This Life We Lead

Daryl stood by the fence, the blistering sun beating down on his shoulders as he killed walkers with a sharpened wooden stake. His brown hair flopped in his face, and it seemed like he was always pushing it back out of his eyes. His toned arms were bronze from always working outside, and his eyes were squinted in the bright light. His trademark Horton Scout HD 125 crossbow was never far off, and it stood propped up against the fence now as he grasped the wooden stake tightly, stabbing another walker.

As he yanked the stake back out of the walkers face, blood splattered the front of his shirt. He cursed slightly under his breath and set the wooden pole down, grabbing a rag to wipe his hands as his stomach growled.

Carol had been down working the fence with him and she looked over at him now as his gut groaned. She smiles a little and folds her arms. "Someone's hungry." She grins. "We're running low anyway. Feel like a little hunting?"

Daryl smiles and raises his hand a bit, blocking the sun from his eyes. "I think I feel like kicking your butt." He grins and grabs his bow.

She rolls her eyes and smiles. "Sure." She says, looking around. "Which way should we go?"

He sighs a bit and points to the main gate. "Too many geeks over there." He turns and looks towards the bridge. "Over by the bridge is probably our best bet. Get in. Get out."

She nods and they begin to walk over. They cross the bridge and he pulls the zip tie free, making the hole in the fence pop open with a snap. He holds the fence open for her to slip through and she looks at him, ducking under. "When did Daryl Dixon become such a gentleman?"

He scoffs and ducks through. "When did ya become such a smartass?" He grins, tying the fence shut behind them.

She laughs a little and stabs a walker that ambles over. "I learn from the best." She throws back with a grin.

He rolls his eyes and loads his crossbow, chuckling a little. "Ain't you a peach. C'mon smarty pants. We ain't got all day and those squirrels damn sure ain't waiting." He says, slinging his bow over his shoulder and walking towards the woods.

****TWD****

A little while and a lot of squirrels later Carol sighs and folds her arms. "Well Mr. Dixon, you seem to have run this round of squirrel hunting."

He grins. "D'ya think ya can beat all o' this?" And makes a sweeping gesture over himself.

Carol laughs. "You had your moment. Don't get cocky."

He chuckles and they walk in silence for a few awkward minutes. Daryl avoids looking at her until she speaks up.

"So, uh, you and Michonne are a thing now?" She says, shuffling her feet a little and looking away, trying to hide the blush that had crept up onto her cheeks.

Daryl arches an eyebrow and stops, turning to face her. "Michonne?" He asks, a little incredulous. "That whatcha think? That her and I are...?" He trailed off questioningly, unsure of what to say.

Carol blushes fiercely and avoids his gaze. "Well, I mean, you've been spending a lot of time with her and you guys are perfect for each other. I mean c'mon." She says, kicking a pebble with the toe of her boot.

He pauses a moment and then takes a step closer to her, reaching out a hand slowly and putting it under her chin. She flinches when he raises his hand and he freezes, but she relaxes and he pulls her chin up gently to look at her. "So ya think I got a thing? For Michonne?"

She avoids his gaze, looking anywhere but at his face. "Don't lie to me. Please don't. They all have. I just need someone to tell me the truth for once. Just once."

He moves and struggles to meet her gaze, but holds it once he finds it. "Ya want the truth?"

She nods, biting the inside of her cheek.

He sighs a little and closes his eyes for a moment before speaking quietly. "You're the only one I've looked at since this all went down. The only one I really cared about." He takes a shaky breath and continues. "And when that son of a bitch would put his hands on ya, God, how I wanted to bash his skull in for it."

She looks up quickly at him and her gaze wavers.

"Ya gotta give yourself credit. C'mon. You're such a kind, beautiful, caring woman and you've done stuff that, hell, I couldn'ta done. First I thought I had to protect ya, now I know that all I gotta do is care. Sophia, I cared about her like she was my own, cause I care about ya that way." He sighs. "And it took an arrow to the gut and a near bullet to the brain to realize I'd do whatever it took to get her back for ya."

She blinks quickly and swallows hard, but he continues.

"I could care less about Michonne, cause I just want ya." He says, leaning in slowly.

Her breath hitches and she closes the gap between their lips, pressing their mouths together. He sighs a little and she closes her eyes as his arms come around her waist. Her hands reach up tentatively to play with his hair as their mouths move against each other.

He pulls away gently and leans his forehead against hers. She smiles and pulls him in close for a hug, and he leans down into it. "Ya don't know how long I've waited ta do that." He whispers.

She smiles and laughs once, blinking rapidly. They stay that way for a few moments until a walker stumbles out of the woods. Daryl sighs and raises his bow, shooting it quickly. "C'mon. We should probably head back. Don't want anyone to get suspicious."

She nods and smiles a little, and they walk back in silence, Daryl reaching out to lace her fingers with hers.

"Daryl?" She says quietly as they walk, making him stop to look down at her. She takes a deep breath. "I- I think I might love you." She whispers.

He smiles and squeezes her hand, putting both hands on her cheeks. "I love ya too." He says, kissing her quickly once more. "Think I always have." She smiles and they walk back hand in hand, her lips turned up and a goofy, crooked smile painted on his face.