it was a quiet evening in alexandria when you knocked on the grimes’ door, a little nervous but determined to make a good impression. the door swung open, and there he was—carl grimes. his hat was slightly tilted, his hair messy in that effortless way, and his blue eyes blinked at you, a little wide, like he hadn’t expected you to be standing there.

“uh, hi,” you said with a small smile, trying not to fidget. “i’m the babysitter.”

for a moment, carl just stood there, staring at you like he couldn’t quite process the words. then, as if snapping back to reality, he stepped aside quickly. “oh, yeah. right. come in.”

you stepped inside, looking around the cozy house as carl rubbed the back of his neck, clearly unsure what to say next.

“judith’s in her room,” he said, his voice awkward but warm. “she’s been in a good mood today, so, uh, that’s good.”

“great,” you replied, setting your bag down near the couch. “i’m good with kids, so it should be easy.”

carl’s lips twitched into a small smile. “yeah, judith’s great. she’s, uh, not as much trouble as some people think.”

you noticed the way he kept glancing at you, like he was trying to figure something out but didn’t know how to say it. it was endearing, in a way, how he seemed both confident and completely out of his depth at the same time.

“thanks for letting me help out,” you said, turning to him. “your dad mentioned you’d be here, but i didn’t realize i’d actually meet you.”

his ears turned a little pink at that, and he shifted his weight awkwardly. “yeah, well… i’m around.” he cleared his throat. “if you need anything, just let me know. i’ll probably just… be upstairs.”

“sounds good,” you said, giving him a warm smile.

as you headed toward judith’s room, carl stood there, watching you with a mix of curiosity and nervousness. he knew this was probably nothing more than babysitting for you, but the way you’d smiled at him made his chest feel warm, and he couldn’t stop himself from wondering what it would be like to actually get to know you.