They were a strange couple.
Y / N and Daryl.
They were so different.
He was a hunter, part of the Council, the one who was always looking for supplies. He rarely smiled and spoke little.
She was their self-defense teacher, always smiling, caring and kind to everyone.
Oliver liked Y / N.
When he and all the people of Woodbury had arrived at the Prison, his parents had recommended him to always be polite and listen to those people who had welcomed them.
Besides, he was the oldest of the children so he should have be a good example for everyone else.
Oliver felt important and did his best in everything.
The first few days in the prison had been a little ... confused, messy.
There were a lot of people and the cells weren't enough.
A man named Rick had spoken aloud, reassuring everyone and saying that in the following days they would make other areas of the prison safe and, therefore, there would be rooms for everyone.
That's when he had seen them for the first time.
Daryl approached Rick, asking him something he couldn't understand, then went back to Y / N's side. He had seen them look at each other for a moment, nodding, then holding hands.
At that moment, Oliver had thought they were friends, or maybe brother and sister, even if they didn't look alike.
It had been a long time since that time.
Now everyone had their own cell in the Prison. Everyone had a job, useful to everyone: there were those who cooked, those who took care of cultivating, those who went in search of supplies ...
A Council of 5 people was formed.
Daryl was part of it and it was him, one day, who talked to all the adults, along with Y / N.
Oliver had tried to listen something.
Daryl had said that all children should learn to defend themselves, to use weapons ...
Each week they would have a few lessons with Y / N.
He had heard that many parents disagreed. Y / N had tried to reassure them but without success.
Oliver had seen Daryl grin and then stomp out of the room. He almost ran him out the door. Oliver hadn't time to apologize that he was gone quickly.
The following days he had been careful to behave as well as possible.
His mom had told him that spying was not polite and Oliver was afraid that Daryl might have told his parents that he caught him listening to what was obviously an adult-only conversation.
Yet, no grooming had ever come. Maybe Daryl had forgotten about it or maybe he had decided to let him get away with it, this time.
In his child head, he decided to thank him, showing himself strong and doing the best to become like that man.
So when his parents told him about the defense lessons, he didn't wait any longer and at lunchtime, while they were all in the canteen, he approached Y / N, sitting at a table with Daryl and two other guys who he remembered being Glenn and Maggie.
He had puffed out his chest, his back as straight as he could, and asked when they would have their first lesson. Y / N smiled at him and stroked his head.
-I don't know if your parents agree, baby.- her voice had been sweet, she had looked around her for a while, then she had returned with her gaze on him.
-We haven't decide yet ...-
Oliver had moved closer and looked at Daryl.
-I want to become like him. I have to learn how to use the crossbow ... or pistols. Can't you teach me? -
Y / N smiled at Daryl as Glenn patted him on the shoulder.
-It looks like you have an admirer! -
-Stop it- was the archer's simple answer.
The following days Oliver had seen his parents talking to the other adults. This time he had not allowed himself to eavesdrop and had remained in the courtyard, looking towards the fence, where Y / N, Daryl and other people killed the walkers who massed.
He had seen them helping and leaning on each other for a few moments of pause and exchanging a bottle of water before returning to grab the bloody irons.
In that moment, seeing them close, he had thought for the first time that maybe they were engaged, like Glenn and Maggie.
Then he had pushed that thought away.
He had never seen them kiss and Mom had told him that two people kiss when they love each other.
A few days later Y / N had come to her parents' cell, looking for him.
-You are Oliver, right? -
He nodded energetically, happy and proud that she knew his name.
-Well Oliver. I want to give you an important assignment. You have to tell all your friends to come to the courtyard today, after lunch.-
-Will you teach us to use Daryl's crossbow? - he asked hopefully, already imagining himself with that weapon in his hands, shoot an arrow and hit the target. She would have been proud of him.
Y / N had laughed. Oliver had thought she was really beautiful, especially when she laughed.
-Maybe it's a bit early for the crossbow. We will start with learning how to use knives.-
He nodded again, thinking he could hit the mark by throwing a knife too.
She had seen Daryl do it a while ago and Y / N had looked at it admirably.
Maybe if he would have done it, she would look at him that way too.
So he had undertaken to carry out his task and that afternoon many children had presented themselves in the courtyard, ready to begin, while others, close to their parents, had remained more on the sidelines, observing.
Y / N was already there waiting for them. Daryl, beside her, helped her place various knives on a metal table.
Once they were ready to begin, Oliver had seen Daryl come closer to Y / N for a moment.
A little girl beside him had whispered something to her friend.
-Let's see if they kiss.
Oliver rolled his eyes and turned to look at his teacher and the man.
Daryl had looked first at her then at the whole audience of children, strangely silent and focused on the two of them. He had seen him shift her weight from one foot to the other, almost uncomfortable, whispered something to her that made her smile and then walked away.
No kiss.
The two girls beside him had snorted.
- Then they are not engaged! -
The lessons had been going on for a few weeks now.
Oliver now knew how to hold a knife, even a very sharp one, without getting any scratches and had learned to handle it.
One afternoon, Y / N had them practice throwing them too.
They had gone to the back yard of the prison and, in turn, had thrown the knife at a tree trunk.
Oliver had managed to get the knife embedded in the bark on the second try and felt his cheeks flare up as Y / N cheered with him and kissed him on the head.
The next day he had found a white flower in the courtyard and hadn't wasted time picking it and bringing it to her.
If he thought about it, he still felt a strange sensation in his stomach as he remembered her smile.
Daryl, beside her, hadn't said anything.
He hadn't been able to fall asleep that night.
He then left his cell silently, without waking his parents. He had gone all the way through the corridor, arriving at Block C, where he knew Y / N's cell was.
Many had used sheets to cover the iron doors but the slight breeze raised them enough for him to peek inside and recognize sleeping faces.
He had seen Carl, Beth and her father Hershel, Maggie and Gleen.
Into the last cell, he had seen her white flower resting on a cabinet next to the bed.
That was Y / N's cell!
He tried to get closer, and was surprised when he also saw other white flowers on the same table.
How did all those other flowers get there?
The cell door creaked, Oliver saw some movement on the bed and pulled back as quickly as possible for fear of being seen.
When it was completely silent again, he tried to look back into the cell, more specifically at the bed in the corner of the room.
In the dim light he ran the facial features of Y / N, blissfully asleep, wrapped around something ...
He took just a step, to get a better look into the crack left open by the curtain.
Daryl was there, her arms wrapping around her and her head resting on her chest, eyes closed.
Oliver stood for a few seconds looking at them.
His parents slept together and were married.
Glenn and Maggie slept together and were engaged.
Y / N and Daryl also slept together, so did that mean they were together too?
He had been left with this doubt for about a week.
They were taking lesson in the backyard again.
It was the first time they weren't using knives and Y / N held a gun in her hands, explaining the various parts of the weapon and how to load the bullets.
She smiled at him and at the others but she seemed distracted, she continually looked towards the gate, towards the woods and the road.
Oliver wasn't sure but he thought it was because the group had not returned from a run, a few days earlier. Run which Daryl had also participated to, of course.
Y / N was closing the gun when Maggie came out of the door that led to the courtyard.
-They are back! Y / N, they are back! -
Oliver had seen her face light up, something glinting in his eyes.
Y / N had quickly said something about the finished lesson, as her lips parted in the first real smile in days.
She ran to Maggie, hugged her, then dropped her the gun and changed direction, starting to run around the prison perimeter to reach the front of the structure.
While all the other children had scattered, happy to have finished the lesson first, Oliver had headed in the direction he had seen Y / N run.
That's when he had had confirmation.
Y / N and Daryl were right there.
In that empty side alley, except for the three of them.
He looked completely covered in blood but she probably didn't care at all, given the way he was holding him.
Daryl had hugged her too, dropping the crossbow to the ground, in a way that seemed almost violent to Oliver.
Then they kissed and he closed his eyes in embarrassment, hiding behind the wall.
That night he had struggled to fall asleep again, the image of Daryl and Y / N still in his mind.
How could he thought they weren't together?
Only two people who are truly in love can kiss like that.
The next day he didn't see them around, and Maggie warned all of her parents that there would be no lessons for that day.
Only during the night, when he was sure everyone was asleep, Oliver leave his cell again and reach Block C.
He crumbled back into Y / N's cell. This time he was immediately able to distinguish them.
Her with her head on the pillow, her arms to wrap Daryl, and him on her chest to re-change that hug.
He took a step forward, like the previous time, to be able to see better.
- What are you doing here at this hour? -
Oliver felt a shiver run down his spine.
Daryl, without moving in the slightest, had opened his eyes and was looking right at him, through the narrow opening left by the curtain.
He didn't sound angry or anything but his raspy voice always gave him a little fear.
-I didn't ... didn't want to ...- he tried to say something.
-You can't sleep, don't you? - this time it was Y / N who spoke, turning her face towards him and rising slightly with her torso, making Daryl move too.
-I ... no, I don't ...- once again, he could not find the words to complete the sentence, too embarrassed to have been caught in fragrant.
Y / N had looked at Daryl in what seemed a silent question and after a few seconds he had moved completely away from her, lying on his side, on the empty side of the bed.
Then Y / N had spread her arms towards Oliver, in a gesture that reminded him a lot of his mother and found himself happily accepting that silent invitation.
He climbed onto the bed, crouching on her chest in a position similar to Daryl's.
He didn't know how long it had been when she saw the man open his eyes again and look at him.
- Still not sleeping? -
Oliver didn't answer her question, too busy with another question.
- Daryl, why do you sleep like this? On Y / N? -
Oliver saw the man blink several times.
- Not only do you take my place, now you also ask questions? -
Again, he didn't seem angry but Oliver found himself hugging Y / N more.
Daryl stared at him for a few more seconds.
- What do you hear? -
The child took a few seconds to understand what he meant.
-I feel her breath. -
- What else? -
- Her heartbeat. -
- Exactly. -
- You mean it's like a bedtime song to you? -
Daryl nodded slightly.
Oliver thought about it for a while, listening to that regular sound, trying to catch that melody that helped Daryl sleep.
- But it's always the same, it doesn't sound like a song. -
Daryl's lips parted in one of his rare small smile.
-If you hear a person's heartbeat, it means that she is alive. -
The man bit his lower lip.
- And knowing she's okay helps me sleep. -
Oliver tried to understand the true meaning of those words.
He felt he was missing something.
Probably, for Daryl, this was far more important than he could have imagined.
He hugged the girl tighter.
- I'm sorry I took your place then. - the child said, finally closing his eyes.
- Don't get used to it, brat.-