Daryl woke slowly, instinctively securing his grip on Carol when he realized she was with him, while the warmth of sleep tried to pull him back under. He could tell from the dull headache he had that he hadn't been out for very long. Mind very fuzzy, it took him a minute to realize that they were in the backyard, not their room, and another minute to remember why. The faint smell of smoke jogged his memory.
They'd all had dinner outside that night, after Maggie had gone and found a charcoal grill in storage. That, Daryl thought, was how anyone should know that their group was actually getting comfortable here. They were getting used to having a kitchen and a house. They'd just decided to cook and eat outside for fun.
Even he was starting to relax. As it had started to grow dark and he'd gotten drowsy, he'd just gone to nap in the hammock they'd set up in the yard, as opposed to going to bed inside. And, apparently, Carol had joined him.
Now, as his head started to clear, he realized what probably woke him. It had been fairly cloudy all day, continuing into the evening. When he'd fallen asleep, it had been very dark, with the moon hidden behind all the clouds. But now, looking up, Daryl could see that the sky was finally starting to clear, with the moon out and lightening things considerably. The moon was nearly full, and the glow it cast on the yard was almost eerie. Almost.
Craning his neck a little to look at Carol, he thought to himself that moonlight looked damn good on her. The light was making their skin look pale, almost blue, and the shadows around them just made her seem all the more striking.
He knew he should probably wake her up. Eating outside was one thing, but staying in the yard all night was silly. He was starting to feel some chagrin about choosing the hammock in the first place, it was so frivolous. They needed to go inside and sleep in an actual bed.
But then, Carol sighed softly in her sleep. She unconsciously snuggled closer to him, tucking her head a little more into his chest, and he knew he couldn't make himself disturb her.
So instead, he tightened his arms around her again, and shifted very carefully, so that he wouldn't have a crick in his neck the next day. He closed his eyes again, but not before he noticed her smiling in her sleep.
Maybe getting comfortable wasn't so bad, after all.
