Black Sheep - Rick Grimes x Male

How It's Gotta Be

The next day was spent just the same as the last. Moon tended to his kids happily. Very grateful for the short break Rick was giving him by going out there alone. Though, when morning came and went and the Grimes still wasn't home, his husband began to worry.

It wasn't uncommon for someone to be home past the time expected. But Rick was usually good at making it a point to make it back on time. Moon overanalyzes, the Grimes knew that and always wanted to ease his mind. Moon's silent panic was easily hidden, he kept a smile on his face in front of the kids but was unable to hide it from his brother for long.

After a reassuring talk with Glenn about it, Moon saw he was just overthinking, Rick was more than capable. But it was hard waiting when he knew he could have been there to help. Moon would give Rick a few more hours to handle everything himself, then he'd come looking.

The man held his daughter on his hip with one hand, moving around the kitchen with a broom in the other. Moon Jr sat cross crossed on the countertop with one of his new books in his lap. "Babies sleep a lot." The boy commented with his chin in his hand, still getting used to living with a little person.

Moon hummed, trying not to let his worry for his husband show around the kids. His little girl had fallen asleep just minutes ago, an unhappy whine left her every time he tried laying her down. "Glenn slept a lot when he was younger, too. But I'm pretty sure Judith only sleeps so much because she's bored."

The man used his foot to keep the dustpan in place while he swept up the crumbs and dirt from the now clean floor. "Judy doesn't cry a lot like a regular baby. I read that children with little vocabulary cry to express their feelings." Moon Jr looked to the side of him, picking up a salt shaker.

He shook it next to his ear, happily listening to the way the grains banged around in the glass jar. "Not all babies are the same. Judith yells when she's upset, Glenn used to cry." Judith and Glenn were the only babies he's been around, Moon only wished he got to be there to see Moon Jr as a baby.

He liked to imagine what it would have been like to care for Moon Jr then. Moon knew he would have been so loved, Glenn would have been so excited to have a baby around. Moon imaged pushing Moon Jr in the little baby swings, he thought Glenn would have eventually taken over. Probably saying something about being old enough to do it himself.

Moon could just picture it, the three of them growing together. A small smile came to his face as the dream played out in his head. It made him feel better, he liked to think it was all real in some other universe. In another life, they were all happy together.

Moon Jr set the small bottle down, fiddling with his book as he thought for a second.
He liked how Moon saw tears as normal, there wasn't a deeper meaning behind them other than the fact they were the body's way of showing how a person felt. Moon wasn't mad at him when he cried after stepping on a flower. He just wiped his tears and helped him bury the plant.

He looked at his dad, listening to the light humming the man made as he cleaned. "Mama says I was a big crybaby... but I know she was only trying to be mean." Moon Jr didn't think she was very clever, of course babies cry. He thought she wasn't very bright if she didn't know that.

Moon felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand straight at the mention of the woman he used to know. The father couldn't help but notice how often Moon Jr referred to his mother. He never spoke about her directly, it just seemed the boy was constantly reminded of her.

He tried to be casual, setting the broom aside to grab the dustpan. "She used to call me that, too. It wasn't very nice of her, was it?" He glanced at his son, emptying the tray into the trashcan. Moon couldn't bring himself to ask, to make his son uncomfortable just so he could have the peace of knowing. Moon had too many questions, and too many fears.