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It’s game night again in the prison. It became a custom after dinner on Tuesday night--or what they think is Tuesday since all they have to go by is a homemade calendar Beth keeps--and that means once the evening meal is finished and clean-up is done, then the board games get pulled out and the kids, and some adults, play Monopoly, Clue, or even Mousetrap. Rick’s favorite is Clue, while Daryl’s favorite, though he would never admit it, is playing Mousetrap with some of the younger children. Daryl has a soft spot for the younger kids, and they have found it very easy to convince the hunter to take the time out and play with them. Rick often catches himself, with the fib that he is there to keep peace and help referee, watching Dary as he interacts with the children.
But once the kids go to bed, and Hershel heads to his cell to prepare for Wednesday night Bible study, the grown up games begin. Sometimes it’s just a dirty version of Scrabble, sometimes a game of cards--and maybe once or twice strip poker, and sometimes, like tonight, it’s a game Maggie has made up or remembers playing in College.
“I used to watch Ellen all the time before the turn,” Maggie explains. “And she often played ‘Never Have I Ever’ with her guests.” While she is explaining, she and Glenn are making signs on pieces of cardboard with one side that says I Have, and the other side I Never Have.
“So, I’ll read something to everyone, and they will answer they have or they have never done whatever it is I ask. Like for example, I’ll say ‘I have never ever been on vacation to the Alps,’ and y’all hold up your sign to answer if you have or never have done it. I’ve already made out a list of questions I can remember Ellen asking on the show.” Maggie explains.
Rick and Daryl are sitting next to each other thigh to thigh as usual, with Maggie to Rick’s left and Carol to Daryl’s right. Next to Carol is Dr. S, while Glenn is next to Maggie. At the other table, Bob, Sasha, Ty, Karen, David, and Michonne..
Neither Rick nor Daryl are really paying attention to what Maggie is saying, busy in a quiet discussion, and if they would have been, neither one would probably have stuck around to play. But by the time Maggie is passing out the I Have/I Have Never cards, it’s too late and they find themselves unwillingly participating in tonight's game.
“Never have I ever cheated at a game of cards,” Maggie reads, looking pointedly at Daryl.
Daryl laughs and holds up ‘I have’ and looks over to Rick to see he’s held up ‘I have never.’
“Why don’t I believe you, Grimes?” Daryl asks the ex-deputy.
“What would lead you to think I would ever cheat at anything?” Rick innocently asks him.
“Maybe because I caught your ass cheating at cards the last time we got stuck out on a run together,” Daryl says to him, placing his hand over Rick’s, forcing Rick to turn his card around. Both men look each other in the eye, holding their gaze. Realizing what he’s doing, Daryl quickly drops his gaze and takes his hand back.
“Guilty as charged, Mr. Dixon,” Rick laughs, bumping shoulders with Daryl.
The others have held up their cards, and Maggie proceeds to the next question.
“Never have I ever gotten a tattoo I regret.”
Everyone holds up ‘I have never’ side, except Rick. Surprisingly Rick has held up I have.
“You have a tattoo, Rick?” Maggie asks. “What is it, and where?”
“No where anyone needs to see,” he says.
“Rick?” Daryl asks, eyes wide with curiosity.
“I might have been a bit drunk,” the ex-deputy replies.
“I’ve never seen a tattoo on you,” Daryl says. “I mean, not that I’ve been looking.”Daryl says, blushing and looking down.
Rick laughs, “Only Lori has ever seen it”
Daryl looks at Rick, raising his eyebrows in surprise, thinking to himself that is one tattoo he’d like to find.
“Alright then, next question,” Maggie says. “Never have I ever had a crush on the person next to me.
Both Daryl and Rick stare at their cards, looking like they wish the ground would open up and swallow them while trying to decide if they want to answer or not. Daryl looks over at Carol and sees her ‘I have’ card and sees her blushing. Glenn, of course has also answered ‘I have.’
“Okay you two, give us an answer,” Michonne says, with a knowing twinkle in her eye.
Finally Daryl and Rick both hold up ‘I have,’
“Maggie, sorry guess I should have told you,” Rick says blushing and looking everywhere except for the people in the room. Daryl just looks at Carol when he holds his sign up, eyes pleading for her not to say anything, knowing she knows it’s not directed at her but hoping everyone else thinks he means her. Carol give him a soft smile and pats the back of his hand.
“Okay, right, next question,” Maggie says while giving both Rick and Daryl a look that says she doesn’t believe either one regarding who their crush is.
“Never have I ever kissed someone of the same sex, and I don’t mean kids, parents, or other relatives,” Maggie says.
Michonne holds up ‘I have,’ and when others look at her, she just simply says “Andrea.” No one teases or responds, knowing even after all these months, how hard Andrea’s death had been on her.
Daryl and Rick both just look mortified by the question, but Rick decides to go for it and holds up ‘I have,’ with a glare that just dares anyone to say anything to him, and then looks over at Daryl waiting to see his answer. Carol notes how his gaze at the hunter almost looks hopeful, wishful. Daryl on the other hand, his face is bright red and he refuses to look up.
Before anyone can say anything to Daryl, Judith starts to cry.
“I’ll get her,” Daryl says as he quickly leaves, knowing good and well Beth had agreed to take care of Judith for the evening so the adults could enjoy their time together. Rick watches as the hunter goes to Rick’s cell and shoos Beth out, missing the next question.
“Rick, have you or haven’t you?” Maggie asks
“What?” he says, looking embarrassed to be caught watching Daryl leave. “I’m sorry, Mags, I think I’ll go check on Da… I mean Judith,” Rick says, getting up to head to his cell.
Rick catches Caryol’s eye as he’s leaving, seeing the amused look on her face. He feels his face blush again, and hurries to his cell.
When he reaches the door to his cell, he stops and sees Daryl sitting on the side of Rick’s bunk, holding a sleeping Judith in his arms. Daryl is gently rocking her, whispering something to her while watching her suck on her fist.
“She always calms down so easily with you,” Rick says softly to the hunter, loving how relaxed and at ease Daryl is with his daughter. How perfect they look together.
Daryl shyly looks up at Rick through the hair hanging over his eyes, gets up and puts her in her pack n play he had recently found for her, gently covering her up with the quilt Carol made.
“You’ve kissed a guy before?” Daryl quietly asks, still looking at Judith.
Before answering, Rick walks over to his bunk and sits down. “Yeah. A couple in fact,” He starts to nervously play with the wedding ring on his left hand. “I kissed Shane once, just to see what it was like. I liked it; he didn’t. I mean, I didn’t really like kissing Shane. It was like kissing my brother, but I liked kissing a guy. Then the summer before I started dating Lori, I went out on a few dates with this guy I met named Chris. I spent most of the summer on my grandparent’s farm, and he was their summer help. That’s as far as it went; a few dates and a good night kiss. My grandma caught us kissing. She fired Chris and sent me back to my parents. The next week, I was informed I was going out on a date with my mom’s best friend’s daughter, Lori. I was told it was a phase I was going through, and it was expected of me to marry a girl, preferably Lori, and give my parents grandchildren. Lori and I broke up while in college for about a year. I started dating another guy, and we were together for about 6 months. He was the first person I was with. I mean… I had sex with. We were together until he graduated and moved back home, informing me he was engaged to be married to his next door neighbor, Amanda. After that, I got back with Lori. My parents were going to cut off funding for college if I didn’t. I thought once I graduated and could get a job, then wouldn’t have to be with Lori anymore, and I’d be free to be who I wanted to be. Well, it didn’t work out like that, and you know the rest. I loved Lori, but I was never in love with her” Rick looks up nervously at Daryl. “I’m gay, Daryl.” Rick sighs, saying “I’ve never said that out loud before. I hope that doesn’t change anything with our friendship.”
Daryl stands there, looking at Rick, nervously biting on his lip, not sure what to say to Rick. No, he knows what he wants to say to Rick, he just can’t bring himself to tell him.
“Have you ever kissed a guy, Daryl?” Rick quietly asks him. For one fleeting moment, Daryl wants to yell at him for asking, wants to punch him in the face, tell him no he hasn’t. He wants to run away from Rick. Instead, he looks Rick in the eyes, sees fear that Daryl will hate him for his confession, but at the same time, sees hope, and maybe more.
“Yeah,” is all Daryl says, now chewing on his nail on his right thumb, never taking his eyes off Rick.
“Maggie isn’t my crush,” Rick tells Daryl, “you are.”
“Yeah?” Daryl asks, now looking down at Rick’s boots. “So are you,” he says so quietly Rick almost doesn’t hear him.
Rick lets out the breath that he doesn’t realize he was even holding, smiling over at Daryl, but Daryl is still looking down. Rick gets up, goes over to Daryl and takes his hand out of his mouth, taking hold of his hand, linking their fingers together. Taking his other the hand, Rick gently places it under Daryl’s chin, lifting the hunter’s head up, catching Daryl’s eyes, telling Daryl as much as he can without words, words he is still afraid to say to Daryl. Telling him with his eyes how much he cares for the hunter, how much he admires his gentleness with his children; with all the children that adore him at the prison. How much he needs him, how much he wants him.
Daryl places his left hand on Rick’s hip, pulls him gently over to him and leans in, gently brushing his lips against Rick’s, for an almost there, but not quite there kiss. He pulls back, looks into Rick’s eyes, silently asking is this okay? Rick’s barely there nod gives Daryl the permission he so desperately wants, and he leans in again to kiss Rick.
The kiss is soft, gentle. More gentle than Rick would have ever guessed coming from the hunter. Rick leans in and deepens the kiss, taking his hand from Daryl’s chin and putting it on the back of the hunter’s neck.
“Oh!” they hear a quiet gasp. Quickly separating, they see Beth standing at the entrance to Rick’s cell. “I… I’m sorry, I was just going to check on Judith,” she shyly says, barely able to look the men in the eyes. Then a smile appears on her face as she looks up at them, looking back and forth between the ex-deputy and the hunter, “about time,” she says, and turns around and leaves. Both men stare at the place she was for a minute, then turn to look at each other. Rick grins at Daryl and says, “I agree, about time,” as he leans in for another kiss.
Down a few cells, they hear a loud “Yes, finally!” coming from Carl, causing both men to break from their kiss. Rick, whose hand is still on the back of Daryl’s neck, pulls the hunter toward him, touching their foreheads together. “I think Carl’s okay with this,” Rick whispers.
“Yeah, seems like it,” Daryl softly says, wrapping both arms around Rick’s waist, pulling him closer, nuzzling Rick where shoulder and neck meet, placing kisses there, up his neck, moving to kiss the point under Rick’s ear, jaw, and finally back to Rick’s lips.
Suddenly, Daryl pulls back from Rick, and with a twinkle in his eye and a smirk on his face he says, “So, sheriff, tell me about that tattoo of yours.”