Work Text:
Rick walked up to the gate, talking to Richard. Daryl was walking next to them, just listening to the conversation but not chiming in.
He'd been cowering besides Rick ever since he came back from his captivity at Negan's compound, traumatized and scared, wanting to be close to the person that made him feel as safe as possible. Carol wasn't there for him right now and besides, she had told everyone at the Kingdom to leave her alone so he reckoned she wouldn't want his company either. He was distracted with a little rock engraved in the dirt road, but looked up when Rick ended his conversation with Richard.
"Alright, open it up, we're gone." Daryl called out to the King's knights on gate duty. Everyone started walking out and he felt relieved to be able to walk along his family again, starting to move out. "You're not." Rick said, putting a hand on his chest, stopping him in his tracks. He looked up at Rick, confused, but more worried. "I ain't staying here."
"You have to." Rick said, turning his back on the group that was still walking away. Daryl felt a pang of anxiety running through his chest, they weren't waiting for him. He glanced passed Rick and noticed some looking at them but still continuing to walk. "It's the smartest play, you know it is." Rick said, looking at him with those enthralling blue eyes of his.
Daryl looked away, he already felt the tears coming to his eyes, they couldn't leave him here. Not after everything.
"Try." Rick was searching for eye contact but Daryl kept looking the other way. Daryl paced a little, "Try to talk to Ezekiel or stare him into submission whatever it takes."
Daryl finally gave him the eye contact, his eyes looking red already. Rick immediately noticed Daryl's changing mood, putting a hand on his shoulder. "We'll be back soon."
Michonne looked back at them, skeptical, but kept moving with the group. Then Rick started walking away and Daryl quickly grabbed him. "Please don't leave, I don't want- I don't want to be alone here, I don't know anyone." Rick stopped walking and turned around, putting a loving hand on his cheek. "You know Morgan, maybe Carol will decide to drop by. You just met Richard, you can talk to him." Rick told him softly, but Daryl immediately shook his head. "No I don't want to talk to Morgan or- or Carol or Richard, I want to talk to you."
Rick gently unwrapped Daryl's fingers from himself. "Daryl it's gonna be okay, I'll come by tommorrow to check on you, okay?" but Daryl shook his head no again, "Don't leave. Sleepover with me if you're gonna make me stay." Rick sighed, "Daryl I can't do that, they need me in Alexandria, what if the Saviors come looking for you?"
"Everyone else is there, Michonne's there, Rosita is there- please, they will be fine." he said, desperately clamping onto Rick's wrist with both his hands. Rick worried his bottom lip between his teeth, "C'mere." He took Daryl into a tight hug and he felt Daryl's arms wrap tightly around his back. "Daryl, you're a doll and I love you-" Rick didn't finish his sentence because Daryl had started crying, sobs wrecking through his body, making his shoulders shake.
"Don't say that, don't say nice things to me because," He paused, trying to calm down a bit so Rick could understand him, "Because that means you're gonna leave me." Daryl sobbed out, thick tears streaming down his face as Rick pulled back and looked at him. "Daryl honey, I just want to keep you safe." That only made Daryl cry more. "Take me with you, Rick please, I wanna go home."
"Baby you know I'm always gonna be right by your side." Rick said softly, caressing his cheekbone with his thumb, "I will always choose you." He looked behind Daryl, glancing at Richard, he just stayed to see the depart. Richard nodded and walked over putting an arm around Daryl's shoulder and pulling him back. "Come on son, let's get you settled in. Rick will be back tommorrow."
Daryl took a death grip on Rick's arm, shaking Richard off of him. "No, no Rick, please stay here." Rick was gently pulling Daryl's fingers loose of his hand and wrist. "Daryl it's gonna be okay, you can practice shooting here it's gonna be fun. You won't even notice I'm gone.” Richard started pulling him back when Rick had removed his hands from him.
Daryl started crying even more, fighting Richard to try and get back to Rick. Richard had a tight grip on him and was taller than him, Daryl had a big disadventage because of that. He noticed the group was out of view and he looked back at Rick with big, scared eyes while trying to push Richard off of him but was to his horror met with Rick's back, walking away. He started screaming now, "Rick no, come back. Please, come back." he cried at the top of his lungs.
Rick closed his eyes as he listened to Daryl's shouts for him, his breath shaky, he reached the gates that were still open for him. Daryl's screaming got louder and more frantic, pleading for him not to leave. But Rick didn't listen. He stepped out the gates and they closed behind him, slightly drowning out his screams.
Jesus came up besides him, putting an arm around him. "Hey cheer up, he'll be okay. Ezekiel might have seemed a little tense, but he's a nice guy, he'll take care of him." Rick looked at him and quickly wiped his tears. "This feels worse than leaving your crying kid at daycare." Jesus chuckled, "Come on, let's get you to Alexandria."
Rick looked up at the closed gates, hearing Daryl on the other side, most likely fighting everyone trying to calm him down.
Daryl forcefully pushed Richard off of him and ran up to the gates to try and slip out when they closed, but he was too late and he banged his fists against the gate. His knees gave out and he slid down in the mud, his pants running dirty. "Rick please, take me home, take me home." He sobbed, softer now, almost as if talking to himself. Richard came up behind him and helped him up, Daryl let himself get picked up and put on his feet but he continued crying. Richard lead him away from the gate, "Let's get you to bed, how about that?" he said sweetly, making sure his voice sounded soft to not startle Daryl anymore. Just like he used to with his daughter when she was upset.
"Jesus I can't." Rick said suddenly, stopping his walk. "I can't leave him there." Jesus looked at him, not seeing a problem apparently. "You can just go back, you know that right?" Rick looked down and nodded. "I'm gonna go back, can you catch up with the others?" Jesus nodded in response. "Of course, be safe." Rick gave him a sad smile and turned around, making a run for the gate.
"Hey, hey open up." He shouted at the gatekeepers, the gate opened again and he looked in to see if Daryl was still anywhere in sight, he was. His hair ruffled and the knees of his pants dirty. He made eye contact with Daryl and Daryl immediately freed himself from Richard's grip, starting to run towards Rick. When he reached him he jumped into his arms, the taller man catching him and tightly wrapping his arms around him. Daryl wrapped his legs around Rick's waist and clamped onto him tightly, his face buried in his neck. Daryl sobbed into his shirt. "Don't leave me, you told me you'd stay with me to protect me from them, that- that they wouldn't take me again." Daryl cried.
Rick put an arm under his thighs to keep him up and another around his back to hug him again. "I'm not leaving I promise, I'll stay with you. I love you, Daryl." Daryl was panting into his neck, he sniffed to stop the snot from running out of his nose. "I love you too," he said in a hoarse voice, his whole body shaking against Rick's.
He felt Rick starting to walk but he didn't look up, he was inhaling Rick's scent and tuned out the rest. He knew they were talking but it was all a blur.
--- later that evening---
Rick was pulling up to Alexandria's gates, not seeing the Saviors' trucks anywhere. He glanced to Daryl, he was curled up into his seat, his back against the door, clutching his shirt in his hands. Rick frowned at that and decided he'd talk to Daryl about that at a later time. He listened to Daryls breathing, even and slow, he definitely was asleep now. One of Rick's CDs was playing in the background, soft jazz music with the rain clattering against the windows made him want to sleep too. But they were almost there, so soon he could. The thought of finally laying in his own bed again made him dizzy with sleep, drifting to sleep next to Michonne, even though she wasn't a priority. He glanced at Daryl again and he knew he shouldn't be feeling this way about him, I mean yea they said the 'I love you's' to each other at the Hilltop and he meant that, but maybe Daryl didn't mean it in that way. But he knew he did. He couldn't lie to himself anymore, pretending he loved that amazing, nice, sweet, kind woman, when he actually liked this shy, emotional, traumatized but so present, man. Of course he loved her, but just not like that. Tobin opened the gate and he drove in, parking the car a little further up he got out and greeted Tobin while he walked around the car, opening Daryl's door carefully so he wouldn't fall out. He picked him up bridal style and immediately felt Daryl relaxing against him, his head on Rick's shoulder and his hands now clutching Rick's shirt instead of his own.
"Is he okay?" Tobin called out from the gate, looking worried. "Yea he's alright, Tobin, just tuckered out." He smiled at him and walked off, to Daryl's house.
He pushed the door open with his elbow and walked in, kicking his shoes off before he walked into the house just because. He went up the stairs and into the main bedroom, gently putting Daryl on the bed and taking off his shoes and starting on his blouse. "I can do that m'self." Daryl said groggily, starting to unbutton his shirt. "Sorry, I didn't want to wake you." Rick whispered, taking off his own shoes and putting them besides Daryl's. "You sleepin' here?" Daryl whispered, sounding hesitant. "Is that okay?" Rick asked, looking at him from his bend over position to reach his shoes.
"What about Michonne?" Daryl toyed with his fingers, his shirt unbuttoned halfway. "Michonne's fine, but is it okay if I sleep in here? I can sleep on the floor or the couch." Rick proposed again, not wanting to think about Michonne right now. "No if you're gonna sleep here at least- at least sleep in the bed." Daryl said, his voice barely above a whisper as he continued taking off his blouse and belt. Rick did the same, dropping his pants and then pulling his t-shirt over his head, leaving him in his boxers. He walked around the bed and got in. Daryl shimmied out of his jeans and threw them on the floor, laying down in the bed with a relieved sigh and he looked at Rick, seeing he had his back turned to him which made Daryl frown. He didn't want Rick's back turned to him. He grabbed his shoulder and rolled him onto his back and dragged him to the middle of the bed.
"Woah, woah woah! Daryl what are you doing?" Rick asked as Daryl pulled and pushed at him. Daryl didn't say a word. He climbed over Rick and settled his own hips against Rick's, making Rick freeze under him, Daryl silently smirked at that. He layed his head on Rick's sternum, listening to the steady beat of his heart. He reached up and under the pillow, pulling out a green, monkey plushie and cuddling it close to himself, holding onto it. Rick was observing him and when Daryl did that he smiled, that's why Daryl was holding his own shirt in the car and Rick's when he carried him out. "Look, I know you're a hard ass or whatever but- but can you play with my hair? maybe?" Daryl whispered into Rick's chest and his stuffed animal. Rick didn't say anything as he silently began playing with the strands of Daryl's hair, he took a shower at the Kingdom so his hair was a lot cleaner and mostly softer than usual. Daryl drifted off to sleep in and instant, Rick following soon after, fingers twitching to touch his hair again.