Prompt came from ashekeh on tumblr: "Daryl wants to be happy about Glenn and Maggie's baby, but all he can think of is what happened to Lori. He confides in Jesus."
The sun was rising beautifully over the sea of trees, bathing the entire area pink in a warm summer glow. Daryl hadn't been able to sleep, so in the middle of the night he'd stepped outside to climb one of the taller oak trees and just sit there, enjoying the low chirping of crickets and cicadas. He wasn't sure how long he'd been up there, but he had stress-smoked nearly an entire pack of cigarettes over the course of the night.
"How's the view?" called a familiar voice. Of course he'd found him.
Daryl looked down over his shoulder, making eye contact with the longhaired man. "Not bad," he commented before looking back over the horizon. He'd hoped the other man would lose interest, but apparently Daryl's nonchalance made him more interested, and a moment later he felt the branches shake beneath him.
"The hell are you doin'?"
"I want to get a view too, can't see over the walls." Unsurprisingly, Jesus was a natural at climbing trees; he was at nearly everything he did. In just a few minutes, Jesus was on the branch adjacent to Daryl's, facing out towards the morning light.
Silence ensued for several long moments, then Daryl felt something nudge his arm. He looked down to see Jesus had bumped him with a green apple, his favorite.
"Breakfast?"
Daryl tried to give him a menacing look, but his mouth betrayed him and twitched into a small smile. "Thanks," he said before taking a crisp bite. His stomach had been in knots during dinner so he hadn't eaten much, but his fast was beginning to catch up with him. He was starving now.
They fell silent again, save for the occasional crunch of an apple and the rustle of a protein bar wrapper. Knowing Daryl wouldn't be the one to bring up whatever was bothering him himself, Jesus attempted to coax it out of him.
"I'm guessing you've been up here all night?"
"Maybe," Daryl mumbled, mouth half-full of fruit.
"Are you gonna tell me why?"
"…" Daryl made a grumbling noise, but no words came out. When just the core was left, the archer let it drop to the ground under them. It was so tempting to launch it over the wall, but they needed the seeds.
When he was finished his protein bar, Jesus turned towards Daryl and looked into his eyes, which were currently still watching the sunrise. "It's Maggie, right?"
About a week ago, Glenn, Maggie, Enid, and Daryl had made the journey from Alexandria to the Hilltop to prepare for Maggie's upcoming delivery. If Doctor Carson was right about how far along she was, Maggie's due date was today, and she could go into labor at any time. Everyone in town was thrilled for the birth since it was the first one they'd ever experienced there, plus it gave them something new to think and talk about. They'd even thrown a small party the night before, where the couple received an adorable blue baby blanket that'd been knitted by one of the residents, amongst other small items and toys for the baby.
Amongst all the buzzing excitement, Daryl couldn't help but worry about her and in turn, Glenn. He just couldn't shake what happened to Lori just a few years before, which left Rick unstable for a long time. What if the same were to happen to Glenn and Maggie? He couldn't stand to think about it.
A few stray tears unexpectedly streamed down Daryl's face. He quickly wiped them away with the sleeves of his dark jacket and hoped Jesus hadn't seen.
"Why are you so worried? Carson is well trained. We can handle whatever happens."
Daryl brought his legs down so that they were swinging off the edge and crossed his arms. He faced Jesus now but he kept his head down, staring at their feet and leaning up against the warm bark.
"Things can still go wrong. We had everything ready for when Lori was ready to give birth to Judith. But…" Daryl leaned his temple against the trunk. "There was a breach, we all got split up. Maggie and Carl were the only ones 'ere when she went into labor…they got locked in a utility room…she wouldn't stop bleedin'. Maggie had to deliver her. Carl had to put his own mom down."
Daryl finally looked up to see Jesus' sympathetic face. "I'm sorry," the other man muttered, having never heard the story before. Now that Daryl's legs weren't taking up the rest of the branch, Jesus was able to move over next to the other man. Surprisingly, Daryl didn't comment when Jesus put an arm around the archer's shoulders, bringing them closer together. "I'm sorry that happened."
Daryl found an unusual comfort in Jesus' arm around him and decided not to push him away for it. He also didn't want to be responsible if the idiot fell off and broke an arm or something. "I just want Hershel Jr. to have his mom around."
Jesus' hand squeezed his bicep and he gave him a reassuring nod. "He will, I'm sure of it. Maggie is strong, she can handle whatever happens. And we'll keep this place safe during it."
Leaves rustled above their heads and birds sang around them as the two sat quietly in the tree. The morning air was cool against their skin but where their bodies touched warmth spread through them. Without even thinking about it, Daryl moved his head from the trunk to rest it on Jesus' shoulder. He'd felt calmer than he had in days and exhaustion hit him like a ton of bricks. He was actually starting to doze when he heard Glenn's voice calling out.
"Daryl?" Glenn's voice progressively got closer and more urgent the more he called out. "Daryl?!"
"Glenn?" Daryl called back. When he did Jesus retracted his arm and shifted away to normal distance. "'M up here!"
A minute or so later Glenn appeared near the base of the tree with an excited albeit anxious expression. "I think Maggie's water just broke, she's going into labor! We need you!"
"Shit, I'm comin', you get back to her!"
Glenn nodded and ran back to the main house, where they'd already prepared a proper delivery room.
As Daryl was preparing to climb down, Jesus quickly leaned over and grabbed his head, kissing the side of his mouth where his lips and cheek met. "Good luck," Jesus said as he pulled away, smiling.
Unsure of what had just happened, Daryl decided to ignore him and continued to climb down, suddenly feeling warm all over. He couldn't shake the fuzzy feeling even once his feet hit the ground. All Daryl could think of as he ran towards the house was how Jesus could be so nice and reassuring yet so goddamn weird all at the same time.'
Reviews are always appreciated! I don't use beta readers so I apologize for any grammatical errors. If you find any just go ahead and tell me so I can fix it.