𝗕𝗟𝗨𝗘 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗟𝗗 , the walking dead

[29] stranger in the house

STRANGER IN THE HOUSE
———

A FEW HOURS AGO Carl confessed his feelings to Kai, who gladly returned it. It ended in a kiss, Kai's first one and how Carl expected his first kiss to feel. The fireworks, the giggly feeling inside of him, it was all there. It was all perfect.

After the kiss, Kai had noticed that Carl forgot to change the bandage for his eye. Which is something Kai has been very on top of for him, but since they barely spoke that day due to their fight, it slipped Carl's mind to change his bandage.

So, the teenagers snuck back into Carl's house where he had the bandages needed, and that's what they were doing now. Carl sat on the edge of his bed with Kai standing between his legs, his hat placed on the bed and his hair tied back for the moment.

As Kai cleaned the wound, making sure there was still no infection despite it being over a month—he was just worried about the worse happening, the two boys remained silent. It wasn't an awkward silence, but there was some tension in the air, a tension that has been there every time Kai brings up Carl's eye—or lack there off.

Even before the kiss, for weeks now, whenever Kai mentioned the eye, Carl got tense and closed off and would be quick to change the topic. Kai had some theories, the main one being that it was traumatic for Carl and it wasn't something he could just forget. Since he has to relive those moments of his accident every time he looks in the mirror. Kai couldn't imagine what it felt like, so he never pushed him.

For a moment, Kai leaned over a bit behind Carl to grab the fresh bandages to wrap around. When he looked back, Carl was looking over in the corner where a small mirror sat, he stared at his reflection in a sort of disgust. Kai watched as his hand went up to his eye, touching the red fleshy hole. With his hair being tied back, his hat off and no bandage, Carl felt exposed and naked. He felt raw.

"Does it hurt?" Kai asked, partly out of curiosity and needing to know in case of any complications. His voice was gentle, not wanting to scare of Carl and make him close up.

Carl dropped his hand, and looked down at his feet. This was a subject that Carl has avoided with everyone, especially Kai. Carl didn't want to bring it up, he didn't want to bring down the mood and ruin the beautiful night they breathed.

So, to lighten the mood, Carl tapped on the side of Kai's thighs. Tapping to a beat that didn't play, and he looked up  as he said, "No, not at all."

Kai nodded his head, seeing right through Carl, he played along for a minute. He wanted Carl to talk to him and it had nothing to do with the confession but it had everything to do with Carl being his best friend.

That's when Kai placed the fresh bandage back in the bed, Carl's mind being somewhere else and didn't even notice Kai's movements until his hand softly pressed against his cheek. Gently making his head turn upwards and look at him. Kai used his thumb to caress the skin under the scar, examining it in a different way than the medical side of it. Truth be told, it wasn't a pleasant sight to look at an eye socket like that. But it never repulsed Kai, never made him think different about the way Carl looks. It doesn't change how it feels.

The way Carl turned his head away when his hand was near the scar, it's when Kai understood. Finally understood why Carl felt so closed off, it was traumatic even and he was left with a scar—a scar that he is insecure about. The bandage, the hair and the hat all being a way he is able to hide it, it was easier to ignore it then.