Author's Note: This could be considered a companion fic of sorts to Three Simple Words but it can also be read on its own. The ending is sketchy but nonetheless, I hope you enjoy it. xo.

Warnings: Smutty content and shameless fluff.

One More Time.

The first time Glenn told Daryl that he loved him, Daryl didn't think he was serious. After all, Daryl was inside of him at the time and he knew that people said all sorts of things when they were being fucked. Hell, it wasn't the first time someone had said those three damn words to him in between moans, only to take it back once the deed itself was done and Christ, that was one of the harshest feelings in the world; feeling that spark of happiness deep in your gut, only to have it extinguished cold heartedly.

So he tried to block it out, tried to bury his face into Glenn's neck so that he could focus on something other than the half formed phrases that were coming out of Glenn's mouth. But really, that only lasted for a minute at most; the fact was that he got off on hearing the noises Glenn made, on hearing him fall apart because of what Daryl was doing. Hearing those whimpers and that pleading (pleasepleasepleasepleaseDaryl) was worth having to hear Glenn lie to him.

After about the third time he said it however, Daryl stopped trying to block it out. Truth was that it sounded too nice to block out. Much as he loved hearing Glenn curse and swear (sometimes in Korean if it was a really good day), he liked the way those three words flowed out of his mouth, sounding like possibly the most bittersweet thing he'd ever heard.

"Oh Christ, fuck, I love you Daryl."

That was all it took for Daryl to come, his fingernails digging into Glenn's hips enough to leave bruises. Only a few seconds later, based on the dampness that hit his stomach and the fact that Glenn was biting his shoulder for dear life, he was coming as well, somehow still babbling even with his teeth sunk into Daryl's skin.

It was afterwards, after he had opened the tent flap slightly to cool down, that Daryl felt that sickening pit of apprehension creep back into his stomach. Glenn had rolled to face away from him and hadn't said anything since Daryl had pulled out of him. Christ, seemed like even after approximately ninety-five percent of the world had decided to start eating each other, he couldn't get away from that after-sex awkwardness. You never saw that in the movies; the guy would just whip out a cigarette and everything was fine and dandy.

He wondered if he had any cigarettes.

"Daryl, stop brooding and get over here." It took him a few seconds to realize that he was not hallucinating Glenn's voice and that the kid was actually groping backwards for him, his arm awkwardly swinging around. Daryl couldn't help but smirk; Glenn sounded like he was only a few minutes away from sleep, which was definitely a sign that his moans and whimpers had been completely genuine. But what about the other thing he said? He still couldn't figure out if Glenn had meant it or if he'd been just caught up in the moment. The fact he had said it six or seven times without hesitation took away from the latter option but still.

"Daryl."

Right. Daryl collapsed onto their tangle of blankets, letting his left arm drape over Glenn's side. He had a feeling that they weren't going to need any of their covers tonight; the heat radiating off of the kid was more than enough to keep him warm, even with the flap slightly opened.

"Did you mean it?" He hadn't been planning on actually asking the question but after it was out in the air, he felt a lot better. It was always better to just address the fucking issue instead of making himself sick wondering about the possibilities. Glenn snorted slightly and twisted his head as far back as he could, his fingers wriggling their way in between Daryl's.

"Yeah." Daryl could really only see half of Glenn's face but he could see that he was smiling lazily, his eyes half shut. "I did. That's okay, right?" Daryl couldn't even answer; all he could do was bury his face in the back of Glenn's neck, inhaling deeply, unable to hide the grin that threatened to split his mouth. Christ, he didn't think he'd ever smiled so hard, even as a kid. It felt weird and unnatural but mainly, it felt fucking incredible.

"One more time?" he muttered. He felt greedy, like a kid gorging himself on candy until he felt sick merely because he could. But who knew if this would be the last time he ever heard it? They could both die tomorrow; Daryl wanted to hear it as many times as he could.

"I love you. I really do. Now go to sleep Daryl, you'll need to take watch before me."

It was the best night's sleep that Daryl had ever had.