Chapter Text
Simon wasn’t exactly thrilled about Negan being gone for so long, but it hadn’t crossed the point yet to where he grabbed up all the Saviors he could and went looking. So he waited. And took care of business like a right hand man did.
The boss’s pet psychopath on the other hand—well. He didn’t take it too well.
Watching as said psychopath shoved a Savior up against the wall with the tines of a fork digging into the soft skin at the junction of chin and throat, Simon pondered again why the hell Negan hadn’t taken Rick with him.
Negan laughed and tugged on his jacket. “Why? Because the guy is literally on the fucking edge and needs to just fucking chill out for a few days. Throwing him back out into the wild’s not going to do jackshit for him. I need him rested and ready to go when I get back. That bitch Jadis is stirring up trouble again.”
He clapped Simon on the shoulder as he left. “Don’t burn the house down while I’m gone.”
I’m not the one he should’ve told that to, Simon thought as Rick slammed the man’s head against the wall and let him drop to the ground before laying in a few well placed kicks. Ouch. Someone was definitely going to be feeling every inch of that tomorrow morning.
And is it just me or does Rick’s supposed time to ‘chill out’ seem to be making him…
Rick shoved another Savior, voice rising as the two men faced off, practically nose to nose.
The Savior shoved back and Simon shook his head already expecting it when Rick grabbed hold of the man and physically wrestled him onto the ground, a couple other Saviors attempting to pull Rick off and getting lashed out at.
…the complete opposite of chilled out. Tense as a fucking spring? Simon mused, finally making his way over as blood started to spill.
“Break it up!” He ordered harshly.
The Saviors sulkily pulled away, or at least the ones that could. The one on the ground was still getting a beating and Simon was forced to bodily haul Rick off of him, the man turning his anger onto him and getting a slap to the face for the attempt. Good thing Simon had gotten kinda used to him or he’d have jabbed a knife straight into the side of his neck.
“I think you’d better run along, Rick.” He didn’t even bother phrasing it like a suggestion, his eyes warning.
And normally—that would be enough.
Rick and he had forged an unlikely friendship through their penchant for brutality and efficiency in removing threats.
The guy had a helluva good taste in music to boot.
Not to mention how they both enjoyed pissing Negan off whenever they got bored.
But now…
Rick glared darkly at him, “And who the hell is gonna make me? You?”
The Saviors around them tensed, the man on the floor slowly trying to wriggle away as he tried not to choke on the blood from his broken nose.
“Rick, I think you already know by now to use your words when you’re upset—” Simon slammed him up against the nearest wall the moment Rick made a move to attack him, one arm twisted up behind his back.
A move which honestly, if Rick had really been all there today, shouldn’t have worked. At least not so easily.
“—and missing Negan doesn’t mean you suddenly get to go on a killing spree and cut down our manpower.”
“Don’t miss anybody!” Rick’s turn to be sulky, Simon tempted to wrench his arm a little further—just until he told the truth.
“Uh-huh. Because you usually want to start a bloodbath in the cafeteria.”
“He started it!”
Simon huffed, amused despite himself.
“Get the fuck out of here, Rick. Go for a run, go work on the wall, just get the hell out of here. Or do I need to put some cuffs on you until Negan gets back?”
Rick tensed and if Simon had been in the mood, he might just have felt a little guilty about bringing restraints into the conversation. He’d been there when Negan had found the psychopath, seen the marks on his arms that still left scars today.
“That’s what I thought.” Simon patted his shoulder, his awkward attempt to try and comfort the man while still not backing down. Slowly he released him, Rick wordlessly rubbing his shoulder and walking away.
Frowning, Simon turned to the group of Saviors that were still hanging around and trying to help the idiot who Rick had targeted.
“Since it appears to have slipped from everyone’s notice—Rick is a mite touchy at the moment. And I’m not a fucking nursemaid. Get in another fight with him, and no, I don’t giving a flying rat’s ass about who the hell started whatever bullshit, and you’ll have to hope you can be quicker than the killer. Oh and if you are somehow faster and stronger than Rick, you’d better hope that goes for the boss too. Capisce?” He waited until he got a chorus of ‘yessir’s’ before nodding. “Great! Then pass the good word along and someone better clean all the fucking blood up.” He slapped the nearest Savior on the back. “Someone could get real hurt slipping on that.”