Disclaimer:
Carol Peletier, Sophia Peletier, King Ezekiel, Henry, Jerry, Shiva, and any other recognizable character or plot of The Walking Dead belong to AMC Network and Skybound Entertainment, Image Comics and Robert Kirkman.
This is a work of fiction and in no way is the author claiming to own any of the characters, nor is there any economic/monetary gain at any time. The author is extremely respectful of the original creators and is willing to take down this work of fiction if requested.
No copyright infringement intended.
Original characters are the property of the author.
Her Secret
She's obsessed with his face; from the brown hue of his skin to the way his stumble curls as it grows, to the way his eyes sparkle whenever he's awake.
She loves his face as much as she loves him.
More than once she has lain in bed watching him as he sleeps the sunrise away. When they'd started sharing their bed, his ability to sleep so peacefully had bothered her, but gradually as she settled in her life at The Kingdom and as he helped in her healing process, watching him sleep has become a peaceful time where she allows herself to be as cheesy as her love for him allows her to be.
She had fought against it. Oh, how she had fought against it but eventually she had given in. This is her secret and no one else knows about it. She can stare at her husband all she wants, daydream of their future together like a college girl who hadn't lived through the fall of civilization and no one will know any better.
Except for Ezekiel, and that's only because she can't keep her hands away from him.
She always follows the same pattern of observation starting by gently pushing away the dreads of his hair that cover his face.
Today is no different.
Once she's got those out of the way, she likes to simply watch him breathe. She's not sure how he does it, but the sound of his slow, deep breathing always calms her, centers her, grounds her back to their reality.
It's only then that she allows her fingers to follow her eyes, letting the very tip of her fingers caress his forehead, tracing the lines etched there by his worry for their home. Slowly she lowers her fingers following the bridge of his nose where she gently caresses the curve of the end of his nose only to bring it up a little higher to trace the dust of freckles he's been blessed with. She traces an invisible line from the freckles on the tip his nose to the ones under his right eye, to the one on the side of the bridge of his nose then crosses all the way to the other side to continue the invisible constellation by tracing the ones on his left cheek.
Only when she's done with his freckles does she move on by tracing the apple of his cheeks upward until she reaches his eyebrows which she then smooths down so they aren't as wild as sleep has left them.
Ezekiel usually wakes up as she traces down the side of his face. Sometimes he humors her and goes back to sleep and sometimes he slowly opens his eyes, his lips pulling into a smile which she has to trace.
Today her fingers are instantly pulled towards his lips which she gently caresses as they curl upwards.
"Good morn, beloved," Ezekiel mumbles sleepily.
"Shhh!" Carol hushes him with a giggle. "You are interrupting my time."
"Forgive me," he says, following along with her playfulness. "Continue on, my love."
"Thank you." She knows that she has a silly grin on her face but she also knows that she doesn't really care if she does. She's happy, she's in love, and she's alone with her husband so why not?
She doesn't last long on his lips because she will spend more time with them later. Instead, she traces the bow of his lips lovingly before letting her fingers get reacquainted with his beard.
She loves his beard.
She loves the way her fingers feels as they thread through his beard, sometimes getting tangled in the forest of dark and white curly hairs. She traces around his lips, down to his chin, up to the sides of it then down again only to finish once more above his lip.
"No tugging today?" He teases her about her sudden affinity at tugging his beard.
In response she curls her fingers under his chin, catching the longest of his beard hairs and gently tugs them forward, guiding him towards her lips. He kisses her tenderly but deeply, reminding her so much of the old Hollywood movie kisses that were so passionate they always made the woman's knees buckle. She knows her knees would buckle if they were standing up but since they are in bed Carol takes advantage and she lets her leg slide up his before circling around his hip, pulling him as close to her as he can be.
While her fingers trace his cheek, randomly dipping into his beard, and his hand traces up her leg to settle on her hip and pull her closer, her lips get to explore his.
Ezekiel's lips are thicker than hers, slightly meatier and perfect for her to bite playfully when she feels like it. When it happens Ezekiel always laughs and pulls her closer, growling playfully at her.
Today she explores her husband's lips tenderly, her fingers scratching his beard lovingly. They give each other gentle kisses, one followed by another, never spending too much time apart. When that's not enough she starts leaving them pressed against his for longer periods of time, her breathing becoming deeper, fanning hot between them. She pulls back, her passion filled eyes instantly centered on his lips. She licks her own lips before his hand tenderly catches her chin and raises it just slightly so that he can look at her.
"Good morning, my love," she whispers but he doesn't take time to reply before he is guiding her lips towards his once again.
This time, their kisses are anything but chaste. They explore each other, fight for dominance, their lungs like fire before she comes out victorious and slightly nips his bottom lip to prove her power over him. In return, he gives a growl that makes his chest vibrate before he follows her lips once again.
She twists in bed, using all her weight to overpower him until she's sitting on top of his hips, her hands on his chest, her own chest rising and falling fast as her wild hair tumbles over her shoulders. He's as breathless as she is, staring up at her with those sparkly eyes of his that she adores, his hands on her hips, gently squeezing and releasing.
She truly just loves to watch him; asleep, while he's dealing with the problems of The Kingdom, as he addresses their people, as he laughs when Jerry says something that embarrasses him, as he embraces Henry and tells him how much he loves him, even when they have a slight disagreement.
They are all wonderful and beautiful sights, but none are as powerful as her absolutely favorite; when he's looking at her.
When he looks at her, his attention completely centered on her, Carol can see every ounce of happiness, of strength, of love and elation that resides in his body. She feels his love as much as she feels his happiness. She sees their future as clear as she sees their past and it thrills her, it excites her far more than anything has ever done.
Seeing him looking up at her as he is at the moment, Carol can't help but feel like an actual ethereal Queen. She can only hope that he sees in her eyes as much love as she feels for him. That in her eyes he finds the depths of her love and happiness, both of which he has sparked within her.
She leans down, letting her body cover his completely, her teeth once again nipping at his lower lip as her fingers thread through his beard then the roots of his hair.
She loses herself in him as she does almost every morning. It's her reward for another night with no visits from nightmares that have plagued her all her life. It's his reward for building a home for her when she had thought she'd remain forever alone.
Afterward, with their bodies cooling in the morning air, wrapped around each other as tightly as can be, still connected for she refuses to let him slip from her, Carol settles against his arm, her eyes trained on his face, the rhythmic caress of his fingers against her scalp lulling her into a state of blissful happiness.
She loves his face, especially when they are making love because it reminds her of all the good in the world that remains even when the darkness threatens to consume it. It reminds her of what she's fighting for. It reminds her of what she's living for.
And if that's not worth waking extra early to witness, she doesn't know what is.
The End