ribs || carl grimes x reader

I love how you love me - jeff mangum

I lowkey wanna start using pics of chandler now since he's older but there's no bandage so lmk what u think of this minor detail that ppl probably look at for 3 seconds.

2 years later (time that season 9 begins)

The grandfather clock ticks as you feel yourself slowly wake up from your slumber. The room is still completely enveloped in darkness, and you let out a quiet huff, realizing you've woken up in the middle of the night. You try to slow your thoughts, hoping to fall right back to sleep. You reach over for your boyfriend, but you only feel an empty bed. Quickly you shoot up, looking around and finding yourself alone. At first your sleepy brain imagines terrible scenarios: he's left you, he's been kidnapped, he's dead. But as you fade into reality, your thoughts regulate and you calm down. This wasn't the first time lately that you'd woken up to an empty bed. As tensions had risen between the communities, Carl was one of the leaders dealing with it, which caused him numerous panic attacks and sleepless nights. 

You swing your legs around and place your feet on the floor. You quickly slip on a sweatshirt, some pyjama pants and some sneakers, before you head downstairs. Your hand slides down the banister as you trot down the steps. You peer into the living room and see visions of a few years ago, stepping down the stairs and finding Carl sitting on the couch speaking to Deanna. You both had moved into her old house, wanting your own space as your relationship with Carl developed. You gaze at that same couch from before as you head outside. 

You walk down the streets, glancing around town and enjoying the peaceful scenery of your sleepy community. Then at the end of the street you come across Carl, his back turned to you. He stares up at the corrugated metal wall with names of lost loved ones written on it. As you slowly approach from behind you read: Aiden, Deanna, Abraham, Sasha, Spencer, Morgan... You place a hand on Carl's shoulder causing him to jump a bit, but he quickly relaxes. 

"You ok?" you ask in a gentle tired voice. He takes a deep breath and uses one hand to fiddle with the bottom hem of his t-shirt.

"Couldn't sleep. Just needed to clear my head." You nod, and feel him snake his arms around your body. You lean into him as he holds you. You hear his heart pounding in his chest with anxiety.

"I wish they were still here." he says quietly, his voice trembling slightly. "They could help with all this." You sigh, feeling the same way. You think back on all the old friends you'd lost, and what they would do if they were still here. You'd observed first hand just how much pressure Carl was under as he helped to ease tensions between the communities, and it broke your heart. The two of you hold each other for a little while longer, enjoying the light breeze blowing through the nighttime air. After a while you feel yourself falling asleep standing up. Carl catches you, and he gives you a soft chuckle. 

"How about we head back to bed?" he suggests. You nod and the two of you head back across town. 

Carl's body slides next to you in bed, his chest now bare as he preferred to sleep that way. You recall he had said feeling you on his bare chest made him sleep easier at night. He lays on his back and you lay on your side, your arm strapped across him and your head in the crook of his neck. He sighs a long, tired sigh. His hand makes its way to your hair and he begins running his fingers through it. As he strokes your hair, you feel your eyes grow heavy and you begin falling asleep very quickly. 

"Good night my love." he speaks down to you in a soft voice. You would've been too tired to respond, but his neck vibrations wake you up enough. 

"Mmmnight." you slur out, before drifting off to a deep sleep.

You feel Carl's arm slip out from under your head. You look up, rub your eyes, and see him standing by the edge of the bed. He stares at you intently, worried that he may have woken you up. You giggle a bit before sitting up. He huffs in frustration as you yawn and rub your eyes once more, your mind defogging.