Author's Note: I'm one of those people who for 8 years have never seen or cared much for TWD. Now that so many fans are exhausted by a long series and choices in the process and whatnot, I've finally started and I'm loving it. So 4 fics had to creep their way into my endless to-write list.
This takes place in season 5 in the context of the dinner Daryl has on Aaron and Eric's place.
Disclaimer: Don't own TWD. Fucking obvious.
.
.
Aaron knows Eric for far too many years now to know that his drying of the dinner plate has taken about twice the normal and necessary amount of time to do, and that the satisfied smile imprinted on his lips since Daryl left means he's just waiting for Aaron to bring it up. Recaping the dinner in his mind, he finds himself smiling too.
"Yes, Eric?"
The smile grows, just as Aaron knew it would. Eric turns the plate around in his hands for some extra polishes before replying: "Have I ever told that you're really good at this?"
"You have."
"He seems... nice." Eric lets out the chuckle he's been containing behind the smile. Aaron feels rather than sees the light shade of pink on Eric's cheeks before he turns around to face him and confirms that he is indeed blushing. "Sorry. I mean, he really does seem nice. It's all just under a lot of..." he clears his throat and finally stores the cleaned and now polished dinner plate in the cupboard. "...well, there's a lot of rough edges to him. I really liked him."
Eric turns to Aaron again, resting against the counter. All the unecessary time standing up was probably wearying him, and Aaron stepped to help him sit down.
"I'm being mean, right?" Eric said, still with that embarrassed smile as he leaned onto Aaron's shoulder.
"No, you're not," Aaron reassures him. "I like him too. He's clearly a survivor even from before all this happened. That's bound to leave you with a lot of rough edges."
"He does seem like a genuinely good person." Eric repeated, sitting down. "But I was a bit scared of him at first, you know. And he even helped carry me. I mean, they could have shot or hit me or left me behind when I was stupid and stuffed my foot in that bucket, but he came and pushed me back up. Their whole dynamic as a group is impressive and what you'd really hope the world to be like."
The thought had crossed his mind at some point, but now Eric brought it up like that, Aaron realized how happy he was that Eric had met Rick's group the way he did, all things considered. Namely, after first meetings had been made by Aaron. As understandable as it was, Rick's lack of trust was... considerably painful. It just occured to him that he hadn't told Eric about the knockout greeting punch, or about the applesauce incident. He had trimmed it down to "they really were very cautious". Although he obviously didn't believe Rick and the others to be bad people, Rick still was pretty violent. And not that Daryl wasn't. But Rick would have done the same to Eric had the situation been different. Thankfully, he hadn't been around, and Daryl and the others had.
"Do you think he's gonna do it?" Eric's voice and hand wrapped around Aaron's brought him back to the present and to the kitchen. "Recruiting with you?"
"What's important he that he's going to try," Aaron replied, but he was sure it wouldn't be just a try. He would do it.
He thought back at the way Daryl expressed his gratitude at Aaron's genuine words, the ackwardness felt for someone acknowleding outloud a quality in him. Like he wasn't used to compliments. Aaron had seen and heard how the group treated him and included him in what they called - and truly was - a family, so he didn't doubt he was cherished. The embedded traits of being an outsider, or as Eric so simply put it, the 'rough edges', were just rooted too deep. An outsider who had found people who took him in. It was always impressive how kindness and care could still be found under coats of so much violence. Not unlike what he and Eric found on their work when the world was different. Some things don't fully change, it would seem.
It was just another proof that he really would be a great recruiter. It was really great to find another outsider, in his own way, who wanted people to feel safe and included.
"I know he will. He has a very good core inside. We need people like him, and people like them. Rough edges and all."
"He did like the bike," Eric pointed out smiling, making Aaron chuckle.
"Yes, that too."
.
the end
.
.
Author's Note: Thanks for reading, corrections to English and typos are encouraged and if you want to take a peek at my other 3 fics. When they're written.