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Chapter Text

You were contemplating a doozy at the produce stand the other day...

It’s summer in Letterkenny and the local weather station predicts mild humidity, lows of 20 degrees C, and highs of 35 degrees C for the next 10 days. Perfect weather for family outings, a round of golf, it's a warm sunny day and that’s...

“A great day for hay! Right boys?” Katy muses as she lounges out at the produce stand with her fellow hicks. It’s midday and all the morning chores are set and done, aforementioned hay is all baled and stored for the cattle to feed. Katy cast her brother a sideways glance as she sipped on her Caesars. His usual furrow a deep squint on this day and he’s staring out at the horizon like he’s waiting for something to pop up. She hadn’t heard her brother comment on the conditions all morning as he’s like to do. “Wouldn’t you say big brother?”

Wayne’s squint remained as stiff as he always was, unaffected by his sister’s prodding. His silence is enough to draw a concerned look from Squirrelly Dan and Daryl.

“Hey yeah good buddy, I haven’t heard you put in your two cents of the perfect weather all day.” Daryl says a while after spitting into the dirt. Puppers pert near full and forgotten on his knee. “What’s the fuss big shoots?”

Wayne sighs and pours out the dregs of his own Puppers.

“Alright poopie pants, but when you decide to start feeling verbal again let us know,” Katy resigns herself to reclining on her lounging chair when an idea crosses her mind. “Say boys?” 

“Yes Miss Katy?” Squirrelly Dan finally perks up at the promise of a conversation.

“What do you think of alternative food dishes?” She says smugly without sparing a glance to any of them.

“Who the fuck are you?” Wayne cuts in sharply. Katy quickly turns to smirk at her brother finally piping up.

Before Katy can get some decent chirping in Daryl pipes in to contribute, confusion scrunching up his mug. “Wait, is this about that superfood alternative place you made us go to when everybody got together to beat up Dierks?”

“Oh yeah I remembers that, what’s was that place called? Super Foodies or something?” Squirrelly Dan catches on to the dialogue.

“Fucking unfortunate names all around,” Wayne continues to pout.

“Yeah like that, but their menu was like a novel, so what if you did that but with just one ingredient like Kale.” Katy ponders.

“Kay, but what if instead we fuck off?” Wayne bites out at his sisters suggestion.

“Hey now Wayne, now I don’t thinks you’re giving this much of a chance,” Squirrelly Dan defends Katy’s idea knowing fully well Wayne would dread it. “Kales is one of those superfoods. It's an amples supply of vitamins A,B,C.”

“Okay Vitamin Allegedly ample and actively acerbic, Squirrelly Dan, Vitamin Bitter bunch of bland blooms, Vitamin C if you can’t consume countless cantankerous-” Wayne began aggressively alliterating at Squirrelly for spouting off kale facts.

“Calm it down a bit there, good buddy,” Daryl cut in before Wayne got too far into his triad.

“Yeah, Jesus Christ Wayne! What’s crawled up your ass this time?” Katy sat up from her lounge chair.

“Well here’s the scoop and I’m gonna tell ya it’s none of your fucking beeswax.” Wayne’s tone sprang up an octave as he became defensive.

Darly dumps his forgotten Puppers. “It is when you constantly crap on Katy’s childish charade.” 

“Hey! What’s the fuss Darry? I thought you were on my side.” Katy crosses her arms defensively.

“Oh come on Katy, a Kale themed restaurant? How much length would we really have gotten out of that idea?” Katy blinks at that. She knew it was a nonsense idea she just wanted Wayne to start talking again. Looks like Daryl has a more direct approach.

All the same she pouts and mutters, “It would have been called Kale in Comparison…”

“Oh now that’s a good names.” Squirrelly Dan sympathizes with her idea.

“Thank you Squirrelly Dan.”

“It’s an alright name, bit on the nose. So Wayne, what the hells the scoop?” Daryl turns to his friend who’s once again gone quiet and stiff.

“Why don’t you take about 70-75% percent off ‘er there Darry?”

“You’ve been a pill since bekfast-“ Daryl continues ignoring Wayne’s chirps.

“-Attaboy-“

“Breakfast so whatever the hell you’ve got on your mind, good buddy. Share it?” Daryl soften his tone at this, ain’t going to help Wayne be more comfortable talking if the three of them keep aggressively prying. “Ain’t better company then your buds and your sister to tell it to.”

Instead of an answer Daryl looked over to see his buddy groan and stare intently at the horizon once again.

Katy sighs as her brother goes silent again, but she wasn’t letting up, “Pitter patt-”

“-Rosie asked me if I’d be willing to help her out with her pit bull rescue program,” Wayne finally spit out turning to look at his fellow hicks. “Help out with some infrastructure.”

“Well, when a person,” Daryl quirked an eyebrow at the innocence of Wayne’s confession, “especially your sweetie, asks for help-“

“-Said it’d be about a 6 month commitment.” Wayne continues.

“Well the twos of you seems to get on fine I’m sure commitins to helpin out yours sweetie for a period of time like that is nothing much.“ Squirrelly Dan contributes from that.

Wayne paused long and hard, chancing a look at Daryl and Katy before revealing, “Her pit bull rescue is based in Vancouver…”

Katy to her credit could only manage one word in response “...What?”

“Well I ain’t fucking repeating it Katy”

“Wait what?” Daryl said as if it took a minute to hit him.

“Christ Darry you really are just spare parts aren’t ya.”

“So yous be committing to...moving out to Vancouver...fers six months…” Squirrelly Dan concludes taking every word as intensely as he could.

“Well fuck Squirrelly Dan thanks for laying down for us all simple like.”

“Are you actually considering this Wayne?” Katy turns to her brother with a hard look.

“Well fuck with the chicken shit chicanery that’s been happening in Letterkenny lately I’ve been thinking a change of pace might be more desirable than this,” Wayne waves an arm gesturing to the landscape of Letterkenny around them.

“Wayne this is our family farm! Who the fuck are you? Aren’t you the degen that guilt tripped me about leaving for Toronto even for just a weekend of my modeling gig?” Katy turns fully in her chair to berate her brother.

“Well, now Katy, considering a lots happened to all of us in the last year we should hear him out on this.” Daryl jumps to defend Wayne from the rant Katy was preparing to unleash. His interruption serving only to earn himself a glare.

“Fucking what? Darry are YOU actually supporting this idiocy?” Katy sprang up out of her lounge chair at this exclamation. With a hard look on her face she grabbed Daryl by the ear, earning a yelp from him as she dragged him toward the house, muttering as she went, “God boys are so fucking dense.”

“What the fucks that supposed to mean?” Wayne called after her as she dragged Daryl away from their discussion. 

Squirrelly Dan seemed unaffected by Katy’s hasty exit and immediately questioned Wayne, “Wayne have yous been seriously considering leaving the farm for six months?”

Wayne waited another moment to collect his thoughts after his sister just bolted away dragging his best friend off. He would have preferred they all get to talk about this. With a sigh he gathers up the courage to confide in Dan. “Well to tell you the truth Squirrelly Dan after the whole debacle with Marie-Fred and how I dealt with that I’ve been thinking it just ain’t right to stew in my sorrow.”

“And leaving home is the right ways to do that?”

“Well fuck Squirrelly Dan I’ve been thinking lately maybe I do need to change. Look at my track record.” Wayne looks up face screwed up in frustration and confusion, a look Squirrelly Dan’s only ever seen following two of the darkest times in Wayne’s life. Wayne’s usually stiff frame is slumped in defeat. “Two of the four women I’ve dated have cheated on me. And then Tanis got sick of how stuck in my ways I am and kicked me to the curb.”

“That’s was their problem, not yours Wayne. Yous changed for Angie, stopped fighting, and she still cheated on you. Yous proposed to Marie-Fred, committed to her and trusted her, then she cheated on you.” Squirrelly Dan listed off the many failings of Wayne’s exes. He then held up his hands in surrender at the mention of Tanis. “Quite honestly I don’ts knows what to make of yours and Tanis’ relationship but I think both of you were a bit unwillings to compromise there.”

“Well and you wanna know what I’m starting to think that being a rigid hick ain’t the way to keep a gal anymore.” Wayne spoke quieter now, any aggression he had arguing with Katy now gone.

“Well Waynes I can’t speaks from experience here,” Squirrelly Dan stood from the shade of his spot at the produce stand with a grunt to place a hand on Wayne’s shoulder. Giving him a good pat that Wayne amicably accepted. “You’re a good man you shouldn’t burden yourself how those relationships ended.”

“Now Rosie’s been very considerate regarding my hesitation to fall back into a relationship so quick but fuck if she ain’t a great gal.” Wayne relaxed as he and Squirrelly Dan worked through his hang ups about his exes.

“Reals great gal”

“An amazing gal. So when she made the simple suggestion yeah I took it into consideration.”

“So you’d be confident in leaving the farm to me, Darry and Miss Katys for such an extended period of time?”

“Well I wasn’t leaving it to the nutsacks or the skids now was I?” The fight coming back to Wayne’s voice as Squirrelly Dan began asking more questions.

His good buddy’s tone did nothing to dissuade Dan from pointing out some flaws in Wayne’s judgements. “This place is your pride and joy, Wayne, and whiles I appreciates that you’ve been amenable to me and Darry sharing stock in the property in the past, I would’ve thought the last thing you’d want is to step out on your land.”

“Well when you put it like that Squirrelly Dan I…”

“-Now that’s not to say I’m against the idea Wayne, I knows love can compel people to do some things-“

“-Who the fuck said anything about love Squirrelly Dan?” Wayne’s voice once again jumping an octave defensively. Looking away from Squirrelly Dan, Wayne began expounding any excuse he could find quickly. “Rosie just made a suggestion, and I’m just taking it into consideration, and said consideration with my business partners and my sister would be happening right now but Katy and Darry fucked off to god knows where.”

“Wayne listen to yourself. How’s about I throw some phrases out and see if they sound familiar?” Dan’s larger frame now serviceably imposing and authoritative to a sitting Wayne. “It’s hard days work, fuck, but fuck if the choring ain’t done who the fucks gonna do it? So here’s the scoop and I’m gonna tell ya, what’s a hicks blood made out of?”

“Well likely 90% alcohol and 10% greas-“

“Sure as gods got sandals it’s picking stones, pulling teats, baling hay and that beats-”

“Well technically it’s barley-”

“Cut the shit Wayne, you’re the toughest guy in Letterkenny that meant somethings to you right?” Dan now growing impatient with Wayne dodging his own words. “Well you’re also the hickest hick in the goddamn town. Fuck McMurray useds to call you three times a day for help and half the farmers in this town too before Crack an Ag.”

“We gonna summit Mount what’s your point here er...” Wayne to his credit still kept his stiff composure but was speaking considerably softer.

Squirrelly Dan took about 20% off of his dad voice and spoke plainly and clearly to Wayne. “Wayne, eyes contact come on good buddy,” bringing a hand up to punctuate his request, Wayne acquiesced, “you’re a farmer, this land is your life, if you’re bringing this pit bull rescue shit up like this. Then it’s love that yous got for Rosie, Wayne, whether we like it or not.”

“What the hell do you mean by we?” Wayne unfurrowed his brow surprised at that last statement.

Dan could only sigh at the question. “And yous call Darry spare parts, bud.”

“Are you fucking preoccupied?” Wayne raised his voice at the implication.

“Are you?” Dan said blankly, exhausted by the tension of this conversation. “Now I means no disrespects Wayne’s-” 

“Really? Cuz you’ve got a real fucking squirrelly way about going about it Big shoots.”

Dan cut to the point again, “Are you seriously considering leaving Letterkenny, for Rosie?”

“Fucking it’s not as if I’m-“

“Pitter patter”

“...Yes.”

“Okay then. As your business partner I can say that a six month period leave would nots be the worst thing considering how well we did last season and how well the crops been thus far.” Dan laid out his opinion slowly and plainly. Wayne visibly relaxing as the topic came back to strictly focusing on the farm. Farming was comfortable conversation, feelings not so much. “Beings down one set of hands won’t kill us, and hell wes could always hire a temporary hand to cover yer shares of chores. Joint Boy or McMurray can put the word out.”

“Now see that’s the kinda thinking we should have gotten into from the jump. I don’t know what all the fuss was about.” Wayne crossed his arms content that he and Squirrelly Dan came to an understanding. “All that shit about family home and love ain’t proper to talk about.”

“Now, as your friend, I can’t say I or Katy or Darry would be too keen to go without your company for well on six months but ah,” Wayne clenches back up anticipating another argument, Dan thankfully withheld from getting back into that. He then pauses to glance in the direction of the farmhouse and asks Wayne, “Well are you gone for her?”

Wayne didn’t respond for a long while at Squirrelly Dan’s question. Just back to staring at the horizon, tense as he began this exchange. “Okay so- kay, you wanna know- kay, you know what Dan? I think I might be.”

Dan didn’t say another word just continued to look at the farm house with a small sigh under his breath.

Chapter Text

Katy slammed open the screen of the farmhouse side door and continued to drag Daryl by despite his protests of pain. Closing the door proper and locking it, she released him and proceeded to give him a smack upside the head. 

“Are you fucking preoccupied?” Katy snarls as Darry collects himself from her beats.

“Ow, Katy! What’s the fuss?” Daryl rubs at both his ear where she pinched him and the side of his head. His face still scrunched up in confusion.“It ain’t right to drag us away from a serious conversation like that. Wayne likely needed our say in the business.”

“Six months Darry, you’d let him be gone six months with that girl?” Katy trudges on with her train of thought not letting up for Daryl’s benefit.

“Rosies a great gal.” 

“She’s a sweet gal”

“A well read gal-“

“But she left him.” Katy states blankly. Crossing her arms, she was still on edge from arguing with Wayne. “She left him before and she’d do it again Darry.”

Daryl said nothing in response, only aggravating Katy more as she was fuming now. She began to pace, fighting the urge to grab some Gus n’ Bru right about now. After a moment too long Daryl got her attention again.

“Well if anything she left him before, for this pit bull rescue, and her asking him to come with her this time is a testament to her wanting to commit to Wayne.” Daryl worked his way to a reasonable conclusion. Still an amount of doubt in his voice.

“And you’re okay with that?” Katy asked him plainly, unsatisfied with his energy defending Rosie.

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Take a fucking guess ya sally.” Her words, sharp and biting.

Realization dawned on Daryl’s face as he sussed her meaning. Realization quickly became irritation as he twisted into digging at her now, “Oh for fucks sake not this again Katy.” 

“Yes this again you fucking degen.” Katy spit back undeterred by Daryl’s tone. “I don’t let you live down boners in grade 9. You think I’m gonna let go of the fact that you love my brother?”

“That was a long time ago Katy.” Daryl’s irritation is wearing on him now, as if this conversation has gone on too many times. “I was a hormonal 18-year-old, I was drunk and dumb.”

“Are you trying to tell me that? Or yourself that?” Katy cut through his rehearsed excuses. “You were heartbroken, you were crying stains into my fucking comforter. When Wayne told you he wanted to marry Angie you showed up at my door at 2 am, three sheets to the wind, eyes redder than a hydrant and spewing like one too. And fuck if I didn’t drink myself into a stupor with you.”

“Teenage infatuation isn’t at play anymore.” Daryl fumed now as Katy brought up that dark night. Ain’t proper to talk about that. “I ain’t a kid and I ain’t a sally Katy.”

“You can lie to the fucking world Daryl, but you’re just as much a brother to me as Wayne is, there’s no lying to me. You love him,” Katy looked right into Daryl’s eyes to punctuate her point. She continued without breaking contact, “and you’ve been dragging your feet for years distracting yourself, making eyes at Bonnie McMurray, and whatever the hell that farce with Annik was, but I know that after all those distractions fade away you’ve never stopped loving him.”

“Annik was not a farce.” Daryl bit back at her, though his voice shrunk back at the weight of Katy’s words. 

“She was a jumpy girl that got cold feet and took advantage of your innocence so she could escape.” Katy made her stance on Annik clear a longtime ago. No going back to cheaters. “And when it became clear you wanted a committed relationship she ghosted you. She was a pretty girl Darry but she got some ugly baggage.”

“So do I apparently.” He bit back flatly. He was ashamed enough about clinging to Annik like she was his escape from his feelings. But he was determined to get back to the matter at hand. “And that doesn’t change the fact that whatever’s going on between Wayne and Rosie ain’t none of our business unless Wayne lets it be our business.”

“So you’re okay with this?” Katy was slightly surprised at his acceptance of it. She asked in disbelief, “With Wayne just up and leaving us?”

“It’s six months Katy we’re all adults here, if worse comes to worse we hire some extra help.” Daryl tensed up now back to business and determined to stick to that, fuck any personal feeling, ain’t proper to let them take precedence.

“And if six months becomes a year? If a year becomes forever.” Katy has no qualms about letting her own anxiety about the matter bleed through to Daryl. By the look in his eyes she could tell he was still scared as well. “You said it yourself back there a lots happened to us this past year. If Wayne’s fixing for a change what’re you going to do if that change doesn’t include us?”

Daryl’s jaw hung open at that, ready to respond, but the emotion in Katy’s words hit him hard. If Wayne leaves Letterkenny he’ll have Rosie, but what’s their life without Wayne? Looking at Katy only made Daryl’s silence harder to break and the stinging in his chest ache more. 

Daryl took another second to collect himself and puffed out his chest as a show of surety, he wasn’t backing down from this. With a hard look he told her, “We’re his family Katy we’ll do what we can and keep the stead together, we change with him.”

A long moment passed as Katy internalized Daryl’s words. With a sigh she acquiesced, she stepped closer to place her hands on his shoulders, holding Daryl’s gaze once again, “I need you to be honest with me Darry, I need to know that you’ll get through this in one piece. No posturing for your masculinity, no stiff upper lip to be classy. I can only watch my world crumble so many times.”

To his credit he offered her a pat on the shoulder and his assurance, “I’m fine Katy”

“Okay Darry.” She pulled Daryl into a quick hug before unlocking the side door and trudging back out toward the produce stand. “Let’s get at her then.”

Chapter Text

“Glad you kids could join the party.” Wayne’s more relaxed tone rings out as Katy and Daryl return to the produce stand.

“Oh we’re throwing a farewell party already?” Katy bites out still sore from her and Daryl’s conversation.

“Now that’s theres an idea, we could host it at MoD3an’s!” Squirrelly Dan suggests, turning to Wayne.

“Let’s pump the breaks there a bit Squirrelly Dan,” Daryl cuts in before Squirrelly Dan can elaborate.

“We’ll tap them.” Wayne mutters a slight objection.

Daryl stops at Wayne’s interjection. Whatever Squirrelly Dan and Wayne discussed it’s obvious Wayne’s now considering this. Instead of sitting back in his usual chair Daryl crosses over to lean on the produce stand between Wayne and Squirrelly Dan. “So you’re serious about this?”

With a sigh Wayne prepared for yet another argument. “I am currently considering the possibility that Rosie’s offer of companionship would not be the worst deal in the world.” 

“Alright well, how’re we gonna fuck this pig?” Daryl said, surprising Wayne with his casual tone.

“I know I tend to take the reins on the main chores but the three of you have just as much pull on farm operations and priorities, so whatever you see fit can be considered.” Wayne explains further, prioritizing their concerns for the farm. He continues with some info Rosie gave him, “From what Rosie’s told me I’d be helping out with transport of the dogs, just as she does, and maintenance of the offices.”

“So you’d be needing the truck for this?” Katy ponders as she tried to find anyway to relax on her lounge chair during this conversation.

“That’s big ask Wayne, trucks just as much Katy’s as it is yours.” Squirrelly Dan says.

“Likely I’ll be driving Rosie’s truck for her so no need for all that.”

“Gus and Stormy might have conniptions not seeing you for so long.” Katy tries to add other concerns to the conversation.

Innocently enough, Squirrelly Dan takes her concerns to heart.  “Hey maybes yous can take one of em with you. Doubt a dog rescue would complain about extra company of the canines variety helping out.”

“That is neither relevant to farm operations nor objective.” Wayne cuts through his sisters bullshit with a glare to the back of her head. “Katy if you’re not gonna take this conversation seriously maybe take a walk, get some fresh air.”

“Who the fuck are you?” Katy turns again in her seat ready to sling some quips. “So now the well-being of your dogs doesn’t even matter. They’re just as much part of this family as any of us.”

“They’re fucking dogs Katy, give Gus some chips and let Stormy run around for a bit and they’ll forget I’m even gone.” Wayne sighs at Katy’s attempt to get a rise out of him. He turns his attention back to the stand as Daryl huffs out a spit. His expression is darker than usual.

“Glad to know you love her enough to leave.” Katy continues to jab at her brother’s weak spots. No qualms about decency now. “Kinda wished you loved us enough to stay.”

“Katy!” Wayne growled.

“That ain’t proper to talk about Katy-Kat,” Daryl squinted at her confused at her tactics.

“Oh suddenly I’m a degen for wanting to keep my last living family member close to home?!” Katy jumped out of her lounge chair unable to contain the rising tension this conversation brought out of her. She huffed and trod over to the other side of Dan at the produce stand in the shade, trying to distance herself from Wayne.

Wayne barks back as Katy turns away from him, “Jesus fuckin-It’s just six months will you-“ 

“-What happens if they want you for more than six months?” Daryl cuts him off. The other hicks are taken aback by Daryl’s words. Daryl once again surprises Katy with his forthright approach. 

“Fuckin-What?” Wayne obviously hadn’t considered that idea as well.

“You heard me buddy.” With a hard look on his face and shoulders tense, Daryl was ready for a long argument now. If Wayne was this sure about leaving now then Daryl needs to pry into real sensitive issues to make sure Wayne considers every angle. “Rosie’s saying it’s a six month commitment but what’s to say the folks over there won’t keep findin’ reason after reason to keep you longer, like fucking McMurray scrounging for extra help during harvest.”

“Fucking-if a man asks for help you help him Daryl!” Wayne gets on the defensive again. Daryl’s tactic working like a charm. Wayne’s pulling out one of his tried and true rules to shut it down before he can really consider Daryl’s suggestion. That doesn’t prevent Wayne’s curiosity from piping in though. “Where the fucks this coming from anyway?”

“I’m just checking bud.” Daryl held up his arms in surrender. Despite the growing aggression Daryl attempted to maintain a casual tone. “Need to be sure you’re not just leaving us up to dry.”

“Now whys would Wayne go and do that Darry?” Squirrelly Dan defended Wayne from Daryl’s jabs. “He’s doing this favor to his sweetie outs of the goodness of his heart and yous just here assuming the worst.”

“I'm with Darry in this boys.” Katy says from Dan’s side.

“Who the fuck are you?” Wayne bites back at Katy again.

“What’s to say you don’t find something worth sticking around out there for big brother?” Katy picks up on Daryl’s line of questioning. If Wayne is so sure then Katy can dig too. “What’s to say Rosie doesn’t think this is the first step to your new life.”

“You two have had too much fucking sugar cereal if you keep spouting that shit.” Wayne uncrossed his arms rigidly to grip on the rails of his lawn chair. His tension and rage emanating clear. “You making up like she fucking proposed to me or some shit.”

“And if she did?” Daryl comes in with another surprise jab. Squirrelly Dan could only gawk at the mere suggestion and Katy sports a small smirk.

“Fuckin-what?” Wayne scrunched up as he was caught off guard by his bud once again.

Ignoring the stares of the other hicks, Daryl continued to question Wayne’s resolve. “What if she proposed to you Wayne? And this was the start of y’alls life together.”

“And who’s fucking business would that be?” Wayne stood rigidly squaring off towards Daryl looking pert near ready to scrap. He made no other moves, just stared hard at Daryl’s dark expression. “Now if you’re fucking coming you better come correct what exactly are you accusing Rosie of here?”

“Nobodies accusing Rosie of anything big brother,” Katy cut back in before Daryl could make another comment. She knew what conclusion Daryl had come to and ran interference to bait Wayne’s aggression. “We’re just saying this is a big change and we need to know whether this is the big one or not.”

“The big one?” Wayne was still stiff in the shoulders but twisted in the face. This conversation kept throwing curves.

“The one you leave it all behind for.” Daryl says grimly. The emotion in his voice is enough to draw a concerned look from Squirrelly Dan, Daryl pretends not to notice it. He stares down Wayne again. The words he rehearsed in his head suddenly stuck in his throat. After too long a moment. He finally works up the courage to ask, “Now are you booking a round trip good buddy? Or is this your one way ticket out of Letterkenny?”

The hicks spend several moments just letting Daryl’s words sink in. The tension reached its head and now they all had to proceed cautiously lest Wayne gets set off for some scraping. Squirrely Dan still staring at Daryl with intensity. Katy watching Wayne to gauge his anger level. Wayne himself stood fuming still staring down Daryl and his flat expression. He looked as if his mind was racing a mile a minute to process what Daryl had just dropped on him.

After a long while, Wayne wound down enough to reply more calmly. “Now I don’t know what the fuck you two have been smoking but you need to cut this shit out talking like that,” or as calm as he could be after the tensest conversation of his life. “This is a limited venture of assisting my sweetie with her job because she asked, nothing more, nothing less.”

“Now Miss Katy, Darry I can sympathize with your trepidation in having to confronts the idea that we’d have to go without Wayne for half a year believe me I’m still reelings a bit from all this myself,” Squirrelly Dan was ever the voice of reason. “But Wayne’s choices are his own and as his business partners I believe it’s our responsibility to think abouts this matter objectively.”

“We’ll be fine Wayne.” Daryl spit out rather quickly, his expression still flat and uncomfortable. A look that made Wayne squirm slightly.

“Darry.” Katy protested, though she found herself lacking anything else to contribute.

“It’s a hard days work but sure as a dog deserves petting it needs to be done.” Daryl ignored her protest and kept the conversation moving toward its end. “Good enough, buddy?”

“Good stuff, Darry.” Wayne seemed to agree with Daryl’s decision, though the tension still lingered. “Katy?”

“I’m still not keen on this but the evening choring needs to get done for today so fine.” All of Katy’s energy from the argument drained with the weight of Daryl’s words. With a sigh she went along with the boys to get on with her day. “Just promise me you’ll try to get back here.”

“Good enough.” Wayne straightened back up to his usual posture. With one last look at Daryl he turned to walk away. “Back to chorin”

The other hicks made no move to follow after Wayne’s command. Daryl remained fixated on the spot Wayne was standing. Squirrelly Dan and Katy now openly staring at him waiting for a comment. Finally Daryl held a deep breath, exhaled, and turned to address his buds. “You giving me the big eyes there Squirrelly Dan?”

A sad smile on his face, Squirrelly Dan stood with a grunt to gently pat Daryl on the shoulder. “I’m sorry Darry.”

“Ain’t nothing to get excited about.” Daryl half heartedly attempted to shrug off Dan’s reassuring hand but that just urged Dan to grip it lightly. His comfort was appreciated but Daryl felt too raw to accept it openly.

“Yous sure you’re gonna be okay with this arrangement?” Squirrelly Dan leaned in to ask lightly.

“Christ will the two of you drop this bullshit like I’m some hapless sally here.” Daryl broke out of Dan’s grip at the man’s attempt at consoling him. Daryl began to trudge toward the barn as he muttered angrily, “Enough chatter, back to chorin.”

Katy groaned at Daryl’s outburst, too exhausted to make any attempt to go after him. She opted to question Squirrelly Dan instead. “What’d you get out of Wayne, Squirrelly Dan?”

“I’ms sorry Miss Katy but it looks like he’s totally gone fer her.” Dan sighed as he dug out a dart to light. “And quite franklys the way we’ve reacted to it I thinks it’s just made him want it more.”

“But this is his home, our home.” Katy whined in frustration at it all.

“It’s also the place he got cheated on, twice.” 

“So he bolts from the only place he’s called home? Fuck.”

“He’ll come back.”

“But will he still be Wayne?” Katy didn’t bother hiding her emotions at that. 

“Everybody changes Miss Katy wes can only hopes that we change too.” Squirrelly Dan said thoughtfully.

“Changing sucks,” Katy says as she kicks at the dirt, “the fuck ever happened to tradition around here?”

“Darry’s being just as much of a pig head abouts it too I see.” Squirrelly Dan comments looking toward the direction of the barn.

“He spouted some bullshit that sounds a lot like what you said Squirrelly Dan,” Katy says. Squirrelly Dan pouts at that but Katy continues, “when I told him Wayne might change, he said that we’ll change with him. But I know that possibility is killing him inside.”

“Yous could see it in his eyes.” Squirrelly Dan agrees. “I could too.” 

Katy finally stands from her perch on the produce stand. “Wanna get hammered tonight Squirrelly Dan?”

Squirrelly Dan chucks his dart onto the ground and steps on it for good measure. “Yous can tell when the weight of this afternoon’s discussion has worn us to a state only alcohols can dull Miss Katy and that’s what I appreciates about you.”

Katy smiles at Dan’s return to form, “Oh is that what you appreciate about me?”

The pair share a sad giggle as they try to find a way back to normal in the aftermath of this afternoon.

“Welp, back to chorin,” Squirrelly Dan grunts back up to stand.

“Pitter patter.”

Chapter Text

Daryl had set out to the barn to feed the girls for the evening. Once the cows were all fed and comfortable for the night he stepped out for a dart and some deep thinking after everything that’s happened today.

Letterkenny without Wayne, how’s that gonna be? Wayne wouldn’t trust a stranger to do his job so most likely that’s a big chunk of chores he or Dan are gonna have to take the reins of, probably Daryl, he knows what needs to be done second to Wayne. They’ll hire someone else to cover Daryl’s chores then, probably for the best. He’ll still be around good company, Dan and Katy are his favorite people save for his best bud, despite how they’ve been looking at him ever since Wayne said he’d be leaving.

He doesn’t have those feelings anymore. He’d told Katy as much and she called him a liar immediately. She can see through him like he’s nothing. It’s part of why he figures he’d been the only guy in their grade not to be sweet on Katy, hard to flirt with a girl that knows your every intention and every secret. That and she’s always been more of a sister to him. She’d said that much too. So what’s the fuss about her calling out his feelings again?

If Katy was the girl to get for everyone back in the day then Wayne definitely was the guy to get. Tough as nails, hard working, fit as hell, farm boy. Every girl in Letterkenny wanted Wayne at some point, that time at MoDeans with wingman Wayne comes to mind, not to mention how overt Bonnie McMurray always been about how much she likes him. Daryl can’t really blame her, she’s a hick, she knows there’s more to just Wayne’s good looks. His sense of humor, sense of justice, his loyalty and generosity. Wayne’s a good man, toughest guy in Letterkenny, and Darry’s best bud. Been that way ever since Daryl had the balls to protect a little girl from some degens with gross mullets. Somewhere along the line, hell maybe right at the very beginning, he realized placing Wayne on pedestal like everyone else in Letterkenny became an uncomfortable infatuation. It just wasn’t proper to think of your pal as your world, right?

And yet when he thinks back to that moment when they were young, and Daryl still found himself being a hopeless romantic, to that night years ago when he and Wayne were skipping rocks and sharing Puppers out at the lake one evening and Wayne just up and broke his heart.

“Hey Darry?” Wayne had asked as he chucked a stone.

“Yup good buddy?” Daryl had just settled on a large stump to relax a bit. He’d sank about five rocks in a row after his 4th beer so best to settle down for a bit.

“Well uh,” Wayne paused a bit clutching another stone in his calloused hand, Daryl could remember how his buddy’s shoulders tensed before he asked, “what a, whaddaya think of Angie?”

“Angie? As in your girlfriend Angie?” Daryl asked light heartedly. “Or three time golden globe award winning actress Angelina Jolie. Known best for her role in Girl, Interrupted, Angie?”

“Don’t ya-Take a-Fuckin- why are you the way that you are?” Wayne turned back around to squint hard at his buddy and chucked the stone toward the stump. Daryl let out a chuckle at his buddy’s floundering.

“Cuz you ask backassward questions like that.”

“All I asked is what do you think of Angie.” Frustration was clear in Wayne’s tone.

“And I asked for clarification.” Daryl smirked into his Puppers at that. “If it’s that Angelina Jolie then Yew! Nuff said.”

“My girlfriend ya dink. Fucking interplanetary I tell you.”

Daryl took a moment to marinate on that. It wasn’t that he didn’t like Angie, more so that she occupied most of his buddy’s time and he was a bit sour about that. It was also that she wasn’t too fond of Daryl or his manners, or lack thereof. He didn’t mind it much, he didn’t have to get along with everybody. So what if there was a little jealousy under the surface? Daryl never let those thoughts see the light of day.

“Eh she’s alright.” He decided it’s best to keep it brief.

“Really?” Wayne looked away, he sounded a bit surprised by Daryl’s answer. He’d been doing that thing where he mutters low like when he’s trying to be humble. Daryl could tell without even seeing his face. “Just ah, just alright?”

His buddy didn’t seem too satisfied with that answer so Daryl elaborated as politely as he could. “Well she’s your girlfriend good buddy, not much I could say about any aforementioned qualities that would sway my personal opinion about that, least not in good company, or in your company, or in any com-”

“Take about 20% off her there Darry.” Wayne narrowed his eyes, he caught on to Daryl’s implication quick enough.

Daryl smiled tightly, at least Wayne bought the lie there. “She’s an okay gal, long as she treats ya nice I don’t got no complaints.”

“Really? Cuz ah you know me and her have been together for about 3 years now.” Wayne looked away again. By the way he spoke Daryl knew his buddy was fishing for reassurance. 

“Can confirm I was standing right next to you when you first asked her out.” That said just because Wayne was fishing didn’t mean Daryl was gonna give him what he wanted.

“And she moved in last year…”

“Can confirm as she kicked me out of my farmhouse bedroom to my trailer that I now inhabit.” That comment got Wayne to look at Daryl again, guilt clear on his face. Daryl kept his expression neutral despite it. Angie pissed him off that day but he wasn’t gonna let Wayne know that plainly.

“Yeah right well sorry about that one bud.” Wayne seemed to take the hint that his fishing for whatever he was looking for out of Daryl was coming up short, so he settled on trudging over to the stump Daryl was lounging on and sat himself down. And if their knees touched and their shoulders brushed against each other well Daryl didn’t say anything about it.

“Trailers cozy.” Daryl offered as an apology to bringing up the memory of that fight.

“Is it?” Wayne asked with suspicion.

“No.” Daryl said flatly.

Wayne was silent for another long moment after that. Daryl felt bad about making the conversation awkward but it was a small price to pay for avoiding this Angie talk Wayne seemed insistent on having. Not that Daryl didn’t want to support his buddy but he’d rather just enjoy the night and their beers than talk about the girl who stole his friend’s heart. 

Wayne had other plans apparently. His high-pitched mutter kept coming out. “Oh well ya know ah, I’ve been thinking about it for a bit and I was thinking you know it’s right about time.”

“Right about time?” Daryl now was genuinely confused. He tries to pay attention real well but sometimes he just loses focus.

“Pert near it ya” Wayne muttered on assuming Daryl knew what he was talking about.

“For supper?”

“No ya tit.” Wayne elbowed Daryl sharply.

“For what?” Daryl recoiled slightly to rub at his side.

Wayne took a deep breath and turned to look at Daryl’s confused expression. “For me to marry her.”

Daryl couldn’t help the surprise that overtook his expression. His throat ran dry as he attempted to spit out a reply. “What?”

“Well fuck Darry, if you’re not even going to listen.” Wayne shoulder checked him lightly.

“No, no. I heard you loud and clear.” Daryl edged away from Wayne slightly and gave him a hard look.

“Well you wanna know what? Sometimes I wonder bud.” Wayne said to the ground as he poured out the dredges of another Puppers.

“You’re going to marry Angie?” Daryl tested out the phrase in disbelief and Wayne continued to focus on the ground.

“Well yeah I reckon.” Wayne shrank away like he’d been caught with his hands in the jar.

“Like now? Where’s the ring?”

“Not now. God, why am I friends with a pile of spare parts again?” Wayne stood abruptly from his place on the stump. He turned to Daryl and crossed his arms. “There’s no ring but after considering it, after everything we’ve been through, your mama dying and my parents dying, she’s been there for me.”

“She was there for you for my mama dying...” Daryl tried not to sound bitter but the memory of that night stung in Darry’s chest. His mama’s struggle with abuse lefts it’s mark on all her loved ones, he knows, but the ache of knowing Angie had been Wayne’s shoulder to cry on when Darry pert near spent the week that followed her death on his lonesome, well that really hurt like a bitch.

“You know you and your mama are just as much my family as Katy and my folks are.” Wayne’s tone held a bit of bite at Darry’s suggestion. The alcohol had loosened his tongue and Darry had to bite back another quip lest he end up getting some beats.

“Proceed.” Less he has to say now less he has to apologize for.

“And well yeah I think I could see myself spend the rest of my life with her.” How steadily Wayne makes that statement had Darry reeling slightly.

“Rest of your life’s a long time good buddy, unless you’ve got some other more unfortunate news to share with me.” Daryl stumbled up to face Wayne, almost tripping on a root.

Wayne caught him by the sleeve and hauled him back up. He gave Daryl a hard pat on the shoulder to steady him. “I ain’t croaking anytime soon.”

“What? Not gonna make like a great croak tree? Oughta leaf this world behind.” Daryl found himself giggle at his own dumb joke.

“Fuck bud.” Wayne chuckles lightly, Daryl could feel the vibrations of it in his chest from where his hand still rested. “Yer hammered.”

“What can’t take a croak buddy?”

“I can take a good joke just fine but I ain’t got the froggiest idea what yer on about.”

Daryl giggled again and found he couldn’t just let this bit die. “What not up to eat high off the frog, good buddy?”

“Now see that’s just incorrect use of that phrase Darry. It’s eat high off the hog.” Even as sloshed as he was then Wayne could get into semantics about the strangest things. Daryl just hummed in agreement then. “That’s referring to rich folk being able to eat higher cuts of meat which on a hog would be higher on their body. N if n it were a frog the most decadent part is the legs what the French eat. Just don’t work.”

“Fuck bud,” Daryl echoed Wayne’s tone previously earning another chuckle from his buddy, “we’re hammered.”

For a moment Daryl recalled just enjoying the closeness he could steal during moments like that night. The alcohol in their systems lowered their walls in the best and worst ways. Daryl maybe scatterbrained at times but he knew he could pick out the features of Wayne’s face out of a crowd if he needed, he’s spent so much time memorizing them. Wayne made no move to pull away so Daryl just savored the moment for as long as he could.

On a quiet summer night the only sound for miles would be the hum of crickets, croak of some frogs  and the light sloshing of water. They’d spend a lot of nights by the lake back then just skipping rocks, shooting the shit and practicing their word games. Daryl could pretend the whole world didn’t exist for a few wonderful hours. Just savor the fact that he could be one of the few people Wayne could and would talk to for hours.

“Darry?” Wayne spoke bringing Daryl back to reality. Took too long for him to realize it was his turn to talk. “So ah, What do you think? About me and Angie?”

He could rack his brain for hours on end for the most logical or most polite way to respond but his curiosity got the best of him. “Are you gone fer her?”

Wayne was silent for a moment more just staring back at Daryl at his question. Daryl found he couldn’t place the look on Wayne’s face, a rarity to him. Wayne finally broke the silence, “Well you wanna know what and I’m gonna tell ya. Yeah, I think I just might be Darry. I just might be.”

With how close they were Daryl was somehow grateful that dislodging himself from Wayne to grab two more Puppers was the polite thing to do. It hid the hitch in his breath and the burning in his eyes to turn away. Satisfied that he regained his composure quickly enough by the cooler he returned to find Wayne still standing stiffly. “Well good for you big shoots, cheers to that.”

Wayne took the bottle rigidly and Daryl worked the top off. Wayne kept a tight lip now and Daryl was once again thankful his buddy enjoyed silence as much as he did. They cheered awkwardly as Daryl almost missed with how sloshed he was becoming. And if Daryl didn’t down that entire bottle of Puppers and two more before they were done by the lake then god damn he’d get to it. 

They packed up and headed back to the farm house around 10 pm since Wayne promised Angie a late night drive, the activities of which Daryl deemed not worth thinking about. And that left Katy and Daryl to their own devices for the evening. She had suggested calling up a late night card game with Squirrelly Dan and his cousin.

“Who Garrett?”

“No Jarrett.”

“Nah he always cheats.”

So they settled on watching some movie Daryl couldn’t remember the name or care about the plot of on account of either the alcohol or his fried mind. His mind stuck on Wayne’s words from earlier that evening. Katy mumbled some dig at the actors every few minutes but Daryl’s eyes were unfocused and he could only ever manage a grunt of acknowledgement. 

Around midnight when the movie ended Katy announced her intention to hit the sack. “You better too Darry we got chorin in the morning”

But he didn’t move from his spot on the couch. When he turned to stare at Katy, she finally saw his eyes and found them growing bloodshot.

“Hey little shoots what’s the fuss? You can take the guest bedroom tonight,” Katy came to rest a hand in his curls gently. She gave him a quick peck on the forehead as she muttered. “Angie can kiss my ass if she thinks she’s outlawed you from sleeping in our family home.”.

Still no response, so ever the diligent sister she heaved him by the arms and led him up the stairs to the guest bedroom, and turned to head towards her own satisfied that he’d pass out being in proximity to his old bed. But he didn’t.

Half way through her, now late, nightly routine Daryl knocked at her door. With a sigh he heard her pause the Arcade Fire EP that weirdo Stewart burned, specifically unprompted, for her last week and she opened the door to find Daryl in the third worst state she’d ever seen him in. Hair a mess, eyes redder that before, tears on his face and a bottle of Gus n’ Bru in his hand. Any accusation about interrupting her died on her lip as she took in the sight of him. She ushered him in without another word and grabbed some shot glasses and her own whiskey bottle she stored in her room for emergency responsible drinking. She poured them each a shot then downed and double tapped em lightly on her laptop in lieu of any alternatives and Katy resumed the music she had been playing.

“Okay little shoots time to spit it out.” She joined Daryl sitting cross legged on her bed. She laid her hands on top of his as he fussed with the hem of his plaid polo. His silent sniffles were his only response so she tilted his chin up to meet her eyes. “You show up at my door in the middle of night looking like death there’s no tight lipping it.”

Daryl was still silent a long moment after. The lyrics of Old Flame droned on in the background. As the song sunk into his bones, Daryl finally straightened up to meet Katy’s eyes proper.

“You know how years before the accident,” Daryl had been openly vague about Wayne and Katy’s folks recent passing to avoid the sting of loss. Katy nodded her head acknowledging his effort. “Your mama got us all matching wool jumpers one Christmas and we hated em, but she made us wear them for the photo anyway.”

“Looked like the fucking partridge family Christmas cover in those atrocities.” Katy smiled sadly at the memory. “She was so sick of that photo she coordinated a whole manger scene photo instead, using all our sheets to compensate.”

“Then every year after dad forced everyone to wear them to remind mama how tacky they were before we took the real picture for that year.” Daryl felt a lightness in his chest at the nostalgia of their memories. Only to have the weight of the night bring him back. “And then Christmas the year after the accident we pert near tore the house apart trying to find them. And Wayne was being a poopie pants the entire day after we couldn’t find them, not even the original photo.”

“We gonna summit Mt. What's your point any time soon er…”

Daryl tried to fuss with the hem of his shirt again but Katy caught his hands again. He sighed and continued, “We pawned off the sweaters in shame of how bad they were until we realized we could never take another picture with them again.” 

“A no would have sufficed.”

“Well now I know how it feels to miss something real bad that was never really good and never really something worth thinking about.” He began tearing up again comparing that Christmas  day to his own misery that night by the lake.

“Darry,” Katy fed up now at watching her friend break down once more. She took her hands and cupped Daryl’s cheeks. She rubbed at one of his scars lightly as she asked, “what’s the scoop?”

“Wayne told me he wants to marry Angie.” As he finally spit out the news the flood waters came. Any composure Daryl attempted to keep together crumbled as he fell to tears. Katy tearing up at the sad sight before her, Daryl tried and failed to shrink away from her. He mumbled out another soul crushing sob. “He told me that he loved her.” 

Katy didn’t speak a word after that, didn’t dare comment or do anything to worsen Daryl's condition. What she did do was pull her friend close and let him sob quietly into her shoulder. She held Daryl firm and steady despite the violent shaking and tears soaking her night shirt. 

“I’m sorry it ain’t nothing to get excited about.” Darry chanced a glance at Katy’s expression and saw her teary-eyed, glaring into the darkness. “Katy?”

“I’m gonna give him such an ass whooping.” Katy muttered through gritted teeth, her grip around Daryl still tight as if he’d fade away if she let him go.

“What? No! Why?” Daryl attempted and failed to pull away. He could only stare in disbelief at Katy’s threat.

“Darry you know I don’t like her.”

“Since when?”

“What being the cause of you showing up at 2 am looking like a wreck, sobbing like a widow isn’t enough?” She wiped away his tears then.

“This,” he pulled back enough to gesture vaguely at the mess he was being, “isn’t her fault, it’s me being a fucking sally and getting worked up over feelings I never acted on.”

“She kicked you out Darry,” Katy said with  venom on her tongue, looking at him as if he’d grow a second head. One that apparently didn’t mind defending Angie. “Out of the home we grew up in, and he let her."

“He didn’t just let her,” Daryl argued more sternly as he tried to fight back the ache in his chest. That night Angie decided to toss his stuff out into the lawn was a nightmare for everyone involved. “they fought about it and I decided it’s best if i just move out. I've got the trailer. I'm fine, it's cozy.”

“No it isn’t.”

“No it isn’t.”

“And I’ve never forgiven her for it, never will.” Katy swore, reminding Daryl of how she almost tore out several clumps of Angie’s hair that night before Squirrelly Dan and Daryl could wrestle her away. “So no I don’t like the tart that kicked out my friend and shacked up with my brother.”

“She’s a good girl, Katy.” Daryl attempted to keep Katy from spiraling down her vengeful path. She just scoffed at the idea. “She treats Wayne well.”

“She better.” Katy gritted through her teeth. Luckily enough it seemed she had something else on her mind. She spoke softer again. “Why…” she paused and Daryl felt an ache in the pit of his chest again. She was going to pry. “Darry why haven’t you told Wayne about your feelings?”

“Are you fucking preoccupied Katy?” Daryl snapped out of her grasp like she’d burnt him then. 

“Hey my comforter, my shot glasses, my back up bottle of Gus n’ Bru don’t take that tone with me buddy.” Katy pulled him back enough to seat face to face once again. “You know just as well as I do Wayne wouldn’t give a shit about how you identify.”

“He sure as hells gonna care when he finds out it’s him I’m a fucking pansy for.” Daryl dreaded any reminder of how 10-ply he was. Wayne finding out he’d been the source of those soft feelings wouldn’t sit well Daryl knew. “You’ve seen how squirrelly he gets when that preacher's kid Glen tries to get friendly with him.”

“You’re not Glen,” Katy said matter o’ factly, “you’re his best friend.”

“And it’s a whole lot better being his best bud then risk losing him all together, Katy.” He grumbled and fussed with his shirt once more.

“If you think loving him will be the straw that breaks the camel's back then maybe you don’t know him that well at all.” Katy gave no time to Daryl’s self-pity. She held his shoulders steady and spoke with purpose. “This is the guy that shot stink bombs at two mullet heads for insulting your birthday party. The guy that beat up a half a hockey team for calling you stupid. He loves you too Darry.”

“It ain’t the same kind and you know it. He’s done just as much for you and Squirrelly Dan. I’m a fucking fag Katy.” Katy flinched away slightly at his aggression. She grit her teeth ready to bite back at Daryl the second he stopped his self-deprecation again. “The things I’ve thought about Wayne aren’t right, aren’t how you should think about your best friend.”

“Pull your finger out of your ass. It’s the 21st Century Daryl.” She smacked him upside the head for good measure. “The worlds far from perfect but there are far worse things than loving a man. Hell Darry I’ve been in a committed relationship with two guys for months.”

“The nutsacks aren’t exactly shining examples of alternative lifestyles.”

“You leave them be, they’re figuring it out.”

“It don’t matter. I’ve come to terms with it. He loves her Katy. Like he rightly should.” Daryl slumped over then, the pit in his stomach opening back up. “There ain’t no changing how I feel, so I’ll just love him however I can, if it’s just as his friend then that’s all I need.”

“Oh Darry.” Katy felt her tears welling up again at the melancholy in his voice.

Katy pulled him close once again leaning back so they could both recline on to her bed. Bottles now empty and forgotten, contents working their way fully into their systems. Daryl continued to sob and sniffle quietly as Katy plotted how to get back at her brother and that woman. She tucked them both under her comforter and rested her forehead against his as Daryl’s eyelids began to weight down. “ You really are gone for him. ” Katy muttered low hoping he wouldn’t hear as he drifted to sleep, but he heard it loud and clear. There was no denying it.

He loved him. And there wasn’t any changing that.

Chapter Text

For the next 5 years Daryl kept his feelings buried as Katy looked on helpless to do a goddamn thing. It wasn’t long before Squirrelly Dan caught wind of the tension between the two and pried it out of Katy somehow. But that was all the past. Daryl’s done a lot of growing and moving on, Katy can make all the quips she wants, that’s not going to change Daryl’s resolve. He’ll love Wayne however he can, however he’ll take him and if it’s a buddy he needs then fuck, Daryl’ll be the best buddy he can be.

Well he’s trying, but this whole leaving Letterkenny charade has made his feelings  almost impossible to ignore. How’s he gonna hear Wayne’s laugh when he’s gone? Who’s he gonna chirp at the hockey nutsacks with? Who’s gonna hold him back when he gets too worked up during a scrap? Who’s he supposed to live for now?

“Darry!” The crunch of gravel and the sound of Wayne’s voice pulled Daryl out of his deep thoughts.

He turned to see Wayne walking up, looking winded enough considering the work from how good the yields been this summer. Daryl can’t help but notice he’s looking a lot more smiley then he was at the produce stand, though still just as rigid as ever. “Wayne how’re ya no-“

“-Oh cut the formalities bud, aren’t you supposed to be feeding the cows?” Despite his crack at Daryl’s smoke break he’s soon enough pulling a dart out himself. Ever the helper Daryl lights it for him.

“Ladies are all fed and satisfied.” Daryl takes the last drag out of the dart he’s been sitting on while he reminisced and snuffs it out with his boot.

“Well aren’t you just a charmer” Wayne jokes amicably as if they hadn’t just been squaring off with words by the produce stand just 2 hours prior.

“I know my way around a heifer good buddy.” Daryl goes along with the batter, if only to keep the peace. He’s glad they can still joke around but questions burn on his tongue. “So leaving Letterkenny. That a sure thing about now?”

Wayne had the nerve to look crestfallen at the question. As if he hoped Daryl would just stick to shooting the shit like it’s no big deal. “Well I talked to Rosie on the phone after we had that pow wow with Katy and Dan. She understood the concerns of the farm fairly.”

“Good gal.”

“Great gal.”

Greed- No that ain’t proper. He can’t go blaming Rosie for any of this even if the pit in his stomach writhes at the thought. “Generous gal, considerate.”

After a long drag Wayne squared his shoulders once again and got to the point. “I figures once we can get a confirmed hand to take over my chores it’ll be all squared away.” 

“10-4, good buddy.” Daryl didn’t have the energy to argue anymore.

“Over and out,” Wayne mused with some confidence. Then after another drag his composure changed oddly, almost sheepish, if that’s possible with how stiff Wayne usually was, and he spoke in a polite mutter Daryl recognized instantly. “Say Darry?”

“Yeah good buddy?” Daryl began digging for another dart at that but found he burned up his last one. Wayne graciously took pity on him and offered him a fresh one. As he lit it up Wayne shifted on his feet, Daryl gestured for him to proceed while he took a long drag.

“Well what uh,” Wayne muttered to the barn door frame just to the right of Daryl’s head, “whaddaya think of Rosi-”

“-Wayne,” Daryl didn't even care that Wayne refused to look him in the eye, because he caught a glimpse of something in Wayne’s right fist. “What is that?”

Wayne visibly flinched as Daryl caught a glimpse of the tiny box in his hand. “Well fucking don’t answer my question with a question Darry.”

“She a great fucking gal Wayne everybody’s been clear about that.” Daryl spat out bluntly, refusing to look away from Wayne’s clenched fist, as if it’d vanish if he looked away.

“Take about 10% off her there.” 

“Sorry but you know everybody loves Rosie, they’ve been suspicious about how much she loves reading, but I can always sympathize with a good time reading some riveting fiction.” Daryl shook away the initial shock and tried to compose himself again. But wasn’t it just his fucking luck that this would happen right after Katy brought up that night. Daryl pointed at the box suspiciously as he continued, “But yer asking me that question while you’re holding that in your hand, so I can only assume good buddy. You been doing some thinking?”

“Well likely. Chorin’ gives a fella a lot of time to think ya know.” Daryl gestured for Wayne to show the goods and after hesitating again Wayne acquiesced. He held his right hand out stiffly and opened up the box. Resting on red velvet was a modest looking vintage ring, diamond with a gold band.

“Is that?” Daryl squinted in confusion. “Is that the ring you gave Marie-Fred?”

“No Jesus you think I’d do that to Rosie.” Wayne snapped the box closed and pocketed it. Daryl could only shrug, he never even got to see the other ring so he was just curious. Wayne held his tense expression as Daryl brought back up his ex. “That thing is back where I got it at the jeweler collecting dust likely. Nobody else wants a ring jinxed with cheating.”

“So a new ring?” 

“No this one’s ma’s,” Wayne smiled lightly with pride. Daryl tried to keep his expression neutral again. “Took it in for a resizing a week ago.”

“Wayne…”Daryl stepped away from the barn side wall and squared up to force Wayne to look at him. Even a foot apart Wayne still focused over his shoulder. “Gonna need some eye contact buddy.” 

Wayne finally looked at him and fuck if he didn’t look more shook up than the day they found out Angie cheated on him. “Darry?”

“You thinking of proposing to Rosie?” Daryl spoke through the dart in his mouth now. He’d intended to keep casual like he did at the stand but something in him needed to keep prying. He crossed his arms and kept his face twisted in confusion like it usually was.

“Well why the fuck else would a guy have a ring Darry?” Wayne’s guard went up at the question, as did his pitch again. He looped his thumbs through his belt loops and just like that his broad shoulders looked broader then should be possible. Fuck Wayne cut an imposing figure.

“So soon after everything that happened in Quebec?” Usually seeing his buds physique on display so blatantly would stir something in several parts of Daryl’s body but today he only felt on edge.

“As I recall that whole mess in Quebec resulted from everybody running to save your ass.” Wayne sighed as the topic of the québécoise they’d all but cut ties with came back up.

“After you all refused to come back me up.” Daryl had been sitting on that quip. He was still sore from the ridicule he faced from having to scrounge up back up in the form of ostrich fuckers cuz his buddies were too drunk or didn’t care to help. Wayne looked as if he had another quip on the top of his tongue. “I know, I know taint no respect and all that. But well, you’re welcome that my stupidity revealed your ex’s Buck et Hoeing about.” 

“Hey there’s no need to bad mouth her about it Darry.” Wayne couldn’t have sounded more insincere. Daryl knew he loved her once as well, so he felt no shame slandering her two-timing name.

“She cheated on you. As far as I’m concerned the cunt can kiss it.” Wayne squinted at the insult but his frown ticked into satisfied smirk. Daryl moves on from the French, better things to focus on now. “Enough talk about her. Why now good buddy?”

“Well not now likely.” Wayne went right back to staring past Daryl’s shoulder. Daryl still squinted hard in suspicion of his buddy’s muttering. “But six months is a long time. So i was thinking if’n when we got there, when the moments right, when it feels right that I could have mama’s ring with me.”

So Rosie wasn’t the one thinking this could be the start of something more, Wayne was. The pit in his stomach flipped at the realization. Daryl stared hard at the ground for a minute willing away the ache of it. Whatever Wayne needed him to be he’d be it. So he’ll swallow his feelings one more time. He blinked away any heavy feelings as he straightened up to look at Wayne waiting expectantly. “Okay.”

“Just okay?” Wayne looked at him like he just kicked Gus, not that he ever could or would, such a good boi. But Wayne had that look on his face again, the one Daryl couldn’t make heads or tails of. He’s been having a hard time reading Wayne lately.

“Okay?” He could only shrug at that. Feeling unsure of what Wayne expected of him at the moment. He settled for the familiar congratulations he usually gave. “Good for you big shooter, want to cheers a Puppers then?”

“Just okay and cheers again Darry?” Wayne caught on to Daryl’s rehearsed answer. No hiding insincerity when Daryl’s used that same phrase for about every girlfriend Wayne’s had. “You don’t have anything else to say about this?”

“Sort yourself out, bud.” Now Daryl was getting defensive. Wayne growled at that. Just why exactly was Wayne so keen on getting his opinion on Rosie? “Well, what the fuck do you want me to say Wayne?”

“I don’t fucking know Daryl I fucking figured my best bud would have some words of fucking encouragement.” Wayne took another drag of his dart. 

“What the hell does it matter what I think?” Daryl didn’t give a care about composure now. Wayne could prod all he liked, Daryl laid out his feelings about Rosie politely, any other opinions weren’t proper to speak on. Daryl bit back at Wayne, “I’m spare parts remember?”

“I’m bout to take a fucking migraine.” Wayne crosses his arms, dart half smoked and forgotten onto the ground now. “Now what the fuck are you on about?” 

“The less you say now the less you’ll have to apologize for.”

“Just answer my fucking question Daryl.” Wayne squared up properly ready to go to blows at a moment's notice. Wayne’s aggressive mannerisms did nothing to dissuade the venom Daryl felt ready to spew in his throat.

“Are you spare parts bud?” After a day of emotional tension and arguing Daryl’s mind was fried. Whatever Wayne wanted out of him wasn’t gonna come from Wayne beating it out of him. Daryl continued to prod back. “I already answered it.”

“Yeah well take a fucking hint I wasn’t satisfied with the answer.” Wayne gave him a shove for good measure. 

“That sounds like a you problem.” Daryl pointedly ignored Wayne’s shove, even as his back hit the side of the barn lightly.

“Don’t make me fucking say it Dar.” Wayne’s jaw tensed up as Daryl refused to give him a satisfying answer and more so refused to stop prodding.

“Wayne,” Daryl chanced putting his hand on Wayne’s shoulder. Wayne didn’t physically flinch but his jaw relaxed after a moment. This back and forth was getting them nowhere. Daryl softened his tone again. “Why the hell do you need to know what I think?”

“Because I want to fucking know.” Daryl openly rolled his eyes at that. Wayne was known as a man of few words to a lot of Letterkenny, but not to Daryl, and just demanding an answer wasn’t going to work.

“You can’t just command an answer out of me, Wayne.” Daryl gripped his shoulder tightly. Wayne still had a lot of fight in him, so Daryl needed to talk him down.  “Why do you care? Who cares what I think? Nobody else does. Ought a leave this world behind.”

“I care.” Wayne objected quietly.

“Well I don’t. So why do you seem to care?” Daryl gave him a pat, better but still not an answer either. Wayne’s jaw got real tight again so Daryl gave him some encouragement, “Pitter patter, big shooter.”

“Because…” Wayne for once looked right at Daryl as he muttered. The emotion in his voice caught Daryl off guard. “Cause what if she says no. What if she cheats on me? Like all the other girls do.”

“She’s a good girl.” So that’s the fuss. Wayne looked at him like he could come up with an answer that would settle any uncertainty. Daryl was no Squirrelly Dan, he couldn’t rationalize and speak plainly so he kept it as honest as he could. “Sure there have been bumps in the road, with what happened with Bradley, but you moved past it. So cut that ten-ply shit out and let’s grab a Puppers.”

“Dar...”

“Wayne. Rosie’s a great fucking gal alright. Why’re you so hung up on my opinion of Rosie?” Daryl just didn’t know how to navigate this conversation. How’s he supposed to know what to say, when Wayne won’t tell him what’s going on. 

Wayne refused to answer again, just kept clenching his jaw staring a hole into the bar side wall. Daryl gave his shoulder another squeeze. “Get after it already.”

“Cause fuckin…” Wayne still looked like he was struggling to get his mind together. He took a long look at Daryl before he worked into muttering lowly. “Because I’m scared.”

“Shut the fuck up.” Daryl couldn’t help the disbelief that slipped through. What the hell has this day been? Wayne’s face twisted into a real hard grimace now. “The toughest guy in Letterkenny, scared? That’s a cruel fucking joke if I’ve ever heard one bud.”

Wayne knocked away Daryl’s grip on his shoulder and gave Daryl another shove. Daryl’s back met the barn side wall harder this time, thankfully he steadied himself quickly. Now Daryl was just confused more than anything, no surprise there he supposes. Wayne looked like he was ready to bite his head off.

“I’m not fucking joking you nutsack. In case you haven’t noticed I’m being faced with the fact that I’m leaving my entire fucking world behind for a girl I can never fully understand.” Daryl’s quip apparently hit Wayne’s sore spot. Wayne’s finally just unloading on him now, “She is so different from what I am, but she still understands what I care about. So I could use some fucking counseling from my best fucking friend about the biggest change in my life.”

There it was. All on the table now. Wayne wanted a life with Rosie, but he’s got a hell of a bunch of loose ends here in Letterkenny holding him back. That’s all fine and touching, but how is Daryl supposed to help with that? Wayne’s always had better luck in love so, what’s he supposed to say? That night by the lake suddenly flashed in his mind. The same scene was playing out here again. So he had to be sure. “Do you love her?”

Wayne held his gaze briefly, but looked away as he stuttered through his confession. “I-I do. I love her. She-” Daryl looked away as well, a familiar sting in his eye threatened to make itself known. He could just hear Wayne mutter, “She’s been good to me, Darry.”

“Then that’s that.” Daryl cleared his throat and gave Wayne a light punch to the shoulder now and put some distance between them again. Satisfied that Wayne got his concerns out, Daryl turned to head home.

“Will you- don’t fucking walk away, Darry.” Wayne caught Daryl by the elbow and pulled him back to face him. “What’s the fuss? I thought I could talk to you about this.”

“What else is  there to talk about Wayne? You said it yourself. Marriage is simple. You find someone to spend the rest of your life with, and you do it.” Daryl tried to turn away, the ache in his chest coming back again. Wayne’s grip on his arm kept him from going too far. He tugged on his arm to try and free himself from Wayne but could only turn to face him. “Ain’t nothing to get excited about. If you love her, commit. I don’t need to be part of it.”

“What’s been going on with you today?” Wayne scrunched up his face in confusion. If Daryl hadn’t been so worked up he’d have the good sense to feel bad about that. 

“Pardon?”

“Like I know why Katy’s antsy. She seems to think I’m leaving to spite y’all and that just ain’t right.” Wayne gripped his elbow tightly after reminding Daryl of what happened at the produce stand that day. Katy hadn’t exactly been subtle with how she forced him to reevaluate his priorities. As far as Wayne knows Katy convinced Daryl that Wayne didn’t care about them enough. “But that’s not all, there’s been something else with you two today after she dragged you away. What’s the fuss?”

“Ain’t worth thinking about bud.” Daryl bit his tongue. Wayne didn’t need to know the real reason he was against all this.

“Bullshit Darry.” Wayne’s grip on his elbow tighten and he tried to pull Daryl closer. 

“Wayne would you drop it? Why are you prying anyway? It doesn’t matter.” Daryl twisted and shoved his way out of Wayne’s grip. This conversation’s gone on long enough, Daryl was starting to feel too raw and too exhausted to keep his composure. He’d use any excuse he could scrounge up to get out and put a pin in this. “You have more important things to worry about. There’s that going away party right? You put it on your fucking Facebook yet?”

“Slow your roll Darry.” Wayne blocked him from walking away again. He huffed at Wayne’s insistence at keeping this useless conversation going. Wayne looked at him long and hard before he answered Daryl’s question. “That’s a week away at least.”

“Well better get ready for it then.” Daryl brushed past Wayne and started to make his way to the laneway. He called over his shoulder, “Week’s a short amount of time to prepare for a six month trip.”

“You’re really not gonna talk to me about this?” Wayne called after him, sounding defeated. That stopped Daryl in his tracks somehow. It weren’t right to just brush off his best friend after he’d confided in him so earnestly. But the thought of that ring sitting heavy in his pocket kept him from turning around properly.

“I’m happy for you Wayne.” Daryl couldn’t see him but he could tell by the sound of slowly shifting gravel that Wayne was trying to to walk up to him.

 Before Wayne could reach him or answer, Daryl began walking away again without looking back. As he got closer to the laneway he began picking up his pace until he didn’t hear the sound of gravel behind him. Once he reached the edge of the property he turned, and Wayne was just standing there out halfway from the barn and laneway, unmoving. With a sigh Daryl turned once again and made his way home without another look back.

Chapter Text

What followed was the tensest week of Daryl’s long life. An uncomfortable energy hung above the hicks as they attempted to move on with choring and chatting as if the end of their little corner of the world wasn’t eminent. 

The day that followed the confrontation at the produce stand Daryl skipped out on breakfast at the farmhouse, showing up to the dining table late with some excuse of having some bulk oats back at his trailer he’s working through. Wayne didn’t seem to read the room properly, because he kept chirping out details about Vancouver trying to make conversation. Katy’s answers were always biting, Dan kept it polite, and Daryl either didn’t contribute or kept his answers so brief and stilted that the conversation died immediately. Shitty conversation could become irrelevant soon enough once they’d start choring anyway.

Squirrelly Dan was 70% Squirrellier than usual. The dips and pauses in conversation between his best buds wore him thin till he stormed off on the fourth day spouting off something about being late for a courtship walk with Lovina Dyck. Not even giving time to Katy and Daryl’s attempts at Dyck jokes.

“No time for some honey sweet Dyck?” Dary said. That’s earned him a glare from Wayne. Dan stayed silent. Daryl tried to ignore the staring as best he could but couldn’t hold back a clarifying, “Jokes. Jokes, come on Dan we haven’t had a good round of Dycking around all week.”

Squirrelly Dan grunted up from his spot at the stand and gave Wayne a curt nod that the blond just barely acknowledged. Wayne was preoccupied staring a hole into the side of Daryl’s head, not that Daryl was paying it any mind. Though the awkward tension would set in again once Dan departed, none of the other three hicks really made to stop him.

“Yeah Squirrelly Dan. You been getting Dyck shy on us now?” Katy chirped up half-heartedly from her lounge chair without sparing Dan a glance.

“No, I gottas to go.” Dan weaved his way through their set up of chairs and the cooler by the stand. Dodging the Puppers Daryl tried to hand to him.

“What? Can’t wait for that Dyck in the park?” Daryl shouted toward Dan’s retreating form. He gripped the Puppers in his hand and waved it back at Dan like a bone. “You’re just going in unlubed and dry?”

“Darry!” Wayne flinched at the unsubtle use of innuendo. Daryl didn’t react, just continued watching Dan walk toward his truck. With no response, he dropped the bottle back into the cooler with a sigh.

“He didn’t even have a Puppers he's heading in stone cold sober.” Despite Wayne piping in, Daryl continued to focus on conversing with Katy on more Dyck puns.

Much of the days went like this. The four of them tried to pretend nothing was wrong but Wayne and Daryl didn’t talk, to each other at least. Wayne would propose some half-hearted topic of conversation that Katy would quip at and Dan would politely contribute, but Daryl, Daryl was largely obtuse about it, taking any suggestion dryly and answering curtly. Anytime Katy or Dan put an idea out Daryl responded normally.

“Wonder what grows good out in Vancouver.” Wayne ponders on his last Thursday in Letterkenny. He, Katy and Daryl settled down on the porch after morning chores today, sunlight so harsh they needed the shade the deck could offer. Squirrelly Dan dipped right after choring once again, not too keen on a repeat of the last few days.

Neither Katy nor Daryl responded to Wayne’s topic for a long minute. Not exactly riveting conversation, but the silence was getting to even stoic Wayne. 

Daryl snuffed out the dart he’d been working on and spit out a suggestion, “Beets.”

Wayne and Katy turned toward Daryl as he was sat in the middle of the porch. When he didn’t elaborate they shared a look, confusion and frustration on Wayne’s part, and exhaustion on Katy’s.

“Beets Daryl?” Katy asked dully. She was more preoccupied with filing her nails today than whatever the hell her brother and his ‘best friend’ were getting into.

“Well likely,” Daryl turned to engage with an uninterested Katy. When she rolled her eyes he turned back toward looking out at the property instead. Addressing the open air, Daryl elaborated, “it’s on a rocky coast so they’re partial to fishing but there’s good soil from the forests that mix with the Fraser River.”

“You’ve been researching Vancouver growing conditions?” Wayne dumps his dart in the Folgers can between them and makes to light another. Daryl doesn’t respond to his question after another minute.

“Daryl.” Katy sighs and kicks at Daryl’s foot lightly.

“Well fucking beets me, it’s a coastal region, roots grow good there.” Katy glares deadly at Daryl for his sorry excuse of a pun set up.

The next dip into silence came as Wayne didn’t respond to the pedestrian effort Daryl put into that pun. 

Katy mostly ignored the long silence that followed for the next 30 minutes. She went back to filing her nails and decided she was satisfied enough to paint them. She realized with a groan that she had only brought out one nail polish that was a deep shade of burgundy, that of fucking beets.

Wayne took notice of her despair and offered a half-hearted, “All you can beet.”

Katy groaned loudly at the poor excuse for puns the two were struggling to get out. Deciding she had enough awkwardness for one afternoon, Katy packed up her nail kit and made toward the laneway and kept walking.

To Katy’s dismay, Daryl has apparently taken a page out of Stewart’s book and decided to give her brother the silent treatment for most of the week.

“It ain’t a fucking silent treatment Katy.” He spit out as Katy cornered Daryl in the kitchen to interrogate him the following morning.

Daryl had been digging through the fridge early, looking for his stash of yogurt when Katy almost slammed the door on his head. Thankfully, he found the last two before she could do any damage to him. He tucked into the cup as she stood stiff in the kitchen glaring at him. Between scoops of dairy product he spit out an explanation. “There’s just nothing worth saying anymore. We’re still shooting the shit after chores.”

Katy didn’t have the energy this week to give a care about Daryl’s lack of manners, talking with his gob full of yogurt, like a degen. With Friday chores needing to get started she was prepping a pot for whenever Wayne got back in from his early morning survey of the property.

As she dug through the cabinets for the grounds she refuted Daryl’s excuses over her shoulder. “Right, because yesterday’s showing of the riveting discussion on fucking beets was just aces.”

“Not all our fucking conversations have to be comedic genius, Katy.” Daryl clutched his yogurt in one hand and grabbed everybody’s empty mugs in the other as he moved to the dining table to set them up. Despite Katy’s insistence on arguing, Daryl was set on getting them ready for the day. “He wondered what grows good out in Vancouver and it’s beets.”

“An hour of beet puns every 15 minutes is not a good ratio for anyone.” Katy set the coffee to brew and trudged over to the table. Instead of sitting at her usual seat she made to lean over Dan’s side and stared down Daryl once again. She scoffed, exasperated, remembering yesterday’s events, “Four puns? Only 4 fucking puns, it was a fucking train wreck out there.”

“Well what the fuck do you want from me Katy? My best friend’s leaving, I ain’t exactly jazzed about it.” Daryl scrapped loudly at the dredges of his first cup.

Katy snatches the empty cup from his hands. “Then nut up and tell him that.”

Daryl scrambles slightly trying to grab his yogurt back, only for Katy to toss it toward a waiting Gus. “Well you want to be the one to tell him you gave Gus dairy?”

“Gus is an old fart anyway he gets special treatment, remember?” Katy continues to lean on the table, smirking smugly. “So super chief, spill it or shut it.”

 “You’re his sister, you tried to tell him you didn’t like it and even that wasn’t enough.” Daryl decidedly focused on the nutritional information of his second cup. 10 grams of sugar? Maybe he should cut down to one a day. As he tore open the top Katy cleared her throat. He looked up to find her still expecting an answer. He sighed and dug into his second cup. “Why would he listen to me?”

Daryl’s defeated sigh both aggravated and saddened Katy. “God boys are fucking-” Before she could tear into Daryl’s pessimist attitude the Mr. Coffee dinged quietly in the background. 

On instinct Katy turned sharply from bearing down on Daryl to grab the pot and begin prepping their mugs. She handed Daryl back his cup wordlessly and moved to set Wayne’s at his spot at the table before finally sinking into her usual chair. 

Daryl sipped his coffee silently, the warmth waking him up properly while the caffeine would take a bit to work again. He looked over to see Katy staring at him as she clutched her mug tightly, she glanced toward Wayne’s empty chair and back at him, a sad look in her eye. “I don’t have the energy for this anymore.” Her brother’s leaving home for half a year, Daryl’s been pouting heart-broken all week, and Squirrelly Dan’s been too polite to pry anymore into this business. There’s only so much she can take. “You need to make it clear how you feel about all this before the end of this week. Because you lied to me again.”

Katy kept eye contact with Daryl for her last statement. Her meaning behind those words hit him like a Mack truck, she was right. He’d let his emotions get the better of him, but he knew better than to admit it. Wayne doesn’t need to know any of the shit that’s been running through his head.

“I’m not the one forcing this shit back into conversation Katy. You’ve been hounding me about this all week.” Daryl sank into his chair putting some distance between the two. As he finished off his mug he felt Katy staring at him expectedly again. Forcing a tight smile he assured her.  “I’m fine.”

“Tell that to your face.” Katy spit back at him with bitterness. No forced or fake smile can fool her. She finally took a small sip of her coffee and cut her eyes at him again. “There ain’t no hiding how broken up about this you are.”

“That doesn’t change the fact that I ain’t pulling a Stewart.” Despite his lack of energy this early in the morning Daryl could argue till the cows came home. Comparing him to that skid. Like fuck he’d let her do that. Slamming his empty mug onto the table he met her cutting eyes with his own. “We’re not even fucking dating this has nothing to do with your stint with that skid.”

“You’re ignoring your issues and dancing around the topic as if addressing it is impossible.” His aggression barely fazed Katy as she sighed and sipped her coffee again. Daryl was pouting up a storm now. “Classic Stewart”

“It is impossible. You know that.” He stood up from the table sharply and turned to make for the side door. “I’ve had enough of this I’m going to the barn.”

“So you’re just giving up?” Katy didn’t bother to stop him.

“Goodbye Katy.” Daryl was likely just gonna head home after choring today again. And the tone in Katy’s voice told him she knew that fact.

“You’ve still got to talk to Gail about the details for Saturday remember?” She reminded him about his promise to take care of the party plans.

“I know I’m handling it, everything’s set. Got a fucking cake and everything.” Daryl stood in the walkway of the door, praying that Katy was done with her interrogation. She didn’t turn around, just continued sipping her coffee, so he opened the screen door to walk out.

“Just please take care of yourself, Darry.” Katy stopped him in his tracks. “For me.”

Most of the hicks weren’t exactly experts at subtlety but if anything Katy was always one to subvert expectations. Daryl parsed the meaning behind her words well enough, but before he could reassure her of anything the side door swung open to reveal a scowling Wayne and a yawning Dan.

Daryl decidedly kept it brief as he shoved passed the two muttering to Katy over his shoulder. “Pitter patter.”

And that was the end of it. Wayne and Dan attempted small talk later in the day but Daryl kept it short and headed back to his trailer after everything was done. The silence of his tiny home was a brief respite to the tension. He’d spent that evening drinking out the dredges of his fridge, staring blankly at the light static of his old TV, and marinating on what Katy had said to him. The hours faded into a restless sleep as Daryl’s mind aches from both the alcohol and the bleak future ahead of him. 

Saturday came and the choring wasn’t any easier with the humidity dropping down and the temperature jumping up. Good for drying out straw for bedding but if they don’t work fast enough most of, if not all, the stalks will end up bedding, harder to raise the cattle properly without some baled away for feeding. Dry weather usually meant Daryl had to wrap up giving the girls their milking quickly and join Wayne on baleing so they wouldn’t lose most of the crop to the harsh sunlight.

Following Katy’s confrontation the day prior, Daryl decided to leave behind whatever tension the hicks built up during the week and just have a good day with his best bud for the last time in 6 months.

Daryl found him out in the field loading up the truck with a good few bales already. With only one set of hands Wayne had the flatbed of the Deere butt up against the truck so he could load ‘em up without having to hop between the two constantly.

“Wayne.” He waves up to him on the truck, Wayne gave him a nod but continued working. Daryl climbed up on to the flatbed and took care of passing bales to Wayne so he could focus on stacking em up in the truck.

“Daryl, how’re ya now.”

“Good n’ you”

“Oh not so bad.” With formalities out of the way Wayne turned to continue loading up the bales.

“Look Wayne, I want to apologize for my behavior this week.” Wayne gave him the decency of meeting his eye for once, though there was still distrust there.

Wayne loaded up a stack of bales to his right before he gave time for Daryl’s statement. With the truck half loaded he cocked his hip, leaned onto a stack, and looked toward Daryl. “Now I don’t know what the hell you and Katy have been smoking lately but I do know I’ve fucking had it with this silent treatment you’ve been giving.”

“I haven’t-”

“Fucking Stewart the II over here.”

“Wayne…”

“Fucking call you Stuart M. Kaminsky, cuz you’ve been crafting up a mystery bud.”

Despite the distance between them this week Daryl couldn’t help but laugh dejectedly at Wayne’s mastery of wordplay, he didn’t even know Wayne read mystery novels. With a light hearted sigh, Daryl threw up his hands. “I know, I know call me the ‘Darry Best of Rod Stewart’-”

“-Cuz you’re ‘Just a Little Misunderstood’?”  Wayne scrunched up at the odd reference but his frown ticked into a small smirk all the same.

“No because ‘I Don’t Want to Talk About It’.” Daryl fakes a pout as he tosses another bale at Wayne a bit harder than anticipated.

Though he wasn’t expecting the force behind the toss, it’d take a lot more than a bale to knock Wayne down. He scoffed at Daryl’s deflection, “Fucking sort yourself out Darry. That song’s not even on that album.” 

“I know.” Daryl giggles lightly and his frown melted away as Wayne reacted exactly as predicted and started nitpicking his song choice. 

Daryl has a personal skill at riling Wayne up and fuck if it didn’t make Wayne smile harder to have this repartee back. But having the ease of conversation back just reminded him “Why are we doing this?”

“Doing what good buddy?”

“Avoiding each other,” Wayne met Daryl’s eye, his squint remained stiff, but the defeat in his voice hurt Daryl’s soul. Wayne sighed and moved closer to the flatbed side of the truck, “keeping things brief, spending an entire fucking hour without breaking a pun count of 5.” He swatted at Daryl lightly at the reminder of Thursday’s train wreck. Daryl flinched, but laughed lightly at the memory of that awful afternoon. Wayne’s voice was filled with more playfulness as he concluded, “That was fucking embarrassing.”

“Fucking amatuer hour it was. I’m sorry Wayne. I’ve been sore about all this after you told us you’d be leaving.” Daryl leaned on the truck side closer to Wayne when a sick thought came to his mind. “I guess the thought about going without my best friend beet me down inside.”

“It’s six months Darry.” Wayne looked at him in disbelief, but added, “It won’t be forever. We'll beet again old friend.”

“Guess I always figured you to be the guy that plays for beets.” Daryl smiled widely as Wayne picked up on the joke. He moved back to hand Wayne more bales to stack up. “You never half ass anything good buddy.”

“I ain’t about to beet a hasty retreat outta my home town.” As they two fell into a rhythm their repartee came back into full force, it’s almost a shame how easy it was to patch things up, but then again they’ve been playing this game for years. It’s almost expected that the pair could finish each other’s sentences. As their rhythm caught a stride Wayne shared a thought. “But I made a promise to Rosie and I ain’t about to get cold beet about it.”

“It’ll beet getting better good buddy.” Daryl found it easier to quell the ache in his chest when he and Wayne were into the swing of one of their back and forths. That said he couldn’t help the sad thought that popped into his head. “Though the streets of Letterkenny might become a dangerous place without the toughest-”

“Fuckin’ a.” Wayne dropped the bale he was stacking.

“What?” Daryl startled at Wayne’s sudden stop.

“Streets, beets. We could have been making those puns all of yesterday.” Wayne frowned deeply at his realization. Daryl let out a deep bellied laugh at that. “A million fucking things with street in them.”

“Fucking hope you’re heading out to a place Where the Beets Have No Name.”

“Fucking, the Mean Beets of British Columbia could beet the tar out of me.”

Daryl giggled and kept their pace at stacking. “Being with Rosie you could show those folks the real Beets of Love.”

“If they piss me off I’m liable to show them the Beets of Rage.” Wayne’s shoulders relaxed as they neared a full truck bed.

“That’d be a True Crime: Beets of LA to not show them the Beets of Rage 2.”

“Fucking I’d have to be three beets to the wind not to show em the Beets of Rage 3.”

“Remake?”

“Nah never played the remake.”

“Me neither.”

Wayne stacked up the last bale and hopped onto the flatbed. He slung an arm around Daryl and gave him a few good pats on the belly. To which Daryl struggled vainly to get out of. “Well no fucking duh Daryl we pert near grew up together there ain’t a game we haven’t beet together.”

“Will you two degens stop beeting around the bush and make up already?” An amused chirp came from the other side of the flatbed.

The pair looked to see Katy wandering up to meet them. Wayne kept his arm around Daryl as they greeted each other.

“Beet you to the punch Katy, we already did that.” Daryl quipped back at her wordplay.

“Can’t fault me for getting fed up with the blind beeting the blind over here.” Though her words still held some fight in them, Katy smiled at the pleasant sight of her brother and Daryl enjoying some afternoon chirping. “So we all fine and dandy now?”

“Can confirm” Wayne and Daryl said together as they hopped off the flatbed.

“Great, let’s wrap up these chores boys cuz I'm going all out tonight.” Satisfied that the week from hell was over Katy headed back to the house.

“Keep it classy.” Wayne called after her, as she flipped him the bird in response.

“Know what it’s time for good buddy?” Daryl asked as they trailed after Katy. Daryl felt warm, both from the hard work and with how Wayne’s arm still held him close.

“I feel like you’re gonna tell me.” As they got closer to the laneway they could see a smiling Dan standing by Ken’s truck waiting to take them to MoD3an’s.

“Time for a Turnip.” Daryl said smugly. That earned a good groan from both of the siblings. Wayne shoved him to the ground and Katy gave him a quick kick to the shin. After giving him his well deserved beets, Wayne picked Daryl back up by the scruff of his neck and led him to the laneway to a waiting Katy and Dan.

It was a warm day in Letterkenny, all was right in the world and a farewell party for the toughest guy in Letterkenny was in the making.

Chapter Text

The bustle of Letterkenny’s only bar reached new levels of rowdy for the toughest guy in town’s last night. From the hockey players, to the skids, to the Ag hall council, anyone who knew the town would be forever changed by Wayne’s departure came to pay their respects. You’d almost think it was a holiday with how even the hickest of hicks were in their Sunday best, or maybe everyone looked a bit classier with Daryl out of his barn clothes.

Wayne and the hicks began the night with formalities and several rounds of shots with each respective group. He had the good graces to start with the McMurrays and Jim Dickens. The huddle of hicks gathered by the end of the bar with Gail prepping some shots.

“McMurray-”  “Wayne how-”

Wayne held up a hand to silence McMurray before he could interrupt again, and turned on his bar stool to address the hicks properly. “-Now you’re gonna let me talk and I’m gonna tell ya, you’re a good man, but you’re also a piece a shit McMurray.” The hicks around them visibly relax at the bit getting cut short. McMurray himself pouted, but otherwise nodded in agreement. “And I’ll be honest I ain’t gonna miss this awkward back and forth.”

“I think it’s kinda endearing.” Rosie came and saddled up on the stool at Wayne’s left side. He eyed her suspiciously. “You’re both hicks, good men, and big brothers with similar mindsets and values,”

“Well fuckin’ hopefully not too similar mindsets.” Daryl muttered at Wayne’s other side.

That earned him simultaneous smacks from Katy and Bonnie, and a semi-lucid wink from Mrs.McMurray. Wayne and Dan politely stifled their laughs for McMurray’s sake, though it seemed the hick was completely oblivious to anything being said. Though Rosie took notice and eyed Daryl with a small smirk. “What was that Daryl?”

“Nope, nothing.” Daryl held up his hands in surrender. 

Before Rosie could pry coyly into Daryl’s meaning, Mrs.McMurray surprisingly offered some advice, all while spilling some gin near Rosie’s boots. “I’ll tell ya, you better make sure they’ve got a good cocksucking supply of gin and tonics out there in Couver.”

Despite the usual slur in Mrs.McMurray’s voice and her wobbly stance that Bonnie had to help stabilize, her sincerity couldn’t be denied. Wayne bowed his Puppers to her in appreciation.

“Yew Bobby! They’ve got some good coon down Couver way!” Of course McMurray couldn’t keep the moment pure, too preoccupied with his eighth bottle of Puppers already somehow.

“Cocksucking whiskey out there’s got nothing on Gus n’ Bru.” Mrs.McMurray added before politely pushing her husband a bit away from the group to spare everyone his ravings on #Swoon4Coon2019.

“Can confirm.” The chorus of hicks toasted lightly to Mrs.McMurray’s words of wisdom.

Daryl downed his second bottle of Puppers, then turned and tapped the bar lightly to get Gail’s attention. To his surprise the chill of a freshly opened bottle hit the left of his neck. Bonnie McMurray handed him a Puppers with a wink as she snaked her arms around him in a kind hug. He would have verbalized a thank you, if she wasn’t looking between him and Wayne with such sad eyes.

Bonnie kept an arm around Daryl as she leaned to greet Wayne in her usual fashion. “Hi Wayne.” 

Wayne leaned back on his barstool, still facing out toward the crowd and politely tipped his bottle to greet her, though he eyed the arm she had wrapped around Daryl. “Bonnie, how’re ya now?” 

“Good n’ you?” Bonnie replied in like form. Daryl coughed as she tightened her grip slightly. She pointedly ignored Daryl’s small protest and continued to converse with Wayne.

“Oh not so bad.” Wayne doesn’t meet her eye after the formalities were out of the way. He just  downs his Puppers and turns on his stool to the bar to meet eyes with a suspiciously quiet Gail with her eyebrows quirked.

Wayne’s silence that followed seemed to satisfy whatever goal Bonnie was looking to accomplish. Still with her arm around Daryl and a satisfied smirk she leaned over the bar to greet Rosie. “Rosie, you take good care of our boy out there, ya hear?”

Rosie took the underlying tone in her voice politely and tipped her Puppers to Bonnie acknowledging her concern. “That’s a Texas sized 10-4 Bonnie.”

Satisfied she had done her duty, Bonnie gave Daryl one more squeeze, nodded to Wayne and Rosie, and walked off to help Mrs.McMurray corral a ranting McMurray away from a group of increasingly frustrated Letterkenny Irish players.

Wayne fixed Daryl with a look, nodding his head toward Bonnie McMurray, as if asking what the fuss was with her. Daryl could only shrug, and that only set off Wayne to scowl tightly toward the bar again. 

As Dan and Katy continued to grill Rosie about the specifics about Vancouver, a tall man in a cowboy hat stepped out from behind Dan to greet Wayne and Daryl at the bar.

Wayne turned slightly and extended his hand for a shake. “Jim Dickens-” 

Jim shook his hand but on reflex replied, “It’s Dick-”

“-That’s what he said Jim.” Daryl cut in before Jim could complain in his usual fashion. The boys at the bar turned fully on their stools to politely engage with the taller hick.

“Oh well right, how’re ya boys now?”

“Good n’ you.” Wayne and Daryl said together.

“Oh not so bad, look boys I’m sorry I couldn’t assist finding help for the farm yesterdee. I was sure Brettski could get the time away.” Jim Dickens laments.

“No worries Jim,” Wayne holds his hand up to halt any regretting on Jim’s part. “We appreciate the thought.”

“Well Wayne, now I gotta tell ya, you dippin’ out for one, I say a two, do I have a two?” Wayne openly sighs and chugs his Puppers as Jim gets into his auction chant, Daryl can’t help but giggle. Jim’s fast talking draws the other hicks’ attention as Rosie, Katy and Dan all hold up six fingers to hurry Jim along. “-two, a three, three, four, a four, five, I’ve got a five, and do I see a six?!” Wayne slams an empty bottle onto the bar that Gail quickly replaces, and he continues to chug, “ I-say-six-months-at-the-crack-of-dawn-the-toughest-guy-in-Letterkenny-will-be-gone .” 

The group relaxes as Jim finally works through his chant. Rosie, Katy and Dan even offer applause at Jim’s skills. Wayne is now well into his 3rd bottle of Puppers, with Daryl and Rosie just laughing at his sides. Jim steps in politely and gives Wayne another handshake and tips his hat to Rosie. Before he steps away to chat up Dan, he claps Daryl on the shoulder and says in a low voice to Daryl, “It’s damn shame,” Daryl tenses slightly as Jim pauses and then looks to Wayne, “but I know you gots good reasons.”

“Good enough Jim.” Daryl coughs politely to the side. Jim steps away toward Dan at that.

“Good stuff.” Wayne says automatically.

“Let’s have a shot!” Katy cuts in with some shots on a tray as the McMurray’s return. The group of hicks all down their shots and double tap them with gusto.

With the Ag Hall crew all greeted Wayne, Daryl, and Dan head over to greet Joint Boy and Tyson by the Buck Hunter machine as the two finish a game. Tyson notices the boys and points his Puppers at them accusingly.

“You boys should have just called me from the very beginning.” He says referring to the hicks’ long winded search for a farm hand. “You ‘n McMurray were pert near blowing up all the phone lines in town, when you coulda just asked yer pal.”

“You’ve got one job already man.” Joint Boy pipes in as he polishes off a joint and puts it out for the other hicks’ sake.

“Yeah, ‘n I’m still working the overnight shift. Sides I’d be a fucking degenerate not to help out our pals in their time of need.” The lot of hicks toast in solidarity. Tyson throws an arm around Daryl and taps the bottom of his almost empty beer on Daryl’s making it foam up. “And it’s better then chorin’ with some stranger, eh Darry?”

Daryl hastily chugs his Puppers before it can make too big of a mess. The other hicks laugh at his expense. Despite the mess, Daryl gives Tyson a pat on the back. “Can confirm.”

“Nonetheless.” Wayne says to draw the hicks back to the farm business. “We really appreciate-”

“ -Appppreciates .” Dan slurs by Wayne’s side.

“-yous helping us out, Tyson.” Wayne steadies Dan as Rosie and Katy join the group with more shots. “Now, let’s have a shot.”

“To Wayne and Rosie.” Joint Boy nods lightly in Daryl’s direction as he says this, meeting Daryl’s eyes with a knowing look, then the lot of them down their shots and tap ‘em on whatever surface they can find.

The party really kicks into gear once Stewart and Roald take in some requests from Wayne and Rosie for some songs. The couple take to the floor, with the McMurray’s close by, and Bonnie dragging Daryl on to the floor ‘fore he can protest being too sloshed.

As the next song ends Katy, Daryl, Rosie and Wayne end up at one of the tables by the center floor for a breather. They discuss grabbing more beer when Wayne looks up and groans at the sight of the nutsacks approaching.

“Packin’ it in for the sniper, bois.” Reilly chirps as the duo joins the group at the table.

“Leavin’ it all behind ferda rocket.” Jonesy chirps back wagging his eyebrows at Wayne and Rosie.

Wayne can only groan once again before he bolts out of his chair and mutters something about getting shots. Before he’s out of earshot he grits out, “Oughta leaf this world behind .”

“Katy, what the hell are they saying?” Rosie leans across Daryl a bit and questions Katy for assistance.

“Sorry Rosie.” Katy leans into Daryl’s space as well and just shrugs. “I stopped speaking puck bunny a while ago. They could be speaking Latin for all I care.”

“Whatever it is, it’s stupid.” Daryl stood up from his seat as well. Causing the girls to quickly right themselves so the three don’t collide. Daryl calls across the bar to Gail and Wayne. “Can we get this shot over with?”

Daryl made to join Wayne at the bar to help with the shots, but Rielly and Jonesy blocked his way and kept him at the table.

“Aw, what’s wrong little shootsie whootsie?” Jonesy teased him. Daryl growled back in frustration. “Sore your billet brother’s tradin’ ya in for a new sweater?”

Katy tensed up at the table at Jonesy’s chirp, she tried to eye Rosie as discreetly as she could. Rosie still looked slightly confused at the hockey speak, but more so just as annoyed by the pheasants as Daryl was.

Seeing Daryl’s reaction, Rielly jumped in to dogpile. Faking a pout, and leaning into Daryl’s face to mutter. “Always the groomsman never the-”

“-Are you nutsacks preoccupied?” He cut off the boys by grabbing them quickly by their flimsy tanks and giving them a hard look. Daryl could see Wayne returning from the bar with Dan in tow. The nutsacks’ eyes went wide at Daryl’s snarl. He shoved them to the side of the table by Katy before making to sit back down, when his buds walked up with a tray.

“Drop it boys.” Katy cuts her eyes at them as well. That really gets them to shut up. Right before Wayne reaches the table, she mutters up to them, “That ain’t proper.”

“Sorry Katy-Kat.” Rielly has enough sense to apologize and bows his drink to Daryl as well. Daryl gives him a curt nod but otherwise doesn’t comment.

“Aw, we were just poking fun.” Jonesy tries to deflect with a grin down at Katy. She gives him a light smack to the groin.

“Give your balls a tug.” She mutters as Daryl smirks at Jonesy’s pain. Wayne sets the tray down, and eyes the hockey players suspiciously, and Dan ambles sluggishly to stand beside him.

“Anyway Wayne,” Rielly rubs Jonesy on the back but otherwise ignores his buddy’s pain. Daryl starts handing out shots, the best he could with how sloshed he was, when he notices there were two extra shots. Rielly apparently didn’t notice as he readied to toast. “Cheers to you, good buddy.”

Daryl’s inebriated state loosened his tongue and lowered his inhibitions in the best and worst ways. So hearing the nutsacks trying to be friendly with Wayne ticked him off very quickly. He bolted up from his seat again, almost spilling his shot as he pointed an accusatory finger at Reilly and Jonesy. “He ain’t yer buddy.”

Daryl stumbles as he stands, and catches his foot on Katy’s chair. Katy curses him lowly while she makes sure he doesn’t knock the whole table over. His stumble sends him falling backwards. Daryl prepared himself for a fall as much as his impaired-self could, but he felt two pairs of solid hands on his back, and then suddenly around his waist.

“I’ll be your buddy.” Came a sultry murmur into his right ear.

“I’ll be yer buddy, partner” Another suggestive whisper into his left.

Daryl steadied himself and looked to each side to find the gym rats, Dax and Ronzie, looking at him like a piece of meat. The weight of their arms wrapped around him warmed him up more then it rightly should have. He chuckled lightly and offered the boys a light thank you.

“I’m partial to ‘Dairy’,” Ron muttered again as he ran his arm up Daryl’s back and gave his shoulder a good pat.

“I’ll milk you real nice,” Dax gave him a light smack on the backside of his now uncomfortably tight Wranglers.

Daryl cleared his throat and looked toward his buds at the table only to find Dan apparently goading Rielly and Jonesy into a race, Katy and Rosie eyeing him with smirks, and Wayne scowling deeply. None of them made any move to help him from the friendly grips of the slightly buzzed couple.

“Let’s have fuss in the haystack, big shoots”

“I’ll drive the Deere, he’ll take the Massey.”

“We can plow that grain real nice.”

“More hands make less work.”

“Nothing better than wheat, ‘cept fer beeting some meat between yer sheets. Let’s get to some yessin’.”

“What the fuck are we even doing here?”

“Take about 60% off  ‘im there boys.” Wayne grit out through his teeth. That seemed to be the most Wayne could handle from the boys as he bolted up from his chair. From the tone of his voice Daryl assumed he was walking over to clock the boys, but instead Wayne stepped in and stuck a hand out for Ronzie to shake. 

Daryl followed Wayne’s lead and smoothly worked Dax’s grip off him into a polite handshake. He smiled tightly as Dax still looked at him with big eyes, despite that Daryl greeted him amicably. “Daxy-”

“-Ronzie! How’re yas now?” Dan exclaimed suddenly. The commotion of Wayne bolting and Daryl piping up was enough to draw Dan’s attention over to the boys as he pulled Dax and Ron into a bear hug. 

“Good ‘n you.” The boys said after Dan released them, with their eyes still fixated on Daryl, who no doubt was turning red under the collar.

“Oh, not so bad.” Wayne bit out a tad loudly. He gripped Daryl’s shoulder tightly and started tugging him back toward the table as he invited the boys over. “Let’s have a shot.”

With Dan maneuvering the boys to the side opposite of Rielly and Jonesy, Wayne set Daryl down in his seat before taking his seat back by Rosie’s side. Rosie gave Daryl a sympathetic smile and Katy patted down some of his curls that got mussed up from his tumble.

Dax and Ronzie took up the two remaining glasses from the tray. The group toasted loudly and shot ‘em back, then tapped the table with so much force it almost fell over again. After overcoming the slight awkwardness they all fell into a comfortable rhythm of chirping back and forth about farming innuendos for a while.

Despite the jovial atmosphere and chatter from most of the bar, not everything was running smoothly. Over by the jukebox and makeshift DJ booth the skids had set up, Glen was clad in his old band uniform pouting at an annoyed Stewart and an exasperated Roald.

Roald tightly gripped a clipboard as he explained, “Glen for the last time, Katy and Darry specifically requested we handle the music for the night, and we are only taking requests from the lord and lady of the evening.”

Glen continued to pout big eyes at the skid as Roald shuffled through his list of approved requests and preset playlists to distract himself. Stewart stepped away from his sound board to stare down Glen. “We do not have time to waste on your erotic obsession with the shirttucker set to admittedly killer licks.”

“Oh well, thank you Stewart! But Stewart! Roald...” Glen gave Roald big eyes again as if to sway his opinion. Stewart hissed at Glen’s shameless display and beckoned Conner and Damien to stand in front of Roald as a buffer. Glen sighed and tried to convince Stewart again. “This is my going-away-present for Wayne! Help me give him a night he won’t soon forget. Ya know when a man asks-”

“Irrelevant!” Stewart cuts him off again before he can finish the hicks’ motto. He returns to his sound board and adjusts the levels as the song changes. When he notices that Glen hasn’t left he clarifies, “We are not hicks, we do not conform to some preconceived notion of generosity.”

“Unless Katy asks him.” Roald pipes in from behind the other skids.

“Silence Roald!” Stewart scowled and thrust his arm out to mime a choking hand. Roald immediately began choking and clawing at his throat, Damien and Conner helplessly pleading Stewart to stop and trying to keep Roald up right.

“Skids! Glen! Shots, now!” Wayne’s booming voice broke up the skid’s odd ritual and Roald slumped over breathlessly. As Wayne walked up to the booth with Rosie around his arm and a tray of shots in the other, Glen immediately perked up.

“Oh Wayne!  You have impeccable timing as always mister!” Glen’s usual chipper and slightly desperate tone ringing clear. Wayne tensed right up and tightened his grip around Rosie slightly. Glen seemed unfazed as he minced on with his plan. “I was just finishing up prepping the stage for the return of My Tattered Journal.”

“Hard no.” Daryl appeared and stepped in between Wayne and Glen. Arms crossed and a scowl on his face, he was giving no time to Glen’s antics tonight. Katy walked up on the curious scene with a quirked brow as she trailed behind Daryl.

“What? Daryl!” Once again the sudden interruption did not dissuade Glen. Glen stepped into Daryl’s personal space and played with the fabric of his plaid shirt, muttering coyly, “This is not what we discussed.”

Wayne growled low from behind Daryl, while Rosie stifled a laugh. Daryl sighed loudly and rigidly removed Glen's hand from his shirt. “We never discussed shit you drunk preacher. Ya ain’t fucking up this evening with yer weird songs.” 

Satisfied by Glen’s defeated face, Daryl turned to the skids, who were standing dumbstruck. He nodded to them and voiced his thanks. “Roald, Stewart, thank you for keepin’ him at bay.”

“Sure thing Darry,” Roald chirped, particularly eager, till Stewart gave him a hard look. Roald then corrected himself, “I mean whatever hick.”

“Katy, you’re looking delectable.” Stewart stepped out from behind his booth to greet Katy with a kiss to her hand. She begrudgingly accepted it with an eye roll, though Wayne growled again to startle Stewart back. The skid hissed and hid behind a confused Roald.

“You better down this shot before I come over there and talk to ya.” Despite the odd chaos that always seemed to follow the skids and Glen, Wayne was set on being polite and doing a round with all the groups of Letterkenny.

At the threat of Wayne’s wrath all the skids took up a glass. Glen attempted to shrink back and pout, until Wayne grabbed his arm and shoved a shot into his hands. He perked up again at the smallest contact with Wayne and that made Wayne squirm slightly.

“Salud shirttucker! And Lady Rosie,” Stewart offered a toast to the group. “May you have a safe journey west.”

The group downed their shots and tapped ‘em on the tray Wayne held out. With business all squared Rosie took the tray and turned to leave, though Roald piped up and stopped her in her tracks. “Oh, and bring us back a steam clock souvenir! Stewart and his grandma are crazy about that thing in Vancouver.”

“Silence Roald!” Stewart bellowed again in his usual guttural anger and forced choked Roald once again. Rosie only laughed and gave Stewart a wink before she turned to leave.

“Good enough skids.” Wayne sighed, relieved that all the groups had gotten their round of shots. With one last withering look at the ridiculous antics of the skids, he turned to follow his sweetie, but not before fixing Glen with a glare. “Glen, no songs.”

“Aw, but Wayne.” Glen whined and almost jumped to try and follow Wayne until Daryl’s arm stopped him in his tracks.

Daryl fixed him with a hard glare of his own and snarled, “The man said no Glen!”

“Oh! Daryl...” Glen smirked wryly at Daryl’s tone, “feeling a bit territorial?”

“What are you on about Glen?” Stewart paused his pretend mutilation of his friend, confused at the exchange between Daryl and Glen.

“Stewart!” Roald kept Stewart from prying, sending a sympathetic look toward Katy and Daryl’s way. “It isn’t our business.” 

“Roald!” Stewart went back to his show of dominance. 

With everything squared away Katy sighed and glued herself to Daryl’s side. She gave him a knowing smirk as they clambered away from the skids LARPing session and back into the crowd. The blaring music, and chatter of the bar blurring together. It was a brisk night in Letterkenny and the party was in full swing.

But this was a farewell party. A bittersweet celebration. The crowd could live it up all they wanted, but that wouldn’t change the fact that by the end of the night, Wayne and Rosie would be ready to leave Letterkenny behind. Katy and Daryl knew this fact better than anyone. So looking out at the smiling faces of their friends and colleagues, hearing the happy chatter, and taking on all the congratulating or remorseful greetings, it all just drove home the fact that after the dust settles and the dawn breaks, they’d be alone. But ain’t nothing like alcohol to drown those depressing thoughts away.

Chapter Text

After the hicks made their rounds with the folk of Letterkenny, the lot of them settled at the end of the bar to reminisce with Gail. Katy and Gail regaled Rosie with tales of the young hicks’ shenanigans: throwing super soft birthdays, egging racists, doing sneef off cows, and all the antics the boys would get into. The lot of them were well and truly three sheets to the wind by now, evident by the fact that Dan was plotting to race every member of the Letterkenny Irish somehow, and Wayne was giggling up a storm on his stool at every little thing.

Strangely enough, Daryl seemed to be the odd one out as he’d slowed his roll on drinking since they made rounds. After that incident with Dax and Ronzie, both of whom were still eyeing him from across the bar, he felt it best to have at least some of his sense. Obviously his buddies didn’t have those concerns. He didn’t mind it much, his buds are hilarious when they get this sloshed. Though he, Gail, and Katy would probably run out of stories to tell with how rapidly Wayne kept requesting them.

“Darry, hey Darry,” speaking of which, to Daryl’s right, his good buddy spoke between giggles. Even in the Katy-certified most annoying mode Wayne was in, Rosie was looking up at Wayne from his other side like he was the sun. Daryl knew that look better than anyone, he couldn’t fault her there. Wayne swung an arm around Daryl to draw his attention more. “Hey Dar, tell the one about the time you got an impaired while driving out for bowling, Dar. That’s the funniest one.”

Daryl chuckled at Wayne’s drunken antics, of all the stories to tell. He freed himself from Wayne’s grip only to have Wayne sway back into his space, Daryl sighed and reminded Wayne, “It ain’t that funny big shooter.”

“Well come on now Daryl, I think it sounds interesting.” Rosie beamed at Daryl eagerly. He should have figured Rosie would love a good storytelling with how many books she reads.

“Yeah Dar , do tell how you almost spit up on the cop’s uniform, and tried to offer ‘em a squeezer to get out of it.” Gail piped up on the other side of the bar with a grin. Daryl met her eye with a glare, her blank stare let him know just how eagerly the old goat was looking for a rise outta someone.

“What!?”Rosie looked scandalized between Wayne and Daryl for any explanation. Wayne only giggled and Daryl turned vibrantly red. “Daryl, now I know it’s impolite to kiss and tell but my curiosity is piqued!”

“Now that’s some wild embellishing there Gailer, even I know that’s not true.” Katy had the good sense to come to Daryl’s rescue from Rosie’s other side. Wayne wouldn’t care to correct anything as long as it was funny in his state of mind and regardless of how Gail saw the night play out, Katy was there as well. “The five of us were heading bowling one weekend, and the three musketeers over there decided to pregame by the stand, Darry gets pulled over, cop comes onto Darry and the knucklehead’s so dense, he took the guy’s number and started apologizing for inconveniencing him.”

“I appreciates your knack for recalling details, Miss Katy.” Squirrelly Dan finally piped up to support Katy’s version of the story, whether it was true or not. Either way, he slid behind Wayne and Daryl at the bar and gave Daryl a reassuring pat on the shoulder. “Wes all know Darry’s a few blocks shorts a Tetris clear, and he has been know to T-spins outta control sometimes.”

“Enjoying my latest vintage installation there, Squirrelly Dan?” Gail motioned to the box Tetris Machine she had set up next to the Buck Hunter Machine. “Always knew you were big on box gaming. You can work this old goat’s d-pad anytime.”

“In any case that fella was really laying it on thick that night. Kinda hads to withs how thick Darry’s heads is.” Dan blushed at Gail’s suggestion but otherwise continued past it. He waddled over to Katy’s other side at the end-corner of the bar and plopped down with a grunt. He fixed Daryl with a curious look and slurred on, “You never even called him, huh Darry?”

“Now why would I call?” Daryl shrugged at the suggestion. That cop was the farthest thing from relevant to him now.

“Fancy a little frisk. Handle his handcuffs.” Gail droned and lingered on every suggestive line she chirped at Daryl, never breaking eye contact. “Grasp his glock. Investigate that gait. Play a little game of cops and robbers. Naked.”

 “Hehe, a little 19-2 and yew!” Wayne let out a long slew of giggles at his own joke.

That got a good round of laughs from the hicks, save for Daryl. Though he chuckled lowly at his buddy’s wordplay, Daryl was more trying to clear the air from Gail’s wild embellishment. “Look, it was a long day of chorin’, and I was like 20. I hadn’t built up my tolerance yet. ‘N I don’t care how ‘obviously’ he was flirtin’ with me. When some dude with a badge ‘n gun starts asking things, I’m liable to do whatever the fuck I need to do, to keep from gettin’ shot.”

That recollection was enough to throw Wayne into a giggling fit once again. By now he was well red in the face and wiping away small tears from the amount he’d been laughing. Despite the laughter at his expense, Daryl felt small pride in getting to crack Wayne up this much.

“So I took his number and whatever! Nothing came of it anyways.” Daryl punctuated his point to both Gail and Dan, though they both remained unconvinced. With a defeated sigh, Daryl leaned back and lamented, “Real sore spot of all that is when we got to the alley we found out they stopped serving Old Vienna!”

“Oh did they?” Rosie asked incredulously. Another group of giggles from Wayne.

Despite catching her sarcastic tone clear, Daryl felt wired enough to argue back. “It’s a classic, it’s a beer with a story, the story of Canadian success. That Carling O’Keefe succeeded in keeping the Old Vienna brand alive when the Koch Brewery went bankrupt in America.”

Wayne was now in full giggle mode, though somehow no one seemed phased by his ‘annoying’ laugh tonight. It was his farewell party after all, so fuck any degenerate that tried to tell Wayne he couldn’t have a good time tonight. The further Daryl and Rosie debated the facts and greatness of OV, the more Wayne giggled and leaned into Daryl’s shoulder.

“Wait wait wait.” Rosie paused Daryl’s history lesson to clarify. “Doesn’t Molson brew Old Vienna now?”

“Well yeah.” Katy pipes up from her side to fact check Daryl. “They brought Old Vienna back to select areas of the states to continue the ‘greatness’ of the brew.”

Rosie pointed to Katy with gratitude, as she continued, “And I’ve only ever seen the lot of you hicks drink Puppers. Why is OV so near and dear to your heart that its disappearance is the takeaway from your ‘I got hit on by a cop’ story?”

Wayne let out a full on belly laugh at that. He leaned in close to Daryl’s space to tease. “Yeah Darry, you suck at tellin’ stories!”

“I didn’t want to tell the story!” Daryl lightly used one hand to push Wayne’s giggling mug out of his personal space, only to have the man collapse back into it in a giggle fit. Daryl kept fruitlessly trying to shove Wayne off him for several minutes while his companions did nothing but giggle alongside Wayne.

After Wayne had calmed down a bit and was steady on his own stool, Gail fixed Daryl with a sly grin. Daryl gulped at the implication in her gaze. Her knowing eyes were her most imposing feature.

“You know stories like that can only be coaxed from those tight lips by the man himself, cousint.” Gail earned a groan from everyone but Wayne, who was still in his giggling fit. Gail kept her eye on Daryl as she continued her personal brand of chirping, Daryl attempted to shrink back as far as he could on his bar stool. “There’s a gold mine of naughty, nutty n’ nasty tales only Wayne can pull outta there.”

“Gailer, I don’t even know how that was an innuendo, but I still feel violated.” Daryl felt a cold chill shudder down his spine at her last statement.

“That’s a Texas sized 10-4 there Daryl.” Rosie shuddered too it seemed. She bowed sympathetically to Daryl. “I apologize for setting her up.”

She really was a stand up gal. Daryl tipped his mostly full bottle of Puppers to her in acknowledgment. He then settled back a bit to relax on his stool when Wayne smacked the bar lightly to get everyone’s attention. “Gailer! Hey Gailer, hey another double round of shots for everyone.”

“Whoa, big brother you want to slow down a bit?” Katy stood from her stool to check up on her brother’s condition. He was fully flushed, swaying greatly, and of course still plenty giggly. “You’re already at your giggliest, only thing left before spittin’ is blackout.”

“Katy’s right Wayne,” Rosie placed her hands on the arm he was smacking the bar with to anchor him. She fixed him with a knowing look and said, “we’ve also got a hell of a drive and a flight tomorrow afternoon.”

“Well you wanna know what?” Wayne attempted to rise from his stool, only to crash into Daryl’s shoulder again. Daryl steadied him as Wayne slurred out, “I think I deserve a blackout.”

“It’s his last nights in Letterkenny ladies. Gives the man his fun.” Squirrelly Dan piped in from his corner.

Katy patted Wayne on the back a few good times and sighed, “If you’re sure Wayne.” 

Wayne looked to Rosie with a question in his eye. She sighed as well and said, “Long as you don’t spit on me cowboy.”

“Well if you’re spitti-” Gail tried to chirp.

“Gail!” Daryl bolted out of his seat at her implication. Wayne almost falling over as he was leaning on Daryl like a guardrail. Daryl steadied his buddy as he smacked the bar lightly. “Don’t even start with that!”

“Wooo, you gonna keep being that aggressive with me Dar-bear?” Gail flared at Daryl’s sudden energy, like she’d been waiting for a good row all night. She leaned up on the counter from her side and growled out, “Come on, give me another. You can’t just get this old goat going and leave wet ‘n wantin’.”

Daryl scrunched up his face at her shameless display and turned as he grit out, “I’d have a dart.” 

“I could use some fresh air myself.” Katy muttered as she followed Daryl on his way to the door.

Rosie offered them brief goodbyes as she kept Wayne from trying to follow. He’d likely crumple onto the floor before he got out the door and Dan was too drunk and too perplexed by Gail’s display to comment.

The night air hit Daryl like a sobering slap to the face as he and Katy stepped out. He grabbed a dart and immediately set to light it when he felt Katy’s gaze on him. He looked to see her standing like she was ready for a scrap.

“It’s the last night Daryl.” She said after a moment.

Daryl sighed and leaned against the side of the building, taking a long drag before he breathed out a reply. “Figure it oot, Katy.”

“You figure it oot.” Katy bit back sharply. She cocked her hands on her hips and fixed him with a glare. “Either you tell him tonight or before they leave tomorrow. Otherwise, it’s six months alone with those feelings dying on your tongue.”

“Leave me alone Katy.” Daryl glared down at the ground. 

“You’re just givin’ up?” Katy scoffed.

“I gave up a long time ago.”

“No you didn’t,” she smacked his shoulder lightly.  “You’ve held out hope for years. All quiet on your lonesome like a fuckin’ pussy.”

“Everything’s squared away anyhow.” Daryl raised his voice as a warning, glaring back at Katy’s insult. He went back for another drag and continued. “We made amends, it's fine. So knock this off before I come over there and talk to ya.”

Katy scoffed again at Daryl’s bullshit threat. “Yeah? And what would you say, you fuckin’ sally?” 

Daryl growled lowly at her continued barbs, though he stuck to stewing on his dart, taking another long drag.

When Katy doesn’t get a reply she breathes low and leans back onto the building side next to Daryl and stares up at the night sky. A beautiful, starry sky above them, despite the tension between them.

“You’ve been stewing on this for years.” Katy mutters slowly, taking her pace down. “Wayne knows you swing both ways, we’ve all known for a long time and no one gives a shit.”

“That ain’t the point and you know it.” Daryl spits back in defeat. He’s struggled in the past to deal with his bisexuality, but with Katy going through it herself right beside him all these years, he knows he’s had a better time with it then most other people. “I know what I am now, took a long time to get there, but I’m me.”

“And part of you will always love him won’t it? So tell him.” Katy lifts up from leaning on the building to square up and get Daryl to look her in the eye. “Or he makes the biggest change in his life without you.”

Daryl meets her eye briefly but doesn’t speak a word again. After a moment, he polishes off his dart and puts it out under his foot. Katy taps her foot impatiently, seeing her frustration Daryl just purses his lips and shrugs at her. Katy sighs long again. 

“Yawannaknowwhat? You’ve been exhausting me all week, so I don’t give a fuck about coddlin’ you tonight.” Katy speaks plainly and clearly, not giving time for Daryl to cut his eyes or look away for a moment. “You wanna know why he hounded you about having mama’s ring at the barn? ‘Cause he’s scared shitless about the future, and he was hoping his best friend could offer some comfort.”

Daryl’s eyes widened at the mention of the fuss at the barn. He should have figured Wayne told her about the ring incident. Nonetheless, Daryl’s too sloshed and defeated to give a care. He scoffs and kicks the dirt at his boot.

Katy glares at Daryl’s indifference but continues on with her tirade. “And what were you doing? Wallowin’ in yer own self-pity and denial.”

“Shut up, Katy.” Daryl bites out finally.

“You’ve been so caught up denyin’ how much you love him, that you gave up on bein’ his best friend.” Katy ignores his protest.

“Enough.” Daryl breathes deep, trying to steady his hurt.

“Whatever happened to, ‘I’ll just love him however I can’, huh? ‘If’n it’s just as his friend’ then that’s all you’ll need, huh?” Katy’s worked herself into frustration now, Daryl’s indifference and the alcohol in her system brought out the worst of her sharp tongue. She cuts her eyes at his grimace again. “Making amends don’t mean shit when all its done is bring you back to square one. You say you know who you are now, but you're still living in denial.”

“I get it okay!” Daryl finally spits out grimly. Being reminded of his every failure this past week finally cracking his mask of indifference. Now all Daryl felt was the usual shame he’s felt his whole life, and anger. Anger at his own stupidity, his selfishness in letting his feelings take precedence over Wayne’s well being. “I fuckin’ get it Katy. I’m a fuckin’ screw up, a coward, and sally all wrapped up in an unfortunate idiot wearin’ barn clothes. I know.” 

Emotion blurred his vision as his tears welled up and his breath hitched. He looked deep into Katy’s startled glare as he broke down. “But can't you see it Katy. He loves her. He has your mama’s fuckin’ ring at the ready for her. This is different than the others, this ones real ‘n I ain’t fuckin’ it up for him with my fuckin’ feelings. I don’t deserve him-”

The strike wasn’t too unexpected, though Katy’s tears were. After recovering from the shock of a slap to the face, Daryl rubbed his cheek and looked to see angry tears flowing as Katy grit her teeth at him. “This wouldn’t be happening if you just told him you loved him years ago.”

Katy grips Daryl’s shoulders roughly, shaken from her anger and sorrow now. Daryl looked at her, truly looked at her and he saw the lost, broken look in her eye. Daryl was shaking more now, confronted with Katy’s walls finally breaking down as well. Not only had he ignored Wayne’s need for help this week, he’s ignored Katy’s silent sorrow of losing her family for good. 

Daryl took her hands, prying them off of his shoulders and held them tight. She tightened her grip on him again and poured her soul into her words. “He’s leaving because he doesn’t fucking know any better. He figures there ain’t nothin’ holding him home anymore. You might think your silence is better in the long run, but all that’s done is push him away...He won’t listen to me,” Katy looked deep into Daryl’s eyes. For the first time in her life, pleading, “And Dan’s too polite to make a fuss, but Darry if you say something, he’d do it in a heartbeat. You deserve to be happy. He loves you. You know he does, so either nut up and get over yourself, or keep it to yourself. I can’t clean up after your heart breaks anymore.”

Katy tore herself out of Daryl’s grip then, storming back into the bar, back into the crowd, leaving Daryl alone. Alone with the cold chill of the night, the crickets humming in the bush, and the hitch of sorrow in his own breath.

He leaned back onto the sidewall of MoD3an’s and lit another dart. After another long drag he threw it out in frustration, it still half-lit, as the shudder of nicotine ran through him. It was a cold night in Letterkenny, and now it was just him and the stars.

Chapter Text

The outside of MoD3an’s is a sobering relief from the rowdy crowd inside. Daryl had already blown through two darts and was working on his third. The cool siding of the building relaxes the tension he felt after Katy washed her hands of his turmoil.

It’s the last night Daryl.

He shook off Katy’s words the best he could, but it was a futile effort. She’s the sharpest shooter in Letterkenny, be it pellet guns or words. Katy’s rarely wrong, maybe that’s why he’s been so sore about this. Can’t fault her for losing her patience. Daryl did lie, this situation has him torn up inside real bad. But that’s the difference between him and Katy, she’s always been open and sure about her emotions and her right to feel those feelings, even if she hid behind the barbs of her words sometimes. That just wasn’t how Daryl was raised to be though, and maybe that’s exactly his problem. In a small town like Letterkenny if you ain’t fixing your problems, you keep them to yourself. Bad gas and all that. And there weren’t no fixin’ this. 

This wasn’t just a six month trip, this was the line in the sand that declared Wayne was moving on in life, and to this point Daryl’s been too chicken shit to really decide if he’s okay living without. As he lights up his fourth dart the heavy sound of gravel shifting catches his attention.

“What’s the matter fag?” The grating voice of chief degenerate Alistair boomed into the silence of the night. Daryl cut his eyes at the approaching shitheads. The degen matched his glare and sneered, “Shouldn’t you be giving your boyfriend a send off humper?”

Homophobia, real original. With a scoff Daryl leaned back onto the sidewall and took another drag of his dart. As he looked up at the sky one more time he said flatly, “I ain’t in the mood you degen all stars.”

“What’re you fucking hicks gonna do without that tight ass dunce protecting you?” The boisterous snarl from Jiving Pete got Daryl to stand squarely on his feet.

“Keep spewin’ shit like that ‘n I’ll help you find out.” He muttered lowly with his dart between his teeth.

“Is that supposed to intimidate me ya fuckin’ sally?” Rat Ass mocked from the side.

“I see three scars on yer ugly face that I am personally responsible for Rat Ass, so give yer balls a tug.” Daryl puffed up his chest. Rat Ass recoiled at the mention of the beating Daryl gave him not two weeks prior for making an unwanted pass at Bonnie.

“Ho-how ‘bout you go mount one of your heifers, yo-you fucking hick?!” The greasy degen stuttered out a pathetic insult. Daryl only scoffed at his effort.

“He’s a fuckin’ fag Rat Ass.” The lead asshole sneered again. “She needs a steer. Fuckin’ disgusting.”

“I don’t even remember what your disgustingly long name is you titfuckin’ degen.” Another voice startled the degen all star squad. Daryl smirked knowingly and looked toward the origin to find Wayne. His buddy stood stiffly, glaring death at Alistair and looking ready for a scrap. Wayne lit up a dart and took a drag as he stared down the degenerate. With the dart between his teeth he grit out. “But know rightly, if you’re coming, you better come correct. Now I haven’t had a decent scrap in a long while, and you homophobic assholes suck at fighting, but I guess it’ll have to do.”

While Wayne occupied Jiving Pete and Alistair’s attention as he strutted over rolling up his sleeves, Daryl took the opportunity to tap Rat Ass on the shoulder and give him a good headbutt. The alcohol in his system dulled what would have been pain from where his head collided with the greasy prick. Rat Ass crumbled like a bitch, but the sound of his body hitting the ground drew Alistair to swing at Daryl. Daryl just barely dodged his punch, but the large man then used his body to shove Daryl into the wall. Daryl bit back bile as the asshole’s elbow stuck him in the stomach. Before his vision got too cloudy, Daryl could make out Wayne hitting Jiving with a left hook before grabbing the staggering degenerate by the scruff of his neck and his jeans and fully lifting the degen up and slamming him onto Rat Ass’s unconscious form. 

Alistair pulled back to swing at Daryl’s face, but Daryl swung his arm toward the brute’s neck and jabbed his Adam’s apple good. The large degen pulled away clutching his neck, giving Wayne enough time to check and make sure Daryl was okay. He held up a thumbs-up as he clutched his aching stomach. Wayne gave him a solid pat on the back and hoisted Daryl up a bit to draw his attention back to Alistair.

The degen was still reeling from Daryl’s solid jab to his windpipe, so Wayne and Daryl could take their time strolling up to finish off the head asshole. Daryl stepped up first to jab the giant in the stomach as payback, when the degen hunched over Wayne slammed him with a fist to his unfortunate face. The lumbering man crumpled to the ground with a loud thud.

Despite how short of a fight it turned out to be, Daryl still felt out of breath, perhaps it was the aching pain in his gut from that elbow Alistair dug into him. He braced a hand on his knee and his other on his gut as he caught a breath. He’s startled slightly when Wayne pats his shoulders and grips them tightly. Now he’s gotta get his breathing under control for a whole different reason.

Wayne steers them back over to the sidewall where Daryl had been relaxing prior. They stepped over the pile of unconscious degens as they went. Wayne settled Daryl against the wall to cool down as he did a once over to make sure his buddy was alright. Once Daryl assures him he was fine, Wayne leaned back on the wall beside his buddy and lit up another dart. 

After a drag Wayne breathes out with a chuckle, “Fuck, I needed a good scrap, fuckin’ unfortunate timing for those homophobic douchebags, but good beatings for us I guess.” Wayne jabbed Daryl in the shoulder lightly and chuckled his little buzzed laugh. Daryl hummed in agreement. “I’m glad I got out here in time. Hope they weren’t givin’ you too much guff.”

“Nothing original at least.” Daryl muttered low, recalling their barbs. If Wayne did hear Alistair's first quip he didn’t mention it. “All shit I've heard before, guess the single brain cell they share is devoted solely to bein’ degenerate.”

“Well ain’t that a sexy sight boys.”

On instinct Wayne positioned himself in front of Daryl, though he stumbled his footing slightly with the alcohol in his system. Daryl looked over Wayne’s shoulder to see Tanis, Axe and Slash walking over to greet them, The hicks relaxed, thankful it was only the Natives.

Wayne straightened up again to greet them. “Tanis, how’re ya no-”

“-I ain’t a hick Wayne, don’t greet me like one.” Tanis cut in before Wayne could get formalities out. He grumbled lowly, but Tanis paid him little mind. She gestured to the pile of degens and asked. “You boys been having a good night?”

“More or less.” Daryl said as he stepped out from behind Wayne and nodded a greeting to the lot of them. Tanis smirked at his humble deflection.

“Hey, you went in for a 3 on 2 and came out of it pretty fuckin’ cleanly.” Axe said by Tanis’ side.

Slash nodded in agreement and commented, “I’d say it’s a great fuckin’ night boys.” 

“Axe, Slash.” Tanis muttered to her boys to come to her side. “Go wake those fucking degenerates and make em scarce. No need to sully Gail’s lot with their presence any longer.”

The boys nodded and went to the work of dispatching the degens. Before long the degenerate all stars were grumbling sorely and hightailing it out of the lot. As Axe and Slash returned to the conversation, Tanis handed Wayne a small package. “Here shirt-tucker, little gift from Auntie for your trip.”

Daryl squinted at her in suspicion, while Wayne scowled down at the package in his hands. Daryl snuffed out his dart and said, “You know how he is with gifts, Tanis.”

Wayne gave Daryl a quick look but otherwise didn’t confirm nor deny his assessment. Tanis rolled her eyes, snatched the package back, and tore it open to reveal a small dreamcatcher. All the same, Wayne and Daryl eyed it warily.

“Don’t get too bent out of shape about it beau, it’s the polite thing to do. Just a charm to protect you while you make your trip.” She placed the charm back in the box and handed it back to Wayne.  “I’m happy for you, Wayne. Don’t let your dreams turn dark out there.”

Tanis motioned for her boys to head into the bar and prepared to follow after, but not before smirking at the hicks and chirping. “You boys enjoy the moonlight alright? Maybe have a waltz, it’s fuckin’ beautiful out tonight.”

Wayne cleared his throat and that stopped Tanis in her tracks as she turned back to face Wayne. Wayne walked up stiffly and gave Tanis a quick hug. With wide eyes, Tanis returned the affection and chuckled low, muttering something in Wayne’s ear that Daryl couldn’t make out. Wayne cleared his throat again and stepped back to Daryl’s side. With another nod to the Natives, Wayne declares, “Thank ya Tanis. We’d join yous for a shot, but we’re pretty fuckin’ hammered.”

“Speak for yourself, Giggles.” Daryl cuts in.

Wayne pauses at Daryl’s interruption but continues on. “Rosie, Dan, and Katy are inside though, go ahead and have a shot with ‘em, let Gail know it’s on me.”

Tanis smirked at the boys once more, blew a small kiss Daryl’s way with a wink, and turned to join Axe and Slash, calling over her shoulder. “Nia-wen boys! Have a nice dance.”

Tanis left the two hicks alone with their darts. They rested in comfortable silence for a long while, Daryl felt plenty sober about now and despite how masterfully Wayne handled himself in their mini-scrape with the degens, Daryl could tell he was still plenty blitzed. He could see Wayne swaying slightly out of the corner of his eye. He’d wanted to say something, anything. A nagging voice at the back of his mind reminded him of Katy’s words earlier that night.

“It is a beautiful night.” Wayne took the opportunity to break the silence away from him. Daryl turned to see Wayne looking wistfully at the starry night sky. 

His shoulders lax, a small, satisfied smile on his face, and his face flush from the copious amounts of alcohol in his system. It warmed Daryl’s heart to see Wayne so relaxed and content, no sign of frustration from the week or irritation from dealing with the degens in his demeanor. This is when he loved Wayne the most, when the rest of the world was the farthest thing from his mind and he could just enjoy a good smoke, some fresh air, and the outdoors.

Daryl chuckled fondly, “That’s fuckin’ 10-ply, Wayne.”

Daryl expected to get socked for that. Expected Wayne to go rigid and spit out some dig about Daryl being 50-ply or some shit. But all Wayne did was take a drag from his dart and fix Daryl with that look he can’t place. Wayne looked back to the sky and exhaled, saying, “I suppose so.”

“What’s the fuss bud?”

“Nothing. Just, it’s been a hell of a week ain’t it Dar?” Wayne crosses his arms and bumps Daryl with an elbow.

“Fuckin’ you don’t have to tell me twice.” Daryl grumbled, recalling the theatrics of the past, he chances a glance at the night sky again. “Least your last night in Letterkenny could be a purdy one. Awful nice of Tanis to getcha a dream catcher for your trip.”

“Bit odd don'tcha think?” Wayne ponders as he holds up the box. “Kinda thought dream catchers were one of those stereotypes Tanis likes to avoid.”

“Well everything’s not what it dreams all the time good buddy.” Daryl slips in a good pun for Wayne’s sake. His buddy chuckled lightly at that. “You could have told her that much.”

“Well if I’d had a choice between mansplaining hang ups about her own culture to her, or just keeping my mouth shut,” Wayne eyes Daryl. “I’d take the latter.”

“Catcher.” Daryl chirps out.

“Fuckin’-What?” Wayne’s caught off guard by Daryl’s interruption.

“Latter and catcher rhyme Wayne,” Daryl smirked at Wayne’s confusion. “You just missed the perfect opportunity for a good pun.”

“Fuck bud, I’m hammered.” Wayne grinned widely and Daryl’s heart swelled. Wayne sighed lightly and gripped Daryl’s left shoulder to steady himself. “Don’t even know if I can think of a pun right now.”

“Don’t worry big shoots, the dream always rises to the top.” Daryl kept rolling out the puns, eager to keep Wayne smiley and giggly.

Wayne burst into giggles at that. Daryl’s a bit taken aback that Wayne’s still sloshed enough to giggle despite the sobering chill in the air. But fuck if it don’t warm his heart to hear his buddy’s laugh.

“Fucking wish it was March, Gail and Tanis could collaborate on a Bailey’s Irish Dream Catcher.”

As Wayne continued to bust a gut at Daryl’s puns, the taller hick leaned into Daryl’s space, and breathed heavy, warm breaths into Daryl’s face.

“Reckon last night I had a nightmare I was a fish, and I was gettin’ served up with a side of sauce, call that Dream of Tartar Sauce.” Wayne went breathless from the long walk Daryl took to get to the punchline of that particular joke. All the same, Daryl felt great pride in his chest. Feeling a bit loose and giggly himself, Daryl was determined to milk this cow for all it was worth. “I figures the Letterkenny Shamrockettes are the truest hockey dream dream, no wait.”

Wayne turned and gripped onto both of Daryl’s shoulders now to keep himself upright. A deep bellied laugh shook through his entire being, Daryl doing his best to keep them from tumbling over. Wayne wiped away some tears that spilled from his laughter on a sleeve and breathed out. “Dar, I’m-I’ma liable to spit if I hear another good god damn pun.”

Not one to back down from a challenge Daryl snapped in quickly with another pun at the ready. With a devious smile, he chirped out, “If’n you’re fixin’ for a snack on yer trip, you could slap that charm between some bread, call that Dream Catcher in the Rye.”

“Aw fuck Dar.” Wayne doubled over with laughter now, forcing Daryl to brace himself on the sidewall to keep them both upright. Why couldn’t everything be this easy? 

Why couldn’t Daryl just live in this moment forever? Just together with Wayne, cracking jokes and sharing smokes. Getting to see the creases of Wayne’s face crinkle as he grins and squints from all his laughter. Hear his deep bellowing laugh and know rightly that Daryl’s the cause of it, that he can bring Wayne joy and never have to worry about watching his bud’s heart break from the sidelines again. Before he can even process stopping himself, it slips out. “Fuck, I love you.”

Once his mind does catch up with his mouth, Daryl’s body locks up. He had gotten so caught up in this moment with Wayne, he’d forgotten his filter, forgotten that Wayne isn’t his to love and admire so openly.

“Aw, I love you too buddy.” Wayne muttered between chuckles as he caught his breath. He remained lax and content in the moment, and that only served to put Daryl more on edge. With a small sigh and another squeeze to Daryl’s shoulders, Wayne beams at Daryl. “Thanks for the great party.”

The anxiety of Daryl’s mind screeched to a halt at Wayne’s casual tone. Wayne brushed past his confession like it was nothing. In a bit of frustration at Wayne’s indifference, Daryl repeats, “No Wayne, I mean, I love you.”

“Reckon you’re the real dream of the crop. Catcher of my eye-er-shit-fuck, I’m hammered.” Wayne’s half lidded expression told Daryl clearly enough that his buddy heard his confession loud and clear, but he apparently paid it no mind. “Can’t even fucking piece a good, simple pun together.”

“God-fucking-Katy, I knew this was a stupid idea.” Daryl muttered under his breath and turned away from Wayne. The tension created by Wayne’s obtuse reaction wound Daryl up more and more. Of course he thought nothing of Daryl’s confession. They’re friends, why would he interpret a phrase like that any differently. He was at a loss of words now, he’d made his confession and Wayne brushed it off like it was nothing. Like the possibility of Daryl loving him as anything other than a friend wasn’t even close to being on his radar.

“What?” Wayne mutters in confusion at Daryl’s side. He tries to grip Daryl’s shoulder again but Daryl brushes him off. “What about Katy?”

Daryl felt a twist in his chest now, a strange unsatisfied ache. After working himself up to prepare for rejection for years, why was he so fucking surprised by the result. He fixes Wayne with a scrunched up look, and asks him, “You want to know why I’ve been acting all squirrelly lately? Why I’ve been keeping a tight lip?”

“Does a duck with a boner drag weeds? Fuckin-youwannaknowwhat and I’m gonna tell ya, I’ve been wondering for days now buddy.” Wayne moves closer to grip Daryl’s shoulder again, this time Daryl doesn’t pull away but stays at arms lengths. Wayne squints at him in confusion. “What’s the fuss?”

“Now you’re my best friend in this whole fuckin world, ‘n call me soft if you want but I’m liable to feel this way…” Daryl works through his thoughts as rightly and clearly as he can but when he chances a look at Wayne and sees his buddy looking at him with pity and confusion, it just makes him clam up. “No, no. fuckin’...It ain’t proper.”

“Fuckin’ get after it.” Wayne smacks Daryl’s other shoulder lightly, though he squints and looks away at the mention of being soft. “Just try to keep that 10-ply shit t’bout 10% bud.”

“Now see, that's why it ain’t proper cuz’ this the softest shit I’ve ever had to deal with.” Daryl mutters through the knot in his throat. When he sees that Wayne isn’t looking at him anymore, he turns away himself, trying to regain his composure. He needs to get through this, but his mind’s racing trying to process everything. He laughs dejectedly before he can stop himself, with his shoulders slumped and another look at the starry sky Daryl breathes out, finally accepting, in his own mind at least. “I’m pretty broken up about you up and leaving me.”

“Are you preoccupied? It’s six months Daryl.” Wayne turns Daryl back to him, Daryl doesn’t protest. “I’m coming back, you can count on that.”

“Promise?” Daryl looks up to Wayne with his shoulders still slumped.

“Was that it Dar? Ya just didn’t want me to go?” Wayne surprises Daryl by pulling him into a hug, a rarity even with how drunk the hick was. His breath warm on Daryl’s neck, Wayne mutters his comfort. “You should have said something, bit late for doubt now. You said you were fine with it.”

“That’s not all.” Daryl mutters into Wayne’s shoulder.

“Well then, pitter patter lets get fuckin’ at ‘er Dar. It’s getting fuckin’ brisk out here.” Wayne pulls away enough to look at Dary once again.

Every freckle on Wayne’s face fascinated him this close, he’d always admired his friend’s good looks and strong jaw for how imposing Wayne could make his simple frown. The alcohol in his system served as a good excuse to get this close countless times before, but here, now, Daryl’s mind raced as all the thoughts he pushed away for years crashed into him. Like a rush of adrenaline. Wayne’s furrow of confusion, his eyes staring into Daryl’s soul, lost and searching for an explanation to his buddy’s strange behavior. Daryl was at a standstill. The guilt of ruining this connection he’d coveted for years clashing with the yearning he felt for more. And here Daryl was, where he always was, fuckin’ awkward. Too close, too attentive, too soft, too desperate, and too scared to do anything about it. 

For what felt like eternity Daryl stood in Wayne’s personal space. Fear paralyzed him, but that nagging voice in his head, that sounded suspiciously like Katy, got him moving. 

This is it...it’s the last night...then it's six months alone...Are you okay with this?...You’re just giving up?...maybe you don’t know him that well at all…...You really are gone for him.

“I really am gone for ya, ain’t I?”

In the end it didn’t take much, despite Wayne’s imposing figure he’s only a few inches taller than Daryl. He surged forward onto the balls of his feet, held onto Wayne’s right shoulder for leverage and brought their lips together. Crashing his lips against Wayne’s face felt less like a kiss and more like slamming his head into a wall, and with how Wayne tensed the feeling would probably be similar, save for how warm Wayne was, how good the scratch of his stubble felt, how Daryl’s heart raced. 

But it was Wayne, and that’s all that mattered. It was chapped, tight-lipped and chaste, but it was the fucking best Daryl’s felt in a long time. After a moment he felt Wayne’s fists balling into his plaid button down, and for the briefest moment he felt Wayne shudder and press into the kiss as well. Daryl held onto Wayne’s shoulders tightly and tilted his head. Savoring the feeling of Wayne, holding him tight, uncertain if this entire ordeal would fade into some sick hallucination. 

Riding high on the chill of the night, and the adrenaline racing through him, Daryl chanced parting his lips to deepen the kiss, running his tongue against Wayne’s lips lightly.

The second Daryl attempts to deepen the kiss, Wayne stills and stops moving completely, like his mind finally processed what Daryl was implying. It took several seconds too long for Daryl to come back to reality. The reality where Wayne’s stood like a stone as his so-called best friend assaulted his mouth. The moment Daryl pulled back he knew he made a mistake. It was rare that he ever saw Wayne’s furious expression, let alone have it pointed at him. It’s one of the special times where Wayne shows an iris with a high arched brow above it and his other eye twitches as Wayne fights the urge to beat down whoever invoked it.

“I-I’m sorry.” Daryl trips over his apology, shirking back at Wayne’s expression, he focuses on the ground. Couldn’t find the words, couldn't look Wayne in the eye after what he’d just done. He tries to pry himself from Wayne in shame, but Wayne’s got a good grip on his button down.

Despite knowing the punch was coming it hurt even more than he anticipated. In the blink of an eye Daryl was on his ass with a throbbing pain on the side of his face. It hurt everywhere to do it, but he looked up to see Wayne, red with anger and ready to beat him down. On instinct Daryl went to shield himself, with his emotions running on high he couldn’t hold back a choked sob in fear. When the beating didn’t come he looked up again to see Wayne, still red and fuming in the face, but an unmistakable flash of guilt before Wayne started to shakily back away and storm back into the bar.

A combination of shame and exhaustion kept Daryl just lying on the parking lot gravel. He did it, he finally worked up the nerve to tell Wayne how he felt and now here he was. Ashamed, bruised, crying and drunk. Well he was right, he could lord that over Katy, if his everything didn’t hurt so much. He should have never given thought to these feelings again, but he folded to the aching in his chest and now here he was.

“Daryl? Are you okay?” A familiar voice shocked Daryl into sitting upright. From the shadows of the parking lot, Rosie walked toward the sad sight of a hick in the dirt.

“R-Rosie? How’re ya-” Daryl stutters out a greeting while he tries and fails to stand.

“-Cut the formalities little shoots. Gimme your hand.” Rosie grips onto Daryl’s right hand and helps him up to stand. 

“Thank you.” Daryl coughs and tries to tidy himself up presentably. Rosie steps back politely as Daryl fusses with his pants and tries to wipe away his tears as discreetly as possible. After a long moment of trying to ignore the stare he felt on him, he turned and saw her sad eyes. He finds he can’t keep the contact and decides to fuss with the hem of his shirt instead, though he mutters, “You didn’t happen to see any of that did you?”

“Enough to know I really want to give you a hug right now.” Rosie steps in and takes Daryl in her arms before he can protest.

“What?” Daryl stands stunned, surprised by the sudden kindness.

“You didn’t deserve that. No matter who’s dating who or whatever anybody cares about proper shit.” Rosie ends the hug with a small squeeze and steps back politely again. Daryl can’t help but gawk, though if Rosie notices, she doesn’t mention it. She fixes him with a small smile and says, “You can’t help how you feel.”

“You’re a real fucking great gal Rosie.” Daryl admits with a defeated laugh. How fucking pathetic was this? He takes advantage of Wayne’s trust and yet Rosie’s the one comforting him now.

“So I’ve been told.” Rosie sighs at the compliment, despite Daryl’s dejected laugh she continues smiling at him. It makes Daryl uneasy somehow, that she can be so kind to the degenerate that just made a move on her sweetie. Once she was satisfied that Daryl was cleaned up, she turned to head back into the bar, saying “I’ll go talk to him, okay?”

“No!” Daryl’s anxiety spikes back up at the thought.

Rosie turned with a concerned look. “Daryl, why?” 

“It ain’t worth thinking about.” Daryl said to the ground as he kicked up some gravel.

Rosie stepped back close to him and tried to catch his gaze. “He punched you-”

“-If you think that’s the first time I’ve gotten beats from Wayne-”

“-No this is different. You were being honest, vulnerable, and he struck you for it.” Rosie cut through his excuses and spelled out the situation. Fucking embarrassing that everyone seemed to be able to read Daryl’s mood like a goddamned billboard tonight.

“That doesn’t matter.” He sighs in defeat. “You two are together, and it ain’t proper for somebody to make a move on your sweetie.”

Rosie takes a moment to consider Daryl’s words, she doesn’t respond, simply taking in his words and considering the sight before her. Long enough for Daryl to grow restless under her gaze. He averts his own gaze and rubs at the back of his neck sorely. When Daryl finally feels his skin stop crawling, he hears her say, “I’ve seen the way he looks at you, ya know.”

“I-what?” He snapped his head toward her so quickly it made him wince at the crick in his neck. Rosie smiles sympathetically again. Daryl was getting a bit antsy at all the pity getting cast at him tonight. Nonetheless, Rosie meets his eye.

“No matter how silly, or spastic, or interplanetary you get, there’s always pride in his eyes when he sees you. Even during that weird party at the McMurrays, when we left he couldn’t stop laughing about the fact that you and Squirrelly Dan made it look like the jets were on.” Rosie explains her theory, and Daryl feels a warmth in his chest from Rosie’s story. “Whether he thinks it’s proper or not, he cares deeply about you Daryl.”

“Why are you telling me this? I should have been fine just being his bud.” Despite her kindness, Daryl still felt confused by her willingness to gloss over his coming onto Wayne. “I shouldn’t have pushed it.”

“You can’t help how you feel. After everything y’all have been through. After all those stories you, Katy and Gail told back there, one thing is clear to me Daryl.” Rosie looked right into his eyes and into his soul as she spoke. “He loves you, a deep admiration, carved into his bones and sure as the sun risin’. Wayne’s a good old boy remember? He might not think it’s proper to feel so strongly about his best friend. But that doesn’t change the fact-”

“-What are you doing?” Daryl couldn't bite back the bitterness in his voice. “I made a pass at yer sweetie, and yet you’re here, comforting me. Rosie, I don’t deserve your kindness. You don’t need to-”

“-Because I love him too, Darry-Daryl. And I’m not pigheaded enough like either of you to admit it.” Rosie cut him off with such emotion in her voice. “Though I’ll admit I have the whole double standard advantage of being a gal. But that’s beside the point. I care about him, so having to watch, and listen this entire past week as the two of you try to burn the sturdiest bridges you’ve ever built, and then act like ain’t nothing wrong, it didn’t sit right with me, still doesn’t. It’d break anybody’s heart to see such a sad sight.”

“That was my fault.” Daryl thinks dejectedly to that day by the barn. “I’m the one that went all tight-lipped about this situation cuz’ I was being a sally about it. Don’t blame him.”

Rosie seemed to bite her tongue at that, a small part of Daryl was grateful, unsure how he might handle her reading more into his words.

Instead, Rosie nodded in small agreement to Daryl’s last statement and spoke softly, “I’ll go talk to him okay? I’ll let Katy and Dan know to meet you outside.”

“You really are a class act Rosie.” Daryl repeated his previous assessment with more humor in his voice, Rosie chuckled slightly at his tone. Though Daryl frowned as he continued,  “But if I know Wayne, or at least I thought I did-”

“-And you definitely do know him okay? Don’t doubt that.”

“He’ll be drinking himself into a stupor by now.” He concluded with a grimace. “He was already three sheets to the wind. Blackout ain’t far off.”

“I’ll try to keep him off of that.” Rosie offered politely.

“Are you sure? I’m liable to think it’s better if we all forgot this happened.”

“Don’t bury your feelings Daryl. It ain’t healthy.” Rosie squeezes his forearm lightly, trying to dissuade anymore of that thinking. With a look toward the bar, Rosie sighed, “I just wish I saw this coming. If I’d have known this trip would put everyone on edge I wouldn’t have let Wayne talk me into it.”

“Wait, wait.” Daryl spoke after a moment too long, having to process her words. “ He talked you into it?”

“Well yeah, I let him know my pitbull rescue was hounding me about needing help lately.” Rosie cocked her head to the side in confusion. “I wasn’t even considering leaving again till he convinced me. You know how he gets.”

“When a man asks for help…”

Rosie nodded at Daryl’s immediate guess. “We’ve taken a break for the same thing before so I figured he’d be alright with that again, but he insisted he come with me this time.”

“Oh,” is all Daryl can manage after the news Rosie just dropped on him. So it really was all Wayne’s interest and investment. And Daryl just went ahead and threw a fucking wrench into Wayne’s plans.

“Never imagined it’d come to blows and beets.” Rosie pipes in lightheartedly, drawing Daryl out of his thoughts.

“Oh fuck,” Daryl sighed. “He told you about that too?”

“Youwannaknowwhat Daryl? He’s been sore all week about whatever the hells been going on between the two of you.” Rosie spoke with a bit more surety in her tone now. “If you really had a problem with him leaving, you should have talked to him about it. He’s been just as unsure about it the past few days.”

“It ain’t proper to go chasin’ after ‘nother man so desperately.”

“It is when you love him. And practically the whole of Letterkenny knows there’s a bond there that don’t need explaining.” Rosie surprises Daryl with another hug. Daryl was still a bit shaken up from this entire encounter, but he felt a whole lot better now than he did on the ground. With one more squeeze Rosie snakes out of Daryl’s grip and gestured towards the bar. “I better get back in there before he empties every bottle Gail has on stock. I’ll make sure Katy grabs you a Puppers.”

“Real fucking great gal.” He concludes once more as she walks away. 

Once she’s out of sight Daryl feels that unmistakable ache in his chest again. His mind works at a snail's pace on the best of days, so processing this entire fucking night was taking a toll on his brain.

One minute he’s arguing with Katy, the next he’s kick degen ass with Wayne, then they’re sharing a smoke, then sharing a kiss, and suddenly Rosie’s there, shaking up his entire understanding of Wayne, and now he’s alone again. After everything that’s happened he keeps ending up alone. Probably for the best.

For a moment he finds himself thinking back to the feeling of that kiss. The kiss that made his heart soar. The feeling of Wayne pressed up against him, of Wayne’s grip on him and the taste of darts between them. And then came the punch that caused the ache he felt on his left eye. The pain of looking up at Wayne to see his rage, the humiliation of his choked sobs begging Wayne not to rightly beat him down for violating his trust.

It wasn’t until he heard the sound of shifting gravel that he realized he’d sunk to his knees on the ground again. The moment he spotted Katy and Dan warily making their way toward him, his composure broke. Choking out violate sobs at his pathetic life, shaking and doubling over from the ache he felt throughout his entire body. Even as Katy sank to his side and wrapped him in a vice to calm his shaking, there was no quelling this sorrow tonight. 

Thankfully Katy didn’t speak a word, he only heard her own sniffles and deep breathing. It hurt, everything hurt now, and the chill in the air only worsened when Katy clambered to get Daryl to stand, though she was unable to do so on her own in her state. Only when Daryl felt Dan’s strong arms grip his shoulders did they successfully stand. Finally on his wobbly feet Daryl suddenly felt so tired, winded from the turmoil he’d endured all night. 

Dan wrapped his arms around his pals solemnly.

A blackout could come later, for now at least he could take solace in the arms of his friends. Dan, Katy and Daryl stood there in the dark, cold lot outside of MoD3an’s, the blaring music and loud chatter from within muffled by the wind. It was a cold night in Letterkenny and with the remnants of their family tucked tightly in between, the hicks were alone in the night.

Chapter Text

The morning following their celebration-turned-sour was a bleak one. Wayne hadn’t come home. Katy convinced Dan to spend the night so they could confront him that morning about the events outside the bar, but her brother never showed.

The night ended somberly after midnight, as Dan retired to the guest room, and Katy ended up with a dejectedly familiar scene in her bedroom. Another playlist from the skids blaring from her laptop, this one graciously sent to her by Roald after the skids stumbled out from MoD3an’s to see the hicks hauling away a heartbroken Daryl. Like that night oh so many years ago, here they were again. In her bedroom. Plastered. Sobbing. Defeated. And soon to be, alone. 

Katy felt the exhaustion from the day drag her to sleep, all while clutching a trembling Daryl. Her last thought, how desperately she didn’t want to be alone in her family home for the next six months. She wouldn’t be all alone, she’d have Dan, Daryl, Tyson, n’ even Gail and Bonnie McMurray promised to keep her company on hard choring days, but it wouldn’t remedy the fact that she’d have to go to sleep at night to an empty house. A house that was once so full of people she loved and cherished, but her parents have passed, Angie kicked Daryl out, and now her brother’s leaving her. Ain’t life just a bitch.

Early at the farmhouse dining table were Daryl, Katy, and Squirrelly Dan. Their mugs full of coffee and expressions blank. Daryl held a small bag of peas to his still aching shiner. A heavy silence hung over them that none dared to break. The light hadn’t even broken through the horizon yet, but it was the day they’d all been dreading, and Wayne was nowhere in sight.

The honk of a truck from the laneway startled them all. Daryl was the first to sober up and look out the window to see not Wayne, but Rosie’s red pickup. He turned back to address the two at the table, “It’s Rosie.”

“Is Waynes with her?” Squirrelly Dan asked hopefully.

“Well fuckin’ pitter patter super chieftains, let’s go greet her.” Katy said with haste she stood sharply from her seat.

The trio abandoned their full mugs and made for the edge of the property to greet Rosie standing by her truck in her lonesome. Several suitcases were visible in the bed, and she was clearly dressed for comfort. As Katy closed in for a hug, Daryl and Dan exchanged pleasantries.

“Miss Rosie, how’re yas now?” Dan said politely.

“Could be better, n’ you?” Rosie admitted somberly, with a sad look at Daryl and his bag of peas.

“Oh,” Daryl lamented in agreement, “not so good.”

“Not to cut to the point too briskly Rosie,” Katy interrupted the formalities and straightened up her stance. Subtle aggression only the hick siblings could accomplish. “But where the hell's that deadbeat brother of mine?”

“Katy!” Daryl objected at her tone.

Katy turned to Daryl sharply, cutting her eyes toward the bag of peas in his grip. “You give your balls a tug, get that bag of peas back on your eye, and then you can tell me how to act.”

“She’s rights, Darry.” Dan set a reassuring hand on Daryl’s shoulder to get him to stand down. Daryl silently acquiesced, placing the peas back on his aching face. Satisfied that he deescalated the situation, Dan elaborated to the hicks, “Now Wayne’s is the most respectable guy in Letterkenny, but knowing he gave yous the beets fers bein’ honest about your feelings, well kinda makes a fella wonder.”

“Kinda makes a gal wonder awfully too.” Rosie comments with a far off look in her eye. She paused briefly, making the hicks tense up in anticipation of her news. After a heavy sigh, she spoke, “He’s preoccupied, obviously, in several senses of the word. I can’t say much, it’s not my place. But I came to say my goodbyes, and I actually needed to talk to you, Daryl.”

Katy and Dan remained tense at her words, Dan squinted in confusion, not really parsing her meaning. Daryl however, caught her tone and nodded in agreement, it helped that it was him she was specifying.

“You can call me Darry, Rosie.” Daryl says with a simple grin, Rosie returns it fully. “Feels too formal, yous being Wayne’s sweetie and Gail’s cousint, to call me by my governments name.”

“Well come on Darry, hop in. There’s somewhere we gotta head out to.” Rosie met Katie’s questioning look at that, one that Rosie matched with a confident nod. The unspoken conversation satisfied whatever question Katy had on her lips.

“Alright guys and dolls. Have a safe trip Rosie.” Katy moves in to give her one more squeeze and gives Daryl a quick firm hug as well. She steps back to pat Dan on the back as she motions toward the house. “Come on Dan, let’s get some grub going so Tyson and Darry can eat once they’re back over.”

“Yous gots it Miss Katy. Bye Rosie.” Dan smiles wide and waves goodbye.

Rosie and Daryl wave the two other hicks goodbye as they hop into the red pick up.

“Where are we headin’?” Daryl asks once he’s all settled.

“Hell if I know, but apparently it’s supposed to be awfully familiar to you.” Rosie says with that far off look again. Daryl decides to leave it at that.

The two drove in a comfortable silence for a while. A unique understanding of sore emotions, and tense relationships kept their lips tight. He propped an elbow on the door side to make holding the bag of peas to his eye easier. It dulled at least one of the aches he was feeling. Though every now and then, Daryl could feel Rosie glance at him in concern. It made the pit in his stomach flip, knowing even Wayne’s sweetie took pity on his embarrassment of a life. That said, Rosie told him they needed to talk, so why was she keeping silent? 

It was only when Rosie pulled the truck to a stop, that Daryl realized he’d been in his head too much.

Rosie gave Daryl’s shoulder a comfortable squeeze to get his attention. “Darry, we’re here.”

Daryl looked out the window to see that Rosie had driven him to the lake. It looked pert near nostalgic in the early morning. The sun just peeking up, the sky sparse with clouds. The sight of the water brought back countless memories, good and bad. He was about to ask Rosie why she’d brought him here, when he saw a lone figure by the shore.

There skipping stones against the lake surface was Wayne, still in his clothes from the night prior. Daryl might have worried that Wayne had been here all night, if he weren’t so busy being nervous. Framed by the early morning light, Wayne’s figure looked like a god-damned country music album cover.

The pit in his stomach ached with anxiety. Daryl looked to Rosie in panic and stuttered, “Ro-Rosie, I-I can’t-”

“Darry.” She spoke softly to calm his nerves, her grip still on his left shoulder. “The two of you can’t just let last night be how we’re leaving things.”

She looked out toward that lake again, that far off expression on her face again. She released Daryl’s shoulder, gripped the steering wheel tightly, and spoke, “There are things I can’t say, things that aren’t my business to discuss, you deserve to hear it straight from him. So pitter patter.”

Daryl felt his breath hitch in his throat, and the anxious creep, he said quickly, “No, no. I’ll just-”

Rosie honked the truck horn and cut him off. By the lake, Wayne turned abruptly at the sound.

“Rosie! What’d ya do that fer?”

“Get after it Darry.” She gave him a sure look once again.

Daryl could only stare as Wayne scanned the truck before meeting Daryl’s eye. The intensity of his gaze sent a bolt of shivers down Daryl’s spine. After a moment Wayne turned back around toward the lake, and stood just as rigidly as ever, shoulders square and arms folded.

Two deep breaths kept Daryl’s plus steady as he gripped the inside door handle like a vice. Before he could stop himself, he pried the door open and hopped out. His feet hitting the ground with a significant crunch in the early morning hours. Every little sound, every scrap and thud, amplified by the stillness of the dawn.

The second Daryl slammed the truck door shut, Rosie began to pull away. Daryl felt another pang of panic race through him, but he relaxed when he turned quickly to see Rosie wink at him before she backed up to park closer toward the road. Giving them some privacy, he supposes.

For another moment, Daryl stood stiff with his feet planted, and his breath out of balance again. He took in the scene before him, the whistle of the wind running up his spine, the sound of water sloshing, the low buzz of life just rising up, and Wayne’s figure, silhouetted by the sun peeking out above the horizon. A sight he’s seen a million times in his life in Letterkenny and all his nights by this lakeshore. His constants, the outdoors, the sun, and Wayne. No matter what particular day he’d wake up in this town he could count on getting to see at least two. That’d all end today.

“Either shit or get off the pot, Daryl.” Wayne barks without turning away from the lake.

Daryl’s slightly startled by the break in silence, all the same he walks toward the lakeside and attempts a greeting, “Wayne, how’re-”

“-I’m fuckin’ peachy.”

“Oh, not so great.” Daryl muttered dejectedly. Wayne’s tone stopped him in his tracks a few paces from the shoreline where Wayne stood. The rush he’d built up hopping out of the cab flattened back out. Only other time he’s felt this raw and vulnerable was that week he spent alone after they buried Mum.

Wayne turned around sharply at the sound of Daryl’s dejected greeting. Daryl kept his eyes cast downward, unsure what seeing Wayne’s expression would do to him now. He heard the crunch of gravel but only looked up when he felt Wayne’s hand grip his chin.

“You’ve had worse shiners.” Wayne mumbled low after a moment. 

For a moment, for a brief moment Daryl forgot where he was, but no amount of warmth could distract him from the ache of Wayne’s deflection. He wrenched himself out of Wayne’s grip and stumbled backwards. Spitting out as he put distance between them, “Are you fucking kidding me?”

Despite Daryl's aggression, Wayne stood still, face blank, staring right through him. Daryl’s skin crawled under the sight. His eyes stayed wild from the gall of Wayne’s claim. He stepped back up once again as he gained his footing, and bit back, “You think I give a shit how fucked my face is right now?”

To stave off the aching in his chest, Daryl took a deep breath and let a shudder run through him. “Yeah, I’ve had worse, but there’s nothing worse than knowing I got it because you clocked me for violating you.”

Wayne furrowed his brow tight, clenched his jaw and grit out, “You didn-”

“-I’m sorry okay, it-” Daryl’s voice faltered, choking over the words, “-it was a mistake-” He felt small, not in his height, he’s always been a c-hairs smaller than Wayne. He felt the shame in his chest shrinking what little credibility he’d have left in this town. Being the degen that assaulted Wayne, least Glen’s always kept his hands to himself. “-just stupid drunken mistake.” 

Keeping his sight squarely on the gravel, Daryl shuddered again and muttered, “Knew it the second I crossed that line. It ain’t right to do that to you. I know I deserved it-”

“-No, you didn’t.” Wayne cut back in to say, though the darkening look on Daryl’s face told him his words fell short of reaching. “Cut that shit out Dar-”

“-I’m fucking fag, a degen, a sally.” Whatever Wayne was selling, Darry wasn’t buying, too caught up in his spiral to acknowledge Wayne tipping over the edge to reach him. Angry tears welling up in his eyes, threatening to fall.

Despite the crunch of gravel and the arms that gripped his shoulder sharply, Daryl kept his descent going, “I was a fool to think it I ever deserved to love you-”

“-That’s enough of that talk, okay?” Wayne gripped tight and pulled Daryl closer, leaving no time for Daryl to protest. The jolt of the action bringing Daryl’s bewildered eyes back to meet Wayne’s sure expression. Holding his gaze, Wayne said with confidence, “There ain’t anything wrong about loving a man, doesn’t matter how anyone else feels about it, even if it's me.” 

Wayne said that like he does every tried and true statement he’s made ‘bout his rules to life. With business squared away by Wayne’s logic, and by how hard it was to continue looking at the stricken look on Daryl’s face, Wayne pulls him in tighter, wrapping his arms around in a tight hug, fitting Daryl’s chin right into the crook of his neck, and just breathing deep until Daryl unclenches in his arms, though still shaken.

Wayne keeps him there a while, just rubbing circles into the small of Daryl’s back until his breath evened out and the shaking stopped.

When Daryl tries to pull away Wayne let him, but he kept him close with an arm still around Daryl’s waist, and his other up gripping Daryl’s chin to keep him looking at Wayne, as he finds his words of comfort, “Ain’t right to make you feel ashamed for caring about me.”

He uses the free hand on Daryl’s chin to wipe away the tears that’d stained Daryl’s face and looks him right in the eye when he breathes out, “I’m sorry Dar.”

Daryl’s eyes well up again, he wipes them away before Wayne has a chance to reach. He clears his throat, drawing attention to the vice grip Wayne has around his waist.

Wayne snaps his arms to his sides quick, muttering a low apology for lingering too long, too caught up making sure Daryl was alright to remember where their relationship stood at the moment.

They let a long moment of silence pass between them. A silence starkly different then the quiet nights they’d spend by this lake, there was no agreement of relaxation here, no comradery in a hard day's work to wind down from. This silence resonated with the rift between them now, the tension of sore emotions, and a reluctance to address it. 

“Now you listen here and I’m gonna tell ya, it weren’t right for me to strike ya,” Wayne finally said. Daryl knit his brows together at the admission. “I know that. I wasn’t thinking right last night.”

Daryl winced at the recollection of all that’s happened, the fuss at the stand, and the barn, the days of silence and awkward beet puns. This weeks been hell on them all, and Daryl just had to ruin the upswing Wayne attempted to salvage at the party.

Wayne bit his tongue at the pained expression on Daryl’s face, fighting his usual urge to lay out business clearly and plainly, though he couldn’t help the words that burned on his tongue, “But that isn’t any excuse.”

“It’s just,” Wayne spoke lowly with that strange  look in his eye again, “after everything...” 

Daryl remained tense and cut his sight squarely to the shoreline as Wayne trailed off. Wayne paid the distant look no mind as he finally got to voice his concern.

“...right when I’ve got one foot out the door, ya go and tell me you love me.” Wayne works the words that have been running though his mind out as slowly and calmly as he could. Found himself staring out at that same horizon he’s been looking at the entire past week as he finally gets the words out of his throat.  “Just how the hell am I supposed to take that Darry?”

Wayne looked to Daryl again, for answers, for guidance, for anything. But like the distance that’s formed between them this week, Daryl’s eye is blank, dark, and cast downward still. Wayne takes in the sight of the shell of a friend he’s left in the wake of his drunken rage, and regrets. Regrets his silence, regrets his ignorance, regrets ever letting his sense of duty outweigh the want in his chest that night, when Daryl kissed him.

Wayne looked at Daryl again, just for the sake of fondness and felt hollow at the sight of him again, with Daryl’s silence resonating into the open air Wayne let out another defeated sigh at the failure of his sensibility, and stepped up to Daryl’s left, to move past him.

Though before he could write it all of, before he could let his mindset shift focus back into strict accountability and rigid formality, before he could wash his hands of this situation like he should, like he would for anyone else in this damn town. He stops. Because he’ll always stop for Daryl, always let the rest of the world fall away when his bud slips into his own sorrow.

 As Wayne steps to Daryl’s side, he grips at Daryl’s left shoulder and tries to ground himself again. Daryl tenses in Wayne’s grip, but otherwise stays silent. Despite this, Wayne keeps his sight fixed on Daryl’s guilty expression as he continues to reach out.

“You don’t have to answer me Dar. Lord knows after what I’ve done there ain’t nothing I can do to make up for striking a man pouring his heart out to me.” Wayne squeezes his grip on Daryl to reassure his sentiment, but his words still don’t seem to get through. “Katy’ll have my head on a spike soon enough and half of Letterkenny looking to tan my ass.”

Daryl’s shoulders relax just the slightest at Wayne’s self-rib. The eased tension satisfied Wayne if for only a moment. With another squeeze of Daryl’s shoulder Wayne leaned in, “But I at least wanted you to know, you’re my best friend Dar,” Wayne kept his sight fixed on Daryl’s expression again, Daryl’s jaw still grit tight and his sight still fixed on the lakeshore. Wayne let go of Daryl’s shoulder but kept close, “there ain’t anything that can change that.”

A moment too long passed, neither man strong enough to truly let this bridge burn to cinders. One too steeped in his sorrow, the other too wary to let go of his reservations. Wayne took a deep breath, let the inhale stiffen up his shoulders once again, and turned to go. As he took one step toward the road he caught sight of Rosie’s pained expression in the distance. With a firm shake of her head she gestured for the hick to turn back around. Wayne couldn’t rightly argue with that logic. 

The moment with Rosie set enough hesitation in Wayne that he’s caught off guard when a voice cuts in and his next step falters to a stop.

“This isn’t just going to go away Wayne,” comes Daryl’s reply, laden with emotion and barely audible, but with the stillness of the air, the words rang loud in Wayne’s ear.

Wayne didn’t dare turn around, not with the emotion in Daryl’s voice again, no amount of posturing could prevent him from crumbling at the sight this time.

“No matter how much I fucking beg for this aching in my chest to stop.” Daryl didn’t allow Wayne the time to consider it. He spoke with all the urgency he held last night, though the lightness of a proper buzz was gone, replaced with a choked sob and labored breath. The tremble in his speech when he spoke again set an ache in Wayne’s chest. “It don't matter if you disappear for half a year. It’s not going to change how I feel. ”

Wayne tenses his shoulders again at that last declaration. The sureness in Daryl’s voice strikes a sore nerve in him, but that last phrase, spoken like his own tried and true mottos, that phrase set off a switch in his head. 

“ There ain’t no changing how I feel, ” Wayne mutters into the open as he finally lets his shoulders relax, a clarity of realization easing the weight of guilt on him. The words now ring as clear in his memory as the muffled sounds of Arcade Fire and choked sobs. 

Wayne turns with a renewed conviction. Stifling the hitch in his breath as he’s stopped by sight of Daryl’s teary, wide-eyed expression. The bass of his own voice rumbles in his throat as he spoke, “That’s what you said wasn’t it?” 

“What’re you on about now Wayne?” Despite the hurt, Daryl’s mug of confusion was a familiar sight anyday.

Wayne matched Daryl’s stricken face with a sure nod as he recounted the words he’d hazily shoved away in the back of his mind. “ So I’ll just love him however I can, if it’s just as his friend then that’s all I need .”

Daryl’s own recollection of the words coming from Wayne’s lips is clear in his own expression, though his mouth hung open still in shock. 

“You think I didn’t hear? All those years ago? When I was an idiot who thought I could marry Angie.” Wayne let the momentum carry him through his confession, after years of shunning the guilt in his chest, it was now or never, this needed to get out there, lest they let it all tear them apart. “I heard the two of you, Katy and you.”

Daryl couldn’t parse the memory clear enough in his mind, the copious amounts of alcohol that night, and regular consumption over the years he supposes. No matter how he racked his brain he couldn’t recall Wayne ever letting on that he’d heard the two of them. Let alone remembered Daryl’s conviction to stay heartbroken. Wayne answered Daryl’s unspoken doubt, “And you made me wait for years before you told me how you really felt.”

Daryl sucked in a breath, “Wayne I-”

“-No, no, youwannaknowwhat-you’ve talked your ass out enough this week.” Wayne cut past Daryl’s intersection as he stepped up into the other Hick’s personal space. He met Daryl’s eye as he balled his fists into Daryl’s checkered button-up and pulled him closer. “Now you listen to me and I’m gonna tell ya, you fucked me up badly back then.”

The grip on Daryl’s shirt trembled with a tension of unease as Wayne spoke his piece. “When I told you I wanted to marry Angie, I was scared as hell you’d call me insane, because that’s how fucking much your opinion matters to me.”

As Wayne recalled that fated incident by the very lake they stood by again he faltered, broke eye contact, glared down at the ground, and huffed in frustration.

Despite the exhaustion in his bones and the aching in his heart, Daryl couldn't rightly ever let Wayne falter so much. With a deep inhale of his own, Daryl straightened up and grabbed Wayne’s forearms where the other man had his shirt balled up, squeezing to ground him.

The gesture is enough to get Wayne to meet eyes again, though his expression still held some doubt. Regardless, Wayne let out a shaky breath and spoke, “When I heard you crying out your broken heart to my sister that night. I knew I could never really love Angie. Not when the thought of it hurt you so badly.”

Wayne kept one fist balled into Daryl, as if he were to let go now the other hick would fade away. He settled his right hand on Daryl’s shoulder and gave it a good fond squeeze. With a bit more lightness in his voice, “If you’d told me she needed to hit the bricks just as much as Katy did I would have done it.”

Daryl huffed briefly, the connection between them relaxing the tension in the air.

“I don’t rightly get it myself, but anytime I even thought about going after a girl I needed to know you were okay with it. And you wanna know why?”

Wayne was gripping onto his henley like it was the only thing keeping him upright. 

“I love you, you idiot.” Wayne confessed, bass heavy with the weight of true finally spoken out loud. Daryl could only stare in a daze as his mind worked to keep up, his grip still tight on the other hick. Wayne took in a deep breath and felt it shudder through him as he exhaled, “I love you so much it’s fuckin’ confused me for years why I felt like I’d take a bullet for the dunce who pissed of the hockey team for kicks, for the moron who showed some Menomites porn for a bet, for the psycho that drove all the way to Quebec with the Ginger and fuckin’ Boots, to try and win back some French girl.”

Wayne punctuated each increasingly incredulous act with a light slap to Daryl’s shoulder with his right hand. Fondness in his tone and a brilliance in his eye again as bright as the stars above MoD3an’s last night.

Daryl shook lightly in Wayne’s grip as he scoffed in disbelief of the sight before him. The warmth and sincerity of Wayne’s words threading to break his own composure in an entirely different vein now.

“But I do,” Wayne huffed again, smirk still on his face, he shifted his stance slightly and leaned further on Daryl’s shoulder holding his eye, making sure there can be no doubt in his speech, “cuz’ despite every dumb fuckin’ stunt you pull, no matter how fucked things get, or how many times we get knocked down, yer there for me.” 

Daryl matched Wayne’s shift, relaxing further into the lean Wayne initiated, ain’t much he can fight at this point not when he’s felt this warmth again. But a greater heat on the side of his face shocked him still as Wayne held the right of Daryl’s chin in his left hand, blurring the rest of the world away, Wayne’s eyes becoming his only focus. Wayne spoke softly again, “You’ve always been good to me.” 

The leverage of Wayne’s lean let him bring their lips together, a firm pressure, a sensation as innocuous as a deep synchronizing of breaths, but a warmth so comforting that it could mask as lasting a lifetime. Giving into the kiss felt natural, taking Wayne’s lead just as he always did, just getting lost in the array of stimulus enveloping him, the strength of the arms around him, the phantom scent of darts, and the faint taste of whiskey on his tongue.

Daryl still felt in a haze as Wayne slowly pulled away and met his eye again, small smile of satisfaction on the man’s face. Daryl could only grin dully in return as Wayne heftily pulled Daryl into a firm embrace, setting his chin of the crook of Wayne’s neck and the hick held him tight once again. They stayed in that embrace a while longer as Daryl’s excited heart finally settled back down.

“I’ve wanted ya,” Daryl heard the taller hick mutter into his own shoulder,  “lord knows I’ve wanted ya for so many years.”

Wayne spoke as if admitting a truth he’s denied to himself repeatedly. Daryl tightened his own grip on the man and let him continue.

“But I didn’t think I deserved it after that night.” Wayne exhaled heavy sigh, “It ain’t right to think I deserve any place by your side when I’ve hurt you this much.”

Daryl knit his brows together again, pulling back from Wayne’s embrace to match his concern with Wayne's guilt-ridden expression. “I never knew, Wayne I…”

Daryl’s better sense finally caught up to him as the haze of just basking in Wayne began to wear off, and the world around him faded back into being and he caught sight of the vibrant red of Rosie’s pick up in the background.

The familiar, heavy feeling of his own guilt settled back into him as he pulled more out of Wayne’s embrace, stuttering, “But when you-no, no-you have your mama’s ring at the ready for Rosie.” 

Wayne kept Daryl from slipping to far out of his arms with a firm grip on the loop of Daryl’s jeans, his expression falling slightly at the mention of Rosie. A new soberness hardened Daryl as he recalled that far of look in Rosie’s eye from back before he hopped outta that truck. Gripping Wayne’s sleeve, he spat out with a bit of urgency, “You love her. It-it ain’t right to just up and rain on yer parade.”

“Wellyawannaknowwhat? That business was squarely between me and her alright?” Wayne admonished Daryl with a sternness in his voice. The hard look on Wayne’s face let Daryl know to take the tone seriously. Though just as quickly as Wayne’s expression hardened, it softened again as he ran his hand to “Rosie and me called it quits the second she caught me trying to run away from myself to drown my guilt. This ain’t going away Darry you said it yourself. So Rosie knocked some sense into me and we decided we’ve both got a hell of a lot to work on.”

“So well like, where does that leave us?”

“Well fuckin’-if you don’t know Daryl I can’t tell ya. But I figured, if you’re willing, if you’d have me, that we could give this the old college try.” Wayne wrapped himself tightly around his bud and Daryl melted into the embrace with ease. “Hey, hey now ain’t no need for the waterworks there.”

There weren’t anything else he could really say now, too much chin wagging’ likely. But aside from that speaking would be hard to accomplish between the shudder of relief running though him and the joy spilling from his eyes and staining Wayne’s best button up.

In the light of the morning, Daryl let himself get lost in the comfort of Wayne’s embrace and let the world fade away again. 

It was a sunny day in Letterkenny and the further finally started looking a bit brighter.

Chapter Text

By the lakeside still, Daryl and Wayne embraced each other, enjoying the calm following a heavy morning of emotions. The crunch of gravel forced Wayne to shift, and with a sniffle Daryl turned, still in Wayne’s arms, to see Rosie walking up slowly with a small smile on her face. 

She meets Wayne’s eye with a knowing look . “Everything’s squared away I take it?”

Wayne smiles fondly and nods lightly, turning almost sheepishly toward Daryl, “Darry?”

“That’s a Texas-sized 10-4 Rosie.” Daryl beams at “Thank you, for getting me here. I don’t rightly know  how I could ever thank you properly.”

Rosie : satisfied shrug I never could resist a sad pup. And the way the two of yous were pouting last night I knew something had to be done.

Wayne: Can confirm a pouting Darry is softer and sore-er sight then a weaning pup.

Daryl: Can confirm a pouting Wayne is a sight fit fer some Sarah McLachlan and a grey filter.

Rosie: In the arms of an angel alright.

Wayne: Alright settle down now.

Daryl : teasing What’s wrong big shooter? Having yourself a “Gloomy Sunday”?

Rosie : joining in Oh is Miss Sarah Mc fixing to take “Solace” in some “Silence”?

Daryl: Oh well “Shine On” “Saint Francis”, why don’t you sing me a “Prayer”?

Wayne: If you ain’t careful I’ll show a real nice “Touch” and I ain’t talking “Fumbling Towards Ecstasy” levels.

Daryl: Oh you’re not fixing to show me a “Sweet Surrender”?

Wayne: Bit early for that kinda thinking Dar.

Rosie: Oh I imagine Darry had to “Wait” “Plenty” for some of that thinking to start “Surfacing”, so some sultry suggestion is “Good Enough” in my book.

Wayne: Did you just spend a night memorizing Sarah McLachlan’s entire discography?

Rosie: Maybe, we’ve never discussed music preferences, you don’t know how down I am for my girl Sarah.

Wayne: In any case, we’re losing daylight, we’d better get you back to the farm before Katy starts a search party for ya and a hunting party for me.

Rosie: I’ll grab the truck.

Daryl: “Hold On”

( PAUSE )

Rosie: What’s that Darry?

Daryl: dumb grin “Ice Cream”

Rosie: confused You want-?

Wayne: annoyed - he’s still going. ( To Daryl ) “ Good Enough”?

Daryl: “Good Enough”

Rosie: “Stupid” 

( PAUSE) Let’s get going.

The trio piled back into Rosie’s red pick up, spending the drive back to the farm relaxing to the sweet sounds of Sarah McLachlan.  

Katy, Dan, and Tyson were in the field picking stones to get it outta the way, when Rosie’s truck pulled up at the end of the laneway. Katy fixes the boys with a hard look and nods her head toward the stand, the three hicks drop any stones they had in their clutches in the wheelbarrow, and make for the laneway.

No matter any blood relations, or loyalties, Katy sent a death glare Wayne’s way when she finally caught sight of him ambling up a step behind Daryl like he’d be an adequate buffer. To their credit, Squirrelly Dan and Tyson shared her tense demeanor in greeting the trio back to the farm.

Like a snake with venom ready to run out of her mouth Katy took one step forward, almost set to go to blows when a peculiar sight stopped her in her tracks. Though his posture was just as rigid as her own, Wayne’s right hand wasn’t looped through the front loops of his jeans like his left was, it was clasped tightly around Daryl’s left hand. Though with the way they stood, with Daryl close to Wayne’s side but a step ahead, a stranger might have missed the small fact of the men holding hands. 

But these weren’t strangers Wayne and Daryl stood in front of, these were hicks they've spent most, if not all of their lives with, there’s no fooling them.

“Tyson, how’re ya now?” Rosie decided to break the silence.

“Good as I can be Rosie. Darry, Wayne,” Tyson paused as he met Wayne’s squint briefly, a tight but polite smile on his face, “now it ain’t my business. And I don’t mean to pry, but what in the fuck is this boys?”

Tyson gestures to Wayne’s handholding hidden behind Daryl's back. Wayne stiffens up at the attention drawn to it and tightens his grip on Daryl’s hand. 

Daryl smiles shyly toward Wayne at the gesture, and although he meets Katy’s death glare to answer, Rosie steps up and props an elbow on Wayne’s stiff shoulder.

As she casually cants her hip, she meets Tyson’s eye and smiles, “Oh it’s almost not worth thinking ‘bout big guy.” 

Wayne bristles at the deflection and though he eyes Rosie appreciatively, he shakes his head solemnly. “No Rosie, no. Let’s not try to deflect from it.

Daryl : nods Better looking at it then for it

Wayne: Attaboy. Now several things have come to light, and to cut to the point, yer my pals and ya have a right to know, me and Rosie have decided we’ve both got things to sort out.

Dan: And so yous and Darry…

Wayne: Well fuckin’ I figure I’ve been stewing on this long enough, n’ after last night, it ain’t right to keep being rigid about this.

Daryl: And you all know I’ve been stewing on this myself a good bit

Katy : tersely Can confirm

Wayne: So me and Darry are gonna give it the ol’ college try.

Wayne tugged Daryl closer at that, letting go of his hand to snake his arms around Daryl’s waist and hug him close from behind.

Squirrelly Dan goes wide eyed at the sudden show of affection his buddies exhibit, but his smile is just as wide if not wider, as is Rosie’s smile. Tyson laughs and claps his congratulations to the boys.

The celebration is cut short as Katy steps up silently and squares up with her brother, a hard look on her face still. Wayne tenses up again.

“You here.” She points at Daryl to move and reaches for his hand. As not to invoke any of her spitfire in his direction, Daryl takes her hand and steps to her side, feeling a pang of guilt at leaving Wayne to face Katy by himself.

“Katy.” Wayne mutters stiffly, holding himself just as rigidly. He may be the Toughest Guy in Letterkenny, but the hicks around him knew better, Katy was the only person in Canada that could make him clam up.

And Katy knew that fact rightly. With a cock of her head and dead eyes, she met his greeting, “Wayne.”

A strike to the face can feel like falling into the fishing hole during winter, a taser gun hitting you right in the nipple ring, or running into a particularly clear and clean glass door. Chilling, shocking, sobering. 

Now Wayne likely felt all three at once as Katy’s open palm collided with the side of his face. Despite the aching pain on the side of Wayne’s face he shows no outward signs of it, even nodding to Katy silently as she crossed her arms.

Daryl: Katy!

Katy : firmly You better make damn sure that is the last time you don’t come back home when you’re rightly able to do so. Do I make myself clear?

Wayne: Labatt

Dan: Crystals

Daryl: Clear

“Good.” With a small smirk and everything squared away, Katy briskly pulled Darry in with a yelp, and her brother in with a groan, right into a tight hug. Though still a bit shaken from his rightful beats, Wayne brings his arms around his sister and Daryl.

Not one to be too keen with onlookers, Wayne glanced at the smiling hicks around him and snapped a quip,  “Well come on super chieftains are ya gonna join in on this action or what?” 

With little resistance Dan, Tyson, and Rosie happily joined in on the hug.

After everything they’ve been through, their whole lives spent growing in that spacious, creaking farmhouse, mourning loved ones, raising pups, doing chores, playing word games. This day, one Katy dreaded would be the last she could ever hold her family in her arms again, finally felt lighter.

Tyson: Not to put a damper on this sweet moment guys, but ah, does this mean ya don’t need the extra hand on the property?

Wayne: No, no that’s bought and paid for Tyson. It’s still happening

Katy : frustrated What?

Dan: Hangs on there Wayne, after all this, this entire fucking rollercoasters of emotions we’ve been on, the two of you are still heading to Vancouver.

Wayne: Well fuckin’-

Rosie: When a man asks for help-

Daryl: -or woman, ya help em Squirrelly Dan. If ya don’t stand by a promise, you’ll stand for nothin.

Wayne : proudly Attaboy.

Katy: So what after all this I’m still gonna have to deal with an empty home for six months?

Rosie: Well no Katy, after everything that’s come to light, I talked to the head of my rescue and we dickered him down to 4 months.

Daryl: Well ya gotta dicker.

Wayne : Settledownnow . And as fer that first concern, that favor I called in should be arriving soon.

Daryl: What favor good buddy?

Wayne: You’ll see

The honk of a truck horn startled the gaggle of hicks apart, as they dispersed the group turned toward the sound to see several vehicles parking at the edge of the property.

At the end of the laneway, Joint Boy hopped out of his black truck and waved, as did Gail and Bonnie out of the barkeep’s own red pick up. Truck beds full of boxes and bags.

“Bring em’ up,” Wayne called out toward the three, ignoring the confusion stricken on his pals' faces, save for Rosie. “Reckon the gravel might as well be upset today anyhow.”

Daryl : confused Wayne? What’s going on here? Thought we took care of that farewell party last night.

Dan: I’m never one to objects to a shindig but there’s still afternoon choring to preps fer

Tyson: Not sure I can handle beer this early in the morning.

Wayne: Joint Boy, Gail, Bonnie, how’re yas now?

Joint Boy / Gail / Bonnie : Simultaneously Good/-It’s fucking early/-Good n’ y’all?”

Wayne: Oh not so bad

Gail : grinning I take it by that radiant glow and that sweet embrace ya got ol Dary Bradshaw in, that things went well?

Daryl : cough Can confirm

Joint Boy: Great! Tyson pay up.

Tyson: Fuckin’-what? No way, it’s before 11, you bet that Darry would chase after Rosie’s pick up in his shitty van to make his confession half-past noon.

Daryl: Hey!

Bonnie: And you bet that you’d show up to the farm and find Wayne and Darry making out by the stand by 7, and by the looks of Darry's not-nearly-mussed-up-enough hair that didn’t happen neither, so you boys both owe me 20.

Wayne: Fer the sake of the plot, and my sanity, I’m just gonna gloss over the fact that yous apparently had a betting pool on whether I’d pull my finger outta my ass-

Gail: -That one was my bet, though the ass in question wasn’t exactly yer perky-

Wayne : ignoring Gail -And say thank yous for doing me this favor.

Daryl: Not for nothing Wayne, but I think I’ve lost the plot all the same.

Katy: Not for anything at all Darry, what the hells going on here Wayne?

Wayne: Well, despite the fact that Rosie kindly dickered her boss-

Daryl: Well she’s gotta dicker-

Wayne : Settledownnow . Well it just don’t make sense, you working here all day-

Dan: -Pissing outs heres just as much as the dogs doeses-

Wayne: -Storing your yogurt in our fridge

Gail: Fucking could’ve always store your dairy product at yo-own-plait.

Daryl : grumbling No need to get all yo-hurt about it-

Wayne: And ah ya know, well it’s better to fill the room up then let it collect dust, right?

Daryl : hopeful So I’m getting my room back?

Wayne: Well no Darry, no. See it it ain’t rightly fair that we’d promise to give this a go and then for me to just leave ya to stew in the fucking guests room-

Joint Boy: -You fuck guests in that room?

Dan: Wells considerings they’re going steady, it mights become a fucking room

Wayne : irritated, but blushing If you don’t get yer mind outta the gutter I’m gonna come over there and talk to ya.

Daryl: Wayne, what’re you saying?

Wayne: Joint Boy’s here to take over your chores for today. Gail and Bonnie are here to help you move yer stuff into my room. There weren’t no way I’d leave either of you all alone.

Katy: You’ve really resolved things good and proper haven’t ya big brother?

Wayne: Well no, Katy, no, Darry, no. I’m going on a four month trip with an ex-girlfriend because I pressured her into helping her pestering boss, I’ve had to pay out of pocket to have one of my pals strain himself to work two jobs to make up for me dipping out, I’m leaving my sister and my best pals with the responsibilities and struggles of getting a start on harvest season down a set of hands, and I’m skipping town after punching my best friend for committing the ‘heinous’ crime of loving me.

( PAUSE )

Daryl : Pulling Wayne towards him Christ Wayne come here.

Dan: Boy ya knows I usually appreciates yer knack for realism and objectives takes on situations Wayne but that was just full on worrisome.

Rosie : Puts hand on Wayne’s shoulder Wayne you didn’t pressure no one into this, I was already figuring on heading to Vancouver to help for a bit, I only went along with my boss shoehorning in a six month commitment because I knew I’d be in good company with you. Sweetie or not Wayne, you’re good stock.

Bonnie: Can confirm.

Tyson: And knock that shit off about me straining myself, I may be some amatuer MMA asshole, but when a man asks for help you help him. Sides it’s hardly punishment, getting paid to spend a good time working the land with my buds.

Joint Boy: And there ain’t no way in hell it’ll just be the four of these hicks for harvest Wayne,

Bonnie: I can’t hardly remember a harvest where we all didn’t help out at each other’s farms, in a small town like this if you can’t count on yer neighbor you’re done for.

Gail: Plus harvest feastivities aren’t anything to sneeze at.

Dan: Oh harvest times is greats fun

Wayne: Oh now you’re making me jealous you all get to do harvest.

Joint Boy: Fuck i don’t know why we ain’t doing harvest right now.

Tyson: It’s still summer

Joint Boy: Oh

Daryl: Wayne. No matter how 10-ply soft we want to be about what happened last night I know that it wasn’t right by you or Rosie to do that while you two were still together, no matter how I’m gone for you I am, or how much of a great fucking gal Rosie’s been about it.

Tyson: Real great gal

Bonnie: Sweet fucking gal

Joint Boy: Beautiful gal

Katy: Clever fucking gal

Dan: Real stands up lady

Gail: Bradley’s favorite cousint alright. My favorite cousint too.

Rosie: Aw y’all are making me blush.

Daryl: All the same I know you’d never hurt me without prompting.

Wayne: Without prompting? Dar-I ain’t never laying hands on you again.

Dan : jovially Oh well that’s just unfortunates for him then Wayne, how’re yas gonna go heels to heaven with yer doofy smiling sweetie then?

Tyson: Guess Darry’s doomed to a life of never ending phone sex now that Wayne’s never touching him again

Wayne: annoyed Would ya-get off-it’s impolite to fucking-

Dan: -Well ya I’ds figure it’s impolite to fucking-outtahere with yer pals present.

Joint Boy: Especially to get off to, of, or on it.

Katy: Alright you degens, I think we’ve put him through his paces long enough. There’s choring to be done anyway. Darry, Wayne, Rosie there’s breakfast enough for the lot of ya on the table. Joint Boy I’ll show ya  the gals’ set up but I figures yous know your way around a heifer.

Joint Boy: I’m not usually that kinda gal Katy, and I’m sure as hell not the Darry best cow whisperer in Letterkenny, but I’m familiar.

Katy walks away with Joint Boy, Gail and Bonnie start unloading the trucks.

Wayne : ( To Rosie and Daryl ) Come you two, we’ve had enough emotional straining for one day.

Wayne, Rosie, and Daryl head into the farm house for some nuked pancakes and good company, while Dan and Tyson resume with the daily choring. The morning continues filled with good spirits, though no actual spirits this early on a Sunday.

As Wayne, Rosie and Daryl wrap up their breakfast they head back out by the laneway for their goodbyes

Wayne : ( Calling out to everyone ) Alright you lot! It’s about time we hit the dirt trail.

Dan : ( trotting in from the fields, grinning ) Oh?  So it turns out Wayne dids likes bagels afterall?

Wayne : squinting Squirrelly Dan if you don’t zip it right now I will dig up that taser and hit you right in the tit again ya fucker.

Dan : (Gives Wayne smack on the shoulde r) Hey I’m nots gonna get to give yous a rash of shit for four long months good buddy, I gotta get it all out now.

Bonnie : ( Passing by with a box ) Huh speaking of rashes and shit, I seems to recall Dan saying the same thing last night at the bar. ( Hugs Rosie )

Wayne : ( Begrudgingly accepting a hug as well ) Oh fuckin-you all are quickly making me glad I won’t have to listen to this fuckery for four months.

Daryl : giggling Oh come off it poopie pants, the second you don’t have us to rile ya up, you’ll be looking for a scrap out there to get yer aggression out.

Wayne: Oh yah, and what grounds are ya making that interplanetary deduction?

Gail : ( Carrying a box past) On the grounds that he’s been staring at ya all our lives. Figure Darry’s the A-1 Wayne expert in all of Letterkenny, outta get a fucking master’s, it’d be good for a tax break at least.

Rosie :( Arm around Gail ) In any case cousint, I will miss your personal brand of chirping for a while, no one makes the lot of Letterkenny’s skin crawl quite like you.

Wayne : ( side hugging Gail ) Can confirm

Bonnie and Gail walk way hauling more of Daryl’s belongings into the farmhouse, while Dan and Katy join them to grab Wayne’s suitcases and bring them to Rosie’s truck. Leaving Wayne and Daryl facing each other standing in the very laneway where not even two days ago, where their friendship almost cracked apart like a broken heart.

Daryl: Ya know Gailers at least a little bit right.

Wayne: Hm, n how do ya figure that?

Daryl: That scar on your lip is from when Dan thought it’d be a stellar idea to ram yours and Katy’s canoe with ours in grade 7 and Katy’s line got caught in that pouty lip of yers. You keep yer hair buzzed and yer beard trimmed cuz Katy started calling ya “sandy little ginger snap” when you tried growing them out. And you have the longest prettiest eyelashes I’ve ever fucking seen.

Wayne: Fuckin’ aye. Softer than the Darry best soft serve. I promise you Darry. When I get back here, it’ll be just us. I gotta do right by you. If I couldnt be good enough buddy before, I’ll sure as hell be the best fucking sweetie I can. Hold on to this for me okay?

Wayne palms the ring box containing his mothers right and attempts to hand it to Daryl.

Daryl: No, Wayne no.

Wayne: Dar-

Daryl: -Rosie loves you just as much as I do, and she hasn’t been tightlipping it her whole life.

Wayne: Darry I ain’t hurting you like this again.

Daryl: It’s different this time Wayne. She’s a good gal.

Wayne: A great gal

Daryl: The best gal. And if out there, on that rocky coast, with a good book, some sweet puppers, and a great gal, if you feel like it’s right, feel like it’s time, you keep that in hand. And after all that, if coming back to Letterkenny still feels like coming home, well these degenerate hicks will be right here to welcome you back. I love you Wayne, any way I can have you, any way I can. 

Wayne : I love you Darry. ( THEY share a tender kiss ) Why have you always been so good to me?

Daryl: Somebodies gotta pick ya back up after the world beets ya down rightly good buddy.

Wayne: Well no need to beet around the bush darling, who might that be?

Daryl : grinning Katy

Dan : ( walking up to the duo with KATY) Cans confirm.

Katy: So this is it.

Dan: The ends of an era.

Wayne: Think you might have made an era, Squirrelly D, I ain’t fucking croaking yet.

Daryl: Not making like a great croak tree

Dan: Outta leaf this world behind.

Katy: Whatever happens, who ever we change into after these 4 months this family’s solid as croak. 

Wayne: That is a Texas-sized 10-4.

Rosie : ( Honking the horn of her truck as she stands out by the driver side and shouts) Come on ya sallies get the waterworks going I got a flight to catch!

Dan: Oh welp look at you tears, there we go.

The four hicks stand on the gravel of the laneway, sharing one silence together before their lives change for…however it is it’s going to change. Near two decades and counting they’ve spent on this very laneway shooting the shit, dealing with degens, choring about or just getting shit faced. And all said activities will continue as scheduled, though without Wayne. Without the older brother that’d begrudgingly braid Katy’s hair if it meant she’d read the Silmarillion with him. Without the quiet kid that always fussed that Daryl’s mum served the same time consuming yet delicious dinner when he’d come to visit or stay over. Without good buddy that took a chance to hire Dan’s cousins for the summer, despite how much the G/Jarretts fucked around.

Instead Wayne now looked at three of his favorite people in the world, staring at him as if he’d fade away the second they let their gazes slip. And given the circumstances, they’re right to do so. But as he regarded his family with squinted eyes and a pleased smile, he found bright eyes and glaring smiles meeting him in turn. It’d hurt, it’d hurt like a fucking punch to the solar plexus to exist for four god damn months without his people. But they’re solid as oak, croak pun not withstanding, and they’ll weather these few months, and Wayne and Rosie will be back in time for Winter, back in time to heal the cracking wounds in this farm and stay warm with their family.

It’s summer in Letterkenny, and the hick’s brightest light is turning away from them slowly and heading towards the edge of the property to join Rosie in her truck.

Rosie: Wayne

Wayne: Rosie

Rosie: You ready? 

As Rosie starts the truck and angles to pull away from the laneway, Wayne gazes out of the window to Daryl one more time. His doofy fucking grin on in full force as he waves the pair goodbye.

Rosie: He’s a real great guy Wayne

Wayne: Oh he’s the best fucking guy

Rosie: The Darry best beau. 

Wayne: Thank you Rosie, for knocking some sense into me.

Rosie: Ya had to pull your finger outta yer ass eventually bud. Now you can put it in hi-

Wayne: Rosie! Does this shit run in the family or something?

Rosie: Wanna give his balls a tug instead?

Wayne: Would ya-take a-Just drive.

Rosie: And they call me rosy.

Wayne: This is gonna be a long four months.

Rosie:  We’ll be home and chugging Puppers and Gus n’ Bru in no time Wayne.

It’s summer in Letterkenny and the local weather station predicts mild humidity, lows of 20 degrees C, and highs of 35 degrees C for the next 10 days. As Wayne and Rosie drive through their small town passing by the businesses and Ag hall,  waving past the odd skid or McMurray wishing them farewell, they approach the edge of town, the Now Leaving Letterkenny board crosses them by and Wayne lets out a contented sigh. 

Wayne: Pitter patter, let's get at her.