Chapter Text
By the time Daryl made it into the common room for dinner, most everyone was finished and clean-up had started. Daryl wouldn’t of even been coming in for dinner and leaving his post at the guard tower if Carol hadn’t insisted. It was just a few days after the second attack by the Governor and Daryl wasn’t comfortable yet with leaving his watch, not trusting the protection of his family to anyone else, even though, as Carol and Ty both pointed out, he’d been up there most of the last 24 hours. But Carol had threatened him bodily harm if he didn’t let Ty take watch while he came in and ate, and he wasn’t ready to test the waters that she wouldn’t carry out her threat she would hogtie him and dragg him from the tower.
Before he was barely in the door, Beth was already shoving a bowl of stew and a bottle of water into his hands, pointed to the far table to the space between Michonne and Carol and ordered him to sit down and eat. Before he even slid into the space between the two women, his eyes were already looking around, and once he found Rick with Judith sitting at the other table, he relaxed and sat down. He heard a chuckle from Michonne and looked over to his right at her.
“What’s so funny?” he asked her.
She just grinned and shook her head, looking at Carol. When Daryl looked over to Carol, she was looking at Michonne with eyes that seemed to agree with whatever the two woman had been amused by.
Daryl huffed and mumbled under his breath, “crazy women,” which brought both women to full fledged laughs. Daryl felt eyes on him and looked up to see Rick looking at him with a confusion on his face, while he asked with his eyes “What’s going on?” Daryl slightly shrugged his shoulders at him, answering silently, “No idea man.” Rick smiled at him, and then turned his attention back to Judith, who was slowly falling asleep on his shoulder.
Hershel stated he was going to call it an early night and headed to his cell. Carl asked Beth if she would like to look at comics with him, and the two teens got up and left.
As soon as Hershel, Carl, and Beth left, Maggie asked if anyone wanted to play a game, with a mischief twinkle in her eye.
“It’s called ‘First Time,” she explained. “Everyone writes down a first time, such as first car, first date, first kiss, and then we put then in a pile and take turns picking one. The person that draws is the one that answers first, and we go around and give our answer on what our first was. There ain’t any rules about the subject you can pick,” she stated with a that mischievous look in her eyes.
Daryl attempted to get up saying to Carol, “I ain’t doing this, I’m going back on watch.”
Both Michonne and Carol pulled him back down in his seat before he knew what was happening.
Carol said to the hunter, “You’re not going anywhere. You are going to sit here and finish your food, relax and have some fun for a change. You don’t have to participate, but you are going to stay here, and you are not going back on watch tonight.”
Daryl rolled his eyes at her, but didn’t argue.
Maggie handed out pieces of paper and pens to everyone, and had them write down a first. Daryl just sat there mumbling how this is crazy. Carol poked him in the ribs and gave him a look. Daryl stopped complaining and took another bite of his food.
Once everyone had written something down, Maggie picked all the papers up, attempted to shuffle them around the best she could and divided the pile up among the two tables, than sat down to the right of Glenn.
“Since this was my idea, I’ll go first,” Maggie said while picking up one of the pieces of paper. “First speeding ticket,” she read out loud. At this she laughed and said, “I’ve never had a speeding ticket.”
Glenn and Rick both looked at her like they don’t believe her, knowing her “need for speed” when she drove.
“Maggie, you drive almost as crazy as Glenn does,” Rick said to her.
She laughed and said, “the three times I’ve been pulled over for speeding, It was by the same cop. He had a crush on me in high school and let me off with a warning each time. I might have flirted just a little bit,too. Maybe even suggested we get together for a cup of coffee some day.”
Everyone laughed at this, and Glenn gave his answer, and then Rick’s turn was next.
“I’ve also never had a speeding ticket either.”
Daryl laughed, saying, “of course you ain't never had a ticket, you’re a cop, and so was your dad.”
“Yeah, sometimes it helps to know people,” Rick answered, smiling at Daryl, holding his gaze just a bit longer than he would with anyone else. When Rick realized what he was doing, he blushed and looked over at Sasha while she was sharing her story about her first speeding ticket.
After Bob, Michonne, and Caryl gave their answers, it was Glenn’s turn.
“First kiss,” he said, and blushed, "My first kiss was with Maggie." He was teased some by the others, and a few “awwws were given. Maggie leaned over and gave him a kiss, then whispered something in his ear that made him turn 50 shades of red. Now it was Rick’s turn.
He looked over in Daryl’s direction, not even realizing he was doing it, Rick said, “My first kiss was with Tracy, my next door neighbor, and my first crush.” He heard a few “awwws” and saw a few look surprised to hear it wasn’t Lori who was his first kiss.
They continued around the circle with everyone sharing their first kiss. Some stories were funny, some down right embarrassing, but everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves while they shared their memories of their first kiss.
Now it was Rick’s turn. “First time having sex,” he read. He looked quite embarrassed at drawing this one, and gave Maggie a look, knowing from the handwriting this was her first she wrote down. Maggie sat there and tried to look innocent, not doing a very good job.
Everyone just looked at him with a look on their faces that said "yeah, we already know this answer, it's Lori." Rick heared Daryl snort after he read the question.
Rick answered, “My first time was with Tracy.” Daryl jerked his head up, looking at Rick.
“Thought you said Lori was your first?”
"I said Lori was the first girl I was with, but she wasn't my first. Tracy and I dated in my freshman year of high school. He was a Senior and the captain of the football team. I was in love with him, and thought he loved me, too. He broke up with me when he went to college, deciding it would look better for him to date girls while in college. I didn’t start dating Lori until our Jr year."
Daryl choked on the bite of stew he just took, and Carol whacked him on the back a couple times.
“You okay Daryl?” Rick asked.
Daryl didn’t say anything, just looked down at his bowl of stew, ignoring Rick.
Rick looked around at almost everyone staring at him, except for Carol, Glenn, and Maggie.
“What?” he asked.
When no one said anything, he said "I'm bi. I thought y’all knew. It’s not something I hide, and I ain't ashamed of it. Lori didn’t like to talk about it. Glenn knows, so I figured everyone knew,” Rick said with a chuckle while Glenn tried to look offended, knowing it was common knowledge he couldn’t keep a secret. "Hell, even Carl knows."
Maggie laughed, “Well, Glenn did tell me, so I guess that proves your point,” and poked Glenn in the ribs.
Rick looked up at Daryl, seeing the shock on his face. Daryl looked down again, then got up and stormed out. Carol looked over at Rick and saw the hurt flash in his eyes.
“I’m going to go put Judith down and go on to bed.” Rick got up and headed to his cell.
After laying Judith in her crib, Rick sat down on his bed, sighed, and buried his face in his hands, thinking how he just screwed up with Daryl. Yet, he wasn't surprised by his friend’s reaction knowing Daryl’s background and how he was raised. After all the months together, growing closer while on the road the past winter, Rick thought maybe he just misread what he thought were signs that Daryl felt the the same way for Rick, that Rick felt for Daryl.
“I’ll talk to him,” Carol said gently, startling Rick. Rick looked up and tried to smile at her.
“I figured he knew. I really shouldn’t be surprised by his reaction. I know how Merle was, and I know how he was raised. I was just hoping….” Rick sighed, got up and headed over to the pack n play Judith was in and looked down at his baby girl. “I guess I just misread things between us. He just never seemed to think the same way Merle did, never used the same insults like Merle. I’ve probably ruined our friendship.”
“You are so wrong about this Rick. You know how Daryl is. When something catches him off guard, he just needs space to process it. You just surprised him is all. He’ll never hate you, and he would be the last person on earth to be homophobic. He’s come a long way since joining our family.”
“If he doesn’t hate me, why’d he run off?” Rick asked the older woman.
Carol sighed, “You’ll need to ask him that yourself. I’ve been telling you for awhile now you need to talk to him, let him know how you feel about him.” Carol leaned over and gave Rick a kiss on the cheek. “Talk to him. I’m off to bed, see you in the morning.” Carol left Rick alone. Rick pulled the blanket up around Judith’s shoulders and tucked it in around her sides, walked over to his bunk and lied down to sleep, knowing sleep would not come easily for him tonight.