Last weekend I had a good ol' fashioned sleepover with my best friend, complete with our favorite 80s movie. In the middle of what's probably our collective 1,000,000th viewing, we both came to the realization that it could be easily adapted into an alternate universe for Rick and Daryl. She asked me to write it and thus here we are.
Ty, once again, this is for you.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Not even a little. Nope. Not at all.
If we get caught,
Everyone'll see us stoned
-Black Stone Cherry;
"Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman," the reverend proclaimed as he slammed his hand down on the pulpit in punctuation. "-that is detestable."
Seventeen year old Daryl Dixon sighed heavily and slid down in the pew next to his mother; it was the same sermon that he had heard a thousand times back home from the preacher in the little Baptist church his mama had drug him and his big brother to for years. He scanned the crowd mindlessly – he knew no one besides his mother, the aunt and uncle they were staying with, and his two little cousins.
Up front, the very first pew, a boy with curly brown hair caught his eye; he looked to be about his age and sat with his arm draped across the back of the pew behind an older woman who was probably his mother. Daryl didn't know if the boy felt his stare or what but he turned his head and Daryl's breath caught in his throat when a pair of piercing cerulean eyes met his, the boy giving the slightest of nods before turning back to face the preacher.
Daryl gave a slight nod back even though the boy could no longer see him. With renewed interest, he sat up straighter in the pew and craned his neck in an attempt to see the boy again. His mother elbowed him and gave him a face that told him to pay attention, his restless shenanigans weren't welcome. Daryl rolled his eyes but did as silently directed, hiding a small yawn in the back of his wrist.
Exhaustion was so strong in him that he swore he could feel it down to his bones; they'd left Macon the night before and he had drove straight through to the small Tennessee town where he and his mama were holing up with her brother and his wife until Daryl graduated high school in the spring. His Uncle Mitch and Aunt Sally had been begging his mama to leave his daddy for years and year but it wasn't until Merle had run off to join the army and his daddy put him in the hospital for just breathing that she had taken them up on their offer.
The sermon couldn't end soon enough for Daryl – he wasn't really opposed to church but he didn't reckon that he'd ever be good enough for the likes of heaven but it made his mama happy when he went, so he did. His stomach felt like it was eating itself as the preacher drug on through, what he hoped was, the final prayer. He had forfeited the last of their small cooler of food to his mama last night and when they arrived this morning there was no time for breakfast before they had to leave for church. Now his body craved the lunch his aunt had put in the crockpot as they filed dutifully out the door two hours earlier.
When the final amen was said, he stood readily and followed his family out the doors of the sanctuary where they fell in line with the congregation waiting to greet the pastor. He sighed once more, earning himself a thump to his ear by his mother. He tucked his hands into the pockets of his pants and quietly fell to the back of their group, appearing to herd his baby cousins along but really needing some space.
Judith, the younger of the two girls, pulled at his sleeve and he looked down at her with a smile. "Whatchya need, sweetheart?"
"Carry me," she asked and extended his arms to her. He plucked up the five year old easily and pressed a kiss to the top of her golden curls. "Can I ask sumthin'?"
"Sure," he told her.
Judith leaned in close to his ear and whispered softly, "Do you like boys? Heard mama and daddy talkin' 'bout how that's why ya had ta move 'ere a'cause Uncle Will tried to beat it out of ya and he beat Aun' Kate fer givin' him a fag son – that's what daddy said."
He breathed deeply through his nose to control his anger, his blood boiling, but it wasn't Jude's fault. Her parents' misconceptions were theirs and not hers. He had always been partial to her and her big sister, Sophia, and he wouldn't blame either of them for things that holier-than-thou adults had said but he'd be damned if he didn't set the record straight. "Yeah," he whispered back. "I like boys, Jude. Wasn't why my daddy beat me though. He was just a mean ol' sonuvabitch that was drunk a lot and he hurt me an' Merle and yer Aunt Kate for a thousand reasons but they were all his own."
"Oh." She kissed his cheek. "Well I don't care who ya like. I'll beat up anybody who tries to beat you up just 'cause you like boys."
He chuckled. "Thanks, Lil Asskicker."
"Daryl," she gasped.
"Sorry, princess." He kissed her head again. "Our secret?"
"I s'pose," she said like she was a lawyer in the big city and not a kindergartener in the hills of Tennessee.
They followed the group forward, finally reaching the preacher who stood at the end of the sidewalk. Mitch stepped forward and extended his hand to the slight man, shaking his hand vivaciously. "Good sermon, Reverend. I wanted to introduce you to my sister, Kate, and my nephew, Daryl. They're going to be staying with us until Daryl graduates in the spring."
"Welcome to town," the elder man greeted them with a small smile. "And Mitch, please, call me Charlie – you know how I feel about those official titles. We're friends, aren't we?"
"Yes, sir."
Daryl placed Judith on the ground and moved to stand next to his mother. "Nice t' meet you, sir."
"You too, Daryl," Charlie Grimes greeted the teenager. "This is my wife, Evelyn, and our son Rick is running around here somewhere. You'll probably see him in school tomorrow – he's a senior over at the high school and the running back for the football team. Have you signed up for classes yet?"
Daryl nodded, biting his lip to hide the smile when he realized the woman the reverend had introduced as his wife was the same woman the boy had had his arm around in the service. "We just got to town this morning but Uncle Mitch took care of all that stuff."
"Good to hear." Charlie turned his head and let out a whistle. "Ricky, c'mere. I've got some folks I want you to meet."
The boy with the curly brown hair and ocean eyes broke off from a group of teenagers and came running at his father's call; as he approached, he caught Daryl's eye and gave him a slow, easy grin. "Hi y'all."
"Rick," the reverend caught his attention. "This is Miss Kate Dixon and her son, Daryl."
"Pleased t' meet you," Rick told them both and extended his hand to Daryl.
Daryl reached forward and tentatively shook the boy's hand. "Yeah. You too."
"Daryl's starting over at the high school tomorrow," he explained. "He's in your grade so you make sure to keep an eye out for him."
"Sure," Rick said with a nod, never taking his eyes off Daryl as he slowly released his hand. When their hands fully broke apart, he turned his attention back to his father. "I was going to go down to the Dairy Barn with Glenn and Maggie – if that's alright?"
"Of course," Evelyn told her son.
Daryl noticed the reverend's eyes narrow. "Is the Walsh boy gonna be there?"
"Not that I know of, sir."
He gave a single nod. "Not too late then. Home in time for dinner."
"Yes sir," Rick told him with a nod. "Daryl, I'll keep an eye out for you tomorrow. Hope that I'll see ya around."
Daryl's throat went dry but he managed a nod. The rest of the conversation dulled to a low rumble in his ears as he watched the boy run across the church lawn to catch up with his group of friends who were piling into an old junker. His eyes were glued to the bumper of the car until it turned the corner about a quarter mile down the road. Then Judith's hand was in his and gently dragging him toward the car; as he helped her into her booster seat, she beckoned him closer. "It's okay if you like Rick – everybody likes Rick, I think. And Rick likes boys too. Maggie's sister, Beth, told Soph that Rick got caught kissin' Shane Walsh an' that's why Mister Reverend Grimes won't let 'em hang out no more."
"Oh really." He quirked an eyebrow at the information but stored it for later. "Remind me to hook you up with some candy later, Lil Asskicker. You make for a damn good spy."
