A/N: Just a short chapter as we near the finish line on this story. I'm loving writing this and hearing all of your feedback. Thank you so much for making this story such fun.
Rick leaves for college, but not before he and Michonne hit another milestone.
Enjoy!
"I don't want to leave."
Rick's voice was just a whisper, barely audible in the darkness. Michonne could hear the sounds of the picnic around the corner, still going in full force. Nearly everyone from King County was in attendance, as was tradition. She did not regret bailing out early. It was worth it to lie a hundred meters away with her boyfriend.
"I don't want you to leave," Michonne admitted. She shifted closer to him, dragging her body along the scratchy fabric of the blanket beneath. The grass was fragrant around them, calling to mind summers before, of childhood, of running through these fields with her friends. The memories seemed somehow far off.
Rick tugged her closer still, cosseting her in the familiar warmth of his arms. The Georgia humidity was unforgiving, but neither of them minded.
"This summer went by way too quick," Rick lamented. He lowered his head to hers, brushing her messy bun backwards so he could see her face.
"I hope it goes by quicker from now on," Michonne clung to him. They were skin to skin, separated by only the thin barrier of bathing suits and t-shirts. It somehow wasn't close enough.
"I'll call you whenever I can," Rick promised once again. "It's just four weeks. It's going to fly by."
Michonne remained quiet, choosing instead to bury her face in the cotton of her boyfriend's shirt. In the distance, the splashes of the pool party were still audible. It felt a million miles away. This day had whipped by, a BBQ disappearing in a flash. In 12 hours, Rick and his father would be stuffed in his truck with most of his possessions, headed for the other side of the country.
Michonne felt the absurd desire to cry.
"You'll be an expert on college by the time I get there," she valiantly attempted to cheer them both up. "You'll know all the cool spots."
He chuckled lowly. "It's just going to be me and a bunch of guys for hours on end. I don't know how much leisure time we'll have." He leaned back to look at her, grinning lopsidedly. "You're the one who's going to be here, partying it up."
Michonne snorted. "Learning to drive, you mean," she corrected. "Studying for tests."
"Promise me you'll have some fun," Rick adjusted his hold on her, his hands rubbing absently at her waist.
"I'll try," Michonne stroked his chin. He was sporting an impressive five 'o clock shadow he had not been capable of growing around graduation. "It's not going to be as fun without you here."
"Same," Rick kissed her, his hand cupping her face. Michonne was relieved to feel the callouses of his palm without the bandages between them. He'd been diligent in his efforts to heal. A month had raced by, here in a flash, gone in a blink.
"You'll have to tell me what the beaches are like in LA," Michonne dusted her lips along his face. "And Hollywood."
"I'm probably not going to go to the beach with a bunch of dudes," Rick laughed. "I'd rather see you in a bathing suit." His hands tugged gently at the elastic of her waist band, as though to prove his point.
"You didn't get enough of that today?" Michonne asked teasingly. The smell of chlorine still lingered on them.
"Never," he assured her with a cocksure grin. "Don't know how I could."
Michonne blushed, pleased with his compliment. "You don't look so bad yourself," her fingers made a trail down to his waist, running up under his shirt almost of their own accord.
"Wait till you see me after four straight weeks of baseball clinics," he teased.
"You're going to put me to shame," Michonne giggled.
"Nah, I doubt that," his eyes were wandering, his fingers toying with the edge of her shirt.
"Maybe you should look one last time, just so you don't forget," she suggested quietly, running her bare legs up his.
"I'm not going to forget," Rick promised her, lifting her shirt slowly. Michonne shivered despite the heat, dizzy at the sensation of his hands on her bare skin. He reached for his own t-shirt, tugging it over his head. She wasted no time in wrapping her arms around his bare back.
He kissed her slowly, thoroughly, as though he was committing it all to memory. His hands danced light patterns over her, mapping out the curves of her body. Michonne responded enthusiastically, her body coming alive at his touch, her heart swelling.
She was going to miss him. She told him as much, sealing her sentiment with deep kisses. He clutched tighter at her, drawing her legs around his waist. Michonne clung to him, allowing no space between them.
He rolled her beneath him, a familiar trick by now, but this time his movements had more urgency. He crushed his mouth to hers, drinking from her like a man starved. His hands burned into her skin, kneading at her, cupping at her frantically.
Need blossomed inside of her, hot and dizzying. A plaintive moan left her lips without her permission. Rick groaned against her.
"Chonne," Rick panted, "I want—"
He lost his train of thought, coming back for her lips. Michonne responded enthusiastically, holding him as close to her as possible.
"Rick, can we…" she trailed off, fisting a handful of his hair as his mouth reached her chest. He shoved the small triangles of her swimsuit aside, latching on. The warmth of his lips on her drew another moan.
"I want to, Chonne," Rick mumbled against her, unwilling to move his head too far from her bare skin.
"So, let's…" she gasped when his newly healed hand slipped beneath her swimsuit bottoms. She dug her nails into his bare shoulders, arching against him.
"I want to do it right," he whispered in her ear. "Take our time," he punctuated his statement with a series of wet kisses that left her breathless.
"Rick, I want you so bad," it was all she could think to say.
"Me too, baby." He pushed deeper into her, sending a shudder running through her body. "Let me do it right."
Michonne raked her fingernails down his back, tightening her legs around him. "It feels right to me." She felt desperate, needy. Rick let out a rattling breath, like his self-control was hanging by a thread.
Suddenly, he sat up, his eyes almost glowing in the dark. "I love you, Michonne."
As if on some cosmic cue, the Independence Day fireworks began to light up the sky, sending up sparks behind Rick's ahead. Michonne felt all of the emotion of the day release at once. Tears streaked down her cheeks, even as Rick's mouth descended on hers again.
"I love you too," she whispered in his ear as the explosions went off behind them. She sat up, straightening out her swimsuit. Rick paused, reaching for her t-shirt so that she could cover up. Michonne pulled it over her head, taking the brief reprieve to regroup. She wiped the saltwater from her face.
Rick stared up at her, unconcerned with watching the fireworks show, a smile playing at his lips. Michonne climbed over him, acutely aware of his eyes on her as she fiddled inside one of their backpacks, pulling out a spare beach towel. With a flourish, she covered them both.
"What are you doing, baby?" Rick's voice was low, even as his hands clutched at her. Michonne pushed them gently away, lowering herself over him.
"I love you," she repeated, this time without tears.
Rick grinned. "I know," he kissed her hand. "These four weeks ain't going to be nothing. We can do this."
Michonne nodded, dropping her lips to his bare stomach. He shuddered beneath her as she dragged herself downwards, the fireworks show revving up behind them.
"Tell me how," she instructed him, pulling the waistband of his shorts down. She lowered her mouth to him again.
Rick's head rolled back immediately, his hips arching into her, his hands in a death grip on her shoulder. Michonne watched him carefully from beneath the towel, wanting to do for him what he was always so eager to do for her.
The Fourth of July Fireworks show came to a grand crescendo, the grand finale exploding around them as Michonne found a rhythm that quickly unraveled her boyfriend. He collapsed beneath her, a boneless pile, a bewildered smile on his face.
"Damn, I love you, Chonne," he muttered sleepily as she righted both of their clothing before joining him again.
She laid her head on his shoulder, content to relax in his arms. "I know," she smiled, kissing him on the cheek.
-l-l-l-l-
"Drive safely," she stood in his driveway the next day, the Georgia sun beating down on her bare shoulders.
Rick smiled at her, reaching for her hand. "My dad and I are taking turns. I'll call you when we get there."
Michonne nodded, swallowing hard. "I'll see you soon," she told him.
"Soon," he repeated, kissing her chastely. His parents were on the front porch, chatting amicably with her parents.
"Get California ready for me," she teased, wiping at her face before she could begin crying again.
"Impossible," he grinned cheekily, "but I'll try, Chonne." He pulled her into a tight hug, tucking his face against hers. "I love you, beautiful," he whispered.
"I love you too," she whispered back.
She stood in his driveway, waving until his truck disappeared from sight.
