The Cataclysm {Rick Grimes x Male! Oc}

Chapter 03: Being Honest

"Life is a hell of a thing to happen to someone."
-- David Rossi

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The day Rick decided to be honest was the day he finally, and for the first time, felt truly and properly free. It felt as though he had been holding his breath his whole life; or as though he was holding himself under water as he drowned in fear and uncertainty. The saddest part was that his parents were so severely homophobic and judgmental, they would often speak very cruel and hateful words about anything and everything they deemed 'wrong' or 'unnatural'. Even though they had physically "punished" him every now and then, their favored choice of action was psychological abuse. That happened every time he was near them, and it was the worst part of enduring them. He'd much rather get punched in the face over hearing his own mother telling him that he was a mistake they should never had made. The fact that Rick held a firmer interest in males only strengthened his desire and need to hide his true self; to feel there was something fundamentally wrong with him.

Walking into his living room late one Sunday night, Rick knew it was time when he found his wife sitting on the couch with a book in hand. Carl had already gone to bed over two hours beforehand, allowing them to have proper privacy for the impending yet inevitable conversation. As he sat on the coffee table in front of her, he struggled to find the right words that had to be said. "I think we should talk..." he quietly spoke, unable to meet her striking gaze. He felt like a horrible person for feeling as he did. He loved her. Of course, he did. But, after meeting Arthur, he was able to finally realized his mistake. He loved her, but he wasn't in love with her. He never had been. She was just the consequence for having denied and repressed his true nature in an attempt to change something he couldn't control.

Lori nodded and closed her book with an unsurprised expression. "I think we should, too." she agreed, no longer able or wanting to conceal her mistakes. Especially if it meant improving or ending their current relationship. When she saw the intense conflict on his face and in his eyes, Lori wanted to admit her sins first. He felt grateful to have a small amount of extra time to compose himself and his thoughts. "I'm not telling you this to hurt you, but I don't want to keep hiding it from you either. You deserve to know from me and not any other way." she began carefully, not wanting to be misconstrued. "I've--... I've been seeing Shane..."

Rick froze in shock at the news, unsure of what exactly he was feeling. Lori looked down in shame as she awaited his no doubt explosive reaction. But what she did not know, what she could not guess, was how he truly understood. Her eyes darted back up to her husband with her own disbelief as he unexpectedly burst into a relief fueled laughter. Perhaps he could truly be with whomever he deemed worthy. No matter what gender they were, maybe he could really be happy and not hurt Lori in the process.

"I'm not laughing at you." he immediately reassured as he settled down. Rick then looked at her with understanding. "I've, uhm... I've been seeing someone, too." he admitted hesitantly, making sure to maintain eye contact this time.

She nodded in acceptance, not a single speck of animosity towards him or his new love interest. "How long?" she inquired, surprising him slightly with her civility.

He couldn't help the gleam of fondness that lit up his features every so subtly. "A few weeks." he simply answered, his mind wandering back to the man in question. "How long for you?"

With a slight shrug, she answered with completely honesty. "About a month." As silence enveloped them while they considered their options, Lori bit her lower lip out of habit. "Do you think we should make it official? I don't want Carl to be in the middle of this. But it's not fair to him to just lie."

Rick sighed heavily and nodded his head,  running his fingers through his hair in thought. "We should be honest with him; help him to understand. I don't want it to affect him to drastically, either." He then knew with great confidence that they could truly make co-parenting work; especially due to their separation being mutual with little objection from either side.

"We won't let it. As long as we're both still there for him when he needs us, he'll be okay." she assured, comforting herself as well as him. His head had finally broken the surface and can now breath.

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All his life, Arthur felt great respect for those that served in the military (no matter to what capacity). After he had joined and succeeded in all previous deployments he'd experienced in the last ten years, he knew he had made the right choice. He'd been to Iraq as a patrolman and a part of the extra security units, then went to Afghanistan with the same rank and purpose. When he was stationed at the USA Embassy in Moscow, he'd been made a guard for those of higher importance. After his deployment in Japan, he was made Captain as well as received the Medal of Honor for his incredible acts of bravery, perseverance, and heroism. 

One such action happened when he and ten other soldiers were traveling in two Humvees towards the base in Okinawa, Japan. The moment their lead vehicle had been hit by what seemed to be a bazooka-like round, he knew his time had come to help those in need.

Without even a second's hesitation, Arthur threw himself out of the vehicle he was in and immediately sprinted to help those that were still alive. The sound of enemy fire filled the air, but he payed it no mind as he focused on the task at hand. The rest of their unit covered him as a long round of automatic fire was filling the air with invisible, flying death and deafening danger. Him losing his own life was of no consequence. His value for those around him and his need to keep them alive was the only thing on his mind. If anyone were to lose their life while he could have done something to prevent it, well, he'd never be able to live with himself. Simple as that. Putting his own life on the line without care or second thought, he quickly helped the remaining trapped soldiers get out of the wreckage and back under the relatively safe cover of their second Humvee, away from the ticking time bomb and out of sight from any possible hiding enemies. 

Literally seconds after everyone was a safe distance away, the vehicle exploded as the leaking gas line ignited. In that very moment, they were all given undeniable evidence of their narrow escape from death itself. He then began tending to their wounds after they all had piled into their only remaining vehicle and hastily continued on their way to the required location. Such actions awarded him the title and responsibility of Captain later on. 

Such level of authority allowed him to become responsible for leading entire companies of Marines, serving as company commander. He could lead tactical operations with the support of junior commissioned officers and senior enlisted noncommissioned officers alike. Arthur would be the commander of up to sixty to two hundred soldiers, usually with the assistance of a noncommissioned officer.