Changing To Adapt ➵ TWD

➵ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ꜱᴇᴠᴇɴᴛʏ ꜰᴏᴜʀ

Lucas doesn't have a clue why Alex harbours some sort of grudge against him. 

If Daryl let him come along, then he can't be as bad as Lucas thought he was - but that doesn't change the fact that he's an asshole. Straight up.

Halfway through the drive, Alex shifted in his seat, looking for something more comfortable. So he decided spreading his legs wide in the limited space was a good idea, completely encroaching on the middle seat.

Lucas glares pointedly at Alex's knee, but he's too stubborn to pull his own leg away, so he keeps it there, blocking him from spreading any further. He was like a parasite.

Zack and Sasha remain innocently oblivious.

And Lucas ignores the warmth that slowly seeps through the fabric separating their knees.

Glenn, however, one hand on the wheel, glances at Lucas in the rearview mirror and lifts a brow at the death stare he's sending at absolutely nothing.

He wishes he knew how to drive. He'd gladly take the wheel right now.

"Do you mind?"

Lucas's shoulders jerk in irritation, hackles rising. He slowly turns to his right and eyes Alex with a scathing look.

The brunette pointedly glances at their touching knees.

"Me?" Lucas whispers back, not wanting to draw Glenn's already confused attention, "You just love taking up more room than you need, huh?" He shoves his knee against Alex's, pushing it back into his own space. "Stay in your lane."

Alex scoffs, lifting a seemingly perfect brow, "What are you going to do about it?" With that, he lifts his arm and throws it around the back of the seats. It touches the back of Lucas's head.

Biting the inside of his cheek, Lucas stares determinedly out the front window.

Doesn't bother me, doesn't bother me, doesn't bother me.

But then Alex's arm sinks a little lower and his fingers brush Lucas's other shoulder, unwillingly drawing a shiver out of him and he grits his teeth, sending his elbow into Alex's ribs.

Alex yanks back to his side of the car with a quiet groan, dragging his knee up to curl into himself a little.

Lucas smiles slightly at his accomplishment.

Getting out of the car is a relief. They take a listen before they push through the fences, knowing three days ago they drew the walkers out with a boombox.

Daryl hits his elbow against the glass in three consecutive knocks.

Skimming through the tent right in front of the doors, Lucas watches in amusement as Zack stops at the doors, looking at Daryl. "I think I got it." He swings his rifle down - something he got the hang of using quickly - and leans against the wall.

"Got what?" Michonne asks with a huff, stopping nearby.

Zack smiles a little and sits down beside Daryl, backs to the window, "I've been trying to guess what Daryl did before the turn." He supplies.

"He's been trying to guess since he got 'ere." Daryl rolls his eyes, glancing back into the building. Still nothing.

"Yeah, I'm pacing myself. One shot a day." 

Scouring through a cabinet below the desks, Lucas snatches the packet of bandages up, ignoring Alex when he enters through the other side of the tent.

Daryl gives in, "All right, shoot." 

"Well, the way you are at the prison, you being on the council, you're able to track, you're helping people, but you're still being kind of. . . surly."

Lucas makes a face at Zack's description of the man, "Should've seen him before." He says to himself.

"What?"

Raising a brow, he swings his gaze around. Alex is standing between the beds in the corner, looking under pillows - presumably for concealed weapons they could take. He's looking at Lucas now, though.

"Nothin'." Lucas shakes his head, gesturing vaguely towards where Daryl and Zack are talking. "Just listening."

"Homicide cop."

Lucas audibly laughs at this, joining Michonne in the surprised amusement. When he thinks about the Daryl from the quarry, and pictures that man as a homicide cop, he can't help himself. The two images don't make sense.

From outside, Zack shakes his head at the tent Lucas is in.

"What's so funny?" Daryl calls out.

Michonne answers for them both, "Nothing. It makes perfect sense." She plays along.

When Lucas exits the tent, bag in hand, he doesn't notice Alex watching him from the corner of his eye. He simply joins Michonne at the door of the building and takes a brief glance inside.

"Actually, the man's right." Daryl hums, looking away from Zack. He would look serious - if Lucas didn't know him as well as he does. "Undercover."

Alex slips under the tent's tarp, watching them as he cradles a gun close to his side, on the lookout for the dead. His bag looks heavy on his back, hopefully he found some goods.

Eyes widening, Zack looks between them. "Come on, really?"

Scrunching his nose up so he doesn't laugh, Lucas turns away. The face Michonne pulls beside him makes it harder to stay stone-serious.

"Yep." Daryl nods, adjusting the grip on his crossbow. "I don't like to talk about it 'cause it was a lot of heavy shit, you know?" He flicks his gaze up briefly to make eye-contact with Michonne and Lucas, before looking away. His lips are pursed, Lucas can see, in a smile.

Alex frowns across at them, not believing it for a second after a quick look up and down at Daryl. He saunters a bit closer, eager to get into the building, but stops beside the door. Next to Michonne and Lucas.

"Dude, come on, really?" Zack starts to clock on, his shoulders slumping.

Rolling his head back around, Daryl stares at him with a face that screams "The fuck do you think?".

Zack looks at him, then at Lucas, whose shoulders are silently shaking as he faces away. He's laughing. Alex rolls his eyes at the blonde.

"Okay. I'll just keep guessing, I guess."

With a huff, close to amusement, Daryl nods. "Yeah, you keep doing that."

A walker slams up against the glass, chewing desperately at the air. It's eyes are locked on them like a moth to a flame. Lucas holsters his gun and pulls out the crowbar, resting it on the shoulder.

Michonne smirks, "We're gonna do this, Detective?"

Daryl jumps up and flicks his fingers at Lucas. "Let's do it."

Lucas tosses his crowbar over and they break into the building with ease.