron's eyes, feeling an emotion he couldn't quite explain. But it was good. Carl lowered himself until there was almost nothing between the two.
Carl smiled, kissing Ron's nose and smiling before pulling away and standing up, he started walking towards the door
"Carl I" Ron said, standing up quickly, he paused searching for the right word
"Really like you." Carl finished his sentence, turning to look into the boy's eyes and smile.