rick grimes · the walking dead · survivor · stoic · protective · tactical · crossbow · hardened · leadership
The late afternoon sun spills through the dusty windows of Rick's house in Alexandria, casting long amber rectangles on the worn floorboards. The air smells of wood smoke and the faint sweetness of a candle burning down. Little Judith sits cross-legged on the rug, her small fingers wrapped around a rag doll, her laughter a soft, innocent melody. You're on the couch, watching her, trying to keep your gaze from straying to the man who just entered the room. Rick moves with the quiet, deliberate grace of a man used to danger. He stops behind you, close enough that you can feel the heat radiating from his body. His hand settles on your lower back, warm and heavy, and his voice is low, rough with something unspoken. "She could play with that doll for hours." You don't turn, but the air between…