ORDER (sequel to Trouble) [TWD]

fear the beard

"Did you know that that Enid girl has been sneaking out?" Carl wonders.

He and Sakiko were side by side as Michonne and Rosita were a few steps ahead. There was a clear shot to Sasha's tracks and the older women agreed to let Sakik otake a breather. She could just let them know when and if the tracks steered another way.

"I keep hearing her name, but I have yet to see her face. Who is she?" Sakiko asks.

"She came from outside. Like us. She's dating Ron."

"She's a beard, maybe," Sakiko scoffs.

"A what?"

"Don't worry about it. You're straight enough," Sakiko jokes.

Carl slows down, falling even further behind. Sakiko notices, slowing her own pace to look back at him.

"Right," Carl chuckles, wiping his hands on his jeans, "Yeah.."

"It's just a name for someone that's dating someone else, but not really," Sakiko tries to explain without fully outing Ron.

She knew that Carl and Ron were friends- she didn't want to risk Ron's comfort or safety just by outright outing him to Carl. Carol was different- they were conspiring to protect the Anderson family from Pete, not trying to bring them anymore harm they were already going through.

"Why? What does it matter if I'm straight or not?"

"It's nothing, dude. I shouldn't have.." she sighs, "It was just a joke. Nothing deeper."

"Are you Ryan's beard?"

Sakiko couldn't help but laugh at Carl's obliviousness. 

"No," she shakes her head, "I'm not."

"Then.. what is?"

"My aunt had a beard," Sakiko reveals, "She's probably dead so she won't mind me exposing her shit."

"That's.. dark."

"She was a lawyer. She didn't want the fact of her being into chicks mess up her work. So, she and one of her old college buddies moved in together and pretended to be in a realtionship. They weren't really, but he helped her out so she didn't get like.. shit on just cause she liked girls."

Sakiko was expecting a look or sound of understanding to come from Carl. Maybe even more questions. Instead, she was caught off guard by his question.

"How did.. How did she know she was into girls?"

"Um.. I'm not really sure," Sakiko answers honestly, "I mean.. She lived a bit up north. After my mom.. you know.. She didn't have much to do with us. I haven't talked to her since I was little. Haven't seen her since like.. forever."

"Oh.." Carl nods, "Sorry for prying I was just.. I don't know."

"Hey," Michonne calls, "She's right up ahead!"

Sakiko points to Carl, "Maybe I was wrong about you, Grimes."

"Wrong.. how?" he asks as she jog to catch up to the others.

"Straight enough," she repeats, "Maybe not enough."

"Is that.. bad?"

"Far from it," Sakiko smiles, "'m just.. Putting some pieces together is all."

--

"Babe!" Sakiko shouts, running up the stairs, "Ry!"

"In here!" he calls back from their room.

Aaron had showed him where they put the polaroid cameras and since then, Ryan had taken it upon himself to get 'family portraits' of the group. That was something they hadn't gotten the chance to do- so he wanted them just in case.. Well, just in case.

"You're not gonna fuckin' believe this!"

The door all but breaks down as Sakiko bursts into the room.

"What did you do?" he suspects.

"I shot a gun!"

Ryan's eyes widen and he begins to smile until worry seaps in.

"That's amazing! What the hell happened where you had to be armed to begin with?"

"Sasha went missing and me, Carl, Michonne, and Rosita went to find her. There was a herd and we had just been talking about this place making us weak. Mama Mich didn't have her sword and so she started shooting and it kinda freaked me out. But, when I got my knives to start helping, I thought real, real hard about it."

Ryan watches as Sakiko bounces onto the bed, listening intently.

"And I thought.. Shit. You know, like, we haven't even had to fight in a while. And with things going the way they are, I just.. I wasn't sure when I'd be around a gun again. So, I thought if I didn't have to be around them all the time like before, maybe I could handle it on special occasions. So, I asked Carl and he gave me his gun. I just.. started shooting."

"And how did you do?"

"Oh, I failed miserably. My aim is shit with a gun."

Ryan laughs, stepping closer to sit on the bed beside his wife.

"But, I held a gun. I shot a gun. I haven't done that since.. God, since Merle."

"I'm proud of you," Ryan smiles, rubbing her leg, "Really. I hope you feel good after that. I hope you can keep going. It's good to have that under your belt."

"Thank you!" she cheers, leaning forward and placing a loud kiss on his cheek.

"Can I take your picture now?"

"Nope!"

"Oh, come on!" he pleads, "We've been here for over a month already. We're settled now, so just let me-"

"We've been here how long?" she questions, caught off guard by time moving so fast.

"A month, give or take," Ryan recalls, "Hard to tell exactly. But, Deanna's calendar said we got here on the thirteenth last month and last I saw it was about the third or so."

"Oh.." Sakiko nods once.

"Why? Something wrong?"

"No," Sakiko shakes her head, "Just.. Didn't know it's already been that long."

"So, about that picture-"

--

That night, Sakiko found herself pacing back and forth on Rosita's front porch. She'd been banging on the door until her nerves began to sink in and she had to move.

"Aye, what's good, little Dixon?" Abraham asks as he opens the door.

"Is Rosita home?" she rushes out, sounding harsher than she meant, "Sorry.. I just need to talk to her."

"Sure thing, darlin'. She's just got out of the shower," Abraham ushers her inside.

Sakiko hurries inside, already down the hall by time she heard Abraham shut the door. 

"Hey, girlie-" Rosita begins, drying her hair in front of the vanity.

Sakiko slams the bedroom door shut, making the older woman jump.

"Something wron-"

"Satan's Niagra Falls is fucking late."

𝒶𝓊𝓉𝒽𝑜𝓇 𝓇𝒶𝓂𝒷𝓁𝑒𝓈--

i love kiko hi

nana and papa daryl content soon im having a lot of fun with chaotic kiko rn