<3rd Person Pov>
Amy and Itachi walked into the common area just as Jacqui set the last pot down on the table, the rest of the group and the prisoners already gathered and waiting for them.
Carol looked up first. "You two took your time."
Amy gave a small smile. "We were just finishing up setting up the room."
Jacqui smirked. "Sure you were."
Carol shook her head, amused. "Alright, enough interrogation. Sit down before it gets cold."
Both of them went to sit with the others, ignoring Jacqui's comment as they took their seats near Daryl and Andrea.
When they sat down, Itachi glanced towards Daryl, who was still grinning like an idiot. "What's so funny?"
Daryl's smirk deepened. "That you actually sleep with a teddy bear. What's next—you some kinda royal prince?"
Amy looked at Daryl. "Who are you calling a teddy bear?"
She froze the second the words left her mouth.
From across the table, Jacqui shouted, "I knew it! Something did happen!"
T-Dog turned to Glenn with a grin. "Told you, man. Pay up."
Glenn muttered under his breath, "Lucky guess..."
Amy looked around, completely lost. "Wait—what?"
Andrea, sitting beside her, smiled. "Well, it's not exactly a secret that you two liked each other. Bets were going around about when you'd finally make it official."
Amy turned to her, half in disbelief. "You can't be serious."
"Oh, I am," Andrea said, her grin widening. "And it started a long time ago."
She looked towards Rick. "Even Rick and Shane joined in."
Rick cleared his throat, doing his best to ignore her, while Shane just stared daggers across the table.
Amy muttered, "Unbelievable."
Itachi gave a faint smile. "At least they're having fun."
Across the table, Sophia and Carl looked around at the laughter and confused chatter.
Sophia leaned closer. "What are they talking about?"
Carl shrugged. "Sleeping, I think."
Oscar leaned towards Axel, keeping his voice low. "Man, you really picked the worst one to flirt with."
Axel whispered back, a little tense. "You think I don't know that? I didn't even know they were together." He kept his hands under the table, trying to stop the shaking.
Oscar grinned. "Good thing is, looks like he ain't holding a grudge."
Big Tiny leaned in from the other side, curious. "What y'all whisperin' about?"
Oscar leaned back. "Ain't nothing, don't worry about it."
Big Tiny just nodded, letting it go without another word.
The room quieted down as everyone began eating, some talking among themselves while others kept their eyes on the inmates, still unsure what to think.
Carol looked towards them after a moment of hesitation. "Can I ask you something personal?"
Oscar glanced between his two friends before nodding. "Sure, go ahead."
She hesitated, choosing her words carefully. "Why did you commit the crimes?"
Oscar answered almost immediately. "Money," he said simply. "Some guys I knew were planning a robbery, and I guess I got too tempted by all that talk about quick cash. I was already struggling to keep up with bills, and when my second kid was born, things just got worse, and what I had coming in wasn't enough anymore."
Axel answered next, his tone a little awkward. "Same reason—money. I got hooked on gambling and ran up a pile of debt. Would've been fine if I'd stopped there, but I didn't. Started using drugs to numb it all, and that just made things worse. Lost everything I had to my name. After that, no one would hire me, and the only way I saw to pay off what I owed was robbing."
Big Tiny spoke last. "My mom got in a car accident and, thankfully, she pulled through, but she didn't have insurance. When the hospital bills came, she couldn't pay them, and the bank started talking about taking the house if she kept missing mortgage payments. I was already working nights, but what I made wasn't nearly enough to help her, so I started sneaking back into the shop after hours, taking things I could sell just to keep her afloat, and after a few weeks of doing that, I got caught."
Shane eyed them from across the table. "If you think spilling sob stories is gonna make us feel sorry for you, don't waste your breath."
Oscar shook his head. "Ain't lookin' for sympathy, just telling everything honestly."
Carol gave a small smile. "Don't mind him."
Carl leaned forward a little, trying to sound older than he was. "I'll be keeping my eye on you guys."
Big Tiny grinned. "Fair enough, big guy."
Carl smiled, and the dinner carried on. When it finally came to an end, everyone began cleaning up, the prisoners stepping in to help gather the dishes without being asked.
Axel moved down the table, stacking plates in one arm while Carol was saying something to Sophia before the girl hurried off.
He glanced towards Carol. "So, uh… she's your actual daughter?"
Carol looked at him, confused. "Yes… why?"
Axel hesitated, motioning vaguely over his own head. "No reason, just—ya know—the short hair and all."
Carol blinked, trying to make sense of it. Then it hit her. Her expression shifted in an instant. "Wait… you think I'm—" she stopped herself, eyebrows lifting, "—a lesbian?"
Axel's eyes widened. "No, no, that's not what I meant! I just— you know, short hair. Thought you were—"
Carol finished for him. "A lesbian?"
Axel rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you or anything like that."
Daryl walked up to the two of them, eyes narrowing on Axel. "Somethin' wrong here?"
Axel turned quickly, forcing a nervous grin. "Nah, man. Just got curious about somethin', that's all."
Axel walked off toward Oscar to help him, still a little awkward.
Daryl glanced at Carol. "If he's botherin' you, just say it."
Carol let out a small laugh. "He wasn't. He just got curious, that's all."
Daryl gave a short nod and started helping Carol with the dishes.
Before long, everything was cleaned up. Axel, Oscar, and Big Tiny headed back towards their block, leaving the others to settle down for the night.
Itachi made his way back to his cell, changed into a clean shirt, and lay down on his bed. He'd barely closed his eyes when he caught the faint sound of footsteps approaching his cell.
The steps stopped outside his door, followed by the soft scrape of metal as it opened.
Amy stepped inside. She asked in a quiet voice. "Mind if I sleep with you tonight?"
Itachi didn't answer, just lifted the edge of the sheet in silent invitation.
She smiled and slipped in beside him, the narrow bed leaving no space between them as they found each other's warmth and settled quietly in each other's arms, slowly drifting off to sleep.
The hours came and went without interruption until morning found them still together.
Itachi was the first to wake. Amy slept beside him, her hand resting lightly on his chest. He stayed still for a moment, then carefully eased her arm aside and slipped out of bed, moving slowly enough not to wake her up.
He walked to the common area where Daryl was already sitting, half-awake and staring off at nothing.
"Good morning," Itachi said.
Daryl looked over, a faint smirk forming. "Now that's a surprise. Didn't think you were capable of sleepin' in." He leaned back, the grin widening. "What happened? Long ni—"
Before he could finish, Itachi pressed a hand over his mouth, brow twitching. "Please don't start this early."
Daryl said nothing, just kept grinning as Itachi pulled his hand away.
The two went to pack their gear, checking weapons and supplies while waiting for Glenn and T-Dog to wake up. After a while, the others started to stir, the block slowly filling with quiet movement and low conversation as everyone gathered to see them off.
When Amy finally appeared, Andrea was the first to notice. She turned towards her, pretending to be surprised. "Well, look who finally showed up. Where were you last night?"
Amy shot her a look. "Oh, hush. You're the one who kicked me out of the cell."
Andrea shrugged, smiling. "Guilty as charged."
Amy ignored her, walking straight up to Itachi. She stopped in front of him, reached up, and kissed him softly before stepping back. "Come back in one piece, alright?"
He smiled. "Of course."
Across the room, Jacqui gave T-Dog a quick kiss on the cheek. "Same goes for you. Don't make me worry."
T-Dog chuckled. "Yes, ma'am."
Nearby, Maggie stepped up to Glenn and kissed him lightly. "Just don't do anything stupid."
Glenn smiled, trying to play it off. "No promises."
Carol walked up to Daryl as he slung his crossbow over his shoulder. "I packed extra food for you," she said. "It's in the glove compartment."
Daryl glanced at her, giving a small nod. "Thanks."
She smiled faintly. "Be careful out there."
"Always am," he said, though she caught the hint of a grin before he turned away.
As they were getting ready to head out, Jimmy's voice came from behind them. "Can I come too? I can help with the animals."
T-Dog and Glenn both turned towards Itachi, waiting for his response.
Before he could speak, Daryl cut in. "Hell no. Last thing we need's a damn liability. This ain't playtime, kid."
Jimmy frowned. "But why can he go?" He pointed slightly towards Itachi.
Daryl's eyes narrowed, his voice sharpening. "'Cause a hundred of you still wouldn't add up to half of him."
Rick stepped in before it went any further. "Jimmy, I get that you wanna help, and I appreciate it. But it's dangerous out there. I know you helped bring walkers to the barn, but that's not the same thing when there could be hundreds."
Andrea, clearly not liking someone questioning her brother-in-law, shot Jimmy a glare. "They've got enough to worry about without babysitting some scrawny kid who'd just slow them down."
Rick shot her a hard look. "Andrea, knock it off."
She just shrugged, clearly unbothered.
Rick turned back to Jimmy. "When we left the farm, we made a lot of noise. There's no telling what's still out there. They're the best ones for this run, and the rest of us need to be here if something goes wrong."
Jimmy didn't argue, but he didn't agree either, standing there with that stubborn look that said he wanted to say more but knew better than to try.
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🧪 Author's Note:
Thank you all so much for the support — over 1300+ power stones!
I'll be uploading an extra chapter today, maybe even two, depending on how things go.
If you've got any questions about the story or characters, feel free to drop them here — I'll do my best to answer each one.
Let me know what you thought about this chapter — did you enjoy it, or not so much? Your feedback always helps me improve the story.
🖤 Thanks again for reading!