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When Ron woke up at some ungodly hour of the morning to find the spot next to him on the floor where Carl fell asleep empty, he immediately knew something was up. Carl was emotionally and physically exhausted after everything that happened that day, hell, everyone was. So why the hell wasn't he still sleeping? More importantly, where did he go? It was dark, but Ron could tell he wasn't in the bedroom anymore.
After quickly stretching out his tired limbs, Ron threw the blanket off of him and pushed himself to his feet. Walking slowly and softly in an attempt to not wake anyone up, Ron began to search for his boyfriend. He couldn't hear any noises in the house, which brought on the fear that Carl was outside somewhere.
First, Ron checked Judy's room. He opened the door just a crack and peeked in. No Carl. He sighed and closed the door as quietly as he could, continuing down the hall. The door to Rick and Michonne's room was open just a crack, so Ron looked in there, and his boyfriend wasn't there either. He glanced down the hallway and noticed that the light was on in the bathroom.
When Ron pushed the door open, he saw Carl. Relief washed over him, until he realized what Carl was doing. He was just staring at himself. He stood in front of the mirror, bandage off, gripping the sink with a faint look of disgust on his face as he glared at himself.
"Carl?" Ron whispered, careful not to startle the boy.
Carl's eye flickered up to Ron's reflection before he hung his head, shoulders sagging. "What?"
"What are you doing?" The older teen asked softly, coming to stand next to the teen and placing a gentle hand on his shoulder.
Carl looked up at Ron, no emotion in his face or eye. "He asked me if I've looked in the mirror."
"Who?"
"Negan."
"Carl.." Ron sighed, rubbing his hand over the boy's upper back.
"He said it's disgusting. I've never.. I've seen it, but I've never really looked. He's right. It's.. I'm disgusting." Carl said, his voice breaking at the end.
Ron frowned, shaking his head. "Carl, c'm'ere," He whispered, wrapping an arm around Carl's shoulder and guiding him into a hug. "You're not disgusting. You've got a scar, so what? It's not disgusting."
"It's ugly," mumbled the younger boy, hugging Ron tightly.
"Turn around." Ron ordered, releasing Carl from his hold.
"What?"
"Turn around. Face the mirror."
Carl let out a shaky breath before he let go, spinning around to look at his reflection again. "Why?"
Standing behind him, Ron wrapped his arms around Carl's middle. He rested his chin on the boy's shoulder and took in their reflection. "You know what I see?"
"What?"
"I see the prettiest boy I've ever seen. I see thick brown hair that frames your face perfectly. I see soft lips that are so pouty and kissable. I see a cute nose, good jawline and cheekbones.. I see an eye the color of the sky, just like your dad's but brighter," Ron said, taking one of Carl's hands in his own and squeezing it.
"You have a scar. You do. But when I look at it, I don't feel disgusted. I feel pride, admiration. You're strong, Carl. You've lived through hell, you lost your eye, but that hasn't stopped you. You're still here, and you're still the vengeful little shit I fell in love with. Today, you went and tried to kill the man who killed your friends. You knew there was a good chance you'd die, and I'm still so mad at you for it, but you went. You're brave. When I look at your scar, that's what I see. And you're still just as beautiful as you were before."
Carl swallowed hard, a tear rolling down his cheek. "Ron.."
"Who cares what Negan said? You saw what he did to your dad. He wants to break us down. He found your weakness and used it to do just that. If you let it get to you, you're letting Negan win, and I know Carl Grimes does not want Negan to win. You're beautiful, scar and all." Ron concluded, letting go of Carl's hand to wipe the tear from his cheek.
"Ron.." Carl repeated, turning around and throwing his arms around Ron's neck. "Thank you. I love you."
"I love you," Ron stated, pressing his lips against Carl's in a soft, sweet kiss.
"What would I do without you?" Carl sighed, nuzzling his face against his boyfriend's neck. "I don't deserve you."
"You deserve the whole world, baby," Ron whispered, kissing the top of Carl's head.
Ron hoped that if Negan's words could break Carl down, Ron's own words could build him back up.