#*eric raleigh.

“aaron raleigh, hm?” hands intertwined, a brow arched as eric cants his head, studies him. it had been a rushed introduction, the dead pressing against them on every side, but this slight detail had not escaped eric, ever perceptive, attention a sharpened blade. there is a calm blanketing them now, the children  -  because that’s what they are, really  -  asleep in their living room. it hadn’t been a difficult journey home, just a long one  -  but now they sit on their porch, the moon yellow and high in its arch across the sky. eric feigns consideration for a moment, then nods in casual approval. “i like the sound of that.”    @wanlidas​.

“you can’t really uphold laws anymore, with the collapse of civilization and all...” yet he makes no effort to remove himself from their bed, arms curled protectively around aaron, mouth pressed against the nape of his neck. days and nights on the road are important, and more often than he’d admit, relieving  -  but there are times too when he relishes in the warmth and relative safety of their home. today is such a day, idleness preferred to the action of the outside, aaron’s back to his stomach and hands clasped in this embrace; so he’s all too eager to play along, smiling as his eyes squeeze shut once more, tangling legs together in tandem with a heavy sigh from deep in his chest. “you can explain to spencer why i didn’t help him with checking the fence, then... he likes you more, anyway.” a false jealousy sneaks into his tone, playful as eric laughs. “i’d really rather be walking the perimeter than here, in bed, with you, but if it’s the law  -  i guess i should obey, huh?”

for once, his upset is not some ruse enacted for some elaborate joke. eric stiffens, incredulity manifesting in a scoff, so loud and heavy as it falls from his tongue. he knows aaron well enough to discern teasing from sincerity, and the absence of the former in this moment is as wounding as a slap to the cheek. he won’t accept this, will not tolerate it for even a moment; eric is quick to cross their living room, all his hurt unmasked and displayed in the quiver of his lip and twitch of his eye. a hand lifts, presses against aaron’s chest, and he looks up to his husband, defiant, but perplexed. “like hell you’re going anywhere without me,” he says, the steadiness of his tone in distinct contrast with his expression. “what's going on with you? you’re worrying me.”

“we’ve been lucky,” eric says, proud as he casts his gaze around the living room, countenance warming at the little touches of them he glimpses. it had been difficult, in the beginning, to the point that sleep had been impossible; it could never be home, eric had thought to himself  -  and now, he eagerly awaits the return trip when they’re on the road, ever dreaming of the first night back in bed with his husband. how much has changed is sometimes overwhelming, from this home to the ring fitted perfectly on his finger, and now, noah  -  such a good kid, eric’s said to aaron countless times, such a good heart. he smiles at them, jerking his head towards the wall to their left. “that’s my favorite thing in this house,” he admits, referring to the fledgling mural of licenses, bright colors from an assortment of states  -  nowhere near completion, but he’s hopeful  -  an infectious mood that spurs him to continue impulsively: “it could be your home, too. i mean... we have the room. you could stay here, if that’s something you’d be okay with, anyway.”

no gif could ever do this scene justice and man is it one of my favorites... aaron and eric say so much to each other with just a Look, the complete hatred in eric’s voice when he says “rick”, how he’s wiling to stand up and just! challenge him! i love the raleighs so much

A headcanon: eric taught aaron how to handle firearms before the apocalypse even happened. eric grew up on a farm in appalachia so he’s been handling guns since childhood and even before they had to worry about the dead he wanted to make sure aaron could defend himself. eric’s not a big Gun Nut though, they only had the one pistol in their home, but eric still made sure aaron knew how to use it.