There was a soft hue that illuminated the grey cell. The thick walls were brightened just a shade by the faintest streaks of moonlight, that flooded in from the window across the way. The light shone straight through the thin linen sheet that was hung in the doorway for a small sense of privacy, and bathed the bed you lay in. A pale white glow that gave you enough light to see more than just the shadow of the person beside you.
The moonlight was cast upon his outline, and in the sudden light your eyes could see the features of him that you saw during the light of day.
In the darkness, you could feel the tightness in his muscles as his arms locked around your waist and pulled you back into his toned chest. You could feel the veins in his calloused hands that you ran your fingers over. You could feel the warmth of his skin under the touch of your hand and the way it kept you from any feeling of cold. His arms keeping you steady in the heat of his body.
But now, with the slight shimmer of light, you could see the strength in his arms. The ripples of veins beneath his sun kissed skin and the muscles that made your legs feel weak even as you lay down. You could spot the contrast of the white sheets your legs lay tangled together underneath, against the tan of his flesh. Making the white look paler than the already plain color. As you lay on your side with him holding you close from behind, you can see the way the sheets take the shape of his legs that lay beneath them. Sticking to the muscles and making them more prominent rather than hiding them away.
"What's goin on in that head of yours?"
Daryl's voice is low, a deep rumble inside of his chest that you feel vibrating against your bare back. His tone is soft, and you can hear the slight hint of exhaustion in his words. Whether from the long day or the intimate exertion that took place just moments ago, you can't be sure. But your best guess is a mixture of it all.
Slowly, you turn your body. Your legs moving within the cage like hold his are, you move to your right side. Allowing yourself to look Daryl in the eyes yet still stay locked tightly in the warmth of his embrace you never want to leave.
"Just thinking." You whisper back softly, your eyes dropping from his steady gaze down to his lips.
The chapped and nicotine tainted lips that you kissed what feels like too many minutes ago. They still sit there slightly swollen from the pressure in which they moved with yours, dancing in a battle for dominance. But they still manage to toy with your self restraint. Almost seeming to plead for one more kiss.
"Thinking bout what?"
You watch his lips move as his words spill softly from them, and your eyes drop further. Down to his chest that lays exposed as the sheet covers from his waist down. And even in the shadows, you can still see the tan that overtakes his flesh. And you find yourself trying to remember what it looked like long before this life. If it had always held such warm color or if there had been a moment it was pale like yours used to be.
You know Daryl waits for a response, but for some reason no words come to the surface. So you lay there, soaking up the warmth and safety his arms provide, waiting for the words to find you.
Reaching your left hand out, you place it flat against his chest. His warm toned chest that you had clung to moments prior. Your fingers brush through the hair that lays spread across his broad chest and your eyes trace over the old tattoos that stain his skin. And the very edges of your fingertips can feel the faint beating of his heart. A steady rhythm that grounds you instantly.
"How I wish we could go back to before."
Your eyes leave the sight of your hand pressed firmly against his chest, and raise quickly to meet his awaiting gaze. His deep blues already looking down upon you, and you know he hasn't looked away from you... not once.
"Before when?"
You feel as the words leave him, the movement of his chest that you lean against. And you feel the way his words fan warmly against your cheek.
"Before the world fell apart." You respond softly, your voice almost lost in the silence that echoes inside the small cell.
Your life had been simple long ago. Or at least it seemed to be compared to the life you have now.
Food and water was always available. You had a constant secure roof above your head and you didn't live every day in fear that it would be your last. The only hardship you faced was the fact that your best friend had no idea you loved him more than just a friend.
And now, looking back to the days you struggled to keep it a secret, you ache for that hardship again. For it was a million times better than the hardships you faced now.
"Before your brother died." Your voice croaks in the quiet, and you feel as Daryl tenses immediately beneath you.
It didn't feel real to you that Merle's death happened just hours ago in the late afternoon. It didn't feel real that Daryl had finally gotten the last of his flesh and blood back, just to lose him a short time later. It didn't feel real that the hands that hold tightly to you now, are the same hands that slid the knife through his brothers skull.
He came back to the prison a shell of the man he left as. He was pale, with eyes reddened by his tears and sorrow. And he sought you out the moment his feet entered the prison. Seeking your comfort and compassion. Seeking your warm and life filled being out to remind himself that he wasn't completely alone in this world. He still had you.
And so you held him and comforted him all through the night.
"Before I fell in love with you and knew I had something to lose."
Slowly, Daryl's rigid form softens as your words crack softly in the air. And you feel his arms tighten their grip around your body.
You knew you loved Daryl Dixon long before the world fell apart, but the moment you went from living to surviving it all changed.
Watching Daryl--a lonesome redneck you had been close to your entire life-- step up and care for people the way he did... people he knew and people he didn't know, it made your perception of him widen. You always knew he had a heart, he showed it to you, but to see it beat for others along the way, you fell in love with his hidden compassion.
He protected you. He saved you more times than you can count. He kept food in your stomach and he did all he could to keep a roof of some sort above your head. He took care of you and in doing so, he put himself last. And as much as that saddened you, you couldn't help but feel thankful to him.
You knew you loved Daryl Dixon before but the world falling apart caused you to fall in love with him all over again.
But it scared you. And today's loss weighed heavy on the both of you. Daryl; losing his brother. And you; witnessing once again how easy it was to lose a loved one in a blink of an eye.
And so through the night, you comforted each other. You let Daryl cry to you. You let him scream and release his anger. You let him hold you closely, but you also let him take solace in your body in an attempt to relieve some of his pain. Even if it was only temporary. And in turn, he comforted you without even knowing. He let you feel him, up and down his body and back up to his beating heart. Reminding you that he was here and alive and safe in your arms. He let you kiss him and love him harder than any other day before. He held you when you needed to be held.
And despite your wish to go back to before all of the loss and fear and danger, you found yourself grateful for this night. It had been an oasis. A small private oasis in the darkness that brought the two of your closer together. Forging together what had already been there all along.
A/N: This one was a little different than some I've written in the past and there are parts I really like. What did you guys think? 💙
