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GREY KINGSTON
it's the middle of the night and i've snuck downstairs to the kitchen for some water. the only noise in this house is the sound of a plastic bottle crushing between my hands—until a shadow i can make out to be daryl's appears on the staircase, grabbing my attention as he descends.
"tryn'a drown yourself or somethin'?" he asks, making his way into the kitchen.
"just thirsty, don't worry."
"who said i was worried?" he quips as he takes a seat in one of the chairs around the dining table.
i lean over the table with a match in hand to light the white candle sitting in the middle of it, "what're you doin' up?"
"couldn't sleep. saw you come down here, thought i'd say hi." he shrugs.
"you came down here to say hi to me?" i question, a smile forming on my face.
"yeah, whatever." he mumbles, kicking his foot up on the table.
i watch him for a second, narrowing my eyes, "you care about me, daryl dixon."
his eyes flick over to mine, "if that's what you wanna tell yourself."
"hey, you never answered my question." i say as i slide into the seat next to him. "well, i guess it's not your fault, we got kidnapped so there really wasn't any time to answer—"
"what's your stupid question?" he cuts me off.
"why'd you talk about rick and i like that in front of beth? all mad and shit?"
he shrugs his shoulders, folding his hands on top of his chest.
i await an answer, but it just never comes.
"alright." i sigh, standing up.
"at first i thought rick lost his mind, more than just seein' things." daryl starts, which stops me in my tracks. i slowly sit back down. "i thought he was usin' you as a distraction from lori or somethin', but he could've done that with someone else ... anyone else."
i stare down at the dining table, tracing my finger along the deep ridges of the dark wood.
"then he told me about your dad that day, when we were on our run in that convenient store. so i thought maybe you lost your mind."
i roll my eyes at his judgmental expression.
"but i see it now." he nods. "you, carl, and now judith are the most important people in his life. always have been."
"and that makes you mad because?"
he scoffs, "it doesn't make me mad, it—" he takes his foot down off the table, but immediately winces and grabs his stomach.
