Daryl had been gone for months, maybe a year. Every second without him felt like a year, it was excruciating. You wanted to feel his strong arms around you again, see his beautiful blue eyes. You wanted more than anything else to be surrounded by the silence he brought your mind. The two of you weren't desperately clawing out of silences like you were with others. You could spend hours in silence and enjoy every second of it. He looked like he could be a real asshole, but he was the sweetest soul. You adored him, and missed him dearly.
So, the day you finally saw him walk through the gate you could expect how you'd reacted.
As soon as your eyes met his you ran to him immediately, gravel crunching under your boots. Air rushed in and out of your lungs as you crossed the gigantic space in seconds. You launched yourself into his arms and he caught you perfectly. You wrapped your legs around his waist and buried your face into his neck, your hands holding the back of his head. Tears streamed down both of your cheeks and on to the other as he held you up by your thighs for who knows how long.
He only let you down so that he could pull away and press his lips to yours, his calloused hands holding your cheeks. "You're just as handsome as the last time I saw you." You gasped once you pulled away.
That only caused more tears to pour from his eyes, a small smile showing on his lips. You whipe the tears from his cheeks and kiss him again before letting his head drop to your shoulder. His familiar strong arms wrap around your waist, keeping you held to him. You rub gentle circles into his back as he holds you.
You were aware that everyone had surrounded you, but it felt as though it was only the two of you in the entire world. Relief flooded through your system, relaxing you into his strong grip. He's free. He's safe. He's here.