Tour Guide ➣ Carl Grimes

37. Ruins

Negan had killed Olivia. Hannah and Carl heard the shot almost as soon as they'd closed the door behind them. Carl had run to the window first, peering out past the porch to find the source of the sound, and turned back to Hannah with sad eyes. They both knew what it was before he'd looked.

Now they were sitting in Carl's room, their backs pressed against the wall behind his bed. Negan was finally gone, and there was nothing more they could do. Carl had pulled out some of his comics, passing one to Hannah before letting his legs stretch out beside her's. The room was silent as they both stared at the pages in front of them, neither actually taking in it's contents. As she sat beside him, Hannah could hear Carl thinking. He always was. And whether it was good or bad, Hannah could always sense it. She looked over at Carl briefly and found that he hadn't yet flipped the page of the comic. He wasn't even pretending to be focused on it. Instead, he just stared at it, his head low and his jaw clenched. Gently, Hannah let her elbow nudge into his side.

"You alright?" She asked softly. The boy met her gaze and she could just barely see the glassy sheen on his eyes. It was hidden by an anger she couldn't quite place in him.

"I'm sorry," his voice was stern and yet it wavered at the end, "I'm sorry about everything."

Hannah closed the comic in her hand, resting it on her lap, "What do you mean? You didn't do anything."

"But I did," he sat up straighter, shaking his head as he pulled his legs up to his chest, "I shouldn't have gone out there."

"Carl," Hannah started, tilting her head as she watched him.

"No, Hannah. It's my fault he was here. It's my fault you had to see him again. I should've just stayed."

"Where is this coming from?" Hannah sat up beside him, turning to face him dead on as she spoke, "You didn't try to lure him here. You didn't mean for any of this to happen."

"That's not even it, I mean -- Spencer was right," he let out a sad laugh, "He was right about us."

This took Hannah aback. She couldn't even remember what Spencer had said to make Carl so upset. What could have set him off like this? She searched his face, looking for a clue, for anything. And then she remembered.

"Hannah, you met her, that girl Carl's always hanging around with. She was a sweet girl before they all got here. My brother, he loved her. He woulda done anything for her. Now, I mean...I'm just saying, Rick and his people, they've ruined ours."

"Do you really think that? That you ruined us? You--" she paused, the words not wanting to leave her lips, "you ruined me?"

Carl dropped his head into his hands, avoiding the place where is face was still uncovered.

"I don't know," he spoke just barely above a whisper, the sound even more muffled by his hands. After a moment, Carl finally took his head from it's cradle and Hannah could see the tears that were left behind. "Just," he started, "Did I?"

Hannah tried to hold back her own tears as she looked at Carl. She never wanted to see him so broken. He had been through so much, hurt by so many people, and he still thought it was his fault. He thought he had hurt her.

"No. No," Hannah shook her head almost violently, "No, Carl you've done so much for me. You've made me better. All of you have. I wouldn't," her voice got caught in her throat, "I wouldn't be here without you. Carl, you saved me." He still looked like he didn't believe her. Hannah grabbed the boy's hands, taking in a deep breath, "You told me you were gonna answer my question when you got back. You're back now."

Carl looked from their intertwined hands up to Hannah's face. His eyes roamed from her lips to her brows, taking in everything he could. She was so perfect to him. She was so soft, so kind. Hannah was so much smarter than him when it came to anything that mattered. She always knew what to say. She always knew what to do.

He thought back to their first time out in the woods. He'd watched her pull out that timer, and in that moment he knew he would never underestimate her again. He thought about when he'd fought with Ron. He remembered her opening the door, livid as she took in the scene. He had expected her to hate him. Carl thought she'd take Ron's side. But she told him to leave. She'd told Ron to leave and then asked Carl if he was alright. She was worried about him. In that moment he knew he could always trust her.

Carl couldn't help but think of the line up. How he had watched her sob as Daryl was being taken away. How he saw her above him, an axe in her hand while she begged for his safety. He never wanted to see her like that. Crying for him. It was his job to protect her. To keep her safe. And yet, all she ever did was save him.

He thought about the first time they'd kissed. He could never forget the feeling of his lips of hers. She had been the one to move first. She was the one to start it all. And ever since then, he had vowed to be the one to finish it.

Of course he had heard what she said that night. Hannah was all Carl could ever hear.

Taking his hands out of Hannah's, Carl wraped his arms around her, pulling her close.

"I love you, Hannah Grant. I love you."

---
Hi lovelies! I love writing these sweet little chapters!! I know this one is really short so I will be posting another very soon, I just thought they were weird together. I hope you all enjoyed though!!!

How do we feel about their final confession?? What comes next for our favorite couple-not-couple?

Thanks for Reading!