So This Is Love
"Rick, come lookit what I found." Daryl's voice called from across the warehouse he and Rick were searching, a hint of excitement in his tone.
Rick slung his slightly-heavy pack over his shoulder and jogged back to where he'd last left the redneck. "What is it, Daryl?"
"Fireworks, man! A shit ton of 'em, too, just layin' around the manager's office. Guess he was plannin' somethin' big fer 4th of July before the world went to hell." Daryl's lips had actually curved up into a small smile as he fingered the packaging on the boxes.
"These're good quality, too. Me an' Merle used ta git some a' the cheap ones from the general store, sparklers and such, an' light 'em off 'fore daddy got home." There was a reverence in Daryl's voice, as if those were some of the only fond memories he had with his brother.
Rick knew at once that he had to take those fireworks back to the prison and let Daryl set them off, walkers be damned. The way the man's eyes seemed to sparkle as he looked over the labels was that of a child's, and Rick wanted to see that expression on Daryl's face for as long as absolutely possible.
"You wanna take them with us?" Rick offered, partially hoping Daryl would decline so that he could surprise him with them later.
"Nah, we wouldn't really be able to let 'em go off nowadays." Daryl's face fell slightly, the light behind his eyes seeming to dim with his words.
"Alright. Well, I want to see if the manager had anything useful in these locked drawers of his, so I'll pry them open with the screwdriver, and you can go continue filling the bags up over where I was before." Rick handed his empty spare pack to Daryl and watched the man saunter off with an odd sort of satisfaction. He'd finally be able to do something nice for the redneck without having to guess whether or not he'd like it.
The two weren't a couple, but Rick couldn't stop himself from thinking of Daryl in a more than platonic way whenever they were in the same room, and he'd be lying if he'd said he hadn't noticed the redneck's eyes staring at him every now and again. Maybe with this surprise Rick would finally be able to make a move on Daryl, and Daryl might respond in the way Rick longed for.
Rick quickly unzipped his pack and took inventory of how many boxes he could take. Only two would fit, but that would have to do; besides, even one firework was sure to attract a dozen or so walkers to them, and two boxes worth would no doubt attract a horde; it would be worth it, though, just to see Daryl smile.
Rick had somehow managed to hide the boxes from Daryl's sharp eye, and he thanked the gods that they had blessed him with such a miracle. While going on a "perimeter check" he slipped up to the roof and hid the fireworks under a ratty old blanket; it wasn't much of a cover, but he didn't expect anyone to come up here in the first place, and the sheet was more to keep someone from noticing the bright colors on the packaging than anything else.
After dinner most of the group members went to their cells, or gathered around their makeshift campfire to listen to Beth sing. Rick stopped Daryl as he was about to enter the group's lounge area, pulling him back into the shadows of the now deserted dining room.
"Need ya to come up to the roof with me, real quick." Rick kept his voice low, not wanting to alert the others; they were sure to come running when the bangs sounded, anyway, and he wanted to have as much alone time with the hunter as possible.
Daryl raised one eyebrow, giving Rick a confused look, but didn't say anything as he followed the sheriff up to the roof.
"Close your eyes." Rick ordered when they were finally outside.
Daryl began to protest, but Rick put a finger to his lips. "Just close them. Don't make me blindfold you, Daryl."
So Daryl closed his eyes with some reluctance, his brow furrowing as he tried to figure out was Rick was doing.
Rick hustled over to his sort-of hiding place, throwing the blanket off the boxes and dragging them to the middle of the roof's perimeter. He pulled out his trusty box of matches, preparing to strike one to flaming, and gave Daryl another command. "Tilt your head to the sky, but keep your eyes closed for a moment more."
Rick waited until Daryl had done as he was told before lighting the fuses on the boxes. Once they were flaming he ran back to where Daryl stood, putting his hands on the man's shoulders.
"Alright, open 'em up."
Daryl blinked his eyes open just as the first few fireworks were shooting into the sky. His blue eyes widened as the colors filled the night, the bangs and pops resounding in his ears. They were so beautiful, much better than he'd ever remembered them being when he was a child, and he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Rick cared for him and wanted him to be happy; had he been a weaker man he might have cried, the emotions that came with this realization were so overwhelming.
"So this is love." Daryl murmured, hoping Rick had heard him.
Rick had heard him loud and clear, and he understood that with that simple statement the redneck was proclaiming every feeling written on Rick's own heart.
"So this is love." Rick repeated, his breath ghosting over Daryl's ear, and wrapped his arms around the hunter's chest, pulling the man into his embrace.
Daryl leaned back against Rick's chest, for some reason not minding the affection, and allowed Rick to rest his chin on his shoulder. The fireworks ended much too soon for Daryl's liking, but he didn't have time to be too upset with that, because suddenly Rick's lips were against his own, moving gently and slowly and sweetly, and he felt himself kissing back, giving himself over to the sheriff in a way he had never done with anyone else before.
From somewhere far away they could hear the door to the roof slamming against the wall as it was shoved open too forcefully, and they could hear the frantic shouts of their friends, which were cut short when they took in the sight before them. Neither one cared that the whole group now knew their feelings for each other, for in that moment they were too tangled up in each other to bother with anything else. And that was truly love.