Author's Note: Thank you to all of the lovely users who have followed this story! This will be the last chapter; it's short, sweet, and a bit corny, but that's the point. I didn't want to end with sex or Daryl leaving, so this was the only other option. Haha.
Tell me what you think ― I'd love to hear your comments, what you thought of this chapter or just the story as a whole. Critiquing is nice, too.
Epilogue
"You think they heard me last night?" Daryl worriedly asked me the next morning, stuffing a forkful of mediocre eggs into his mouth; the standard just-add-water kind. We were sitting in a spot on the edge of camp, secluded from the rest of the campers. He was still a little uneasy around them, despite their attempts to mutter friendly 'good mornings' and 'hellos' ― even if they were the ones afraid of him in the first place.
"Nah," I said, looking over at the man with a grin tugging at my lips. I scraped my own eggs into my mouth and chewed up the powdery nonsense.
Surprisingly, he had cleaned up pretty nice; short, scraggly brown hair combed down, wearing a pair of Shane's old jeans and a spare white t-shirt. I had insisted on him wearing my clothes, just until I could get his other ones clean, but he said it would definitley confirm that we were up to something. Or, more precisely, "fucking". I rolled my eyes and told him okay, even if I didn't particularly care. He also pointed out that he probably wouldn't fit into my clothes, judging by the fact that I was half the body weight of him, all lank and skinny. That I actually agreed with. The man was brawny; buff. Even if he wore a pair of my jeans, it'd probably look like he was wearing fucking superhero tights.
"So, are you feeling alright?" I asked, breaking out of my Daryl-Dixon-in-tights fantasies.
He chuckled underneath his breath, shaking his head. "Better than you'd imagine," he half-whispered, cocking his head to the side, giving me what could only be regarded as "twinkle eyes". For a minute, I thought he was going to lean in and kiss me, but the look on his face suddenly started to fade, being replaced with a more serious expression. "Glenn... where did you learn all that shit?" he asked, bewilderment lacing through his rough-edged voice, the one I learned to like so much.
"What shit?"
"The massaging," he said. "You some sort of professional or somethin'? Some sort of masseuse?"
I chuckled. "Unless the zombie apocalypse somehow caused me to lose all of my post-high school memories... no. I delivered pizzas," I added with a shy smile.
"Oh. It... felt like you were professional..." He sounded a bit disappointed, but at the same time, a bit amazed. I had to admit, even I didn't know I could be that good at... well, whatever we were doing last night.
I set my plate down on the ground, the fork clattering against the smooth china. Pulling my arm over Daryl's shoulder, I scooted closer to him and pressed my lips against his ear. "I'm glad you enjoyed it," I mumbled, my cool breath blowing against his skin. He sucked in his breath, a deep red blush creeping onto his cheeks.
"Fuck," he muttered, dropping his own plate to the floor. I listened to the sound of it rattle as his lips met mine in one eager thrust. This one was softer than all of our previous kisses; more tender. His lips were like jagged puzzle pieces fitting into mine.
"Thank you," I heard him say when he pulled back, panting for some air. "Thank you."
"For what?" I asked.
"For helpin' me," he clarified. "Out there in the forest. Bendin' over backwards just to get me to some fucking water. And... for last night... shit..." He swallowed down hard, closing his eyes.
"Your welcome," I said, pulling him in for another kiss, grappling his fingers with mine the way we had on the trail ― tight, afraid to let go. His eyes fluttered open and they met mine, bonding us in a connection like no other. Despite the fact that I knew nothing about this man, that he was older, intimidating, and a stranger... I could never be more comfortable than I was at that very moment.
Just when I thought post-apocalyptic life couldn't get any more ridiculous, I was starting to believe that I was falling in love with Daryl fucking Dixon...
And that he was starting to feel the same.
