MAKNAE [twd] *editing*

【150】

Through the dark, no one saw the woman 'Arat' be slipped away.

Through the dark, no one saw her on her knees.

Through the dark, no one heard Cyndie as she reminded the woman of what she took from her.

An eleven year old boy- mercilessly killed at her hands by Simon's order. 

'No exceptions' was what she'd told Cyndie as she laughed at the family's suffering from losing their youngest.

Through the dark, no one saw Cyndie stab a spear into Arat's chest.

As we returned to Hilltop- no one heard or saw anything of the night.

--

"You sure you have to go?" Michonne asks, leaning against the van, "The Saviors.. Maybe they'll stop now."

"Maybe," I nod in agreement, "But, I think we all just want to do this now. Get out there, change the world. I think it'll be good for us all."

"Everyone except me," she frowns, tugging me into a hug.

I laugh, holding onto her tightly, "Don't make me feel bad, 'Chonne."

"I'm just gonna miss you so much," she admits, pulling back to cup my face in her hands, "You better visit."

"We will," I assure, grabbing her arms, "We'll come by as often as we can."

She hums, dragging me into another embrace. I only slip deeper into the warmth, a feeling of comfort that only she could bring me in my chest.

"Don't forget we have those drop boxes now, too. Even if you can't stop by, at least write a letter here and there," Rick orders as he and Carl round the vehicle.

"Will there ever be a day where you're not my leader?" I question.

"Probably not," he scrunches his nose.

"Fair enough," I sigh, leaning in for a hug to Rick as well.

"You be safe out there," Rick bosses, a gentle kiss being pressed to my head, "I mean it."

"I'm always safe."

"Your track record says otherwise," Carl points out.

"Don't live in the past so much, Grimes," I nudge his arm, "We have a bright future ahead. Think about that."

"Yeah, yeah," he waves off.

Scoffing, I wrap Carl into a warm hug that he sways us back and forth in before releasing. Taeyang rounds the van, ending a conversation with Daniel as he smiles to where we stood.

"Is everyone ready?" I ask.

"All set. Mags is getting Hershel and then we're hitting the road," Taeyang nods, setting his hand on my lower back.

Nervously I exhale, almost missing Michonne giving Taeyang a side hug and kissing his cheek.

"I know I've already said it, but I'll say it again," Rick begins, "Visit. Anytime. All the time."

"Will do," Taeyang nods as they shake hands.

"Radio sometimes. Anything," Rick continues.

"We will," I sigh, patting his arm, "We're not going away forever."

"We love you all. Stay safe out there," Michonne says, dragging Rick away, "Come on, old man."

Once the couple is gone, Carl laughs to himself. Taeyang places his hand out, Carl looking to him with a funny look that gradually turns to a smile. The two shake hands, giving a smile to one another.

"We'll see you around. Be safe," Carl waves.

"We'll see you later," I agree.

As Carl follows after Rick and Michonne, I turn to look up to Taeyang.

"Hi," he smiles, brushing my hair back.

I grab hid hand, digging in my pocket before retrieving the ring, placing it on his finger to match mine.

"You actually did it," he laughs, looking at the band.

"Cyndie helped me find it," I admit, biting down the smile.

"Guess this makes it official," he figures, pulling me closer, "We're married."

I nod in agreement, placing my head on his chest as my arms wrap around his waist. We stay in our embrace until Maggie makes it out of the house with Hershel in her arms, placing him in the vehicle with Tina.

"Maknaes, let's go," dad calls, waving Taeyang, Ben, Daniel, and I over.

Taeyang and I hold hands as we walk to the truck where Ben and Daniel were arguing with Ayeon about seats, climbing past them to the back of the van. Once settled, Taeyang pulls my legs into his lap, drumming his fingers against my jeans.

"Shotgun means I sit here!" Ben huffs.

"I'll grab a shotgun and then we'll see who sits where!" Ayeon fires back.

"Maknaes!" dad calls, the trio falling silent, "Settle down and get to your seats."

"Hana," Tina calls, "Could you hold our maknae while I help dad?"

I hold my arms out, Tina passing Hershel to me over the seats before she climbs over, smacking Ben on the back of the head.

"Noona!" Ben complains.

"Hi, maknae," I smile to Hershel, ignoring the chaos ahead of us.

Taeyang joins in, poking Hershel's bottom lip and making a face that causes Hershel to giggle and coo.

"It's okay.. One day you'll be old enough to tell them all to shut up," I assure, "They'll all listen to you, maknae."

Hershel waves his fists around wildly and Taeyang laughs, "Yeah! Rule with a iron fist, that's right!"

In our comfortable position, I rest my head on Taeyang's shoulder as we play with Hershel. Soon enough, the madness seats away settles as Maggie and dad end up in the front seats with Tina sitting between Daniel and Ben, eyes threatening them both.

Dad pulls the van out of the Hilltop gates that seal behind us. Once on the road, the reality sets in that we were leaving all we'd ever known.

From the first days in Atlanta, it was Glenn, Angela, and I. Then, we'd lost Angela and found the group that would become our family.

Somewhere amid it all, Glenn and I both fell in love along the way- Maggie and Taeyang being our lifelines in any situation.

Then, we lost Glenn and Jae. And we gained dad and Tina, a fraction of life before. And Glenn left a piece of him behind in the miracle that was the baby on my lap.

At the thought, I tug Hershel closer, hugging him to my chest and closing my eyes to avoid the tears from falling. Hershel tugs at my shirt, wriggling to be closer like he knew I needed to be comforted.

Gently, Taeyang kissing my temple, rocking the three of us back and forth- also knowing what was going through my head.

Sniffling quietly, I look up at him. He smiles softly, his free hand wiping my tears away before resting his hand on Hershel's head.

"I love you," Taeyang reminds.

"I love you," I reply easily.

Hershel makes a noise and we both laugh, looking down to him.

"And I love you, too, maknae," I tell Hershel, kissing his head.

Resting my head on Hershel's, I look to the others ahead of us in the van. Love, gratitude, strength, hope.. It was all here. All in this family.

And this was all I needed.

Oppa.. Thank you for picking me up from the airport.

--

𝒶𝓊𝓉𝒽𝑜𝓇 𝓇𝒶𝓂𝒷𝓁𝑒𝓈--

this is it 🥺