#𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃: a. raleigh.

[doomdays-a]

“you think i’m crazy, coming all this way?”  ↺  @storiesforged​​

he thinks it over for a moment before his lips purse together and he shakes his head.  ❝  searching to find something  ---  even if you don’t know what that is, exactly  ---  is never a waste of time.  and it’s definitely not crazy,  ❞   he adds with a small grin.  ❝  especially in this life.  i have my home,  and i’ve always been grateful for that..  but i’d be lying if i said i never considered leaving to see what else is out there,  too.  ❞   he’s used to the trips,  how he and eric used to spends weeks at a time searching for people,  but at the end of the day,  they still had a home to return to.  he understands their privilege in that,  and maybe the idea of giving that up would be crazy, too.  there was a time in their lives when it felt like leaving may be the only solution  ---  but it was only going to hurt more people in the end,  and now,  he’s grateful he hasn’t left,  even if some days,  he’s still wondering if eric would still be here had they gone the day they started to question their safety in alexandria.  

❝  ---  no,  i don’t think you’re crazy,  to answer you question.  do you know what you’e looking for----  where you want to be to call home?   or are you still trying to figure that out?  ❞

[doomdays-a]

@ghosthaunt  ↺ he has shown up here unannounced  --  something he’s worried is already his first  (  or, next  )  mistake,  but he couldn’t spend anymore time sitting around and wondering.  klaus deserves more than a phone call,  and aaron knows this is something that should be done face-to-face.  though they haven’t known each other for long,  it’s always felt like they did anyway,  and aaron knows that he makes no mistakes when it comes to feeling some kind of spark,  like he has with klaus.  their first date didn’t go as planned,  but he doesn’t want to let that go.  they both deserve a second shot at this,  even if he’s had to give himself that speech over and over again until he believed it for himself.  with a bouquet of flowers clutched in his hand,  he nervously awaited for klaus’s brother to get him,  smiling so easy once he arrives at the door.   ❝  hello.  hi---  ❞   a small chuckle leaves his lips,  this nervousness so new for him   (  and maybe that’s part of why things haven’t been as smooth as he would have expected.  )   ❝  sorry i didn’t call.  i saw these,  ❞   he starts,  holding out the flowers for him and offering a warm smile.  ❝  the colors,  they reminded me of you.  it got me thinking.  i was hoping we could talk  ---  go for a walk,  maybe.  ❞   he adds the last few words in an attempt to make it sound less full of doom,  because it doesn’t need to be.  ❝  --- i mean,  if your brother will allow it.  i’m not sure he likes my very much,  ❞   he chuckles,  thinking of the way his seemingly little brother so quickly walked away from the door once he opened it,  hoping that’s no reflection of what this can be.

[doomdays-a]

“i really don’t want to die alone at the end of the world.”  ↺   @surviveds​.

his hand moves to rest gently on alex’s shoulder,  always in need of a connection whenever he wishes to comfort someone  ---  and it seems like alex needs it now more than ever.  ❝  you won’t,  ❞   he says with certainty,  lips pursed together and his head shaking slowly as his hand gives his shoulder a small squeeze.  ❝  you’ve got friends here.  you’ve got people who care for you.  and you’ve got me.  ❞   he knows that’s not what alex is likely referring to,  but he thinks it’s important to remind him of anyway  ---  it’s what got him through the death of the men he loves,  knowing that there would always be other family and friends surrounding him to remind him he’s still whole,  even if such big pieces of his heart seemed to be missing.  

alex may not have his person,  but he has people.  aaron won’t let him forget that in the meantime of him waiting for the rest.

❝  it’s not the end of the world,  either,  alex.  look at all we’ve built  ---  it’s special.  you’re a part of that.  we’ve taken some hits,  sure,  but we don’t give up.  we can’t.  if we start seeing this as the end,  then it just might be  ---  but it’s not.  it’s the beginning of something entirely new. ❞   his stomach turns at his own words,  though,  because that feels like the old aaron,  the aaron before the whisperers and the aaron who believed hope was awaiting them around every corner,  the aaron he wants to get back to.  he’s still not sure if he completely believes that things will truly get better  ---  but as he figures it out,  he’s not going to let anyone else lose hope,  especially someone like alex who deserves so much of it.   

[doomdays-a]

❝ you’re bleeding, let me have a look. here, hold still. ❞   /   @endthrive​

he groans,  his hand clutching his friend’s arm.    ❝   i feel okay----  it hurts,  but  .  .  .    i don’t want you to worry,  ❞   he insists,  most of his pain coming from exhaustion rather than the blow he took to his side,  now bleeding through his shirt.  ❝  i just want to get myself cleaned up before gracie sees.   i’m not afraid to tell her what it’s like out there  ---  doesn’t mean she has to see her old man covered in blood,  ❞   he notes,  attempting a soft chuckle,  but it inevitably comes with a grunt.  the wound is on his right side,  where he’s unable to reach due to his metal arm attached to the other,   leaving him to rely on ronin’s help more than anything right now.   ❝ it doesn’t feel too deep. ❞

[doomdays-a]

@surviveds​  /   ❝  you’re welcome to stay with us in our home,  if you ever desire.  ❞   and he hopes he takes the invitation.  he worries about spencer alone in his house now that his family has passed  ---  and it’s written all over his face,  how there’s more than just grief he’s battling within himself.  if there’s something that he and eric can do to make him feel less alone and remind him that he still has family here,  then he wants to do everything he can.  he’s struggling too,  memories of the forest keeping him awake,  driving every backwards move he’s forced to make now  ---  having more family around the home wouldn’t be bad at all.  ❝  we have plenty of room.  sometimes it’s better to be together,  you know?  ❞

[doomdays-a]

❝ i don’t mind putting my worthless ass on the line. but not yours. ❞  /  @endthrive​

he quickly shakes his head,  the solution dom offers him not one that aaron can stand for.  many years ago,  he might have needed that ultimate protection  ---  when he was just a kid,  barely out of high school,  ready to start his new life  .  .  .   only for it to be halted and never get the chance.  back then,  when he still tucked his shirt into his khakis and tied his tie tightly,  when he wore an innocent smile as he told everyone around him that they would get back to their families soon.  things are so different than they were back then.  

back then,  he didn’t know how to protect himself from threats like this.  that’s different now,  though  ---  and while he will always appreciate what dom has done for him,  it no longer has to be one of them protecting the other.  they do it together.

❝  i’m not the same kid i was when you saved me before,  you know.  i’ve come to terms with that  ----  it’s time you do,  too.  ❞   he smiles,  hint of light to his voice as he brings his hand to his shoulder and rubs it gently.  ❝  i’ve got another idea.  how about we do this together?  you protect me  ----  there’s no one i trust more to do it  ----  and i’ll protect you,  too.  how does that sound?  ❞

[doomdays-a]

❝  just to be clear, i have no plans to murder you, alright?  ❞  /  @donesurvivin​

maybe he shouldn’t be so amused,  but he can’t stop the small smile that tugs at his features anyway,  because it’s not the first time he’s ever found himself in the position he had when he first met joel  ---  or even now,  when he’s still a bit unsure of how joel feels towards him.  aaron knows his heart,  he knows his soul  ---  he knows that he only wishes to do good,  that it’s up to him to prove to others that he isn’t someone they shouldn’t trust.  

and maybe that’s why it’s amusing to him  ----  he already likes joel,  and he’s taking this as a good sign.

❝  well,  i’d say that’s good for both of us.  i’ve already decided that you and i are going to make fine friends,  ❞   he insists with a soft chuckle,  holding up his hand in defense.  ❝  besides,  it seems my daughter is already warming up to yours  ---  it’d be a shame if you murdered me now,  don’t you think?  ❞   he’s teasing,  an effort to keep things warm,  but he catches himself after a moment,  brows furrowing.  ❝  ellie is your daughter,  yes?  i suppose i just assumed.  she seems a lot like you. ❞

[doomdays-a]

@ghosthaunt   /   he waited for gracie to get to sleep before showing five what he gathered today while out on a trip.  for good reason,  because what he wants to reveal isn’t up to him to share with gracie  ---  it’s about five and his own comfort level,  something he wants to go over with him first and foremost.  he sits down next to him,  sitting between his legs on the floor as he looks over.  ❝  i found something out there today  ---  something i want you to have.  ❞   he smiles,  shrugging his shoulders.  ❝  well,  actually,  i found it years ago.  before you,  before gracie.  i didn’t take it back then because i didn’t have a kid of my own to share it with,  but now----  i thought we might get some use out of it.  i figured if i was ever in the area again,  i’d check it out.  and,  i was.  ❞    he finally reaches down into his bag to pull out a lightly torn,  faded comic book  ---  one of five and his siblings,  a story he hasn’t personally read yet,  intent on waiting for five’s approval.  he hands it over to him with a soft smile.  ❝  i didn’t want gracie to see it yet and get too excited,  just in case.   it’s up to you if you want to share it with her.  and if not  ---   at least you have it. ❞      

[doomdays-a]

@eyrso​​  /  ❝  either your heart’s beating,  or it isn’t.  your loved ones hearts are beating,  or they aren’t.  we take what we can get so that we can live.   you’re still alive  ---  that means something,  don’t you think?  ❞ 

[doomdays-a]

@ghosthaunt   /  aaron is home later than expected after an emeregency, impromptu council meeting that dragged him away hours ago,  coming with a request to five to watch over gracie the rest of the night.   he enters the house quietly now  ---  not too quiet to startle,  in case they’re still awake,  then makes his way through,  checking each room both out of curiosity and precaution  (  a habit.  )  upstairs,  he makes it to five’s room first,  humming when he doesn’t find him there.  his own room is next,  no one there.  next comes gracie’s room,  and a smile spreads over his features the second he spots the two of them there.  it makes his entire body feel warm,  and he stands there for a brief moment,  just watching.  here,  it’s easy to pretend the world hasn’t turned into such darkness  ---  if only he still had his phone,  and he could capture this now.  he hums as he moves over,  his hand resting on five’s shoulder gently as he whispers a greeting.  ❝  son.  ❞   it follows with a kiss on gracie’s forehead,  careful not to disrupt her as she’s fallen asleep clutching five’s shoulder,  head rested on the other.  he assumes she begged him to read her to tell her a story,  something that’s always been aaron’s favorite part of the day,  but he’s grateful to share it with five now.   ❝  looks like someone’s down for the count.   want me put her to bed?  ❞   he asks quietly,  wondering if five’s arms have been held hostage by his sleeping sister,  something that makes aaron smile anyway.

[doomdays-a]

@preytend​   /   ❝  we can’t go back to a graveyard.  before all of this,  gracie was barely outside those walls  ----  now her home hardly feels like a home anymore.   we have to find a way to make it safe again.  for us,  for our children,  for the future. ❞

[doomdays-a]

maybe they’ll save the world.   /   @mavoure​.

he grins,  watching as gracie plays with elina,  acting as if she’s her big sister.  he’s always noticed this about gracie  ---  she’s so soft and caring with anyone younger than her,  treating them as if she’s their caregiver.  it’s a reminder to himself that someday,  she would make a good older sister  (  but that’s something he’s not sure if he can handle,  already questioning whether or not he’s doing right by her.  )  ❝  kids are the future.  that’s why we have to protect them,  ❞   he insists,  looking over to behati and nodding back to her.  ❝  gracie  ---  she’s already saved my life.  over and over again,  if i’m honest.  we keep them safe so that they can keep protecting this world we’re trying to build.  ❞   he believes in gracie  ---  and when he looks at elina,  knowing it’s behati who is raising her,  he believes in her too.  ❝  do you feel like that,  too?  like elina is saving you?  ❞

[doomdays-a]

“some things just can’t be replaced. “  /  @undones​.

aaron thinks of his home,  walls lined with license plates,  road signs,  maps  ---  all things he collected on his various journeys with his late husband,  simply a way to pass the time back then but now holding such sentimental value.  he looks around the walls of his home and he feels eric all around him,  watching him and the daughter that he should have had the chance to know.  their home has been torn down before,  aaron retrieving everything he could from the rubble,  building up their mural again,  so persistent about it,  always wanting his home to reflect his husband’s home still,  too.  

he understands  ----  and he also knows that they can’t always control what they lose and what they protect.  his memories of eric will remain whether or not these things hold up,  but that doesn’t mean aaron is ever ready to part with them.  they don’t get to have those journeys anymore.

❝  you know,  i always say that if something were to happen to our home,  we’d go  ---   we protect people over places.   but i’d be lying if i said i didn’t care about the things we have.  i do.  you’re right,  some things can’t be replaced.  ❞   he can still find license plates,  road signs ---  and he takes them sometimes,  when it feels right,  but it doesn’t give him the same feeling it did when he and eric were collecting together.  ❝  what is it you want to protect?  ❞

[doomdays-a]

"i’m a soldier, a warrior. that’s my role, it always has been."  /  @theystars​

❝  nothing wrong with that  ---  especially in the life we’re living now,  ❞   he encourages.   this is why aaron likes the idea of building communities;  he knows that people all come from different backgrounds,  and when they’re together as they are now,  they can make something really special.  he believes in luca;  he knows that he’s a capable survivor that alexandra can learn from.  he has never doubted that.

❝  you can be all of that and still rely on others.  a soldier,  a warrior  ---  both of those things are even stronger with the right people around you.  right?  ❞

[doomdays-a]

“what is this place?”  /  @undones​.

❝  well  ----  around here,  we like to call it home.  ❞   spoken proudly,  still even after all this years and after all the destruction that’s come and gone.  it doesn’t look at all the same as it did the first day he entered those gates,  but they’ve come to make it their own,  and it’s something he can be proud of  ---  something he’s excited to share with new people.  ❝  alexandria,  if you’re looking for a more official title.  it’s been here since the start.  since before,  actually  ---  the place was built on a solar grid,  designed for sustainability.  kind of the perfect place to dig our feet in.  had a few ups and downs along the way,  but  ---   like i said,  it’s home. ❞

[doomdays-a]

“i love you. don’t you ever forget it.”  /  @undones​.

time stops every single time he hears those words from his husband’s lips.  how could he forget it,  when after all these years,  they still bring goosebumps to his arms and a tremble to his hands?  love is the most important thing in this world  ---  it was before,  and it is now,  because as long as they believe that,  then the dead don’t get to keep this world for themselves.  it’s still theirs.

it’s still where he and eric belong,  happily together,  happily in love,  happy.

or whatever this version of happy is,  knowing that dread still exists around them,  lurking at every corner,  waiting for a slip up to claim the next life.  he won’t allow it to be his love’s,  so willing to throw himself in front of whatever harm comes his way,  even if he knows he’ll never hear the end of it from eric when he lives anyway.  

it’s pouring down rain outside of the small shelter they’ve found for the night, on one of their latest excursions that has seemed to be more about them than it has about anyone else.  as much as aaron wants to bring new people into the safety of their home,  knowing how much it can help people out here,  there’s comfort in not running into anyone,  either  ---  it means they get to just enjoy the time they have with one another like this.  he’s drenched from the rain,  body curled into eric’s for warmth,  thunder and rotting growls humming beyond the shaking walls,  yet all all he can hear and all he can feel is the words that eric speaks.

he leans forward,  lips pressed to his forehead slowly before he slides down for his forehead to press into his.  eyes close,  and his hand comes up to cup his cheek lightly.   ❝  you think i could forget the most important feeling i’ve ever had?  ❞   he whispers,  opening his eyes as he thumb brushes over eric’s jaw,  and he sneaks in another kiss to his nose.  ❝  you are my greatest love,  my dear eric.   it’s nights like these that remind me how much i cherish that.  no matter how much changes all around us  .  .  .    this never does.  ❞