Wan' ta mate ya, and have pups.
Those words still floated in Daryls head, even after hours had passed since Rick had spoken them. Honestly, the omega had expected something less.. serious. A sexual fantasy of some sort, but that hushed confession..
He could have handled it better. Should have handled it better.
The second he had understood what Rick was saying, his entire body had gone rigid, every muscle in his body taunt, forcing a pained hiss out of him as the knot filling him became painful with how hard he was clenching down on it. His instincts were telling him to run, because this wasn't what he had had in mind. But there was no way for them to separate without injury, which only served to make the omega feel eve more trapped in this, to him, impossible situation.
Rick had sensed the change in atmosphere the moment it had shifted, now rubbing along Daryls flanks and chest with his palms, mumbling softly into his ear in an attempt to calm his archer.
"'m sorry Daryl, 's okay darlin', don' have ta do any of that, I promise, never gonna do somethin' ya don' wan', I promise, I/em promise em, never gonna hurt ya, gotta relax sweetheart.."
Rick went on and on, only moderately successful in easing Daryls sudden panic, and the second the Alphas knot went down, the archer was on his feet, practically fleeing to his bedroom, slamming the door shut behind himself, only to lean his back against it, lest he collapse, willing his heart to stop beating so fast and hard, he feared it would jump straight out of his chest.
It was the middle of the night, and Daryl hadn't gotten a single minute of rest. He was pacing the length of his room, from wall to wall, debating with himself on how to move forward.
It wasn't so much the mating part that bothered him. He'd proudly wear Ricks mark, let everyone know he was taken, that he was loved, and loved in return. No, mating Rick was definitely not the issue.
But Rick wanted pups. Pups.
And fuck, how was he supposed to be a decent father when his own old man had been such a scumbag? He'd never had a male authority figure to look up to, other than Merle, and as much as he loved his brother, Daryl knew that he wasn't exactly role model material. Truth be told, the Dixon had never thought he would even have the opportunity to be a parent, but now that he was faced with it, he wasn't sure he wanted any.
But.. Rick wanted pups. And Daryl just knew his Alpha would be a wonderful father, caring and protective, strong.. He'd keep their pup safe at all costs, would do anything to protect his family. And fuck, that knowledge did things to the omega within the brunette, feeling the urge to go into Ricks bedroom and demand he breed him there and then sparking in his gut. Their children would be beautiful, because Rick was beautiful. They'd have his baby blue eyes, and his smile. The girl would inherit the Alphas curly hair, while the boy had straight hair like Daryl..
"Fuck." He cursed under his breath, running a hand over his face as he stopped his pacing, throwing himself onto his bed stomach down, grabbing a pillow to bury his face into, his voice muffled as he spoke again. "Fuck."
Okay, so maybe he did want pups. Specifically Ricks pups.
But what if they had one, and it turned out he was completely incompetent as a parent? Sophia, the neighbors daughter, seemed to like him well enough, but she was 10 years old, and the challenges with an infant and toddler were decisively larger. Their pup would be so small and fragile for so long, and what if he somehow fucked it up, what if he dropped it, or rolled over and crushed it in his sleep? And if none of that happened, what if he was just shit at raising a child?
Frustration built steadily in the archers chest, more with himself than the situation. Because all his insecurities aside, tonight had achieved exactly the opposite of what it was supposed to. Rick had gone from open and demanding to docile and selfless within the blink of an eye, and really, how could he expect the Alpha to be open with him when it ended with Rick, naked and abandoned, on the living room floor?
He had to fix this, and he had to do it quickly, there was only one problem. He had no fucking idea how to resolve this. He'd never really been taught to deal with situations like this. Between his momma, who was too drunk most days to be any help, and his old man and Merle being the kind of men that settled things with fists rather than words, Daryl was utterly unprepared.
What he did know was that he had been a complete bastard for leaving the Alpha like that, and at the very least, he owed the ex cop an apology.
Disregarding the alarm clock on his nightstand, showing four a. m. in bright red, Daryl slipped into the next best pair of pants he could find, forgoing his boxers out of habit alone, and made his way to Ricks bedroom.
"Rick?" He asked softly. If Rick was asleep, the archer didn't want to wake him, and the apology would just have to wait until the older male woke. But only a moment after he had called out to him, the Alpha opened the door, standing before Daryl in low hanging sweat pants. He was smiling, and fucking hell, this was not the time to get distracted by the man's charm.
"Can't sleep?" Rick asked, taking a step to the side , granting the Dixon entrance to the room. Daryl shook his head, quickly stepping inside what, if they mated, would be their bedroom.
"Look, 'bout before-" Daryl had barely started talking, when Rick interrupted.
"Daryl, its okay. I get it."Rick said, voice hushed, stepping forward to place a broad hand on the omegas neck, bringing their foreheads together. "Ain't the type ta settle down like that, 's aright."
"That ain't it." The archer huffed, frustrated at the entire situation, and yet unwilling to move away as his Alphas scent curled around him, feeling like a warming blanket after a day spent in the freezing cold. "..I ain't no good at this." He finally ground out, bringing his thumb up to his lips to chew on.
"Know ya ain' good with words, but. Yer perfect, Daryl."The Alpha replied sweetly, earning him an embarrassed growl from the Dixon.
"Not what I meant." Daryl somehow found the strength to break their somewhat one sided embrace, turning away from the male, shoulders hunched as he tried to find a way to get Rick to understand why he had freaked out before, and it should have been easy, it wasn't brain surgery, just a few words..
"I don' think I'd be a good dad, ya know?" It took every ounce of strength Daryl had to force himself to say it out loud. Because what if the Alpha suddenly decided that no pups meant no relationship afterall, and left him? The thought alone made him want to wretch, but he had to tell Rick at some point. He deserved to know.
"Daryl.." Rick was closer than he had realized, so distracted by the sudden anxiety he hadn't even heard the older man move. Strong arms wrapped around his chest, and pulled. A second later the omegas back was pressed tight against his Alphas front.
"Be a great dad." Rick mumbled, nuzzling softly at the sensitive spot right behind Daryls ear, scenting him deeply, only to growl contently. "So strong, so perfect Daryl. Pup would be so loved by ya, by us both."
"Ya don' know that." Daryl protested weakly, resting his hands on Ricks arms, eyes falling shut at the affectionate, and quite intimate, action. "Never been around 'em, don' even know how ta change a diaper-"
"Can learn how ta change a diaper." Rick replied, playfully nipping at the omegas ear, only to sooth the skin with a lap of his tongue. "An' I know, Daryl. I do, 'cause I know ya."
Daryl was released, making his displeasure known with a high pitched whine, mourning the comforting heat that practically radiated off the Alpha, but was given little reason to complain only moments later.
Rick maneuvered him onto the bed, throwing back the blanket before pushing Daryl to lay down, climbing into bed with the archer and covering them swiftly. And god, it did feel nice to lay down after the day he had, especially with Rick, and the mans scent all around him.
"Don' have ta decide now, darlin'. Lets get some sleep, 'n we'll talk 'bout it in the mornin'. Jus' rest now." Daryl wanted to protest, but then Rick shifted them until the omegas head rested on his chest, and he couldn't resist the lull of a steady heart beat, Ricks heartbeat, making him feel safe and warm. He was asleep within minutes.
Daryl was woken by the smell of fresh coffee, groaning softly as he blinked his eyes until his sight was less blurry, the room slowly coming into focus. He was still in Ricks bed, curled up in the Alphas sheets, glancing at the clock. Thank god it was their day off, or they would have been hours late to work. As it was, he had slept longer than ever before on their day off, not to mention that he was usually the one waking up first.
The urge to just go back to sleep was strong, but there was a conversation to be had, no matter how much he dreaded it. So he swung his legs over the bed, feet hitting the soft, white rug, and padded to his personal bathroom to brush his teeth, and wash his face, glancing at the reflection in the mirror to make sure he had no more sleep sticking to his eyes.
By the time he reached the kitchen, Rick had already started on the bacon and eggs, humming softly, and horribly off tune, as he swiveled the content of the pan around.
"Mornin'." He greeted quietly, Rick turning to look the omega over before offering a smile.
"Mornin', darlin'. Hope yer hungry." Daryl wasn't, but he nodded anyway, knowing that the ex-cop would worry if he didn't eat. And so he sat himself at the kitchen island, watching Rick prepare their breakfast in a comfortable silence.
Once the plate was placed before him, he picked up a fork to pick at the food, taking a bite from the slice of toast Rick had added to the eggs and bacon. It tasted like nothing, but he forced himself to chew and swallow.
"Yer tense." Rick finally said, placing his hand on the archers thigh, squeezing it gently. "Still about last night?"
"Yeah." Daryl admitted softly, avoiding the Alphas gaze, ducking his head to hide his face with strands of hair, huffing softly.
"Daryl.. Hey, look at me sweetheart." The Alpha coaxed, gently lifting the omegas head with gentle fingers beneath his chin. "'s a'right. I get it. Yer scared, and ya don'.. Maybe yer jus' not ready. We can wait."
"What if-" The archer swallowed thickly, worrying the flesh of his lower lip, squirming on his chair. "What if 'm never ready?"
"Then we'll live together for the rest of our days, and be happy." Rick replied sweetly, leaning forward to press their foreheads together as he always did when Daryl was upset, or insecure. "Love ya, Daryl. Pups or not, I love ya. An' that ain't gonna change, I promise."
"Love ya too." Daryl took a deep breath, inhaling his Alphas scent, eyes fluttering shut as he took a minute to relax, to gather himself, and finally nodded. It was hard, so hard to believe that. Because Rick was perfect, and one day, someone better than a redneck with a GED and a messed up face, would come along. And they'd be happy to spread their legs for him, let the Alpha breed them, and give him what he wanted.
"Could still, ya know... mate." Daryl said, so softly he wasn't sure Rick had heard him, casting his eyes down, not wanting to see the rejection in the Alphas features, because despite everything, the archer just couldn't believe that Rick would want to mate him.
"Ya wan' that?" Rick questioned, catching the archers face by placing his hands on stubbled cheeks, pressing a kiss to his forehead. "Don' have ta, darlin'. Know ya love me, don' need a mark ta prove it."
"..Wanna." Daryl mumbled, heat rising to his cheeks, coloring them red. And god, this was humiliating, but he had to push through it, had to let Rick know that he was everything to him. "Wanna mate ya. Wanna.. Wanna be with ya for the rest of my life. Wanna wear yer mark."
Seconds passed that felt like an eternity, and then strong arms were crushing Daryl against a broad, strong chest, making him grunt with surprise. But he didn't fight, even though the suddenness of the movement had startled him, melting into the embrace.
"Love ya, Daryl,so much." Rick was whispering, nuzzling against the archers neck, placing soft kisses against sensitive skin every chance he got. "So much, darlin'. So happy ya wan' ta be mine, so.. fuck Daryl, I.. Gotta know I'm yours, too. Been yours since the moment we met."
"'m yours." Daryl breathed, pressing himself closer to the ex cop, trying to hide the fact that he was blushing even harder at Ricks hushed confessions. "An'.. An' your mine."
It felt strange to say it, to claim someone so completely, and at the same time, Daryl felt almost liberated. Maybe even at peace.
"I am, darlin'. All yours." Rick smiled, he could feel the tug of lips against his neck, only to be startled by a nip. "Not gonna do it now. Need ta eat, need ta get some more rest, both of us. An' if ya want ta wait longer, we can, but.. I'd. I'd really like ta do it tonight."
Daryl swallowed, pulling away just enough to lock eyes with Rick, because he needed to see his Alphas face when he said this, needed to see his smile, and the light in his eyes.
"Tonight."