R A N D O M || OS

198. (TWD) Daryl Dixon - Melt Into You

https://crossbowking.tumblr.com/

Summary: (Set between seasons 3 and 4) You always assumed your feelings for the archer were one-sided. But after an argument, the truth comes to light.

-----

The cool night air nipped at your exposed skin.

You fought back the chill working its way up your spine, settling somewhere at the base of your skull as you sunk deeper into your worn and tattered jacket. If you had to guess, you'd say it was somewhere in the middle of March. The days were growing more and more brutal, with unrelenting sun and suffocating humidity — whereas the nights remained crisp, more bearable.

There was an odd sort of comfort you felt at night — like you could finally take a breath, like you could finally decompress after a long day of surviving.

You'd been spending most nights up in the guard tower, keeping watch over the prison grounds. With Woodbury neutralized, the residents now living alongside your group, things had begun to feel a little too crowded for your liking. And as much as you enjoyed the normalcy, the feeling that your people were building a future — at a prison, no less — you still needed your space.

Taking watch provided you that.

You weren't sure how long you'd been there, the sky still just as dark as when you'd relieved Sasha from her shift. But with each passing moment, your eyelids began to feel heavier and heavier. Usually, there were things to distract you, to keep your mind occupied — like counting walker silhouettes along the gate or listening to choruses of crickets chirp.

But tonight...tonight was different.

Tonight was still.

You sighed softly, shifting into a more comfortable seated position on the tower's platform, your legs stretched out in front of you, back resting against the concrete structure. Tilting your head back, you studied the vast night sky, its voidness littered with thousands upon thousands of burning lights.

Inhaling deeply, you closed your eyes, breathing in the serenity the quiet brought you, slowly lulling you into a sweet and heavy calm...

"Sleepin' on the job?" a gruff voice suddenly sounded, jolting you awake.

"Jesus!" you gasped, reaching for the rifle at your side on impulse before you exhaled a sigh of relief, recognizing who now stood before you. "You just scared the shit out of me, D," you sputtered out a laugh, your hand pressed against your racing heart — you hadn't even realized you'd fallen asleep.

Daryl snorted softly, shoving his hands deep into his pockets. "Go on an' get some rest," he rumbled, jerking his head towards the door leading to the stairwell.

You sat up straighter, clearing your throat. "No, no, I'm fine," you quickly waved off his offer. "I'm good to stay up here a little longer. Besides, you're the one who needs some beauty sleep — you were on that run, what? Three days?"

The archer shrugged, the motion visible only by moonlight. "Somethin' like that," he mumbled, kicking the toe of his boot against the platform railing.

"So, I'm good here," you nodded resolutely. "You deserve a night off," you added, nestling up inside your jacket and getting comfortable once more.

Daryl shifted back and forth on his toes for a moment before huffing a breath.

Then much to your surprise, instead of taking the opportunity offered, the archer swung his crossbow off of his shoulder and settled down beside you with a grunt.