Brother's Keeper ¹ || The walking dead

11.

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Riven slowly opened his eyes, blinking them to adjust them to the light, He didn't recognize the ceiling, alarms started to ring in his head, and he tried to sit up but pain bloomed throughout his body causing him to let out a shout,

"Son of bitch!"

"No cussin' in my father's house!" Riven snapped his head over towards the left upon hearing the voice, and a man walked in, and memories of what happened came back to Riven, letting him let out a small groan,

Riley came over to him, lifting his shirt, and Riven stares at him the entire time, making it awkward between the two.

"How's the kid?" Riven spoke after a moment, and Riley looks at him for a brief second before looking down at his wound,

"Better than you. Don't worry, that friend of yours went to get supplies." Riley replied, and Riven let's out a small groan,

"Those cops ain't my friends..just the kid, but don't tell him that. His ego is big enough." Riven muttered as his eyes glanced down to his wrist,

Sophia's friendship bracelet was stained with blood, his blood, and he doubted it would come off.

"..my sister, Beth can try and take the blood off from it." Riley spoke, and Riven looked at him, shaking his head,

"No. Nobody touches my bracelet, try it, and I'll bite." Riven threatened before closing his eyes,

"Got it." Riley mumbled under his breath, slightly grimacing as he looked back at Riven's wound. It was getting worse.

"..nobody told my brother, right?" Riven quietly questioned,

"My other sister, Maggie, went to get Rick's wife, and she possibly told your brother, probably on their way back already." Riley replied, putting gauze on Riven's wound and cutting some medical tape.

"God dammit." Riven muttered under his breath, and Riley lowered his shirt before standing up straighter.

"Why don't you want your brother to know? He deserves to know about you being shot and being on deaths bed.. literally,you look dead, pale, and eyebags." Riley told him, and Riven opened his eyes, narrowing them at Riley, who threw him a grin.

"Just.."Riven sighes, "If my brother comes here, tell'em I died for the heck of it."

He didn't want Daryl to know that he was shot. He'll make fun of him, laugh at him for getting shot. He always laughed at him whenever he got hurt, Daryl and Merle, they always ganged up on him.

Riven didn't need anybody making fun of him at the moment, especially not Daryl.

"I can't do that," Riley said, "my dad would kill me for it."

Riven smirks, "Ah, so you're a daddy's boy, huh?"

Riley rolls his eyes as he sits down on the chair besides the bed, kicking his feet up on the end of the bed, much to Riven's annoyance but he was in no condition to go around kicking people.

His smirk fell, "Ain't got a chance to be either."

Riley hums, "I can see you as a mama's boy." Riven lifts his hand, flicking Riley off,who just laughs,

A knock on the door caught their attention, and Riley smiled as he looked towards the door.

"Beth, what a surprise." It wasn't much of a surprise to Riley. He saw the little crush his baby sister had on Riven.

"I um, brought food." Beth replied, holding a tray of food in her hands,

"Cool, I'll eat it cause this guy," Riley lightly patted Riven's leg, and Riven slapped his hand, and Riley wince, "can't eat at the moment."

"Eat shit and choke on it." Riven mumbled, and Beth let's out a small laugh while Riley sent them both an offended look.

Beth leaves the room after leaving the tray of food behind, and Riley grins, leaning back against the chair.

Riven notices his grin, "Why are you grinning?"

Riley shrugged, "Can't I just grin?"

"No," Riven immediately replied, "You freaking weirdo."

"Says the one that looks like the guy from the corpse bride at the moment." Riley retorted, crossing his arms over his chest.

Confused, Riven asks, "Is that a movie or somethin'?"

Riley sat up straighter, "Wait, you're telling me that you've never ever seen Corpse bride by Tim Burton before?"

"My dad never let me watch TV growin' up, and if he did, he was always watchin' some nasty shi..stuff." Riven corrected himself as Riley threw him a look.

"You like reading?" Riley suddenly questioned, and Riven stares at him for a moment before nodding his head,

"Yeah, I do actually, just don't go telling my brother,alright?" Riven told him, and Riley is confused but nods anyway.

"Well, I have some Tim burton books, and oh, I can't forget, Stephen King, god the king of horror." Riley replied, standing up.

"Alright, don't cream your pants now." Riven told him, and Riley huffs out a small laugh, shaking his head,

"You're hilarious." He sarcastically said, and Riven grins,

"Oh, I know, thanks for noticing."

Riley shakes him with a small chuckle before walking out of the room, pausing in the middle of the hallway as he sees a man with a crossbow by the top of the stairs, leaning against the railing.

"You must be Riven's brother, Daryl, is it?" Riley questioned, keeping his voice low, so Riven wouldn't hear.

"He fine?" Daryl questioned, turning to look at Riley, who sighs,

"Not really. If your buddy doesn't come back with the medical supplies soon, Riven won't have much time left." Riley told him, and Daryl scoffs,

"Shane ain't my buddy." Daryl pushes himself off the railing and walks past Riley, who let's out a deep sighed, already knowing the Dixon brothers would be a handful.

Daryl walks into the room Riven is in, and Riven turns to face him, his expression hardening, and he narrowed his eyes at him.

"Don't. If you're gonna make fun of me, I don't want to hear it." Riven told him, and Daryl frowns, remembering all those times he and Merle made fun of Riven whenever he hurt himself by accident.

Riven made it a habit of hiding his injuries after being made fun of, Daryl knew it, and he saw Riven patching himself up numerous times.

He hid as Riven cried to himself, keeping quiet as to not alert anyone with his cries, and it made him feel like shit for treating his baby brother like he was nothing but gum stuck under his shoe, but it toughen him up.

"I ain't gonna make fun of you." Daryl told him as he walked over to the chair, and he sat down, looking down at his lap.

"Sophia?" Riven quietly asked, and Daryl shook his head.

"Nothin' yet."

⭐️

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