ꜰʀᴇᴇᴅᴏᴍ ᴄʀʏ

Bad Blood

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You didn't notice at first. The way Kid favored being in your proximity during battle, close enough to grab you if something went wrong. How he made for you as soon as a fight ended -- or anybody else if he wished to see them. If you ever traveled by car or by horse, he sat beside you. Even if everyone was afraid of him, you eventually lost that fear through the adaptation of his presence. It was a constant shadow, looming around you like a protective -- or possessive -- veil that steered danger away. Because no one would possibly dare to come close to a person under Kid's protection. Even foolish walkers, blind to the nature of his wrath, knew better...

But you didn't see it. Not at first. To you, he'd just been a monster, a mere beast in the skin of a human -- ravenous for blood. He was your captor, albeit one you grew accustomed to. For now, he was an ally, someone with a common goal, however temporary that may have been, and you were the first one to make the effort to understand him considering you didn't have much else to do while you were at the Victorian Punk.

You leaned close to him when you walked the empty roads, littered heavily with bodies, unconsciously bumping his shoulder for warmth, even if he snarled down at you. But sometimes he smiled, just relished those quiet moments where you felt relaxed enough to let down your guard around him. You'd learned to crave for those smiles you could get out of him, the real ones. Not those brazen grins in the midst of a fight he knew he'd win. Not the lascivious smirk edging on the corner of his lips when he was trying to fuck you senseless.

Because somewhere along the way, you forgot that Kid was a monster. And no matter what side he showed to you, what kind of act he put on to scare you -- at the end of the day, Kid was just a beast. He wasn't someone to befriend, and he was not someone to care about, and definitely not someone you should fall for.

It was a cool, but slightly humid day in a forest on the outskirts of the compound when reality hit you like a curse to the face. Kid had dragged you out for a run to a nearby suburban town to stock up on new supplies. The other runners had been busy, and the captives exhausted -- or dead -- so you were on your own. Except you weren't alone. Kid had insisted on going with you. Actually, more like he demanded it.

"Why are you following me?" You gritted as you stepped over a protruding tree root. "I'm strong enough to take on a few walkers by myself."

You inwardly cursed out the redhead, imagining him lurking behind you with a salacious look in his eyes as he checked out your ass. Not that you had much of one considering food was hard to come by... and malnutrition was a terrifying reality.

"Bothered, drengr?" Kid retorted, rough with a dangerous lilt like usual, but you could see the jut of his bottom lip. He was teasing you. "Cry me a river, won't you?"

You went mute.

Ass...

You turned to face him, catching a glimpse of softened features and amber eyes glowing beneath the sunlight. Except, when he turned to look at you, his eyes widened with shock, and he shouted your name with rage lacing his voice. "GET THE FUCK DOWN."