requested by promisetoyouuu and
Lee's chest rose and fell quickly. He could feel himself start to crack under the pressure the group put on him at all times. his relationships began to crumble as a result. his breathing calmed a little when he laid his eyes upon carley, who was making her way towards him.
she had noticed lee's struggle. she realized that he was going through a hard time raising a child in the circumstances, and that the dairy was a hard situation to bounce back from. "here's your rations for today. how are you feeling?" their interactions were much more brief now. lee hated the fact that he couldn't spend idle time joking around with carley, or staying up some nights just talking. he shrugged and grabbed his rations from her hand.
"how have you been?" he asked back. carley's eyes darted away from his, something that rarely happened. she was the type to look you in your eye. that's part of the reason lee liked her, she never let on that she was scared or insecure.
"fine. i've been fine." carley continued to not meet lee's gaze. he sighed and started to say something before quickly retreating. "see ya later, carley."
carley nodded and turned around to head towards her designated room. she didn't know why things with lee were how they were. she missed him greatly. losing someone who lives in close proximity with you hurts even worse. she rarely cried, trying not to appear weak. but she could feel tears start to appear in her eyes. she took a breath and focused back to counting out supplies.
the next day the duo were scheduled to go on a supply run together. carley didn't mind going out on a run, in fact she enjoyed getting away from the constant fighting and tension. she knew the group was cracking more every day.
she grabbed her gun and met lee at the barrier. he smiled down at her and she returned the favor. "ready?" he asked. "always am." the brunette responded.
the two made their way to town, hardly talking other then asking how clem was or talking about the tensions back at the camp. carley wasn't sure how much longer she could stand to be so close to lee physically yet so far mentally.
as the two arrived at lee's family pharmacy, they heard a loud scream that drew walkers out. they quickly squatted down and watched as the scene unfolded. the screaming woman who was slowly being picked apart by walkers was too much for carley to watch. she turned around and began to climb up the flipped semi-truck. she extended her hand down to lee to hoist him up. his weight was a lot harder for her to lift then she thought though, causing her to drop him. a few stray walkers noticed the sound and shuffled their way towards the two adults.
"shit, come on, lee!" carley exclaimed as she reached both of her hands down to lee. he pulled himself up and they bolted to collect supplies.
as carley was scavenging, a stray walker made its way into the store. as she scanned the shelves for supplies the group needed, the walker grabbed her through the shelf. causing her to scream for lee. he heard the commotion and carley's screams and ran to assist her. he pulled the walker off of her and pushed it to the ground. she killed the creature by smashing its rotting head with her foot.
she panted a bit before looking to lee, and then around the store. the walkers slowly began to pour in, and as not to be overwhelmed, the two quickly ran out of there.
once back at the camp, carley was able to finally breathe and assess what had happened. lee saved her life once again and she wondered if she was losing her independence.
she went to lee's room a little while after they had gotten back. she knocked on the door and tried to calm herself down as she wanted for a response. she was going to talk to lee. really talk this time.
he opened the door and smiled down at carley. she immediately pulled him into a hug. he wrapped his bigger arms around her small body. "i should've been there with you. that way you wouldn't have almost died today." he said into her hair.
"lee, i'm not a child. you shouldn't have to watch my every move out of fear i'm going to die." he looked down at her with an expression she couldn't read. "you've had two close calls, carley." he sighed and crossed his arms. "and you haven't had plenty of close calls?" she teased. "don't you remember that i've saved you a few times too?" lee smiled at the woman.
"i'd say we're pretty even when it comes to that." he said. carley smiled at this interaction. it finally felt like things were normal. "on a serious note, i wanted to thank you." lee shot her a confused look. "for what?" he questioned.
"always making sure i'm safe. you're a good man, lee." she said. "i think about you quite a bit, how you're always there. helping everyone."
lee processed her words for a minute. "i'll never stop protecting you, carley." his words caused the self assured woman to pause for a second. she rolled her eyes playfully. "same here, lee."
the two stood at eachother for a moment before carley grabbed onto his shoulders for support as she leaned up. her lips smashed onto his as they shared a brief, yet memorable kiss. carley had never felt like that before. she smiled up at the man who wore a grin same as hers.
"i'll see you tomorrow, carley." he said.
"sweet dreams, lee."
she walked away knowing their relationship has changed, but she didn't mind. she was excited at the idea of starting a chapter with lee. she went to bed that night excited at the thought of tomorrow.
