Dead Man Walking | Rick Grimes

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Michonne sat idly by, her arms full with her sleeping babies and her eyes firmly glued to June and Daryl. The pair sat on the bed, a bottle of tattoo ink that Daryl had found between them and a needle poking the skin of June's hand. Daryl's hand was wrapped in saran wrap, the skin red beneath it. June had poked a skull into his hand with four x's on top of it. June winced slightly at the feeling of the single needle digging into her skin, watching as Daryl drew the same design into her hand.

Ember turned her head and opened her beautiful green eyes, causing a smile to break across Michonne's face. Since the twins were born, Michonne has found herself pushing for a better community—something she could leave behind when she's gone and know her children are safe. They meant the world to her. Ember smiled up at her mother, reminding Michonne entirely of Jacob – They were half of him, after all. Soon after Ember woke up, JJ opened his eyes, a smile on his face. They had both turned a year a few days ago, which made Michonne's head spin.

The door creaked open, and Selena came in with Melody on her hip and Thad holding her hand. Judith came running in, stopping short of the bed to cock an eye up at her mom and uncle. Instead of asking them outright, she turned to Michonne and frowned.

"Auntie Michonne," Judith returned her gaze to her mom, noticing the slight look of discomfort on her face, "What's Daryl and mom doing?"

"He's giving her a tattoo," Michonne explained, placing her twins on the ground and watching as they both struggled to stand on their two feet.

"What's a tattoo?" Judith asked, slowly climbing on the bed to better understand what Daryl was doing.

"It's like drawings on your skin," June explained, "But they're permanent. Kinda like the one I have on my leg."

"The mermaid!?" Judith asked, her voice going up a few octaves. June nodded and smiled at her five-year-old.

"Mermaid!" Thad exclaimed and ran over to his mother, pointing at her leg. Thad was nearing three years old, something that still made June feel old. It was like yesterday she gave birth to him, and now here he is, almost speaking in full sentences and being the ever-dutiful older brother to Melody.

Michonne chuckled and played with the end of her dread, her sorrow from earlier dissipating entirely and enjoying the few moments with her family.

~*~

Selena sat up and brushed her messy hair out of her face, reaching for her shirt that littered the floor. She stood up on wobbly legs and chuckled, feeling the dull ache of soreness creeping between her legs. The mixture of pain and pleasure was something she found herself craving, something that she knew would make her feel guilty once she got back to the safety of her room.

"You okay?" He asked from beside her, watching her as she started to dress herself. Selena smoothed her hair down and turned to face him, a small smile on her lips. She leaned over the bed, her cleavage making its appearance known to the man before her.

"Yeah," She murmured and placed a soft kiss against his lips, "Thanks, I needed this," She trailed, a blush forming across her cheeks. He dragged a finger across her face, tracing the curvature of her lips, and smiled at her.

"I didn't get you anything for your birthday," He murmured, bringing her face closer to his, "So maybe this could be your gift?" His eyes fluttered closed as their lips connected again. He could feel himself stir again, his blood rushing downwards as he began to get worked up. Selena stood up and bit her lip, not wanting to get caught up in the moment again.

"My birthday was almost seven months ago," Selena chuckled and readjusted her shirt, "I should be getting home before my mom starts poking around," Selena whispered, "See you around?" He propped himself up on his elbow and let his smile falter, knowing the double meaning of her words. They've been doing this off and on for two months now—usually, when she said those words, it meant that she would disappear for a few weeks—shut herself off emotionally from him.