Archive of Our Own ^beta

The tension between Kenny and Luke was thickening by the minute — Kenny had offered to look after the baby for Rebecca and apparently, it had just happened to rub Luke the wrong way. So there they were, tall pine trees and icy ground everywhere, arguing in the middle of a snow forest. You were starting to get sick of hearing the both of them, and you could tell everyone else was. It was just that nobody could really do anything about it. Except maybe for you.

Luke, in the short amount of time you’d known him, had become one of your good friends. And as for Kenny, you had met him at Hershel’s farm, and over time, he had developed a bit of a soft spot for you. You could’ve said the same, however, your so-called ‘soft spot’ had actually ended up developing into true, romantic feelings.

You’d first noticed it when you had a run-in with a walker a while back; it had snuck up behind you and dragged you down to the floor with it, landing on top of you. You struggled to get it off you or to reach for your weapon. That was when Kenny shot at the walker, pulling the dead weight off your body. Afterwards, he’d helped you up, asking if you were alright. That small gesture, the warmth of his hand against yours, ignited something within you. It gave you this weird, tingly feeling inside. Though at first you weren’t entirely sure what that feeling was, you knew you liked it. From that moment, every time Kenny was around, you’d get that same sensation somewhere deep in the pit of your stomach, like butterflies doing somersaults. Even the slightest bit of physical contact sent you reeling into another universe.

And now, as you stood between two men you cared deeply about, you felt stuck. Luke’s fists were clenched, his voice sharp. Kenny, on the other hand, was growling right back, eyes blazing. The air between them felt frozen, not just from the cold, but from tension you could slice with a machete.

You sighed, stepping forward before anyone could say anything worse. “Okay, enough ,” you said, louder than you meant to. Both of them froze, eyes snapping to you. You felt everyone else watching, silent behind you, waiting to see what you'd do. Your gaze flicked between them. “We’re not doing this. Not here, not now.”

Kenny opened his mouth, but you raised a hand to stop him. “I get it, Kenny. You’re trying to help. And Luke? I get where you’re coming from too. We’re all on edge. But if you two keep tearing each other apart, this group’s not gonna survive another day.”

Luke looked down, jaw tightening. Kenny huffed, crossing his arms, but said nothing. Yet, his eyes softened slightly as they met yours. That same warmth, that spark, was still there, hidden behind all the grief and rage he carried.

Before either of them could get another word in, a voice interrupted. “Hello?”

Everyone’s heads snapped towards the man who seemed to be approaching your group, saying something in Russian. Kenny’s posture stiffened, and without even thinking, he stepped directly in front of you, just enough to shield you from the man’s view. His stance was tense, protective. You barely noticed the way his hand brushed against yours until his fingers curled slightly, almost like he wanted to hold it but was unsure whether he should.

“Arvo?” Clementine questioned, and your eyes immediately widened, having now recognised the man.

“ That’s Arvo? ” you almost whisper-yelled, knowing this could go terribly wrong, considering what had happened last time you’d met him.

Bonnie repeated the name in a questioning tone, finding it somewhat suspicious that you both seemed to know this man. Clementine glanced at you, then looked back at Bonnie, explaining, “Y/N and I met him on the observation deck. Before everyone else came.”

Kenny turned towards you, his brown eyes searching yours, asking, “Y’all know this sonuvabitch? What’s he want?”

You bit your lip, not exactly wanting to talk about how you and Clem had pretty much robbed the man earlier. Kenny placed a gentle hand on your arm, reassuring you, yet still not dropping the subject. “Y/N? S’okay, you can tell me.”

“Well, he may or may not be mad at us...” you responded, voice meek.

Before Kenny could question you any further, Luke called out, “Everybody keep your eyes open!” The group took a couple of steps towards the man as he walked, or rather limped, closer.

“Hello! You are Clementine,” he said, looking at Clem before letting his gaze drift to you, “and you are Y/N.”

At the mention of your name, Kenny felt his jaw clench, and he grabbed his gun, hiding it behind his back. He decided to speak up, unsure of whether he should perceive the man, Arvo, as a threat, which he was currently doing. “What’s goin’ on here, friend? You got any people with you? Where are they?”

No response.

Luke tried this time, “You're not out here on your own, are you?”

As he said this, people came out of hiding, people who you assumed were Arvo’s friends, holding guns but not pointing them at your group, at least not yet.

Shit . Now you were sure this was going to end horribly. There was no way Arvo wasn’t coming back for revenge. You knew you shouldn’t’ve taken his bag earlier, but your people needed the meds, and now you were surely paying the price.

Arvo had this smirk on his face, as though he knew you weren’t expecting to see him again, as though he knew he’d caught you by surprise. “These are my friends. We stay hidden for safety, but you know we know. You’re Clementine and Y/N.”

Kenny’s lip curled slightly. “You sure seem to know a whole lot about Y/N,” he said, voice low, with a threatening tone. “Why don’t you keep her name outta your damn mouth.” His grip on his gun tightened, his eyes narrowing at the men surrounding you and him. He didn’t like this. Not one bit. He wasn’t sure what was going to happen, but he knew he sure as hell wasn’t going to let anything happen to you.

The woman beside Arvo said something in Russian to which Arvo replied, and the rest of his group laughed, then responded in Russian again. God , you knew you should’ve paid attention in class when your teacher was trying to teach you Russian. You hadn’t seen a reason for it before, but right now, it would’ve been very useful.

Beside you, Clementine spoke up, “What’s so funny? Why did they laugh?”

Arvo answered, “I told them you are the ones who robbed me. They think it’s funny that you’re just two girls.”

You heard Kenny repeat, “ Robbed? ”, glancing back at you, brows raised in surprise. You could only nod, guilt twisting in your stomach like barbed wire.

Arvo continues speaking, “...and they want you and your friends to put down the guns so we can take your things.”

“What the hell? ” uttered Kenny.

“Woah, woah, hang on now,” Luke spoke to Arvo, trying to diffuse the situation or at least buy time for you to think of something.

Kenny asked you and Clementine, “Y’all seriously robbed this guy?”

“All we took were the pills,” responded Clementine. Turning to Arvo, she said, “You don’t have to get even with us.”

You weren’t exactly sure who, but someone had raised their gun, and now everyone was pointing guns at each other. You felt your heart drop straight to your stomach. This was spiralling fast.

Arvo’s eyes darted around your group, slowly realising this would not be so easy — you could see the worry written all over his face. He didn’t want a big shootout, or at least that’s what you thought it looked like. Arvo said, “All of you just put your guns down. This will be fine.”

“Fine my ass,” grumbled Kenny, pointing his gun one of the men standing before him. Your breath hitched without meaning to, fingers curling tightly into fists. You didn’t realise how scared you looked until Kenny glanced over and murmured, just loud enough for you to hear, “I won’t let ‘em touch you. I swear.”

Your chest tightened. You wanted to believe him — God, you did believe him — but that didn’t make your hands stop trembling or your heart stop pounding like a war drum in your chest.

The man Kenny had his gun pointed at shifted, uneasy. You could practically taste the tension in the air, thick and sour and seconds away from exploding. A single twitch of a finger and everything would go to hell.

“Please. Tell them not to shoot,” called Clementine.

Arvo spoke to the woman beside him, and she started saying something, of course, in Russian, which none of you understood. Kenny spoke next, “The fuck is she saying?!”

Mike said, “Nobody get excited.”

Everybody started talking and it was pure chaos. Voices overlapped, some yelling, some begging, and still everyone’s finger was on the trigger. Then, you heard the baby start crying. You looked over at Rebecca and noticed that something was off. It wasn’t quite Rebecca. Oh, fuck. She had turned and no one else had seemed to notice.

Gun in hand, you stepped out from behind Kenny and pointed the gun at Rebecca. You felt horrible for what you were about to do but you had to do this. Your finger tightened around the trigger.

BANG!

“No!” You had heard someone call out, though you weren’t sure who.

Gunfire erupted. Everyone shot at the other. Bullets flew through the air like angry hornets, and people hit the ground — some screaming, some not even getting the chance. You dropped low, throwing yourself behind a snow-covered log, your ears ringing from the sound of the shot you had just fired. Your hands were shaking.

You heard Clementine shout something, maybe your name, but you couldn’t focus. There was snow spraying from the dirt where bullets struck, Mike yelling for cover, Bonnie crying out, someone cursing in Russian. Then, strong hands grabbed you, rough but familiar, and yanked you up behind the trees. “I gotcha,” Kenny said, breath hot in the cold air. He was shielding you again, ducking you down with him, crouched low. “You okay? You hit?”

You shook your head quickly. “N-no, I’m okay, I’m okay.” Your voice cracked. “Is Clem okay?!”

“I don’t know, I don’t- I can’t see her!” Kenny barked, glancing around the tree, then cursing under his breath. He shot once, twice, covering someone, you weren’t sure who. He stood and turned around, aiming at a man who was hiding behind a boulder. They were exchanging shots yet neither of them could seem to hit the other.

Thinking quickly, or rather not even thinking, you start to step out from behind the tree, staying low to the ground. “Y/N, what the hell are you doing?!” Kenny hissed, grabbing at your jacket, but you shook your head, and whisper-yelled back, “I’m gonna get him from behind!”, already halfway across the snowy ground before Kenny could yank you back.

Bullets were still flying, and you could hear the pounding of your own heartbeat louder than anything else. You stayed low to the ground until you were finally behind the man. He hadn’t noticed your presence and you could see Kenny from a distance, trying to get a clean shot but missing his target. You could see him tense up, frustration evident in his body language as he fired again. But you weren’t waiting for him to solve this. This was your chance.

You crept closer to the man, your breath coming out in visible puffs in the cold air. You had to move fast, but silently. Just a few more steps. The snow crunched beneath your boots, and for a split second, you thought you were about to blow your cover. The man shifted his stance, momentarily distracted by another exchange of gunfire. You took the opportunity.

In one swift motion, you reached for your gun, but instead of shooting, you hit him in the back of the head with your gun, causing him to drop to the ground. While he was still down, you lined up your shot and aimed at his head. Then he looked at you, eyes locking on yours, and you froze.

You recognised him; it was none other than your ex-boyfriend. You had broken up just days before the whole apocalypse thing had started because you’d found out that he’d cheated on you. And now here you were, aiming a gun at his head. You couldn’t do it. You didn’t have it in you. Kenny’s voice rang out in the distance. “Y/N! The hell are you doing?!”

Noticing your hesitation, your ex picked up his gun and, without a second thought, shot it at you, and the pain was instant, searing and sharp, like fire had erupted in your leg. Blood was already soaking through your jeans, dark against the light material. Then he scrambled to his feet, lifting his gun again. You couldn’t move. Your fingers were frozen, not from the cold, but from shock.

“Y/N!” Kenny’s voice was so raw, it almost didn’t sound like him. But then you saw him, charging across the snow like a damn freight train. Before your ex could even finish aiming, BANG! A single shot rang out, and your ex dropped like a ragdoll. His body hit the snow with a sickening thud.

You noticed that guns stopped being fired, meaning Arvo’s group was officially gone. Whether they’d died or ran away, you weren’t sure but you didn’t necessarily care in the moment either. You were still shaking, staring at the blood spreading beneath him like spilt ink. Kenny reached you, dropping to his knees beside you, hands immediately on your shoulders, then your face, checking you over like he was making sure you were still breathing. “Jesus Christ, Y/N,” he muttered, his voice breaking somewhere between a yell and a plea. “What the hell were you thinkin’?!”

You winced as the pain in your leg properly registered, clutching at the wound. “I was tryin’ to help, Kenny! I had a clear shot, I-”

“A clear shot?!” Kenny’s face twisted into something near-unrecognisable: fury, fear, and grief all tangled up in his expression. “You almost got yourself killed, dumbass! You coulda died out there!”

Your blood boiled, the sting of his words cutting deeper than the bullet wound. “Don’t call me that,” you snapped, glaring up at him even through the tears threatening to fall. “I knew what I was doin’. I was just trying to help.”

“By gettin’ yourself shot?!” Kenny shouted, gesturing wildly to your bleeding leg. “You think I give a damn about some stranger takin’ a bullet if it means losin’ you?! You think I coulda lived with that?!”

You shoved his hand off your shoulder, the adrenaline making you reckless. “I didn’t ask for you to come running after me, Kenny! I can handle myself!”

“Well clearly you fuckin’ can’t!” he bit back, eyes dark and stormy. “This ain’t some game, Y/N! You’re not invincible! One wrong move and it’s over! Do you even get that?!”

“Of course I get that! But what was I supposed to do, huh? Just sit there and watch everyone die?! I don’t wanna be some helpless little girl that hides behind a tree while everyone else takes the risk!” you fired back, your chest heaving.

Kenny clenched his jaw, his hands trembling as he raked them through his hair. “I don’t want you bein’ helpless,” he growled, quieter now but no less intense. “I want you alive.”

You stared at him, something in your gut twisting, because beneath all the anger and harsh words, you could see it: the sheer terror in his eyes, the way his voice cracked when he said it. He wasn’t mad at you. Not really. He was scared.

But you were pissed now too, your heart pounding and head spinning from the pain and everything else. “Well, I’m still here, aren’t I?” you spat. “So stop acting like it’s the goddamn end of the world.”

“It is the end of the goddamn world!” Kenny snapped back, pointing to the corpse of your ex and the bloodstained snow around you. “And you keep actin’ like you don’t care what happens to you, like it’s just another day, but it ain’t, Y/N! It ain’t normal, none of this is! And if you keep runnin’ off like that, you will die, and then what the hell am I supposed to do?!”

Your throat tightened, a mix of guilt and stubbornness colliding inside you. You didn’t want to argue with him but it was like something inside just wouldn’t let you stop. “I don’t know and I don’t care !” you shouted back, immediately regretting it as you saw Kenny’s reaction; he flinched, like you’d actually slapped him. His whole body recoiled, his expression falling apart for a split second before he forced it back together, jaw clenched so tight you thought his teeth might break.

“I’m leaving,” you said, already struggling to get to your feet, pain burning through your leg as you staggered. Kenny reached for you instinctively, but you refused his help, your voice shaking. “Don’t. Just- don’t.”

“Y/N, for fuck’s sake-” Kenny started, but you were already limping past him. The cold bit at your skin, but it didn’t matter. Nothing mattered in that moment except getting away before you said something even worse.

Everyone was staring. Everyone had heard you arguing. Red hues washed over your face as you looked down at the ground. Kenny tried to go after you but Luke put a hand on his shoulder, telling him, “I think it’s best I go talk to her.” Kenny couldn’t argue — he knew Luke was right, so he just nodded.

Luke jogged after you, snow crunching beneath his boots, his breath misting in the frozen air. “Y/N, wait up!” he called, not loud enough to cause a scene, but loud enough that you heard it over the roaring in your ears. You didn’t stop though. Couldn’t. Not yet.

“Y/N, c’mon,” Luke tried again, catching up and falling into step beside you, though you were limping like hell. “You can barely walk, man. Just… stop for a sec.”

You didn’t say anything, just kept your eyes on the horizon as if you looked at him, the dam would break. But Luke wasn’t the type to give up easily.

“Look, I get it,” he started, voice softer now. “You’re pissed off. You got shot, you saw… that guy, and then Kenny lost his shit on you. No one’s blaming you for feeling how you’re feeling. Hell, if it was me, I’d probably be doing the same thing.”

You let out a sharp breath, not quite a laugh, not quite a sob. “Yeah, well… good for you,” you muttered, your voice rough and uneven.

Luke ran a hand through his hair, looking around for a second before gently reaching out, not grabbing you, just guiding you toward a fallen log nearby. “Just sit for a second, alright? You’re bleeding like crazy, and if you don’t, you’re gonna pass out face-first into the snow, and then what? Gonna make Kenny lose what’s left of his damn mind.”

You wanted to tell him to piss off, that you didn’t need a babysitter, but the world was starting to blur around the edges and your stomach twisted in that sick way it does before you faint. So, against every stubborn instinct in your body, you sat. Luke crouched in front of you, already pulling out a rag and some spare bandages. “Lemme see,” he murmured.

You hesitated but finally moved your hand away from the wound. Blood had soaked clean through your jeans and into your boot. Luke grimaced but didn’t say anything smart. He just got to work, cleaning it the best he could with what little they had left.

Silence settled between you both for a minute, save for the wind and the distant sounds of the others picking up the pieces of the fight. Then Luke spoke again, quieter this time. “Kenny’s just scared, but he doesn’t know how to show it without screaming or throwing punches. It’s… it’s how he’s wired.”

“I know,” you sighed. “It’s just that- I wish he had a better way of showing he cares, which isn’t shouting and making me feel like I’m the biggest idiot on the planet,” you finished, your voice cracking on the last word.

Luke gave a soft, humourless chuckle, shaking his head. “Yeah… well, it’s Kenny. Guy’s been through more loss than most people could survive. It ain’t pretty, and it sure as hell ain’t healthy, but it’s him.” He tightened the bandage around your leg and looked up at you, his expression gentler now. “Y’know… the guy looks at you like you hold the galaxy in the palm of your hand , Y/N.”

Your brows furrowed, head tilting as you looked at Luke. “What are you talking about?” you asked, wanting him to elaborate.

Luke responded, “I mean that he’s in love with you. He’s just trying his best to look out for you.”

Your eyes immediately widened in surprise, not exactly believing what he’d just said. Kenny? In love with you? There was no way. “Luke, I have no idea what you’re on about. We’re just good friends. That’s it. There’s literally no way he could possibly be in love with me,” you tried to deny what Luke was saying. You were afraid of getting your hopes up.

“Yes way. Everyone else can see it. Just ask. And I know you feel the same way about him, so c’mon. Let’s get you back before the big guy starts pacing a trench into the snow.”

You hesitated a moment, then grabbed his outstretched hand, letting him haul you to your feet. The pain flared sharply again, but you bit your lip and powered through. As you started back towards the group, you spotted Kenny a little ways off, standing alone, head down, hat pulled low. He wasn’t looking at you, but you could see it in his stance — the way his shoulders were hunched like he was carrying a mountain.

You took a breath, your heart doing that annoying skip thing it always did when you looked at him too long. Screw it. Life was too short these days, and you’d nearly died today. Again. Might as well stop wasting time. “Help me over there,” you muttered to Luke.

He grinned like he knew exactly what you were about to do, but he didn’t say anything, just slung your arm over his shoulder and helped you limp your way toward Kenny. Every step sent a sharp, throbbing ache through your leg, but you gritted your teeth and pushed through.

Kenny must’ve sensed you before he saw you because the second you were within a few feet, his head snapped up, brown eyes wide, and the relief that hit his face nearly knocked you flat. His whole expression cracked open like ice thawing in the sun, like he’d been holding his breath this whole time and only now could finally let it out.

“Y/N…” he breathed, moving toward you like he wasn’t sure if he was allowed to touch you yet.

You opened your mouth to say something, anything, but Kenny cut you off, words tumbling out in a rough, desperate rush. “I’m sorry. God, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to lose it like that. I just- I can’t- I can’t lose you, okay? Not you. Not after everything. I don’t know what the hell I’d do if something happened to you, and it scares the shit outta me ‘cause you mean so much more than I ever let on and I’m a goddamn idiot for not saying it sooner-”

And you didn’t let him finish.

You grabbed a fistful of his jacket, yanked him down, and kissed him.

Kenny froze for half a heartbeat like his brain short-circuited, and then he was kissing you back, fierce and clumsy and so goddamn real it made your head spin more than the blood loss did. His hands cupped your face, rough thumbs swiping your skin, holding you like he was afraid you might disappear if he let go. When you finally pulled back, both of you breathing hard, you gave him the smallest smirk, your forehead still pressed to his. “Took you long enough.”

He huffed a breath that was half a laugh, half a choked-off sob. “Yeah, well… I always was a stubborn sonuvabitch.”

“Yeah, you are,” you whispered back, eyes glinting with something warm despite the pain.

Behind you, Luke whooped low under his breath. “About damn time.”

Kenny shot him a look over your shoulder. “Shut up, Luke.”

And for the first time in what felt like forever, you actually laughed.