A few hours had gone by, and Alex was careful with what he said. It was apparent even to Sun that he was treading on eggshells even though he didn't need to be. She kept silent about it nonetheless, enjoying the silence that came when Alex didn't know what to say.

They came to a clearing, and Sun scanned the area for any enemies. She stopped right inside the treeline, turning back towards Alex. He couldn't help the slight disheartening squeeze in his chest as he noticed her face still held small blotches of red from the moment that had transpired earlier.

"We should probably change your bandaging." Alex glanced down at his covered wound, nodding quietly to her request. He shuffled over to a tree trunk, sliding down to the ground. Sun squatted in front of him, shrugging off her backpack and weapon. She opened the pack, pulling out the necessary materials to change the bandages.

She slowly started peeling away the gauze and bandage, ignoring the wet sound it made when pulled away from the wound. She tossed the soiled materials off to the side before repeating what she had done the previous times she dressed his wounds. Alex watched her work diligently. He tried his best not to flinch when Sun poured some water over it, and then dabbed and rubbed the bite gently. She muttered under her breath about the condition of the inflamed wound.

"My whole family survived the apocalypse. We left from the military compounds after it became overcrowded, and they needed to get rid of a few people. They started off with larger families, saying they'd have a better time surviving since they were in groups. My mom being a doctor didn't even keep us in the compound. A mistake on their part, I suppose.

"Later on, a season or two afterwards, we had found a decent sized house in an abandoned small town. So, small it had only ran along one street. I went out, doing my normal thing: exploring and gathering. I was somewhere in the woods when it happened. There was a bright light and then screaming. Agonized, high-pitched screaming. I sprinted back to my house, knowing it had to be from there. There was no one else in the town after all. With each step bringing me closer to home, I felt my chest get tighter and tighter with panic and terror.

"I came to a stop across the street from my house. It was up in flames, my family burning inside. Outside there were scavengers, laughing and drinking alcohol as they watched the show. Despite the overwhelming feeling of anger and need for revenge that thrummed through my being, I turned around and left. I knew I would die. I knew my family wouldn't want me to die. I had to keep living, so they could live too." Alex laughed in surprise, Sun finally looking up from her work to show the pity, yet understanding in her eyes.

"You're the first person I've told this to. You better feel special," he teased, trying to lighten the mood. Sun had finished wrapping the gauze towards the end of his story, and just sat listening with her hands clamped around his forearm lightly. But after he finished, Sun couldn't help the overwhelming urge to hug the boy in front of her. She lurched forward, wrapping her arms around him tightly. She buried her head into his neck. Alex froze with shock, his hands outstretched behind her.

"I know this doesn't mean much, but I'm so sorry," she said into his neck, her voice oozing with a genuine tone. He suddenly snapped back to reality, wrapping his arms around her like she was his lifeline. His forehead rested on her shoulder before he nuzzled the crook of her neck in attempt to change into a different position. He brought his chin down on the top of her shoulder blade as a few tears leaked out. As his mind lingered on the subject, the painful stinging built behind his eye, and soon silent sobs seized his body. Sun stiffen at the feeling of his shoulders shaking. Instinctively, she hugged him harder, gently rocking him back and forth.

Alex started to slowly calm down, the streams of tears turning to sparse drops. His shoulders stopped quivering. Sun began to pull away when Alex held her firmly to him.

"Alex...?" she asked cautiously, not wanting to set him off again. Her arms touched his back gently, her grip lightening considerably.

"I don't want you to see me like this," he rasped out, his voice still a little thick with emotion. A few more tears leaked from his eyes, following the well worn trail down to his chin before dropping off and hitting the hardening winter ground. She hesitated a bit more, before laying her head on his shoulder.

"You've seen me crying, snot and all. I think it'll be okay," she said wryly. She expected a chuckle to come out of him, but nothing did. Her expression softened with worry as she looked in the direction his head would be.

"This is different. I'm your rock. You're not supposed to see your rock broken," he replied in a serious tone. Sun buried her suppressed grin into his neck.

"Who appointed you that position?" she whispered. That earned itself a small laugh out of Alex, which caused Sun's heart to swell. Wait, what? Sun thought to herself in reaction to that feeling. Her heart... Swelled? Oh my god, I like him. Alex felt Sun tense, and he couldn't help but bring his head back a bit to look at her before realizing he still probably looked red and defeated.

"Sun? Are you okay?" he asked in a slightly panicky tone.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she answered back in surprise. He sagged slightly against her. He brought his sleeve up to his face, rubbing his face vigorously to wipe away the tears and his running nose. Sun kept her eyes off him, paying respect to his wishes as he pulled away.

"We're a mess," Sun attempted to lighten the mood since her usual jokester was out of commission for the moment. "We both broke down about our families within a few hours." Alex chuckled dryly before standing up. Sun followed suit, hastily throwing her makeshift medical supplies into her backpack before zipping up. She balled up the old bandages, stashing them in between two closely grown tree roots.

She watched Alex start across the meadow, already loaded up with his equipment. She jogged after him, matching him in pace. When she glanced over to see his face, Sun saw that he was turned away, looking out the opposite direction. She hummed quietly to herself before jumping in front of him, causing Alex to stop in his path. He looked at her for the first time, his face red, his eyes puffy and glassy. Sun boldly reached up, cupping either side of his jaw.

"Just because you cried, doesn't make you weak or broken. You were just being strong for too long," she said to him, a small smile working its way onto her face. Alex rolled his eyes before wrapping his hands gently around her wrists.

"Don't use cliché lines like that with me. Only I can do that. If it's not just from me, what other reason do you have for keeping me around?" he attempted to joke. Sun's smile wilted a bit before a genuine passionate look filled her expression.

"You're my rock, Alex. No one can replace that."