Hot Cocoa

5

A couple of days had passed since little Dixon had run to your place, and since you had met Merle Dixon for the first time. You hadn't known anything of them on those two days, you had trusted that Daryl was making sure Sam was okay, after your talk with him that evening...you didn't want to be annoying, and so you weren't planning on phoning them or anything like that, but you hoped you'd get to see them before school started again.

As if reading your mind, your phone rang, and when you picked it up, you heard little Dixon's voice.

"Hi, Y/N!"

"Hey, Sam, how are you?"

"I'm fine! Can I go visit you today?"

You were a bit surprised, but not in a bad way. "Sure, but do your dad and your uncle know it?"

"Dad had to leave this mornin', and Daryl knows, he's goin' to come with me, he said we can go when he finishes at the garage, it won't be late today, told me to ask you if it was okay? We're at the garage now."

"Okay, then, I'm happy you both want to come to visit me." You couldn't stop your smile.

"I want to go 'cause I got a Christmas gift for you! Couldn't give it to you the other day..."

"A Christmas gift? Really?" Your smile was now a grin, that kid was just the sweetest. "You know what? I have something for you too."

"Really?! I hope Daryl finishes earlier today..."

"Me too..." You chuckled. "I'll see you both later, then."

"Yes! See you!"

*

Later that day, you rushed to open the door when the Dixon's knocked, already smiling.

"Hi you both, thanks for coming to visit."

"Hi, Y/N! This is for you!" Little Dixon handed you a small bouquet of tiny, dried wildflowers.

"Woah...this is so pretty..." You looked at it in awe as you took it from Sam's hand. "Thank you, sweetheart."

"I was in the woods with Daryl and saw the flowers, even though it's winter!" Sam began telling you. "So I wanted to pick them up for you, for Christmas, but I thought they'd be dead when you came back...but uncle Daryl told me he'd taught me to dry them!"

"I love them, I really do...thank you both!" You looked up from the flowers to smile at the Dixons, but Daryl was looking down, seeming shy, and still hadn't said a word. You didn't want to make him uncomfortable, and so you didn't say anything else. "Come in."

The Dixon's followed you inside, Sam already going to greet your cat, who was napping on the sofa as per usual. Carefully, you let the flowers over the coffee table, until you could look for a vase for them, and then you took a package that you had left on the table for little Dixon.

"This is for you." You handed him the package and little Dixon looked at it with bright eyes.

"Thank you, Y/N," Sam said while he tore the paper. "Color pencils!"

"They're not only color pencils, they're watercolor pencils," you explained while Sam examined them.

"Watercolor pencils?"

"Yes, you can paint with them as you do with pencils, but then if you add water with a brush, they turn into watercolor."

"That's so cool..." Little Dixon looked at the box of pencils in awe before he looked at you with bright eyes. "Thank you, Y/N!"

"I'm happy that you liked it." You grinned. "I hope you paint something for me with those."

Daryl'd been silent all the time, but you noticed him looking at you. "Thanks for that," he said quietly, but when you smiled at him, he looked down.