Note: This 'fic' is officially a small collection of Caryl drabbles I have written! The first two chapters are corresponding, but the rest are completely unrelated. :)
Daryl was back.
After all the helpless wondering, painful sorrow, and desperation to care for Judith to beat the emptiness, Daryl was back. When Rick had returned a few days ago without the younger Dixon brother, Carol had almost immediately resorted to panic; the days had passed slowly but Daryl was back.
She was tending to Judith when shouts of, "Gate, the gate! Get the gate!" from Rick, his drawl a faint buzz from the outside. Carol quickly handed the swaddled baby to Beth, grabbed her knife, and scrambled out through the corridors to the vast lands of the outside prison.
Rick was prying the gate open the help of Carl, Glenn banging obnoxiously on the fence to distract the walkers bordering the perimeter; they took interest in the sound and followed the noise.
Daryl, dirtier than ever, slid inside the gates. All by himself. A pat on the back from Rick, cheeky grin from Carl, and he was inside. Rick started to say something, but Carol could see Daryl cut him off, shaking his head no. His hair flopped messily onto his forehead.
Carol sprinted to the opening, running as fast as her legs could carry her. The heat sweltered; sweat already dribbling from her hairline down her temple as the sun beat down from above. She could only praise how comforting the heat was compared to the everlasting, chilling weather of the winter. As she got a better look at Daryl, she noted he was sweating and the skin not covered by flecks of dirt was bright red. She paused in front of him; an overwhelming slew of emotions strung in her head.
She hadn't prayed since Sophia had gone missing, but accidentally caught herself whispering a few words of hope for Daryl. They came true.
The two exchanged eye contact; blue the color of a foggy sky versus crystal clear pools. No words were exchanged as the two embraced. Carol could feel the heat radiating from Daryl's skin, and the first seconds were awkward, frozen, until Daryl's toned arms wrapped around her lithe body. Carol couldn't wipe the smile off her face.
After sparing Daryl some water and getting him to lay down (with a bit of a fight), Carol returned to her own cell block. It was a bit empty without Lori.
She plopped down onto her bed, smile still lingering on the corners of her lips. It wasn't until she scrambled around that she heard the crinkle of a paper under her body. Eyebrows furrowed, Carol reached under her legs and found a small, folded piece of paper. Messy, angled handwriting scrawled:
Daryl + Carol Hug:
Date started—February 25 (ish? Who knows anymore? And we have nothing exactly to bet so…)
1 week (T)
3 weeks (Glenn)
And the handwriting changed as the list went on, from loopy, girlish handwriting to printed uppercase letters. The dates varied from a week to almost six months – a little star was scribbled next to two months, Rick's name in parenthesis next to the time.
It took a moment until Carol realized what was happening.
The group was taking bets on when she and Daryl would hug, exactly as the title said. Her face turned a shade of pink, flaming at her ears, but she grinned and ran an embarrassed hand over her features.
She'd show Daryl later.