Black Sheep - Rick Grimes x Male

Something They Need

Moon Jr stared at the ceiling, not moving from the blankets he fell asleep on. The boy was too nervous to leave the room he was given. He didn't even want to get up, fearing someone would hear the movement and come in.

Anxiety has always been one of his biggest enemies. When the world was still the world, Moon Jr barely got to see it. He was always inside, being anywhere other than his room overwhelmed him. But his room was also the very place he resented.

He was isolated from a world he could only see through a window or book. But then the world fell and suddenly he was truly alone. Not just mentally but physically. The teenager found he liked it better that way. With everyone gone, he was able to find his love for flowers and nature. He found the little pieces of himself he was never allowed to know.

Moon stood outside his son's bedroom door, raising his fist hesitantly. He knew Moon Jr was up, he could hear him tapping. The teen was too lost in thought to realize he was hitting his hand into the carpet. "Moon, it's... Moon." The man cringed, not sure what else to call himself.

The boy froze, a small whine left his throat as he turned on his side curling into himself. He was afraid of the punishment he would receive because of the way he acted yesterday. He thought it was disrespectful to try and protect himself.

But Moon couldn't even put the two words together. Moon and punishment just wasn't a thing. "I just wanted to tell you Rick came home last night." His father sounded nothing like he expected.

He wasn't angry, and that made Moon Jr blink in confusion. Moon was the opposite of everything he's been used to. Not being yelled at for talking too much or not talking enough was strange to him. He stayed quiet, hoping Moon would think he was asleep. Sadly for him, Moon was smart and patient.

"I was hoping you and I could have breakfast together so we can talk before you meet him." Moon continued despite being met with silence. Everyone else was already up and out of the house, everyone besides Rick. He was waiting for them.

Moon Jr perked up at the mention of food. He looked toward the door, thinking of what to do. He did love food and his growling stomach persuaded him. "Umm, what is it?" He asked, clamping his lips shut as soon as the sort sentence was said.

A dimpled grin lit up Moon's face. "Peanut butter and jelly with apple slices." He looked down at the plate of food with pride. Sandwiches were really the only foods he knew how to make. "Okay." The boy agreed easily. He sat upright, leaning back against the wall as he watched the door open.

"Morning, sweetheart." His father greeted, holding their shared plate. "Good morning." Moon Jr played with his fingers, looking around the room aimlessly. He felt bad for being so cautious when the man did nothing to deserve it.

Moon saw his discomfort, his smile dimmed when he realized he was the reason why. He took a seat across from his son, crisscrossed. "How'd you sleep?" Trying to appear normal was hard when his son could hardly look at him.

He wasn't upset, he was hurt. But not for himself. He was hurt because a child- his child, didn't think it was okay to stand up for himself. "Good." Moon Jr spoke quietly, a natural pout on his lips. The pout wasn't so cute when it was sad.

"You know... you did so good with Judith yesterday. I've never seen her so happy with someone she's just met." Moon thought of a way to see his smile again. Judith made Moon Jr smile yesterday, he hoped she could do it again.

It worked. "Oh, wow." The brown haired boy muttered to himself, looking around the empty room sheepishly. He shyly took the plate his father offered, not hesitating to bring the sandwich to his mouth. His free hand curled into a fist, a satisfied smile spread across his face as he ate.