Daryl smirked, biting the calussed skin on the tip of his thumb.
The rest of group sat gleefully playing a game of poker, whilst Beth was on the sidelines reading a book on car parts. He felt lighthearted at the sight of her grin, something that had been a rare occurance ever since they reunited. She was quiet ever since they had found her, and kept a slight glower when alone. It made him, as hard as it was to admit, exhilarated to see her with the rare grin spread across her expression. As expected, the euphoric butterflies fluttered in his stomach, and the urge to talk to her became joyfully unbearable. He cowered his head at the sight of Maggie's skeptic eyes, and realized he had been staring at Beth. Maggie excused herself from the game, and wiped her hands on her jeans habitually, even though there was no need.
She gestured to him with subtle movements to follow her, and dragged his feet hesitantly into the hallway. He felt his cheeks redden and tried to convince himself that Maggie was not going to mention Beth.
"Daryl."
He nodded and stared at the ground with a crimson face and a frightened twitch.
"I see the way you've been lookin' at my sister." She stared at him, her hands resting on her hips.
He didn't move, feeling his muscles tense up. He would have ran, had it not been for the uselessness of his legs at that moment. He started at his boots, his palms moist.
She sighed. "Now, I don't know what happened between you two after the prison fell, but I know she cares about you, and stupid as it is, she cares about you a lot."
He felt profanities rushing through his head, feverishly biting at his fingernails.
"Since her dad's not here, I'm gonna have to judge you on his behalf. Whatever you do, Daryl, it makes her happy, and all I want is for my Bethy is to be happy. I think Daddy would approve of you two."
She shook her head. He walked off, anxiously, and as he approached the end of the hallway, she called his name again.
"Daryl, don't... don't make me regret this. Just bring back the old Beth. Only you can."
She whispered, and her eyes glimmered, she squinted them when he nodded. Tears outlined the brim of her eyes. He stared at her for a few more seconds until she nodded back. He heard her whisper one last phrase as her trembling voice faded.
"I've seen you do it before."
He heard laughter echo through the living room. He was sure, that this was the happiest the group had ever been. He sat down, with an odd floaty feeling, in the spot he had been in previously. Maggie walked in with a smirk on her lips, her eyes flickering between Beth and Daryl. Beth sat, a new granola bar in hand, reaching the end of her book.
Maggie shrugged her shoulders and bent down to whisper in Beth's ear. It had been inaudible from where he was, but based on the way Beth's eyes widened, it had shocked her. Beth got up with Cheshire Cat grin illuminating her face. She felt a peculiar light hearted feeling as she approached the shy archer. She had little control over her frantic thoughts as she sat close enough to him that their shoulders touched. She turned to him, her eyes squinted because of her grin that stretched ear to ear, brightening the blue orbs in her eyes.
"You want to step outside for a minute? I want to show you something."
He stared at her in awe, uttering a shocked "mhm". He followed her, ignoring the prying eyes that stared at him every few seconds. He didn't know what he was doing, but whatever it was, it made him happy. The real happy, that he thought he would never feel from the beginning of his existence, was what he was feeling as the blonde porcelain skinned phenomenon, dragged him outside the Alexandria guest home. Her hair fell happily at her shoulders, her blue eyes accentuated by the darkness.
The night breeze brushed his skin with a surreal glee. He stared at the flickering lights britegning the porches of the safe zone homes. She turned to him every few seconds, making sure he was still following her. Her smile stretched farther everytime she saw him.
"Almost there."
Their boots stomped in unison. When they approached the large structure, Beth sighed, a proud look on her face.
"We're here" She glanced back at him with a smile, and he only looked back with a confused frown.
"Ya wanted to show me a... a...water tank?"
She angled her head and giggled.
"No, shithead. I wanted to climb a water tank."
He stared at it with an odd anxiety. It looked roughly 40 feet tall. Splotches of tinged red an brown covered the creaking metal. The rustic build was emphasized by the thin pathetic ladder, and the top was covered with an angled metal roof welded on.
"This is were I have been going at night ever since we've found this place. I found it while getting some air. It's safe enough. C'mon, it'll be worth it."
She tucked in her cotton tank top and zipped up her hoodie. She turned to him, and arched her eyebrows.
"I never knew Daryl Dixon was afraid of heights." She said, sardonicly, her leg balanced on the first pole held by the ladder.
He whispered, shrugging his shoulders. "Damn it, Beth."
She spoke quietly and stared up at the sky, climbing up. "That's the spirit."
He waited for her to reach the top and let out a content sigh. He climbed up with hurried movements, his heart pounding with ever step. He threw his body onto the metal when he reached the top, frantically crawling to her. He held both his legs, almost childlike.
She giggled then let out a sigh. "Look."
Blurred dots of light decorated the view. The outlines of tall pine trees guarded the horizon, splotches and streaks of white softening the dark blue sky. Ant sized clusters of homes sprinkled the hills outside the Alexandria gates. The stars of glittery white were muffled by the smoky whisps of cloud spread out on the sky.
"Since the beginning of all this, I've never seen anything this beautiful." Beth spoke with a dreamlike voice.
Beth turned to him with a grin painted onto her lips, staring at him to see his awe-like expression change.
"T's nice." He whispered, his voice content.
"What?" She asked with an angled head and a curious voice.
"Can't hear the walkers." He said, looking at her.
"Yeah. I noticed that. Sometimes I pretend that all of this is gone, and I woke up from the nightmare we live in, you know?"
He stared at her, his eyes wondrously gazing into the oceanic blue that guarded her eyes and made him forget where he was.
"Ya, I know." He said, in a husked murmur.
"Daryl, this can be our spot." She giggled.
"Huh?" The gorgeous scenery seemingly distracted him.
She spoke with a tranquil twinkle. "I love my family, but sometimes, I wish I could go back to the funeral home. Go back to the time where I thought everybody was gone, but it was still ok, because we were together."
Letting out a gleefully anxious breath, she felt jolts of delighted electricity run through the skin where their shoulders touched. His heart pounded, and the urge to close the heat filled space between them taunted him.
Her voice flickered in volume.
"But I've been meaning to ask you, what changed your mind?"
The inches between them felt like an obstacle. His hand trembled as he lifted it. The smile she had faded, and her eyes followed his hand. The closer his hand moved towards her, the slower it moved. Her heart pounded, and her eyes widened, staring into his dark blue eyes. His hand calmed as it pushed against her jaw, crashing waves of surreal fervent into both of them. His heart beat with every movement, his eyes staring into hers with a heartfelt twinkle.
Her knees uncurled, feeling her surroundings melt away into his eyes. The hand under her jaw lifted her head with a subtle tilt. Her blue eyes became wider, and sparkle that decorated them began to brighten, warming the vehement space between them.
He melted into her eyes, forgetting the past, forgetting the future, the present, as long as her captivating gaze held his, he would only see her.
The midnight air breezed past them, blowing her hair into her eyes. His hand traced her jaw until he felt the blonde length wrap around his fingers. He pushed the strands back with the gentlest of movements. They inched closer, with no control, their minds thinking as one, seeing only eachother in the twinkling darkness. The closer they inched towards eachother, the more explosive the heat between them became.
His hand kept itself around the soft skin on the side of her neck. Her liberty eyes glistered with the star's reflection.
It was if every moment in his existence had led up to staring into her eyes as they became the only thing he could see. All of the beautiful things she did and said had been projected into his physical form.
"You."
He whispered, and she shut her eyes. All the stray pieces of the puzzle began to fit, all of the death, the nightmare, all of the disgusting, it began to fall, and they both finally saw what they found in the rubble.
Like that, their lips crashed together, an overwhelmingly happy surge of ecstasy powering their movements.
They forgot. Forgot the dead people. Forgot the nightmare. And all they could remember was eachother.
