too sweet || Carl Grimes

II

This was not who he needed to see right now, but before he could even leave, he was tugged into a hug.

Rick always gave tight hugs, atleast compared to the few he'd had before the outbreak, but compared to some the Greenes had given him it wasn't as tighr as he reminisced.

"Where were you Archer- Rowan? I thought something happened. You weren't with everyone else."

It was that nickname Rick had called him everytime they met since he hit Shane in the forehead with a sticky arrow, just like the cartoons. It was the funniest thing to the man apparently, but when Rowan carried on learning how to use a bow he always went to Rick for advice, mainly if it was legal for him to even have one.

Rick was somehow alive, like he hadn't been in a coma, and as far as Rowan knew, was still in it at the end of the old world. So he reciprocated the hug, only slightly, he was mostly preoccupied with the fact that Rick being here meant Shane probably was too. The kid was probably Carl if Rick's been here since they started the 'surgery'.

Now he was glad that he didn't go down to help. Technically Carl hadn't done anything to him, but jealousy wasn't exactly rational.

Not that Rowan would ever let it be known he was jealous of anyone, especially not Carl Grimes.

"Shane didn't tell you?" Tracked with the kind of man he knew he was.

"No? Did something happen? Did you split? I don't think Carl said anything about you being there at any point.."

"He left."

Maybe it was the wrong thing to do, the man was here because his son was dying and needed surgery, but Rick asked him.

"What?"

"He left without me. We got in a fight not long after you went into a coma and when everything started he took Carl and Lori and left."

"You've been alone this whole time?"

"Not all the time, met the Greenes, they took me in. Just worry about your own kid in there."

Rowan was able to hold back some of his resentment when talking to Rick, the man was nice, always looked out for him, but the jealousy just festered the older Rowan got.

"I can worry about you both, does your dad know you're here? We have a group on the road, they'll be on their way-"

"Don't tell Shane."

"I bet he's not even thinking ab-"

"Rick. Don't."
He couldn't blame the man, why would he know that his best friend and his kid didn't get along, Shane always kept their fights behind close doors.

I mean how do you explain to your best friend that you wish his son was yours?

But Rick just didn't get it, he cares too much, always sees the best in people. Maybe it changed after the start, maybe Rick was more cynical and angry, or maybe he was still the same guy who stuck to him when Carl was with Shane so he wasn't alone.

|~~~~~~|

Rowan wasn't exactly hiding, he was simply staying in his room, where he knew Shane wouldn't just wander in. Hopefully.

He let Maggie know before retreating that people he knew were here, just so she could give excuses on why he couldn't be around them yet.

It wasn't until Maggie called him out the house that he finally left. A funeral for Otis.

There wasn't supposed to be one for him. They all protected themselves from the dead. Otis was teaching him how to use his gun, Rowan wasn't done yet.

He was kept by Maggie's side during the funeral. It wasn't until Patricia called of him did Rowan realise Shane was right here.

"You were the last one with him."

And suddenly he was angry again. He knew Otis went along willingly but all he knew was whatever happened Shane had something to do with it. So he left.

"Rowan wait!"

Shane's head practically snapped his way when Rick called out, pairs and pairs of eyes were stabbing his back, of course it was their group, why wouldn't they look when Rick is calling for someone and Shane reacts too.

But Rowan doesn't stop, if he does all his emotions from assumingly months would boil over and he didn't want Patricia to see that, not when she's already grieving.

But the urge to fight Shane was eating him up inside, that everything would be better if he turned around and let it all out.

The title 'Dad' didn't fit anymore, the man probably didn't even want it from him.

|~~~~~~|

Rowan was practically glued to Maggie's side, she was the only one who knew the full situation, he wanted to tell Hershel, but the man was around Rick and Shane going over the plan.

So of course Shane comes over when they're looking over the well situation, and Lori comes along too.

Maggie senses Rowan tensing up, offering a tight hug around the shoulder. Out of everyone in the world that could be in this new group, it had to be the last people he wanted to see again.

'They'll be gone soon, just ignore them and everything will be back to normal.'

But no. Lori saw him and almost charged at him, a reasonable reaction to seeing a kid you thought had been missing or even dead for months but that didn't mean he had to like it.

"Rowan! Sweetheart where have you been? Are you okay? What happened? I thought you were gone! Carl's gonna be so happy when he wakes up fully."

Glenn's, Dale's and T-Dog's eyes jumped between the woman and the boy she was holding, how did they know him but nobody else on the farm?

"Who's this?" Dale asked the question they were all thinking but nobody actually wanted to say.

"Rowan, he's Shane's son. We couldn't find him when we left, I was so worried something happened,"

Lori kept talking, ignoring how stunned the 3 other men were, grabbing Rowan's face to get him to look at her.

"But clearly you found yourself somewhere safe."

There was silence.

"You have a son?"
Wow.
"I mean you've never talked about him before..."

It's funny really, something can be completely in character, completely believable, but it'll still hurt when said outloud.

Rowan didn't want to hear what excuse Shane had, probably some shit like 'it hurt too much'. It was weird how easily his dad could just lie to people's faces.

One of the group almost died, Shane wasn't fully at fault but he certainly played a big part in getting the man to go down, and now half a walker had fallen back into the well. Life really did hate him being happy.