𝐍𝐎𝐖 𝐎𝐑 𝐍𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑, rickyl

the missing pieces

Daryl's pov:
The darkness loomed over us like a blanket. It was only a matter of time before something happened. We sat there, knees digging into the dirt and muck fearing for our lives. The tension grew thick with each passing moment, so much so that I could hear the rapid thumping of my heartbeat.

The asshole in front of me swung around a wooden bat like a children's toy. He rambled on and on 'bout shit that didn't even make sense, until he mentioned an explosion. The rocket launcher that had been used only a few days prior blew up a gang of bikers by none other than myself. I knew I would be dead, the real question was when?

"Eenie meenie miney moe." Negan sang, pointing the large wooden bat in everyone's faces as he did so. Going down the line as he continued singing the child's nursery rhyme. "You. Are. It." He said, my eyes stuck to the floor like glue, knowing what the fate was for the man who had been picked.

He said a few more muffled words that I could no longer understand. Soon after there was a loud thwack of the bat striking one member of our group. The man with the bat chuckled as he beat the life out of one of our own. Blood splattered all over the ground. My eyes peeked up to see a pile of blood and brain smashed gruesomely into the dirt.

My breath hitched as I stared at the deceased body. Filling me with anger, sadness, and guilt. Everything from that point forward blurred together. The man shouted and I could feel my body acting without my command. Striking the leather jacket wearing man right in the jaw before I was pulled away.

The next thing I knew that bat had come down upon Glenn's head. Splitting his skull in half as one eye dangling from his socket. He desperately tried to speak a sentence, reassuring Maggie that he would find her in the afterlife before being beaten to a bloody pulp. Blood, brains, and busted open skin.

All lay there on the dirty floor like he was nothing more than a walker. His skull had been smashed into tiny pieces making him unrecognizable. The future he once had was not only a distant dream, and it was all my fault... knock. knock. knock.

—

Daryl shot up from his bed in a cold sweat. His heart pounded a mile a minute as he awoke from the repeating nightmare of his friend's death. Shaking slightly from the thought of his friend's limp body laying lifelessly on the ground.

That was when he heard it again, from the door of his room came a small knocking sound. He jumped up from the covers and walked over to the entrance. The wooden door flung open and outside was no one other than Rick. The sheriff had been the one to wake him from the twisted dream.

"Hey, I think we should talk 'bout last night," Rick said, not wanting to leave their relationship on a weird note. Daryl stared out into the hall at the man before him. As much as he wanted to jump into the sheriff's arms and be told time and time again that everything was alright, after what happened last night he couldn't.

"There ain't nothin' left to talk 'bout," Daryl answered in his groggy morning voice. Tons could be discussed between the two of them, but after the gory nightmare, all Daryl wanted was to be left alone. He went to close the door but was stopped by the sheriff.

"Look I'm sorry, alright? I thought-" He was cut off by the door hinges squeaking open. Daryl stepped away from the entrance and towards the small bed, plopping himself down on the edge. Rick was caught off guard by this sudden change of heart. He entered the room confused as Daryl sat there with his head slumped downward.

"I had that dream again, 'bout Glenn." He said glumly with a bit of pain radiating off his voice. Rick let out a small sigh before taking a seat next to him on the fluffy mattress. Rick understood what Daryl must be going through. Back at the prison after Lori died all Rick could do was blame himself for not being there.

When she died everything changed, it felt like his whole world was crumbling down around him. He worked so hard to protect his late wife, all of this was for her. But after news of her death made it's way back to him, it snapped the last bit of sanity he had been desperately holding onto begin slipping away from him.

Rick wouldn't eat for days on end, and the nightmares kept him up at night so sleep was out of the question. He continued to get worse and worse as time went on. Her death left Rick an emotional wreck, knowing his son Carl was now without a mother and he would have to raise the little girl he knew wasn't his.

But that all changed one day. After a long talk with Daryl that he hardly even remembers, but from that, he learned to overcome the grief. A few weeks flew by and he was back to his old self, never forgetting the kindness the redneck had shown him in his time of need, he promised from that day forward that he would always be there when Daryl needed him.

"Y'know, if you need to talk some more I'm here." Rick offered, seeing that Daryl hadn't yet gotten everything off his mind. In response he shook his head, not wanting to bring up the memories. Wanting something to make him forget about everything that happened, to make him forget about it all.

The archer turned to Rick, seeing his baby blue eyes piercing through him like the tip of an arrow. Daryl's eyes trailed downwards, landing on his slightly parted lips. There was no denying what he wanted. The very thing that made his mind go blank was sitting right beside him.

Rick noticed his eyes drifting downwards, it was clear what the redneck wanted. Though he knew what the other was craving, he wasn't going to just flat out kiss him again. This time he was waiting for Daryl to make the first move. The redneck's needy orbs gave his intentions away.

Seeing as he was going to be waiting here awhile longer, Rick took it upon himself to get comfortable. He laid down, pressing his back against the soft covers. Daryl watched every move the sheriff made, his muscular arms tucked above his head as his body stretched out like a house cat.

He watched as the sheriff laid there with his eyes shut, and chest moving ever so slightly. Daryl couldn't help but wonder why he was still here."Waiting for an invitation?" Rick asked, patting the space next to him. Daryl did as he was instructed and reclined onto the spot next to Rick.

For a second the redneck thought about making the first move. In a position like this one, it was almost like Rick wanted him to. Remembering the intoxicating feeling of their lips pressed up against one another made him crave it more. But if he was the one to make the first move that would mean Rick was right all along.

They laid there in uncomfortable silence for what felt like an eternity. There was some small talk that had been thrown in to spark a conversation, but it didn't light up any fires. Daryl wondered how long he was gonna have to lie here waiting. It was obvious what he wanted, and yet the sheriff refused to give in.

Daryl propped himself up, glancing over at Rick's relaxed facial expression, still in the same position as before. He wanted nothing less than to feel Rick's tender lips pressed against his own. Craving the feeling like a drug as his brain tried to make up its mind about what he wanted.

"Go ahead, no one's gonna stop ya," Rick said, eyes still lightly shut. It was as if he could tell what the redneck had been thinking. "It ain't gonna happen." Daryl snapped, this was something he couldn't have no matter how badly he carved it. He was nothing less than stubborn.

"Alright, suit yourself." Rick shrugged, seeing that the redneck was on the edge of caving in. "I'm just worried about you is all, with everything that's been happening, I wanted to make sure you're alright-" There was the push. Feeling a weight on his lips he couldn't help but display a small winning smile.

Their lips pressed together as Daryl finally got his fix of the thrilling sensation. Rick trailed his hand upwards to meet Daryl's cheek as the small kiss heated up. Unable to take the suffocating feeling any longer their lips parted ways. Rick had been expecting more than just one kiss but was left wanting more as the redneck backed off.

Soon after there was a repeated knocking sound at the door. Daryl was well aware of the heavy footstep approaching the door, and though he wanted to continue he didn't want to risk getting caught. "Yeah, who is it?" Rick called out.

"It's Michonne, everything is in order, we can start heading towards home."