Jinx || Daryl Dixon || The Walking Dead Fanfic

-21-

DARYL

It was pitch black when Daryl was startled awake, he heard the chink of his set of keys beside him being moved and his eyes flew open to see Jinx leaning towards him. She raised a finger to her mouth and shushed him, holding up the keys silently. He wasn't awake enough to wrap his head around what she was doing, his body immediately going into fight or flight, expecting some threat. She saw this and whispered, "It's okay, I just need to be outside." He nodded and got up, no way was she going out there on her own, just in case. She shook her head at him, but he understood she wasn't telling him no, just that she thought it was unnecessary.

They moved almost silently together, the same as they would when they were out hunting, but they both winced at the clunking sound the metal door made as they opened it. He held it open for her and she ducked under his arm, only walking down a couple of steps before sitting down. He closed the door as quietly as he could and joined her.

She rested her head on his shoulder and stared out into the distance, "I just needed to be outside, you know?" she asked him, never looking away from the horizon, "there's so much concrete here, so little light it just reminds me..." she trailed off and he looked down at her, moving his hand slightly so the backs of their hands touched, encouraging her to continue.

She lifted her head and turned towards him, frowning slightly, "I ever tell you where I was before you guys found me?" she asked, he thought back and shook his head, he hadn't thought about it in so long because it just felt like she'd always been there. "I was in Atlanta when the bombs started dropping..." she told him, staring back out into the distance, "...in a hotel. I'd only been in the city a few days, part of my stupid summer travelling around the US," she cut herself off with a short bark of a laugh, "of course Jinx finally gets to go on her dream trip only for the world to end halfway through." she mocked herself sarcastically before continuing with a sigh, "I hid in the basement of the hotel, living off canned fruit I'd managed to get when I first saw people leaving the city." She paused for a while and Daryl said nothing, sensing there was more. "It must've been at least a month, probably more." She shook her head slightly and took hold of his hand.

"The day you found me; I'd given up. I'd found all these bottles of chemicals and I was planning to mix them and drink them and call it a day on existing, you know?" Daryl squeezed her hand and inhaled sharply as he thought of her alone for so long, reaching that point. "I didn't." she stated, another small laugh, "Obviously. I let myself turn on that stupid mobile phone and look through the pictures of the people I love, loved? Love." She struggled to settle on the right tense of the word, and he realised why that damn phone seemed to break her heart so much every time he saw her looking at it. "I remember thinking to myself, if this is what I'm supposed to do, so be it, if not maybe there'll be a sign and then I fell asleep." She went quiet again.

"And there was a sign?" Daryl prompted softly.

"Mm-hmm" she nodded, "I heard a voice, I couldn't remember the last time I'd heard another human voice, it wasn't even speaking English, but I picked up the few things I had that meant anything and went to look for it. You found me not long after and, well, you've been here for the rest."

She still didn't look at him, but now he understood, no wonder she wanted to get out from all the concrete of the prison. He thought back through all the months he'd known her and how happy she seemed whenever she was outside, as though she was just appreciating the way the air felt around her and it all made a little more sense now.

She rested her head back on his shoulder and he gently kissed the top of her head, noting she'd left her hair down for the first time in months. She looked up at him, staring straight into his eyes and he moved the hand that wasn't holding hers, up to her face, pushing a strand of hair back behind her ear, then using one finger to hold her chin up so he could look in her eyes.

He wasn't sure which of them closed the space between them, but he felt himself pressing his lips to hers just for a second.

He pulled away dropping his hand, he looked down, embarrassed, why would someone like her want someone like him? Mentally he started beating himself up, so he didn't notice her move until she touched his own cheek, turning his face towards her, kissing him properly now and wrapping her arms around his neck. He could feel her smiling against him as he wrapped his arms around her and he couldn't help but smile back.

This time when the kiss ended, they rested their foreheads together, both still smiling, but neither said a word.

Eventually, they had to admit defeat, both their eyes drooping with exhaustion, and they crept back inside. When they made it to the top of the stairs, Jinx went to go back to her cell and Daryl caught her hand, "stay out here with me?", he whispered and she paused, "less walls" he suggested with a small smile and a shrug. She smiled back at him and nodded before removing her boots and placing them off to the side. He laid down with his back against the wall and she laid beside him, easily going back to the way they'd slept all winter, but it felt a little different this time.