𝙷𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝙲𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚂𝚞𝚗 ☼ 𝙳𝚊𝚛𝚢𝚕 𝙳𝚒𝚡𝚘𝚗

xᴠ. ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴏʀ ᴡɪᴛʜᴏᴜᴛ ʏᴏᴜ

His hair was stuck to his cheek on one side, whilst some other strands hung loosely over his forehead and close to his eyes. You ran your palm over his face gently, moving his hair aside to get a better look at him. You never thought you'd get to see him like this, looking so vulnerable as you lay together - chest to chest. You smiled without realising it, and Daryl's eyes flicked open.

"Quit starin' at me." He mumbled, startling you and making you flinch in his arms. "Yer goddamn creepy."

Your heart pounded as you were caught off guard, and you realised that he could probably feel it when he gave you a small, teasing smirk. His pale blue eyes stared straight into yours, and the proximity suddenly made you feel a lot warmer than you already did. He looked tired, and his voice came out low and gravelly as he let out a groan and rolled his neck. He grumbled under his breath about how stiff his shoulders felt from the 'piece of crap mattress,' before forcefully rubbing the corners of his eyes with the back of his hand.

You quickly apologised, glancing away from him whilst the heat of your cheeks betrayed you. He mumbled something back, which you didn't quite catch, but he didn't seem in any rush to pull away from you or get out of bed.

"How did you sleep?" You whispered, once you got the confidence to.

"Not bad." He drawled back, his voice still groggy. "Bed's too damn small." He muttered, looking down to his feet that hung off the edge of the frame.

You let out a soft laugh, feeling grateful for your short stature - and how he'd sacrificed his comfort for the sake of your own.

"I slept well." You added, so close to the man that your foreheads almost touched. "Better than I have in a long time." You admitted, with a shy smile.

You reached forward only a few inches, closing the gap between the two of you as you placed a dainty kiss to his nose. He scrunched it up in response, forming an expression that made your eyes light up as you laughed.

"Good morning, Daryl." You greeted him, like it was the first time you'd said it.

"Mornin'." He replied, returning your kiss - on the lips this time.

You smiled against him, bringing a hand up to run your fingers through his hair. You moved a stray piece away from his eyes and tucked it behind his ear. It had gotten quite long now, and you couldn't say you minded. You kissed him back with more pressure, slipping your arm around his shoulder to play with the strands at the back of his neck, and tugging at them a little as you did so.

Daryl gripped your waist a bit tighter, his palm against your bare skin where your vest had ridden up. He rubbed circles there with his thumb, and it sent sparks through your body and made your stomach flip. He definitely seemed less shy as he continued to move his lips against yours, more certain of his actions as he used his free hand to caress your cheek and pull you closer to him. You let out a soft moan as he did, running your other palm flat over his chest. His breath was hot on your skin, as you pulled away for a few seconds, but you pressed up against him again and brought him back.

You bit his lower lip softly between your teeth, letting out a quiet whimper as he kissed you like he meant it. You stroked your fingers over his shoulders affectionately, above the material of his shirt, before dropping your hand lower to the hem of it. You slipped your fingers underneath, feeling his warm skin against yours as you slid your hand up his back. He immediately stopped kissing you.

Daryl startled away from you like your fingertips had burnt him, flicking his eyes open as he caught his breath. His sudden movements made you flinch in return, as you wondered whether you had scratched him by accident. He squinted at you, and you couldn't quite read his expression as he tugged the blanket off himself and sat upright on the mattress.