Chapter Fourteen: "I just wanna feel your body right next to mine, all night long."
With Morales and T-dog in the know of Rick's mission, the alpha tells them to keep their parameters safe and the humans quiet, lest any more walker's make their way up to the quarry and cause more than a little disturbance, like spreading their disgusting and annoying disease and gnawing all of them to death.
At the humans agreement, Rick makes his way back to the RV and stops Andrea. He informs her to keep herself and the other wolves inside the tents and vehicles, where they can keep themselves hidden, in case something goes terribly wrong.
"When the sun sets?" Andrea asks, placing her hands onto her hips.
Rick nods. "Exactly," he says, "I want you to keep our people alive until I come back. You think you can do that?''
"Yeah,'' Andrea assures, pale features hardening, "I can do that. Just…" she trails off, her shoulders tensing, "be sure to come back in one piece. I don't want Carl–"
"I know," Rick interrupts, voice steady, "I'm gonna come back. I ain't gonna leave any one of you."
"Thank you," the blonde beta mumbles, looking off to the side. Her shoulders slump and her features visibly relax. "Thank you," she repeats.
Rick pats her on the back and leaves, heading for the van that he'd stolen yesterday. Glenn is already there, uncomfortably fiddling with the hem of his shirt. Daryl is beside him, armed with his crossbow, eyebrows furrowed at Merle, who's absolutely red with anger, hands formed into tight fists and lips pulled back, showing off his sharp teeth.
Then there's Ren, dressed in his clean cargo pants and his oversized zip up, expression settled into indifference, looking ever so bored as Ed, Carol's human husband, talks disgustingly down to him.
"Should be on ya knees right now," Ed says, leering at Ren, "ain't that your job, you slut? Huh? Pleasing another man's dick?"
Merle opens his mouth just as Rick slowly, quietly, like a predator stalking its prey, comes to a stop behind Ed. At Rick's sharp glare, Merle's mouth shuts with an audible click, the vein in the side of his neck literally popping out from beneath his skin.
Beside him, Daryl's blue eyes glance at Rick and then smoothly slide towards Ren, a single shoulder raising itself into a barely there shrug, uncaring of Ed's scathing words, but also seemingly concerned for a fellow omega.
Noticing Rick, Glenn steps away, slow, hesitant, knowing that at any moment, Rick will snap and the situation will divert into dangerous territory.
"Can't talk without tha' useless alpha of yours around?" Ed asks, sneering. "That's fine with me," the human fumbles with his belt, evidently trying to get it off, "come here and make me—"
Rick innocently taps Ed on the shoulder, irritated beyond belief, his vexation a deadly, forceful thing, the monster underneath his skin no longer asleep. He waits for the human to turn around, pulls his hand back and then punches Ed at an alarming speed, sending that vile piece of shit to the ground.
Rick may not be the first person to punch Ed, but he'll definitely be the last.
Ed grunts, holding a hand to his now bloody nose. His eyes are wide, his shock clear. He scrambles on the ground, trying to get to his feet, but Rick catches him by the front of his shirt and punches him again and again and again, relishing in the sight of bruises and blood, euphoria tangling with his vicious rage.
Rick doesn't know how much time passes between his first punch and his last, but the moment the scent of ozone gets closer and a hand settles onto the back of his neck, soft, gentle, caring, he pauses. Breathing heavily, fist raised inches from Ed's unconscious, beaten face, the sight of the disgusting human crushed beneath his unwavering strength makes him unbelievably delighted.
He's like a child on Christmas, opening up his presents and getting giddy with excitement.
"Alpha," Ren calls soothingly, slowly but surely bringing Rick out of his murderous haze, "I think that's enough."
Rick begs to differ. He growls lowly, the sound reverberating from within his chest, dangerous and threatening, but Ren's hand moves to his hair, fingers threading through his curls, and immediately Rick drops Ed uncaringly to the ground and turns into Ren's hand, rumbling contentedly.
The surroundings around Rick become clear. He wasn't even aware they had gotten blurry in the first place. His rumble comes to a quiet stop. Rick moves from beneath Ren's hand and gets to his feet, glancing around at the humans and wolves that have gathered to watch his scuffle.
Carol comes stumbling forward, falling beside her unconscious husband, her cries desperate and loud. "No," she sobs, holding her hands over Ed's shallowly breathing chest, "not my husband, not my Ed."
Rick wrinkles his nose in disgust. He doesn't understand how a fellow wolf can feel anything but distaste for such a piece of shit human. He motions for Merle to deal with Ed and the beta grimaces, stiffly moving and hauling the beaten up human to his feet. He takes him towards the tents and a crying Carol follows stupidly after him.
"Should have let me finish the job," Rick mutters, scowling deeply.
Ren presses his forehead into Rick's shoulder, gently taking a hold of his hand and slowly running his thumb across the alpha's bloody knuckles, "can't let you do that here," he says quietly, "not while the kids are watching."
Huffing, Rick glares at the small crowd, both the wolves and humans shrinking underneath his icy stare. They murmur shockingly between each other and then quickly shuffle away, going back to whatever they were doing before. Carl waves at his father unsurely as he follows Amy away, glancing back at Ren with worried eyes.
"C'mon," Ren tugs Rick along to the van. He opens the driver's door and the alpha gets inside, making himself comfortable behind the steering wheel. Ren settles into the passenger side a few seconds later, and when Rick glances into the rearview mirror he finds Glenn and Daryl entering into the back of the van, Merle joining them after a few minutes.
With everyone inside the vehicle, Rick turns the ignition on and drives them out of the quarry and towards Atlanta. The trees become blurry as Rick speeds down the highway, fingers wrapped tightly around the steering wheel, Ed's bruised face flashing in his mind, reminding him of his unfinished job.
He grits his teeth and decides to just kill the useless excuse of a human once he returns. As if sensing his thoughts, Ren grabs a hold of his hand once more and brings it over the centre console, placing it upon his thigh – the action simple and easy, like he's done it a hundred times before.
Whatever nonsense Rick's mind had been filled with, it easily gets replaced by the sheer possessiveness he has over his omega. He curls his fingers around Ren's thigh and breathes in deeply, settling his fried nerves. When he exhales, he feels lighter, the thought of brutally murdering Ed getting pushed into the back of his mind.
Rick brushes his thumb back and forth, enjoying the feel of Ren's muscled thigh quivering every so slightly beneath the roughness of his palm. It's a shame that Ren has his cargo pants on, it would be easier to side his hand underneath a pair of shorts. Rick wants to feel the soft, soft skin of his omega, wants to run his hands all over him — later, he thinks to himself, turning a corner on one of the roads.
Later.
"Stop the van," Glenn voices, moving to the front of the van to look outside the window, "we walk from here."
Nodding, Rick slows the van to a stop and parks just outside the city, near a set of railroads and old gates. The five wolves get out of the van and quietly, quickly, make their way down the railway. Glenn cuts a hole into one of the gates with a set of wire cutters and holds the entrance for the rest of them to easily slip through.
Once Glenn puts the wire cutters back into his backpack, he leads the small group through several back alleyways, up a stairwell on the side of an old building and through a cracked window, into a large, open spaced office.
"I've been here before," Glenn says, motioning for Rick and the others to follow him out of the office and down a narrow hallway. "It's empty, except for maybe a handful of geeks."
"That's a shame," Ren mumbles, "could've gone for some coffee, if I'm being honest."
Rick sends his omega an agreeing look. Behind them, Daryl snorts. The group spends a few long minutes making their way around the building and easily killing any walkers they come upon.
Ren whistles at a woman dressed in a pantsuit and she turns towards the sound, pale skin green and decayed, jaw opened wide to eat — she doesn't get to do anything else, Daryl raises his bow and shoots her through the head. The walker falls to the carpeted floor with a quiet thud and Daryl takes back his arrow.
Rick glances at Glenn in question and the omega nods, peering out onto the streets from an open window. "This is as good a place as any," he says, "ok, I'll be back before you know it."
Immediately, Rick protests. "You're not going alone."
"Even I think it's a bad idea," Daryl agrees, leaning against a work desk, "and I don't even like you much."
"You gon die out there," Merle says, "goin' all alone."
Glenn moves around the officer, grabbing several pieces of paper and a few markers. He places them onto the carpeted floor. "It's a good idea," the omega makes a face, drawing a map of the streets below, marking the tank and Rick's duffle bag of guns. "Okay," he says, waiting for everyone to join him on the carpet, "just hear me out. If we go out there in a group, we're slow, drawing attention. If I'm alone, I can move fast."
Still unsure about letting Glenn handle the situation all on his own, Rick's scepticism is heavy.
"Look," Glenn taps the map with a marker, "that's the tank, five blocks from where we are now. That's the bag of guns." He moves his marker along the paper, "here's the alley I dragged Rick into when we first met. That's where Daryl and I will go."
"Why me?" Daryl asks.
"Your crossbow is quieter than his gun," Glenn answers, nodding at Rick. "While Daryl waits here in the alley, I run up the street, grab the bag."
Rick thinks over his options. It's not a bad plan. Glenn's clever. "You got us elsewhere?"
Glenn points down the street, circling it with his marker. "You and Merle, right. You'll be in this alley here."
Merle grunts. "Two blocks away? Why?"
"I may not be able to come back the same way." Glenn explains. "Walkers might cut me off. If that happens, I won't go back to Daryl," he moves the marker across the paper map once more, "I'll go forward instead, all the way around to that alley where you guys are." The omega reassures the group, "whichever direction I go, I got you in both places to cover me. Afterwards, we'll all meet back here."
Consideration flickering across his pale face, Daryl dares to ask, "hey, kid, what'd you do before all this?"
"Delivered pizzas," says Glenn, confused, "why?"
Rick, Daryl and Merle share a look just as Ren lets out a small, frustrated sound. "You're telling me I'm stuck inside here? I jumped off a fucking building to get to you shitheads."
"T-that's not it!" Glenn promises, lifting his hands in a placating way.
"No," Ren whines, "it is. You're doing that stupid, wounded, 'I care about you and you need to be kept safe,' shit again." He makes a disgusted face. "Talk to the paper, Glenn, it'll almost be like you're talking to the trees."
"You're our medic," Glenn makes puppy eyes, trying to put the other omega at ease, "we need you safe in case anything shit happens to the rest of us."
Ren turns to look at Rick, giving him the dirtiest stare he can muster. It's effective in making Rick shift ever so slightly away. "Look at what you did," he says, pissed, "blabbering that useless alpha mouth of yours, telling everyone I'm a medic. Now what? Hmm? Gonna tell them I'm a princess that needs saving all the time too?"
Rick smartly keeps his mouth shut, he's got a feeling that if he opens it, Ren's scolding is only going to get worse.
"Kids got a point," Daryl voices, "it ain't like there's doctors just walkin' aroun' out there no more."
"It ain't like there's doctors just walkin aroun' out there no more," Ren imitates Daryl perfectly, making the redneck omega blink owlishly in surprise. "Shut the fuck up or I swear to God."
Merle shrugs, looking amused, now used to Ren's imitating ability and his tendency to swear up a storm when he's annoyed. "Bein' fair," he says, "yer alpha did save ya like a damsel in distress today."
"There was no need," Ren snaps, "I would have gotten on my knees—"
Rick's blood boils.
Absolutely-fucking-not.
This settles it. He's going to tear Ed's throat apart. With his teeth.
"---and I would have bit that motherfucker's dick off like a carrot."
The group falls into loud disbelief.
"For the record," Glenn says, suddenly timid, looking at Ren with wide eyes, "I'm terrified of you." He slides his gaze onto Rick, "and I'm afraid for you."
Daryl snorts and it prompts the group into stifled laughter, their shoulders shaking with effort. Rick settles his palm onto Ren's nape and pulls him in to press their foreheads momentarily together. When he leans away, his lips are curled into a soft smile and Ren is rolling his grey eyes.
"Ease up," Rick says, voice laced with gentleness, "we know you're strong and capable. We've seen you jump off a building and land without a scratch. An' today, with the walkers at the camp…" The alpha suspiciously narrows his eyes. "How many knives are you actually carryin'?"
Somewhat guilty, with a pout at his pink, pink lips, Ren flicks his wrists and three intricate and silver knives move smoothly from beneath each of his sleeves and into the spaces between his fingers. He's got a six in total, the seventh knife securely placed at Rick's belt.
"Well," Ren sniffs, "don't look at me like that. Daryl's literally carrying a crossbow, Glenn just drew a map of the streets from memory and," the omega flicks his wrists again, the knives moving back beneath his sleeves, "Rick nearly killed someone today."
"Shoulda let him," Daryl mutters. "That humans' a piece of trash."
"Not in front of the kids," says Glenn. His words get a murmur of agreement.
Conversation dying out, the group gets to work. They go over the plan once more and with Ren's reluctant agreement, the omega stays inside the building, equipped with a walkie to keep in contact with the others.
Ren stops Rick before he can leave, holding him by the front of his sheriff uniform. He looks up at his alpha, freckled cheeks turning pink and leans up to press their mouths together in a short, sweet kiss that fills Rick with warmth.
"Think about Carl," Ren says quietly, softly, glancing at the others as they leave the office. He guides Rick's hand underneath his shirt and towards his hip, letting his alpha splay his hand possessively over his tattoo. "And this, I don't," Ren licks his lips, "I don't think you looked at it this morning."
Stupefied by his omega's soft skin and his plush mouth and his red, red cheeks, all Rick can do is mutely shake his head. He catches Ren's mouth into another kiss, this time tilting his head at a better angle, going for something smoother, something deeper. He licks his way into Ren's mouth, rumbling when his omega gasps in surprise. Rick doesn't get to do much else as Ren bites into the alpha's lower lip and makes him pull away with a low, confused noise.
Breathless, embarrassed, Ren hides his face into the crook of Rick's neck. "Think we need to stop here," he murmurs, "we… we have stuff to do, so."
Rick clears his throat, but his voice still comes out with that deep rasp, his words slurred together, whiskey-like and filled with want, "yeah, yeah, gotta… fuck," his brain to mouth filter ceases to exist, "please let me have you. I need to."
"Okay," Ren whispers, his voice breathy and needy, hushed, holy, "later," he whimpers into Rick's shoulder, "I need you too."
It's a damn miracle that Rick only kisses his omega once more, nuzzles their cheeks and licks up Ren's delectable neck before he leaves, chest clenching uncomfortably and blood gushing loudly through his ears.
2865 words//unedited.
*daryl's voice* dEaR LoRd 🤧
[everyone's mentioned second gender: updated.]
rick: alpha
ren: omega
carl: omega
glenn: omega
daryl: omega
merle: beta
andrea: beta
amy: omega
carol: omega
morgan: alpha
duane: beta
[and i think that's everyone for now? hmm.]
anyways, comments fuel me 😎
until next time, you losers! 🪁🪁