A/N: Hi all! Thanks for the feedback on this one. I effing love you all!
Rick had started to feel a little restless at being confined to the house for a few days while the swelling of his ankle went away. The only thing that had made the days bearable was that Michonne was back in the house with him and the children. Carl was happy and not being such a brooding teenager and Judith was sleeping right through the night for the first time in a long time. Michonne and Rick were actually enjoying one another's company, much like they had before when times were slightly different.
Rick stood barefooted and dressed in sweat pants and a t-shirt while he tested his ankle; it was still tender and a little sore, but he could walk on it. He leaned against the doorframe and watched Michonne combing Judith's hair as they both sat on the sofa.
"Her hair's growin',"he said with a smile.
"Yes it is; your hair is growing so long, isn't it, Chubbly Wubbly?" Michonne said to Judith as she smoothed the little girl's hair down and kissed her on the cheek.
"Yup," Judith replied with a giggle.
Rick watched their loving exchange, made his way over to where they were and took up a seat right next to Michonne. Judith climbed down and went to find her toys that she had left in the corner of the room the night before.
"So," Michonne started. "You can walk properly now."
Rick nodded and held her gaze.
"You know what that means," she added quickly.
"What does it mean? That you're goin' back over to your place?" he asked, slightly saddened by the thought that Michonne might be leaving.
Leaving him to look after a teenager and toddler while he was not one hundred percent healthy; he realized that he could do it on his own and had no rights to expect that she would take care of them, it was just nice having her help out. It was nice having her around. He felt more at ease having her close.
Michonne screwed her face up unwittingly.
"No. I said I'd stay and help, so I'm stayin'. I meant that you can go and wash your narrow ass now," she said, trying to supress a chuckle.
"What?" he asked with a laugh of his own.
"It's been three days, Rick. Now that you can stand it's time to wash your ass," she answered, amused by the feigned look of annoyance on his face.
Rick lifted his left arm, his functional arm, to have a quick sniff at his armpit. Michonne watched on as he then placed said arm over her shoulder and drew her into a clumsy embrace.
"So that's why you've been so stingy with your hugs then?" he asked playfully as Michonne giggled and tried to escape from his clutches.
"Eww, don't Rick! You're smellin' ripe!" she said as she finally squirmed away from him.
"You know you love it!" he responded jokingly, feeling completely satisfied with their morning exchange.
Their flirting and playfulness came easily and Michonne was slowly letting her guard down with him again. Rick was also avoiding engaging her in a serious conversation regarding their feelings. For the time being, he was just happy that she wanted to be around him.
"I'd love it if you took a shower! Come on, I'll cover your cast with a plastic bag and help you out of your clothes," she replied pragmatically.
Rick smiled wickedly at the mention of Michonne assisting him to undress.
"Shit, you should've said you wanted to tear my clothes off in the first place and you'd only have to ask once."
"Rick…" she warned before he interrupted her.
"Sorry. That'd be good if you helped. I appreciate everything you've done," he offered with a grin.
Michonne smiled back at him sincerely; he missed being able to make her smile. When she beamed at him like that, the pain in his arm and his heart drifted away.
xXx
Michonne let the shower run for a little while so that the water was warm for Rick's comfort. She stepped in front of him and gripped the left sleeve of his shirt; Rick pulled his arm backwards while she then lifted it over his head. Michonne carefully drew the shirt over his cast that was covered in plastic so as not to inadvertently bump his injury.
Rick stared her in the eyes the whole time; his gaze burned into her. She tried not to stare at his face, but then felt self-conscious as she let her eyes wander over his firm body. Rick's expression spoke volumes; he was enjoying their very intimate moment a little too much.
Michonne placed her hand on Rick's shoulder and proceeded to turn him around so she could help him remove his pants but at the same time maintain his modesty. She had seen it all before, but still wanted to afford Rick some privacy. Once his arm was healed further and was stronger, she would not have to do this for him; but for right now, she wanted him to be comfortable. He stepped out of his sweat pants, looked over his shoulder at her and smiled.
At that moment, Rick was more than comfortable being naked in front of Michonne. His body had responded to her gentle, accidental touches and the imagery that was occupying his mind; he imagined that he and Michonne were sharing the shower as he lathered her luscious skin with soap. He was pleased that he had his back turned to her in that moment; not wanting to have his growing manhood on display.
"There's room for two," Rick said as he stepped into the shower; completely serious but making it sound like a joke.
"I'll be back in ten minutes with a change of clothes," she replied. Trying her hardest not to let her voice betray the fact that she, for a miniscule moment, considered joining Rick.
xXx
Michonne walked into the Grimes residence as the evening sun was setting; the smell of some kind of stew cooking on the stove top wafted through the whole house. Carl was cooking again and he had gotten much better at it, she mused. The teenager was really starting to grow into a fine young man. Michonne realized that he was fast growing up and that soon, he might be ready to leave his father's house; she lamented that she too would have to leave his father's house. She shook the thought from her mind and looked around the living room for Rick and Judith; they were nowhere to be seen.
"Rick?" she called out as she closed the front door.
"Yeah? In here," he answered from the kitchen.
Michonne entered the room to find Judith in her highchair and Rick trying to stir the contents of the pot awkwardly without tipping it from the stove.
"What goin' on? Rick, move away! You're gonna spill it and burn yourself. Where's Carl?" Said Michonne as she took the large spoon from Rick and placed it on the counter.
"He's late comin' home from his friend's place," he offered as he sat at the kitchen table, moving right out of her way.
"So you decided to go and start cooking when you only have the full use of one hand?" Michonne asked as she turned to face Rick with her arms folded and an incredulous look on her face.
Rick sighed; he could tell she was annoyed with him.
"Carl got it started, I was just watching it until he…" he said before she interjected.
"Rick. Just stop. It's dangerous. Why couldn't you just wait until I got home?"
They both stopped at her mention of home. Realizing that it was the first time she had called this house that.
"I…dunno. I just wanted to have it ready when you got home," said Rick, testing the waters.
"Do somethin' nice for you since you've been takin' care of us these past few days."
Michonne sighed, turned the heat down on the stove and took up a seat at the table after she kissed Judith's head. Judith held out her arms and mumbled Mimi until Michonne removed her from the chair and sat her on her lap.
"I don't do it for the thanks, Rick," she said tiredly as she rubbed her eye and then lowered her lips to the top of Judith's head before patting her curls down.
"Well, you deserve the thanks. If you weren't here, things would be a lot harder for me."
Somewhere in his tone, Michonne felt that he was not only referring to the situation with his broken arm.
She looked up at Rick and nodded her head in acknowledgement.
xXx
Carl finished washing the last dish as Michonne dried it and put it away.
"So, my Dad looks much better," he started.
Michonne turned to face the teenager and smiled.
"Yeah, he is," she offered.
"I guess that means you'll be leaving us again soon," he said quietly.
Michonne searched his eyes; they looked so much like his father's sad, pleading eyes.
"Not as soon as you think," she said, trying to smile.
"But still…you know we need you, right?" Carl asked as he let his head drop.
Michonne had no way of answering that did not hurt.
"You'll be fine. Your dad's getting better…"
"But we need you too. You're the only mother Judy's known. You're like a mother to me. We need you."
Michonne rubbed her hand over Carl's hair before drawing him into an embrace and fighting back her tears.
"I need you too."
xXx
"What're you doin'?" asked Rick as he saw Michonne gathering up a bunch of blankets and sheets from Carl's room.
She looked at him questioningly.
"I'm taking these blankets down to the sofa. You can walk now, so you can have your bed back," she said in a matter-of-fact manner.
"There's no way I'm makin' you sleep on that sofa. It's uncomfortable as shit," he said laughingly.
"It was alright for you," she said as she tucked the bedding under her arm.
"Well, it ain't good enough for you, so take my bed and I'll stay in the kids' room."
Michonne tried to hide her smile at Rick's statement.
"Why are you so stubborn?" she asked as she turned and to replace the coverings on the spare bed in Carl's room.
Rick just smiled at her and shrugged.
"You wanna take the Baby Girl tonight?" Michonne asked as she and Rick both pressed their backs to the walls opposite one another in the hallway and glanced at each another somewhat coyly.
"Nah, Mama. I'm sure she wants to stay with you."
A/N: I think they're making some slow progress. I wonder what will happen if the conversations about their feelings turn serious? I'm enjoying their flirting, so I don't know if they'll broach the issue just yet. Thanks for reading :)