ƇӇƛƤƬЄƦ ƝƖƝЄ: "guess I’m in denial, try so hard just to kid myself, but I’m too weak to refuse."
Rick lets Carl drag him inside one of the large tents; it's cluttered with several opened bags and an unmade bed, the covers flung over one side and the pillows placed haphazardly in the middle. Rick is pushed to lay on the low camping mattress and quirks an amused brow when Carl fumbles to lay on top of him, curling into his chest and wrapping his arms around his neck.
"Don't remember you bein' this clingy," Rick murmurs, petting at Carl's brown hair. It's longer than it used to be. "Missed me a lot, didn't you, pup?"
"Yeah," Carl says, hiding his face in the space between Rick's shoulder and neck, spilling warm tears there, "missed you so much, Dad. Thought you were gone forever."
"I missed you too," Rick presses a kiss into Carl’s hair and scents him. He smells like chocolate milk now, sweet and a little bit powdery – just like he should. "And I'm here now. Not gonna leave you ever again."
"Promise?" Carl asks, sniffling quietly.
"Promise." Rick says softly, pressing another kiss into Carl’s hair.
The walkie on his belt buzzes quietly and Rick pulls it towards him, watching as the light bulb on the top flashes a clear green, catching a signal. It takes a few seconds for Ren's voice to come in, quiet and a little static-like, "gonna be real with you right now, Ricky. The moment I get to that shitty campsite, I'm taking the longest nap of my fucking life…. No, Glenn. Get in the car… Do you want me to say it in Spanish? Nuh."
Rick snorts. His omega is unbelievable. He's out in the open with Glenn as his only backup and he's joking around, acting like an idiot.
Carl raises his head and furrows his brows, looking both confused and curious. He sniffs at the walkie and frowns when he only catches the scent of seasalt, an echo of Andrea, and dark chocolate, his father's own scent. There are tears still running down his cheeks and Rick uses his thumb to wipe them away.
Ren's voice comes through again. "Okay, well, argue with the trees… what? No. Don't even try to get out of the fucking car and stop making that dumb ass betrayed face. I invented that shit. It doesn't work on me."
Rick pressed down on the com and dares to ask, "do I even want to know?"
"Ricky!" Ren purrs, soft and quiet, sounding delighted. "It's nothing," he says, "just trying to unglue Glenn from myself. He's like a fucking leech… hold on, just gimme a sec."
"Who's that?" Carl asks, sniffing at the walkie again.
"That's…" Rick trails off, unsure of how to explain the complicated situation he's gotten himself into with Ren, "someone that helped me get to you."
Carl's nose wrinkles in distaste. "Is she pretty?" He asks, spiteful and abhorred at the idea of someone catching Rick's fancy; his pup knows him too well.
Rick doesn't blame Carl's aversion, not after all the shit Lori put him through; especially ignoring him when he needed her as a mother and then just abandoning him with strangers, opting to leave and tangle herself with Shane. Rick will never understand Lori, will never understand humans and their patheticness.
"He's a pretty omega," Rick murmurs, curbing his anger with thoughts of Ren's soft, grey eyes and the pretty curve of his pink mouth. He thinks of the moment he slipped his thumb underneath his omega's collar, felt the soft skin there and marked it up with his scent — the scene plays in his mind, over and over again, like a broken record.
He'd been lucky to find Ren, and even luckier to stumble upon Carl.
But he's not sure if he's lucky enough to have them both.
Not with the way Carl is right now, hurt and betrayed, filled with anger similar to that of Rick's own. He's still just a pup and the betrayal of his 'mother' will sting for years to come, haunting and tormenting him in his weakest moments.
Carl surprises Rick by hesitantly asking, "he's an omega?" His cheeks turn pink in embarrassment as he lowers his voice to a whisper. "Like me?"
"Like you," Rick says, matching his pup's tone. Male omega's are rare, probably even rarer now that the dead have risen, so he's not surprised by Carl's soft bewilderment. Rick can't stop the affection bleeding into his words even if he tries, "he's got some freckles too. Smells like the woods after it storms. It's," he pauses, wondering if Ren is still carrying his scent, "it's nice."
Something like contemplation flashes across Carl's face. The walkie buzzes to life again and Carl snatches it out of Rick's hand, scrambling off the bed and out the tent.
Rick follows quickly after him. He spots Carl running through the camp and around a puzzled Merle, past Andrea who's holding up a plate of food and towards the large rocks beside the lake.
"Need some help?" Andrea asks when Rick gets around to her. She's biting her lip to hold back a laugh.
"No, thanks," says Rick, "I know how to deal with that little shit."
Merle snorts. "Pup's just like his ma, huh?"
Ignoring the both of them, Rick heads towards the rocks. Carl's standing atop one, holding the walkie beside his mouth. He grins down at Rick, wide and toothy, full of mischief, and speaks into the com, "hi, I'm Carl. Dad says you're pretty and smell like the woods."
Rick groans. He scrubs both his hands down his face in mortification. He can't believe his ears right now. There's no way, he thinks, there's no way he just said that.
Except Carl has, because Ren's voice comes through, amused and a little pleased, "hello puppy, I'm Ren. Tell your dad I think he's smokin' hot."
Carl purrs, pleasantly surprised by being called a puppy. It's a more common term used by mother wolves and Rick watches, a little caught off guard, as his pup's grin changes to something softer, gentler. "If you're gonna be my momma–"
Rick fucking chokes. At this rate, he's going to have a heart attack.
"–you gotta know this. Dad likes chocolate, but not the sweet kind, that's what I like. And he doesn't snore, so you don't gotta worry about that. And oh," Carl peers down at Rick, "his face is really red right now. Dad, you okay?"
"I'm great," Rick manages to say. His voice is oddly hoarse now, throat and mouth try. He's surprised he can even speak, considering the fact it feels like his brain's just short circuited. Carl wants Ren to be his momma. Carl wants–
Yeah. Rick's definitely going into cardiac arrest with the way his heart is trying to beat out of his chest. Just the thought of Ren mothering Carl, doting on him, calling him my puppy makes Rick go into overdrive. The imagery alone causes a proverbial itch at the back of his skull, like a centuries old instinct that's yelling at him that's yours, take it.
But it's not, Rick reminds himself. Ren's not your omega. He doesn't know you. He doesn't know Carl.
And you don't know him.
"Do you want me to be your momma?" Ren asks, softly, delicately, carefully, completely unaware of the effect he's having on Rick and his poor, poor heart.
Carl sucks in his bottom lip, biting over it in consideration. "You can't be mean to me," he says, "and you can't ignore me or, or make fun of me."
"Wouldn't ever do that," Ren murmurs, still gentle with his words, "a momma's gotta take care of their pup. Want me to take care of you, sweetheart?"
"Yeah," Carl sucks in a trembling breath, evidently ready to forget about Lori and all the trauma she's left in her wake. "Momma," he whines, softly, with child-like wonder, blissfully unaware of Rick's inner turmoil and the raging battle going on between his heart and ribcage, "where are you?"
The walkie buzzes weakly, the static going quiet. The green light at the top flickers on and off, struggling to maintain a signal. Frustration lines the back of Carl's shoulders. He holds out his hands and cries out a wounded, "Dad."
Rick helps him down the rock and into his arms, settling Carl on his hip. Immediately, his pup hides his face into Rick's neck, mumbling sadly, "I want my momma."
"...okay," Rick says, settling on the first word that pops into his head. He takes the walkie from Carl and places it back onto his belt. The battery must be drained, that's why the signal went out. It's not like something bad just happened to Ren… right?
"Want to go back to the tent?" Rick asks, nosing at Carl's hair and rubbing his back in soothing motions. Maybe cuddling will get them both to stop thinking about Ren.
"I want," Carl repeats, pulling away to look at Rick, mouth set into a pout and eyes glistening with unshed tears, "my momma."
Rick closes his eyes for a few long seconds. He can't believe all it took was one little conversation for Carl to turn into a needy pup, whining about how much he wants Ren to be his momma. When Carl was smaller, he thought of Lori as his momma, but he quickly grew out of that, opting to just have Rick as his single parent. After that, he wrinkled his nose at the mere idea of having a mother. And now—
"Don't you want momma?" Carl asks, twisting his pale fingers into Rick's shirt and making him blink his eyes open in shock.
Am I that transparent? He opens his mouth, "I…" and trails off, fumbling to find the right words. Does he want Ren? Yes. He wants him. He needs him; needs him like a fire needs oxygen to survive, growing bigger and greedier, destroying everything in its path, consuming all without a single trace of remorse.
There's no misunderstanding in that.
But, does Ren want him back?
Rick presses his cheek against Carl's to settle his thoughts. He glances at the lake and then over at the mountains, seeing something red flash between the trees. "It's a bit more complicated than that," he says quietly, "I might like Ren, but he might not like me back."
Carl makes a soft, frustrated sound, looping his arms around Rick's neck. "But you're strong," he grumbles childishly, "and you can fight and use a gun and you always take good care of me. What's not to like?"
The monster, Rick replies internally. He doesn't know how to articulate that he's a vicious beast kept underneath human-like skin, that he's empty-bellied and starving, wants to hunt and kill, cover himself in dirt and blood and just be.
His mask keeps slipping, falling in the presence of the undead and the wolves he's gotten to know. It won't be long before they all realise what he is, what sleeps underneath his skin, what prowls in the back of his mind, baring its fangs and growling, trying to claw its way out.
"C'mon," Rick says, settling Carl down onto the ground, "let's get back to camp."
Carl's pout only seems to grow. He grabs a hold of Rick's hand and tugs him along, mumbling something incoherent underneath his breath. He's still so small and innocent, yet mouthy and bratty at the same time. Carl could ask Rick for the world and he'd just have to do it, tilt the planet on its axis and give it to him, full of love and adoration for his little pup.
He's brought out of his thoughts when Andrea, along with her sister Amy, approach them. "Hey," Andrea says, the line of her shoulders straight, "we're heading for the lake, gonna catch some fish to eat for tonight. That alright?"
A look of confusion settles across Amy's features. She glances between her sister and Rick, furrowing her brows in thought, wondering why Andrea is suddenly asking for permission to leave the camping area.
"Sounds good," Rick nods. He's got a feeling Andrea won't be the only one coming up to him to ask for permission; the wolves falling into a centuries long hierarchy. He idly wonders how he got to the top of it.
Andrea leads Amy away, giving Carl a soft smile. Rick stays put, watching the two siblings get into a small boat with their equipment, and only turns away once the two of them are far out on the lake. He's got that weird feeling in his chest again, not quite the same thing he felt for Glenn, but something similar.
An engine purring softly catches his attention and Rick bends down to Carl's height, holds his tiny hands between his large ones and feels warmth spread throughout his whole body. Please, he begs, even though he's not sure what for, please.
"Is that momma?" Carl asks, small and hopeful, quiet in his unsureness.
"Yeah," says Rick, voice suddenly thick. Please, please, please.
He hears the sound of doors slamming closed, Glenn saying, "sorry we're late," and then the quiet mumbling of the humans gathering around the car, greeting him back. Rick's not sure when he turns to look, but he finds Ren instantly, and so does Carl.
Unlike Rick, who's suddenly finding himself incapable of moving, transfixed by the sight of Ren's eyes finding his own, that pretty mouth curling into a soft, soft smile, Carl visibly vibrates with energy, leaving Rick in the dust in favour of running up to Ren with his arms stretched out, crying a soft, "momma."
Ren lifts Carl off his feet and into the air, settling him on his hip like he's done it a thousand times before, natural and warm, nosing at Carl's cheek and breathing him in instantly.
Carl turns pink all the way from the tips of his ears down to his neck. He wraps his legs and arms tight around Ren, hides into the older omega's neck and presses his nose into the underside of his jaw, purring when his senses are quickly clouded by the scent of ozone, thick and electrifying. "Momma," he repeats, "momma," and shifts to nuzzle their cheeks together, "momma."
Ren purrs, soothing a hand down Carl's back, effortlessly covering him in his own scent. "What's wrong?" He asks quietly, kissing Carl's soft cheek, "don't want to be my puppy anymore?"
"Wanna be your puppy forever," Carl says, quick and adamant and if even remotely possible, he turns more red. He buries his face back into Ren's neck, hiding there, purring loudly when Ren reaches up to pet his hair.
Rick somehow manages to get to his feet, even though he feels like his head's been dunked under water; the world around him blurs to nothing but Ren holding Carl, the both of them purring, smelling like each other now. Rick's moving before he even knows it, halting to a stop just in front of his pup and omega.
Ren removes his hand from Carl's hair and reaches for him instead. Dazed, Rick lowers his head, lets Ren's warm hand rest against the back of his neck where he's most vulnerable, where it would be easy to cut with a knife, and rumbles, shifting to press their foreheads together. He curls an arm around Ren's waist and pulls him in, slow, possessive, full of unbearable want.
He feels like he's on fire, burning up and dying. His omega leans up and presses a soft, chaste, gentle kiss at the corner of Rick's mouth, murmuring a quiet, "you smell good," as he pulls away.
The monster beneath Rick's skin stirs awake, shifting in the corner of his mind, empty belly begging to be filled, wanting the relentless hunger to be curbed. If Rick's hold on Ren tightens, bordering on painful, if his eyes darken and his lashes lower, if his rumble turns into a low, low growl, his omega doesn't react, merely shifts to lean his head onto the alpha's shoulder, completely trusting, unaware of the beast he's let himself get close to.
2699 words//unedited.
i distinctively remember Rick saying he wouldn't touch ren?? and he's done nothing but touch him 💀
originally i had planned for carl to ABSOLUTELY hate ren, but uh, i want them to a happy lil family before i torture them 😊
anways, comments fuel me 💅 and if anyone caught that teen wolf reference at the start, no u didn't 😭
[also, we've reached over 1k views in the span of 2 weeks?? that's insane. tysm <\33]
until next time! 🪁🪁🪁