Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead.
A/N: I know I should be updating Fifteen Years Ago instead of starting new stories, but I'm feeling inspired and I have the flu and it's so hot here in Aus and I can't sleep so I wrote this. Ha! Enjoy!
xXxXx
Presently…
Michonne yawned loudly over the cheerful voices of her friends; Rick noticed immediately and glanced over to where she was seated on the floor next to him. They all sat around the living room of the house that Rick, his two children and Noah had been allocated at the Safe Zone. It had been three days since they had arrived, and while each survivor had been offered shared living quarters, Rick thought it best that they all remain together at a central location for safety reasons; at least for the time being. They had used the time to get to know a few of the other residents in the settlement, but even so, they were all going to spend one more evening at what was now known as 'Rick's Place'; their unofficial headquarters.
It was still relatively early in the evening and the group were finishing off the remains of their supper while amicably conversing in the comfort and safety of the small two-storey house. Michonne, Sasha and Daryl had spent the better half of the day readying their new residence for the following day when they were officially set to move in. The survivors were grouped and housed in the following manner; Rick, Carl, Judith and Noah; Michonne, Sasha and Daryl; Glenn, Maggie and Tara; Carol, Tyreese, Rosita and Abraham; and Eugene and Gabriel.
All the newcomers had to do was help to fortify the walls that surrounded the roughly three by four blocks of cleared suburban neighbourhood and clean out the available houses and they were allowed to stay in them. It was easy work for the hardened group, even Eugene and Gabriel had learned some skills from their time on the road with Rick's group.
Michonne yawned again and this time Rick leaned toward her and spoke.
"You ready to turn in for the night?" He asked.
"Yeah, I think so; was a long day. You want me to take Judy up?" Michonne queried.
Rick nodded before answering.
"Put her in the boys' room. I'll be up there shortly."
xXxXx
Since they had arrived, and Rick made it known that he wished for the group stay together for a while, Michonne had shared a small double bed with him in what was his new bedroom. The people in the new community had provided Judith with a portable crib and the three of them settled into the space. Carl and Noah shared the second bedroom; each having their own beds. They seemed to like the arrangement and Rick thought it was good for Carl to have someone closer to his age around, someone that he could relate to in a different way. Once they considered it, it actually made sense that the youngest members of their group should stay under the same roof.
xXxXx
The first night…
The sleeping situation with Rick and Michonne happened quite organically; he offered her his bed while he stayed up and undertook sentry duty. The house was overcrowded and he thought that offering her a comfortable place to rest was the most gentlemanly thing to do; he could not have her sleeping on the floor when he had a perfectly private room with a perfectly cosy bed in it. Michonne somewhat hesitantly accepted his offer, took Judith with her and drifted off into a light sleep. Some time later, Rick slipped into the sheets beside her after he had taken first watch.
She woke with a start when she sensed that there was movement beside her; she instinctively sat up and her lethargy yielded to her innate vigilance.
"It's fine, Michonne; it's only me." Rick whispered in the darkened room. "Sorry to wake you, go on back to sleep."
"You don't want me to leave?" She asked quietly, eliciting a small and dubious chuckle from Rick.
"No. Of course not, please, just stay." Said Rick.
"Alright, just a little while." She proffered.
"I ain't gonna try anything on you." He then joked.
Unless you want me to, he thought secretly, but did not give voice to this thought.
"Okay. Well, maybe next time then."
"Uh?" He asked, unsure of if he had heard her correctly.
Michonne yawned before speaking once more.
"Nothin'. Goodnight, Rick."
"G'night, Michonne." Came his reply.
xXx
It felt strange, Michonne thought, having Rick lying next to her, so close. Somehow, she was not tired anymore; his proximity awakened her senses and she just could not switch them off. Every so often, Rick would shift in order to get comfortable, and in doing so, he would brush against her. At first she had assumed it was accidental, when his arm lightly touched her back, and maybe it had been; but Rick, it seemed, was having trouble drifting off. Each time he moved, he would come into contact with Michonne ever so slightly. It was quite easy for his leg to touch hers or his shoulder to softly nudge her given that the bed was so small.
Rick realized instantly that his tiredness had dissipated once he and Michonne had bid each other goodnight. He was wide awake and he knew it was down to the fact that there was a beautiful woman lying next to him in bed. It was not just any woman who was so close to him that he could hear her gentle breathing, it was her, it was Michonne. Rick thought about saying something to her, but he honestly had nothing to say. Besides, it was the middle of the night and he was not certain she was even awake. She smelled of apple-scented shampoo and soap and Rick made up his mind then and there that that was his new favourite aroma.
xXx
Michonne tried to make her breathing sound slow and quiet as she lay still next to Rick; she was almost scared that he would be able to hear her heart beating loudly in her chest. She silently had to tell herself to stop being so silly and snap out of it; to ignore how a small touch from him caused a tingling sensation to dance over her skin. All she could think of was how she wanted to turn around and face him; how it would be so easy for her to reach over and place a tentative arm over his waist. She thought about how badly she wanted to press her mouth to his; how it would feel to have his body on top of hers. How he would feel inside of her. How was she ever going to get any rest that night, she mused; just the mere presence of Rick lying right next to her was enough to send her imagination into overdrive. She felt her body responding to thoughts of Rick's body and suddenly the room had become to grow warmer as her extremities heated up.
xXx
The heat from Michonne's form was starting to distract Rick; he had already given up on the notion of sleep that evening. How could he sleep knowing that she was right there? He realized that it would be quite easy for him to rouse her from her slumber and do what he had been thinking about doing for some time. He could easily kiss her, just like he always wanted to do. All he had to do was reach his hand over and touch her; give her a gentle shake to wake her and then make up for interrupting her dreams with a kiss.
He imagined what her full lips would feel like on his mouth and on his skin and then basically all over his body. He wondered what her lips would feel like wrapped around his…
Stop! He thought. She's my friend; I shouldn't be thinking of her like that!
Rick rubbed his hands over his face and sat up slowly; he swung his feet to the floor and found his flashlight. He did not turn it on until he had reached the adjoining bathroom and closed the door quietly; he sat the light on the vanity. He could still smell the faint scent of apples and soap from when she had used his shower earlier; he smiled to himself a little.
Rick turned on the faucet and let the cool water run over his hands; he then splashed his bearded face and looked in the mirror.
Really? He thought to himself. Like she'd really wanna kiss me with this on my face.
Rick reached for a towel on the rack, but his hand came in contact with a garment of clothing that was not nearly as soft as one of the towels they had found in one of the closets. Rick looked, squinted then used the flashlight to see what he was actually looking at properly; it was Michonne's jeans. They were folded neatly and tucked into the towel rack, right next to a dark blue bra.
Okay, he thought nodding to himself; She ain't got all of her clothes on. She's in bed next to me, and she ain't fully dressed.
Rick exhaled loudly, closed his eyes tight and then shook his head; he knew he would have to crawl back into the bed and try to ignore the fact that Michonne was only wearing panties and a tank top. The most flimsy pieces of fabric were all that was between Rick and Michonne's most secret and sensitive areas. He knew that this revelation would ensure that sleep would not find him swiftly or effortlessly now.
"Shit."
He whispered to himself as he realized he was going to be in for a long night.
A/N: Wish I had a good reason to keep me up at night, but nope; it's just the poxy flu! Lol
Will Rick go back in and wake Michonne up?
Will he realise she's hot and bothered just like he is?
Is she even wearing panties?
These and other important questions will be answered when I return with the next instalment.
More to come!