Suspicion

Daryl paced the small trailer that he shared with Paul. It was just before sundown, and Daryl had been watching the sun sinking below to the horizon for the last hour. When he had gone out on a run with Aaron three days ago, Daryl realized he couldn't continue pretending he didn't know anymore. He had been pulling the wool over his own eyes for months while his boyfriend had found every opportunity to meet Aaron out beyond the walls of Hilltop. The first few times, Daryl had walked Paul to the gate and giving his shoulder a soft grip before watching him go off into the wild. He had considered Aaron to be a good friend for a long time and, at the beginning, he had no reason to suspect that Paul would ever cheat on him. 

It had been two years since Aaron had lost Eric, and with a lot of encouragement from Maggie, he had begun to start dating again (though Daryl wasn't too sure what qualified as 'dating' in this world now). 

What had started out as one  or two couple hour trips outside of the Hilltop to pick up some supplies for the community had gone on to quickly become days spent outside with only each other for company. Daryl had tried and tried to think of some reason that Paul would want to spend his time out there with Aaron instead of him, but he couldn't deny it anymore. 

Daryl had known it would never last. And while he didn't think it would happen like this, he couldn't bring himself to hate Paul for it. 

He tried not to think too hard about it. Daryl wanted to focus on the 14 months that he had been able to have with the man. He was fine on his own. He knew that Dog would follow him anywhere. He would go back to how it was before; build another cabin by the river and being comforted by the rustling of the forest around him instead of having the sound of Paul's slow, deep breaths beside him. But it hurt as he stared at the duffel bag beside the door that held his sparse belongings. 

He should have been gone already. He hadn't bothered to write a note, and he knew that Paul was likely looking forward to having his privacy back inside these walls. 

Daryl had never needed these walls, or these people, or even this trailer. But it had been so good...so good to have someone next to him. He hadn't had that since before the turn, and even then it was never for longer than a couple of weeks. But he didn't need it...he had survived on his own before and now he would do it again. 

He breathed the smell of the trailer in deep, trying to commit it to his memory before picking his duffel up off of the floor. 

He hadn't heard the door open behind him and as he turned he found Paul standing in the doorframe. 

"Daryl?"

He didn't answer, eyes tilted towards the floor. 

"Daryl...what is this?"

Paul had his long hair swept over one shoulder of the long black trench coat. He shrugged the coat off, uncharacteristically throwing it off to the side somewhere. 

"It's fine..." Daryl muttered, still staring at the floor.

He went to zip around Paul but Paul grabbed the duffel strap around Daryl's shoulder, pulling him back inside the trailer and closing the door behind them both and managed to finally catch Daryl's eye. A mixture of confusion and hurt was written across Paul's face, and it made Daryl's heart lurch. He should have left earlier...

"Daryl what...where are you going?"

"It's fine..."

"No! Stop saying that," Paul said before walking across their small living room towards Daryl.

Daryl dropped the bag then, gripping both of Paul's shoulders and pushing him at arms length. 

"Didn't have to sneak 'round y'know," Daryl started, "Y' could've just told me."