Skin Deep

I woke to the smell of tomato soup and I spotted Merle on the floor in front of me. He sat next to a pile of plant material that had been lit on fire and impatiently held a pot above the flames. I pushed myself off the couch, my head still aching from crying. That was why I had taken a nap: to try to rid myself of the pounding feeling. Daryl had let me lie next to him and rest my head and pillow against his legs while he sat. He had kept a comforting hand on my shoulder as he occasionally sniffed from his own weeping. I remembered feeling safe enough to drift off, and now Daryl was gone.

“You should be careful, Jo.” Merle spoke as I quietly sat up, taking me by surprise.

“Pardon?” I questioned, confused and feeling threatened. My body had automatically tensed and I tried to recall how I had recently decided that Merle wouldn’t harm me. “Where’s Daryl?” I blurted the question and heard the unwanted panic in my voice.

“Out taking a piss,” he answered gruffly. He appeared to ignore my tone.

“Oh…” I mumbled quietly to myself.

“I walked in and saw you laying on him. I’ve seen how you two have been acting recently around each other. You get along well and you’re getting closer to each other,” he explained.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I muttered as I rubbed my sore eyes. They still felt a bit puffy and I wondered how long I had been asleep for. A quick glance at the window gave me no answers as the curtains had been closed.

“Don’t lie.”

“I’m not.”

“You two are friendly,” Merle stated after a pause. He picked up a spoon and began stirring the contents of the pot, making more steam float into the air. When I didn’t reply he directed his intimidating gaze at me.

“Sure,” I shrugged. He was right. Especially after sharing stories about our families, I had really felt like I had found a trusted friend in Daryl. I responded better to him and his company than I did to his brother.

“Well if you ever think about making it more, just remember that I said he might not be ready, and you should be careful,” Merle said. I frowned, puzzled by this talk, and after some thought I decided to speak up.

“Why should I be careful, exactly?” I asked as he set the spoon back down in a mug.

“I don’t think I should be the one to tell you, but…” Merle began. With a quick glance at me he decided to continue. “He had his own family before all this happened. Real happy man.”

“I know. He just told me,” I interrupted. Merle’s expression showed his astonishment. “And I told him I experienced a similar thing. We’re more alike than we realised.” With that I smiled slightly. Just the thought that someone else knew what that felt like… It made the whole Biter situation a lot easier to mentally deal with.

“Huh…” Merle mumbled to himself as he pondered something. No sympathy was expressed, but I didn’t really expect him to. “I just know he’s not over her yet. Didn’t want you making a fool of yourself when he’s not ready for more.”

“That’s fine. Wasn’t gonna do anything.”

“All right. Guess there’s no need for me to be the protective big brother then.”

“There never was,” I stated, making Merle laugh.

“Really? You’ve never even thought about getting with him?” he wondered with a hint of surprise.

“Nope.”

“You should spend a night with me then.”

“I knew you were going to say that, and no,” I chuckled, hardly believing that I was having this conversation.

“Last two men alive, and it didn’t even cross your mind?” Merle continued.

“No, it did not,” I stated.

“Well, shit…” he muttered to himself.

“With all the Biters out there, it’s kinda hard to even think about sex,” I admitted. Besides, I had stayed faithful to my husband. No other survivor that I had met had even come close to his wonderful company. Until now… Or maybe that was just the loneliness kicking in.

“Not for a man, it ain’t,” Merle remarked as he began pouring soup into mugs. He held the first one up in my direction and I eagerly took it.

“Thank you,” I told him once I was settled back in the couch. He stopped his actions and met my eyes, clearly hearing the meaningful tone.

“For what?” he asked in a rough voice.

“For everything you’ve done for me since I met you. I do appreciate it,” I replied. Whether it was hunting, cooking, fighting off Biters or humans, finding resources, or even chatting, Merle was a good survivor to be with. I was lucky. Merle just nodded, the corners of his lips turning upwards slightly before he lowered his head and focused on pouring the soup. I smiled, knowing he was glad to hear that.

Daryl slowly entered the room moments later, seemingly still in pain. We instantly met eyes and he gave a tiny smile as he shut the door behind him. Without a word, Daryl walked over and grabbed a mug of soup from Merle before taking a seat next to me. Merle kept quiet, but his lips were smirking as if he wanted to say something mischievous. Instead he caught my eye and raised his eyebrows, gesturing towards his brother. I subtly shook my head and focused on drinking my soup and trying not to blush. My cheeks were reddening slightly from embarrassment. I didn’t want Daryl to learn of our strange talk.

Once Daryl spoke up and got a new conversation going, Merle began heating another bunch of canned goods. I listened to them chatting, not having much to say, and occasionally I found myself staring at Daryl. It had now become obvious to me that he was good-looking, with his sexy stubble, well-built muscles and soft eyes. Once that was added to how comfortable I was in his company and how he respected me, I began to see why Merle was so shocked that I hadn’t even considered having something more with Daryl. Last two men alive, and one was looking pretty darn good…