#five showing up at rick's house: you don't know me but i know you in the future

[d-dixonimagines]

can u do enemy to lover prompt five

Prompt: "Don't touch me!" "How am I supposed to bandage you up if I can't touch you?"

I don't know what to really label this as. It's mild angst? If you wanna call it that? Reader is more moody than I originally anticipated them to be. Also, I clearly don't know how to clean wounds or how they would do it in the show, so the way it's described here is probably wrong.

Right from the very start of the day you and Daryl had been at each other's throats, bickering and yelling like you'd been married for 50 years. So it was beyond you why Rick thought it was a good idea to make you two go on a run together. Surely he knew there would be a chance that only one of you came back, and not because of any walker. The run wasn't supposed to be that big a deal. A quick day trip scouring for supplies and literally anything that would be of use and that you could carry. Everything had gone surprisingly well until you were making your way back. There was a run-in with a small hoard of walkers that happened to wander through where you were at; too many of them for just two people to deal with. You both made your way towards an abandoned house, killing off as many of the walkers as you could, focusing only on the ones that were a higher risk. If you had tried to pock off every single one, it would become too easy to get overwhelmed and ambushed as they all crowded together. So your only goal was to retreat to safety.

"Over here!" You heard Daryl's voice over the commotion of the moaning walkers. Yanking your knife from one of their skulls, you turned in Daryl's direction and made your way over. You both were almost at the house, eyeing it just beyond the tree line. There were scattered walkers wandering the property, making it difficult to make a direct run for it. "We should just keep moving. See if there's another place further down." You suggested, not seeing any other option. Daryl just shook his head. "Nah... we don't know how far the next place could be. This could be our only option. We jus' need'a plan." "We don't have time for a plan," you rolled your eyes, using every will power you had to not raise your voice and draw more attention. "I can see that, that's why we ain't gonna waste our time lookin' for somethin' else." Daryl growled back. "There's gotta be about seven or eight up there.. if we clear 'em out, go 'round either side of the house, there's bound to be a way inside." Glancing behind you to see the other walkers closing in, you let out a frustrated groan, getting yourself ready to run. "Gah!" If we make it out of this, Dixon, I'm gonna kill you myself!" You yelled, running off towards the house before he had a chance to sass you back. Clearing out your half of the yard, you quickly checked the front door to see if it would open but had no such luck. You continued round to the side of the house, killing off any stragglers. Finding a window above a pile of old wood, you attempted to climb up it to get a better grip of the window. When it didn't budge, you went to smash it but was interrupted when you felt hands grabbing at you, knocking you unstable. You let out a startled yelp as you struggled to keep the walker at bay, fighting to hold it back so you could reach for your weapon. It was just out of your reach, you could feel the tips of your fingers grazing it, scrambling to get some kind of traction to get a better grip. Daryl rounded the corner, stabbing the thing in the head and throwing it off you. "Finally you show up," you snapped at him, standing up quickly and grabbing your gun. "That's a funny way of sayin' thank you fer savin' yer ass." You just scoffed, holding your arm, not having any time to check the damage. "Did you find a way in?" "'Course I did, Princess. This ain't my first rodeo." You ignored his comments and followed him to the back door, barricading yourselves inside. After checking the rest of the house, you allowed yourself to relax just a bit once you knew it was cleared. Daryl set his things down on top of the counter and looked around the kitchen, checking to see if there was anything edible to eat. You wandered off in search of a mirror to tend to your arm. Raiding through the medicine cabinets and drawers, you didn't find much that would help. Just a tolerably clean cloth and some gauze. You started cleaning around it, as best you could, wadding up the cloth, dropping it, getting frustrated with... just... everything.

"Need help?" Daryl's voice brought you out of your head. You only looked at him for a second, getting a glimpse of him leaning against the doorframe before looking at your arm again. "I got it." He scoffed. "An infection is what yer gonna get if ya don't clean it right." "It'll have to do until we get back, won't it? I don't exactly have a lot of options here." "Water might help at least." "You see any water lying around?" "Yup..." Daryl stated simply, holding up a half filled jug. You kept your gaze on him, your eyes narrowing at him in irritation. Snatching the jug from his hand, you set it down harshly on the sink. You struggled with getting the cloth wet, not really able to use your injured arm. "Let me help." He pushed himself from the door frame. "I said I got it." Daryl didn't accept that answer, knowing you were just being stubborn. He reached over and grabbed the cloth from you, getting it damp before raising it as a silent request to keep going. Without saying anything, you contemplated for a long moment before slightly turning your body so he could get at it better. "This'll sting a bit," Daryl spoke gently, taking the water and pouring it over the wound, causing you to let out a hiss and jerk your arm back. "That hurts!" "I told ya! Ya can't get mad at me after I warned ya." You just huffed, turning back so he could continue cleaning the wound. After setting the rag down, he grabbed the gauze and gently gripped your arm, but before he could place it, you jerked out of his hold again. "Don't touch me!" Daryl let out a breathy sigh of frustration. "How am I supposed ta bandage ya up if I can't touch ya?" You stared daggers into him but he just stared back. The longer you stared at him, the more realization set in that being angry wasn't going to help anything. You weren't even really angry, you were just frustrated and overwhelmed. Daryl was only trying to help and you needed to calm down. Going back to where you were, you turned your body so he could fix you up, letting him do what he needed to. He placed the gauze on your arm and wrapped it as neatly as he could, tucking the end piece in to the rest of the material. "There... now ya have a better chance of yer arm not rotting off." There was a faint hint of smirk at the corner of his lips that you would have missed if you weren't looking at them.

You glanced down at your arm as you pushed off the sink. "My hero," you responded sarcastically. There was a beat before you looked up at him again. "Thanks..." There was another pause as you examined his face, that playful smirk vanished. "I mean it. Thank you," Your voice was softer, more relaxed. Daryl gave a soft nod before leaving the bathroom and heading towards the kitchen. "I'm starvin', I think I saw an opossum on the back porch." The moment was gone. You let out a loud groan as you followed behind him, revving up to give him an earful!

#daryl dixon #daryl dixon imagines #daryl dixon x reader #the walking dead imagines

[catt-leya]

I have an idea for your smutty may! Can you write something for cocky/horny Rick x innocent reader? She's a virgin, but she suprises rick by her dirty mouth.

Prompt 98. X 76.

Innocent (18+) || Rick Grimes

I may have gone a little too far with the innocence, but I just felt like writing something like that (there's no getting around the fact that I think Rick would really go for it) 💅🏼

Trigger: light slapping, dirty talk

Groaning, I straighten up again and look up at the sky.

The sun shines pleasantly on my skin and I direct my gaze back to the meadow in front of me. For a long time, I have collected the flowers on the lawn and woven myself a flower crown with them and now my knees just don't cooperate anymore.

Satisfied, I put the daisies on my head and beam all over my face.

When I was younger and the world was not yet full of walkers, my mom used to braid a crown for me in the field in front of our house and call me her little princess.

Then, when I got older, she showed me how to do it myself and I kept it up, even after she died.

Unfortunately, most of the flowers have already been trampled by people and walkers and I really had to search forever until I found suitable flowers.

Lightly stroking my fingers over the small flowers on my head, I hear the voice of my companion behind me, "What are you doing?"

Still with the bright smile on my lips, I turn to him and look into his blue eyes.

Rick is standing maybe five feet away from me on the lawn as well, looking down into my face from my crown.

I was asked to join Rick on a run today and since I was eager to leave the confines of Alexandria anyway, I said yes right away.

Admittedly, I am also extremely happy to be out on my own with him and feel incredibly safe. That's also why I started weaving the crown. I know that he will take care of me.

Waiting, he looks at me and that's when I realize I haven't answered his question, as I bridge the few feet that separate us and grab his hand to lead him off the lawn and cheerfully say, "I just wanted to braid a crown."

A little hesitantly, Rick slips the fingers of his left hand through mine and follows me to the little cabin we were looking at before Rick went to check something in the bush and I saw the meadow.

When we're not alone, I see the looks the others give us when Rick and I are holding hands because we're not together or something.

Rick and I are just friends, but sometimes I'm still a little surprised that he always goes along with my attempts to hold his hand.

It's kind of my way of showing him my affection and the first time, he seemed surprised, but even then, didn't reprimand me and held my hand, which has now become second nature.

Again and again, he holds my hand in his, although it is always me who still grasps his hand. It is like an unspoken law that I take his left hand so that he, as a right-hander, can reach for his weapon if something should be.

What I particularly like, though, is how much we complement each other.

Rick is quite a bit older than I am, and intrinsically much tougher and colder, whereas I am relatively young and extremely lighthearted.

That's probably why some people are surprised at how well Rick and I get along. But as arrogant and calculating as Rick is with others, the kinder he is to me.

My best friend also sometimes teases me that Rick would have a crush on me and I always deny it, even though my heart always stops for a moment.

Briefly, I look behind me at Rick and bite my lower lip. It's ridiculous that he has a crush on me, but I've clearly fallen for him.

Rick's eyes roam the woods and I let my gaze wander over his body.

His light brown shirt stretches over his shoulders and his pants hang low on his hips. I could even swear they would just slide down if he wasn't wearing his belt.

Because I'm practically turned toward him, I trip over a protruding root and immediately he jerks his head around and grabs me by the waist to keep me steady.

Gratefully, I smile at him, "It's all good. I just wasn't looking at the ground."

I know he's suppressing an eye roll and murmurs, "Figured as much, baby."

Immediately my eyebrows go up, but Rick is already looking back at the cabin, so I pull on his hand to get him to look at me again, but he lets go of me and is already pulling me toward the cabin. That's why I just ask, "Why did you just call me 'baby'?"

If I didn't know him so well, I wouldn't have even noticed, but his shoulders tense briefly before he quickly says, "I didn't."

With all my strength, I brace myself against him and he actually stops.

It seems to be really uncomfortable for him to have given me this nickname, so I want to tease him a bit and chuckle softly, "I heard it exactly."

Some might consider it silly but I take a small step towards him and slip the fingers of my free hand through his belt loops.

Playfully I tug on it and he weakly staggers another step toward me and I cheerfully say, "I'm not saying I think it's bad, Rick. I just want to know how you suddenly came up with it."

I have to put my head far back in my neck to look him in the face, but he keeps avoiding my gaze. Sighing, I rest my chin on his chest and could swear he flinches before finally looking me in the face and muttering, "Just forget it."

I pull my fingers out of the loop and place them on his lower belly. Now I'm certainly not imagining it, he tenses and says hoarsely, "You better get your hand out of there."

Irritated by the change of subject, I don't move an inch and pull my eyebrows together, "What? Why?"

His eyes dart over my face and it looks like he's trying to assess what to say now.

Involuntarily, my hand slips to his belt buckle and he bites his full lower lip before making his decision and whispering, "You want me to show you?"

I can't gauge what he means and just nod.

Gently, he takes my hand resting on his belt buckle and slides it lower until my small hand is on his hard crotch.

I'm unable to break eye contact or pull my hand off his hard cock, though his grip on my hand is so loose I could easily pull away from him.

His normally bright blue eyes are much darker due to the arousal I'm giving him and completely fixated on my face to notice every movement.

Slowly he guides my hand over his crotch and my mouth hangs open as he elicits a guttural sound with my hand.

The surroundings around us fade completely into the background and my head shakes completely as I stroke the denim more firmly of my own accord and he drops his hand with a soft gasp, "You want to finish it, baby?"

Slightly dumbfounded, I just nod again and he growls harshly, "You'll have to say it."

The bra I'm wearing feels way too tight as I take a deep breath and mutter, "I want to jerk you off."

He immediately bites his lower lip again and moans, "I never thought I'd hear you say that, fuck, that's hot."

Impatiently, I break away from him and reach for his hand and he immediately intertwines our fingers together, then pulls me behind him into the cabin he'd secured earlier.

With wobbly legs, I stumble after him as he drops onto the old sofa in the 'living room' and pulls me astride his leg.

Surprised, my eyebrows dart up as my most sensitive spot pleasant hits his thigh.

As impractical as it may be, I totally love to wear dresses and because I didn't expect anything drastic today, I reached for one again this morning.

That's why it's only my panties that offer some resistance and Rick knows that.

Unsure what to do with my hands, I clasp them behind his neck and say softly, "Rick...I..."

Patiently waiting for me to say something, I sigh softly, "You have to show me what to do. I've never done it before. None of it."

Gently, he leans forward, more reminiscent of the man who lets me hold his hand just to have me close. His face hovers in front of mine and he turns his head slightly to breathe a light kiss on my cheek like I did before and whispers, "Have you ever kissed anyone?"

Silently I shake my head and hear him laugh softly and harshly, "You just told me you want to jerk me off, but you've never kissed anyone?"

Embarrassed, I close my eyes and he purrs against my ear, "I didn't think you had such a loose mouth, baby."

He lowers his head a little and his perfect nose brushes my cheek, making me wince pleasantly.

When our eyes meet again, I know that today is going to be intense and I want to reach for my crown on my head with my hands, but before I can even touch it, he grabs my wrist and puts it back on his neck.

Questions I look at him and he murmurs with his eyes firmly fixed on the flowers, "I hope you don't think it's totally weird now, but I like it when you wear the flowers on your beautiful hair. It makes you look even more innocent and delicate than you already are."

I can't help but laugh softly and playfully peck his cheek, "You can admit that my flower crown makes you horny."

He acts annoyed and rolls his eyes before correcting me, "Don't bullshit the flowers. It's the way they highlight your essence that turns me on."

It feels good the way he lightens up the situation and still makes me all chirpy on his leg. That's why I tug lightly on the short hair at the back of his head, "Now will you show me what to do?"

Instead of giving me an answer he pulls me close to him. So close that my thigh presses against his hard crotch and before I can react, his lips are already on mine.

I have absolutely no idea what I'm supposed to do and whether I'm being a total idiot, when Rick whispers to my mouth, "Relax."

With that, his hands slide down my neck thighs to my sparsely covered butt and presses me harder against his leg, eliciting a soft moan and allowing him to explore my mouth.

It's probably not the best kiss Rick has ever had, but I do my best to loosen up in his arms and mirror what he's doing.

Apparently, I'm doing something right, because I can feel his breathing getting bumpy on my sensitive breasts.

Gently I pull his hair and as I do so he moans against my lips and I gush with pride that I am able to elicit these sounds from Rick Grimes.

Slowly I let my body do what he sees fit and I grind against his leg, bumping against his cock again and again.

I can barely think straight as he lightly bites my lower lip and growls, "You do what I tell you, understand?"

Hectically, I nod and stare at his swollen lips as he leans against the back of the couch and whispers, "I want to see you come." My gaze is questioning and he adds, "On my leg."

My eyes dart down to his cock, which is clearly visible through his pants, and I ask hoarsely, "Don't you want me to jerk you off?"

Gently, he takes my chin between his fingers and directs my gaze back to his face, "I'm going to fuck you. You don't have to jerk me off on that one, baby."

The fact that he doesn't ask me, but simply states that he's going to fuck me sends a pleasant shiver down my spine.

I push some of my hair strands behind my ears and then rest my hands on his shoulders to steady myself and then nod, "Okay."

Gently, I start swaying back and forth on his leg, trying to find the right spot I so desperately need.

Cockily, he lets his eyes slide over my body, down to where I'm making his pants wetter and wetter.

Rick has always been a huge temptation to me and didn't expect me to approach him the way I do.

But now that I can properly interpret his gaze, I notice something.

That's why I whimper softly, "You've looked at me like that before."

It's a simple statement that makes his head lift and he blinks several times before asking, "What?"

At that moment, I thrust my hips forward enough to moan softly before I can answer, "I've never understood it, but you've always looked at me like that, like right now."

Gasping, I lean forward and press my lips to his as I say, "I bet you jerked off more often thinking about me."

Jerking his hips up uncontrollably, he emits an animalistic sound, "Fuck, way too often."

I know he wanted me on his leg but my whole body practically craves him and I can't help but whimper, "Fuck me. Be my first."

Immediately I notice his cock on my leg responding to my words and he tenses completely as he moans, "Are you sure? Once I start, I won't stop."

I nod frantically, the crown on my head slipping slightly and he grabs it before I can.

Gently he straightens it and his voice is soft as velvet, "Doesn't change the fact that you're only getting my leg first though."

I hoped that I would make him fuck me immediately, but I see in his face that there is no point in arguing with him.

In his face I see that it has no sense to argue with him and let my movements on him become more violent.

My eyes are glued to him as his cheeks are flushed and his hair sticks out in all directions due to my hands.

He's never looked more beautiful.

With fingers trembling with desire, my hands slide to his chest and I undo the buttons of his shirt and when my palms finally touch his warm, broad chest everything inside me tightens.

I can barely see sharply and am about to climax when I hear the groan of a walker from outside.

He must have heard us and is scratching at the door.

Panicked, I tear my eyes open and am about to push off Rick when he grabs me by the waist and continues to navigate me on his leg, "I didn't say anything about stopping."

I stare at him, "But outside...there could be more."

Amused, he raises his eyebrow and purrs, "Then I guess you'll have to keep it down, baby. Either you keep going or I won't fuck you and then jerk off to your sweet sight again. You decide."

I don't even have to think for a second and press a hand over my mouth as a precaution to stifle my moan, but Rick pulls it away from me and pushes me down to him by the back of my head until my lips are on his neck and he's muffling my whimpers.

Again and again, he runs his hand through my hair, praising me for how compliant I am.

How beautiful and horny I am just for him.

How I need him and how much he wants me.

The walker behind the door fades completely into the background and I bite down hard on Rick's neck as the tension in my stomach releases and I come shaking and gasping on Rick's thighs.

It feels like I'm melting in his arms and I collapse weakly in his arms. My legs feel like they're made of rubber and I'm high on Rick's scent enveloping me.

I can't run another step, I'm sure of it, pressing me closer to him as his hands move to my butt and he whispers, "Good girl."

Gently I start sucking on his neck and his grip tightens, "You know I'm holding back from fucking you over this kitchen counter, don't push your luck."

My heart hammers in my chest as I lick over the hickey now glowing on his neck and whisper, "Don't hold back."

It takes maybe a second for him to realize what I just said before he pushes me onto his hip and effortlessly stands up with me.

I quickly wrap my arms around his neck and let him carry me to the kitchen counter.

With each step, his hard cock rubs against my dripping wet center and he bites down hard on his lower lip to keep himself somewhat under control.

Briefly he sets me down on the floor, then quickly turns me around and pushes me down on the kitchen counter in his fluid motion.

My nipples, already hard anyway and clearly stale under the thin dress, almost hurt as I lie with my upper body on the cold counter.

For a brief moment, I remember the walker outside the door again and am much more relaxed because I don't hear him anymore and he must have moved on.

I cross my hands under my face and lie down on them so that I can see Rick out of the corner of my eye.

His eyes are literally glued to my ass and he's slowly pulling the thin dress to my waist now before he looks me in the face and asks, "How hard do you want it?"

Waiting, I push my ass towards him and whisper lasciviously, "Just because I'm a virgin doesn't mean I can't take it hard. Rick, hit me."

Gasping, he closes his eyes and braces himself left and right next to my hip, "You act so innocent and yet you're so fucking depraved."

Instead of answering him, I press my butt off his twitching cock and gasp, "Fuck, I've wanted you to take me for so long I can't see straight. Rick, every time I think about what it would be like to have your cock inside me instead of my fingers, when I do it to myself and dream about you being there. Please make my dream come true. Please."

Gently, he pulls down my panties and runs his palm over my ass before he lunges a little and complies with my request and slaps me.

My whole body jerks forward and I groan loudly.

Again, he lunges and slaps me on my other butt cheek and hisses, "You can really act like a whore."

It feels kind of dirty that I'm so turned on by him calling me that, but the answer slips easily from my lips, "I'm your whore."

I close my eyes and enjoy the sound of him undoing his belt and murmuring, "I can get used to having your bare ass in front of my cock."

My heart tightens at his words because it sounds like a promise of something longer and just emit a 'please' before he presses his tip lightly against me and I give in.

His knuckles around the kitchen counter next to me turn white as he hisses, "Fuck, you're wet."

Unable to do anything productive, I just whimper another 'please' and don't care how pathetic and submissive it makes me sound.

All I want to do is feel Rick inside me and I almost completely snap when he asks seriously, "Are you sure?"

Impatiently, I look back over my shoulder at him and hiss, "Damn it, Rick. Yes, I want you."

Far too gently, he pushes my legs even further apart before slowly entering me.

The feeling of having his big twitching cock inside me and being stretched by him is incredible.

As good as it feels, it's still unfamiliar to me and I could kiss him right back when he asks in a clenched voice, "Are you okay?"

Groaning, I nod and my mouth hangs wide open as he pulls back a little and enters me a little harder this time.

I hear his rasping breath and whimper softly at his next thrust, "I want to touch you. Take me from the front."

His big warm hands settle on my hips and in one fluid motion he spins me around to face him and slides back inside me as he pushes my ass a little on the counter.

I immediately push his shirt off his shoulders and dig my fingernails into his shoulder blades.

The vein on his neck stands out clearly and his whole face looks like he's holding back. That's why I gasp, "Harder."

Immediately, his lips settle on my mouth and his cock penetrates me deep and hard, making my insides tighten and I wrap my arms around his neck.

His beard scrapes across my chin and the hand that is not holding my dress up slides between us. The first contact with his hand already brings me to my climax and without warning my muscles contract around him.

Rick's hand grabs my chin and pushes my head back enough for him to push his tongue deep into my mouth and I pull hard on his hair.

Softly he mumbles against my lips, "Do you want me to come inside you? Do you want me to mark you as mine, baby?"

I quickly cross my legs behind his back and pull him close, "Do it."

It only takes him two more thrusts before he gives me everything he's got.

We're both sweating and clinging to each other, but I've never been so happy in my life as I am at this moment, looking into Rick's eyes as he pulls out of me and gently reaches for the flowers to arrange them on my head.

Silently, we look at each other before he reaches for my hand and intertwines our fingers. A smile forms on my lips and I ask him softly, "Did you like it?"

Surprised, he looks at me and replies harshly, "I've been dreaming about it for months and it was better than anything I imagined."

He then leans forward slightly and kisses me lovingly on the nose, "I hope it doesn't just last that one time."

@positive-squid @hail-yourselves @mrsxreeves

#rick grimes x reader #rick grimes #rick grimes smut #twd #rick grimes imagine #twd x reader #the walking dead #request

[mydarllinglover]

Alone || Brothers reunited

Previous

"The Governor, that's really what he's called?" Natalia asked Michonne as the car packed full of people drove down the road.

"Says its a nickname, acts embarrassed by it." Michonne said in a low voice.

"See, Nat, that's a nickname, so is Rick, y'know, for Richard. But the governor? No, does he tell anyone his name?"

"No."

"Interesting." Natalia sighed. "I mean, I wanted to be prime minister when I was 8, until I realised we didn't have those."

"Stop here" Michonne said, louder than their previous conversation.

Rick parked the car offside the road, beside the woods.

Everyone climbed out the car.

"They have patrols, we're better off on foot." Michonne told everyone.

"How far?" Rick asked. "Nights coming."

"It's a mile. Maybe two."

A lone walker was catching up to them.

"I got it." Natalia called out as the others unloaded the car, walking up to the undead woman and putting her down, wiping her knife on the woman's ripped and stained dress.

She caught up to the others into the woods, skipping past Daryl and Rick to walk ahead, she could hear them talking.

She pulled out her ponytail, brushing it with her fingers, before doing it back up, braiding it tightly with the other band around her arm, making sure it wouldn't cause an obstacle.

As they continued to walk, a small herd of walkers came out from the trees heading for them.

"Get down!" Rick hissed. "In formation, no gunfire." He instructed, heading for the closest one, slinging his machete through its head and kicking it down.

Natalia dropped a few, using a body to shove at another, causing it to fall to the ground.

"There's too many of them." Daryl grumbled as more came from behind, surrounding the group.

"This way." Rick pointed down a path, the rest following.

Natalia had missed the memo, taking down another before her arm was grabbed, being dragged backwards.

She went to stab the offender before realising it was Daryl.

"Come on." He told her, letting go so she could run on her own.

"Through there. Come on." Rick shouted, continuing to run through trees, heading for a cabin.

The five rushed to the door, rick pushing it open as they got inside.

"Get the door." He told Michonne, who was the last one in.

"Eurgh!" Natalia groaned, covering her mouth and nose.

"Keep it down. Keep it down!" Rick hushed.

"The smell, it's loud." Daryl picked up, also covering his mouth and nose as he looked around for the culprit.

"What the hell is that?" Oscar asked as they all looked down on something horrid looking.

"It's got to be a fox or what's left of one." Daryl guessed.

Rick shined his flashlight on it, revealing a dog.

"Guess Lassie went home." Daryl commented.

Pounding on the door started as the walkers reached the cabin.

In the darkness, they found a bed, blankets were piled high, covering what looked like a body.

Both Daryl and Natalia held knifes in case of attack.

Rick slowly reached for the duvet, yanking it back to reveal a man jumping out of bed.

"Ah! Who the hell are you?" He shouted when everyone jumped back.

"We don't mean any harm." Rick surrounded.

"Get outta ma house!"

"Okay, okay, okay, we will, but we can't right now."

"Now!"

"Shut him up" Michonne hissed.

"Get out, right now!"

"There are walkers outside!" Rick explained.

Natalia was getting agitated as the walkers continued to pound against the house.

"I'll call the cops!" He continued to shout.

"I am a cop." Rick tried to reassure the man, but it wasn't enough for Natalia.

She stepped towards the man on silent steps.

Rick continued to talk, seeing what Natalia was up to but kept his eyes on the man to not alert him.

"Show me your badge!" The man said, raising his gun up to Ricks face.

Natalia reached out, plunging her knife into the mans skull, letting his body drop to the ground, the gun he was holding, fired into the wall, causing a hole to appear in the wood.

"I thought you were gonna knock him out!" Rick hissed.

"I don't know how to do that, he was making too much noise, I panicked!" She admitted, throwing her hands up in surrender.

Daryl walked towards the door, checking outside.

"Remember the Alamo?" He asked.

"Help me with the door" Rick sighed, picking up the man, Daryl helping.

"You've got to be kidding." Oscar shook his head.

"He's dead. Check the back." Rick told him.

Oscar did as told, heading to the back door, as the two men held the man up so that Michonne could get ready to open the front door.

"Its clear." Oscar called out.

"One... two... three" Rick counted down.

Michonne threw the door open, Rick and Daryl throwing the body out and slamming the door back shut.

They all headed out the back door, sneaking around so that they didn't alert the walkers that weren't feasting on Natalia's latest kill.

It was night time by the time they reached the town, sneaking round cars to examine the area.

"Hey" Daryl whispered, sneaking up beside Natalia. "When we get back, gonna teach you how to put down someone without killing them."

"Why, if you need to put someone down, there's a high likely chance you don't need them alive." She shrugged.

"Cause that ain't always the case."

There was two people stood on top of the wall of tires, one stood by a big light that over looked the deserted road, and one paced.

The one stood by the light shortly stepped away, being replaced by an older looking man in a cap.

"We should just take them out, they just swapped shifts, so no one will be coming round for a while" Natalia whispered.

"No." Rick hushed.

Michonne snuck away, ignoring Rick calling her back.

"Damn it," He cursed. "Alright, we need to downsize."

"Ain't no way we're gonna check in all those buildings" Daryl said. "Not with all them guards there."

"That's why I'm saying we just shoot them down."

A twig snapped, alerting that Michonne had come back.

"Alright lets go." Rick said, following the woman.

"Why does no one ever listen to me." Natalia grumbled as she followed.

Michonne had led them through a hole into a building with shelves of food and tables.

"This is where you were held?" Rick asked her.

"I was questioned."

"Any idea where else they could be?"

"I thought you said there was a curfew." Daryl whispered, looking behind a curtain at a street full of people.

"The streets are packed during the day, those are stragglers."

"If anyone comes in here, we're sitting ducks." Rick said. "We gotta move."

"They could be in his apartment." Michonne thought out loud.

The three looked at the woman, Oscar continued to keep his eye out.

"Yeah, what if they ain't?" Daryl asked.

"Then we'll look somewhere else"

"How do we know this isn't just some ploy." Natalia accused.

"You said you could help us."

"I'm doing what I can." Michonne defended herself.

"Then where the hell are they?" Oscar asked.

"Hey" Rick whispered, walking away and nodding for everyone but Michonne to follow.

"If this goes south, we're cutting her loose." Rick told them.

"You think she's leading us into a trap?" Oscar asked.

"Feels like it, she's keeping something from us" Natalia said, getting an itchy feeling.

"Nah, right now its a blind leading a blind." Daryl mused. "Lets split up."

A knocking at the door halted their conversation, before it was being unlocked, a man walking through.

"I know you're in here" The man said. "I saw you moving from outside. Alright now. You know you're not supposed to be in here."

Natalia grabbed a jar from off one of the shelves, jumping up from her hiding place and away from the others, Rick tried to stop her but she was moving too fast.

"Sorry, its just me." She smiled bashfully at the man. "I was just grabbing some..." She looked at the label, reading horseradish. "Horseradish. I just ran out, but I didn't wanna bother you." She tucked her hair behind her ear, laying on the innocent act, thickly.

"Ah, thas alrigh' Darlin', but y'know, you can't be coming in here at late hours of the day, especially after curfew."

"Yeah, but I was just really craving Horseraddish, and it was all gone, and you know how it is, I'm sure you can let this stay between just us, right." She patted his shoulder.

"Say, how long you been at Woodbury?" The man said, seeming to not be able to recognise the woman.

"Oh, uhm quite some time now... y'know."

"I just, I don't think I've seen much of you around, and I couldn't forget a pretty face like that, maybe I should go see the Gover-“

Rick jumped up, pushing the man against the wall and raising his gun in the mans face.

"Shut up, get on your knees." The man did as he was told. "Hands behind your back. Zip tie him." He told Daryl.

"Where are our people?" Rick asked him.

"I don't know" The man shook his head, paling at the sight of a gun aimed at him.

"You are holding some of our people. Where the hell are they?"

"I don't know." He repeated.

"Open your mouth." Rick said, shoving a white cloth in the mans mouth.

Daryl whacked his crossbow against the mans head, knocking the man out.

She ignored the look he gave her as Rick dragged the man back into the building.

"Y'know I was dealing with it, right?" Natalia asked Rick.

Gunshots aired causing them to make up the decision to leave immediately.

Rick opened the door, sneaking out.

They headed towards to where the gunshots came from, sneaking around what looked like a warehouse of sorts.

The group hid behind a metal sheet, acting as a wall as they listened out to people walking around and talking, their weapons aimed in front.

"On your feet. Move" A man ordered.

"Shit." Rick muttered, him and Daryl pulling out Flash bang cannisters out of a bag, releasing them and throwing to where the people were walking towards, bolting the other way.

"What the hell was that?!" One of the people shouted out, the enemies ducked and coughed on the fog.

Rick led the way back in, his gun locked and loaded as he waited for movement.

They eventually found Maggie and Glenn, Rick and Daryl helped an injured Glenn stand as Natalia grabbed Maggie, leading her away.

The people shot into the clouded room, Daryl followed behind the group, shooting back.

They ran through the street, as shadows of people floated past.

"Inside, quick!" Rick hissed when they passed a building.

Natalia ran for the door, opening it and letting everyone else in.

The door slammed from the outside.

"Are you okay?" She asked the recently rescued pair, passing Maggie a cloth so that she could wipe the blood off Glenn's face.

"Aint no way out back here." Daryl called out, looking around the room.

"Rick, how did you find us?" Maggie asked.

"How bad are you hurt?" Rick asked Glenn.

"I'll be alright." Glenn struggled to say, clearly lying.

"Where's that women?" Maggie brought attention to the missing person.

"I thought Michonne was right behind me." Natalia said, not being able to locate her either.

Rick looked behind the curtain and onto the now busy street.

"Maybe she was spotted." Oscar suggested

"Want me to go look for her?" Daryl asked.

"I'll help." Natalia offered.

"No, we gotta get them out of here. She's on her own."

"Daryl, this was Merle." Glenn told the redneck.

"Who's Merle?" Natalia asked.

"Daryl's brother" Maggie answered.

"You saw him?" Rick asked.

"Face to face. Threw a Walker at me. Was gonna execute us.”

"So my brothers this "governor"?" Daryl growled.

"No, he's somebody else." Maggie replied. "Your brothers his lieutenant or something."

"He knows I'm still with you?"

"He does now. Rick, I'm sorry. We told them where the prison was. We couldn't hold out."

"Don't, no need to apologise." Rick patted his leg, moving to look outside again.

"I'm gonna kill this sick son of a bitch." Natalia grumbled, checking her ammo, she didn't miss how Maggie was wearing Glenn's shirt.

"They're gonna be looking for us." Maggie said.

"We have to get back. Can you walk?" Rick asked Glenn. "We got a car a few miles out."

"I'm good."

"Rick, we have to end this, before we give him a chance to start anything back at home, he clearly was desperate to know where we are." Natalia said gesturing to Glenn and Maggie.

"No, we need to get them out of here."

"Hey, if Merles around, I need to see him." Daryl told him.

"Not now, we're in hostile territory."

"He's my brother. I ain't-"

"Look what he did! Look, we gotta we gotta get out of here now."

"Maybe I can talk to him. Maybe I can work something out." Daryl was almost pleading.

"No, no, no. You're not thinking straight. Look, no matter what they say, they're hurt. Glenn can barely walk. How are we gonna make it out if we get overrun by walkers or this governor catches up to us? I need you, both of you." He looked between Daryl and Natalia. "Are you with me?"

"Yeah." Daryl nodded, but he didn't look all too happy about it.

"Nat?" Rick then asked the woman.

"But-"

"We'll come up with a plan when they're safe, right now, this is what we need to focus on."

"Fine, yes," She looked away, biting her cheek.

"Thank you, we have to get out of here, now." Rick said, heading towards the door.

Daryl grabbed another two cannisters whilst Rick and the rest stood by the door.

"On three. Stay tight." Rick ordered. "One, two, three." He threw the door open, letting Daryl chuck the cans out. "Let's go" He hissed.

As the group ran, someone on the wall caught them, shooting.

Rick and Natalia shot back, one of the pair landing a shot as he fell down.

"Behind you!" Daryl shouted as gunshots came from behind.

All four shot back, the fog blurring their vision.

"Go, go, go!" Rick instructed as they headed out of the gunfire.

"How many?"

"I didn't see!" Oscar replied.

"Don't matter. There's gonna be more of them. We need to move." Daryl said as he reloaded his gun.

"Any grenades left?"

Daryl nodded.

"Get 'em ready. We gotta gun it to the wall." Rick said.

"You guys go ahead. I'm gonna lay down some cover fire." Daryl offered, handing Glenn a fully loaded gun.

"No, we stay together." Maggie denied.

"It's too hairy. I'll be right behind you."

"Want some help?" Natalia asked him.

"No, you focus on getting these guys out of here." He said, and that's when she knew what he was up to.

Maggie shot around the corner.

"Ready?" Daryl called out, throwing the grenade into the street.

"Bomb!" A man shouted.

"Come on, move!" Rick ushered as they headed for the wall.

"Glenn!" Maggie cried out.

"You're clear!"

"Go! Keep going!"

"This way!" Oscar shouted, leading them behind a bus, he helped Glenn and Maggie onto the bus as the others shot back.

Natalia noticed that Rick had stopped shooting, seeming to be in a daze.

Someone had shot Oscar down as she was watching him watch the man.

"No!" Glenn cried out as the prisoner fell.

Rick shot the man down, heading for him, but Natalia grabbed his arm, trying to pull him away.

"Rick, let's go! Come on!" She hissed as Maggie continuously called out his name. "Rick, now!"

He eventually began running with her.

Maggie had tried to help Oscar, but it was too late, so she shot him in the end and hopped onto the bus.

"Daryl, come on!" Natalia shouted to him as Rick climbed up.

"Daryl!"

"Go." He called out to the pair.

He didn't give them a choice, Rick pulled Natalia up onto the bus as they fled.

"Damn it, Daryl." She cussed the man out.

She followed the others as they all ran back towards the car they hid behind to scope the place out.

"Come on, Daryl" Rick muttered.

There was a rustling in the bushes, out came an injured and bleeding Michonne.

She went to go help the woman when Rick aimed his gun at her.

"Where the hell were you?" He asked her. "Put your hands up. Turn around. Turn around!" She did as she was told. Rick took her sword out the sheath. "Get what you came for?"

"Where are the rest of your people?" She asked him, leaning against the cart.

"They got Oscar." Glenn said, his gun pointed at her.

"Daryl's missing. You didn't see him?" Maggie asked, her gun pointing at the woman as well, Natalia was only one who hadn't.

"If anything happens to him-"

"I brought you here to save them." She cut him off.

"Thanks for the help."

"You'll need help to get them back to the prison or to go back in there for Daryl. Either way, you need me."

Rick and Natalia had managed to come up with a plan after getting Glenn and Maggie, back to the car, keeping an eye on Michonne as well .

When they had snuck back in, Natalia was shocked to see that the brothers were in a pit, with walkers on sticks being thrown at them as they fought each other, the crowd shouting and booing at them whilst the man with an eye bandage watched, his men holding back a blonde woman.

Natalia aimed her gun, taking out a walker that was heading straight for Daryl, then she shot at a young girl in a hat, roughly around the same age as her two friends. Rick threw a smoke bomb in the middle as she shot at some of his men, sending them down as well. Rick then began shooting as well, at any figure they saw, whilst taking out the lights.

They hid behind a large dumpster as people ran past them, Rick shone a flashlight ahead, catching Daryl and who she believed to be Merle heading straight for them, Daryl snatched his crossbow off someone just before Merle hit him across the head.

"Daryl" Rick called out, as they passed them, also after them.

They got back to the busses.

"They're all at the arena. This way," The older man said.

"You're not going anywhere with us." Rick told him.

"You really want to do this right now?" Merle began kicking at a metal sheet on the wall.

"Come on, man." Daryl grumbled. "Rick, come on, we gotta go."

"Go." Rick told Natalia, as he kept look out.

Once they climbed through the fence, they were met with Merle bashing in the head of a walker with his metal stump, there was clearly a story there.

Natalia shot at a walker, Rick doing the same and Daryl hitting them down with his crossbow.

"We ain't got time for this." Merle shouted, running off.

"Let's go!" Daryl told the pair, following his brother.

"We could of ended this, I had a clear shot!" Natalia hissed at Rick as the four ran through the woods.

"No, we need to get out of here."

"We wouldn't have to rush to get away if he was dead!"

"Nat, lets go" Daryl told her.

"Why are you not listening!"

"Listen, sweetheart." Merle started.

"Who are you calling sweetheart" She glared at him.

"Hey, Nat, we need to get Glenn home safe before we do anything, okay, I don't need you going and running off."

"What, like Daryl did?" She digged.

"Hey, watch your mouth." He told her.

"God, you're all idiots!" She stormed ahead of the woods, away from the three men, keeping her gun high, just in case.

"That's right, keep on walking, give us a show." Merle whistled from behind her.

If he wasn't Daryl's brother, she would've sent a knife hurling at his skull, instead she opted to flip him off.

"Leave her alone, man." Daryl muttered to his older brother.

"You got a lil crush, baby brother?" He teased.

"No, but she just saved both our asses, so lay off."

The sun had risen when they reached the car.

"Glenn." Rick called out.

"Rick, Rick, thank god." Glenn said, his breath laboured as he got up from the ground.

"Now we got a problem here, I need you to back up." Rick said, showing authority.

"What the hell is he doing here?!" Glenn shouted, raising his gun the same time Michonne pulled out her sword.

Natalia watched the show, this wasn't her business, and she didn't even blame them for being mad, she'd known the man less than a day, and she already didn't like him.

"Hey, hey. Put it down!" Rick shouted, raising his own gun at the swordswomen.

"Woah, woah, woah."

"He tried to kill me!" Michonne stressed.

"Look what he did! If it wasn't for him-"

"He helped us get out of there" Daryl said. "Drop it."

"Excuse me? I'm pretty sure me and Rick risked our lives going back in there to rescue you from your little family reunion, if I remember rightly, he was punching the shit out of you." Natalia leaned off the tree.

"Hey, we both took our licks, man." Merle put his hands up.

"Jackass." Daryl said to the amputee.

"Hey, shut up."

"Enough." Rick shouted over everyone.

Michonne attempted to sidestep Rick, but he moved in her way.

"Hey, hey, relax" Daryl turned around, before facing the group.

"Put that down, now." Rick told Michonne.

"Hey, get that damn thing out my face!" Daryl told Glenn.

Merle laughed.

"Man, look like you're going native, brother."

"No more than you hanging out with that psycho back there."

"Oh, yeah, man. He is a charmer. I got to tell you that."

"Where?" Natalia asked, completely puzzled that people kept using that word for the man.

"Been putting the wood to your girlfriend Andrea. Big time, baby."

She heard that name before, when Carl was trying to name the baby.

"Andrea? Andrea's in Woodbury?" Glenn asked.

"Right next to the Governor."

Michonne stepped forward once again.

"I told you to drop that!" Rick shouted at her. "You know Andrea?"

She didn't answer, glaring at the man in front of the tree.

"Hey, do you know Andrea?" Rick repeated.

"Yep, she does." Merle answered for her. "Her and blondie spent all winter cuddling up in the forest. Mm mmm yeah. My Nubian queen here had two pet walkers. No arms, cut off the jaws, kept them in chains. Kind of ironic, now that I think about it."

"Shut up, bro!" Daryl told him.

"Hey man, we snagged them out of the woods. Andrea was close to dying."

"Is that why she's with him?" Maggie asked.

"Yeah. Snug as two little bugs. So what you gonna do now, Sheriff, huh? Surrounded by a bunch of Liars, thugs and cowards, and this lil killer machine over here." He winked at Natalia.

"Shut up!" Rick told the insufferable man.

"Oh man, look at this, pathetic." He continued to laugh.

"Merle. Shut up" Daryl repeated.

"Shut up yourself, bunch of Pussies-" Rick thwacked him in the head with his gun.

"Asshole" He mumbled to himself.

"That's the best thing you've done all day." Natalia sighed, ignoring that it was the morning.

They had left Merle by the tree, going into the road to talk things out.

Daryl was trying to petition that Merle come back with them.

"It won't work." Rick shook his head. His hands on his hips.

"It's gotta." Daryl said.

"It'll stir things up."

"Look, the Governors probably on the way to the prison right now. Merle knows how he thinks. And we could use the muscle."

"I'm not having him in the prison." Maggie refused.

"Do you really want him sleeping in the same cell block as Carol or Beth?" Glenn asked him.

"He ain't a rapist."

"Are you sure?" Natalia threw out there.

"Well his buddy is." Glenn said, ignoring the look that Maggie had given him, but it seemed like the two other men had taken his comment lightly, this gave Natalia even more fuel to want to kill him.

"They ain't buddies no more. Not after last night."

"There's no way Merles gonna live there without putting everyone at each others throats."

"So you're gonna cut Merle loose and bring the last samurai home with us?" Daryl asked.

"Michonne hasn't tried to kill us." Natalia defended the woman.

"She's not coming back." Rick spoke over the woman.

"She's not in a state to be on her own." Maggie said.

"She did bring you guys to us."

"And then ditched us." Rick pointed out.

"Yeah, to go give our favourite pirate a taste of what his miserable death will be like." Natalia commented.

"Least let my dad stitch her up."

"She's too unpredictable."

"That's right, we don't know who she is."

"Says the man trying to petition Merle to come back with us. If you send her away, I'll go with her, someone's gotta make sure she doesn't die."

"You're not going anywhere" Rick told Natalia.

"Merles blood."

"No, Merle is your blood." Glenn retaliated. "My blood, my family is standing right here, and waiting for us back at the prison."

"And you're apart of that family." Rick told Daryl. "But he's not. He's not.

"Man, ya'll don't know." Daryl looked over at his brother, who was gaining consciousness. "Fine, we'll fend for ourselves."

"That's not what I was saying." Glenn argued.

"No him. No me."

"Daryl, you don't have to do that." Maggie said softly.

"It was always Merle and I before this." He shrugged.

"Daryl, you don't have to do that." Maggie said softly.

"It was always Merle and I before this." He shrugged.

"Don't"

"You serious, you're just gonna leave like that?" Glenn asked.

"You'd do the same thing."

"What do you want us to tell Carol?"

"She'll understand." He nodded at everyone before looking away. "Say goodbye to your pop for me."

"Daryl, are you serious? Daryl!" Maggie tried to stop him.

Daryl continued to walk away, the three watching as Rick caught up to him, talking quietly.

He took his things out of the trunk, saying goodbye to Rick before walking into the woods to his brother.

"Hey, you can come with us too, princess." Merle called out to a scowling Natalia, wiggling his tongue around in his mouth. "Give ol' Merle a bit'a company at night."

"My name is Natalia, and you can both go fuck yourselves." She called back, the older brother laughed, but Daryl bowed his head, walking ahead as Merle draped his arm around his shoulders.

Everyone placed their belongings into the trunk, getting in the car.

Natalia chose to sit shotgun.

Next.

#daryl dixon #daryl dixon smut #the walking dead daryl #twd daryl #carl grimes #carol peletier #daryl fanfiction #glenn rhee #michonne #rick grimes

[thesoftboiledegg]

Rue 21 is steadily adding new merchandise to the shelves. When I visited the mall, I found a new hoodie:

I'm not sure what's going on here. Something's electrocuting Rick and Morty, but they're weirdly passive about it? Lightning does appear in the title credits, but I think they'd have a stronger reaction to getting zapped.

A new shirt sat next to a stack of Back to the Future tees:

The layout makes a new use out of that worn-out image. It looks like a sci-fi movie poster.

Last year, they stocked Rick and Morty pajama pants when the temperature started to drop. I was hoping I'd see them again this year, and sure enough:

The fabric is so soft and cozy. Unfortunately, I don't wear pajama pants around the house.

I also stopped by the Rue 21 near my place yesterday and found a new item: women's undergarments. The top reminds you to "Avoid the Void" with another appearance from season one.

Back to the mall: the "nerdy" store still had the table crammed with Funko Pops, although it had thinned out a little. Some of you guys showed interest in these last time. I wish I could portal you into this store and cut you loose, lol.

Spencer's still doesn't have much new merchandise. I was hoping for a season seven display, but I guess this is bad timing since they're focused on their Halloween promotion.

Weirdly, Spencer's is one store that never gets new T-shirts. They regularly stock new apparel--socks, wallets, etc.--but the T-shirt selection never changes. Season seven did finally bring one new tee:

Rick gets electrocuted again. Zap!

As always, Pickle Rick and the Rick and Morty cube were crammed among the pillows. Rick's angry face glowered at the bottom. I don't know what he's mad about--Kirby looked pretty happy!

Season four socks. I enjoyed season four, but I need the merchandise to catch up to season five already. Give me Crow Witch Rick apparel!

This weekend also led me to another rural fair. Every craft fair has four or five booths selling tumblers with stolen images. I'm starting to wonder if it's part of an MLM, but it's probably just a quick way to make cash.

Still, how much money can they possibly be making? Everyone's doing it!

I found this same design at another rural fair, and it's also popular for weed paraphernalia. Every time I see it, I think "Why does Rick have a goatee?"

Finally, Five Below had a new poster:

The Fear Hole. Is this from season seven, or is this a reference from an old episode that I'm forgetting? Either way, it clearly didn't work because Morty's still screaming.

#rick and morty #rick sanchez #morty smith #rue 21 #five below #spencer's #roundup

[seaweedbraens]

Saw a recent ask of yours about percabeth was sidelined during BoO and totally agree. I've read all of WCWSTHWAS and I think you did a better job than rick at giving the new AND old characters their time to shine. What's your opinion on the new and old characters and their "screentime" through the series?

VERY interesting question - and thank you for the compliments! personally, i am struggling in my own fic to give every character their Moment. i think jason and piper got theirs, and hazel, leo, and frank will get theirs next chapter. i feel like percabeth's getting all the attention overall ahahaha, but i can't stop myself. i JUST LOVE THEM SO MUCH-

hoo is an interesting series. it's very hard to balance a story like that because the way rick did it, he introduced a new cast of characters while keeping the older fan faves (percy & annabeth) still VERY pivotal to the main plot. with this structure, he had the hard task of keeping the new characters fresh and interesting, while also having to make sure that he doesn't do a complete disservice to percy and annabeth, who are already well-known and incredibly loved within the fandom.

it's HARD. i am struggling with it right now, and i have a lot of respect for rick for accomplishing it (partially). i know i criticize rick a lot, but he hit a perfect balance with the first three books of hoo. tlh gave us good stuff from jason, leo, and piper with the PERFECT sprinkling of percy mentions and annabeth acting as a support. the son of neptune gave us all the percy content we were missing + 2 new characters with GREAT origin stories. the mark of athena gave us annabeth. and percabeth. need i say more?

the next two books are FUCKED. rick tried to give hazel her moment, but she is completely overshadowed by percabeth in tartarus. frank gets magicked hot and loses me entirely. leo went from being my favorite new character to my least favorite with the addition of calypso. idk what piper does, and jason is just a vehicle to show off the new favorite - nico. and then rick adds in the nico reveal, which, okay?? i personally was never THAT invested in nico, and his coming out (which is incredible for the lgbtqia+ community, not denying that) came out of left field, didn't align with what we saw of him in pjo, and his coming out itself was forced. literally. which left me feeling...super off about it. if he was gonna come out, it should have at least been his choice.

my point is: the house of hades has SEVEN POVs, a HUGE step up from the usual three, which is...a choice. percabeth (and to some extent hazel) gets the spotlight. the lost hero trio doesn't really get too much screentime other than leo meeting calypso, so why did we get ALL OF THEIR povs? and then...nico is thrust into the spotlight?? why???? we already have 7 characters to focus on. why did we need another? a mess.

and then, in the blood of olympus, we get...five povs. jason, leo, and piper, and...reyna and nico?? MAKE IT MAKE SENSE. i did not give ONE FUCK about the journey back to camp with the athena parthenos, and even if it was necessary, why did we need BOTH reyna and nico's povs? at the MOST we just needed one. i HATED leo's new lovestruck ramblings. and the characters that we had grown up with, percy and annabeth, were shafted on a whole new level. i don't remember frank and hazel getting much time to shine either. it's offensive. it's genuinely offensive.

with those last two books, rick completely shatters the balance he spent the first three books doing VERY well. with the last two books, i lose complete sight of who the fuck to care about within the new cast of characters, and so the only ones i DID end up caring about were the ones i cared about all along: percy and annabeth! and what happens to them? they are completely wasted in the final book. after tartarus, we needed one of their povs to know that they were okay, and we got none of that. yeah, NO.

i know i went the fuck off on this and i didn't mean to, i swear! it just gets me so angry, because rick just...was not making good choices towards the latter half of the series. his choice to include percy and annabeth in an important role in the new series was to keep the old audience hooked while still attracting a new one, and he completely botched it. if he was going to make them lynchpin characters, he should have given them the respect they deserve in the final book. if he wasn't going to use them, he should have just left them in supporting roles, the way he did in toa. you can't get both, and i think hoo proves that.

in the end, none of the characters got a satisfying ending (imo), other than maybe nico (LOL), and the audience isn't fuckin happy. or maybe they are, and i'm just an old bitter grandma in her rocking chair screaming about things long forgotten.

(a very late disclaimer: this is all just my opinion. you can disagree with me, and that's cool!)

[biggerbetterbat]

WITH YOU [24] SORRY, BROTHER

Daryl Dixon x OC!Charlie Reed

Summary: Charlie finds out that one person know about her secret. The group has to decide what to do with Randall. A tragedy happens.

Warnings: language, character's death, blood, animals death, agnst

Song: idk IF YOU HAVE AN IDEA FOR THE SONG HIT ME UP

A/N: Hello ;) Update: I love making edits. Thank you for your activity here, I love getting notifications from you. Only two chapters to end the Act!!!! As usual I hope you like the chapter!

"Boy there's got a gang, 30 men," said Daryl as he appeared near the fire as he was done talking with Randall. "They have heavy artillery and they ain't looking to make friends. They roll through here, our boys are dead. And our women, they're gonna...they're gonna wish they were."

Charlie looked down at his hands which were covered in blood and bruised. Carol seemed to see the same as she asked. "What did you do?"

"Had a little chat." he shrugged and threw Charlie a look as he was passing her.

"No one goes near this guy," Rick said out loud.

"Rick, what are you gonna do?" Lori asked.

"We have no choice." he shook his head. "He's a threat. We have to eliminate the threat."

"You're just gonna kill him?" Dale asked terrified as he heard those words.

"It's settled." Rick ignored him. "I'll do it today."

He was sitting away from everyone, pouring water on his hands, to clean them from blood. It was visible that he was in pain, but he tried everything so his face wouldn't show this. Charlie sighed at his stubbornness to ask Hershel for painkillers or something, so she did that."Let me help you."

"I don't want your help," he said.

"I didn't ask." she rolled her eyes. "Give me your hand."Daryl was looking at her like a scared kitten that got stuck in a tree, so she reached for his wrist and brought it closer to her. "Why you're so stubborn."

"Because I can handle it."

Charlie opened a bottle with disinfection liquid and he was ready to feel the painful pinching, but it never came. She poured some liquid on the cloth and delicately placed it on the wound. As soon as she picked the cloth she brought his hand closer to her lips, blowing cool air on it.

"You're good with this," Daryl said, examining her face. "Let me guess...one of your brothers?" he said as she was opening her mouth.

"Will," she said. "He had a bad temper and always was in the middle of the fight. Then Zac was trying to help him and usually ended up just like you. With his hands all in blood," she explained. "You did something like this?"

By this, she meant interrogating or rather torturing Randall.

"No," he answered. "It's my first time. But I saw people do this."

She looked at him.

"My brother had many friends."

"And they taught you how to open a beer with a shoelace?" Charlie smiled.

Daryl smirked and shook his head. "They taught me many things."

The weather was strange that day. When the sun was hidden behind the clouds it was cold, but as soon as it showed up again the heat was hard to bear. Charlie was walking towards the house to drop off a bag with equipment she used on Daryl's hands. She felt a smile creeping up her face at the thought of the man. He was acting like a puppy that was kicked out of the house, so now it was hard for him to trust others.

"Charlie," Dale called her name when she was passing the RV by.

She sighed because she knew why he wanted to talk with her. "It's not up to me, Dale."

"But if we gather more people it will be up to us," said Dale.

"And what's your reason?"

"A reason?" he opened his eyes wider not believing that she even asked for a reason to save someone's life.

"Well, Rick said he's a threat. And Daryl just confirmed this," she answered.

"He's a young man, Charlie. We can make him a part of our group just like we did to you." he reasoned.

"Woah, woah. Stop your horse." she gasped and stopped her steps. "I had one gun without any bullet and five knives, not 30 men ready to kill you."

"Think about your brothers!" he called after her, making her stop in her tracks. "You would like them to have a chance!"

"My brothers are dead," she said. "And they were good people. They wouldn't join some assholes like him."

"You can be a good person and make mistakes," he said and looked her in the eyes. "You're a good person, but made some mistakes, right?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," she said and turned away.

Dale followed her. "Irma, my wife, was a fan of this one breakfast TV, where she was watching this lovely and sweet girl."

Charlie once again stopped in her tracks but didn't look at him. Her heart stopped beating.

"She was sick, so she had a lot of time to scroll through the channels, and one morning she found you. She started calling you her daughter as she fell for your warm smile and kind eyes," he said.

She looked at him, expecting what he could tell her.

"Sometime before her death, she wrote a letter for you. But it was sent back, not opened." he said."After she died I wanted to meet you and talk with you. That's what my wife would like. It was her dream." he said. "In the meantime, the virus happened and I saw you inviting people to the refuge center, that was my chance." he smiled at the memory. "But it wasn't safe like you said. I barely made it out alive. You lied."

She tightened her lips."I have no idea what you're talking about."

"You lied to people. Lead them to death," he said. "But you're not a bad person. You had your reasons."

"Randall can lead us to death just like I did back in Atlanta," she said finally admitting what Dale accused her of. There was no point in acting like she had no idea what he was talking about. Dale knew.

"But we can change that!" he said. "You can redeem yourself for lying."

"Listen," she closed her eyes. "I did what I did, it's done. My punishment is living with this and you don't have to remind me of any of that," she said firmly. "You say Randall is my redemption? I say all of you are. I'm trying to help you all, so we can all survive. That's my redemption. Caring for people that I consider friends. Not some random guy that can get us all killed. That's my redemption!" she said. "And I did get the letter from your wife. But I just didn't feel like responding. See? I'm not a good person. Just like Randall isn't one. So maybe instead of convincing everyone, you should try just open your eyes."

At sunset, everyone gathered in Hershel's living room to decide what to do with their prisoner. It wasn't the most comfortable situation, because being the one to decide whether someone should live or die was cruel. Randall was probably terrified in that shed, all alone, in fear of what they could do to him or if walkers were somewhere around.

"How's your hand?" Charlie whispered to Daryl, as she stood next to him.

"Hurt like a bitch." he said. "I'll live. Don't worry."

She smiled and looked around the room, checking if everyone's present already. "So how do we do this? Just take a vote?" Charlie asked when the silence was killing her.

"Does it have to be unanimous?" Andrea asked nodding her head.

"How about majority rules?" Lori said.

"Well, let's just see where everybody stands, then we can talk through the options," Rick answered.

"Well, where I sit, there's only one way to move forward," said Shane in a firm voice.

"Killing him. Right?" Dale snapped. "I mean, why even bother to take a vote? It's clear which way the wind's blowing.

"Well, if people believe we should spare him," said Rick. "I wanna know."

"Well, I can tell you, it's a small group...maybe just me, Glenn, and Charlie," Dale said looking at the mentioned people.

"Look, I..." Glenn looked down and then at the old man. "I think you're pretty much right about everything all the time, but this..."

"They've got you scared!" the old man interrupted. "Charlie?"

"He's not one of us," said Charlie. "And we've...we've lost too many people already."

Dale opened his eyes even wider in disbelief, turning his attention to Maggie. "How about you? Do you agree with this?"

"Couldn't we continue keeping him prisoner?" she asked Rick with furrowed eyebrows.

"Just another mouth to feed."

"It may be a lean winter." Hershel nodded.

"We could ration better." reasoned Lori.

"Well, he could be an asset." Dale tried to make a point. "Give him a chance to prove himself."

"Put him to work?"

"We're not letting him walk around."

"We could put an escort on him." "Who wants to volunteer for that duty?"

"I will," Dale said immediately.

"I don't think any of us should be walking around with this guy," Rick said.

"He's right."

"I wouldn't feel safe unless he was tied up," said Lori.

"We can't exactly put chains around his ankles, sentence him to hard labor." Andrea rolled her eyes.

"Look, say we let him join us, right? Maybe he's helpful, maybe he's nice," said Shane. "We let our guard down and maybe he runs off, brings back his 30 men."

"So the answer is to kill him to prevent a crime that he may never even attempt?!" Dale gasped. "If we do this, we're saying there's no hope. The rule of law is dead. There's no civilization."

"Oh, my God," Shane said in awe.

"Could you drive him further out?" "Leave him like you planned?"

"You barely came back this time." Lori protested. "There are walkers. You could break it down. You could get lost."

"Or get ambushed," Daryl added.

"They're right." Rick nodded. "We should not put our own people at risk."

"If you go through with it, how would you do it?" Carol asked. "Would he suffer?"

"We could hang him, right?" Shane looked at Rick. "Just snap his neck."

"I thought about that." Grimes nodded. "Shooting may be more humane."

"And what about the body? Do we bury him?" T-Dog wondered.

"Hold on, hold on, hold on." Dale raised his arms. "You're talking about this like it's already decided."

"You've been talking all day, going around in circles," Daryl answered to Dale in annoyance. "You just wanna go around in circles again?"

"This is a young man's life, and it is worth more than a five-minute conversation!" he snapped. "Is this what it's come to? We kill someone because we can't decide what else to do with him? You saved him and now look at us. He's been tortured. He's gonna be executed. How are we any better than those people that we're so afraid of?"

"We all know what needs to be done."

"No, Dale is right," Rick said. "We can't leave any stone unturned here. We have a responsibility..."

"So what's the other solution?" Andrea asked, interrupting Rick.

"Let Rick finish," Lori said.

"I'm so done with this conversation," Charlie muttered under her nose and Daryl looked at her with a nod.

"We haven't come up with a single viable option yet. I wish we could." Rick said.

"So let's work on it!" Dale tried to convince them.

"We are!"

"Stop it. Just stop it." Carol silenced everyone. "I'm sick of everybody arguing and fighting I didn't ask for this."

"Yeah. I agree with Carol." Charlie said. "You can't ask us to decide something like this.

"Please decide...either of you, both of you...but leave me out." Carol nodded.

"Not speaking out or killing him yourself, there's no difference." the old man said.

Charlie opened her eyes wider at his accusation and opened her mouth wider.

"All right, that's enough," she said to Dale and was ready to throw hands- at least that's what Daryl thought, he was afraid that she would actually punch the old man so he held her by her wrist.

"Anybody that wants the floor before we make a final decision has the chance," Rick said, looking around.

"You once said that we don't kill the living," Dale said.

"Well, that was before the living tried to kill us."

"But don't you see? If we do this, the people that we were...the world that we knew is dead." the old man said. "And this new world is ugly. It's...harsh. It's...it's survival of the fittest. And that's a world I don't wanna live in, and I don't believe that any of you do. I can't. Please. Let's just do what's right. Isn't there anybody else who's gonna stand with me?"

"He's right." Andrea finally gave in. "We should try to find another way."

"Anybody else?" Rick asked and looked at Charlie.

"I'm with Carol," said Charlie, shrugging her shoulders. "Whatever she decides, there's where my vote is."

"Are y'all gonna watch too?" Dale asked sarcastically. "No, you'll go hide your heads in your tents and try to forget that we're slaughtering a human being. I won't be a part of it," he said and as he passed Daryl, he placed a hand on his arm. "This group is broken."

When Rick was back with Carl, she knew the kid made trouble. They didn't hear a shot, so obviously something went wrong...and obviously that something happened because of Carl. She just knew. The look in Rick's eyes that was showing worry and his grip on the kid made it completely clear. Then he said that Randall would be in custody, which confirmed that something changed his mind. Shane was clearly angry about this, but he just passed everyone and sat down by the fire.

Andrea on the other hand was very happy and wanted to find Dale to share the happy news. Charlie offered her to help with finding him, so it would be quicker.

Was she happy that they didn't kill Randall? She didn't mind, because his life didn't mean anything to her. She didn't even talk with him and she had to worry about her people. But to Dale, it was a big deal, so she was determined to find him...and apologize for not backing him up back in the house...and maybe, just maybe, try to convince him to keep his mouth shut about what she did. Charlie saw him walking through the fields with his gun on the back. "Dale! Dale wait!"

"Why?!" he yelled. "So you can tell me all the details of the execution? No thank you," he said and raised one of his arms, so she knew that he was passing the offer.

"Dale! Wait!" she yelled after him and started jogging towards him. It was hard due to the high grass and he was much ahead of her. She placed her foot on the ground after making a big step and immediately she felt that the grass was strange, more slippery. Charlie looked down and saw that she stepped in a puddle...a puddle of blood. Fear. That's how she felt when her eyes looked up and saw a cow or rather what was left of it. She didn't have a gun, the only weapon was her knife...and that just seemed not enough. "Dale, wait for me!"

He stopped, but not after her pleas, no. He stopped once he saw another dead cow. She looked down one more time at the guts that were falling out of the cow. Something that ate her must have been really hungry because the cow was almost all gone. Charlie looked up.

In that moment her heart stopped.

The man probably realized what was going on and his intention was to get them both away from the field. When he turned to call Charlie and voice his concerns he found himself face to face with a disgusting beast. Its face was still covered in cow's blood, but apparently, two animals weren't enough and it was starving to have Dale as a desert. "Charlie!"

But she was stuck. First of all, she had just her knife, and the Walker seemed more aggressive than normal. It was stronger and faster due to its dinner party before. She wanted to help that was out of the question, but at that particular moment, a thought ran through her brain. If Dale was dead, her secret would be safe, no one would know about her crimes and she wouldn't have to put herself in danger. But that thought was quickly followed by another thought. The exact same way of thinking created this whole mess. She wanted safety and she lied to everyone, she led hundreds of people to death for her own safety.

"DALE! No!" she yelled and started to run towards him."Help! HELP!"

 Dale was trying to hold it back, but the force the Walker was pushing onto him made both of them fall. The man let out a call that sounded like Charlie and tried to push away the Walker.

"HELP! HELP! HERE!" she was yelling.

When he heard her screams there was no hesitation. His body switched to the autopilot as he started running in the direction of her. All he had in mind was her and what was going on right now. His heart was biting hundred a mile and the fear was just making him run even faster.

"CHARLIE!" Daryl screamed.

Dixon was scared. Just three days ago they lost Sophia and they couldn't save her, so now that he was hearing Charlie's screams he knew that he had to do whatever it took to help her. Because he couldn't lose her.

The moment Charlie was right next to Dale, was the moment she saw a picture that made her freeze as panic was overflowing her body. She wanted to push the Walker away and kill him, but she had never seen anything like that in her life. The dead didn't bite Dale as it couldn't reach him, so it ripped him open. His insides were visible, guts falling out and blood just pouring from him like from a cup. She was frozen once again. Charlie wanted to move, but just couldn't. That could have been her instead of Dale.

Strong tackle made the Walker fall from Dale and a smooth hit in the head killed it for good."Help! Over here! Help! Run!" Daryl waved to the others. "Charlie don't look!"

But she couldn't, she was so scared that she couldn't make herself turn away. Dale was dying because of her.

"Oh, my God. Oh, God. Alright just listen to my voice. Listen to me, all right?" Rick said as he kneeled next to Dale. "Okay, hold on now. Get Hershel! He needs blood. We got to operate now!"

There were more and more people coming to the scene, they were gasping and sobbing as they realized what happened. Andrea dropped to her knees and started crying. Sobbs were mixing in the air with Dale's whimpers.

"What happened?" asked Hershel when he finally arrived.

"I tried to warn him. I was running so fast, but I couldn't make it. When I was here he was already..." Charlie tried to tell everyone what happened.

"What can we do?" Rick interrupted her.

"Dale, it's gonna be okay." Glenn tried to assure the man.

"Can we move him?" Rick asked.

"He won't make the trip." Hershel shook his head.

"You have to do the operation here," Charlie demanded through the tears.

"Glenn get back to the house." Rick nodded and was ready to command everyone, but when he saw Hershel's face that was just screaming that there was nothing they could do, he screamed. "NO!"

"He's suffering," Charlie said.

"Do something!" Andrea demanded.

Daryl turned Charlie's shaking body, so it was facing back to Dale. Her head was still turning towards the man, so Daryl just hugged her tight to his body and whispered in her ear. "Don't look."

She hugged him back and her body was convulsing in sobs. She just couldn't stop crying, because she couldn't save Dale, if only she was faster. One of his hands was holding her neck to prevent it from turning and he tangled his fingers in her braided hair.

"Sorry brother," said Daryl.

Gunshot.

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To the end and back | Daryl Dixon x f!reader

Frozen

This is a small little oneshot that takes place between seasons!

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we've been on the move recently; we stop at houses or buildings pick through what they have left and then maybe stay the night. I don't know how much time has passed by since the farm, but I do know that we're at least halfway through winter. Lori is just starting to show which makes this whole baby thing feel so much more real now. we're stopped in the middle of the road deep in the forest while Daryl and rick are out hunting for food, we're in the middle of going from one town to another and rick didn't want to drive through the night, so we've set up camp in a little clearing not far from the road.

we've still got light so we're still walking around searching the area to make sure there aren't any walkers in the area. carl and I are searching one side of the forest while t and Glenn are searching for the other leaving Maggie Hershel and carol to stay with Lori. "You think we're gonna find anything?" carl asks as were walking through the woods. I shrug "Dunno might but most of the walkers have frozen by no-" I cut myself off when I hear the sound of shuffling to my right. "shh" I put my finger up to my lips and gesture for carl to follow me.

I follow after the sound until I come across a little girl sobbing, she's got to be maybe 5 or 6 years old she's got blonde hair that goes down to her shoulders. she's bundled up in a blanket I wonder how long she's been out here alone. "Is she-" carl quickly cuts himself off as she looks up at us and points a small revolver at us. I eyes widen as I push carl behind me "I-we're not gonna hurt you" I whisper, tears are still falling down her cheeks as she shakily points the gun at us. I slowly make my way towards her "I'm y/n and this is carl" I say pointing at carl "and we've got a group out there near the road. we have food, and fire and cars" I say as I kneel down in front of her. "what's your name sweetheart?"

"Ca-Casey" she whispers as she drops the gun into her lap. I nod as I turn back toward carl telling to come closer. "where's your parents Casey?" I hear Carl's footsteps as he comes up behind us "the-" a tear falls down her cheek "they turned" she cries, I wonder how long ago they turned it didn't seem like she's been here long. "I'm so sorry Casey, do you want to come with us to our group" she nods "alright, carl can you keep a look out?" I ask as I stand up and lend Casey my hand.

-

once we get back to camp everyone is confused, we left to make sure there wasn't any walkers around and came back with a little girl. "who's this?" Lori asks as she walks over to us. she pulls her son into a hug as I say, "this is Casey, found her out there poor thing was freezing" her brows furrow together as she whispers "parents?" I shake my head and she nods and kneels down in front of Casey "hi Casey I'm Lori, how old are you sweetheart?" she asks softly. "Fi-five" she whispers "can I take that from you and put it with our others?" Lori asks pointing to the gun in her hand. Casey shakes her head "my daddy gave it to me" she whispers. Lori sighs and nods "alright just keep the safety on for right now" she says as she reaches for Casey's gun and turns on the safety.

Lori stands up and pushed her hair back behind her ears before saying "I've got some canned soup you can feed her if you want it" I nod "yeah, yeah I'll take it" I whisper. I don't know how that little girl was able to survive out in the cold by herself, maybe her parents just recently died. I take Casey over to spot closest to the fire and let Casey sit between my legs. I wrap my blanket around her shoulders and watch as Lori heats up a can of soup over the fire. I wonder how rick and Daryl are going to react to her, we've barely got food for ourselves, but I couldn't just leave her out there. she would've died if I left her.

-

Daryl and rick come back when the sun starts to set. rick doesn't notice the new child sitting in my lap eating a can of soup, but Daryl does. "who's this?" he asks as he presses a kiss to my cheek. "This is Casey found her out in the woods" I say as Daryl places his bow down and sits down next to us. "We keepin' her?" he asks, I roll my eyes of course we were we can't just leave a little girl on her own with nothing but a gun. I was thinking we could take care of her, like take her under our wing and raise her. "Yeah, I was thinking we could take care of her y'know" his brows furrow together, I knew Daryl wasn't sure about even having kids because of how his father "rick and Lori don't wanna take care of her?" I roll my eyes. rick and Lori are about to have a baby and I don't think they want to add another kid to their responsibilities. "they're about to have a baby Daryl" he lets out a frustrated sigh "alright wha's the kids name again?"

"Casey her name is Casey."

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Harley D. Dixon 15

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Author's Note. As usual, please enjoy reading, everyone :) <3

Title might give it away, but we've all been waiting for this chapter winky wink

"How long's this girl been lost, exactly?"

"This'll be day five, now."

This'll be day three of my Dad bein' unconscious, I muse to myself solemnly, sitting nearby. It's the next morning, now, and with Dad's treatment more promising and Glenn taking iron supplements to help replace all the nutrients he lost from the blood he gave, people have decided that it's time to resume the search for Sophia. It's not gonna be an easy task, no matter how you spin it. By now, she could be anywhere. If I had five days to walk anywhere in the world, I could be halfway across the country already.

As I watch a brown butterfly flitter elegantly along the edge of the truck bed, lost in thought, Rick smooths a map out across the hood.

"Country survey map." He announces. "It shows terrains and elevations for fifty miles. We'll grid the whole area; search in teams."

"Finally get this thing organized." Dale hums, nodding.

"So far, we've covered this lower region, here, all the way up to this part of the river." Rick drags a finger this way and that over the page. "This is 'round about where we found Harley, down by this slope. Carol said Harley told her she followed this whole bit here and found Sophia's doll somewhere close by. Maybe around this part, here. Between everything that's been goin' on, we haven't gotten a chance to check it out until now, but I'm thinking we start today. Should take about a couple hours to cover, I reckon, with two people."

"And who are you suggesting goes with you?"

"I was thinkin' Glenn, but he needs rest. How 'boutchu, Shane?"

Shane, who's been mostly staring at the grass this whole conversation, looks up.

"Nah." He shakes his head. "My ankle's still pretty busted, man. Best if I hang back on this one."

"Okay, sure."

"Looks like it's just you, then, Rick." Herschel says.

The butterfly chooses this moment to fly away, leading my gaze up, and then onto Shane. His ankle's fit as a damn fiddle. I saw him doin' push ups this morning, but I don't say nothin'. He's been hovering around me since yesterday afternoon like a little insect that I just can't shake, staring at me, pokin' around. Something about Rick's return with the supplies seems to have affected him in a way I can't place.

Few days ago, I would've felt so safe having Shane this close to me, but now I know that's like a bunny feelin' safe around a coyote.

"Actually," Rick butts in, "Harley?"

I snap out of it, suddenly, meeting his eyes.

"Yeah?"

"You wanna come with me?"

"Huh?"

I didn't expect him to ask me that, of all things.

"I could use your help, y'know." He adds. "You'd recognise more of those woods than any of us will."

"That's a good idea." Dale agrees aloud, mainly just for the sake of convincing me. "Doctor, you think she's good to do some exploring?"

"As long as she doesn't put too much strain on those stitches," Herschel nods, "I don't see why not."

"Perfect. What do you say?"

Wow. They really wanna get me outta here today. I guess a few hours away from the house won't be so bad. I'm sick'a Shane breathin' down my neck, anyways.

"Okay," I eventually decide, "I'll go."

Shane suddenly looks like he's regretting his decision to stay here.

"Attagirl. You don't need t'be cooped up in that room, worrying all day." Rick smiles. "Your Dad might even be awake, time we get back. You wanna go getcher hat?"

Dale nods. "Hot out."

"Okay. I think I left it by the well when I was playin' this morning."

"Go take a look, then."

Herschel and Dale help me hop off the truck.

"We'll leave in five minutes, okay, Harley?"

"Okay!"

I make it across the dry field, where Carl is peering down into the pit of the water well.

"Hey, Carl," I say, approaching. "You seen my hat 'round here?"

"Harley! C'mere!"

"What is it?"

"Down here. Look." He leans over the cobbled wall, and I follow his pointing finger into the stinky, murky depths below. "You see it?"

I don't, at first, but then I get a whole big whiff of rotting meat and dead insect-mush, and I make out somethin' moving around down there in the dark, which makes me squeak a little in disgust. Might be an ogre down there. Ogres are gross. I saw in a movie that they pick their noses.

"Hell's that?" I ask, scrunching my nose. "Stinks."

"A walker, I think."

"A walker?!"

There it is. I see it, now. Those shiny things are slippery limbs, and those lumpy ones are big, gross pustules.

I cringe loudly. "Eugh!"

"I know, right?" Carl exclaims, somewhat excitedly. "I think it fell in somehow."

"Well, we best not mess with it."

He straightens, only now registering why I'm over here. "Wait, where are you going if you need your hat? You wanna play tag again?"

"No. I can't. Your Dad's takin' me out to look for Sophia."

He looks confused.

"What? Not Shane?"

I make a face. "No. He's stayin'."

"Aw, man. Why didn't Dad ask me?"

"I'on know."

"Well, can I come, too?"

"No, Carl."

We both spin around to face Rick, who holds up my flimsy green bucket hat in the air as he approaches.

"It's just me and Harley today. Sorry."

When he's close enough, he fixes the hat onto my head.

"You found it?"

He nods.

Carl whines. "Why can't I come, too, Dad?"

He helps me drag the little bauble of the jaw-string all the way up under my chin, since it's kinda tough to do with little hands.

"Harley's goin' through a bit of a tough time right now, Carl. She could use some time away from the house. You're good right here."

Carl pouts.

"Besides," Rick shrugs, "Who's gonna protect this place while we're away?"

He rolls his eyes. "Be serious."

"I am serious."

"No, you're not. Dale's the one who keeps watch. Not me."

"Well, how 'bout you go ask him if you can join him today, huh?"

His eyes widen. "Really?"

"Yeah. I'm sure he'd appreciate that."

As Rick stands up, Carl considers the offer.

"Yeah, okay. I'll do it." He sticks up a finger. "But only if I get a gun."

"Woah. No, no, no. One step at a time, okay?" He laughs, nodding me back toward the gate. "Come on, Harley. We're goin', now."

Carl stomps his foot.

"But, Dad!"

"No. Go ask your mother!"

I can't help but snicker. Poor Carl.

"I can still be useful, you know. It's never stopped me before."

When we make it back to the main gate, where a few of our group are waiting to send us off, we walk into a small argument between Herschel and Shane. We stay out of it for the most part as Andrea hands Rick a backpack filled with useful supplies and one of our rifles.

"You push your ankle now," Herschel warns, "You'll be laid up in bed for a month, no good to anybody. I thought I made that clear."

"You did." Shane nods, playing along to get what he wants, "But I just feel like they could use an extra pair of eyes out there, that's all."

Rick raises a brow. "Thought you said you would hang back."

"Well, compared to what Harley's got, this is nothin'. Just a... a damn twist." He laughs it off. "Should be fine."

"I'm not comfortable with that." Rick firmly states, going back to loading the gun.

Shane just stares at him, annoyed with this conclusion.

"How about you take the car?" Herschel suggests. "It's better than walking. You can head back to the interstate; search for Sophia that way."

He sighs. "Yep. Yeah, okay. That's fine."

"Alright, then. And remember, no guns on my property."

Rick nods. "Loud and clear. We're guests here. We understand."

"Cute hat." Maggie grins, pinching the brim.

I giggle. "Thanks."

"Okay. We're off." Rick slings the bag over his shoulder. "If we're not back by dark, start worrying."

"Sure thing." Andrea smacks his shoulder. "Be safe."

Lori gives his cheek a kiss.

"Look after her, and be careful."

He smiles, nodding as Maggie opens the gate for us. "I will."

Even when we make it all the way to the treeline, I can still tell that Shane is pissed.

"Step over this rock, here. You got it?"

"Yeah."

"There we go. Nothin' stops you, does it?"

"Nope."

"Thought so."

Hiking with Rick ain't all that bad. We make our way into the woods, trailing the creek together for about an hour, before I start to recognise some of the oddly shaped tree trunks, mushroom clusters, and peculiar boulders out here. It reminds me a little of hiking with my Dad, especially when Rick stops to make me drink some water every once in a while, or tells me to watch out for a hole or snag in the ground. I never thought Rick could be like this, but he is a Dad, after all. He's got Carl. Everything I've found Shane's tried to do with me, Rick does it a hundred times more naturally.

He doesn't even make me uncomfortable when he does it, neither. It's almost like this is what it's meant to feel like, all this time.

"Good to be away from the farm for a bit, ain't it?" He muses, avoiding saying, away from Shane.

Up ahead, I notice a log caught in the stream.

"Hey, Rick."

"Yeah, Harley?"

"I saw this." Some frogs hop into the water when we reach it. "Yeah. This is where I found Matilda. She was in the water, right here."

He glances at me.

"Who?"

"Matilda." I repeat. "Sophia's doll."

"Oh. Right. Yeah. I knew that was her name."

"Did ya, really?"

"Not a clue. Let's look around a bit, huh?"

We spend some time combing the dirt and mud near the creek for tracks, but most of the imprints we uncover either belong to woodland animals, thirsty birds, or me, from when I was lost. We can tell 'cause when I step on 'em, the size and patterns are a perfect match to my boots. Just by pure luck, we eventually find some different, slightly bigger markings that could belong to Sophia, hiding under leaves.

We follow them into the trees.

I feel bad for not doin' this the day I came across the doll. If I did, we might've found her by now.

As we walk, I think more about Shane, and how Carl got made to stay behind today, even though he's older, and he ain't even hurt.

"How come you didn't bring Carl with us?"

Rick looks back at me.

"I just thought you could use some time away from everybody; get your mind off everythin' for a while, that's all."

"But you could'a done that without takin' me out here. Maggie did. We went peach pickin' in the orchard yesterday."

"I know." Rick sighs, reluctant to elaborate.

"But?"

"Well... One difference between the orchard and these woods is that there ain't no way for Shane to bug you out here like he can back there."

I almost trip over a pebble, but I save myself just in time.

"Soon as he brought up that ankle of his, I thought it would be a good opportunity." He raises a brow. "You know, don't think I haven't noticed all'a this. Not just the recent staring and the... the whatever-else he's been doin', but something's been goin' on there for quite some time now, I think. Maybe even before the CDC. I don't know. Whatever it is, I wanted you away from it for a few hours."

I always knew Rick was sorta smart, but I guess he's been paying more attention than I thought.

I don't say nothin', so he prompts, "Am I right?"

Yes, he's right. I wish he wasn't, but I can't change things like that.

"Yeah." I awkwardly shrug. "I guess."

"Care to clue me in?"

"Not really."

"Your Dad said the same thing when I brought it up with him. What? Is it some deep, dark, Dixon secret I'm not allowed in on?"

I giggle a little. "No. Not that."

"Then, what is it?"

"I don't know. A different type of secret."

"And what type is that?"

"A..." I put some thought into it. "It's a big secret."

He glances at me again.

If he's having a hard time navigating this, or he's feeling uncomfortable, then he's not letting on at all. In fact, I think he planned this.

"A big secret, hm?" He muses casually. "What makes it so big?"

"Because if I tell you even a little, tiny bit of it, then you'll need to know the whole thing, and I'm not allowed to tell you that."

"No? How about you try?"

"What? Tell you a little, tiny bit?"

"Just a little, tiny bit."

Something tells me no matter what I say, Rick's hanging on my every word and he's gonna remember 'em. I guess this is it, then — The moment I finally tell someone. His back is turned to me, walking just a couple feet ahead, which makes it much easier to treat this like it's nothin'. Wonder if he's doin' it on purpose. I never imagined it would be him I'd talk to about this, but here I am, anyway.

Okay. Just a little, tiny bit. Here I go.

"I think Shane did something really, really, bad."

I wish I could see Rick's face.

Unconfident, I stammer, "There you go. That's a little, tiny bit."

I think Shane tried to murder my Dad. I think he shot him. He shot him for beating on me, but that's another little, tiny bit for another day.

"Okay." Rick says, like he's digesting everything he's thinking; everything he's assuming, concluding, planning. He nods. "Okay."

Shane did something really, really bad, and so did my Dad, and so did I.

"Can I ask you one more question, though, Harley?"

"Yeah?"

"What would happen if you told me the whole secret?"

Oh, that's easy.

"Something even worse would happen."

We make it to a church.

An old, knobbly tree leans over the side of it.

"This the one?"

"Sure is."

When I told 'em about the faint ringing of church bells I heard that day, they explained that there really was a church out here, and that they even stopped at it for a while that afternoon, thinking one of us girls must've been causing the noise, but we weren't. The sound is on a timer.

The door creeks sorely as we step inside, immediately struck by a wall of pure dust and the smell of mothballs.

"Pleh." I mutter.

With a quick look around the barren room, it's obvious that Sophia isn't here.

Never one to be discouraged easily, Rick sets the bag down on one of the wooden benches, and gestures for me to take a seat.

"Trail ends here, I suppose. Maybe we can pick it up again later." He sighs, passing me a cloth filled with pear slices. "You gettin' tired, yet?"

"Not so much. Sittin' on this bench-thing is helpin', though."

He chuckles, "You mean a pew?" 

"Pew?" I exclaim. "Pew, as in, like, a gun? Goin' pew-pew?"

"Exactly like that."

"Weird. Why not just call 'em benches?"

"'Cause churches like to be fancy."

"Well, I ain't fancy."

"Nobody is, anymore. Except maybe Herschel."

He settles down beside me on the pew, and we take a short lunch break together. I unwrap the fruit and begin eating the slender pieces of fresh pear, which are kinda warm from sitting in the backpack all morning — Ew — while Rick snacks on his slightly lesser portion. I look around the church. It's much smaller than the one from our hometown. Ours had a classroom and a foyer and everything, but this one's more like a really big, dirty bedroom.

"Did you ever go to church?" I ask Rick, for no reason other than I want to. "Back when you could?"

"Sometimes," He answers, "But not always."

"We did. They used to give out free stuff. Every time we went, Dad was sure they was gonna tell us we had to leave, but it never happened."

"Did you enjoy going?"

"No... The other kids were always lookin' at us funny."

He smiles sadly. Then he says, "Carl didn't like going, either. He hated having to dress up."

"Did he ever pray?"

"Not really, no. I don't think he believes in all of that."

I don't know what someone like Carl would need to pray for. I bet he had a whole heap of toys, and all the friends he could ever want.

Rick catches me staring at the statue of Jesus at the head of the room, a dull hunk of wood more than anything, lent a pretty, fractured spotlight by the stained window behind it. Carol told me she prayed here, for me and Sophia to be found. She said she convinced my Dad to pray, as well.

"Do you think he's lookin' after everybody?" I ask. "That's what they say, ain't it? Up in heaven?"

"I like to think so. It's a nice thought."

Sophia might be there already. That's a not-so-nice thought.

"Morales, I reckon he's in heaven, 'cause he lent me his toothpaste tube one time."

Rick chuckles. "Yeah. He was a good man."

"And our dog, Tank. He's in heaven, too. I know so, 'cause the vet sent us a letter sayin' he was, after he died."

"Did they?"

"Yep. I don't get how they found out, but that's where he is."

"Must be. All pets go to heaven, you know that?"

"Not all people, though."

"No. No, not all people."

My Uncle Merle's gotta be in Hell, if he's anywhere. I love him, but just 'cause you love someone, it don't make 'em a saint. Uncle Merle used to kick Tank, sometimes. He enjoyed tricking people for money, and he was in jail a lotta the time. I remember one time he was there for somethin' so bad my Dad had to sell his guitar and the TV so he could pay to let him out. I was real mad when he got home.

You ain't happy to see your old Uncle Merle, baby?

No. I ain't got no cartoons no more 'cause of you.

Aw. Sappy little thing, ain't ya? Always told you, you're too soft on her, Darylina.

Rick can tell what I'm thinkin', 'cause it weren't no secret back then that my Uncle wasn't anybody's favorite person in camp.

"I told you before," He takes a chance at saying, "But I'll say it again. I'm very sorry for what happened to your Uncle."

A long time ago, I would've gotten angry at that, but there's not much of that left in me, anymore.

"It's okay." I utter, pleased with how good it feels to say; with how two words can take two tonnes off both my shoulders.

He smiles fondly. "You're not gonna wish death on me, this time?"

"This is a church." I scoff. "I can't do that."

"I won't push my luck, then."

"I'll take some of your pear, though."

"Okay, there. Now you're pushin' your luck."

"Not even half a slice?"

"Fat chance, Dixon."

When we've packed up and are just about to head back out into the sun, I take a last look at the statue.

"You got somethin' you wanna say to him?" Rick suggests.

"Yeah." I decide, and then I shout loudly, "You best wake my Daddy up soon, you sum' bitch!"

A rat scuttles away under the floorboards at my sheer volume.

"Okay." Rick ushers me out the door, trying not to snicker. "Come on, now."

"I got shot in the stomach, too, once. Did you know that?"

I glance at Rick as we step over a rock, sceptical. No, I didn't know that.

"Did ya? When?"

"About a week before I turned up at the quarry." He tells me. "It was a work accident. Put me in a coma for quite a while."

I was too busy hating everybody — hating Rick, especially — to ever really ask about what happened before that day, but there's my answer.

"Don't need to ask if you survived, then, I guess."

"I guess not." He smiles. "No, I'm still kickin'."

"You think that'll happen with my Dad?"

"I'm sure of it."

For once, I want my Dad to be a little like Rick, the man I used to want dead.

When we break through the treeline some hours later, we see Jacqui at the top of the hill, waving her arms around.

"What's she shoutin'?"

"I don't know."

Rick starts jogging forward on instinct, pulling me closer with one hand and grabbing his revolver with the other.

"What?" He shouts back, shaking his head. "What is it? What's goin' on?"

She calls out once more, and this time, her words are clear.

"Harley! Get over here! Your Dad woke up!"

Rick stops running all at once.

We look at each other, astonished, until I start to let the realization sink in, and my eyes well up.

"Go on, then." He nods, excited for me. "Go, go, go. Get up there."

I turn, running all the way to Jacqui.

"When?" I ask. "When?"

She grabs my hand. "About twenty minutes ago."

"Is he okay?!"

We hurry toward the house together, setting off small droves of orange and brown butterflies that were resting in the grass.

"He's okay." She grins. "Threatened to burn the whole farm down if I didn't bring you to him right away, though! C'mon!"

"Dad!!"

I race up the porch steps, squealing.

"Daddy!!"

The door to the Greene house almost falls off its hinges when I push past it. It smacks into the wall with a loud, loud bang, and the next door that stands in my way receives the same treatment. If I burst holes into the plaster, I'll just have to apologise to the Greenes later. As soon as I see my Dad — Awake and breathing, and even sitting up a little in the bed — I throw myself onto him with the force of a thousand lifetimes. He tries to say my name, but grunts when he catches me. He recovers from the pain almost immediately, wrapping me up in the biggest darn hug he's ever given me. All them times I ever waited for him to come pick me up from school, or I thought he didn't turn up for one of my tournaments — That's nothin' compared to this moment. I thought he was dead. Dead and gone, forever, but he's not. Glenn, Rick, and Andrea saved him.

They got me my Dad back.

I sob like I've never sobbed before, overcome with relief that consumes me like a tidal wave, hiccing, moaning, coughing into his shoulder.

I can't believe it.

"He's awake?" I hear Rick asking in the foyer, panting slightly from the walk up the hill. "He's alright?"

"He's going to be sore," Herschel answers, "But yes, he's alive."

"He woke up?" Shane asks, sounding almost offended.

"Yes. Seems those supplies really helped."

My Dad buries his face into my neck, shushing me gently as he soothes my back.

"Dad." I bawl, like he's about to leave me again at any moment, and I have to will him back into my arms. "Daddy-y-y-y."

"Shh, sh, sh, baby." His voice is hoarse in my ear, but it's the best sound I ever heard. "Daddy's here, baby. I'm okay. I'm okay."

I just keep wailing it over and over again until he's crying, too.

"Daddy's here, baby." He shudders, then, mutters, fuck, in embarrassment. "I— I'm here, baby. I'm here. Lemme get a look atchu, huh?"

He pulls back with a kiss to my cheek, steadying me with both his hands.

"You hurtin' bad, still?" He asks. "Your stitches?"

"I thought you was dead, Dad."

His chin crumples ever so slightly as he looks at me, and then wordlessly, he embraces me again. I'm cocooned tightly in both his arms, my ear pressed up against the faint buh-boom buh-boom of his heart. He lays back into the pillows, taking me with him, shushing me some more. I should be a little more embarrassed about how hard I'm crying, but he don't mention it.

If there was ever a time I'm allowed to cry, it's now.

The IV tube gets tangled up a bit, and I think I'm hurting him, but it just makes him chuckle between tears.

"Careful, chicken." He sniffs. "You're gonna— Gonna mess me up, here, in a second."

Herschel comes in to fix it up a bit.

"I'on know what the fuck this is. Sorry." Dad mutters as he tries to help him, clumsily de-tangling all the equipment. "Here. I'on know."

"Gave your little one quite the scare." Herschel smiles over the sound of my ear-piercing cries. "Gave us all quite a scare, I think."

"You're Herschel, right?"

"Yes. Herschel Greene. This is my farm you're sat up in. Did Glenn tell you everything?"

He nods. "Think I owe you my life, if I heard right."

"Well, it wasn't your ears that got damaged in the accident, young man."

"Da-a-a-ad!"

He turns his attention back onto me at an especially pained sob.

"Shhhh. It's okay." He jokes, "I'm right here, girl."

That makes Herschel chuckle. "I'll give you two a moment, then."

Dad lets me cry as much as I want in the privacy of this little room. He smooths down my hair, tucks it behind my ears, plays with it, kisses my scalp, all the while murmuring sh, sh, sh, like I'm a newborn baby needing coddled. I let him rock me side to side. I let him hum little tunes to me quietly, and smack firm but soothing pats through the back of my shorts. After what feels like forever, I calm down, reduced to whimpers.

"You know, I thought I told you not to go nowhere." He tries making me laugh, cradling my face as I look up at him. "Remember?"

"Shut up." I complain, struggling to breathe properly. "You al-al-almost died."

"I know, baby. I'm sorry."

"Every morning, I was so scared you wouldn't be breathin', no more. I had to check."

"Everybody take good care'a ya?" He asks. "Nobody needs a whooping?"

"Maybe T-Dog." I sniff, playing with his chain necklace. "He ate all the pretzels."

"Did he, now?"

"Yeah."

"When I'm all better, I'll sort him out for ya, then."

"Uh-huh." I mumble. "You better."

I can only hold back on asking the question I've been wanting to ask him since the moment I heard that gunshot for so long.

"Daddy, what happened out there?"

He pauses for a moment. I expect him to rat Shane out without a moment's hesitation; to get angry, to want justice. But that's not what happens. He doesn't swear, or shout, or even get that little, glinting look of fire in his eyes. It seems to have fizzled out, somehow, leaving only a wispy hint of what used to burn there so violently and for so long. It's strange to me, this tranquillity. It's like a biting dog that's given up his tricks.

"Baby," He sighs, stroking my cheek fleetingly. "How much you figured out?"

I've figured out lots of things in the past month — Enough for a lifetime.

I've figured out that being beaten by your Dad is wrong, but only to some people, and only if they happen to walk in on it. I've also learnt how to think for myself, a lesson taught by someone who promised I could trust him but ended up just another liar. I've learnt the feeling of a kill; the name for benches in a church. I've learnt my Dad is two people at once, like a mirror with a hidden edge. He's him, but he's all the men that came before him, too, all echoing their last laugh through a swing of his fists. I've learnt that loving your family above all else is a hereditary disease.

"Almost all of it." I settle on saying, thinking of all the things life has yet to throw at me. "Almost all of it."

He chews his bottom lip. Then, he pinches my cheek.

"You're my smart girl, huh?"

I smile under the weight of everything.

"Well, one thing at a time. Your old man can't hardly keep up." He lowers his hand, returning my faint smile. "For starters, it was Shane that shot me." I feel like I've been slapped. "I don't know what he's told you, or... or y'know, what yarn he's been spinnin', but it was him."

"Wh-Where? How?"

"I left that day to look for Jim. I didn't tell nobody where I was goin', 'cause I was— I was gonna kill him, baby." It's a tough thing to admit, but it's nothing I ain't heard before. When they first told me Ronnie was dead, and that my Daddy killed him, all I wanted to know was when I could see him again. "I's gonna ask you where his camp was that day, but seein' yer— yer little face, all fuckin' sun-burnt an'— I'on know. Plan changed. I asked Shane instead. And uh... Some walkin', I almost made it. I knew he was followin' me. He walks loud as Hell. Like a fuckin' Yeti."

I giggle. Shane don't got my Dad's finesse when it comes to slinking through the woods.

"I guess I's kinda hopin' he'd..." He takes a deep breath. I wait patiently for him to continue. "Anyway, he did."

"You lured him."

"Yeah. I walked 'bout two hours out before... 'fore I knew I'd waited long enough nobody would find us straight away, and then I spun around, and I tackled him to the ground. I could'a shot him, point-blank, but I wanted it to... W— I wanted it to hurt."

"'Cause he's a bastard cop?"

He falters when I ask this, pinching the bridge of his nose, like this is physically hard for him to get through.

He finds the courage to look at me again. "Yes, Harley, 'cause he's a bastard cop. 'Cause he made things difficult for us, and I wanted him to suffer for it. I got his nose again; fucked his ribs up. I was about to shoot him in the brains when he snatched the glock off me."

"And then he—?"

"Then he shot me."

"And... you didn't get anywhere near Jim's camp? You didn't see him?"

"That what he told you?"

"He said you got into a squabble wit' Jim, and that he shot you, 'cause he was mad about bein' left behind. But at first, he said it was Otis."

"Who the Hell's Otis?"

"He was a man that lived here. He was a hunter, like you. They said he mistook you for a deer, or sum', while he was out there."

Recognition washes over him. "Chubby fella?"

"You see him?"

"Yeah. Gunshot drew him over to us. I guess he was out huntin', then, like they say. Shane was gonna leave me there to bleed out, but with this guy fussin' all over us, that weren't really an option, no more, so he made up some fuckin' fairytale about how it was an accident, and he was new to the group an' they'd never take him back if they found out, and he pressured him into takin' the fall for him. I passed out 'round 'bout then."

"Why ain't he just own up to it? Tell everybody he shot you, plain an' simple?"

"'Cause you wouldn't wanna keep bein' his friend if you found out."

My skin goes cold. "You know about that?"

"Yeah, baby. I know. He rubbed in my face so much I ain't never gon' forget it."

He must see my lip wobble, and the way I'm too scared to even blink, 'cause he gives my hair a kiss. I've been dreading this moment ever since I told Shane, Fine, I'll be your friend, and now I've finally been found out. I'm a liar. I betrayed my Dad. Oh, he's gonna pull his belt out right now.

"I'm sorry, Dad." I shake my head, already pulling away, trying to stop what's to come. "Please, Dad. I'm sorry."

"Harley—"

"He tricked me. He made it seem li-like I had to be his friend. I didn't want to, I swear. He j— He just said a whole bunch'a things, and then—"

"Harley, baby, I ain't mad."

"And he— He—? What?"

"I ain't mad." He repeats himself, raising his brows. "I ain't."

"W—?"

This is like finding out the Earth is flat, or the sun is a square.

"I promise you, baby, I ain't mad at you for that. Not even a little bit. Never, ever." He promises, grabbing my shaking hand. "That man, he's... It ain't your fault. Might feel like it is, but it ain't. Nothin' he says or does is your fault. I should'a ended this shit a long time ago. You shouldn't even have to worry 'bout things like this, Harley. You can be friends with whoever you like. Don't fuckin' matter what I say. Don't listen t'me."

Don't—? Don't listen to me?

"Dad—?"

"I know." He says. "Just... I know. Sometimes Dad says confusin' shit, don't he?"

I nod vigorously.

"Well, I mean it. How am I supposed t'be mad atchu for just doin' what you're told? The way I raised you, ain't it?"

"Yeah, but... I mean, you hate cops."

"For a long time, yeah. Every time I watched 'em drag your Uncle Merle away, I hated 'em a little more'un the last time. They ain't very nice in prison, neither. Lots of rules. They got power over you in there. Makes 'em turn into assholes. But that's me, baby. My bullshit is my bullshit to handle, and Shane — Leave him to me, too. Askin' to be your friend an' shit, that's sum' wrong wit' him. Not you. Not your bullshit."

"If I told you this, like, a week ago, you would'a..."

You would'a beat me.

The unspoken words hang pungent in the air, weighing down on him.

"I—" He clears his throat; sighs deep, and hard. He mutters, "I— I probably would'a, yeah."

I've never seen him talk this away about a beating. He was never proud of it or nothing, but he was never proud about washing dishes, either.

It was just a part of life, but for now, I guess, it's not.

"So... you're not mad?"

"No, sweet girl, I'm not. C'mere."

I lay back down on his chest.

"I knew it was Shane," I murmur against him, "'cause the bullet was round."

"They took it outta me, huh?"

"It was real scary. You wanna hear the whole story?"

"Yeah, baby. I'm all ears."

I tell him about the gunshot, and Maggie on the horse, and how Shane and Otis went out for emergency supplies, but one came back empty-handed, and the other didn't come back at all. I tell him about the night of the surgery, and the funeral. I tell him about the chickens, too.

"They got eggs here, Dad. Lots of 'em. Scrambled, too." I smile. "You're gonna love it."

"Haven't had an egg breakfast in months."

We used to go to the diner, sometimes, and get eggs on toast when Merle wasn't around. Those were the best days of the week.

"They don't burn 'em here or nothin'."

He chuckles. "What 'bout two-dollar coffee? They got that here, too?"

"Only if you wanna fight for the last of the coffee beans."

"It's on." He scoffs. "I could use some good coffee right about now."

"You tired?"

"Baby, I'm exhausted." He smiles. "Keep talkin', though. I wanna hear everythin'."

"Okay. You wanna hear about the walker me and Carl found in the well?"

"The what?"

Herschel comes back in a while later to perform a check-up.

He's an animal doctor, but he's still got a real stethoscope hanging around his neck, and a little light he can shine in my Dad's pupils. I hold his hand as Herschel checks over the IV, the baggie of donor blood, and the smaller scrapes and bruises all over Dad's neck and face.

"Looks like you got into a brawl with a bear." He comments, dabbing his slashed brow with a cotton pad. "This'll sting a little bit."

He hisses. "Weren't so far off as you'd imagine."

Herschel drops the wad into the tin tray. "That about does it for now, I think."

"When can I get outta this bed?"

"When you're better." He deadpans, packing up. "Which should be in about a week. Walking, I'd say, would be reasonable in one or two days."

Dad glances at me, unimpressed.

"Doctor's orders." I shrug.

"Listen to my best patient's advice, Mister Dixon." Herschel smiles. "There's a reason her wound's healed up so nicely."

"I'm guessin' it ain't the fishin' line."

"No." The med-kit clicks shut. "It's not the fishing line."

"I can play outside with Carl, now." I tell Dad, proud. "I been takin' it slow. You gotta, too."

He kisses my knuckles, too tired to answer, but agreeing.

As he's about to leave, Herschel notices something on the ground by his feet, and bends to pick it up.

"Is this yours, Harley?"

He holds it up.

Much to my discomfort, it's the shredded get well soon card.

"Yeah." I take the piece he hands to me, confronted by its obnoxious colors. "It was meant to be a card. Not lookin' so good, now, though."

"Lemme see it."

Reluctantly, I angle it so my Dad can take a look.

"It's just a corner." I murmur. "I ripped up the rest of it."

"That looks real pretty, baby. You made it for me?"

"I don't know..." I muse, unsure. "Shane kinda helped me with it."

"That why you ripped it?"

"Yeah. I was angry at him. I didn't wanna look at it, no more."

"Well, I do." Dad squeezes my hand. "How 'boutchu make me another one?"

"But you're all better, now."

"I don't know about that." Herschel chuckles. "It'll be a while before he's one hundred percent again."

I consider this. "How about I just draw you a picture this time?"

"Sure. Draw me anythin' you want."

"I'll get you some crayons and paper." Herschel offers, stepping out the door. "I'll be back in a moment."

"Good to see you awake, man."

T-Dog, along with Rick and Glenn, walks into the room while I'm leaning against my Dad's side, working on the drawing set up in my lap. I got a clipboard to lean against, and a whole bunch of different colored crayons to use. Rick sits in the bay window, near Glenn, who rests in the rocking chair in the corner. T-Dog smacks Dad's shoulder.

"Thanks." Dad nods, joking, "What's this I hear 'boutchu eatin' all the pretzels, though?"

T-Dog laughs, leaning against the wall. "Girl, you snitched on me about that?"

Swallowing down a giggle, I just send him a cheeky glance.

"Whatever, man. Lock me up, then."

"I think I still got my handcuffs in the back'a our car." Rick offers, mock-serious. "I can go get 'em right now."

Glenn interjects. "Woah, woah, woah. Innocent until proven guilty, guys."

"He told me he ate 'em all." I butt in. "That's proof."

"Verdict's in, then, buddy." Dad shrugs.

"I ain't never delved into all'at court stuff or nothin'," T-Dog holds his hands up, "But I'm pretty sure that's hearsay."

Rick shakes his head, changing the subject.

"How you feelin', Daryl?"

"Sore. Stiff. Like shit."

"Gettin' shot in the stomach will do that to you."

"It's a miracle you survived." Glenn adds. "You lost a lot of blood. Thirty percent, I'm sure Herschel said. Something like that."

"You said you been givin' me yours, didn't ya?"

"Yeah. We weren't sure about anybody else's types, so we had to make do with what we had."

"I got Chinaman-blood runnin' through my veins." Dad laughs. "Hell's that mean for me, now?"

Glenn scoffs. "That you're slightly less of an idiot."

"Man, it's prolly true." T-Dog snickers. "What's the capitol of Russia?"

Dad sticks up his middle finger.

"What about you, Harley?" Glenn asks. "How's your side doing?"

I look up from the paper, where so far, I've drawn some spikey, green grass and colored in half the sky.

"It's a little better." I smile. "Y'know, I'm sorry for yellin' at you yesterday."

"It's okay. Don't worry about it."

T-Dog tsks, "What was all that about, anyway? What's up with Shane lately?"

"Maybe he's just feeling guilty about Otis." Glenn suggests.

"He's got a whole long list of things to feel guilty about." Dad says with distaste. "You wanna know who exactly it was that shot me?"

"No way."

Rick sighs. "I had a feeling."

"Why'd he go and do a thing like that?" T-Dog questions.

"'Cause he's off his fuckin' rocker, that's why." He retorts. "He hated my guts, so he went and shot 'em."

"Man, you think—? You think he left those supplies on purpose, then?"

I never thought of that. It would just add another layer of horror to that night.

"That poor guy Otis, man."

"Nothin' we can do about it, now. 'Less you think he's gonna do somethin' like this again, Daryl?"

He shrugs. "I'on know. Wouldn't put it past him."

"For now, I wanna keep this sorta thing to a minimum. I'm gonna ask Herschel again today about our arrangements here."

"We're only staying a week or two, right?" I pout.

"Until we find Sophia." Rick tries to smile. "But I'm gonna try change his mind."

"You still ain't find her?"

"No. Harley found her doll, but that's about it. We're gonna start grid-searching properly tomorrow."

I look back down at the page again, sad.

"Drawing done, now, chicken?" Dad asks, trying to lighten my mood a little. "Wanna show it?"

Nodding, I grab the sketch pad and turn it around so that they can all see. It's done. I drew me and my Dad in a field of flowers, but we're not holdin' hands or nothin' — We're killing walkers together. I don't think I got the crossbow exactly right, but I tried my hardest.

Dad laughs. "It's perfect, baby. That me?"

"Yeah. And me. That's the sun, and flowers, and a dead walker right there."

"Badass." Glenn approves.

"What that thing in the background?" Rick asks.

"Oh," I happily answer, "That's Dale. He's so scared, he ran away, and now he's just a little dot."

They all chuckle to themselves.

T-Dog offers to sit it on the chest of drawers, and it stands anew against a vase of real flowers, looking like it's belonged there all along.

Author's Note.

Finished this chapter at 5:49 AM 😣 Uuuuuuuuugh

Long author's rant below.

I got a comment the other day about how Shane was being really annoying, and I sort of agree. At first, I actually felt that way about Daryl, but now he's shown regret and apologized, and Shane's still a raging asshole set on taking Harley for himself. I guess he has good motives? Or HAD, at least... considering they've shifted from wanting to help her out a dangerous situation, to now being selfish. Then again... if I walked in on a man about to hit his 8 yr old daughter, I'd go apeshit, too.

It's going to be so satisfying when Shane gets what's coming to him. (I've been excited for it since the very beginning of this book. Rest assured, Shane will not see the light of day come Season 3.)

Started out as Daryl as the villain and Shane as the hero... Kinda switched.

Sophia's still missing... and Jim, he's MIA. Get ready for him to pop back up again.

Also, Harley is finally on good terms with Rick!! Took forever and a half but we got there. I chose to do this so he could replace Shane's role as pseudo-Uncle when the time comes. Glenn's already sort of there... but what's the harm in having TWO pseudo-Uncles? 😌

Anyway, I really hope you enjoyed reading this chapter.

Please leave your thoughts and feedback below. Sending lots of love!! <3

#the walking dead #twd fanfiction #twd #daryl dixon twd #daryl dixon fanfiction #daryl dixon daughter #daryl dixon #daddy issues #parent daryl dixon #rick grimes #shane walsh #angst #fanfic #ao3 fanfic #reader

[reveluving]

So I don’t really know Miguel but I do know Joe and I think if he knows you’ve been having it rough lately he would pick you up and take you to a spontaneous location out in the Wyoming wilderness surrounded by wildflowers with the Grand Tetons in the distance and he would’ve packed things for luxury camping.

He also would’ve bought all your favorite food and you guys cuddle while under the open sky.

Ah!! Haven't had the chance to keep up with the show yet but I needed this so much! 🤧💗

Searched Grand Teton on Pinterest and omg, you know I'd do just about anything to see it with my own eyes 💗

Watching Joe has been an experience, coming from someone who's never been to the U.S, so the idea of living in a log cabin at an area like this is so nice!! But that's besides the point!

Just the thought of Joe and his girls quietly making food downstairs while they let you take a nap for a bit so the two of you can have a picnic? 🥺 The girls would also write little cards which are both wacky and meaningful before slotting them in the basket.

You're immediately surprised when you open your eyes to see Sherry, Lucy and April in front of you, sharing a cheeky grin.

"What's going on?" You'd murmur in the pillow, half-smiling at the sight before you.

"Dad's gonna drop us off at the Flags!" Lucy would say. You'd raise your brow, you don't remember that being in today's schedule.

"Ah, well, I'll be ready in five minutes." Before you could move the blanket off, Sherry stopped you.

"S'okay, dad wants you to get ready for later."

"... For what?" I narrowed my eyes at them playfully, prompting them to giggle.

"He wants to take you out on a date." April replied, their amusements growing louder. You could only imagine what Joe had in mind, but for now, you pulled April in a bear hug. Sherry and Lucy would jump on the bed with you, wrapping their little arms around you as the four of you laugh.

A heavenly sound to a certain game warden himself, listening in from the floor below.

You'd say your goodbyes to the girls, telling them to send your regards to Mr & Mrs Flag before getting ready. It wasn't too sunny nor cloudy the whole day; the best hint you got out of the girls about the date was their emphasization on the 'out' part.

You'd hear Joe's truck the same time you'll come down, noticing the basket on the kitchen counter. Before you could even take a peek, Joe comes in with a playful "Ah-ah, hands off the goodies, ma'am."

You'd pout but listened to him anyways as he grabbed the basket in one hand before wrapping his arm around you with the other. You'd give him a quick peck on his lips before asking, "Do you... Do you remember anything about the girls staying over at the Flags today?"

"Nope, we just called them about it this morning."

"And... Rick's okay with that?"

"You know he actually has a soft spot for the girls," Joe grinned, suddenly peppering your cheek with kisses, "Plus, I made sure to call when his wife was with him so he can't say no."

You'd gasp, playfully nudging him for his lil' trick. He'd laugh with before motioning you to the truck, "C’mon, little lady."

He'd drive at a comfortable pace, giving you both a chance to talk about whatever, be it work, a show you've been watching or even the family of red foxes you and the girls saw walking in front of the house.

Or if you don't wanna talk, that's fine too! He'll just hold your hand, steering the truck with the other. He'd stroke the back of your hand with his thumb or even pat your thigh rhythmically, occasionally humming the song on the radio.

Your look of awe as you'd take a good look of the view was absolutely endearing. It wouldn't take long for the two of you to arrive, a perfect stop where you'd see both the beautiful flowers and the Grand Teton itself.

Joe wouldn't let you help him with with anything, telling you to just 'stand there and look pretty for me'. The basket had sandwiches, bites, some salad and fruits, no-bake desserts the girls had made and a flask of iced tea.

"It was all we could prepare in two hours." Joe rubbed the back of his neck. You'd shake your head, swaying with him as you'd embrace one another.

"It's perfect."

And that's how you'd spend the day together, pointing at the pretty lil' birds flying by, feeding each other the delicacies him and the girls have made, reading the cards they’ve written for you, then chilling on the mat together; letting him pull your to his chest as you'd listen to him ramble.

"I love you." He'd whisper in your ear, kissing the crown of your head and reminding you that even the Picketts need a little break.

#need hugs & kisses from the picketts 💝 #— reve's mutuals 🌹 #— reve's reverie 🌹 #joe pickett #joe pickett x reader #joe pickett x you #joe pickett fanfiction #joe pickett x female reader #reve's asks #michael dorman #michael dorman x reader

[hournites]

Would you be willing to do “Who decorated your tree? A toddler?” for Henry + Rick?

"I need you boys to go get us a Christmas Tree for the Pit Stop."

Rick squints down at Pat from his worktable in the loft. Henry is sprawled out on the couch, scrolling aimlessly on his phone. He's been at it for a few hours and at this state looks like his plan for the day was to do it for at least five more. Cameron is here too, but Rick and Henry are both pointedly ignoring him. After being turned away from the Whitmore-Dugan house for being a distraction to Courtney, he's sitting on a stool in front of Mike's easel, sketching in his secret sketchbook. "Why?"

"Courtney wants a tree. I'm busy, the girls are studying for their finals."

Henry protests, "We have finals!"

"Do you study?" Pat stares at him. Henry doesn't say a word. "No, didn't think so." He waves his oil-stained rag. "Go get a tree. Barbara dropped off a decoration bin. It'll make the girls happy."

Rick sighs, digging into his pockets for his keys. "There's a Christmas tree farm near West Farms."

Henry stands, shrugging his winter coat on, complaining about going back out into the cold.

Rick shakes his keys impatiently when neither of the other boys make it downstairs.

"Fuck off, I lost my glove," Henry grumbles. "I'm coming."

Rick does a double-take when Henry slams the shotgun door. "No Mahkent?"

"Pat let him stay behind."

"Typical." Rick rolls his eyes. "Suits me."

"Yeah, how does that slide? Just because he's dating Courtney means he doesn't have to do this shit?" He rummages through Rick's glove compartment--without permission--and unearths a stale stick of gum. He sticks it into his mouth as Rick drives. "Pat's got a big basis problem."

"You mean...bias?"

"That's what I said." He spits the gum out into his palm. "This is nasty."

Rick sighs. There is a reason Beth is the only one he trusts to sit in that seat and it shows.

"If you stick that anywhere other than a piece of Kleenex I am going to kill you."

"Killing threats don't hurt me anymore," Henry leans back against the seat, tapping his fingers along the plastic arm rest. "Try again."

Rick stops at the red light before Main Street. He watches Henry turn out his pockets in his coat and pants, coming up empty.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"I'm looking for Kleenex."

Rick wordlessly jabs his index finger on the button to lower the passenger's window. The gum flies up in the air, and, to Rick's surprise, is guided into a trash can across the street. "Thanks."

At the farm, neither Rick nor Henry are able to settle on a tree they both like. Henry argues that since the Pit Stop housed STRIPE with no problem, there isn't any reason to pick a gigantic one. Rick's wallet says otherwise.

"It's not going to fit."

"Fit where?"

"My car!" Rick waves to the general direction they came from where the lot is.

Henry circles around a few mammoth-sized pine trees, leisurely swinging the saw the farmer gave him. Rick takes a few cautious steps back, not in the mood to lose a limb. "The sun sets soon."

"So? Scared of the dark?"

"No, I just don't want to be lugging a tree out here when it's pitch black."

Henry tugs on the blue beanie over his head, neck high up at the expensive trees. "What about this one?"

Rick cranes his neck. "No."

Henry glares at him. "Nobody cares for your puny pathetic cost-effective tree."

"Barbara will, actually. There's only one bin of decorations."

"Just space them out a bit. Nobody's gonna notice."

Beth will, Rick thinks, but knows better than saying it.

Rick's stomach grumbles, the perfect reminder that he never got the chance to find lunch. "Listen," he starts. "I get the tree that I can afford. You do whatever the hell you want and you find your own way home." He turns around in his boots and stomps off, not waiting for an answer. "Later."

A few hours later Rick works on the finishing touches of the eight-foot, sticking a half-crooked star that Barbara clearly held too much sentimental value for to throw away at the top of the tree.

The garage doors rumble open. "PAT? I GOT YOUR TREE."

"Pat isn't--Holy shit."

Henry lugs in a 16-foot green monstrosity through, branches of pine needles brushing against Pat's cars. He lets out a huge sigh of relief, letting go the second that the doors close. The tree floats up and rights itself in a greasy spare work crate. More miscellaneous items obey Henry's telekinetic orders to support the tree trunk. Rick stares at it, mouth parted open.

Henry tosses his beanie off and shakes a hand through his red shock of hair, smirking at Rick and his modest tree. He gave it a once-over as he leaned against Pat's table cluttered with tools, far too smug for his own good. "Who decorated your tree, a toddler?"

Rick turns to assess his tree. Yeah, it wasn't exactly even, and some of the branches sagged under the weight of the ornaments, but it wasn't a bad looking Christmas Tree. Also. Rick's Jewish. It's not like he has much practice. So, all considered, Rick thought it was pretty decent-looking. But next to Henry's? Even with tinsel and stringed-popcorn, it just looks sad.

"What exactly was the point?"

Henry shrugs. "There was no point."

Rick facepalms.

Henry walks over and elbows him. "I won this competition."

"It wasn't a competition. Pat just wanted us to get a single Christmas tree for the girls."

"Nah."

Ricks' eyebrows raise. "...Nah?"

Henry straightens the star and other sagging decorations on Rick's tree with his powers.

"Thanks."

"Yeah, no problem. I'll just find more of those garland things at the dollar store on Main Street."

"I guess that could work."

"Yeah. You know what I think?"

"What?" says Rick.

"I think Pat did this to get us to bond."

Henry's still smirking at him. Rick shakes his head and there's nothing to do but laugh with disbelief. "...I think you're right."

Fine. Rick will admit it. King might be an annoying asshole, but at least he's no Mahkent.

#stargirl #ask #hn fic #rick tyler #henry king #tkv fic #prompts #hope you like it

[pastelwitchling]

How's everyone's reading going? I always struggle to pick up more than kindle unlimited sports romances when school and work start, but I'm really pushing myself past that stress in small ways.

Here are the books I'm currently reading, just finished, and am hoping to get to soon that I really wanted to talk about:

The Sun and the Star (read): This book is pure serotonin. It's one of the longer Percy Jackson books, but I never felt the length for a single second. There were definite moments where I could tell someone other than Rick Riordan had taken over writing, but that doesn't change how fun and romantic the book was. What an absolute treasure.

Scoring Position (read): kindle unlimited mlm hockey romance. I just finished this today actually, and it ended up getting a lower rating than what it had been for most of the book, but I'm still glad I read it. It did offer a good palette cleanser, and though I didn't end up loving it the way I'd hoped I would, I would still recommend it for a nice time.

Under the Whispering Door (currently reading): I tried reading this a few months ago and DNFed after chapter five or something. I felt like the humor was hit-and-miss, I thought Wallace was a little too annoying, but I knew that I didn't want to DNF it for good. Why? I really liked Hugo, Mei, and Nelson, and the teashop. I thought there was some good potential there. I have to drive a lot to school and work, and I figured that since I couldn't enjoy reading this physically, then maybe I would have a better time on audiobook, annnnd... yeah. The narrator is phenomenal, I would highly recommend this audiobook if you couldn't get into the paperback. He has a way of reading in SUCH a funny way that I was suddenly laughing at lines I didn't think were funny the first time. I've got less than 3 hours of the audiobook left, and I'm having a great time. It's not anything groundbreaking, and I think the first half was very slow and repetitive, but it really has got me thinking about death and life a little bit more, and I really enjoy these characters. I now love Wallace, he's hilarious and becomes so easy to love, and I can't wait to see how this story ends.

House of Sky and Breath (currently reading): Anyone else really have trouble reading physical books when they're super stressed or overwhelmed? That's kind of where I am. I'm annotating and tabbing my paperback copy, I'm 10 chapters in, but I feel like I just don't have the strength right now to physically hold a book, you know? The first book in particular already took me so long to read because of its length (you're not Order of the Phoenix, STOP trying to be Order of the Phoenix, not every story can carry that kind of page count!), and now I just feel like I'd be going through it faster if I can read it digitally. I won't get my ebook copy from the library for over 2 weeks, so I might just try to read as much as I can now, and then finish with the ebook. I know the big spoiler at the end, but beyond that, I have no idea what happens in this book, and I can't wait to find out.

Books I want to pick up next:

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part of last year's reread so that I can start this year's reread. I'm afraid, but it must be done.

Percy Jackson and the Chalice of the Gods: I think I was subconsciously waiting until after the show ended to dive back into this world, and I'm just ready to spend all day with my favorite demigod (and satyr) trio.

House of Flame and Shadow: Is this a shock to anyone? I should've read HoSaB sooner so I would be ready for this book now, but I overestimated by reading speed, so here we are. I hope to get to it before any spoilers start circulating.

Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries: I have more books on my physical TBR, but this is one of the lightest and I think I need that.

The Paladin's Shadow: 'Nough said. Anything by Tavia Lark is gold.

I love talking about books so much, so please do let me know what you're reading now, how you're feeling about it, what you'd like to pick up soon. It's always fun to me to discuss books, and I'd really like to talk more about them on my tumblr from now on. I still have it tagged rin reads if you want to filter that out though.

#rin reads #rick riordan #the sun and the star #under the whispering door #tavia lark #harry potter #hosab #book #books #booklr

[casspurrjoybell-24]

Sugar Punch - Chapter 3

*Warning Adult Content*

- Theo -

Come Monday, I had managed to avoid the football team and the football captain, Eric, until the last bell rung out and I bumped into him in the hallway.

"Hey shrimp, where do you think you're going?" Eric smirked at me, sending cold chills down my body as he grabbed hold of me and pushed me roughly into the lockers.

I had put so much effort into avoiding him and his group of friends and all for what?

At this rate I was going to be late for the gym and I knew from Maddox saying so, he didn't like people to show up late.

"C-Come on Eric..." I tried to reason with him but he was getting into my face.

Suddenly he spat on my face and then let go of me and started laughing with all the other guys that were with him, then he shot me one last look, his eyes filled with hate before I felt his fist connect with my jaw.

Eric had punched me in a spot I was used to but it didn't mean it didn't hurt any less than the other times, it felt like he broke my jaw as I cradled my face in my hands, sinking down the lockers as I look up to him, my hands shaking.

"Fucking creep, stay the fuck out of my way next time, fag," he spat before he walked off with his friends.

I ignored the looks of other students as I shakenly rose to my feet, wanting to just go home and cry like I usually did and try and forget how much I hated my life but I promised myself I wouldn't do that anymore.

A big part of me didn't want to let Maddox down either, not when he was willing to help me.

Grabbing my back-pack from the floor, I started walking to where my bike was and then ride home, my jaw aching as where Eric hit me had made my ear start to ring as I got halfway towards my house.

Once I made it home, I knew I wouldn't see my parents until late tonight as they always worked late, even on weekends, so I quickly ran up the stairs and grabbed the gym bag Maddox had given me.

I was excited he gave me stuff, I wouldn't know what to get if I went shopping by myself, luckily, he gave me free clothes and a brand-new gym bag, which looked expensive, so I'll try to cherish it and only use it for the gym.

Not bothering to leave a note, I lock the front door and go to the bus stop, it was only a twenty-minute trip into town and a five-minute walk from the bus to the gym, so I knew I wasn't going to be late.

I had saw my reflection in the window once I sat down and winced once I saw just how obvious it was that someone hit me, as a bruise was forming around the red mark Eric's fist caused on my jaw.

Eric wasn't always like that, when we were twelve, we were friends, we used to hang out all the time and play games but now that he's popular and captain of the football team, his attitude got worse, to the point where he started bullying me with his new football friends.

He turned into a dick-head, plain and simple, for what reason I don't care, there was no way I would consider being friends with him, not when he's made my life a living hell, making it impossible to relax and make friends in school.

Once I get off the bus, it takes no time to reach the gym and once inside I notice that there are more people than last time working out and every single machine and all I could think of was how serious these people are, for it to be completely full like this.

I notice Rick up ahead and smile politely once he sees me, making him grin before his eyes go to my jaw, then his face dropped and his eyes grew hard as he waved me over to him.

I knew he had saw my jaw, his eyes made it obvious so I wanted to avoid whatever was coming as much as possible, I didn't want anyone to know what was going on at school, it would only make me feel even more pathetic than I already felt.

"H-Hey Rick," I said, coming up to the front desk, gripping my bag tightly in my hands as his eyes focus more harder on my jaw.

"Kid," he grunted out, looking at me like he wants to say something about my face. "Mads just finished, you can head on down."

I swallow hard and nod my head, avoiding his eyes as I kept my head down and made my way towards the bottom stairs, leading to the basement, where I know Maddox will be.

Did it really look that bad?

Eric did hit me hard but usually it only took a few hours before a bruise started to show.

I guess today isn't my day... I should've just stayed home and waited for the bruise to go away before I came back here.

I didn't want anyone seeing me like this and feel sorry for me, especially not someone I admired and wanted to be more like.

Opening the doors to the basement gym, I instantly saw Maddox shirtless and hitting a punching bag with his hands wrapped in white tape, with earphones over his ears and in his own world.

All I could think of when I looked at him was how amazing he looked, it was like nothing I had ever seen before, just from looking at him you would know he did this for a living, everything looked beautiful in the way he moved.

I had never thought a man was beautiful before until now, I wasn't sure how to think about it other than accept that some people are just that and that it wasn't that weird for a guy to call another guy beautiful.

Coming further into the room, Maddox had noticed me and stopped hitting the punching bag, I smiled at him and he nodded to me as he wiped his forehead coaxed in sweat before taking the earbuds from his ears.

"H-Hi," I said shyly, trying not to stare at his naked chest too long.

"Hey, you're early," he said, coming up to me, his eyes on mine before they shift to my jaw.

I swallowed hard and froze once he reached out and grabbed my jaw, making me wince as the pain was still very real, like Eric had just hit me all over again.

"How'd this happen?" he asked, a frown on his face as he looked it over. "It looks fresh."

"Just a s-simple misunderstanding," I laughed nervously, feeling the back of my neck grow warm at how close he was.

I knew from the look on his face that he didn't believe me, and I knew my excuse was so pathetic that nobody would believe me, not if they saw my nose wrapped up and bruises over my arms and legs.

"Come on, you need it ice it, it looks painful," he said, as I followed behind him with my head down as he walked to his office.

I sat down on a free chair and watched him go into a mini fridge and take out an ice pack, he then grabbed a cloth and wrapped it around the ice pack and then came over to me and then gently pressed it against my jaw.

Maddox sighs out as he kept his hand over the icepack on my jaw, looking at me as I avoided his intense gaze.

"So, what kind of misunderstanding gets you a fist to the jaw?"

I shifted in my seat as I shrugged, not really wanting to talk about it, especially not to Maddox, who I really didn't want to feel pathetic around, not when he was teaching me how to fight.

"It was my fault," I said, biting the inside of my cheek. "Really, it doesn't hurt." I add, taking over for him by holding the icepack to my jaw.

Maddox didn't ask anything else as he sighed out and left his office, I watched him walk down to the lockers and grab a black t-shirt from inside and then put it over his head, then he walked back to me, his eyes on mine before I looked away and stared at my feet nervously.

Why... do I get the feeling he wants to not train me now?

I'm too much trouble, nobody wants to have this kind of baggage in their life, which I would understand if he told me he didn't want to train me anymore, this wasn't exactly how I thought my day would go, so I wouldn't be surprised if he told me to leave.

"Hold out your hand," Maddox said, making me jump slightly and so as he said.

He drops two pills in my hand and then hands me a bottle of water.

"Pain relief, take those before we start," he said, before heading back into the gym room, leaving me sat on the chair in his office in confusion.

He... wasn't kicking me out?

I stare at the pills in my hand before I put them in my mouth and swallowed them, taking a sip of the water he gave me, then I get up and go where Maddox was standing, near two mats laid out on the floor next to the large ring in the middle of the room.

"Let's start with some burpees, then we'll do some squats," he says, standing on the mat as I nodded my head and mirrored him, putting the icepack down on the bench next to the mats.

"Follow me the best you can, ask me any questions you have or else I'll go over it after our first set," he says, looking me in the eye as I nodded my head, starting to get nervous as I have never done this before. "Let's start with stretches."

I copied Maddox the best I could, I knew the moment we finished doing squats with sidekicks that I was severely out of shape, so much that I was struggling to catch my breath just from kicking my leg in the air.

How did he do this every easy was so crazy to me, I could only do six at a time before I needed a drink of water just to stop myself from passing out.

Maddox slowed down and helped me with my form with each workout he taught me, eventually I got better at it despite my whole body aching from my body not being used to moving in such strange directions and ways.

"You did well," Maddox says as I sunk to the map, breathing heavily.

"I-I can't even move," I wince out, making Maddox grin and hand me a bottle of water, which I took greedily, then sat up and devoured the cool liquid.

My time was almost up, and I knew after today it was going to be hard to walk just from how much my legs felt like jelly but as I looked over at Maddox, I saw that he looked the same as usual and was unaffected by our workout.

It was impressive to see him not even break a sweat, while I was sweating through my eyeballs.

It made me want to push myself harder.

"You'll get used to it, we just need to work on your stamina," he says, sitting down on the bench near my mat as he looked at me.

"Ugh," is all I could say before I drank the rest of my water, not wanting to think about anything else right now, not when everything hurt.

"We've all been there, trust me when I say it does get better," he says as I smile sheepishly at him and nod my head.

"W-Well I should probably go.," I said, trying to get up, wincing as my feet hurt.

"Let me help you," Maddox laughs out as I felt his strong hand wrap around mine and pull me up, without so much as a blink I was on my feet, feeling dizzy as I looked at him standing in front of me, looking at me in the eyes.

"Sit down before you go, I'll get you another drink," he says as he helps me to the bench and he went off to grab me another bottle of water from the water box near the ring.

Despite looking pathetic and feeling like I had just been crushed by a bus, I was proud of myself for not giving up.

Maddox was patient with me and didn't push me beyond my limits, which I was so happy for because I was sure I'd want to give up if he made me do things, I wasn't ready for.

"Here," he says, handing me another bottle and sat next to me on the bench.

I was starting to get used to being around Maddox, where at first, I felt nervous being around someone so famous but the more I trained with him, the more I saw how easy he was to talk to and be around, unlike how some people describe famous athletes.

"Did you drive here?" he suddenly asks me, making look at him.

"I took the bus."

Maddox went into his short pockets and grabbed his smartphone out and looked at the time, I saw that our hour was up and I should probably go catch my bus before I missed it.

"Um, speaking of I should hurry before I miss my bus," I say, standing up.

Maddox didn't say anything and watched me from the bench, until I bended down and grabbed my gym bag, I heard him stand up and close the locker behind him.

"Give me a minute and I'll drop you off," he says, as I stopped and turned around to look at him, confused and not sure I heard him.

He wanted to drive me... home?

I watched as he went down to his office and then grabbed his own gym bag and then put on a black hoodie, I recognised from a match he wore on TV before a fight.

"Alright let's go, my car's out back so we'll take the back way," he says, as I followed behind him, as he left no room for argument.

I followed behind him quietly through another exit I hadn't recognised before, it led straight to the underground car park, under where the gym was, as Maddox led the way, I looked around nervously and wondered if this was a good idea.

I knew he wouldn't hurt me or attack me but because of Eric I had hated going to places like this, I always avoided them, especially places I know he likes to jump me at.

Maddox stopped at a red convertible I recognised as I looked at the front of the car, seeing it as an Audi Spyder, a car that was probably worth thousands of dollars, did he even trust someone he didn't know inside a car like this?

Getting inside, Maddox starts the car and sends me a look once he looks over at me just standing there.

"Do I need to show you how to open a door, Theo?" he jokes as I felt my neck grow hot.

I fumble with his door handle and get inside, feeling weird I'm sitting in an expensive car with the famous kickboxer Maddox Zane right now and this isn't a dream.

"Seatbelt," he says, as I closed the door and backed out of the parking spot.

I looked over to Maddox as I clicked the seatbelt around me and wondered why he was being so nice to me, I knew it might have something to do with the bruise on my jaw and my busted nose but that couldn't be all, right?

He didn't know me, he didn't have to give a damn about me but I think he did... or maybe he's just being nice.

I decided to just think he's being nice, not looking too much into it as I sit back and try and relax, as my heart beats fast in my chest, nervous just by sitting next to him again.

He's just being nice... that's all this is, nothing more. 

[in-tua-deep]

idk if you still do au ideas but what if delores was a real person in the apocalypse? how it woul dbe done i have no idea but i love all your aus and thought it would be cool

okay okay I don't tend to go for real!Dolores aus admittedly because I find her much more compelling as what she is: a reflection of five himself and a symptom of his crushing loneliness

but i started thinking about it and you know what?? i think five deserves a little socialization, as a treat

so say like, 0.5% of the population is resistant to abilities. Allison would really struggle to rumor them, Five wouldn't be able to jump with them, and, most importantly, whatever the fuck Vanya's ability does has like, reduced damage or something

and the og apocalypse isn't the moon apocalypse, so let's say that it was pure waves of Vanya's powers that fucked over the earth

so 0.5% of the population survives the apocalypse. though, let's be honestly, the real number is a lot smaller than that. People who might have survived Vanya's initial power wave (miraculously) did not survive buildings crushing them or survive the car/plane/bus/train/other transportation crashes or survive being left alone when they are too young to reliably look after themselves, or the variety of other problems that come with 99.5% of the population dying at once

So, Five arrives in the apocalypse and is met with ruin and fire and a whole lot of dead people. He finds his siblings, but it doesn't matter. They're dead. He doesn't even recognize them at first, these strange grown-ups who he identifies not by their faces but by the umbrellas on their wrists that match his own

As he realizes the full impact of his situation, he hears a voice that says, very succinctly, "holy shit!"

It's a girl a few years older than Five himself, maybe 15 or 16, and she is very excited to see another survivor.

And here's where I u-turn this au around bc i'm not all that interested in real!Dolores, but I would be down to talk about Five meeting survivors in the apocalypse, because if Dolores is real I don't buy no one else survived.

So Dolores shows up and see a Literal Child crying over the corpses of his family and assumes that Five is a fellow survivor, and she immediately grabs him up. Five is incoherent with grief at this point anyway, so he doesn't even protest when she basically hauls him away from the bodies. She's babbling at him, but he doesn't really hear anything she's saying

And then she takes him to her dad

(Why not, let's have the 1% potentially be a heritable thing)

and her dad, let's call him just some dad name. like Rick. it has been a fucking WEEK for him, okay. he had his daughter with him, his ex-wife is on the other coast for her work, and by some miracle he survived the apocalypse and so did his child, and he's been wracking his brains trying to figure out what the fuck to do next

and then his daughter shows up with a traumatized thirteen-year-old in tow

now rick is a good dude. he's a dad. they get out of five that his name is five ("what the fuck" dolores mouths to him over five's shoulder and rick can't help but agree) and the bodies he found were his siblings ("Dad and Ben and Vanya weren't there though," this child cries desperately and rick feels his own heart clench in response, "They might still be alive!")

"We can look for them." Rick assures his new adopted child, because he is an adult in a fresh apocalypse and this kid has presumably lost everything he's ever known (more than rick even knows at the time)

and they do. They each get wagons and they go out and find supplies and look for other survivors. Five is... surprisingly helpful and also surprisingly docile as he is able to rely on Someone Else to give orders while he attempts to (dissociate) process what the fuck has happened

and here's the thing: Five prides himself on being independent, sort of. He's independent for a child soldier, but he's used to taking orders from a male authority figure and Rick happens to be just that

The first time that Five does something dangerous and Rick yells is a revelation

(Rick isn't sure if he hopes that Five's dad is alive or not, because if they find that man alive then Rick might just kill the jackass himself. Also like, Five is bizarrely knowledgeable out survival skills, like way too knowledgeable about it, which is helpful for them but also very concerning)

they find a newspaper and Five finds the article that mentions his father's recent death ("Huh. Heart attack." Five says, and there is no emotion in his voice)

(Years later, years later, Five and Rick talk. "I don't think I wanted to find him, either." Five admits, softly because Dolores is asleep, "I think I was more scared of finding him alive than I was of finding his body. He would've been so mad at me, I think.")

this newspaper is how Rick and Dolores find out about Five being Number Five, Umbrella Academy Missing Person

"Dude, what the fuck." Dolores says, wide eyes, "You're like, thirty?"

"I'm thirteen." Five says, and then checks the date on the newspaper again, "Also I think I would technically be 29 if I lived through all of it, 'cause it's April and my birthday is in October."

"You... time travelled?" Rick asks, which is honestly the more relevant question, "Can you go back?"

And Five just,,, crumples on himself. Because he tried, he tried really hard. It didn't work. "I'm gonna figure it out. I'm gonna go back, I'm going to save them."

That, Rick thinks, is a lot of weight to put on one person's shoulders, but especially the shoulders of a child.

"Alright." Rick says, because what else can he say after finding out his new child has superpowers and is from like, 2004? "What do you need?"

("Oh my god I have so many memes to teach you." Dolores says later, reverently. Five blinks in confusion and Rick mentally prepares himself for the recitation of so many vines)

And it's easier, somehow. Five sometimes feels like it's a betrayal, but he settles into apocalypse life with an ease that surprises him.

He lets Rick fuss over him and help tie his scarf securely around his head every morning before he sets off on supply runs with Dolores. And they're kids! Five has never had a friend before, and Dolores is funny and smart and she's struggling just as much as he is.

"I don't know if my mom's alive." She says to him, in solidarity when he checks the face of every corpse to see if they're Vanya.

Five is practical in the way only a child soldier can be. He's economical with the room in their wagons, carefully examining what might and what might not be useful.

Dolores, on the other hand, constantly takes up space with what Five sees as useless shit.

"Excuse you," Dolores says, shoving a game of monopoly, the entire discworld series, and a pack of glitter gel pens into her wagon, "These are absolutely vital apocalypse supplies."

She challenges him, plays with him in a way no one ever has. "I bet you I can find more batteries today than you can," She grins at him, "Winner gets to pick dinner first?"

"You're on." Five says, directly before Dolores pulls two packs of 24 AA batteries from behind her back, like a cheat.

Dolores makes him take a ten minute break when they find a playground that has been mostly not-destroyed. They rummage around kids backpacks and mother's handbags for some good loot, too numb to corpses to even be bothered all that badly about the corpses they belong to.

"I'm getting on the swings." Dolores says when Five starts making noises about moving on, "I haven't been on a swingset in ages."

"What's the point?" Five grumps.

"Don't be sour because you can't swing as high as I can!" Dolores laughs, getting higher and higher as the swings creak ominously.

Five grumpily gets into the other swing and grudgingly kicks himself back and forth until Dolores takes pity on him and teaches him how to properly move his legs and body to get higher and higher.

Dolores jumps from the swing seat and lands with a flourish and smile. Five jumps out of his seat and then jumps, warping right in front of Dolores and making her yell and hit at him in outrage. Five smiles the widest he has all week.

This is how Five grows up in the apocalypse, with Dolores teasing him into taking breaks and leaning over his shoulder to look at his math and scandalizing him by stating that she'd only just started on matrices in her own high school math class.

Every night they huddle around Rick while he picks up whatever book Dolores picked out that day because it is a travesty that Five has never read hunger games or whatever, and then they read together because it would be a genuine blood bath if they all took turns. The first time Five accidentally mentioned a spoiler and Dolores genuinely considered murder was the birthday of this tradition

Some days the air is too smoky or there are dust storms or it's just plain too dangerous to go out, and they all stay in. Dolores regales Five with stories about public school, and Five tells them about his siblings.

Then they all cry

"I shouldn't be crying." Five sobs.

"Shut the fuck up," Dolores sobs back, "You literally watched me lose my shit over remembering my shitty eighth grade dance and listened to me sob-sing toxic for like four hours."

"In fairness I also wished you would shut up then."

"Let me hug you or I will start singing songs that I only remember the chorus for again you absolute fucker."

"I could always sing some -"

"No, Rick/Dad."

And Five grows up. Rick shows him how to shave very carefully in front of cracked mirrors. Dolores teases him every time his voice cracks. Rick tells Five in no uncertain terms that he loves and cares for him, and that Reginald was a little bitch. There are a lot of heartfelt conversations around that, honestly. Rick telling Five that he and the siblings deserved better, that they were children and deserved to have a childhood.

And that he has faith in Five. Rick and Dolores both do, they bring him back paper and pens and pencils and chalk and anything Five can use to write equations. They poke around any libraries for books on theoretical mathematics and quantum physics. Rick and Dolores go out scouting for food while Five stays home and can work longer.

They also make him take breaks, make sure that he's looking after himself.

They're a little better off than OG!Five when it comes to food, because some animals survive. Enough that Rick figures out how to hunt. Five is the first one to each bugs, and even though Dolores makes faces they all start eating bugs as well.

"Pretty sure there's loads of cultures that eat bugs." Rick says grudgingly, wondering if he should try stirfry the cockroaches and if that would improve the taste. "There's even, uh, cricket flour or whatever, right?"

"Plus you eat like, five spiders a year when you're asleep." Dolores says cheerfully, just to watch her dad's face scrunch up in displeasure.

"That doesn't sound true, but I don't know enough about spiders to dispute it." Five mutters, and Dolores gives him such a proud look that it makes him roll his eyes.

They're in their thirties when Rick dies. He's out foraging and hunting, and the rubble he's standing on gives way and he ends up with a gash in his leg. He manages to stop the bleeding, but the world is filthy and they don't have any antibiotics.

He gets an infection.

"It's okay." He tells both of his kids, "It's okay. I'm just so glad that you guys have each other, y'hear? I'm so glad."

"It's not okay." Five says, voice thick and choked, "It's not."

"Yeah, well, you're going to figure out how to go back, right? Go back in time and save everyone. Then I'll have never died, right?" Rick smiles, "And even if you don't, I'll be waiting for you on the other side and we'll see each other again anyway."

"I'm going to fix it."

"I know. I have faith in you, Five." Ricks says honestly, and that's more than Reginald ever said.

They sit quietly together while Dolores is out scavenging. They've been taking turns sitting with Rick.

"I won't remember you, in the past, will I?" Rick says rhetorically, but Five answers anyway.

"I don't think so."

Rick hums, "Well, doesn't matter. If you need help in the past, you come to me, y'hear?"

"You won't remember me."

"Doesn't matter. You come find me, and you tell me your crazy story until I believe you, and then I'll help you." Rick says firmly, "You're family. You're my son. Timelines? Don't matter. If you need help, with anything, even if it's just with - with filling out a bowling team or something -"

"I have never been bowling in my life and you know it." Five interrupts, but it makes him laugh just a little bit which was clearly Rick's intention.

"Well who knows what you'll get up to in the past! You'll be able to go bowling, you know. Get to wear those uncomfortable shoes. Hey, you go far enough back maybe you can go to Dolores's tenth birthday party and put me out of my misery."

"Was she bad at bowling?"

"Oh, she was wiping the floor with me. No contest."

"Honestly, that sounds absolutely accurate."

"Shut up, bowling just wasn't my sport. Regardless, the point was that I'm giving you a free pass to come and get me. Because I know you, I know how you think." Rick brings up his hand to tap his finger against Five's forehead, "You get it into your head that you need to go it alone, take it all on your shoulders. I'm telling you that if you do that I'll somehow manifest my memories and come smack you over the head for being stupid, you hear?"

"I'm not dragging you into anything." Five says firmly, "I'll have my siblings."

"Who were also children." Rick points out. "And dragging? Dragging is such a strong word for a volunteer."

"A volunteer who won't remember volunteering." Five shoots back.

Rick just shrugs, and then winces when the movement jolts his bad leg. "Five, I'm going to be honest with you here. And sappy. Can you handle a bit of sappiness for a minute?"

"No."

"Well too bad. Can't leave a dying man, you'd feel too bad. So you're stuck with me. But you listen good, okay? Because you aren't dragging me into anything. Whatever life you have, I want to have a part of that. Because you're my son. Wherever you are, whatever you do, I want to help because you're family. What you'd be doing by leaving me out of it is depriving me of someone I love, depriving me of knowing one of the best kids I've ever known."

"Shut up." Five says, choked.

"Nope, it's sappy time." Rick states, "Maybe asking you to come find me is selfish, but I don't care. No matter what version of me exists, I want to be in your life."

"My life is a walking joke, why would you want any part of that?"

"It has been my privilege to watch you grow up. To help you. To be here for you. Of course I'd want to be there to watch you grow up the rest of the way."

"But -"

"Shut up, just let me tell you that I am so proud of you. You never give up, and your heart is so big. You love so much and so loudly, and it's been the highest honor of my life to be included in your family."

Five pauses for a moment to collect himself before simply saying - "You're the best dad I've ever had."

Rick snorts, "Considering my competition, I'd sure hope so. That bar was so low old Reggie was practically limbo dancing with the devil. Now get over here and give an old man a hug."

They don't bury Rick, when he dies. They don't have time and the ground is too hard and they don't have the heart to move him. Instead the pack everything up and seal him in the shelter they'd lived in.

Dolores pulls out a bottle of ancient nail polish and painstakingly writes Rick's name on the wall with his birth year and an approximate current year. They aren't 100% sure though, since time blends together out in the apocalypse, but it's something.

They continue by themselves. They get older.

Dolores jokingly calls him her husband because the way his face scrunches up makes her cackle. They see other people very occasionally, usually passing through. Usually groups. Dolores and Five get to flex their hosting skills, though more than one group declines their cockroach stirfry.

("It's a family recipe." Five says with amusement in his eyes that usually manages to drown out old grief.)

"Jeeze, that kid couldn't have been older'n twenty-three." Dolores complains, "Makes me feels positively ancient."

"They wouldn't have known any world 'cept for the apocalypse." Five muses, pouring some boiled water into wine glasses because they might be living in the apocalypse but they can be fancy.

"Do you ever think about that?" Dolores asks, turning to him with no judgement, just curiosity. "When you go back, you'll be like, erasing them from existence."

Five shrugs, "Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe this place will just split off into an alternate timeline."

"Maybe none of this is real." Dolores says, amusement coloring her voice. "Maybe you aren't talking to a real person at all. Maybe this is just a symbol of your insanity and cracked mind."

"Dolores, I literally have a scar where you stabbed me. Did I somehow manage to stab myself in the back?"

"Scraped you, I scraped you. By accident."

"So you maintain." Five says haughtily, swirling his water in his wine glass like a pretentious prick.

"I could totally be fake. You don't know my life."

"I know way too much about you, Dolores. Like, way way too much." Five scoffs, because Dolores and him have literally no secrets from one another at this point. Five even knows the truth behind what happened at Janet Scranton's thirteenth birthday party. Like, he said, way too much.

"Maybe you made it up. Maybe that's why you know so much."

"Dolores, I'm going to be honest with you right now." Five presses the tips of his fingers to his chin, "If you were a figment of my imagination, you would be so much better at math."

"Hey!" Dolores squawks indignantly, "I didn't even get to finish high school you pretentious prick!"

"Neither did I!"

"You didn't even go to high school, you brat."

"I'm fifty-two I think I've outgrown 'brat.'"

"Tell that to your attitude." Dolores says haughtily, "You're still younger than me."

"Won't be when I go back in time." Five says cheerfully, completely ignoring Dolores's venomous look.

"That's cheating."

"Sucks to suck." Five says loftily, taking another sip of his water.

Sometimes they talk about The Plan, with capital letters. What Five is going to do when he goes back in time, depending on when he pops out. Is he going to adopt his siblings? What about Reginald?

"You don't think I could kill Reginald?" Five says, holding a hand to his chest in mock offense.

"I think you should let me do it. I'll even give you control of tonight's music if you do."

"What are you doing to do? Bite his ankles? What if you're like, seven or something?"

"All the better to get away with it since I'll be too young to convict or whatever."

"Pretty sure that's not how the law works."

"How would you know? Just for that I'm playing Istanbul on repeat again."

"I don't know why you think that's a threat. That song slaps."

It takes a few more years before Five is close enough that the Commission comes to interfere. Because that's what I think happened - Five was getting too close and they stepped in because they might as well distract the man as much as they can with missions, right?

So the Handler shows up. And she offers Five a job, telling him that they have the ability to travel through time. And Five - hesitates.

"Give me some time?" Five asks, and the Handler graciously gives him 24 hours.

And he and Dolores talk it over, because now that his goal is more in sight than it has ever been and Five is scared.

"What are you waiting for? You have the chance to see your siblings again." Dolores says patiently.

"Yeah," Five says, and what he doesn't say is clear. But I won't see you.

"Five." Dolores says, and she cradles his face between her palms like he is something precious, "I have had so much time with you already. More than I would have ever. We have been so lucky, to have this time. How can I demand more than what we have already been given?"

"When have you ever not demanded the world, Dolores?" Five asks, his own hand coming up to cover Dolores's own.

"We've had decades together, Five. We're getting old. I was always going to lose you, one way or another. Nothing lasts forever."

"I don't want to lose you."

"I know. But if I had to choose a way, if I could decide where our story ends, this would be it. Letting you go, because this way you get to live. You get to see your family again. You get to save the world. I could ask for nothing more than for you to get your happy ending."

Five removes Dolores's hand from his cheek so that he can cradle it between them, "I'm happy here with you. I've never been happier. Isn't that silly? That I was happier in the apocalypse?"

"I bet killing Reggie would make you happy." Dolores laughs rustily.

"One day you're going to see the mysterious disappearance of a famous billionaire in the paper and feel a twinge of satisfaction and now have a clue why." Five laughs as well, shaking his head.

Dolores pats Five's hands, "Five, look at me. We've had our time. And you're going to give me even more of it. More time with my father. More time with my mother. I'll never know it, but you'll have saved me."

"What if this is - what if this is an alternate reality? What if I leave you here alone?"

"Then you'll be saving a 15-year-old girl from the same fate as me. Because as much as I love you, as much as I have loved this time we have had together, this is still an apocalypse. This should never have happened, and if you have a chance to go back and prevent it, then I want you to take that chance with both hands."

"Even if it means leaving you alone?"

Dolores smiles at him, "I'm not going to be alone. Far too many creepy crawlies in the apocalypse for that."

"Shut up, I'm being serious."

"Hmm." Dolores hums consideringly, "Maybe I'll head North, to that new settlement that last group said they'd heard word of. Sure they'd find some use for an old woman who's survived this long in the wilderness."

"You can have my half of the record collection." Five says, pulling her against him into a hug that she easily returns.

"As if I wouldn't have stolen them as soon as you left." She scoffs, but it's a little wet, and Five pretends his own eyes aren't leaking tears.

When The Handler comes back, Dolores gives him another hug. She also slips something into his pocket - some photos. They'd taken it a year into the apocalypse, when Dolores had found an ancient looking polaroid camera and towed it home despite Five's protests about practicality. The photos are worn and faded at the edges, but the smiles on Five's little apocalypse family's faces are undeniable.

"You'll have to see if they magically fade when you change the timeline." Dolores whispers to him with a grin, "Like in the movies."

"Okay." Five whispers back.

"You have the list of movies to watch, right?" Dolores says. Five rolls his eyes and nods because he wrote the list last night into his Vanya-book while Dolores hovered over his shoulder and critiqued his handwriting.

"And you promise to try a proper non-expired twinkie at some point?"

"That I do not promise. I think even looking at one would make me lose my lunch. I have twinkie-trauma."

"Shut up and get going." Dolores says, because the Handler is starting to tap her foot impatiently.

And off Five goes to become an assassin. Though - he's much more gentle this time. He's careful, he doesn't kill children and he usually takes jobs that don't require killing at all. He distracts and manipulates events as much as he can without killing.

He's actually much more well socialized, thanks to Rick and Dolores. Less feral child and more determined man on a mission.

Which is why he's so frustrated when he finally, finally manages to get the equations to work and falls through and falls - directly back into his stupid thirteen-year-old body.

"Shit." Five says, loudly, and revels in the surprised look on his siblings faces.

He strides into the kitchen, and they all follow him like ducklings. They look exactly the way they did when they died.

"Wow this is actually way harder than I thought it would be." Five muses, looking at their dead faces. But as Dolores would say, life is hard but you have to keep on trucking sometimes. "Whatever, what's the date?"

"Five, where have you been?" Diego demands, looking irritated. It makes Five snort in amusement.

"The future. The past. If you want like, an exact list of dates you'll have to hold your horses. I spent like, two weeks in Peru once. No souvenirs though, unfortunately."

They look taken aback, like they didn't expect Five to have quite this much sass. Oops. That is definitely Dolores's influence. Or maybe he was always a little asshole. In fairness, what teenagers aren't tiny assholes? He has an excuse.

"What the fuck does that mean?" Diego's eyebrows are furrowed in anger. It kind of takes Five aback for a second, because he remembers a Diego who stutters when he argued.

"When did you learn the fuck-word?" Five asks, raising an eyebrow before her can help it, "Grace ought to wash your mouth out with soap."

Diego immediately goes red, "Shut up!"

"Wow you're so easy to rile up. Aren't you like, twenty-something? Actually, I could figure out for myself how old you are if you gave me the date."

"I'm twenty-nine." Diego growls, like that was the point.

"Haunting!" Five says cheerfully, because that means there is way less time than he would like, narrowing his time down to a six month window.

It's extremely funny how his cheer makes all of them make faces.

It's Klaus who leans forward, "Why do you need to know?"

Klaus's face is open and curious and - (looks exactly like he did when Five found him all those years ago) - and Five can't help but answer him. "The world end on April 1st, 2019. No it isn't an April Fools joke, yes I have heard that joke like a million different times. I just want to know how close I landed so I can, you know, start working on how to fix that."

"Woah woah woah, roll it back." Allison says, holding a hand up, "What?"

"The apocalypse occurs on April 1st, 2019." Five says, slowly. "I have traveled from afar to prevent this from happening, because like, everyone dies."

"Everyone?" Vanya says weakly from the side.

She's clearly expecting to be ignored, so Five turns his head to address her directly by wiggling his hand back and forth a little. "Sort of. Like, not too many people survive at all. A handful of the human population, you know."

"But you survived?" Diego recovers admirably, if bitingly.

"Well, no." Five says rolling his eyes, "Wouldn't you just know it, Klaus here has managed to figure out a new ability!"

Everyone turns to look at Klaus, who immediately holds up his hands like he's being arrested or something, "I did not!"

"Wonderful! Now that we've established that I'm alive -"

"Why should we trust a word you say?" Luther says for the first time, looking pensive.

Five blinks, genuinely taken aback. "Because... I'm your brother? Because I can clearly and obviously time travel? Like, yeah, it would have been more convenient if I'd arrived in like, my old-body for proof-purposes, but like. I mean. Thirteen is still a pretty convincing age to be to prove time travel considering if I hadn't, I would be like, almost thirty."

"Roll it back again." Allison says firmly, "What do you mean by 'old body'?"

"Great question!" Five says pointing at Allison and smiling. Everyone looks at him weird again, and Five takes a moment to wonder if they've ever experienced positive reinforcement. Knowing Reginald, probably not. "Wait! Is Reggie alive? Wait, no, answer that in a second. Uh. When I time traveled I fucked up my body I guess, I was like, old. White hair and wrinkles-type old from spending decades in the apocalypse. But I fucked up the calculations and got booted back to my thirteen-year-old body, I guess. How, I have no idea."

"What?" Vanya says, still equally weakly.

"You have no idea how fucked up time travel is." Five whispers conspiratorially to Vanya, loud enough for the whole table to hear, "There are so many ways to die. Or permanently tear a hold in space time. But like, with life as we know if ending soon-ish, I figured I couldn't possibly fuck it up worse than it already was, y'know? Speaking of, anyone have the date again?"

"Wait, what was that about dad?" Luther asks, very focused.

"Oh, you still call him dad? Big oof." Five says automatically, because apparently his verbal filter is shot to hell after living with Dolores. It does make Klaus bark out a too-loud laugh.

"What does that mean?" Luther asks aggressively.

"It means Reginald sucks and doesn't deserve the title of 'dad,' what did you think I meant?" Five asks, and now both Diego and Vanya and both cracking smiles, though Vanya is covering hers with a hand.

"Have some respect for the dead." Luther growls, standing up and looking very large and threatening.

Five sways back, craning his head up, "Woah there big buy, sit down before I injure my poor growing spine looking up at you. Jeeze, did Reggie force feed you steroids or something? I wouldn't put it past him but like, I just want to know he at least went over the side effects of the drug with you. Also like, thanks for narrowing it down. Also terrifying! Seriously though, exact date please because if I have less than 24 hours I am going to break down crying and that is a threat."

"I love this Five." Klaus says reverently.

"March 21st." Vanya offers, finally.

"Wow! Terrifying!" Five says, clapping his hands together, "Hate that. Ten days, huh? Well, who wants to get on board the save-the-world express?"

Klaus immediately flings his hand in the air, Five points at his brother appreciatively. "Yes, excellent! I'll take the volunteer in the lovely skirt as my first team member. Any other volunteers?"

"Danke!" Klaus simpers, grinning widely like this is the vest entertainment he's had in weeks.

"I'm not just going to stand here and listen to you badmouth dad and boss us around." Luther slams his hands on the table.

"Well not with that attitude." Five snarks.

Diego raises his hand, "I would like to join team fuck dad as well."

"We can certainly debate team names later." Five says, nodding wisely as Luther gives some sort of scandalized gasp.

"Honestly, I just want to see where this is going." Klaus confesses.

Five shrugs, because he doesn't really care about the reason. "Don't you want to prove me wrong them? Prove what a well-adjusted young man Reginald Hargreeves raised?"

"Shut up." Luther grinds out, looking a moment away from throwing a punch.

"If this is all true, I have to get home." Allison cuts in, looking concerned, "I have - I have a daughter."

"I mean, if you want to give Claire a world to live in then I'd stick around, but that's just me." Five shrugs.

"You know her name?" Allison asks, obviously taken aback.

Five is almost offended, "Uh, yeah. I have her photo as well. Y'all get on like, a bizarre number of gossip magazine covers did you know that?"

Allison manages to outdo herself in terms of being taken aback once more.

There's a beat of silence, and then Five turns, "Vanya? You in?"

"Me?" Vanya blinks, looking shocked. "What can I do?"

"Yeah, what can she do?" Diego asks, crossing his arms and suddenly looking grumpy.

It baffles Five, who scrunches his nose, "Uh, like, a lot? I assume? I mean. I'm going to be honest here, just looking at y'all right now is a lot. In more ways than one! Hashtag trauma and all that, but like, name a single one of you that wouldn't be the most obvious person in the room as soon as you walked into it. Except Vanya, who somehow manages to look like a well adjusted adult, by some miracle."

"Did you just verbally say the word hashtag?" Allison asks, looking so deeply confused.

"More concerned about the trauma he tacked onto there, but y'know, to each their own." Klaus immediately cuts in.

"You think I'm well-adjusted?" Vanya asks, looking oddly touched.

"I would like to direct your attention to Diego's leather pants-scowl combo and Luther's general aura of daddy-issues." Five says pointedly, "I can practically smell the tragic comic book backstory in this room. If I'd jumped back a decade earlier this would have been Batman's wet dream of orphan selection."

"Alright! Game plan!" Five says, waving Diego's knife in his hand.

Diego's hands immediately go to his weird harness looking thing, "Hey!"

"Give me just one moment to get the tracker out." Five rolls his eyes, "Then I'll give it back, I promise. Also if someone could ask Grace for like, some antibiotics that would be good."

"What?" Allison asks, directly before Five stabs himself and there is suddenly panic at the table.

"Relax!" Five says, allowing Diego to remove the knife from his hands. He doesn't need it anyway and his hand immediately drops down to root in the wound.

"Five what the fuck!" Diego yells, but Five just pulls up bloody fingers and waves the tracker into Diego's stupefied face.

"What the fuck is that, Five?" Allison demands, looking very shaken.

"I literally just said it was a tracker." Five points out, "Now, I think our first team activity should be voting on whether we destroy it or take it out to bumfuck nowhere and ditch it to confuse the Commission."

"What the fuck is the Commission?" Diego barks.

"Man. Maybe I should just hit up Rick." Five muses, "This is going to take so much explaining."

"Who is Rick."

"So much explaining."

#survivors au #well adjusted five au #five actually has some social skills! #and an idea of what an actual parent looks like as well #klaus absolutely adores this version of five #who quotes vines and uses gen z slang with the best of them #five has been reliably informed that public education is worse than the apocalypse #but he's also pretty sure working with his family is worse as well #five: i have so much trauma lol #klaus: oh big same #vanya: mood #five is somehow the most well adjusted hargreeves #and the most responsible #he doesn't legally exist and he doesn't pay taxes but somehow he has his shit together #five showing up at rick's house: you don't know me but i know you in the future #rick: what the fuck #five: don't make me bring up bethany midler from highschool because you gave me so many embarrassing stories to convince yourself with #rick: okay okay i believe you and you are??? #five: your son from the future lol what's up dad want to help save the world #five arriving back at the manor like: WHAT'S UP LOSERS RICK IS NOW YOUR DAD TOO BC GOD KNOWS Y'ALL NEED AN ACTUAL FATHER FIGURE #klaus calls rick a dilf and five kidney punches him hard enough that klaus can't even properly introduce himself #it's better for everyone that way #delores: 15 and ready to fuck someone up #delores: i'm not staying with this weirdo (diego) while you go off with my dad #five threateningly: don't make me bring up what really happened to dad's good suit in 2012 #delores: i will stay right here #rick: wait WHAT happened to my good suit #five: unimportant don't you want to save the world #long post #far tua long

[mydarllinglover]

Alone || Welcome to Alexandria

Previous

"Eyes open everybody. Weapons up." Glenn told the other five once they reached the sign that said 16. "You see someone coming at us, you fire."

"Copy that." Abraham said.

"So if we see someone, we just shoot them?" Michonne asked.

"That's a good question." Maggie agreed.

"I remember when I was living by those rules, and you both called me crazy." She looked at Maggie and Glenn.

"Times are different." Glenn said.

"Yeah, for you." She pressed.

"What if we see someone like us?" Michonne brought up. "What if Aarons telling the truth. What if they're someone who has nothing to do with this?"

"We're six people walking with guns. No one's coming up to say hello." Glenn answered.

"But that's exactly what happened."

"If it's someone like us, we should be afraid of them. He said he was watching us, right? It means he saw us yesterday. And everything we've done, why would he want us to join his group?" Glenn asked.

"People like us saved a priest. Saved a girl who rolled up to the prison with the Governor. Saved a crazy lady with a sword."

"Took in a crazy lady who lived in a house surrounded by bodies." Natalia laughed. "And saved potential survivors from cannibals."

"He saw that." Michonne continued.

"I don't know what he saw."

They walked further, until eventually, they found their destination.

"He was telling the truth." Michonne said, when they reached the vehicles, a car and an RV.

There was some rustling in the leaves as they walked over a fallen tree.

"Not one step closer, asshole!" Glenn shouted as everyone raised their weapons towards the noise.

But it was just two walkers.

"I got 'em." Abraham said, slinging the gun around his shoulder and pulling out his knife.

"We got 'em." Rosita corrected, putting her own gun on the car.

Rosita used a stick to knock down the male walker, whilst Abraham pulled at the woman's arm, pulling it clean off.

"Damn it!" Rosita cursed, knocking the female walker down, then using the stick to plunge it into the male walkers head as Abraham got his barings and finished off his walker.

"Thanks."

The two then searched the RV whilst the others waited outside.

"Proud of you." Natalia nudged Michonne.

"Of what?" She raised a brow, looking at her friend.

"For standing up to Rick, for having a little bit of hope."

"Nat, I haven't showered in over a month, or even slept in a warm bed, I've been praying for something to give, and the lord above might actually be pitying us, for once."

"I just want clean clothes so I can burn these." She looked down at her ruined tank top and cargo pants.

"You're right, got all sorts going on there." Michonne gestured a hand at the stains covering the fabric.

"Like you look any better."

"Well, thank you. I tried." Michonne faked bashfulness.

Abraham and Rosita claimed the RV was clear, then the group of six decided to split up and drive back to the barn.

Natalia drove the car, Michonne beside her, the others were in the RV.

The two women talked about random things they found both intrigued each other.

Michonne was glad to see that the sleep her friend had, happened to bring a spark back, she smiled more and snapped a lot less.

Michonne stayed away from any topics of conversation that could push Natalia back under.

When they got back, Glenn, Maggie, Rosita and Abraham brought in the food and supplies the pair had found in the RV showing it off to the rest of the group.

"This, this is ours now." Rick told Aaron.

"There's more than enough." Aaron replied, sounding tired as he was still restrained.

"It's ours, whether or not we go to your camp."

"What do you mean? Why wouldn't we go?" Carl asked his father.

"If he were lying or if he wanted to hurt us... but he isn't and he doesn't. We need this. So we're going. All of us." Michonne told the group. "Somebody say something if they feel differently."

"I don't know about you guys, but I am tired, and I am hungry, and I have quite frankly had enough, we came here for a reason, for a place just like this, and here we are, mission complete." Natalia glanced at Abraham. "So why are we trying to throw it away, it would be an insult to everything we struggled through, just to get here." She said her piece.

"I don't know, man." Daryl started. "This barn smells like horse shit."

"Yeah." Rick agreed. "We're going."

Michonne and Natalia smiled in victory, quietly low-fiving each other.

"So where are we going?" Rick turned to Aaron. "Where's your camp?"

"Well, every time I've done this, I've been behind the wheel driving recruits back." Aaron explained. "I believe you're good people. I've bet my life on it. I'm just not ready to bet my friend's lives just yet."

Rick switched places with Michonne, heading for the map as she headed for the man.

"You're not driving." Michonne told him, clearly. "So if you want to get home, you'll have to tell us how."

"Go North of Route 16." Aaron caved.

"And then?" Michonne pushed.

"I'll tell you when we get there."

"We'll take 23 North. You'll give us directions from there."

"That's... I don't know how else to say it, that's a bad idea." Aaron looked uncomfortable by Ricks idea. "We've cleared 16. It'll be faster."

"We'll take 23." Rick repeated. "We leave at sundown."

"We're doing this at night?" Sasha asked, voicing the question everyone was thinking.

"Look, I know it's dangerous. But it's better than riding up to the gates during the day. If it isn't safe, we need to get gone before they know we're there."

"No one is going to hurt you." Aaron said. "You're trying to protect your group, but you're putting them in danger."

"Tell me where the camp is, we'll leave right now." Rick turned to him.

Aaron looked away, shaking his head.

"It's going to be a long night. Eat. Get some rest if you can." Rick told the group, walking out of the barn.

Michonne and Natalia shared a look of knowing, Natalia nodded for her to follow after the man, which she did.

Natalia took a step toward the man on the floor.

"Hey." She said. "I just want you to know, that I vouched for you, something I've only ever done once for someone else, if you're lying, if my groups put in danger because of this, I won't hesitate to slit your throat and stab you to death, understand?" Natalia said, with a calm expression.

"I'm not lying." Aaron pushed, looking slightly alarmed.

"Good. You hungry?"

After Natalia got Aaron some food, she searched for her own, reading the allergens but she was still nervous about consuming anything.

"You okay?" Carol stood beside her.

"Yeah, just checking something." Natalia responded, sighing, putting down a can that contained hazelnut.

"Anything in particular?"

"Not really." She shrugged, smiling at the woman.

"Nat's allergic to nuts." Daryl revealed to the woman, joining the conversation.

Natalia frowned at him as Carol looked at her.

"Why didn't you tell anyone, how serious is it?"

"Not that serious, I don't know, the idea of it being used against me comes to mind sometimes."

"You could die." Daryl interrupted once again, studying the food, himself. "Sounds pretty serious to me." He opened up a can of spaghettiO's, sniffing it, before dipping a finger in, tasting the sauce.

"Only if I don't have an Epi-Pen, which I don't have... but it's fine, I handle it."

"Actually." Carol seemed to remember something. "Back at Grady Memorial, Beth must've snatched them up, put them in my bag, there was a small stash of Epi-Pens, they had a system with the drugs, she was the only person ever trusted with the key."

Natalia felt chest pains at the confession.

"Why would she do that?" Natalia snapped her head up, looking at the woman.

"Because she cared about you, a lot, like the rest of us." Carol rubbed her arm. "I'll make sure to keep an eye on the food from now on." Carol then walked away, leaving just Natalia and Daryl, who was still holding the can, which he hadn't ate any more out of.

"Here." He said, offering it to her. "Checked it, should be safe."

"Thanks." Natalia whispered, taking the can. "Y'know, if I ever happen to get bit one day-"

"Don't." Daryl cut her off.

"I'm just saying, If I ever did, I'd want the last thing I ever did, be eating a Reece's peanut butter cup, see what the big deal about Anaphylaxis is all about, go out like my dad."

"Too bad you ain't never gonna experience it."

"Don't bet on it, my lucks gotta run out someday." Natalia shrugged.

"Y'know, at the community, we have a pretty gifted surgeon, you will be in good hands there, we can put you on the system, with other allergenics." Aaron spoke up. "His name's Pete."

Daryl and Natalia looked at the man, confused he was inserting himself in their conversation.

"What's a surgeon gonna do for a nut allergy? I'm good." She forced a smile, walking towards her dog, who was with Carl and Judith, eating out of her can of hoops.

When the sun had set, the group set off, everyone but; Aaron, Rick, Glenn and Michonne settled into the RV, Abraham driving.

All of a sudden, the RV took a sharp turn.

"What's happening?" Carl asked.

"I'm sure it's fine." Natalia told him, getting up and walking towards the front of the RV, Daryl was sat in the passenger seat. "Abraham, what the hell?"

"Herd, packing up the whole road." Abraham replied, keeping his eyes on the road. "Gonna find us a little detour."

"What?! Where's the car?" Tara yelped.

"Glenn drove right through." Daryl told her. "We gotta find a place, they'll meet us there."

Just then, a red flare shot up into the sky, not too far from them.

"What if that was them?" Sasha asked.

"Follow it." Rosita told her boyfriend.

"Copy that." Abraham replied, turning the wheel in the direction of the water tower.

They had reached where the flare went off.

"There!" Natalia leaned over the seats, pointing at a group of walkers trying to reach something, or someone. She jumped out of the RV, towards the hungry walkers.

"Nat, wait!" Maggie called. "Natalia!"

She unsheathed her knife as she ran, yanking a walker back, stabbing it in the head before it could notice her, then moved onto the next, soon enough, others had joined, Sasha shot at them, Rosita, Abraham and Maggie had took to the same as Natalia, Daryl took one out with his crossbow.

Natalia reached for the last one, who was grabbing for a blond man that was attempting to fight it off.

She plunged the knife in its head, chucking it to the ground before pointing it at the man.

"Who are you?" She asked. "Quickly."

"Eric!" He put his hands up in the air. "My name is Eric, You know Aaron, he's-"

"You're the other person out here." Sasha finished, her gun was still in her hands as she stared down at him.

"Where are our people?" Natalia pushed, leaning forward as she kept the hilt of her knife pointed in his face.

"I- I don't know! I got trapped, hurt my ankle, it's why I sent up the flare."

Abraham pushed the tyre off his leg whilst Maggie bent down to examine it.

"If Aaron saw it, he'll come, and so will the rest of your people." Eric stuttered, his hands shook as he stared at the threatening brunnete in front of him. "I know Rick, and Michonne and Glenn was with him."

"How do you know their names?"

"Aaron knew ours when he approached Maggie and I." Sasha told her.

"I know your names Nat, probably short for Natalie."

"It's not." She told him, her jaw clenched at the name. "It's Natalia, only my friends call me Nat, you're not my friend."

"Yes, sorry."

"Nat, stop." Daryl was beside her, pushing the knife away, she snapped her eyes towards him, her glare hadn't disappeared, but confusion seeped into her eyes.

"Think his ankles broken, if we can get him somewhere safe, I could fix it up." Maggie told the small group, the rest were still in the RV.

"I know a place we can go, It's not far from here, actually it's pretty near, they'll find us there." Eric told them, wincing as he attempted to get up.

"Up we go." Abraham said, practically carrying the frail man.

He had led them to a building, in an alley, a sign above the door read Supply Room.

The RV was parked outside and everyone headed in for the night.

Natalia began pacing outside, telling Carol that she'd wait out for the others, when she had asked what she was doing.

Daryl stayed outside too.

"What the hell was that?" He asked.

"Hm?" She asked, looking up at him, instead of the ground.

"Running off back there, into the group of walkers." Daryl said, adjusting the crossbow in his arms.

"Someone was hurt, there were walkers to take out, y'know it's been, like, a year and a half, I would've thought you were caught up by now, considering you, yourself, have done it so many times." She scratched her head, confused about what he seemed to be upset about.

"Nah, you didn't hesitate or wait for anyone else, you jumped out whilst the RV wasn't even stopped and went head first. Practically throwing yourself at them."

"What was I supposed to do?"

"Wait for someone to help."

"I didn't have to, y'all followed me out." She shrugged.

"You don't get it." He shook his head.

"Clearly not." Natalia agreed.

More time had passed when a familiar whistle sounded through the air.

Daryl and Natalia moved away from the door they were both leaned against, looking into the alley and spotting their friends.

Daryl whistled back, waving in the air so they knew who it was.

Natalia walked towards them, as they met her half way.

Daryl pounded on the door, alerting the others.

"Oh my god." Natalia sighed, hugging Rick, who hugged her back.

"You alright?" He asked. "Carl?"

"Everyone's fine, there was no trouble." She smiled at him, walking towards her best friend.

"Dad!" Carl called, running out the building.

"Mich." She groaned, hugging the woman tight.

"Nat." Michonne grinned, swaying them.

"Your sister okay?" Rick asked Carl as they embraced.

"Yeah. Yeah, fine." He replied, smiling at seeing his father.

"Eric? Eric?" Aaron called for the man inside, whilst Rick and Daryl shook hands. "Eric?"

"In here." Eric replied from inside.

Aaron ran in, following the voice.

"Eric!"

Rick stepped away from Carol, walking into the building as well.

"Everyone, back inside." Abraham ordered.

They walked into the building, Michonne greeted Judith, kissing her head, hugging her tightly as the group fell into chatter.

"Excuse me. Excuse me." Aaron walked out of the room Eric was resting in, grabbing the people's attention. "Everyone. Thank you. You saved Eric. I owe you. All of you. Especially you, Natalia, you saved his life."

"Oh! It wasn't, I didn't- they did." She shook her head, looking around the room, trying to pass thanks.

"No, Nat was the one who ran in, yanked them away." Rosita nodded her hat at the woman as Michonne patted her back, both revelling in her embarrassment. "We just followed her lead."

"Regardless, I will make sure the debt is paid in full when we get to our community. When we get to Alexandria. Now, I'm not sure about you, but I'd rather not do any more driving tonight. Maybe we can hit the road tomorrow morning."

"That sounds fine." Rick nodded. "But if we're staying here for the night, you're sleeping over there."

"You really think we got to do that?" Maggie asked.

"It's the safe play. We don't know you." Rick said.

"The only way you're gonna stop me from being with him right now is by shooting me." Aaron told him.

When no one responded or moved, he stepped forward.

"Woah." Glenn put his hand out, stopping him. "Rick, he told us where the camp is. And he really was only travelling with one other person. They're both unarmed. One of them's got a broken ankle. I want us to be safe too. I can't give up everything else. I know what I said, but it does matter." Glenn fought their case.

Rick thought on it for a moment, before coming to a decision.

"Alright."

The next morning, they hit the road once again, heading to Alexandria.

Abraham was driving, Rosita beside him. Eugene, Tara, Glenn and Maggie were playing a card game, Sasha was cleaning her gun beside Carol, who watched the game.

Natalia was leaned against Daryl, teasing Sully with the rabbit as she raised it in the air before lifting it down, just enough so he could grab it, before raising it again. Noah was talking to Aaron, who was in the "bedroom" Eric was fast asleep.

Gabriel was reading a bible he had been carrying with him since the church.

The grimes, as well as Michonne, had been riding in a separate car.

Over halfway there, the RV broke down.

The group stood around the road as Abraham and Glenn tried fixing it.

Daryl was stood on top of the RV, scouting far out.

Natalia, with Sully in her arms, was leaned against the car, beside Michonne and Rick.

"Can't win." Abraham punched the RV. "Might as well paint it red, put a ladder on it."

"All we need is another battery." Glenn told him.

"Where in the hell are we gonna fine another battery?" Abraham asked him.

"Right over here." Glenn patted his arm, walking towards the inside of the RV. He opened up the step, showing off an untouched battery.

"How'd you know those were there?" The red head asked.

"Come on." Glenn told him, pulling out the battery, avoiding the question.

"The fights over." Michonne spoke to Rick. "You've got to let it go. I know it's hard. After its kept you... warm and fed and alive. But the fight... It turns on you. You've got to let it go."

"That's what Bob was trying to tell me back at the church." Rick looked at his shoes. "What to risk. When it's safe. When to let someone in. The rules keep changing.

"They did for me." Michonne said.

Natalia nodded, having been beside them whilst they had the conversation, the rules had changed for her as well, thanks to Rick, his son, and their friends.

The engine of the RV started, pulling everyone's focus towards it.

"Whoo!" The group cheered and clapped.

"Before we get going, I got to... I got to take a moment." Rick said.

He then walked away.

Natalia decided to follow him, she had something she wanted to say as well, and he was going to listen, she also had an inkling he wasn't just taking a moment.

"Rick." Natalia announced her presence, when they had reached an abandoned house.

"Why aren't you with the others?" He asked, picking up a blender.

"Cause, I wanted to see what you were up to." She shrugged, not pointing out that he had took out a gun, placing it in the blender. "Y'know, after the prison, when it was just me, Daryl and Beth. We both gave up, just assumed everyone was gone, except for her, she made us track prints for a whole day, just because she believed it wasn't all lost, the prints we found, they ended up being dead, but that's not the point. She also reminded us that there are good people in the world, that we should still have hope." Natalia told him. "If we've got no hope for things to get better, what's the point in even trying to live?"

"I know" Rick nodded, looking at her.

"I'm trying to trust this, I really hope it's real, and to have hope in this, for her sake, but you can't let anything ruin this, We love you, and we respect you, all of us, but sometimes you are over your head about something's, and that's okay."

"You saying I shouldn't do this?" He asked her, gesturing to the blender in his hands, with the gun inside.

"Oh, no, 100% you should, imagine if we hadn't stashed weapons away before Terminus, but I'm just saying, you go into something believing it's not going to work, more chances than none, it won't because you don't let it."

"I hear you." He told her. "We're gonna make it work."

When they had got back, the two vehicles set off.

Rick had stopped the car in front of a gate, it had a screen behind it, blocking the inside from the out.

"We're here." Abraham announced to the RV, causing the group to climb out, walking towards the gate.

"Even though you were wrong. You're still right." Carol told Rick when he brought Judith out of the car.

Natalia could hear children running and laughing. It felt surreal to her, people were living here, growing, protected, they weren't just surviving.

The gate opened.

Aaron led Eric inside, whilst the others waited.

Metal rattled, causing everyone to point their weapons towards the sound, they were all on edge, even Sully, who had barked at it.

An opossum had fallen out of the bin.

Natalia shot at it just before an arrow followed.

Daryl picked it up.

A man was stood at the gate, wearing a yellow shirt and looked extremely uncomfortable.

"We brought dinner." Daryl told him, waving the opossum.

"It's okay." Aaron said, when the man looked for words. "Come on in, guys."

They headed in, looking around the place.

The place was beautiful, nothing like what belonged in the new world.

There were mowed lawns, some with flower gardens, the streets were clean, the houses were big and expensive looking, Natalia hadn't prepared for this, she thought more along the lines of the prison.

But this was like Woodbury, only richer.

The gate then closed, the group watched as it squeaked shut.

"Before we take this any further, I need you all to turn over your weapons." The man in the yellow shirt said. "Stay, you hand them over."

"We don't know if we wanna stay." Rick told him, he was carrying Judith, in his other hand he was carrying his gun."

"It's, it's fine, Nicholas." Aaron said.

"If we were gonna use them, we would have started already."

"Let them talk to Deanna first."

"Who's Deanna?" Abraham asked.

"She knows everything you'd want to know about this place. Rick, why don't you start."

The snarls of a walker caught Ricks attention.

"Sasha." He said.

She turned around, taking aim, then took the walker out, before another person could slide the blind across.

"It's a good thing we're here." Rick said, walking ahead.

Aaron had led them to a house, Deanna's house.

The group waited on the porch when Rick entered for his interview.

Natalia was starting to feel panic, this was feeling all too overwhelming, an interview? For what? What would they even ask? She wasn't a good person, she wasn't like the group, she didn't fit in, nor had a purpose, what if Deanna didn't like her? What if she felt that Natalia wasn't good for Alexandria, and kicked her out, let her fend for herself or even killed her. Or worse, what if she kicked the whole group out because Natalia was slightly off, or if she was too chatty, or if she was too harsh, said the wrong thing, slipped up.

"Cute dog." A voice interrupted as she began pacing in the road.

A man was stood in front of her, he was tall, probably about a foot taller than her, and conventionally attractive, with a charming smile and nice clean hair.

"What?" She asked, at first she had looked around, checking to see who he was talking to before realising it was in fact her.

"I said, you got a cute dog?" He repeated.

"Oh, alright." She nodded.

"Must take after her owner." He commented, looking the woman up and down.

"He's a boy."

"Oh, you must be a part of the new group, Aaron brought in." The man said. "I'm Spencer, Deanna's my mom." He offered his hand out.

She gingerly accepted, shaking his hand.

"Natalia." She replied, assessing the man, trying to read him.

"Beautiful name for a beautiful girl." He smirked, biting his lip.

"Okay." She took back her hand.

"Oh, You got a little..." He licked his thumb, going to wipe her cheek, but she snatched his wrist, stopping him as she furrowed her brows.

"What are you doing?"

"You're face, you had... nothing, don't worry." He scratched the back of his neck. "Anyway, was nice to meet you, I'll be looking forward to seeing you around." His charming grin was back, as he continued to walk down the street. "Bye Natalia." He waved.

She didn't return his goodbye, instead glared after the man.

Some scoffs and giggles came from the porch.

She snapped her attention to the group, who had been watching her.

"Got a new friend?" Glenn asked her.

"No." She folded her arms over her chest.

"He seems to wanna be your friend." Maggie said.

"Think he wants to be more than friends." Tara snorted, wiggling her brows.

"We were just talking." Natalia said.

"Sure, you were just talking, he weren't" She looked at Michonne who had a smile on her face, she was stood beside Daryl, who was the only one who didn't look like he was having fun watching Natalia's confusion, his expression was stony as he stared at her, Carol was stood behind him, rubbing his back as she smiled.

"What do you mean?" Natalia asked.

"She's clueless." Abraham boomed.

"What? Am I missing something?"

"The Ol' swiping the cheek, "You got a little." You weren't picking up on that?" Rosita asked her. "He called you beautiful."

"He was so obviously flirting." Tara laughed. "Even a nun could see it, or the priest." She pointed at Gabriel.

"That was not flirting! Daryl does that all the time, doesn't mean he's flirting, it means I have something on my face, look at me, I got something everywhere, the same as the rest of you." She pointed at her dirty and stained clothes.

The group laughed harder at her response, glancing towards the archer, who had gone considerably red, then back to her.

"When was the last time you got some action?" Tara asked.

Natalia had let herself considerer this for a moment.

"When did the world fall- Wait, none of your business! There's children." She gestured to Carl, who was grinning at the conversation, and Judith, who was asleep, as Natalia's face got redder.

"No wonder she ain't got a clue." Sasha raised a brow. "Been a hell of a long time."

"Natalia, wanna come in next?" Rick had walked out the house, Deanna was stood by the door, gesturing for her to follow in.

"She probably forgot how." Tara commented, causing the group to stifle scoffs and laughs.

"Assholes." She muttered as she walked past, and into the house.

"Do you mind if I film this?" Deanna asked, leading her to sit in a chair, in front of a couch that Deanna had taken, a tripod was set up behind her, a camera was on top.

"Whatever you need to do." Natalia told her, the nerves had creeped back.

"Take a seat." The older woman smiled kindly, gesturing to the chair as she turned on the camera.

She did as she was told.

"I'm Deanna Monroe." She introduced herself, even though Natalia already knew her name.

"Natalia Moore." Natalia said, even though Deanna already knew her name, she picked at her nails, that sat in her lap.

"How long have you been out there?" She asked.

"Uhm, a long time, we've been on the road for a while, though." She felt like she was applying for a job.

"How did you find the people you're with today, did you know them before?"

"I met them about eight months in, I was on my own since the beginning, until Rick and his group took me in, took care of me."

"You were surviving on your own for eight months? That's incredibly impressive, Ms Moore. That must've been tough."

"It was, yeah, but you either manage or you die."

"What were some of those ways you managed?"

"Uhm..."

"It's okay, you can tell me, we all have our fair share of skeletons, things we wouldn't even imagine before."

"I killed, people that wished me harm, people that weren't kindly enough to offer me food and shelter out of the kindness of their heart, anyone on sight, really, anyone that looked like a threat." Natalia looked down at her fingers, she had manged to rip a hangnail, causing it to bleed.

"So what stopped you from killing Rick and his group, when they met you?" She was intrigued.

"I was going to, thought I ought to hear them out, was the first people I had met with a kid, and other women. I could tell they were different, and they were, they became my family."

"You have a knack for that?" Deanna asked.

"Sorry?"

"A knack for telling the good from the bad, I hear that's very hard nowadays."

"I was in therapy as a kid, growing up with a dead dad, I kinda picked up and let the therapist teach me her ways, instead of talking about my emotions, then I took up learning psychology, found it interesting I guess, it helps to figure out their real intentions, their motives, being able to read them."

"Aaron tells me you have a severe allergy."

"It's not really much of problem, been on top of it my whole life." She shrugged.

"We'll take care of you here, you don't need to worry, we have medication too, and a good doctor."

"So I've heard." She smiled.

"Aaron also told me how you saved Erics life, you're quite the heroin."

"He was in trouble, I just so happened to be the first one to spot him, If I hadn't, one of the others would've."

"But you did, Natalia, you saved his life, you're already saving our people. Rick speaks highly of you, a valued member in your family, we need that here."

Next

Tags: @fallenkitten

#daryl dixon #daryl dixon smut #the walking dead daryl #twd daryl #carl grimes #carol peletier #daryl fanfiction #glenn rhee #michonne #rick grimes #darylxnatalia #daryl dixion imagine #daryl x reader #daryl x y/n #daryldixonalonetwd #thewalkingdeadalone

[thesoftboiledegg]

Every time someone says that Rick and Morty is cartoon nihilism, it tells me that they don't know what nihilism is. First off, they mean existential nihilism, not just "nihilism." And second, most of the scenes that they point to aren't nihilistic.

This article about existentialism vs. nihilism describes it this way:

Regardless of religion or science, the question "why" or "what is the point" will never have a direct answer. This is where Nihilism comes into play. The conclusion to them is that there is no purpose or answer. We are here merely to just survive and someday die. Nothing we do truly matters, as we do not know the tangible source of where we were before life and where we will go after.

Britannica describes nihilism like this:

In the 20th century, nihilism encompassed a variety of philosophical and aesthetic stances that, in one sense or another, denied the existence of genuine moral truths or values, rejected the possibility of knowledge or communication, and asserted the ultimate meaninglessness or purposelessness of life or of the universe.

So, by these metrics, Rick and Morty is not a nihilistic show.

People bring up the butter robot from "Something Ricked This Way Comes" as an example of how life is meaningless. The robot only exists to pass the butter. But that's not nihilistic because the robot has a clearly defined purpose. That's the opposite of nihilism.

Mr. Meeseeks is another popular one. Many people see Mr. Meeseeks as a symbolic representation of "Existence is pain." I agree with that interpretation, but again--that's not existential nihilism. In fact, the entire point of Mr. Meeseeks is that they have a defined purpose. They exist to do what you tell them to do, then poof out of existence when they've accomplished their goal.

In "The Rickchurian Mortydate," Rick outright says "Nothing you think matters matters." Surely, that's a nihilistic statement?

However, he doesn't say that life is meaningless because it has no purpose. He says that their actions aren't important (or "special") because the same thing is happening in an infinite number of realities. "This universe isn't unique" and "Life has no purpose" are two different statements.

I'd actually say the same thing about "Rick Potion #9." Rick doesn't jump into another reality because nothing matters--he does it because he fucked up this version of Earth, and he and Morty need to resume their lives elsewhere. Maaaybe he was trying to teach Morty that nothing matters, but I don't buy that because he brought Morty with him. Morty matters to him.

I don't get why people take what Rick says at face value anyway because it's clear from season one that he's full of shit. He drinks constantly, abuses substances, wanders the house when he's lonely and clings desperately to a 14-year-old. I get that season one is far from season five, which refutes almost everything that Rick said previously, but a traumatized, barely functioning alcoholic saying "Nothing matters" doesn't make it a nihilistic show.

Some other theories that people have come up with:

Rick is a sociopath, which means that he's a nihilist who doesn't care about anything. I wouldn't call him a sociopath--he struggles with empathy but doesn't lack it. We've seen him show empathy plenty of times. I think people forget that he's autistic, which could explain why he has trouble relating to people. Also, sociopathy doesn't equal nihilism.

Rick turned himself into a pickle because he's looking for a purpose. No? lol. He did that to get out of family therapy.

Rick goes on adventures because he's looking for a purpose. I can actually understand this perspective, but so many of his adventures are just him and Morty screwing around. He's not trying to be heroic, help people or accomplish anything. He's not trying to be evil, either--he just does whatever sounds enjoyable. It's shallow entertainment for him rooted in escapism.

"Wubba lubba dub dub" is a nihilistic catchphrase. This one makes no sense to me because Bird Person outright tells Morty in "Ricksy Business" that it really means "I am in great pain. Please help me."

And finally, people bring up Morty's famous quote: "Nobody exists on purpose. Nobody belongs anywhere. Everyone’s gonna die. Come watch TV." That's a nihilistic perspective, but Morty's not a nihilistic character. One line doesn't make Rick and Morty a show about how nothing matters, especially since so much matters to Morty. He was just trying to make Summer feel better.

And then season five reveals that Rick's "I don't care about anything" attitude is a lie from the start. He was lying about everything. I realize that people point to earlier seasons when they talk about nihilism, not season five, but everything in season five still happens. Rick was lying in every single episode all the way back to the pilot.

After Prime Rick killed Rick's wife and daughter, he tore across the galaxy in a vengeance-fueled rage. He befriended Bird Person, helped him fight a war and fell in love with him. When Bird Person rejected him and Rick gave up trying to find his family's killer, he moved in with an adult version of Beth and clung to Morty for dear life.

Rick and Morty is not a show about how you shouldn't care about anything because life is meaningless and we're all going to die. If anything, Rick cares too much. And his clinginess, trauma and self-hatred might be his downfall in the end.

---

I want to thank @hazelnut-u-out for telling me about the different arguments floating around this fandom, especially on YouTube.

#rick and morty #rick sanchez #adult swim #adult animation #morty smith #long post #essay #save #nihilism

[staysuki]

the best friend code | han jisung fic

pairing: reader x han jisung | bestfriends to lovers

genre: fluff, non idol au

word count: 1.6k

warnings: suggestive remarks

synopsis: you and your best friend have a set of rules you follow to maintain your boundary of friendship. it's always been easier that way, but rules have always been meant to be broken.

back when you two were young and impressionable pre-pubescent children, you've always been left to your own devices by your parents. both trustworthy kids who just like to play with each other and not cause any trouble.

by the time you two got tired of playing house, you remember lounging on the couch, turning on the tv and snickering to each other whenever you'd switch to the "adult" channels.

and no, not that kind of adult.

the kind of "adult" channel filled with boring news segments and wacky game shows— but the part you and jisung always waited for were the primetime shows: the cheesy afternoon dramas and the angsty telenovelas about broken families that had plot twists per episode.

because of this, your young minds had been plagued with unrealistic standards of how relationships work.

what scarred the two of you the most were the never ending reruns of classic romantic tragedies.

you guys always see two people start as friends then fall in love then end up breaking up, hearts broken, friendship no longer mended.

you remember finishing a certain movie and the two of you cried for minutes before deciding on a pact:

don't fall in love with each other so that you'd stay together.

as you grew up side by side, you kept true to the rules, though as you started developing mature minds, you realized how ridiculous that pact was. it was a contract written by two 7 year olds, it was bound to be childish.

nonetheless, it ended up with the two of you being a bit awkward when having to navigate through these rules as adults.

rule number one: no cuddling at all whatsoever, touching is gross and weird

"wanna huddle up on the couch while we watch rick and morty?" jisung asked, spreading his arms over the couch, urging you to sit beside him.

"that's not even a cuddle-together type of show."

"bitch, who said we were cuddling?"

you rolled your eyes, plopping down on the empty space right next to him and he immediately wrapped his arms over your shoulder, pulling you into his body. though jisung was naturally affectionate, the times he'd do this kind of thing was closer to being rare— not that he didn't like cuddling, you two just grew up not ever touching each other at all.

"this is cuddling."

"really? i couldn't tell."

rule number two: don't cook for each other, only husband and wife do that!!

"y/n~ when are you gonna make me ramdon?"

"jisung, they're literally just two different kinds of instant noodles mixed together, i think you can make that on your own." you replied, barely looking away from the tv as he whined beside you.

"you sure about that?" he challenged, making you pause for a bit. you knew how abhorrent he was in the kitchen and god-forbid he tries to burn down his apartment.

that night, you found yourself grumbling to yourself as you watched han jisung devour an entire plate of ramdon in front of you, not bothering to offer you some as you see his cheeks getting stuffed full with the noodles.

out of spite, you grabbed a fork and took all of the chopped steak that you added in, doing so in an insane speed that even your best friend couldn't stop.

he started to protest, "yah! that's mine!"

"i'm literally the one who made this."

rule number three: don't do anything to each other that you'd do with a love partner

"happy anniversary!!" jisung appeared from the door, a conniving smile on his face as he gave you a tight hug, spinning you around as if you haven't seen each other in years— it's only been five hours.

"w-what?"

"it's our 21st anniversary, since we started being friends."

"don't we already celebrate this. twice a year. on our, you know, birthdays." you remarked, knowing that you were one of those rare people that have been together since you were born. quite literally so.

"well yeah, but y'know."

"how do you even know the exact date of our friendship."

"i asked my mom when they started introducing us and apparently it was a few months after you were born, specifically today."

"ahhuh, and you chose to start celebrating this today because?" doubt dripped from your voice as you addressed this question.

"can i have some money for subway."

"fuck you, no."

"but it's our anniversary!"

you ended up ordering subway sandwiches and binging netflix together on the couch.

rule number four: dates should come first before friendship

you walked out your room for the first time after 12 hours, cramming on procrastinated studies although mostly just taking power naps to keep your motivation for school going. you weren't sick, but you were definitely stressed out.

you see a well-dressed jisung raiding your kitchen, watching him snack on your groceries.

you knew this routine of his, it's his 'eat first so that i don't look like a slob during a date and also i don't have to pay for an expensive meal for myself'—also known as jisung's life hack to dating in college.

"special night?" you asked, catching the whiff of his special perfume reserved for date nights. he's the kind who gets different scents for different occasions. one time, he even had a different cologne for hook-ups.

"yup. someone from a different department. you good?"

you shrug, feeling meh. "yeah, just stressing out with homework and projects."

"how you holding up?"

"after one day, i've done an admirable job with two out of thirteen assessments."

"bitch, this is why i told you to like, stop procrastinating, mate."

you flipped him off, thoroughly ashamed with being caught in 4k at being bad in school.

"get your laptop, i'll help you out." he says, making your eyebrows shot up in surprise. you know that jisung had always been the smarter one between the two of you, and the more hardworking one at that.

"wouldn't you be late for your date?"

he shrugs off his jacket, waving you off nonchalantly. "i'll reschedule, it's fine."

it wasn't rare that he'd help you out, but it was the first time he'd blow off a date to do so.

rule number five: no sleeping on the same bed

it was a cold night, the storm booming outside your window as thunder sounded every so often. you cozied up on your blanket, finding comfort in the warmth before you slowly start drifting back to sleep— until you heard the door creak open, footsteps following the sound and a shifting of the other side of your bed as the figure had finally approached.

you knew exactly who it was as your bestfriend always crashed on your couch whenever he felt like it. however, you didn't know why he suddenly cuddled up next to you.

"jisung?"

he let out a small hum as you felt the vibration from his speech behind your back as he snuggled up closer, big spooning you, "mm."

"is the couch too uncomfortable for you now?"

"no. i just thought you wanted to be next to someone, you're afraid of thunder right?"

all drowsiness seemed to drain away from your brain as you sat up to turn around and face him with a confused expression, slightly taken aback with how he forgot something about you, "i— what. i stopped being scared of thunder ever since we were ten, idiot."

"is that so? oh well, i'm here now anyways, too lazy to get up." he shrugged, pulling you back to your sleeping position, though this time, you were now too wide awake to attempt going back to sleep.

"whatever, dork."

—rule number six: always be together forever

the noise of the storm was drowned out by the sound of your beating heart. wild and fast as it treaded on uncharted territory— cuddling in bed during a storm with han jisung.

you felt like you needed to say something to ease the awkwardness but quite frankly, you didn't want to embarrass yourself in case he was already asleep. but you were proven false when he decided to speak up instead. "i lied."

"what now."

"i know you're not afraid of thunder anymore." he said, and you could almost hear the cheeky grin on his face.

"if you wanted the bed, you could've just said so."

"no, i wanted to sleep next to you."

"w-why?"

"i wonder why."

"i don't know, idiot," you rolled your eyes, though with your back turned to him, he wouldn't even be able to tell. instead, you felt his arms wrap tighter around your waist, pulling you even impossibly closer to his space.

"because i love you, that's why."

"well, i love you too, i mean, we've been together since—"

"no, y/n, i'm in love with you."

"wha— b-but the rules—" the confession making you sit up and turn towards him, your eyes almost bulging out of it's socket as you stumbled over your words. you felt like if you spoke any more, you'd feel your heart be thrown up from your chest with it's erratic beating, you swear it's moving out of place.

"y/n, screw the rules, we made those when we were literal children. i think we're enough of an adult at this point to know what we both want and how to make it work."

"i guess?"

"pshh, please, i know you want me too." once again, he pulled you down towards him, but this time, you were facing each other, your noses inches apart from touching as your breaths mingled in the small space between.

if you kept the eye contact with him, you were pretty sure you'd lose your composure more than it already is so you opted to roll your eyes once again because this time he could actually see you do it, "well, maybe, but if you keep being cocky about it then i might change my mind."

"i'm kidding~ can i have a good night kiss now."

"you can kiss my ass."

"patience, y/n, we'll get to that."

a/n: just writing the short one-shot fics while i'm on break ^^;

mastertag: @leagreenly @geniejunn @90s-belladonna @loveliebri

networks: @ficscafe

#ficscafe #han jisung #jisung #han jisung fic #jisung fic #skz #stray kids #skz fic #stray kids fic #reader x han jisung #reader x jisung #stray kids jisung #skz jisung #skz fluff #stray kids fluff #han jisung fluff #jisung fluff