Trigger Warning for attempted sexual assault (not anyone underage)
if you don't want to read just skip the first section of the chapter.
"Now what do we have here, huh fella's." The tallest one says with a grin looking towards his unruly friends standing next to him.
Ezra keeps his serene and naive act up as he thinks of how to get out of this situation. He knows these guys are bad news and that he should get done with this quickly before they get a chance to apprehend him.
"Nothing here really, I am a nomad these days only been in these parts for a few weeks but I haven't seen much around here," he says with a lazy shrug.
Ezra gestures to the tree where Sophia is curled up in, too physically drained to do anything but stare in a dissociative state, "I thought I went insane for a minute when I stumbled upon this little girl clinging to a tree."
Hopefully, Sophia doesn't say anything to ruin the ruse. He doesn't want to give the farm up in case they get caught, she doesn't know and the only thing they'll get is that she is missing from her group and she has no clue where they are.
"And well you saw the rest." He stupidly ends with, he feels awkward and a little scared so who can blame him?
"I see," the tall one says, his eyes flickering up towards Sophia before looking at him with a mocking leer "Why would you risk your skinny ass for some little shit like that?"
"She ain't even pretty enough to want a taste unless you like 'em a little boyish," the perv wiggles his brows giving his friend a sick grin.
"You do seem like one of them sissies, huh Jimmy," he watches the presumptive leader nudge the stocky one playfully, he catches the revolver tucked into the guy's pants as his jacket lifts. He can't stop the look of disgust and they notice and laugh.
"look at the faggot trying to act all high and mighty, you know I haven't wet my dick in a while and you're pretty enough for me to pretend." The leader guy leers, making his heart race.
He carefully keeps his voice calm, " I don't think I'd make great company right now," he says trying to seem unaffected and keeping loose in case he needs to bolt.
He hears a gurgle next to his feet and looks down for a second seeing an infected still alive but paralyzed from the neck down. He looks back up hearing the sound of footsteps coming, taking a step back as the leader steps up to him.
Ezra swallows as the other stops inches away from him and lifts his hand with all the confidence of a man who knows he has the situation under his control and grabs his face, "this mouth looks clean enough for me," the man leers tilting his head up.
Ezra meets the other beady eyes, "I don't even know your name," he says, as always one to make light of a serious situation.
The other grins, probably satisfied at how easily he submitted, "I knew you were a smart one from the way you moved, you're probably desperate for a fuck, with how long you must have been alone."
"The name's Sean, and you're gonna be crying it in a minute, right." The other says tightening his grip and revealing his pistol.
"Y-yeah," he says, a little breathless from adrenaline, but the others mistake it for coerced stimulation. He turns to Sophia as if he's contemplating doing this but is embarrassed to do it in front of her.
Sean, seeing that gives a smug smile, "You can either watch or look away girl but I ain't moving until my dick is wet." He says the last part to Ezra.
He hopes the girl looks away.
"You won't hurt her if I let you use me right." He asks not expecting them to hold any honor, but he needs to keep up the act of being complicit.
"Yeah yeah, she's ain't even worth it. All skin and bones." The other says impatiently, pushing Ezra onto his knees much to his chagrin.
He closes his eyes making it look like he's mentally preparing himself while looking at the dead.
"Well," the man says widening his stance in expectation, inadvertently making it possible for him to lean forward and be able to pull its mouth towards this fuckers ankle. The only issue is the others are watching.
"Tell them to look away at least," he says trying to look as embarrassed as possible, the other scoffs but waved his friends to turn around.
"I don't know why it matters when you're gonna be sucking them next," Sean sneers pulling his head toward his crotch, "now get to it,"
He slowly reaches up and unbuckles the man's belt, glancing to make sure the others aren't watching as he pulls the man's pants down revealing dirty underwear and a ripe ass, making him want to gag.
He looks up and with one hand he reluctantly, in an out-of-body experience, curls his hand around the man's shaft watching as Sean closes his eyes in appreciation. He uses his other hand to grab the head of the dead and slowly move it towards the man's ankle.
He feels bile rise in his throat as he strokes the other man and waits until he lets out a groan to roughly pull the infected mouth and feels satisfaction as the man jerks away with a howl, tripping on his pants.
Ezra watches as the man's friends rush up to help with confusion and feels his heart pound louder as he is lifted by the collar of his shirt and the one named Jimmy spits in his face.
"What did you do!" Jimmy snarls and then there is pain as his face is punched and he drops with a groan, swiftly moving back and crawling away his hand dipping into the blood of the infected. He quickly reaches for his gun, the one he had put away so they would let their guard down.
"Fuck you!" He screams leveling the barrel with the fat fucks face and shooting, the other two only have a second to react before they are shot in the head and chest respectively.
Ezra's head rushes as he stands up and he slowly walks towards Sean, who is staring at his dead buddies and clutching his ankle with a look of horror.
Wiping the blood from the cut above his right eye, he blinks through the pain in his jaw as he levels his gun toward the man's knees.
"Killing you would be a blessing," is all he says before he proceeds to let the other two rounds off leaving the man to his fate to roam as the dead.
Ignoring the man's whimpering and curses he turns to Sophia his tired gaze meeting her traumatized one, he offers her a weak smile "Hello Sophia, I know it's been a little scary, but I promise I mean no harm."
He sees her look between the dead and the bodies and the man crawling towards him, again ignoring the deranged man he asks once again.
"Do you want to see your mamma, I know Carol is missing you." He says and at the name of her mother, she becomes a lot less hesitant.
"Why don't ya have a drink deary' You seem parched," Patricia says, offering her a glass of lemon water, with actual ice in it.
"Thank you," Carol says, taking the drink and grinning kindly at the older widow, feeling sympathy for the woman whose husband died for Lori's son.
"No worries," Patricia waves her thanks away sitting next to Carol on the rocking chair, running a hand down her floral dress as she does so.
"I heard you lost a youngin' I know there ain't any words to offer, but you have my prayers and good fortune," she says shaking her head.
"This strange world we livin' in now, so terrifying. I'm almost glad my Otis isn't here, much too kind for the new age that'sa comin," Patrica says with loss, overlooking the evening rays.
"I heard your husband wasn't so kind," Carol jumps in her seat when Patricia speaks after a moment of silence, with the topic startling her.
She shifts in embarrassment, "he was good in the beginning," she tries to defend.
Patrica just looks at her with a knowing look, "Don't they always start that way." She'd say looking back out and taking a sip of her drink.
"I won't pretend to understand your situation, but I will tell you that you are more than whatever he taught you to be. If there's any piece of advice this small-town gal can give you is, let the past go."
"Do you think that boy will be able to find my daughter?" She wants to believe what Maggie said but… if Daryl is having trouble, then will someone she doesn't know have a chance?
Patrica looks her way startled at the blunt question, "I won't give you any false hope, but that boy has been around this farm for as long as he's been able to read his ABCs, he and Maggie have been friends for a long time." At Carol's intrigued look she explains what she knows of the young man, "Ezra, such a sweet boy he is." She says.
"Unfortunate that he was passed around the foster homes until Maggie's mother stuck her foot down and demanded Hershel take in the young child."
"So he's lived here with them, like before?" She asks.
"No, from what Hershel said the boy would come and go, always feeling like a burden to them. Didn't help that Beth's mama wasn't as kind to the boy."
"They don't have the same mother?" Carol says, asking of Beth and Maggie, though if she truly thinks of it they do look different.
Patricia shakes her head "Miss Greene, the first one that is, she died early when Maggie and Ezra were young. Hershel married Beth's mamma around a year later." She says, taking another sip.
"And where is Beth's mother?" Carol asks before remembering the state of the world. She catches Patricia glancing past her camp with some sort of emotion as the woman speaks.
"She died of an asthma attack, the poor gal."
Carol was about to say something when she heard Patricia let out a gasp of disbelief and worry, "Oh dear Lord!"
"Hershel!" Patricia hollers while Carol follows her as the woman runs off the porch.
She looks in the direction Patrica is making her way towards and feels her knees buckle at the sight that greets her.
"Sophia," she whispers, not believing what she is seeing.
"Sophia! My God!" She cries stumbling towards Ezra who is holding her little girl's hand as they walk towards them, alive and breathing!
"Mamma!" Sophia screams running towards her letting go of Ezra's hand in favor or crashing into her causing them to topple over.
Her little girl is alive!
"Thank you, thank you!" She repeats, not knowing if she is thanking god or Ezra. She tucks her face into the dirt locks of Sophia's hair and takes a deep breath relishing in her presence.
"Holy shit!" She hears Andrea in the background but it all fades as she burrows into Sophia's neck sobbing.
Shane stops before the other side of Ezra's door, his hand raised as if to knock, only to pause as he hears a hiccup coming from the other side. He listens as Maggie speaks something only for Ezra to say no.
"You sure? You'll be fine?" He hears Maggie ask and listens as Ezra tells her he will be.
He shuffles awkwardly as Maggie looks surprised as she opens the door, she looks in for a second before giving him a look, "You overwhelm him alright," at his nod, she steps aside and he sees the look of rage flicker across her face as he watches her go.
He knocks softly on the cracked open door, "Hey, it's me," he says feeling silly, clearing his throat he says, "Uh can I come in, or would you like to be alone."
There is no response for a moment and he almost thinks Ezra went to sleep and turns to leave when he hears him speak up, "You can come in."
Shane shifts on his feet before making his way in, "You know the group is thankful, I know Carol is praising you like Jesus." He says as he crosses the threshold.
He looks up from his shoes and feels something punch his gut when he takes in the swelling covering the other's face, his fingers twitching.
"Shit you okay," he says, unconsciously stepping up and reaching to run a finger over the bruising, his hand stalls as Ezra flinches.
Shane steps back immediately feeling his jaw work as he connects the dots.
Sophia is silent about what went down and the bruising on Ezra's face, along with the response similar to the ones he sees from assault victims from before the world went to shit.
"Did you- were you," he tries to get it out but can't.
"No, he tried." The implication is heavy.
"So he is dead?" Shane says and Ezra looks away from the window to give him a vindictive smile while all he says is, "Close enough,"
"Good," is all Shane says.
Ezra speaks after a moment, "I'm tired," And he takes the hint.
"Oh, okay," he says feeling disheartened for some reason as he makes his leave.
"Wait," he hears Ezra say and stops, turning his back and keeping his expression light.
"yeah?"
He watches as the smaller man squirms uncomfortably, "I don't want- I mean thank you." Ezra chickens out of saying something.
"What were you going to say?" He asks, stepping back in keeping his tone soft.
"It's nothing and-"
"It's not nothing if you want to say it, go on." He encourages.
He gets a look of frustration and can't help the small smile at the spunk.
Ezra huffs, "Fine. I was going to ask what we were doing."
Shane makes an Ah' sound before stepping closer all while trying not to tower over Ezra. "What is it that you want it to be?" he murmurs, grinning as Ezra blinks in surprise.
"I don't know, I just know I can't handle being played," Ezra confesses.
Shane tsk's "I don't think this is the best time to discuss this," he holds his finger up as the other tries to say something, "You are high on emotions and dealing with… what you're dealing with and I want you to regret-"
"So you just want a fuck." The other says with a watery sneer making Shane groan.
"See, that is not what I meant," he says, running a hand across his head.
"I don't know, okay," he says, barely keeping his voice from yelling.
Seeing the others look, he sighs rubbing his hand across his face, "It's not about wanting, it's about the complications that come with me."
"I don't care, I know you slept with your best friend's wife. I just want it to be real and mean something."
Shane blinks, "You don't care that I slept with my best friend's wife?"
Ezra shakes his head, looking up in exhaustion, " I heard the gossip and know you only slept with her because you thought he was dead, I won't judge you two for seeking comfort in this hell." He says hugging himself.
"Oh," he says not knowing how to feel about that, after so much stink eye from everyone, it's refreshing to have a little sympathy.
He watches Ezra blink sleepily, "you should sleep," he murmurs, feeling his heart flutter at the sheer cuteness of the action.
"I can't, every time I close my eyes I-" he stops shaking his head.
"I can stay." Is out before he can stop himself, only to give Ezra a reaffirming nod as he looks up with hidden hope.
"You would, I mean I don't want to pressure you or anything but I don't want to be alone-" he chuckles at the other's ramble.
"Where do you want me?" He asks, grinning as Ezra flushes at the innuendo.
Ezra looks around before catching his gaze timidly, "Would you hold me?"
Giving him a look, "Only if you're sure?" he says and only moves when Ezra nods. He kicks off his boots and tugs off his belt, winking at Ezra who is flushing as he pulls off his cargo pants. It takes some maneuvering but eventually, he has Ezra tucked against him with his face's unswollen side pressing against his neck.
He brushes his lips across Ezra's forehead lightly tracing the small of his back and says, "I got you," as the other starts to sob into his shoulder.
A/n:
So how will the goody two shoes of the group react to the fact that Ezra killed them all, even if it was self defense, they aren't in season 4 mindset yet.
How is Sophia going to cope with what she seen? How will Ezra cope with what he had to do?
How do you all like soft protective Shane? Did I write that whole end scene just so they could cuddle yes I did.
Also sorry if anyone is uncomfortable with the SA promise it won't be romanticized