In This World

°First Watch°

Luke pulls into the pasture where we had parked the camper and comes to a stop. "I'll carry the stuff in. Take these to Monroe." He says, handing me the duffle bag of medical supplies. I nod silently and open the truck door, hopping out. The bag is heavier than I expected, so I struggle to carry it.

I walk into the camper to find Monroe at the kitchen table, inspecting his stitches. He has taken off his bandages and strown them across the table in a red mess. "We're back." I greet, lowering the duffle bag to the floor. Monroe startles a bit and stands up. "Kat! That took forever!" He exclaims, squeezing me in his arms. "You act like you're happy to see me." I laugh, pushing him off- mostly so I can breathe.

"Oh, um..." He looks anywhere but at me and shrugs. "Did you find more bandages?" He asks, changing the subject. "Yep. And more peroxide." I say in an over excited voice. Monroe turns up his nose, but continues to listen. I pull out the bandages and peroxide, setting it on the table. "Sit." I demand, walking to the opposite side of Monroe. "Okay." He plops down on the bench and holds his arm out.

I examine it and touch the stitches. "Ow..." Monrow whispers to hismelf. I open the peroxide bottle and prepare to pour it on the wound, only to see his arm pull away. "Com'on, wuss." I smile. "It should hurt less this time." I try to say in a comforting voice.

"Promise?" Monroe raises an eyebrow.

".... Yeah sure." I respond.

"Say it."

"What?! No I'm not saying it." I argue.

"Katherine?!" He grunts.

"Fine. I promise. Now give me your fucking arm." I growl.

He lays it on the table gently and looks at me. I slowly pour a few drops onto the wound and he flinches. Looking into his eyes, I try to help calm his nerves. "It's fine. It'll be over soon." I shush, blowing on the stitches to soothe the stinging. Monroe eases up and smirks at me, probably thinking I won't notice. "What?" I question, looking up. He quickly diverts his gaze and shrugs. ".... Ok. I'm gonna wrap it up now." I inform him, grabbing the gauze.

Gingerly holding up his arm, I cover the stitches in white cloth. I tuck in the ends and set his arm back down, having accomplished my task. "And done." I smile, putting things back in the duffle bag. I rest my hands on the table in front of me and look at the blinds that block my view of Savannah.

Suddenly, my hands feel warmer, like they are being held. I glance at them to see two hands much larger than mine, resting on top of them gently. My heartbeat quickens as my brain begins to process this action. My eyes meet Monroe's hesitantly and he smiles. White, perfect teeth shining between beautiful brown lips. I can feel that same wave of warmth that I felt in my hands now rushing into my cheeks. I know that they are getting redder by the second, but I don't want it to end.

"Thank you, Kat." He says quietly, staring straight at me. "N-n-no problem. We have to look out for each other now." I manage to say even though my mind is scrambled. Monroe moves his hands so that they are holding mine, then our fingers clasp together; mine more hesitant than his. "Kat, I'm glad we're in this together." He continues. "Even if we've only just met recently."

He examines every inch of my face, moving closer so slowly that I barely notice. His eyes imprison my gaze and I can't help but move closer to him. Slowly inching toward me, his eyes close. He tilts his head ever so slightly to the left. The gap is closing quicker than expected. My eyes flutter closed, and then-

"Katherine! Where do I put the canned food?" Luke bursts through the door of the camper, arms full. His face is covered with various bags, imparing his vision. Monroe and I shoot away from each other quickly and I stand up from the table. "U-u-uhh.. Put them... Um." I stutter. "W-what was the question?" I ask, clearing my throat. Luke drops the duffle bag and another backpack on the couch, letting out a long breath. "Where you you want these?" He asks, smiling.

Monroe stands up, clearly flustered, and walks over to the bags. "I'll put them in the hallway closet. The cabinets are full right now." He informs, taking both bags. My hands tingle slightly as I watch him take the bags to the hallway.

"Awesome, dude. Careful with that arm though." Luke grins, patting Monroe roughly on the right shoulder. I catch a slight smirk on Luke's face before he turns around. "So, what is for dinner. Scouting made me hungry." He smiles, rubbing his stomach. I don't know what is wrong between him and Monroe, but I know it's... something.

"Whatever you decide to make. You get to cook dinner tonight." I respond, sitting back down at the table. I look down at my hands once more, then toward Monroe. He struggles to stuff our new belongings into the closet, cursing to himself ever so often.

Luke pulls a couple of canned soups out of the cabinet above the small Kitchenette. "Do you want Chicken noodle or ravioli?" He asks to both Monroe and I, though I don't think Monroe has a say.

"Either or. I'm going to go check on the generator." I say, grabbing my knife. "I'll come with you, Kat. Just wait a second." Monroe calls from the hall.

Luke side glances at him before pouring ravioli into a pan. He turns on the electric stove and grabs a spoon out of the drawer beside the sink.

°•°A/n°•°

Are you actually kidding me?! I know I'm way too excited over this but I don't care. I got 60 reads already. This is definitely new for me. I'll update a longer chapter soon! Urghhh life. Trust me, it sucks.

-me