Together

                                    

                                          


                          
You were never afraid of the dark.

                          
 It was cool, and calm, and collected. Much like you. 
                          
 In a sense like Daryl... most of the time. 
                          
  You were never really one for relationships, but quick fucks with men  from your town before said town fell down was enough. You got what you  needed and moved on. But that night hidden amongst the trees when you  planned to slip away... that changed a lot. 
                          
 You'd only seen  glimpses of him when they found you on the side of the road that  evening, heat stricken and whining, something along the lines of wanting  to just die. With no clean water for days and no food for even longer,  you were at your end, it seemed. You never took to survival skills-  there was no time to learn so learning as you went left you with nothing  in those days. The next couple were a haze; a blur of yelling and  sweating, but of the pain slowly ebbing from your system. 
                          
 There  were many voices calling to you in the void you floated in, but none  seemed real. You slept, and were okay if you woke up to a walker gnawing  on your leg. You were too tired to care, really.
                          
 It was a fever,  they'd told you. Drinking murky water does that to you. Eventually you  regained your bearings and when it didn't hurt to sit up and open your  eyes, you observed the people around you. None seemed menacing, really.  If there were children there then it couldn't've been too bad... right? 
                          
 Sure some of them were annoying, but eh, oh well. 

                          
 Rick was in charge it seemed. Lori and Shane were his left and  right, and others seemed to fall into unspoken spots, all doing their  part. 
                          
 But Daryl. 
                          
 The one amongst the shadows like you.  Where did he come in? You'd seen him wander in and out, something about a  missing girl, but there was something flooding your chest every time  you saw him. 
                          
 Maybe it was just cause you thought he was cute.  Something about rugged men always made you weak. Maybe the crossbow? And  the bandana hanging out of his pocket? Possibly the motorcycle. 
                          
 Or maybe it was the long looks he gave you when you started wandering around, too. 
                          
  He seemed to avert his eyes after too many seconds with everyone else,  never looking people head-on. Always a shoulder to guard his words, or  to protect, maybe. It was a mystery, but you found yourself staring  back, your hands busy with tasks. 
                          
 No words were spoken to one another for a long time. You two worked, protected, ate, slept, repeat. 
                          
 He'd speak to Rick the most; his voice was gravely, and warm. You liked it. 
                          
 A few times you'd caught sight of his bare arms as he lifted something; they rippled with lean muscle. 
                          
  Often, maybe always, you'd catch those cold eyes, but never sensed any  hostility. It started happening more, and to test the waters, you  started to move in. You don't know what compelled you to, but carefully  you'd sit by him when you all ate. You'd offer to help him even if he  ignored you, and a few times you even noticed him following you from a  distance as you walked the perimeter. 
                          
 Still, the long looks ensued. 

                          
 And eventually, he started talking. 
                          
 You guessed maybe he  felt you weren't going to rob them and leave, or kill them while they  slept, but he started accepting your help. Telling you morning when you  woke, and he'd sit by you at dinner. The distance he kept when you  walked slowly closed.