Evening had finally fallen on Georgia.
We had been following the railroad by car for most of the day, but Rick decided we would set up camp once the sun started to set. He had picked out a section of the woods that ran along next to a fairly calm looking river. Compared to the other places I had stayed since the world had more or less ended, it was actually a pretty scenic location. Carl had insisted that we all camp outside, rather than sleep in the van, which Rick relented to after Michonne voiced her own support to the idea. But camping outside meant that somebody had to go get firewood and since everyone else was busy unpacking the sleeping gear, I stepped up and volunteered to do it alone. I was beginning to resent how little alone time Carl and I were getting to have lately. I mean, in a way, I understood the necessity. Rick wanted to keep his son close to him, especially after what had happened the other night, and Carl had responsibilities of his own but... it just didn't seem fair. Perhaps I was being too whiny though.
Back in the good ol' days, before the living got knocked down a notch on the food chain, I used to enjoy walks in the woods. There was a patch of woods nearby my home in northern Texas that I would take a stroll in for hours every day after school, or when I was feeling particularly under the weather. Of course, that had all changed after the outbreak. Mainly because I used particularly thick patches of forest as a form of natural shelter from the walkers. It didn't always work, but it was safer than hanging out in formerly populated areas, where the undead menace seemed to congregate.
I had ventured pretty far into the woods, picking up suitable lumber as I went.
Rick had specifically instructed me to get as much wood as I could carry. The last couple of nights had been fairly cold, even in the storage facility, and the van before that. I suspected that he was wanting to build a fairly large fire to compensate for this. So, I did as I was told. Dusk was falling quick, however, and with it came loss of visibility. I should probably take this moment to explain that I suck at directions, or, more to the point, paying attention to which direction I traveled. It had never been a problem before, because anywhere that didn't have walker was a reasonably good direction to head. Well, that, and after Atlanta, I had no group to return to, so no matter which way I went, I was still as alone as I was in the first place. That being said, you can imagine what happens next. Yes, I got lost. Terribly lost. No matter which way I looked, everything looked the damn same. Originally I had been following a game trail, as I had learned to do from almost a year and a half of running around the Georgia countryside by my lonesome. But, at some point I made had the incredibly stupid thought that if I just kept walking straight, I'd be able to turn around and find my way right back to the trail.
And... That didn't work out so well. The woods were still. There was no noise other than the occasional gust of wind, and my own stomping around. Perhaps if I tried calling out, they would hear me. From my recollection, the woods weren't too dense, so I convinced myself it wasn't possible that I had ventured too far from camp. So, I sat down my large pile of wood and did just that:
"CARL!" I bellowed, cupping my hands around my mouth to amplify the sound.
I waited.
No response.
"RICK!"
Still nothing.
"MICHONNE!"
Nope.
Son of a bitch.
I place my hands on my hips and survey the area. There were several landmarks I recognized. A rotting stump that I must've passed by at least twice by now. A particular arrangement of bushes. But, outside of that, nothing gives me the hint that will jog my memory into remembering the route I took coming in. By this point, the sun had completely set, and I could begin to see the faint traces of moonlight peeking through the leaves. The last thing I want is to be lost, alone in the woods at night. Because though I hadn't seen any walkers, the undead had a way of sneaking up on you when you least expected them, and that was not a situation I wanted to be caught off guard by. Sighing to myself, after spending a few more minutes surveying the area, I once again take up my pile of lumber. I decide to just pick a direction and follow it.
Hopefully I pick the right one...
####
((Carl's P.o.V.))
The moon is now completely up in the sky, in all its haunting splendor.
Tanner has been gone for a good hour, maybe a little longer, and I'm starting to get concerned. It's just firewood. How hard could it be to find a pile of sticks and come back? It's just not like him. Even Dad and Michonne are starting to notice his unusual absence. With the lack of sunlight, the woods are quickly cooling down. Before long, it's cold enough that I need to retrieve a jacket we'd picked up on a prior run from the back of the van. When I return, Dad and Michonne are talking amongst themselves.
"We really need that wood." Dad is saying.
"Do you think he got turned around in there?" Michonne questions.
"Its possible. He'd have a hard time seeing in this lighting. The woods don't look too thick, but it could be pretty easy to get turned around under the right circumstances."
"Well, one of us should go find him." Michonne says. "It's getting cold out here and the woods become dangerous at night."
"Then I'm going to find him." I suddenly say, walking up to them, drawing both adults' attention.
"Carl, you can't be serious." Dad speaks up. "Alone? No. Michonne or I will go."
"I'll be fine." I snap. I must admit that I'm more than a little annoyed at the fact that they always feel I need to be sheltered. I've proven myself in a number of situations more serious than a quick run in the woods to find Tanner. "I'll just go in and get him and bring him back. I'm good at finding my own way."
"Carl-"
But I'm not letting Dad ruin this one, "Dad, its fine. We haven't seen a walker all day. Besides, knowing Tanner he just got lost daydreaming or something. I'll take my gun."
I expect Dad to argue with me further, or just flat out refuse to let me go. He had hardly let me out of his sight since the incident several nights ago. But Tanner's absence is just too unsettling for me to ignore, and I know the consequences of just sitting around and waiting for answers, so I intend to fight this one, even if it means Dad gets angry. He opens his mouth to say something, but is stopped by Michonne, who, to my surprise, suddenly reaches out and puts a hand on his shoulder.
"It'll be fine, Rick. If something was wrong, we'd have heard something. Just let him go." she suggests. "We have to finish setting up camp anyways."
Dad hesitates. He clearly doesn't like what she's said, but at the same time, he knows she's right.
"Fifteen minutes." he finally says. "If you don't find him by then, you come right back here and we'll find him together. Understand?"
I nod and snatch my gun from the spot where I had left it resting, strapping it to my leg, where it so often sat. I turned to leave, but was stopped by Dad's voice.
"I mean it, Carl." he warns. "Fifteen minutes."
"Got it." I snap, and then I march off into the woods.
The truth is, I don't intend to come back in fifteen minutes. Not unless I actually find Tanner. As soon as I'm out of their sight, I begin to break out into a run. Memories of the day Sophia vanished are suddenly flooding in. She had gone missing and we had spent days trying to find her. But when we found her, it was already too late. The walkers had gotten to her first. And I'll be damned if I allow the same thing to happen to Tanner. It's easy to see how he could've gotten lost in this. The woods were dark, and everything looked alike. But, being the adventurous soul I was, I knew how to ensure that I found my way back. I slipped a small pocket knife I had found back in town from my pocket, and began cutting large X's into certain trees as I passed them. Now it was only a matter of finding Tanner before someone, or something found him first.
Where are you, Tanner?
####
((Tanner's P.o.V.))
By this point, I'm really starting to worry about my chances of getting out of here before daybreak.
And, oddly enough, I'm also starting to worry I'll look like a complete idiot when I do get back to camp. But I quickly shove that thought aside. Survival comes first, always. I sat down my pile of lumber again and closed my eyes, desperately trying to remember the route I took coming from camp to where I was now. The path wasn't strait, as I had to continue dodging trees, but once I left the path my memory blanked. Everything looked to similar to make heads or tails of where I had gone. I had been gone for closing in on two hours now, so surely Rick and Michonne would come looking for me. I knew Carl wouldn't allow them to just ignore the fact that I hadn't come back after such a simple task. But the woods are still silent, no signs of movement or other inhabitants, so I was beginning to think that there was no chance of them finding me, even if they did come looking. Finally, I decide to try calling out to them again. If there was some chance they might hear me, I didn't want to lose it.
"RICK!" I shout; hands again cupped around my mouth.
"MICHONNE!"
The fact that no one is responding gradually increases my panic level. I can feel my heart starting to pick up its pace, breath becoming more rapid and ragged.
"CAR-"
I never finish calling out to him.
A familiar snarl freezes my blood in my veins. Wheeling around, I am able to see the faint outline of a walker lumbering towards me in the distance. So, as it turns out, that was stupid decision number two. Shouting. Noise served only to draw the undead, and I knew where there was one, it would have friends. Drawing my wakizashi, I made quick work of the walking corpse, but, as I had suspected, the undead cavalry had arrived. A second walker emerged from a small clump of bushes to my right, a third from the trees on my left. I slowly began backing up as their numbers increased, until I could count a good fifteen. I knew there were more, though. I could hear their collective snarls and hisses rising up around me in the woods.
"Shit..." I cursed aloud.
Normally this wouldn't concern me a great deal. Yeah, it'd be a pain in the ass, but in broad daylight, walkers were pretty easy to clean up if you were careful. But in the dead of night, where even the light of the moon barely penetrated the tree tops, there was too great a risk. Nevertheless, I slashed out, catching a second walker just above its ear. The cut was deep enough to damage the brain, sending the beast to the ground.
Another walker lunged from my right and I was able to bring my sword around just at the precise point to where I could thrust the tip of the blade into its mouth, stabbing directly through the back of its skull. Suddenly, my back hits the hard surface of a tree and I come to the horrifying realization that I'm cornered. It could be just my imagination, but the walkers seem galvanized by this, increasing their speed at what they now see as an easy meal.
But I'm not about to go down that easily. Thinking on my feet, I quickly sheathe my weapon, spinning around and grabbing the lowest branch, using it as leverage to lift myself up higher. I climb as quickly and nimbly as possible, snatching branch after branch, until I can see the tops of the other trees.
Below me, I can see just how many walkers there actually are. A quick headcount reveals a good nineteen to twenty of them, not counting the three I had just killed. They're all hungrily snarling, reaching out to me in a failed attempt to climb to where I am.
For a moment, I allow myself to feel relief. But it doesn't last long. Even if I somehow manage to survive the night in this tree, the walkers will still be there in the morning. There's no escaping it; I'm trapped. And unless a miracle happens, this could be it. From this high in the tree, I could see just how far I had strayed from camp. Though I couldn't see exactly where the others were, I could see the river we were camped by, snaking its way through the countryside. It was much farther than I had originally thought.
Suddenly, there is a faint crack.
It's small, and over the noise of the walkers, you wouldn't think such a sound was significant... unless it was at your feet. Specifically, the branch you were resting on. I try to edge myself closer to another branch, which would allow me to safely transfer myself to a sturdier surface, but the movement only intensifies the cracking. A cold chill goes up my spine as I realize the branch is about to snap, which would send me tumbling below, where I would no doubt be swarmed by herd of eternally hungry corpses.
Still, I try to reach for my neighboring branch, hoping that luck will pay off and I'll be able to grab it. That luck finally runs out. With a loud SNAP, the branch gives way, and suddenly I feel gravity seizing hold of me and I'm airborne. The fall to the earth below seems to be in slow motion. They say your life flashes before your eyes when you come close to the end. I guess that's true. Several defining moments flashed through my mind as I toppled to the ground.
That fateful day my family dropped me off in Atlanta.
The day the world ended.
The regret I had for failing my group in Atlanta after the world collapsed around us.
The day I met Carl.
Dear, sweet, Carl...
I'm sorry...
I feel myself hit the ground. Hard. There is another, less noisy snap, and the sudden jolt of pain in my left arm tells me that it was my bone snapping after such a hard collision. My vision is blurry. And I can hear the hungry corpses closing in on me like some satanic buffet had just been opened. The edges of my vision go dark.
I'm so sorry Carl... Looks like this is it for me.
A loud noise shatters my hearing, causing my ears to ring, but it barely phases me. Because the world goes black, and I slip into unconsciousness...
####
Waking up was a particularly painful experience.
My eyes fluttered open, and, to be honest, I fully expected to find myself in the world beyond this one. So I was sort of surprised when my vision adjusted and Carl was looking over me. Well, that was almost heaven, so I wasn't completely wrong. I see relief sweep across his face and he smiles at me. I glance over to the side and realize that, somehow, I'm back at camp. I can see the car in the distance and the river beyond that.
Was I just dreaming? Was this all just some huge nightmare that I was meant to wake up from? I get my answer as I try to lift myself to a sitting position. My left arm suddenly, and without warning, explodes in pain. Almost enough to send me right back into the blackness of sleep. Carl catches me though and helps me ease into a sitting position. My left arm is wrapped pretty tightly and I look at Carl groggily for answers.
"Wha..." I suddenly feel lightheaded. "What happened?"
"You fell out of a tree and were almost walker food." Carl replies bluntly, but there is an edge of relief in his voice. As if he can talk about it comfortably now that he knows it hasn't actually happened.
"Oh, yeah." I say, the memories of earlier coming back slowly. I rub my eyes with my right hand. "I was getting fire wood and then got lost... Those walkers must've chased me into that tree."
"I went looking for you," Carl continues. "I heard the ruckus and found you right as you fell."
"How did you-?" I start to ask, but Carl merely waves his gun in the air as his answer.
"You killed them?" I ask incredulously. "All of them?"
"Some of them." Carl admits, seeming almost embarrassed by that fact. "Dad and Michonne must've heard the shooting because they were there before I could finish off the entire pack."
"I suppose I owe you a 'thank you', then." I reply smiling as best I can at him. "For a second there, I really thought that was it."
"Nah," Carl completely serious. "You've saved my ass more than once. You're always sticking your neck out for me. I told you I'd return the favor someday. Now we're even."
I don't think he intended to sound sweet, and maybe he didn't, but when you've just come out of a clash with death itself, anything your boyfriend says to you sounds like heaven on earth. I lean in and lay a small, appreciative kiss on his cheek. In the moonlight, I can barely see him blush, but he smiles back at me nevertheless.
I suddenly become aware that I hadn't checked the area to see if Rick or Michonne were still up. After all, I had no idea how much time had passed since I passed out until now. Carl seems to notice me frantically looking around and is quick to soothe my fears, laying his hand gently across my unhurt, right hand.
"They went to bed a while ago." he gestures to the van. "Decided to sleep in there and told me to keep an eye on you."
I feel my heart beat dive bomb back to normal. That was a close call.
You really need to pay more attention, Tanner. I think to myself.
Convinced that it's safe, I lace our fingers together and hold his hand tight. It's only the second time we've been alone since that brief moment in the storage facility and, despite the condition of my arm, it feels pretty nice. A thought suddenly hits me and I glance over at Carl, who is staring off into the moonlight, and consider it very carefully. Looking around once again briefly, I make absolutely sure there will be nothing that can interfere with what I'm about to do. Carl notices me doing this and gives me an inquisitive raised eyebrow, as if to ask what I was concerned about.
Without warning him, I stand up, pulling him up with me through our locked hands, causing him to gasp in surprise. Clearly I had startled him. But I'm a man on a mission, and I don't allow that to slow me down. I start to walk towards a patch of trees on the edge of camp, Carl being helplessly dragged behind me until we're behind one of the trees, and for sure out of sight of the van. I take one more glance around and then use my good hand to push him up against the rough surface of the tree.
"Hey!" he finally barks in surprise. "What are you doing?"
"Thanking you." I reply, a grin crossing my lips right before they brush against his.
I kiss him. Hard. I'm not sure if you're aware of this or not, but there is no greater turn on than your boyfriend saving your life. And there is no better opportunity than this to show him just how appreciative of him I am. I suck his lower lip into my mouth and gently nibble on it before returning to our regular kissing, twirling my tongue around his, his around mine, in an erotic dance I wish would never end. In the short time we've been kissing, Carl's skills at the act had increased tremendously.
Each time we kissed he only continued to prove to me that fact, and even though he could still be sloppy at times, there was something so addicting to his technique, that if I could do nothing but kiss him all day, I'd do it until the day I died. I suddenly surprise him by doing something I've never done before. I break away from his lips and slide down to his neck, gently nipping, sucking, and kissing a trail from just beneath his chin down to right above his collar bones. I can hear him gasping, feel his heart beat along his jugular, and feel the shiver running down his pale skin. The flavor of his skin is absolutely addicting: sweet with a hint of saltiness from the residual sweat that had been there earlier.
Finally, I stop long enough to catch him looking down at me. His pupils are fully blown, eyelids slightly lowered. He looks incredibly sexy like that, illuminated by the eerie glow of the moon behind him. But I'm not done giving out surprises yet. I abruptly palm the front of his jeans, causing him to jolt, his eyes snapping wide open. He seems to nearly yelp, but somehow manages to control himself. I can feel the outline of the hardness trapped underneath the denim, so I stroke it softly, provoking an incredulous look from Carl. And then a look of realization hits him and his expression of alarm switches quickly to concern.
"B-but... Tanner, what about your arm?" he asks, his voice a tad shaky.
He's cute when he's nervous.
"I don't think I'll be needing my arm for this." I reply cryptically.
It's true. I don't plan to go - what's the term? "All the way"? - the first time. But I do have a pleasant surprise in store for him. He glances at me strangely, not quite understanding what I mean. Carl still has a very simplified view of sex, whereas I had made it to high school prior to the end, and knew a thing or two about other methods of pleasing one's significant other. I carefully lower myself down to my knees, cautious not to graze my injured arm on anything that might be jutting out from the underbrush.
He watches me very meticulously as I make short work of the button sewn into the front of his jeans and slide the zipper down as far as it will go. His belt is another story. With one hand, it's sort of difficult to undo a belt, but nevertheless, with some trial and error, I manage to get it loose so that I can pull open the front of his pants; revealing a tight pair of white briefs, and a very visible hard lump right in the center.
Even in this lighting I can see Carl turn almost purple in the face. Working so as not to lose my momentum, I slightly lift the bottom of his shirt, revealing the skin of his lower abdomen which trails down in a faint V-shape towards his lower areas. Planting my lips right beneath his belly button, I trail short, light kisses down his stomach until I touch the hem of his briefs.
Once again Carl shivers.
I look up at him before going any further, "Are you okay with this?" I ask.
Perhaps I should have asked that before I started working on his jeans, but in the heat of the moment, you rarely think about such things. I certainly don't. Of course, I should have expected his answer, but I am always concerned about Carl's feelings on any range of matters, and so I thought it best to ask him; just to be sure it is really what he wanted. He nods, slowly at first, and then quickly. Still, wanting to be absolutely sure, I ask one final time:
"Are you sure?"
He nods a second time, this time more readily, "Y-yes." he manages.
Satisfied, I return my attention to where it belongs. I slip the fingers of my right hand behind the elastic waistband of his briefs, and slide them down until they rest, along with his jeans, right above his knees. Returning my attention to his package, I see him for the first time. By this point, my own heart is racing, thumping thunderously against the interior of my chest while seemingly threatening to leap into my throat at the same time. I've heard about these types of things in school, but I'd never done them before. Not once.
Fear was present instantly: Will I do this right? What if I'm not any good? Will he still like me if I suck at this? I instantly shake that last thought from my mind. Carl has more than proven to me that he likes me for reasons other than just sexual attraction. And what's more, I love him. I want to show him that some other way than just telling him all the time. He had just stuck his neck out for me, after all. And so, ignoring the fear in my gut, I lift my hand and take hold of him.
His entire body quakes at the feeling of my hand around him. I had almost forgotten that this is a first for him too. To start, I simply stroke him, slowly, gently, gauging his reactions. The expression on his face says it all, though. Ecstasy. Pure ecstasy. I watch his eyes roll up into the back of his head and his eyelids clamp shut. He draws his lower lip into his mouth and bites down on it in anticipation.
Well, if that's not the most erotic sight I've ever beheld, I'm not sure what is.
I give him a few more courtesy strokes before finally throwing caution to the wind and leaning in, closing my mouth around his length. Carl nearly comes right then and there. He's shuttering violently now, and what sounds like whimpers are escaping his mouth. He's too lost in the sensation of it all to watch me any longer. I wait for his mini-seizure to abate before going back to the task at hand. I'm gentle, careful not to hurt him with my teeth, and push as much of him into my mouth as possible.
He reacts instantaneously. Almost as if by instinct, his hands find the back of my head and each take a fistful of my hair, holding me in place. It's forceful and it stings for a moment, but then he realizes what he's doing and loosens his grip. When I'm free to move again I dip down again, hollow my cheeks, and suck as hard as I can. This time he groans. Much louder than I expected, but not loud enough that I think Rick and Michonne will hear.
With only rumors I've heard to go on, I nervously begin to bob my head along the length of his shaft. This has the effect of making him buck his hips, slowly at first, in time with the movements of my head until a steady rhythm is developed. We move in sync like that for a good couple of minutes and then I get an idea. Inhaling deep with my nose, I take as much of him into my mouth as possible, until he hits my gag reflex, and then, without warning, I hum.
And Carl reaches his limit.
Once again, his fingers dig into my hair and push hard against the back of my skull, until my nose is literally buried in his soft skin. He gives an almost pained gasp and then a jet of saltiness hits my tongue. And then another. And then another. And another. By the time he finally releases me, the back of my throat, where his manhood had been embedded was quite sore, but it doesn't bother me. His come tastes salty, somewhat musky, but there is an underlying sweetness to it at the same time.
Not near as bad as I had heard it tasted. I wipe the residual liquid from the corners of my mouth and take a moment to catch my breath. When I return my attention to him, he is finally staring at me again, his pupils are slowly going back to normal, and with them, so is his manhood. He looks absolutely spent. Like he could drop and sleep for two days straight. Instead he just stares at me, waiting to either say something himself, or let me say something. Using the pause, I glance around the trunk of the tree.
No sign of Rick nor Michonne.
Success! I congratulate myself, smirking.
Finally tired of the silence, I decide to speak up.
"I hope that was a decent enough 'thank you.'" I say, smiling up at him.
He looks at me for a moment before smiling back, his cheeks are still flushed, which makes his smile look all the sweeter.
"What about you?" he asks.
To be completely honest, I hadn't thought about that. Like, at all. I had been so wrapped up in pleasuring Carl that I had completely ignored the hardness in my own pants. And while I must admit that I was excited at the prospect that he was willing to reciprocate, I decide to wait until another time. He helps me to my feet and I help him button himself back up, before drawing him into a loose hug.
"Some other time." I reply smiling gently. "Tonight was for you."
He hugs me back and then we come apart and start heading back to camp. I'm a little surprised that he grabs my hand as we walk. Being so close to the van, there was always a chance Rick would wake up and see, but I suppose he figures that if we didn't wake them up just now, this wouldn't hurt, and so I just enjoy the short walk; hand-in-hand.
"What do you think Terminus will be like?" he asks me as we slip back into our sleeping bags.
"With any luck? Decent food. I'd kill for a Big Mac about now." I joke.
He chuckles at this.
"I think you're out of luck there." he retorts, grinning at me.
"Hey, a man can dream, can't he?"
I plop back on the soft fabric of the bag, resting my good hand behind my back, while I carefully place my injured arm across my chest. Once again Carl surprises me as he scoots his bag closer to mine and cuddles up close. At first I think of saying something about Rick finding us like this, but I stop myself. Besides, Carl usually wakes up before him anyways. With that in mind, I turn over a little and cuddle up closer to him as well. A light breeze rolls over us and I can hear his breathing slow as he starts to slip off into dreamland.
"Love you, Tanner." he murmurs.
I smirk and close my eyes, "Love you too, Carl."
A/N: So, uhh... I hope that was worth the wait. I took me literally four hours to get that scene to where I wanted it. But, considering I suck at writing smut, I think it was a decent start. There won't be many chapters with smut in them, but I feel that a little here and there won't hurt, so I hope this chapter was enjoyable. Back on the road to Terminus with the next one. So, review, comment, ask yo questions! I like to hear what you all have to say! ^.^
Now for review replies:
NOxONE2103: Thank you! Yeah, I will tell you that this has been a very unusual case for me. I've been writing fanfiction (mainly anime/manga) on other sites since 2008 and it usually takes me a good week or more to iron out chapters of this quality, but there is something about this story that I really, really love to write it. I'm trying to keep my pace steady and at regular intervals. Its turned out fairly nice. And yeah, I try to stay with the plot. I allow enough deviation for the plot of the fanfiction to be believable and enjoyable, but I try to tie it in back to the canon (either TV or comics) whenever possible. So far, I don't see my interest dying, and usually, if it isn't dead by now, it won't die anytime soon. Like I said in the first chapter, I've written a few other Walking Dead fics and ended up deleting them 3-4 chapters in because they just didn't come out right. This one, compared to those, is in a league of its own, so I'm pleased that I've finally found my nitch with this genre. I'm used to writing action scenes, so romance is definitely a new pursuit for me, and so far, I'm really loving it. I hope you continue to enjoy! Thanks for the review :)
Youngblooded: I'm glad you're invested :) That's what makes a story enjoyable to follow. I usually don't like OC stories either, but that's not because they're OC stories, but just because of the way they are written. I hope I continue to keep your interest and support with this story. Its only going to get better and more intense from this chapter forward and it won't be ending anytime soon :)
vmbaby: Thank you! I hope you continue to follow!
AnonymouslyYours: Oh, I do not mind the long reviews at all! hahaha I'm a long winded replier as it turns out, and your feedback means a lot to me, so make your reviews however long as you need. I really appreciate that. And I know what you mean. A lot of OC stories tend to focus too much on how desirable to the character is and that character doesn't have a lot of flaws or weaknesses. To make matters worse there are some that combine these traits in addition to making the canon characters act completely out of the ordinary. I try to stay true to their personalities as much as possible to keep it realistic. In the same way, I make Tanner seem as human as I possibly can, to remind people that he's just a normal teenager living in this world. I'm really glad you're captivated with this story. I hope I can continue to keep that charm as it goes forward :) And lastly, thank you for saying that. I do try to keep him ambiguous, in terms of appearance, where I can. Number one, I don't want him to turn into one of those "generic attractive guy" characters, so I let my readers imagine him as their mind creates him. Not only does it make them feel closer to him, but they can relate to him better that way. But at the same time, I have an idea of what he looks like when I write him, and that helps me get into his shoes when necessary and write him in a better manner. That being said, I Googled the actor you mentioned after I read this and I have to admit, he does kind of look like how I envision Tanner, so good pick! Thank you for your kind words and comments! I hope to hear from you in the future!
###
Wow, thanks guys. You'll never know how much your feedback and support means. Its very important to an author and writer. I hope to keep hearing from all of you! Don't be afraid to pop in and leave a comment and review! Until the next chapter! Later!