Top Harry Drabble: Harry/Rick Grimes
Chapter Summary: In which Harry goes to get Rick after Lori dies. [The Walking Dead, Season 3]
"Someone needs to go check on him," Hershel said, glancing over at the prison from where they were in the yard. "He has a little girl."
Harry exchanged looks with Glenn, sparing Oscar a glance, before nodding. "I'll go. Command deck is yours, Glenn."
Glenn snorted before his eyes narrowed. "Aye, aye. You are the Grimes whisperer anyway."
Harry blinked and glared at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing. Nothing at all," Glenn remarked, his lips twitching up into a small grin. The expression didn't make it to his eyes though, not after what they had all been through in the last day or so.
Harry rolled his eyes and took off, tucking his hands into his pockets as he walked back through the prison yard and through the gate. He looked over to where the body of Lori lay, covered by a white sheet, and passed it by, keeping an eye out for any remaining walkers. By now, he knew what walkers felt like, in the magical sense, so he knew what to look for. The sense of wrongness, of death come undone.
He pushed open the cellblock door and stepped inside, nodding to Beth and stopping in front of Carl. The kid's eyes were bloodshot and his skin was pale, his fingers trembling and Harry let out a deep sigh and tugged him into his arms. Carl let out a raw noise and burrowed into him, his breath hitching.
Harry didn't say anything as he pressed a kiss to Carl's forehead, rubbing his back. "You're safe, Carl. I'm here."
"I had to…"
"I know," Harry whispered, kneeling to look him in the eyes. Carl sucked in a tight breath as he met Harry's eyes. "You did what you had to. You know that she loved you, right?"
Carl nodded. "I know that."
"I'm going after your dad. Is your sister…"
"Beth's looking after her."
"Alright. Sit tight. Hopefully Daryl and Maggie will be back with baby formula soon."
Carl nodded and pulled away first, drawing in a deep breath. Harry sighed and unlocked the cell door with a whispered word, stepped through and locked it behind him. He idly padded through the hallway, peering into open cells as he walked. They had lost Carol, T-Dog and Lori all in one fell swoop over the last 24 hours, more people than they had lost in a while.
He ventured further into the cell block, following the trail of dead walkers that had gotten in somewhere, had gotten lured in by the remaining prisoner. Harry scowled at the thought, seeing his wand send out sparks, and continued walking, listening to the ambient sounds of the prison. The prison itself was quiet but there were walkers around here somewhere that they had yet to clear and… Rick was doing it all by himself.
The walkers he passed had been downed clearly by an axe and as he turned down yet another hallway, he could hear rough, shallow breathing. It wasn't deep and it wasn't quiet by any means. Harry stopped at another junction and turned right as he heard Rick further south. He paused, inhaled deeply and then cast a patronus, watching as Prongs leapt from his wand. The deer loped around him in a small circle, antlers pointed down, sensing his wariness.
"Rick?"
Heavy breathing echoed throughout the block but Rick didn't say a word otherwise. The boiler room was just down the hall and Harry suspected that was where Rick was going, the room where Lori had given birth and then died.
Harry walked around the last corner and came face to face with Rick Grimes. The man was bloody, dirty, sweaty but Harry could see no tears on his face. The axe in his hand was bloody and there was a body of a walker at his feet, freshly killed. The beard that Rick had started to grow in the last few weeks was dirty and Harry could see specks of blood in it.
The man didn't look injured however so Harry suspected it wasn't his blood.
"Rick?"
He kept his voice low, not wanting to further startle him.
Rick just stared at him, his blue eyes bloodshot and wide with exhaustion. His breathing was shallow but it wasn't fast and Rick wasn't blinking.
"Hey."
Harry took a step closer towards Rick, seeing his grip on the axe grow tighter. His knuckles were white and his skin otherwise was very pale. Rick wasn't even seeing Prongs, didn't even peer at the glowing deer beside Harry. Prongs turned to Harry and then loped ahead, guarding the hallway.
"Rick, you need to slow down," Harry whispered, keeping his arms at his sides, one hand on his wand.
There was no indication that Rick heard him. The man just kept staring at him, eyes dull.
Harry stared at him, met Rick's eyes and flinched before taking another step towards him. In a flash, Rick moved, pushing Harry towards the wall and pressed his arms up against his chest. Harry didn't move, took in a deep breath and studied the man before him, drawing his own arms up to grasp Rick's.
"Rick, it's me. It's just me. You're safe," Harry whispered, squeezing Rick's wrists slightly in reassurance. He stared right into Rick's eyes, watching as Rick continued to stare at him.
The man hadn't spoken a single word yet. His wrists were thin and Harry winced and then swallowed his next words and cautiously crept his arms up Rick's arms, curled an arm about his shoulders and curled an arm around Rick.
Rick continued to stare at him and then as Harry slowly reeled him in closer, the man let out a shuddering breath. Rick trembled under Harry's arms, his breathing growing louder. Harry sighed and pulled him in even closer, tucked him in even closer and waited.
Rick shuddered, blinked once, twice, as Harry pulled him into his arms. He let out a strangled breath, and stood stiffly in Harry's arms, the ringing in his ears drowning out whatever Harry was saying. His knees trembled and his heart raced within his chest, his arms shook and Harry tightened his arms around him, tucking Rick's head into the crook between his shoulder and neck.
The touch of Harry's fingers to his bare neck made a raw noise leave Rick's throat and he collapsed, his knees buckling. The axe fell to the ground with a loud thunk and Rick could hear something else, something like what he remembered a dog sounding like.
"Shhh. You're safe," Harry whispered, curling his hand about his neck and supporting him as he fell. "I've got you. I've got you."
Rick ended up halfway in Harry's lap, with both of Harry's arms holding him tightly. He tried to pull away, the sounds of walkers filling his ears but Harry held him fast, leaving just a little wriggle room. "Easy. You're okay, sweetheart. Shhh."
He could feel one of Harry's hands slip underneath his shirt, the touch jolting him. Harry's voice sounded watery itself and Rick wondered why the man sounded like he was crying. He yawned and burrowed even more into Harry's arms, deflating. Rick felt the press of lips to his forehead, a hand cupping his neck and he melted.
Harry sighed in relief as soon as he felt Rick relax into him, loosening his arms around the man now that he wasn't fighting. He continued to trace circles into Rick's back, humming a quiet tune and leaned against the wall behind him. "Rick, let's go get you cleaned up, hmm? Before you fall asleep on me?"
The man in his arms didn't make a noise but he moved his head, in what could have been a nod, and Harry tightened his arms. He curled his arms around his the man further and helped him up, keeping one arm around his waist.
"Come on. This way."
Harry made sure Rick was as steady as he could be, which was to say not much, and led the way, keeping one arm about Rick's waist. Prongs followed them, walking on Rick's other side. He took them on a roundabout path to the showers, wanting to avoid Beth and Carl and the others for the moment. He kept Rick moving once they passed the boiler room and took a left at the next junction and ended up at the communal showers.
T-Dog had just gotten the showers up and running again the other day and Harry sighed at the reminder of the loss. There weren't that many clean towels or bottles of shampoo or conditioner but they would make do with what they had right now. Harry walked Rick over to a bench, lowering him down to sit and knelt down before him, raising an eyebrow. Prongs loped over to the other entrance to the showers and seemed to peer into the hallway beyond them.
Rick blinked at him and looked around at where they were, his eyes widening.
"You could do with a shower," Harry remarked quietly, gesturing to the closest showerhead. "I'll do all the work, okay?"
The sounds that Rick had started to make when Harry had touched his skin, his neck, rang in Harry's ears. Rick had sounded like a beaten dog, whining low in his throat and Harry never wanted to hear that again. Lori and Rick had long since… 'broken up' before Lori's death but Harry had seen them glance at each other.
Rick stared at him, his eyes bloodshot and dull. Harry sighed and turned around, looking all over the shower hall and making sure there were no walkers. Once he cleared the area, he switched on the showerhead, summoning a towel or two and placed them nearby. Harry stripped his own clothes off, putting his clothes in a pile in the corner to deal with later.
Harry padded back to crouch in front of Rick and then slowly reached out to help him out of his shirt. Rick stared at him and just sat there, letting Harry move his arms up to get his shirt off. Harry threw the shirt over towards the corner and then curled an arm about Rick's waist, helping him stand. He left an arm around Rick's waist and helped him remove his pants and shoes, leaving him naked.
Rick stood there, eyes still wide and unblinking. Harry coaxed him over to the shower, tested the water, and led him under the water spray. Rick startled and then relaxed, letting out a deep sigh. Harry cradled him from behind, letting him lean his weight on him.
"Just relax. I've got you," Harry whispered, wrapping his arms around Rick.
The water flowed over both of them, washing the blood, dirt and sweat from their bodies. It felt absolutely wonderful and Harry would never take showers for granted again. Harry slowly moved his hand up, tipping Rick's head back to lean on his shoulder so that the water could get the skin on Rick's throat and chest easier. Rick let out another low whimper, this time definitely of pleasure, and the hairs on the back of his neck stood.
Harry's cock stirred with interest and he shook his head, willing it back down. This so wasn't the time for a handjob or for sex in general. Though perhaps later. He summoned the shampoo bottle and squirted some out into his palm before rubbing into Rick's scalp, hearing the man whine. Rick arched into his fingers and Harry smiled, sighing as he ran his fingers through Rick's hair, getting out bits of blood and dirt.
He washed the shampoo out, placing his palm over Rick's eyes to cover them, and stroked his back.
He took one of the smaller towels and washed Rick's skin, going from top to bottom, rubbing soothing circles into his skin. Rick let out a low moan and Harry peeked around his body, seeing the man's cock harden.
"Rick? You back with me?"
"Harry."
Harry blinked and then moved one of his arms, keeping one around Rick's waist, and moving his other down, tracing his cock. Rick jolted back into him, bucked into his fingers as Harry stroked his cock. He circled his fingers, speeding his movements up, twisting in just the way he knew that Rick liked. The man arched his back, leaning more of his weight onto him and Harry idly pressed a kiss to Rick's shoulder, stroking faster until Rick shuddered and groaned, his release echoing through him.
"Harry."
"I'm here, Rick," Harry murmured, holding him still for a moment before withdrawing his hand. The shower washed away the evidence of Rick's release easily. "I'm here."
Rick let out a strangled cry and Harry reached behind him to turn off the water. He summoned a larger towel and wrapped it around the man in front of him, holding him as he slipped around to face him. Rick's eyes were red, still bloodshot, but he was finally crying. At least a little. Tears pooled in Rick's eyes and fell slowly.
Harry pulled him into another hug, stroking his back firmly. He stayed quiet, feeling Rick's hiccuping breaths as the man leaned into him.
"You don't have to do this alone, you know," Harry whispered as he heard Rick's breathing slow. "You've had the weight of the world on your shoulders ever since I joined your group, perhaps even earlier. You want to take a break?"
"I… What about…"
"I'll take over for a while," Harry offered quietly, shaking his head. "You need to get some real sleep first. Your baby girl's fine and so is Carl."
"...Lori had a girl?"
"Yeah. She's cute but a little squishy."
Rick let out a snort at Harry's words but didn't say anything.
"Come on. To bed with you," Harry said, drawing over another two towels and transfiguring them into comfortable clothes. He looked Rick over, rubbing him dry before helping him draw on the clothes. He pulled on some transfigured, clean clothes too, made sure the water wasn't leaking and called over to Prongs.
Rick stared at him for a minute before nodding and letting him lead. Harry met his eyes and then led the way up and back to their cell block, leading the man to where Harry had made his room. He had transfigured the two bunk beds into one bed, one comfortable mattress and helped Rick to lay down.
Harry slipped the covers over Rick and then turned to reach into his pack, looking around for a certain vial and finding it. It was the last one he had of it right now but he figured… Rick would probably need it.
Rick blinked up at him, yawned and melted into the mattress, curling his fingers into the blanket.
"You trust me, right?"
"I trust you," Rick replied, dipping his head in a nod. "What is it?"
"You haven't really slept… in a long time," Harry said, lifting his shoulders in a small shrug. He held up the vial and uncorked it, holding the stopper in his other hand. "This is a dreamless sleep draught. Three sips of this would guarantee 8 hours of dreamless sleep. It's the wizarding equivalent of a sleep aid."
"I don't want to be left…"
"I'll wake you up if we need you," Harry answered, reaching out to curl his fingers around Rick's visible hand. "I've heard you over the past few days. You… have nightmares."
Rick flinched and started to turn only for Harry to move his fingers up to squeeze his shoulder.
"I'm not blaming you. We all have them right now," Harry said, his eyes narrowing. "It's also not your fault. None of this is your fault, alright? Don't you dare blame yourself."
Rick sighed and didn't meet his eyes.
"Regardless of what you think," Harry started, moving his hand back to Rick's fingers. "I would recommend this. Please."
"Alright."
It was almost a whisper but Rick reached out his hand and Harry handed over the vial, keeping his hand on Rick's arm. Rick met his eyes and then took exactly three sips of the draught and handed it back, his nose wrinkling at the taste. Harry's lips twitched up into a small grin as he tucked the vial back into his pack.
Rick melted further into the mattress as his eyes drooped closed. Harry traced his hand up to Rick's hair, carding his fingers through the man's hair and watched as Rick fell asleep. His breathing evened out further and his body slumped into the mattress. Rick was clean, safe, and relaxed and a minute later, asleep.
"Sleep well, Rick," Harry whispered, pressing another kiss to the man's forehead. "I love you."
Harry sighed and stood up, glancing over to where Prongs was guarding the doorway. "Guard him well."
Prongs dipped his head, its antlers bowing deeply, and whinnied eerily. Harry smiled a little and walked out, heading over to check on Carl and the baby.