Over the next few weeks, life found a new rhythm that suited you just fine. Daryl, Rick, Glenn and Michonne took most of the runs beyond the walls. You took out separate groups to hunt and got into the habit of teaching them how to set traps, check snares and use the surrounding woods to their advantage.
Supplies were always a concern so Rick pushed the groups to go out further and further in the hopes of finding something sustainable. Sometimes it meant their group would be gone for two or three days at a time. Those were the hard days. Just when you thought you couldn't deal with the anxiety of waiting for Daryl to come home safely, the headlights would shine on the gates and you knew they were back.
That's how life went. You'd wake each morning, most times with Daryl lightly snoring next to you. After breakfast, you would say your goodbyes and head off on your respective runs. On the rare occasion, you did go out with Daryl beyond the walls, it usually broke down into disagreement of some kind because he thought you were being reckless, or you thought he was being an asshole. You would get frustrated with him, throw him an attitude and he would call you a pain in the ass.
All it would take though is one flirty look, or an inadvertent brush of his shoulder against yours, and you would find a safe, secluded spot to tear into each other. When you didn't have to worry about being in the overcrowded house, having to muffle the sounds of satisfaction as Daryl devoured every inch of you, it brought out something in him that you didn't realize existed.
Daryl grew much more ravenous for you with each day you spent together. Whether you were around the community or beyond the walls, he would find any chance to pull you aside to have a stolen moment. Life had become an unending cycle of passion, frustration and determination to keep going – to keep living.
It was during one of these stolen moments that Rick stumbled upon you and Daryl. They had just gotten back from a three-day run, and once Daryl had found you, neither of you could wait to get back home before ripping into the other.
He saw you walking from the infirmary towards home, and before Rick could get the car in park, Daryl was jumping out and grabbing you around your waist. He held you tight, burying his face in your neck and taking in a deep breath of you, and lifting you off the ground in the process.
Rick exited the car, shaking his head at you and the archer.
"This man is ridiculous Y/N," Rick said with a sarcastic smile, "three days of whining to get home... I don't know what you did to him, but could you please snap him out of it."
"No, sorry Rick. I'm gonna keep him just how he is," you said smacking Daryl's shoulder so he would put you down.
"C'mon," Daryl said as he took your hand and practically yanked you down the small path between a few of the houses. When you rounded the corner, and saw the walkway was empty, Daryl grabbed your face with both of his hands and kissed you deeply. There was no gentle, teasing kisses this time as his tongue made quick work of parting your lips and getting a taste of you.
Three days away had felt like weeks, and you could feel how much he missed you too. It was just as Daryl had you pushed back against the siding of a house, his hands now up in your shirt desperate to touch the soft skin of your breasts, that Rick walked around the corner and found you pawing each other.
"Uh... hey," Rick said turning his head from you both until you could fix your top. "Sorry to interrupt, but can I steal him for a moment? Only be a sex. Shit, sec."
You'd never seen Rick blush before, but it was something you'd never forget.
"Sure," you laughed and reached up to kiss Daryl's cheek. "He's all yours." You turned and winked at your boyfriend before heading back out to the main road. Unable to wipe the smile off your face, you leisurely strolled home knowing that in just a few short hours, you would have him all to yourself in the privacy of your room.
Dinner was still a valuable time in the house, if Carol had anything to say about it. Supplies had been plentiful lately, and the meals were more than anyone could have asked for. In honor of Rick and Daryl's return, she made a venison casserole with fresh garden vegetables and some homemade bread thanks to the large supply of yeast and flour the run group found earlier in the week.
As you and your family broke bread and laughed together, you caught Daryl looking at you. His gaze fixed on your face, half a smirk playing at his lips. He looked like he had the world's best secret, and was foaming at the mouth to share it with you.
It wasn't until later up in your room, and after you and Daryl had reunited the way that lovers tend to do, did he tell you what secret he was keeping.
Sitting up from the bed, he bent down to his pants that were crumpled on the floor. From deep within the pockets, he pulled out two keys.
"Here, you're gonna need these," he said placing them in your hand.
"What for?" you inquired.
"Our new place," Daryl said and smiled as he lay back against the pillow.
It was your turn to sit up straight in bed. Your eyes wide and mouth slightly agape as you stared at the keys in your hand.
"Our place?"
"Yes ma'am. That's what Rick wanted earlier, to give me the keys. I talked to him about it when we were out this last time."
"So, just us... no Carol. No, Michonne... Carl... No Judy?"
"Yeah, that's what 'just us' means..." he couldn't help but tease you.
"You're an asshole," you exclaimed as you playfully hit him in the chest, "But you're my asshole."
You placed the key on the table by the bed and poured yourself on top of Daryl.
"Do you know what this means?" you asked as you traced your fingers across his chest.
"No, what?" he said, closing his eyes as your fingers lingered up towards his collarbone. Before answering you bent down and used your teeth to gently nip at the little X tattooed on his shoulder.
His hands immediately grabbed onto your hips, pulling them down into himself.
"It means that we can finally try out these big ass showers... with no fear of prying eyes barging in. It means I can have you in any room, at any time that I wish. And... it means that you have to start helping me clean the bathroom and kitchen."
As you laughed at your own joke, he smacked you on the ass and flipped you over onto your back. He was drinking you in and trying to hold off from having his way with you again.
In that moment, you were struck at how differently life changed course, how much you loved him, and how much it was going to hurt when it all eventually ended. Pushing that last thought from your mind, you let Daryl use his fingers, his tongue and his lips to tell you all the things he couldn't with actual words.
The next day, Daryl and Rick were doing perimeter checks while you were off checking out your new home. Walking into the townhouse, you felt a sense of relief knowing that this was the place you were going to be coming home to every night; the place that Daryl will be coming home to.
Once all your personal belongings were put away, you headed over the pantry for a few items to stock the shelves with. Olivia happily gave you a basket and told you to take what you and Daryl would need for a few days of rations. As you were trying to decide between a few canned soups, you spotted Carol walking through the aisle.
"Hey Carol," you said offering her a half-hearted wave.
"Y/N," she said, her voice sounding cheery, but her face telling another side. Carol watched as Olivia made her way back inside to the army, and Carol took your arm, pulling you aside.
"What the hell are you doing?" she asked, lips pursed and eye brows raised.
"I'm sorry, what are you talking about?" you were genuinely confused.
"You and Daryl... you're moving out?" Carol's face was a mix of shock and disbelief. "Why? Why would you do that?"
Taken back by her question, you placed the basket down on the floor and crossed your arms over your chest.
"Do you really want me to answer that question?"
"Yes," she said. It had been a long while since you saw Carol so bothered by anything.
"Well, let's start with the fact that the house is full of people. All the time. Second, there is never hot water, because... too many people. Third, Daryl and I never get quiet time there. We always gotta sneak off somewhere and it's gettin' old. Are those enough reasons for you?"
Carol glared at you, and you felt frozen in place. You would never admit to anyone how much she intimidated you, but you had to stand your ground.
"You better not hurt him," she said suddenly, eyes never wavering from yours. "Daryl is important to me. I've watched him get beaten down by people who claimed to love him, like his brother. I saw how devastated he was after losing Beth... I don't want to see him hurt anymore."
That old anger was still there, boiling under the surface. You were angry that she felt the need to protect your boyfriend, from you of all people. More so, you were angry that she thought you would intentionally hurt Daryl ever, for any reason.
"This is what I don't get. You're the one that told him to talk to me all those weeks ago. You sent him to me... to help me, remember? You wanted me to find a god damn purpose, a reason to live. Well, I did. And before you say another word, Daryl isn't the only reason, but he is the biggest one I found."
"That was as much for him as it was for you," Carol said, her body language was more relaxed, and her shoulders were softer. She looked down at the floor, deep in thought. When she brought her gaze back up to you, a small pooling of tears had gathered. The back of her hand swiftly swatted them away, and she found her composure.
"Carol, I have no intention of ever hurting him. I know how lucky I am, trust me. I get it. That night when he first asked me to sit on the porch and talk... he put his arm around my shoulder. It was only for a moment, but in that moment, I felt it. He was the first person to ever touch me that didn't make me feel the need to shower. He was the first man since those bastards raped me at Grady that I could stand the thought of being with!"
Your voice was getting louder now as you were finding it hard to stop the explosion of emotion that was building and your eyes began to well up with tears at the mention of Grady. You hadn't cast a thought in its direction since that day on the road because you had found a way to let it all go.
"But, most of all... I am the happiest I have ever been in my entire life, Carol. Happier than I was before, or after the world died. So, whatever you are afraid of me doing to hurt Daryl, trust me... it ain't gonna happen. Granted I still want to kill him most of the time, but I also love the shit out of him. I know you do too. Let's just call it a wash, ok? We both love him, and we can both look out for him. But if you ever get in my face again, and question my feelings or level of commitment to Daryl, again, we will have a much bigger problem to deal with."
You stormed away from Carol, leaving your basket of food and backtracking through the house and armory. Had you turned around and went the other way, you would have seen Daryl standing there, leaning against the frame of the garage watching your confrontation with Carol.
It was dusk when Daryl found you sitting in your usual spot in the gazebo. The irritation that built up earlier had faded, and you just felt sad about what happened with Carol. You knew you'd have to find her and work things out, but in that moment, you just needed space to clear your mind.
Daryl walked up to you and sat down on the bench. Without saying a word he lifted his arm and you melted into the crook of his arm. His hand gently rubbed the back of your neck as he rested his head on yours.
"Rough day?" he finally asked.
You simply nodded and just enjoyed the quiet moment with him.
"I saw you talking to Carol in the pantry," Daryl said and you looked up at him, surprised.
"Oh? And how much did you hear?"
"Enough," he said, kissing the top of your head. "Enough to know she was givin' ya a hard time. She's just protective is all."
"I know, I do. I love that about her. But," you push yourself up and off him, "it's frustrating. She loves you so hard, it's like she believes no one else will ever be able to do it too."
"Do you?" Daryl asked, his blue eyes fixed on you in a way that drove you crazy.
"Do I what?"
"Love me."
You stared at him, trying to think of a way to show him that would get your point across, but also not get you in trouble for screwing in the gazebo. Reaching into your pocket, you pulled out your knife and knelt on the wooden floor. Daryl watched you as your hand moved feverishly back and forth against a panel of the gazebo wall.
When you finally stood up and moved aside, Daryl saw that you carved both of your initials and encased them in a heart. You knew it was somewhat childish, but the kind of love you felt for Daryl could only be described as having the fire and passion of forbidden lovers and the sweet innocence only found in one's first love.
Shaking his head, Daryl stood up and once again left a kiss on your forehead. "What the hell am I gonna do with you?" he asked, a playful gleam dancing in his eyes.
"Whatever the fuck you want."
Back at your new place you and Daryl made use of the privacy by trying out your new shower. For the next few hours, he made sure to get his fix of you in every single room. By the time you laid your head on your pillow, your body was spent and exhausted; your brain swimming in the ecstasy of primal satisfaction. Had you known it was the last time you and Daryl would have been together that way, you would have pushed sleep aside and allowed him to take you again, and as many times as he wanted after that.