*Author's Note: Okay, I hope I don't lose any fans of this story, but I'm trying something new here. Since Rick and Michonne seem to have gotten so close in the show, I'm gonna try taking Daryl in a bit of a different direction and have him gravitate toward someone else a little. After the recent revelation on the show that one of the major characters is in fact gay, it gave me the perfect opportunity for this chapter. As always, I hope you enjoy reading!A Friend in Need

A Friend in Need

Chapter 7 – A New Romance

By Robin Stradley (ReedusIsMyGod)

Daryl had been reunited with Rick and the group for only a short while when it was suggested that he stay at the Kingdom to avoid detection by the Saviors. After staying only briefly, he ended up returning to the Hilltop following his reunion with Carol; partially because it was too much for him to bear knowing that he'd lied to her and wasn't able to tell her about Glenn and Abraham's deaths, partially because he missed Rick again. Upon his return to the Hilltop, he was a little disheartened to learn that Rick had already returned to Alexandria, knowing that Daryl couldn't go with him because the Saviors were no doubt looking for him. If he was discovered in Alexandria on the chance that the Saviors decided to make a surprise visit, it would most certainly spell doom for Rick, the group, and himself, most likely resulting in at least his death, and possibly Rick's or others as well. He resorted back to isolation, purposely separating himself from the rest of the group and remaining nearly silent throughout. Every time he laid eyes on Maggie, that pain of regret, guilt, and responsibility for Glenn's death struck him like a bolt of lightning and it was too difficult to make himself really part of the group. He pitched in to pull his weight as far as chores were concerned, but socially, his ties to the group were nearly non-existent. This is why he was a little surprised when Jesus approached him asked him to accompany him on a run to scavenge supplies.

"Why me?" asked Daryl when Jesus proposed the question.

"I got a lead on a big box store we haven't hit yet. It's a way's up the road, heading north. I need someone capable that I can trust to have my back. I've seen you in action, and I know you can handle yourself. You can definitely throw a punch," replied Jesus with a friendly smile as he playfully rubbed his chin, referring to the day they first met.

"How long you think it'll take?" asked Daryl.

"Shouldn't be more than a couple days," responded Jesus, "there's a little farmhouse about halfway there we should be able to board up enough to spend the night in."

"All right," answered Daryl after a brief moment of consideration, "when you wanna head out?"

"As soon as you're ready," smiled Jesus.

"Give me a little bit to pack. I'll meet you at the gate in 15," said Daryl as he stood up from where he sat atop a picnic table, sharpening his hunting knife. He gathered a few essential items, and true to his word, met Jesus at the back gate of Hilltop in 15 minutes.

"Ready?" asked Jesus as he threw a backpack over his shoulders. Daryl gave a quick nod, and the pair exited the gate and headed off toward the road. As they walked through a vacant field of tall, dead grass and weeds, it was silent between them for a while, before Jesus asked, "You know, what I said was true. I asked you to come along because I know you're capable. But there was another reason too."

"Oh yeah?" asked Daryl, only slightly interested, "and what's that?"

"You looked like you could use a little getaway," answered Jesus, "a little breather."

Daryl said nothing, only glanced over at him.

"None of them blame you, you know that right?" asked Jesus, "I heard what happened out there on the road. What the Saviors did – what Negan did – none of your people think it was your fault."

"They don't have to," said Daryl, "I know it was."

"It wasn't," replied Jesus quickly, "you can't blame yourself for the actions of a mad man."

"But if it hadn't been for me," began Daryl before swallowing hard, "Glenn would still be here and Maggie's baby would have a father. That's on me, and it runs across my mind every time I look at her."

"No," said Jesus with a smile, "if it hadn't been for Negan, Glenn would still be here. No one blames you for what you did. He had it coming. He deserved a lot worse if you ask me, and he'll get it. In due time. People get what they deserve. The universe has a way of righting wrongs. Even in this crazy world we're living in, karma still exists, and it finds us. Oftentimes without us having to do anything. We just have to be patient and wait long enough."

"I used to believe that," said Daryl with a heavy heart, "I wish I still could. I just can't. And I'm tired of havin' to wait."

"You know, my first boyfriend was like that. Such a pessimist. Never saw the glass as half full, never saw the bright side of any situation. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't make him look for any positive in the negative," said Jesus.

"So what happened to him?" asked Daryl with curiosity.

"He ended up committing suicide. Right after everything started happening," explained Jesus, "as soon as his sister passed from an illness and came back to rip the neck out of their mother, he checked out. Just couldn't handle it. He and his family were in the same evacuation center I was in those early days. After a shot rang out and woke everyone up in the middle of the night, we saw that he'd eaten a bullet and we found his mom and sister, wandering around soulless, trying to attack the living."

"I'm...I'm sorry," said Daryl, unable to come up with anything else to say.

"No need," smiled Jesus, "some people just can't handle the horrors this world brings."

"How do any of us?" replied Daryl rhetorically, and then after a few moments of silence, added, "I'm kinda surprised. I couldn't tell."

"Couldn't tell what?" inquired Jesus.

"That you were...you know," said Daryl awkwardly.

"Yeah, a lot of people are surprised," chuckled Jesus, "I know my family was."

"How'd you tell them?" asked Daryl curiously, with childlike innocence.

"Well, I grew up in a group home," said Jesus, "but a few of my aunts, uncles, and cousins made guest appearances every now and then. My uncle pulled up one day and I didn't see him. He caught me kissing another boy that lived in the group home with me. He was nice enough to drop a few choice words my way before disappearing, never to come visit me again. I still don't know what happened to him. I assume he told the rest of my family, because I didn't see any of them anymore after that."

"That's rough, man, I'm sorry," said Daryl genuinely.

"Thanks," smiled Jesus, glancing sincerely over at Daryl, "but, that's life I guess. Can't please everyone. But I had to be myself if I was going to have any chance of being happy. You can't live your life the way others want you to just because they want it that way."

The pair walked for a few more hours, largely in silence, before a farmhouse became visible in the distance just as the sun began to set.

"There's the farmhouse," said Jesus.

"Thank God," sighed Daryl, "I'm tired. And hungry, too."

"I got franks and beans or SpaghettiOs," said Jesus, "your choice."

"Either one's fine by me," said Daryl as the two entered the back door of the farmhouse, weapons drawn and ready to take down anything that might be lurking in the house. Upon finding nothing, the pair made quick work of dismantling some furniture for wood and nailing a couple boards across the doors to keep anything out that might try to come in. They took a seat on the living room floor and began making a small, controllable campfire on which to heat up their canned food. They ate in silence as fire light danced around the room.

"So what's your story?" asked Jesus, "everyone's got some tale of lovelorn misfortune. Do you?"

"Not really," said Daryl quietly as he took a bite of franks and beans.

"No? Nothing? Consider yourself lucky then," replied Jesus.

"Well...," began Daryl, feeling strangely comfortable enough to open up to Jesus a little bit. He didn't know if it was Jesus' willingness to open up about himself or what, but Daryl just knew inside that anything said between them wouldn't go any further. Still, he wanted to remain a little cryptic so not to give too much away, "I...had strong feelings for someone...one time...that fell for someone else. It hurt, but I couldn't give it up. We just kept seeing one another in secret so no one else would know."

"What happened?" asked Jesus, "how did it ultimately end?"

"I'll let you know when it happens," said Daryl while taking another big bite of his food.

"Oh, it's currently ongoing?" asked Jesus with audible discontent in his voice, "wow. I had no idea."

"You sound so disappointed," said Daryl nonchalantly, avoiding eye contact while taking another big bite of food.

"Well, maybe a little," smiled Jesus before wrapping his arms around his knees and dropping his head downward shyly before pointing his eyes back upward toward Daryl, "I was gonna ask if you were single, even though you probably don't swing that way. I've always had a knack for getting interested in guys that are straight."

Daryl was taken aback and left speechless. All he could think to say was, "I am...single. I mean, in a way."

Jesus wished Daryl would expound on whether or not that meant he could be interested, but decided not to push the issue. He only smiled and looked back downward. Daryl finished his last bite of food before rising to his feet and grabbing his crossbow. He used the excuse of doing a final perimeter check before turning in for the night to leave the conversation, as it had gotten a little intense and Daryl was unsure if he wanted it to progress any further. While Daryl checked around the house through the windows, Jesus looked around the remainder of the home and was able to find two pillows, one for each of them. Since it was starting to get dark, he lit a lantern, placed it in the center of the living room, and set it to a low light that wasn't bright enough be seen from outside, but would provide them with enough light inside that they could see what they were doing should they be met with any trouble. Once Daryl was satisfied that they were safe enough to get some sleep, he pulled a blanket from his pack and spread it out across the floor. Jesus followed suit and pulled his own blanket from his pack. Daryl felt a panicked jolt of adrenaline upon watching Jesus lay his blanket on the floor right next to his. With a gracious smile, Jesus handed Daryl one of the pillows he'd found.

"Thanks," said Daryl flatly, still avoiding direct eye contact with him. They laid down on the floor next to one another, and Daryl had a dropping feeling in his stomach, similar to what one feels when an elevator goes down, as he positioned himself on his back with one knee raised and Jesus laid on his side, facing Daryl, with no more than a foot and a half between them.

"I don't want to ask who it is you're having an affair with," said Jesus with a smile, "but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious."

"Yeah, well, you're just gonna have to stay curious," said Daryl as he placed one hand under his head and the other across his chest, unable to stop the smile that spread across his lips.

"Damn," said Jesus, while playfully snapping his fingers in mock defeat.

"How did you know for sure you were...that you were...gay?," asked Daryl quietly.

"I fell in love with a boy in my group home named Stewart DeMassey," smiled Jesus, "when I was about 15. God, he was so beautiful. I mean, I suspected before that I was gay, but I knew for sure the first time I saw him that there was no chance that I wasn't."

"Did anything ever happen with him?" asked Daryl.

"Yeah, actually," said Jesus with an upward flick of his eyebrows, "one day I just couldn't take my attraction to him anymore without doing something about it. I'll never forget it, a bunch of us had gone on a camping trip, and everyone was still asleep one morning except for me and him. We went down to the creek to fish, and we were sitting on the bank with our poles, waiting to get a bite. The sun was hitting him just at the right angle. He looked so gorgeous, so angelic with that beam of light softly hitting his face. I leaned forward and tried to kiss him. He pulled back in disgust, punched me in the nose, and refused to speak to me after that. About a week later, his aunt and uncle from out of state came and got him, and I never saw him again. But he served his purpose. He was the catalyst for me finding out something new about myself."

"I'm startin' to think that's the reason some people come into our lives - to help teach us something about ourselves we didn't know before," said Daryl quietly.

"Who was that for you?" asked Jesus, shifting slightly beneath his blanket, "who taught you something you didn't know about yourself before?"

"Lots of people," smiled Daryl fondly, "a lady named Carol. A girl named Beth. My brother Merle. Glenn. Maggie. And...and Rick."

"What did Rick teach you?" asked Jesus, "he seems like such a wealth of knowledge and experience. Can you pinpoint just one thing he taught you?"

"He...he," began Daryl before clearing his throat and swallowing hard, "he taught me that I mattered. That people could depend on me and I could rise to the challenge. He taught me that...that it's not always a mistake to get close to someone. To let someone in."

Jesus picked up on a subtle break in Daryl's voice that told him Rick might be a sensitive subject for Daryl, and he wondered why for a quick moment until he had an epiphany.

"It must have hurt," said Jesus quietly.

"What?" asked Daryl.

"When he became involved with Michonne," Jesus tested the waters with an expression of sympathy and understanding, "Maggie told me they haven't been together very long, but that you two have been surviving together since the early days. I'm assuming you were involved with him before she was?"

Daryl remained silent, only blinked rapidly in an attempt to combat the tears that were beginning to form in his eyes.

"It's okay," said Daryl softly after a moment, "I understand why he did it."

"Doesn't mean it didn't hurt," said Jesus quietly.

"Yeah, well...what doesn't anymore?" asked Daryl rhetorically.

"Just for the record," said Jesus as he tenderly reached over and grabbed the hand that lay on Daryl's chest and held it gently, "If he had you, I think he's crazy for wanting anyone else."

Daryl paused for a moment and looked over at Jesus, the light from the lantern dancing off of his crystal blue eyes, and he suddenly felt as though he was no longer in control of his own body. He sat up on his elbow and leaned closer, keeping a steady gaze into Jesus' eyes. He held his breath as he continued to lean closer and closer, and slowly closed his eyes as he felt Jesus' lips make contact with his own in a slow, unsure kiss. Jesus reciprocated and scooted closer to Daryl without breaking the kiss that was becoming more passionate with every passing second. Jesus wrapped his arm around Daryl's waist and pulled himself even closer to him as they continued the lustful kissing. Jesus reached his hands in between them and slowly began unbuttoning Daryl's shirt. Daryl carefully slid one hand up the side of Jesus' shirt and caressed his lower hip; right above the waistband of his pants, and the skin fevered from sexual excitement made Daryl's fingertips tingle. Once his shirt was completely unbuttoned, Jesus gently pushed it down off of Daryl's shoulder to allow his lips to trail across Daryl's cheek and begin kissing his way down Daryl's neck and now bare shoulder. Daryl began to breathe heavily as Jesus softly climbed on top of him and continued kissing and licking his way down his body; his chest, his nipples, his stomach. Jesus stopped at the waistband of Daryl's pants and began unfastening Daryl's belt with a frenzied impatience that turned Daryl on – like he couldn't wait to uncover what lay beneath Daryl's trousers. Jesus slowly dragged the zipper of Daryl's pants down before reaching inside them and pulling out Daryl's rigid excitement. He wasted no time in wrapping his hand around it and guiding it into his mouth, inch by inch, at an agonizingly erotic pace. Daryl inhaled sharply as he sank in and out of Jesus' mouth before emitting soft, passionate moans and delicately placing his hand atop Jesus' head while he continued to provide him with oral pleasure.

"Ah, fuck," said Daryl in an almost whisper as he lightly gripped a handful of Jesus' hair. The speed in which Jesus bobbed his head up and down began to slowly increase, and just when Daryl started to feel as though he may be crossing the finish line soon, Jesus took him out of his mouth and ran his tongue up the entire length of Daryl's pulsing erection. He then kissed his way back up Daryl's body and lay on top of him, leaning down until their lips met again in a heated, enthusiastic kiss and Daryl almost went crazy with desire when Jesus playfully licked his bottom lip before sensually sucking on it. Daryl reached down in between them, unbuttoned and unzipped Jesus' pants, and zealously shoved his hand under the waistband of Jesus' boxer-briefs. As Daryl wrapped his hand around Jesus' stiff and hardened manhood, pulled it out of the underwear, and began to stroke, he noticed that it felt both foreign and exciting to be touching someone else in the manner that had previously belonged to only Rick. He forced any thoughts of Rick from his mind as he suddenly sat up, pushed Jesus off of him, and got up on his knees. He grabbed the collar of Jesus' shirt and pulled him up to where they were both now on their knees, and forcefully pulled him close again for more wanton kissing.

"You want it?" asked Daryl sensually as he broke away from the kiss and began pulling down Jesus' pants.

"Yes," said Jesus breathlessly as he quickly peeled off his shirt, "yes, I want it."

Daryl aggressively grabbed Jesus' shoulders and in one swift, fluid motion, turned him around to where his back was to Daryl before bending him over until he was on all fours. Daryl quickly pulled his own pants down to mid-thigh, licked his palm, and gave himself a couple of strokes as a means for lubrication to prepare for entry into Jesus. He slowly penetrated Jesus and eased into a steady back-and-forth rhythm.

"Yeah, was this what you wanted?" asked Daryl as he firmly gripped Jesus' hips and fervidly sank himself into him.

"Yes, give it to me," moaned Jesus eagerly as he reached back and gripped Daryl's thigh, "uh...yes. Ohh Daryl, yes..."

"Uh...you feel so fuckin' good," whispered Daryl as he gripped Jesus' hips tighter. He then leaned over to where his chest was against the soft, warm skin of Jesus' back and tenderly kissed, licked, and bit his neck and shoulder as he continued to thrust slowly but deliberately into him.

"Ooo...yes," Jesus uttered softly as the hand that wasn't gripping Daryl's thigh trailed upward until it was grasping firmly onto the pillow beneath him.

"Come here, lay down," urged Daryl gently after a few minutes as he withdrew himself from Jesus and coaxed him to lie on his back before propping Jesus' legs up onto his shoulders and entering him again. As he eased back into a slow and steady backward and forward motion, he wrapped his hand around Jesus' solid masculinity and began to energetically stroke.

"Mmm...oh yeah, that feels so good," said Jesus eagerly while running one hand down Daryl's toned physique and firmly gripping a pillow behind his head with the other, "faster."

"Yeah? You want it hard and fast?" murmured Daryl as he tightly grasped Jesus' thighs and held them while he began to furiously thrust away with ferocious speed, rapidly tugging on Jesus' rigidly erect manhood. The light from the lantern shone just bright enough that when Daryl opened his eyes he could see the look of absolute pleasure on Jesus' face, and knowing that it was him providing that pleasure was unbelievably sexy to him, just as it had been with Rick when Daryl was on the receiving end of this position, "yeah, you like that?" he asked through gritted teeth.

"Yes...oh God yes...mmm...oh yeah, I'm gonna cum," Jesus groaned adamantly with intense fervor.

"Oh fuck, me too," moaned Daryl as he spread Jesus' legs and wrapped them around his waist so he could lie down on top of him to initiate an eager, passionate kiss. Jesus' moans of rapture and elation were muffled by Daryl's carnal, hungry lips as he reached his climax, and Daryl could feel the rhythmic pulsation of Jesus' masculinity pressed firmly between their bodies and several bursts of warm liquid on their stomachs. He continued to passionately kiss while he pumped tirelessly away in and out of Jesus and soon felt that heat wave begin deep within him and spread throughout his entire being, and he broke away from the kiss to exclaim softly next to Jesus' ear, "Ohh...I'm cummin'!" and moaned unabashedly as he released his gratification deep inside of Jesus with a tenacity that rivaled that of the deadliest storm. As his euphoria-filled orgasm began to subside, he dramatically lessened the speed in which he thrust into him before withdrawing himself and lying down on the pillow next to Jesus, completely spent and out of breath.

"That was amazing," heaved Jesus with a smile as he brushed Daryl's bare and sweaty chest with the back of his hand.

"I hope so," replied Daryl, "'cause it ain't never gonna happen again."

He quickly pulled his pants up, rolled over begrudgingly, and turned his back to a very confused and disheartened Jesus.

"You don't need to feel guilty for this. If Rick can't...or won't...completely give and devote himself exclusively to you, and that's what you want...you're selling yourself short holding out for him," said Jesus as he put his shirt back on, pulled his pants back up, and laid with his back to Daryl, not saying any more. Daryl lay there for a while in the resonating silence that now hung in the farmhouse that had just moments ago echoed the sounds of unbridled passion and ecstasy. Daryl didn't know what, if anything, this encounter with Jesus meant, if there would be others, and where this left him and Rick. As he fell asleep, Jesus' words ran through is mind, "If Rick can't completely give himself to you, you're selling yourself short holding out for him."

THE END

So what do you guys think? Do you like this pairing? Let me know if you'd like to see further installments with Daryl and Jesus or if you'd like him to go back to Rick. I don't want to proceed without reviews, so drop me a couple lines telling me what you want to see in future chapters! Happy fan fictioning!