When You Came In, The Air Went Out (Shane x Daryl x Rick)

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GoodEveningClarice

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Rick Grimes was beginning to think he was born to live in times like these. He brought his boot down on the walker’s head and finished it, grinding his heel down until he felt solid earth beneath his foot. He drug his shoe across the grass to free it from any clinging gore and turned to survey his oldest friend Shane wiping a crowbar across the ground in a similar manner. Rick offered a smirk then quickly looked around them. No walkers to be seen still walking. Good. With them out of the way, Rick turned his attention back to the overturned eighteen-wheeler they’d spotted scouting a few days ago. For all they knew it was stuffed to the brim with tires or Tupperware, but Rick had a feeling and Shane had backed him up to come check it out.

The former police man ran a hand through his scruffy facial hair, circling the truck a few times before holding out his hand. Shane seemed to know what he was after and tossed him the crowbar he’d been using earlier. Rick got to work on the cab, prying open the door with hopes of finding the keys to the trailer. In the meantime, Rick again felt the tickling urge to talk to Shane about his current situation. As far as he knew, Shane had had more women then most men he knew put together and their residing in the deep south of Georgia for most of their lives hadn’t brought up an appropriate situation to bring up homosexual attraction. He paused for a moment. The worst that could happen, he reasoned, was that Shane would call him a faggot and dismiss the conversation. He didn’t think he’d do that, Shane was his oldest and dearest friend, but he still prepared himself for the possibility.

“You ever fucked a man?”

He popped the door open with a grunt and quickly ensured the driver was actually dead before snatching his key ring. He tossed it to Shane and then crawled further in, investigating the glove compartment and the sleeping compartment of the truck. He pocketed a small hand gun and a clip that would be perfect to let Carl practice with, a couple water bottles, and drug out some heavy flannel shirts and blankets. He set them on the grass once he was free of the cab and watched Shane for a moment.

I haven’t, before you ask. But…” He sighed heavily. “You know with Lorrie gone, my eyes are little wider than they used to be.”

An image of Daryl haphazardly bathing in a creek, cocking a clever brow at him. Rick bit his lip and shook his head. “Daryl, I don’t know where he stand with men or women or whatever is it. But I feel like I’m in high school seeing a girl with tits for the first time." He smiled at Shane, knowing he’d at least understand that reference." And I don't just want to...you know sleep with him. He's strong, he's smart, and he cares about Carl and everyone else. What do you think? Be honest.” He walked with Shane to the back of the trailer so his friend could have the honor of opening the trailer.
 
Taking down walkers was almost second nature to Shane. He pulled down the crowbar and tugged it across the grass, pulling away the dead flesh. He frowned down at it before examining the crowbar. It was all easier when he had his friend Rick by his side. When Lori died, Shane had been there for Rick, helping him grow through the situation. If anything, the entire situation had brought them smiles closer than what they were before. He chucked the crowbar over to Rick when asked and began examining the truck. Living back at the prison made life so much safer, but it didn't mean they were fully set. Whatever they could find, they should take it.

Shane crawled into the truck and searched as Rick did. The shirts made Shane grin. With a smirk, he tugged one of them out of his best friends hand and took it for himself. He had been wearing the same shirt for God knows how long, and new clothes were always welcome. Once everything was pocketed, Shane climbed out of the car and examined the road. No walkers either way. Nothing to catch them off guard. Nothing except Rick.

"W-Wait-" Shane was sort of shocked. Been with a guy? Shane had honestly never. Women were always what Shane had his eyes on, and how he was being questioned about it, "Nah- Naaah." He chuckled, putting his hands on his hips, "Never. I'm all for tits, y'know?" He chuckled, but stopped as Rick sounded serious.

Before he could say anything else, Rick was expressing attraction towards - Daryl?! "Are you fucking serious?!" He couldn't really believe it, but Shane was trying his hardest not to be judgmental, "Wait so.." He let Rick finish speaking, making a small laugh at the tits comment. "Look man - You really wanna fuck the redneck?" He wasn't sure how he felt towards Daryl himself, and now he was even more conflicted. "I mean - It's your life n' all but.." Shane rubbed the back of his head as he popped open the trucks trailer, "I don't know man. You've gotta give me a second to process this shit. I never pegged you as gay, with the wife and all." He laughed awkwardly.

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Rick couldn’t help but laugh, despite the reddening of his cheeks due to both the heat and his growing embarrassment at bringing this up. He was gathering, from what Shane was saying, that his friend had never even so much a peaked at another boy in the locker room as a teenager. He doubted Shane had even had the obligatory experimentation at summer camps and things like that. He didn’t say anything for a few minutes, instead watching Shane get into the new shirt and flounder over the whole thing. It was kind of funny really, to see such a confident person having no idea what he was getting into.

The former deputy just shook his head and opened the trailer himself. He stared for a moment and then grinned. Canned food. It was all god damn canned food. He hopped up inside. Some of the cans were warped or bent up from the crash but the majority of it was fine, undisturbed and even within the expiration date. “I hope you like green beans and yams.” He climbed back out and locked it up, pocketing the keys. They’d get a few of the vehicles out there later to get it back to the prison. He started towards their new home with Shane, mulling over their good luck and the previous conversation.

“I know it’s odd, trust me I couldn’t believe it myself when I started realizing it.” He maintained his cool while they walked, constantly scanning their surroundings. “But I think I’ve got to talk to him about it. I mean…” He smiled, blushing again. “I really feel like I have a crush. Like Carl has on Beth, you know?” It was nice to feel that way. In the dark months following Lorrie’s death, Rick didn’t know if he’d ever feel anything again. But the way Daryl had stepped up, devoted himself to finding Sophia and looking after the group, it had all drawn Rick’s eyes and put something in his head he never would have thought himself capable of.

As they approached the prison, Rick paused and clapped a hand on his friend’s broad shoulder. “Look, I know this isn’t the easiest thing to have to council me in, but it means a lot to me.” He looked him over in an exaggerated manner and smirked. “That new shirt is doing things to me man.” He laughed and promised he was joking as they walked back down the hill to the gate. He waved to Carl, who was dutifully ‘guarding’ Beth while she helped Hershel in the garden. The scruffy boy waved Rick’s hat at both of them. Rick could tell he wanted to come over and talk both of their ears off, but he made a motion for him to stay. He glanced back at Shane and smiled. “Thank you Shane. Seriously, you’re a lifesaver.”



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"My favourite." He chuckled, looking down at the jackpot they just hit that consisted of disgusting, but vital tins. They began walking back, Shane began thinking over what they had just talked about. Somehow, that felt more important than what they had just pocketed. He straightened out his new shirt, it was a little tight over the chest but it was clean nonetheless. "I don't know about talking to him man, what if it freaks him out?" Daryl had always seemed a little off to Shane. Maybe it was because he didn't talk about his past, maybe it was his forced 'lone-wolf' sorta thing. It got even weirder now Rick was talking about crushing on him. "I mean, he could be into guys but, don't you think you should wait a bit? Just to see?" Shane wasn't sure if he liked the idea at all.

"Don't worry, I'm your best friend." Shane clapped his larger hand on his friends shoulder, nodding as he looked over to the direction of the rest of them. "Hey man, keep your eyes on the redneck, not me." He laughed awkwardly, pulling his hand away with a smile. He watched Carl prepare to walk over, but Rick stopped him. "Just - Keep your priorities straight.." He tilted his head in reference to Carl, "Not straight.." He laughed at the pun, "You know what I mean." He lowered his voice before striding ahead, over to the group. "Hey little man!" He changed his tune as he walked over to Carl and Beth, "We got a shit load of stuff, plus, working trucks." Shane said to them both before Rick's newfound crush appeared. Shane eyed him as he walked over, still holding that damn crossbow.

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As he heard Rick's and Shane's voice, Daryl emerged from behind the fence. Recently he had been avoiding that brute Shane. He was almost sure that Shane disliked him for some reason. Just as he walked cautiously out of the gate, Shane looked up to meet his eye. Daryl glared back a little, clenching his jaw as he felt something off with Shane. Did something bad happen? No, Shane seemed happy. Then again, Shane was weird. He broke the glare when he looked over to see Rick. It made him feel safer. To find out what he had missed, he strided over to Rick, the crossbow slung over his shoulder, "Whattya' get?" He asked sharply, looking over to Shane again to notice the change of clothes, "Y'all go shoppin' or some'in?" He said, almost bitterly towards the back of Shane before turning to Rick again. The man was just slightly taller than himself, making Daryl look through his eyelashes up at him.


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Rick considered everything Shane had to say, nodding with a silent promise to think it all over. He squeezed Carl’s shoulder when he approached; smirking at the boy looked between them with awe and love. Shane had always been a second father to him, and now that his mother was gone he looked to the other man almost as much as he did Rick himself. Rick was exceedingly grateful to have a man of Shane’s character and conviction around to guide his son. Between them, he thought they’d make a survivor out of the teenager. He let them talk, snorting when Beth’s eyes were also drawn to the tightness of Shane’s new shirt. She flushed and let them talk, averting her eyes to the garden.

Rick looked up when Daryl approached, noting but writing off the little pissing contest that seemed to be going on between him and Shane. Probably some tiff over strategy or something. He couldn’t imagine they had much time to be legitimately angry with each other. Rick inclined his head at Daryl. “Let’s take a walk. Want to toss some ideas at you.” Now wasn’t the time, he decided but…no harm in testing the waters. As they pealed off from the group, Rick dug one of the spare shirts from his bag.

“Sorry, they didn’t have any sleeveless ones.” He smiled good-naturedly. He started around the perimeter with the other man, going over what they’d found in the truck. “I figure you and Michionne, maybe take Carl or Glenn with you, take a couple of the vehicles and load up. We can wait on the vehicles we found, I don’t think we have enough spare fuel to make much use of them.” He paused at the fence to watch a Walker amble by. “Looks fresh.” He commented. He banged his arm against the fence until it walked near enough to run into the fence and start its howling. Rick looked it over, noting a gunshot wound in its jaw. “Failed suicide?” He drove his knife through its eye before he thought too much on it. He kept walking then tossed a glance at Daryl. The other man reminded him of a coyote, with his lean body and mean, clever eyes. He shook his head, not the time to stare for too long.

“You know, a couple of the women have taken eye to you.” He watched him as they walked. It was true. With Shane around, most of them were distracted by his muscles too much to look elsewhere, but Rick knew a few of the women had clear enough heads to see past their hormones to Daryl. How he looked after everyone, how damn smart he was, not to mention that Rick thought he was very handsome. He wanted to know what Daryl would say. He’d never once heard him talk about romance, but this could confirm he liked women or offer a bit of hope for Rick.

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"Ain't hard to make shirts sleeveless." Daryl said, looking back over to Shane. He turned back when Rick said about a walk. Daryl shrugged and looked around, no harm in that. Plus, Daryl enjoyed Rick's company. More than he used to, and more than he'd care to admit. As they walked, Daryl put his hands in his pockets, using one quickly to try and fix his greasy hair. He tucked the shirt around himself, tying the sleeves in front of his waist. Daryl figured he'd change into it whenever he had the chance. "Alright." He said, it didn't seem like something they needed to take a walk over, but Daryl respected Rick's judgement and continued to walk.

"Ain't all suicides failed now?" He snorted, "Y'just come back." He said quietly. Daryl had seen people hang themselves from trees just to come back as a swinging walker. But at least your pain was over. He was just about to get his own knife out when Rick got there first. So he just stood back and watched with the same look on his face. Daryl always had the same look on his face and not many things changed it. Daryl liked to bury his emotions deep and keep a strong face, which got progressively easier throughout the whole walker thing.

"Yeah?" Daryl looked back in the direction of the others. Did they really? "I thought all their eyes were on your ol' muscle man over there." Daryl said, meaning Shane. He wasn't even sure if he was jealous. In fact, his sexuality was something he'd never been sure of. Spending most of his time with one brother and a shitty family, Daryl didn't get to 'see' what it was like. It got to the point where he didn't care, and he thought maybe he was attracted to neither. Or then maybe both. Daryl never decided, he had more important things to think about. "N' I thought that you were on the market for em' too." Daryl said, suddenly realizing that might of sounded rude, since Lori had been gone for a while, "Man... You know what I meant." He looked back at Rick, hoping he wasn't offensive in anyway. Daryl was pretty good at being offensive.​

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Rick paused to observe the area surrounding the prison while Daryl spoke. He watched the tree-line and wiped the sweat from his eyes. So he wasn't interested? A little half smile made its way to face until Daryl's last comment. A stab of guilt struck him. Should he not be ready? Was he still expected to mourn? He chewed on it for a few seconds. No, no he didn't think so. It had been over a year since Lorrie's death, and longer still since they'd been happy together. He hadn't been happy to see her die, but when Shane broke down soon after and confessed everything that had happened between them when he was thought dead, Rick found it easier to let her go. He mourned for the life they once had together, he mourned for Carl losing his mother, but he left it buried with her at the camp on the way to Atlanta.

"I'm a little offended you think Shane is better looking than me." He smiled and shook his head, continuing to walk the perimeter. He halfheartedly checked the fences as they went, nearing to the inner fence line. He lifted his chin and thought for a moment. Should he continue this conversation? Should he be cautious as Shane suggested? He saw the benefit, but he also wondered if holding onto this would be any good for him. He was prepared for Daryl to screw up his face and spit on the ground at thought of being with him so if that was the reaction it would be over and done with. But if Daryl wasn't disgusted, that would make things more complicated. He came to the entrance back into the prison yard but paused for opening it.

"Now look, I'm not going make a big mess of this." He looked over his shoulder at him. "And you do whatever you want with this information. You won't hurt my feelings and if I never hear a word about this again, that's fine by me." He unlocked the gate and pushed it half open. "If you aren't interested in women, or any of our women, then maybe you'll be..." He wiped his brow. Sweat was gathering and pouring into his eyes. He was actually nervous, his stomach was flipping! "Daryl I'm...."

He jumped at a sudden crash and turned to see smoke rising from one of the side yards. He made eye contact with Shane across the yard then turned to Daryl. "We'll talk about this later, I mean it." He turned and hurried across the yard. After a quick jog to the sight of the smoke, Rick was relieved to see Carol rolling her eyes over Morgan who'd been attempting to get an open air fryer going that had resulted in a small grease far. Rick sighed and immediately jumped into help put it out. Of all things.

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"Nah man - He reminds me of a bear. I ain't got the hots for bears." He grinned back. Daryl kept wondering now who did he have the hots for? The question was probably going to be plaguing his mind for tonight. Damn, now he wished he didn't follow Merle everywhere. If he had gotten out of the shithole, maybe he could've found himself out there. Or at least, an explanation of what was attractive. His eyes narrowed again as he broke his gaze off Rick, looking around at his surroundings. It was oddly peaceful for another day of the apocalypse.

As they reached the gate, Daryl went to push it open and walk back in. Then Rick began talking. He sounded serious. So Daryl took a couple of paces back and stood next to Rick, turning to face him. Oh God, Daryl narrowed his eyes more, this seemed more serious than he thought. The mention that Daryl wasn't interested in women was something that made him frown. Did Rick suddenly decide in his mind that Daryl was gay? He wanted to inquire about it, but Rick kept talking. And he didn't look too good. Daryl couldn't de-code what he was talking about. Surely it wasn't hard to tell him straight.

Before Rick could get his words out, crashing came from inside the prison. Whatever he had to say must be important, but they both had to prioritize the possibility of a threat inside. Daryl jogged behind Rick to see Morgan had just made a mistake. He let out a silent breath, watching Rick. His mind had scraped the sexuality debate and he was now thinking about what Rick was trying to say. As he watched Carol and Rick sort out the fryer, Daryl felt the bear-like presence behind him.

"Is Rick doin' alright? He don't seem like himself..." Daryl turned to Shane before turning back to the commotion involving Rick. Even if there was tension between the two, there was the common interest of Rick's well-being.

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Shane had half a mind to beat the shit out of Morgan while he stood there, watching Rick and Carol dump a flower pot of dirt over the burning grease sprayed across the concrete. “Sumbitch clearly never fried a damn turkey.” He mumbled. Morgan was an idiot as far as he was concerned, big man who was too afraid to hit anyone unless it was his friend. And now he was trying to burn the prison down. He flicked his gaze at Rick who was trying to laugh about the whole thing, face red and sweat pouring over his brow. He knew that look, same one he got every time he asked a girl to a dance or out on a date or for a pencil or whatever back in their school days.

He glanced when Daryl spoke to him and for a moment just stared him down, trying to get a read if Daryl actually knew what was going on. But no, his mean little eyes were honest for once. He licked his teeth and thought on how to proceed. Rick clearly wasn’t taking his advice on waiting this out, but that sure as hell didn’t mean Shane was going to expose whatever he felt for Daryl. “He’s got a lot on his mind.” He decided that was neutral enough to not force him to be friendly with the little hick while not being a direct lie. He half way wanted to sabotage the whole thing, but his lying days were behind him as far as he could help it. They’d only made things complicated for him previously.

It did annoy him to some extent that Daryl actually cared about Rick. It would be so much easier to stomach if he knew Daryl would turn him down. He could plan for that, he knew how to mop his best friend up after all these years. But the idea of them actually being in some kind of…relationship. Now that he didn’t know how to navigate. He folded his arms and snorted when Carol made a comment on Rick’s sweating problem, which only made the other man redder as he explained it away with the heat. Shane stretched his shoulders in his new shirt. If flannel wasn’t making pour, Rick didn’t have much of an excuse.

“I’m sure he’ll tell you when he gets the time.” He walked forward to scold Morgan away from the fryer before another fire started and began to teach an impromptu frying lesson. “Damn if we didn’t have some frogs.”



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Rick gratefully stepped aside when Shane stepped in, smirking when Beth and Carl appeared to watch. Carol was walking off to find some canned chicken to try in the fryer, and Carl was dying to dunk one of his last oreos in. “Now hang on, you can’t just stick it the oil, we’ll need some batter…” Rick swiped at the sweat on his brow and walked away a few paces to find some shade. He took a seat and glanced over at Daryl. He needed to finish this, but he wanted to see if the beginning of the conversation had scared Daryl off completely. He waited, making sure he didn’t look hostile but not motioning him over.


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Wow, insightful. Daryl gave Shane a piercing look as he walked away. Now Daryl was more confused. Surely if Rick was just being over reactive, then Shane would of said something. But the mysteriousness just confirmed Daryl's worry. He watched the bear-like man walk over to give Morgan a scolding. Shane did intimidate Daryl slightly deep down, but no way in hell would he allow anybody to even sense Daryl Dixon is afraid of somebody, especially not him.

His eyes wandered over to Rick, who looked like he wanted to continue the conversation. But now Daryl wasn't sure if he wanted to go over. He bit his bottom lip as he guiltily turned around. He walked away from the group. Daryl continued to walk until he found a quiet spot behind the building, on the grass. He sat against the building and sighed out loud, watching he thought a person who was Maggie strolling, occasionally picking off a walker that got too close. It was shaded, so Daryl could relax. Now, he began to think about Rick and what he had said. Did Rick think he wasn't interested in women? Maybe he was right. Maybe Rick knew more about Daryl than he did. Sure Daryl had remembered getting hot over people, and did remember people telling him he had slept with girls after getting too drunk. But romantically? He had not a clue. If Rick wanted to quiz him about his sexuality, he was going to have a hard time.

As he placed down the crossbow, Daryl felt the shirt that was tied around his waist. Since Maggie seemed to be controlling walkers from afar, Daryl could quickly change. He stood up, pulling off his leather vest before undoing the buttons of his sweaty shirt. As it came off his body, Daryl realized just how dirty it was. It made him cringe as he dropped it. Daryl untied the shirt and began to examine it, wondering if the sleeves were better on or off.

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“Fuuuuck that. No sense in wasting man power catching fish though I’d be a damned to hell liar if I said a fish fry wouldn’t me happier than God.” Rick ignored Shane’s ranting, pale eyes locked on Daryl’s retreating form. He’d never seen Daryl retreat. Not in combat, not in arguments, never. He grit his teeth and mopped at his face with his shirt. The shade was helping the sweating so he took a few minutes to get his bearings. The other man was probably just confused. Maybe he thought Rick was condemning him or judging him. Maybe he was worried Rick had some ulterior motive behind his questions. And he did, but it wasn’t anything bad. Hershel and Shane were concocting a ‘proper’ batter out of pancake mix and some egg beaters while Carl counted the baggie of oreoes he’d been hoarding for the last few months. It was sweet, but more importantly it was distracting. No point in dragging this out, it would only get worse with time.

Rick pushed himself off the ground and headed in the direction Daryl had gone. He felt Shane’s eyes on him, but ignored him. His friend was just being cautious.

He took his time, preparing himself. He’d just be upfront. “Daryl I asked all those questions because I’ve realized over these last few months that I am very attracted to you. How do you feel?” Rick scoffed. It sounded fake when he said it out loud. He noted Maggie walking the perimeter and gave her a wave. She returned the greeting and kept walking. Rick turned the corner into a shaded area. Daryl was probably around here….

The former police officer paused, suddenly only a few feet from Daryl and finding himself dangerously close to the other man, who was in a state of undress. Rick’s eyes wandered the scene hungrily in a way a virgin could have identified as interest. When his gaze finally met Daryl’s eyes, Rick’s were clouded with appreciation. “Daryl.” He looked away, feeling lecherous after feeling him up with eyes that way.

He kept his eyes on the tree line, but started talking because it was now or never. “Look, I’m not the most articulate man. I was trying to get to the bottom of something with my questions earlier and here it is, plain and straight.” He flicked his eyes back stared him down. “I think you’re a hell of a man Daryl. You’re strong, you’re smart, you’re loyal and since I’ve met you I’ve thought you were…intriguing. And now I can’t keep your eyes off of you. As I said before, you do what you want with this information. I won’t be offended.” His heart was pounding as he watched him, waiting for some reaction or another.



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Just as he pulled the shirt over his shoulders, deciding to rip them off if it gets too hot, he heard a voice. At least he thought, "Rick?" He called, craning his neck to see if he could see the man When Rick turned around the corner, it made Daryl jump a tiny bit. He watched Rick and sighed, assuming he'd learn whatever Rick had to say.

He watched his friend's eyes visually touch him up. Daryl frowned, he hadn't ever seen the eyes like that on Rick. He looked down to his own body before beginning to button himself up. Maybe Rick was just trying to say he was exposed? Daryl watched himself do up the buttons, leaving the top few undone for comfort. But still, whatever Rick was doing, it was odd. As Rick spoke, Daryl attempted to take it all in. It was a complete shock. Was Rick trying to say, he was attracted to him? Daryl didn't even know how to process it all. He fiddled with his fingers as he squinted, wondering what he was thinking. Rick had the hots for him. Daryl couldn't believe it. He couldn't wrap his mind around it. Nobody had ever confessed attraction to Daryl before, especially not a man. And not a close friend, like Rick.

"Nah.." He looked away before finally looking at Rick, "Naah, you ain't gay." Daryl tried to avoid talking about how he felt, because right now, he had no idea how he felt, "Naah, you ain't." He repeated again, "You had a wife n' a family, n' you got Carl.." He said, like it somehow showed Rick wasn't gay. That was all he could say. Daryl looked down to his jacket and picked it up, shrugging the leather vest over his shoulders. He looked at Rick again, there really wasn't much to Daryl's expression besides minor confusion.

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Daryl’s words felt something like getting the breath knocked out of him. He remembered scrapping with Shane as a kid and getting shoved off the monkey bars. Not being able to breath had been the worst feeling he could recall. The same thing happened when he was shot, flat on his back struggling to breathe. He was prepared for Daryl to tell him he didn’t like men or him specifically. But the almost frightened look on the other man’s face paired with his flat our denial hurt. He clenched up his jaw and said nothing for a moment, trying to get a hold of himself. He looked at Daryl and held up his hand in his habitual way of asking for a moment, for calm.

“Now I don’t know if I’m gay. But I know I want you. I loved Lorrie and until recently I never thought of other men that way but…” He shook his head. “Look that doesn’t matter. I can tell you, right now, that I care about you. If you don’t feel the same way, that’s another story. But I wouldn’t come out here and lay it straight for you if I didn’t mean what I’m saying. I’m not going to waste my breath if I didn’t think what I’m telling you.”

He licked his lips and ran his hand through his hair. What else was there to say? He turned to the other man and grabbed both of his shoulders, making him look at him. “I won’t do anything you don’t want me to do. If you want me to drop this and never bring it up again, fine. But I deserve to know what you’re thinking. Aren’t we good enough friends, hell aren’t we family enough to do that for each other?” He released him after a brief squeeze. “I don’t want you to be scared or worried or anything. I didn’t bring this up to hurt you. And I promise, no matter what you say, you will still be my friend and my brother and my right hand man, okay?” He was sweating again. “If you need some time, that’s alright too. I know this had to be a lot to take in all at once. And I’m rambling like an idiot and probably making everything worse.” He smiled but it seemed tired.


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I want you. Hearing Rick, or anybody, say that was a new sensation. It all seemed so unreal to Daryl. He wasn't sure if he could even pinpoint if it was positive or negative. Hell, all Daryl could supply emotionally was severe confusion. He licked his lips nervously as Rick spoke, trying to keep himself calm and tough. It was nice to hear Rick show he cared. Daryl did in fact enjoy having affection off others, especially others that weren't his brother.

Daryl looked up quickly as he felt hands on his shoulders. He watched Rick and finally nodded a bit, listening to Rick. He showed a small smirk of appreciation, his brother. Rick had always been open with Daryl. Even if his dick of a best friend wasn't, it didn't stop Rick from going to lengths for Daryl. "Yeah." He said when Rick said about them being brothers, "I ain't got much to say..." Daryl went to put his hands up to hold Rick's arms but they dropped from his shoulders. Daryl quickly put his hands down and sighed, "Nobody tells me things like these." Daryl looked away, nobody had outwardly told Daryl they liked him like this. "Rick..." Daryl looked at his friend, who had clouded his vision of himself, "I need time..." Daryl didn't want to hurt Rick, at all. But he just had to give himself time to think.

Quickly, he picked up his cross bow and turned away, "Come find me, yeah?" Daryl shrugged before walking away. It felt mean, but hey, Daryl wanted to figure out how he felt before he began thinking about how Rick did. Daryl slowly walked away, his heart beating quicker than it ever had. Before he knew it, Daryl was back inside the empty cells, finding his own. He lay down onto the bed and puffed out a long breath, preparing for a long think.

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Rick finally got his breath back when Daryl gave him that little smile. He listened patiently while he spoke and nodded. "I hear you. Take as long as you need." The other man walking away seemed abrupt, but so must have his confession. He allowed himself to relax, to breath in and out a few times. He didn't know how long he could bare to wait, but Daryl had left an invitation lingering in the air behind him. Come find me, yeah? Which hopefully meant he wouldn't be long. He'd give him the night, maybe the next day and then see if he had anything new to say. Things moved faster in every way in this new world and he knew Daryl wasn't going to toy with him. He smiled, lightly, and turned to head back towards the group.

He was surprised to come across what appeared to be a real life fish fry, sans fish anyway. The former cop couldn't help but smile when Carol handed him a plastic bowl. A fried chicken leg (from one of those awful canned chickens he was sure), a few fried pickles, and half a fried oreo. He thanked her and rubbed Carl's shoulder, knowing the boy had given up some of his prized treats. "Well Shane if I ever doubted you before, I guess I've given up that privilege." He shared a laugh with the rest of the group and dug into the fried, pancake battered mess in his plate. "I'll be damned this chicken isn't half bad." He smiled at Shane over the bowl and felt some of the tension from the previous conversation lift from him. Rick felt a small tinge of guilt that Daryl wasn't out here enjoying himself, but Carol was wrapping up the leftovers for Maggie and likely Daryl too.

They ate and laughed and got after one of the half sour bottles of wine Michonne had liberated from their last run. By the end of the night Rick was exhausted in the best possible way. He lingered behind to help Shane pick up and drain the fryer oil into empty jugs to be used for later. "We all needed this Shane, thank you." He wiped his soiled fingers on his pants. "I didn't think I'd like a fried oreo but it was damn good." Small talk, but it felt natural and easy.


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Shane watched his friend walk back over to him. Even if he wasn't a cook, Shane managed to learn how to fry every piece of food they had going. It was a brilliant change from canned beans, that's for sure. Carol had been great, even if Morgan fucked it up before. His eyes watched Rick as he bit into half a deep-fried oreo, noticing the lack of Daryl. Drinking alcohol and eating fatty foods reminded Shane of pre-Walker times. Rick and himself had enjoyed similar nights together with their other friends. It made him forget about the bad things for a while, "Well I ain't a bad cook." Shane shrugged, biting into the batter.

When people began to disperse back inside as the sun began to set, Shane helped Carol clean up and began preparing to get inside. He looked around as he watched Carol finally go inside to find Daryl to give him his leftovers. When it was clear, Shane turned to Rick, and nodded, "Yeah, Y'welcome." Shane sighed, knowing Rick was small talking his way through this. "How did it go with loverboy?" Shane asked abruptly, not caring for the small talk. He had noticed he and Daryl weren't lacing hands right now so something inside of him told him that it went badly. And a sinister part of him hoped for it. It would make life easier for him because Shane wasn't in the mindset to learn how to cope with his best friends relationship yet. Let alone one with Daryl Dixon.

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Rick knew that was coming. He glanced at him and shrugged, picking his teeth with a toothpick. "He said he needed some time to think it over." He rolled his shoulders and stretched. "I told him how I felt, I told him it would be fine no matter what. He told me to come find him later." He stuffed a stray piece of trash in his pocket. "Not much more to it." He took a seat on the grass and sat enjoyed the cool night air. He peered at Shane, wondering what he was thinking. Even after all these years of friendship, Rick had a hard time reading the other man. He sat for a moment in the silence then gave in and looked up at him.

"What's going through your head, man? You're too quiet." He looked all the way up at him from his place on the ground and was reminded once more of their height and build difference. Not that it mattered all the much anymore, they could both kill a man or a walker as well at the other as they'd both proved on too many occasions to think about comfortably.

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"Right.." Shane snorted quietly, not having formed an opinion yet. When Rick sat down, Shane put his hands on his hips as he gazed at the deepening view, he'd want to get in soon before walkers increase. Rick questioned his thoughts and Shane shrugged, "I don't know what you expect from me Rick." Shane said bluntly, "I'm new to all of this shit." He sort of laughed, trying to make it clear he wasn't leaving Rick on this one. It just meant Daryl wasn't the only one who needed time. "I just di'nt expect you n' the redneck ever gettin' cosy." Shane shrugged. He noticed he didn't say Daryl's name much, he always nicknamed him. Maybe he didn't want to see it as Rick having a crush on a real person. "Promise me one thing though." Shane tried to lighten up as he paced a bit, "Don't go makin' him moan like these guys. Especially not where I can hear." Shane pointed at the walkers, grinning devilishly down at Rick.

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One by one, Daryl could hear people file into their cells, locking it tightly behind them. He was already lying on his bed, staring up at the mattress of the top bunk. He had been staring for quite some while. So far, Daryl hadn't come to a conclusion on Rick. But he had decided he didn't want to hurt his friend. Because even with interest, Rick was always going to be Daryl's closest friend now. He sighed quietly, hoping some sleep would help the new information sink in. Carol appeared and quietly slipped him some of the batter he must of missed out on. She smiled before leaving him, sensing it would be better than prying. The warm batter smelt good, so Daryl ate it quickly before disposing of the tissue. He slipped out of his jacket and undid a couple more buttons before lying down into his covers, closing his eyes tightly as he begun thinking again.

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The former police man blushed furiously when his friend made the moaning comment, though laughter and a playful punch to Shane's side followed. Rick pushed himself of the ground and dusted his dirty jeans off. He wiped his face with his shirt and looked at the other man, offering a quick, genuine smile. "No promises. Hell, he might be making me make noises like that." Rick grinned and showed all his white teeth, hoping to gross the other man out. He shook his head and licked his lips, laughing at his own joke. He clapped Shane on the shoulder and walked towards the prison, figuring the larger man would follow as it was getting awfully dark. "In all seriousness, thanks for being so...open about everything. It means a lot." He stood in the doorway to their cell block for a few moments, surveying the dark and the looming trees on all sides. "Night man."

Rick made his normal, fatherly rounds before heading to his cell. He bid goodnight to Glenn and Maggie, to Beth and Carol, to Hershel and Michonne and everyone else. He didn't go out of his way to Daryl's somewhat distant cell, figuring the other man needed the night to himself. He did paused at Carl's cell and take a seat beside the teenager. "Thanks for the oreos, I'm sure everyone appreciated that." Carl shrugged his shoulders in the typical apathetic teenager manner but offered a sly little smile. "Beth said she liked them soo...." Rick laughed and scruffed his boy's long hair. "Better trim up soon." Carl gave him an incredulous look. "Seriously? You look like a mountain man!" They shared a normal moment of wrestling and teasing before Carl flopped back on the bed and yawned. "Night Dad." Rick smoothed the boy's hair out of his face. "Night son."

He returned to his own bed and stripped down to a pair of track pants he'd dug out of an overturned car a few weeks ago. He lay on his back and inhaled deeply, searching the ceiling with his eyes. What was a man to do? Daryl was turning over a million possibilities in his hands, and the other man would be deciding how the next few months of Rick's life played out. They'd be fine no matter what, Rick knew that much, but sleep did not come easily to him when all he could think about was the archer's burning blue eyes.

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The morning came around by the voice of Carl in the corridor. Daryl opened his eyes slowly. He had dreamt about Rick. It wasn't too sexual, at least, he couldn't remember most of it. But it was definitely to do with what he was told the evening before. Daryl pulled himself up and stretched out. He thought, there was definitely something between them. Definitely. Daryl just didn't know what specifically. He buttoned up the shirt a little more and slipped on his boots, rolling his eyes at Carl's voice, that was searching for Beth. If only Daryl was that aware of himself. And he wasn't even a teenager! What Daryl needed was to see where he stood with men. Especially Rick.

For a while, Daryl sat up in his bunk and thought for a bit, hopefully nobody would interrupt him in the thought he was still asleep. That was until Shane poked his head through the curtain Daryl had put up for privacy. He made it all the more complicated. Shane probably knew exactly what Rick was thinking, they were best friends. That meant Shane knew that Rick liked Daryl. Daryl didn't like that he knew his business. "G'mornin." He said gruffly, finding his way up from the bed, "I'll be out in a bit." He shooed away Shane before collecting his stuff. Rick probably had plans for the day ahead. But Daryl was only prepared to talk to Rick when he knew he had absolute privacy. Away from Shane, away from everybody else. Just the two of them.

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