crooked heart → the walking dead ⁵

[ 007 ] stradivarius.

CROOKED HEART.

chapter seven, stradivarius.
[ season nine, episode seven ]

THEO SITS ATOP A horse. Michonne and Siddiq ride beside her. DJ holds the reins of the wagon in his hands, the five newcomers sit in the wagon.

As they trot into the open field, Luke speaks up. "Oh, no. No, no, no. Sickos tore the damn place up. Look at this place!"

"I didn't think it would be this bad," Yumiko says from the front of the wagon. "Is this all that's left?"

DJ halts the horses. Theo, Michonne, and Siddiq all slide off of their horses while the others hop out of the wagon. They start to approach the rig.

"The herd you ran from did this?" Michonne asks.

"No. A bigger one must've come through here," Magna replies.

Theo watches as Luke, Connie, and Kelly take out three walkers trapped under the storage container. He looks over at Michonne.

"This is weird," he mutters.

She looks over at her. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, how can a herd flip that entire thing onto its side? I know walkers have done some crazy, unexpected shit but this is just. . . I don't know, Mom. I have a bad feeling." He explains to her.

Beside them, Siddiq walks forward and picks a flute up off of the ground. He turns to face the mother and son. "This is the first instrument I ever played as a kid," he tells them. "My aunt got it for me for my birthday, and I had it a whole week before my mom decided, for her own sanity, that I liked painting better."

Siddiq raises it to his mouth. Michonne quickly places her hand on the instrument, stopping him. "Maybe for my sanity, you don't."

She turns and walks away. As soon as she does, Theo nods frantically at Siddiq. The older of the two looks back at Michonne and shakes his head. Theo snatches it from his hand, and without a word, starts to loudly play the flute, without giving a damn about potential walkers.

Michonne whirls around to glare at her son. He lowers the flute away from his lips and grins innocently at her. She rolls her eyes but Theo can see the faint smile that tugs at the corner of her lips.

"It has to be here!"

In unison, Theo and Siddiq turn their heads to face Luke, who frantically for something, and Connie, who grins to herself.

"What's going on?" Siddiq asks quietly, motioning to the ground.

Connie begins to sign something to the two men. Both of their brows furrow. Connie hits Luke to get his attention. She signs something else.

"No, I am not telling them that." He tells her. Then he looks to Theo and Siddiq. "Yes, I have a love for the musical arts, but Connie here does not appreciate—"

Connie brings her hands up to her neck. Perhaps it's because Theo and Siddiq spend too much time together, but they both lift their hands to their necks to do the same sign Connie is.

Luke laughs. "No, it is not a fetish."

Siddiq and Theo burst into laughter.