a kiss after treating a wound for vik x lux or a kiss on the forehead of one who is starting to fall asleep for daryl x tess? 😳
— a kiss on the forehead of one who is starting to fall asleep
pairing: daryl x tess
warnings: tooth-rotting fluff but that's it
Daryl wasn’t surprised to find Tess curled on the couch waiting for him.
The lamp in the living room had been left on; the house was a warm, glowing beacon guiding him home through the dark streets of Alexandria.
It was common for him to find Tess waiting up; reading a book or taking care of the dishes before one of the others washed them in the morning. Daryl didn’t mention it. It wasn’t something that needed to be dwelled on because he too found that sleep evaded him when he hadn’t laid eyes on her.
Sometimes, he would wake in the middle of the night and watch the steady, slow rhythm of her breathing. Would gently tuck stray limbs back under blankets and place her forgotten book left haphazardly open on her stomach onto the bedside table. Then and only then would he be able to fall back asleep.
It wasn’t that they weren’t able to be without each other. Far from it. Their days often consisted of being away from each other, doing their own part in nurturing the community Alexandria was growing to be. It was a bit more painful when one of them ventured beyond the safe walls - out scavenging or trading with the other communities. Or often in Tess’ case attending to minor health problems of folks and checking in on livestock.
This time, Daryl had been the one away for a few days; escorting a caravan to Hilltop. It was mostly uneventful, only a handful of straggling walkers easily dispatched by a quiet knife or bolt. Just because an odd, unfamiliar quiet had settled over the area didn’t mean that they had grown sloppy or weak. Paranoia had simply been replaced by vigilance.
It certainly didn’t mean that they didn’t worry less when loved ones traversed beyond the safety of their walls.
What had surprised Daryl was that Tess was sound asleep. The position she had curled herself into was awkward and didn’t look very comfortable but it seemed like her long days had finally caught up with her. She was usually a light sleeper but even Daryl’s heavy booted footsteps nor the door opening and closing had stirred her.
A blanket was wrapped over her waist, her elbow resting on the arm of the couch to hold her head. No doubt if she slept like that for the rest of the night she’d get a crick in her neck from the awkward way it was positioned. Introduction to Emergency Medicine authored by a long slew of people with far too many letters attached to their names was hanging precariously by a thumb off the edge of her lap.
Daryl snuck over soundlessly and gently pulled it from her grasp, careful not to lose her page. He dog-eared the book and set it on the coffee table. His crossbow was set against the same table, forgotten as he tried to figure out how to gather Tess into his arms and carry her downstairs to bed. The thought of leaving her on the couch didn’t even cross his mind.
Daryl reached out and gently brushed his hand over Tess’ arm to stir her. She jumped slightly and blinked at him with bleary eyes. At the sight of him, a warm, sleepy smile danced across her face that soothed away the ache of guilt that burrowed in chest at her startle.
“Hey, what time is it?” she asked, sleep clearly still pulling at her eyelids. There was a little bit of dried drool on her cheek that she wiped off absently. Daryl had never loved someone more.
“Late. C’mon,” he told her, motioning for her to wrap her arms around his neck.
It was even more obvious how tired she was by the lack of protest. Instead, Tess looped her arms around his neck and heaved a heavy sigh against his neck as he slipped an arm under her knees and lifted her - blanket and all.
Daryl was glad for the silence of the house - their friends already asleep in their beds above them. It wasn’t that he wanted to hide his relationship with Tess but more so that he valued these small, private moments between them more than anything. The warmth of her body in his arms, the weight of her head against his shoulder as he carried her to the basement door and down the steps.
Tess was always very insistent on doing things herself, usually only taking Daryl’s small acts of service when taken by surprise. She was always grateful of course and Daryl was motivated each time but the sincerity of her smile and the way she looked at him. Soft, kind, loving, trusting. A look that made his heart well in his chest till he had to look away for fear of it bursting from fullness.
It made this more special. Daryl loved her for her independence, her bravery, her capabilities and that was why when she let him do this - take care of her - he knew the important weight of the act between them.
Daryl helped her wriggle out of her jeans, tossing them onto the floor where Tess would no doubt slip it into the hamper in the morning with the rest of their filthy clothes. For now, the warmth of the bed called to both of them. Daryl hadn’t realized how tired he was until Tess wriggled underneath the blankets and sheets of their bed and let out a happy sigh.
Satisfied, Daryl began to strip off his own clothes until he was just in his t-shirt and boxers.
Tess welcomed him into their bed with open, needy arms and when he settled next to her in the sheets she curled close to him. The two of them, side by side, facing each other in the dim moonlight. Tess’ eyes were already closed and she was already dozing off, sleep heavy in her voice.
“How did it go?” she mumbled, a lazy hand stroking over his bicep comfortingly. Not just for him but for herself as well. That he was here. Back. Safe.
“Fine,” he hummed, clearing his throat and shifting to get more comfortable. He laid a heavy arm over her waist atop the blankets. “Go to sleep.”
Tess let out a little half-hearted huff but fell silent for a moment.
In the darkness, her thumb rubbing a gentle arc against the skin of his shoulder she finally sighed, as if it was an afterthought too important to go unsaid, “I’m glad you’re home.”
Daryl felt like he was too big for his body. A corner of his mouth quirked up in the dark light of the room as Tess’ breathing settled into that steady breathing once more. He leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead.
