𝐍𝐎𝐖 𝐎𝐑 𝐍𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑, rickyl

call me by my name

Somehow the redneck managed to keep himself awake. With the calming winds and repeated sounds of crickets chirping it was getting hard not to doze off. Him and Rick were supposed to take shifts watching for walkers and whatnot, but every time he tried waking the sheriff up he stopped himself.

Rick's sleeping expression was nothing less than peaceful. His face glowed orange with the light of the campfire's flames. He was the only reason Daryl had stayed awake all this time, he needed to protect him. He glanced in the sheriff's direction, tempted to wake him up for his turn at watch duty. But as the redneck met with his sleeping face Daryl let out an annoyed sigh.

Strands of Rick's dark brunette hair hung in front of his eyelids. His lips parted just enough to get some air. With his priceless expression glowing effortlessly Daryl thought he was somewhat cute. Though he would never in a million years tell Rick he thought that way.

He tried everything he could think of to stop his emotions from getting in the way of his better judgment. But there was just something about Rick that made it impossible. The redneck let out a small sigh as he leaned back against the tree with his knife in hand waiting for morning.

A chilly wind blew through the maze of tall trees sending a small shiver up Daryl's spine. As if this night couldn't get worse, the gust of wind had blown out the last small flame that was keeping them warm. He would be willing to go out and find some more sticks for the fire, but he didn't want to risk leaving the sheriff exposed in the open.

He must have been cold as well, shuffling around a bit after the strong wind hit them with its chilly air. For a second Daryl was almost sure that he was going to wake up. Rick's eyes shut tightly as a groan of discomfort left his mouth. The redneck was contemplating whether or not he should wake him, but just then he felt a weight leaning against him.

Rick made himself comfortable as his head leaned against the redneck's shoulder. Their bodies pressed together. So close that he could practically feel the other warm puffs of air brushing against the rim of his ear. Daryl's heartbeat rose at an alarming rate as he sat there as still as a statue. Not wanting to wake the sleeping sheriff, he allowed himself to be used as a human pillow.

The redneck let out another long sigh as he felt the weight pressing hard against him. He soon wondered how he became so soft, and why he was allowing this to continue. The more he thought about it the more questions emerge as time went on, he could tell this was going to be a long night.

—

Rick's eyes fluttered open only to be greeted by the sun's rays. It didn't take long for the memories of the previous night to come flooding back. His heart was pounding rapidly in his chest as he clung to the thing beside him. Before he even had a chance to question what he was holding on to, a raspy voice spoke up.

"Mornin' sunshine." Those two words sent a feeling of relief spreading throughout Rick's subconscious. Nothing that happened in the dream was real, Daryl was still here alive and well. Again the moment of Daryl's death haunted the sheriff's mind. The thoughts may have scared him but it was all just a pointless nightmare.

"Mornin' teddy bear." Rick teased, loosening the grip he had around the other's chest. He lifted himself off Daryl before stretching outright like a tired house cat. A large yawn escaped Rick's lips as he stared upwards at the ocean blue picture, white clouds of fluff floated off in the distance.

"You could've woken me y'know," Rick said, not meaning to almost crush the other man in his sleep. He felt bad that the redneck wasn't able to get even a wink of shuteye. Daryl shrugged in response, seeing no way that he could have woken the sheriff up without feeling guilty.

"Just so you know, you're a very talkative sleeper," Daryl mentioned out of the blue. Taking this moment to get up and stretch his aching legs. "Oh yeah, what was I sayin'?" Rick asked curiously, trying to call the other's bluff.

"My name." He answered simply. There was a moment of awkward silence that clouded the air. Though the sheriff didn't want to believe he was calling the other name in his sleep, that wasn't too far fetched. "Dream 'bout me often?" Daryl teased with a small grin tugging at his lips. Rick was hesitant to tell the redneck that he was dreaming about his death.

"No- not often, in my dream you died," Rick said weakly, his voice filled with pain. With everything that's been happening with the saviors and the fast approaching war, he didn't have time for sadness to get in the way of things.

"I'll do it, I'll go back to the hilltop." Daryl took this time to announce. It wasn't his ideal plan but it was something that would make Rick happy. The sheriff's adorable blue orbs gazed in the redneck's direction. "But I ain't sittin' on the sidelines the whole time the war is happin', maybe not tomorrow or the next day, but you better come back for me," Daryl said.

Daryl had never seen Rick's eyes light up like that before. His blue orbs shimmered in the sun's rays making them a light sky blue color. Daryl grunted and turned away from the sheriff's flawless expression. With the redneck's eyes set in one direction, he started into the woods.

"Alright then, let's get a move on."