#.muse [daryl]

[mrdixon]

A Rugged Muse | Chapter 4

pairing: eventual daryl dixon x f!reader

wc: 3.8k

warnings: SMALL TIMESKIP (it’s like a few weeks), reader has feelings, daryls short tempered, i love lori idc, lots of filler plot till we can get to the juicy stuff 😇

summary: going out with daryl.

A/N: sorry this chapter took so long and ended bad. cant even promise a better next chapter. but i at least hope you arent bored :/

a rugged muse masterlist | regular masterlist

The faint sound of crickets filled your ears as you stared out at the dark mass of water in front of you. You had taken solace in the lake behind the camp, finding yourself here late at night when you couldn’t sleep.

Glenn worried about you when you did this. Though there weren’t any walkers in the area he still didn’t trust leaving you alone in the forest at night, then again he didn’t like leaving you alone anywhere. You were so happy to have your older brother back, but not happy that he was nagging you so much. You may be a grown woman but he still saw you as his baby sister.

A rustle from behind you startled you, your body turned quickly and reached for the dagger by your side. You relaxed and turned back to the lake at the sight of Daryl. You heard his soft sigh as he stepped out from behind the bush and moved over to where you sat on a huge rock. His crossbow was placed next to you as a sort of partition while he sat next to you.

You leaned back on your hands, turning your head to look at him again. His eyes were set dead ahead while his arms rested atop his knees. It became a thing where you two would follow each other around but not say anything, just keeping the other company. At least that’s what it felt like.

You liked it to be completely honest, it was nice having someone else who kept you at ease instead of just Glenn. Even though Daryl didn’t say much, he still made an effort… of something.

“Did Glenn send you out to watch out for me?” You snorted, watching his eyes flicker as if coming to. He grunted in response, lifting his thumb to his mouth. You sighed, turning back to the lake. He still wasn’t much of a conversational person. The silence was comforting nevertheless and you couldn’t help but look at him from your peripheral.

You’d been noticing Daryl a lot more recently. You’ve pretty much established the fact that he was attractive to you, even if he didn’t speak much. He seemed to care about you at least a little bit seeing as how he’s been pretty much following you around camp. You at least considered him a friend, and hoped he thought the same of you.

You were starting to get tired so you stood up and stretched, yawning a little. Daryl’s head tilted upwards to look at you and started to get up as well.

“Tired?” He mumbled to which you nodded and grabbed your dagger.

“Yeah, I’m gonna head in. Should get some sleep and make sure Glenn isn’t stressing his ass off.” You chuckled and swore there was a smirk on his face at your comment. He bent down to grab his crossbow and slung it over his shoulder before turning to you.

“I’ll walk ya back, wouldn’ wan’ ya gettin’ bit.” Daryl tapped your shoulder gently before walking ahead and into the forest. You followed quickly after him, watching your step and making sure to be quiet so you didn’t awaken anyone, or anything.

You noticed he huffed a little when he walked and he grabbed the strap of his crossbow to keep it secure. His muscles flexed a little when he did this and the artist in you tried to keep that in your mind to draw later, after all your art block had lifted. As creepy as it sounded, Daryl was one of your most drawn subjects right now. You couldn’t help it, he was just such a fun thing to draw.

Your face hit his back and he looked over his shoulder at you, stifling a snort.

“Ya good? We’re ‘ere,” he stepped out of the way and watched you as you bowed your head in embarrassment. You hoped he didn’t just see you gawking at his arms.

“Thanks,” you mumbled and walked in front of him to get to your tent. You felt a hand touch your elbow and looked back to see him pull away.

“Ya wanna go huntin’ tomorrow? If ya got nothin’ ta do I dun’ mind teachin’ ya.” Daryl shrugged as he fiddled with the strap of his crossbow, his eyes darting around anxiously.

Your heart fluttered a little. You had told him a couple days ago about how much you wanted to go hunting and “do something useful.” He remembered.

“Yeah,” you nodded and smiled softly. He squinted at you and nibbled the inside of his bottom lip, shifting his stance side to side. “Yeah sure, you want me to meet you?”

“Mm,” he shook his head and started to turn away. “I’ll come getcha,” he waved his hand dismissively, not giving you a moment to respond.

The moonlight shone down on him through the trees as he stalked off. Your eyes were drawn to his back, his muscles rippled as he walked. Those broad shoulders always caught your eye. It was admirable how quiet he was, you could barely hear his feet hit the ground when he walked. You caught yourself staring at him again, sighing deeply as the older man disappeared into the night. You placed a hand on your chest in an attempt to slow down your heart rate which was racing for some reason.

You had just known Daryl for just a few weeks yet your heart raced every time you saw him. You didn’t want to think much about it though, at one point you just assumed he didn’t like you. You honestly didn’t care much either way, the friendship was nice… if you could classify what ever your relationship was as a friendship.

Shaking your head, you turned to your shared tent with Glenn, opening the flap as quiet as you could before slipping in. Glenn was laying on his side, curled up in his sleeping bag. You tried not to disturb him as you moved over to your side of the tent and slowly moved into your sleeping bag.

“What’s going on with you and Daryl?” Glenn mumbled sleepily and you jumped a little. You sighed as you lay on your back and stared up at the ceiling.

“Nothing is going on,” you murmured but it kind of sounded like a question. “Really, nothing.”

Glenn shifted in his spot as he let out a huff and faced you, his eyes were closed but you could tell he was awake and wanted to keep the conversation going.

“You two are going out?” The way he worded the question felt like he was asking if you two were going out. That’s what you assumed at least.

Your breath got caught in your throat and you coughed, shaking your head. “What? No… no I barely know him.”

“Not what I meant,” he shook his head, “tomorrow?” You froze as you caught your misinterpretation, biting your lip.

“I…” you mumbled, rolling over to face him. He looked back at you sleepily and tucked an arm under his head, waiting for your response. “Yeah, we’re going hunting.”

Glenn snorted, rubbing his eyes while you glared at him for laughing. “Oh god, you like him.” He tried to hide his grin from you, catching the pillow you threw at him.

“I do not,” you hissed quietly. “I barely know the guy, plus it hasn’t been long since…” You choked on your own words, thinking about your god damn ex again. Sure it’s been seven months, but no matter what, you couldn’t get over him. Glenn noticed and sat up, sighing as he gently threw your pillow back.

“You still hung over that guy?” He flinched a little when your head snapped over to him, your eyes narrowed in annoyance. “Okay, okay… but c’mon (Y/N). He was an asshole, and I’m not saying I fully support this thing going on between you and Daryl but hey, if it seems like something you’re willing to go for then do it.” You closed your eyes at his words, grabbing your blanket and pulling it over your head. Your older brother sighed, rustling around as he got back into his sleeping bag, “just think about it.”

You mentally eye rolled, there was no way. You couldn’t like Daryl, he was older… more brash and a little bit aggressive. It’d be an odd couple the two of you. Still, a part of you yearned. What for? You didn’t know, it wasn’t important. Whether you yearned for the warm feeling of being loved or him. You kicked your feet frustratingly, earning a scold from Glenn. You hated this feeling, you didn’t want to trust it. Not after what happened before, not after that warm feeling was quickly taken away from you. You couldn’t even imagine losing someone you loved now, in the apocalypse. The thought made you shiver.

You don’t think you could ever love again, especially with the current circumstances. It’d be nice… but not now. You shook your head in a lousy attempt to clear your thoughts, turning over to try and get some shut eye. You sort of dreaded tomorrow.

The sound of tarp rustling woke you up, immediately sitting up to rub the sleep out of your eyes. Glenn turned to you apologetically, “sorry to wake you. I’m gonna head out soon.”

Your brows furrowed in confusion, “huh? You're leaving?” Your older brother nodded with a soft sigh, shrugging as he packed his bag.

“We’re running out of things, the others need me. I’m the only one who knows my way around Atlanta,” your eyes widened. Atlanta was completely infested with those walkers, your thoughts from last night rushing back to you. If something happened to him…

“What if you get hurt?” You frowned, tossing your blanket off to the side as you crawled over to him. He sighed deeply as you continued, “can't you just draw them a map?”

“No,” he shook his head, continuing to pack the things he needed. “It’s best if I go out there with them, safer for them. Safer for me, for us.” He looked at you and frowned at your expression of concern.

“If you die I’ll kill you,” you muttered unpleasantly. Glenn cracked a smile, nudging your shoulder as he shook with silent laughter.

“Sure thing, you have fun on your little date.” You groaned, pushing his head. Glenn toppled over, his body shaking with laughter as he quickly recovered from the fall. “I’ll be back soon, don’t have too much fun.”

Glenn quickly gave you a pat on the head and dashed out of the tent before you even had the chance to push him again. You let out a soft sigh, reaching up to ruffle your hair before crawling around the tent to grab your things and be ready by the time Daryl got there.

You felt a little excited for your little outing with the older man, unsure if it was for the hunting or the man himself, nevertheless you quickly got ready. Putting on some comfortable clothes, you grabbed your daggers and attached them at your thigh, you doubted you would be using them for hunting but you wanted to bring them anyway. A low grunt from outside signaled that Daryl had arrived, his voice confirming your suspicions.

“(Y/N)?” His voice was soft in contrary to his usual tone. You slung your bag over your shoulder and stuck your head out of the tent, seeing the archer standing by a tree. You shot him a small smile before getting out and walking over to him. He eyed you up and down innocently, shrugging before leading the way. “Saw a few rabbits down ‘ere.”

You followed after him like a lost puppy, trying to mimic his skillful step through the forest. He looked over his shoulder at you and scoffed a little, shaking his head. He reached into his pocket, pulling out a half-smushed pack of cigarettes, grabbing one before offering one to you.

“No thanks,” you shook your head, “I quit.” Daryl nodded respectively and shoved the pack back into his pocket before grabbing a lighter and lighting his.

His lips wrapped around the end, taking a deep drag before blowing the smoke out the side of his mouth. The smell of tobacco occupied the area around you two. He glanced at you from his peripheral, taking another drag before asking,

“Any reason ya quit?” He coughed, “if ya wanna share… ‘m jus’ wonderin’.” You chuckled softly at his flustered tone of voice, you wondered if he was always this nervous.

“Ah just…” you shook your head as you looked up at him. The truth was, you used to smoke a lot with your ex, even more so after the breakup. You would've taken Daryl’s offer but decided against it. “…wanted to break habits,” you shrugged and looked ahead again.

Daryl nodded and continued to walk in silence, not wanting to push the matter further. Seeing the forest so clear was odd, before you wouldn’t have questioned it but it felt so weird to not hear or see a walker every five minutes. The two of you continued to walk in peaceful silence, enjoying the warmth of the sun and the tranquil forest. Your companion soon pointed to what you assumed was tracks, though they looked like a rock fell very strategically… Daryl let out a soft grunt as he dropped the butt of his cigarette onto the ground, stuffing it out with his heel.

Daryl’s crossbow slid off his shoulder and into his hands, beckoning you closer. You moved next to him, brushing your shoulder against his. He glanced down at you, gently maneuvering the crossbow into your hands. Your eyes widened as you stared up at him in confusion, his rough hands brushing against your skin as he guided your hands onto the crossbow.

“You ever use one of these?” He grunted, a hint of amusement dwelling in his tone. His eyes flashed with hilarity when you shook your head frantically. He gave you a light pat on the back and walked ahead, assuming you’d follow. “You’ll be fine, I’ll help ya out.”

You helplessly followed after him, the weight of the crossbow already straining your arms. No wonder Daryl’s arms were so nice, he had to carry this hunk of material every day. You stopped in your tracks as soon as his palm was held up towards you, his fingers curling up to hold one finger up, signaling you to be quiet. He swiftly moved behind a bush and you quickly followed, crouching down next to him.

Daryl pointed outwards to a small clearing where a rabbit was nibbling on some grass, you nodded and lifted to crossbow to aim towards the rabbit. You heard a snort from him, feeling a hand tap your own to lower it. You turned to him and furrowed your brows, he shook his head before wrapping an arm around your shoulder and placing both his hands over yours. You swallowed nervously as he guided you to properly aim at the rabbit.

“Now press the trigger,” his breath was warm against your neck, making you flinch slightly and pull the trigger. Unfortunately you did not hit the rabbit and ended up scaring it off, Daryl immediately got up and huffed in annoyance. You sighed, feeling your heart beat faster. He was just so close to you, screwing you over in the process. Daryl stood with his hands on his hips, biting the inside of his cheek to not blow up at you. Admittedly, it was your fault you missed the shot.

You stood up cautiously and handed him the crossbow with a guilty expression, “sorry.” Daryl took one look at you and huffed before snatching the crossbow back. He wasn’t about to scream at you, but he didn’t respond anyway. You didn’t say anything else as he started walking, and you followed after quietly.

Daryl held his head up, though his eyes were scanning the ground for the rabbit’s tracks. You just followed him mindlessly through the forest even though you were so sure he’d shoot you dead right here and now. His patience was running thin though, you two had walked towards where the rabbit should be, but didn’t find it. His fingers tapped against the material of his crossbow, clearly trying to keep himself from losing his shit.

Soon you met the end of the rabbits tracks, they simply disappeared. Daryl let out a deep sigh, rubbing his face with one hand as he grumbled something under his breath. A rush of guilt flooded through you, after all it was sort of your fault for missing the shot. Now there was no dinner, but hopefully the supply run group would come back with food…

“I’m really sorry Daryl,” you mumbled timidly. You didn’t want to piss him off but your shyness quite literally did. He hissed under his breath, turning to you.

“If only ya didn’ miss the damn shot, could’ve had food by now.” Your stomach dropped as he walked by you, bumping his shoulder into yours. You felt that was a bit unfair, it’s not like you missed on purpose.

You looked over your shoulder to find Daryl bitterly stomping his way back to camp. He may be attractive but he really did irritate you sometimes. His head turned once he heard you angrily walk over to him, passing him with your own shoulder bump.

“The fuck’s yer problem?” He growled before catching up to you. Your eyes rolled as you avoided his gaze, shaking your head.

“What’s yours? I didn’t even do anything bad,” you grumbled annoyed. “I apologized twice already.”

“Yeah well an apology ain’ gon’ do shit fer us if we don’ even have food ta eat.” You rolled your eyes again, not wanting to deal with his bullshit right now. “Wasn’ even tha’ hard of a shot.” Your blood boiled at his remark. It wasn’t even the difficulty of the shot that made you miss, it was the fact that he was breathing up on you.

You whipped around to face him, narrowing your eyes. “If you weren’t so close and breathing down my neck, I would’ve made the shot. I just got spooked.”

“Tha’ shit ain’ gon’ fly in this apocalypse. Ya gotta deal with gettin’ spooked or else yer gonna die from a damned walker,” he drawled lowly. “Surprised ya hadn’t already.”

You were done. Choosing to ignore him, you pushed through the forest and sped walked your way back to camp, ignoring his protests.

The remaining members of the group noticed your tense expression, most raised a brow while others chose to keep silent. Daryl had quite the temper and frankly? You weren't about to deal with an angry Dixon right now.

Said Dixon emerged from the forest shortly after, his brows furrowed together in irritation. His head whipped around the area, looking to Shane.

“Ya know where Merle is?” He let out a grunt as Shane sighed deeply, knowing Daryl wouldn't like his answer.

“He’s out on the supply run with the others,” you watches as Daryl rubbed his face, rolling his eyes in the process before storming back off into the woods. Shane looked over at you with silent acknowledgment to your assumed argument with the brazen man before Lori stepped in and placed a hand on your shoulder reassuringly.

You sighed softly as you let her lead you through the trees and towards the lake where the other remaining women were, folding laundry. Lori sat you down and gave you a gentle smile before calling out to Carl, telling him to stay close.

“So what happened?” Lori chuckled softly, though concern could be heard in her voice. You shook your head and lifted a hand to rub your eye.

“He’s just got a loose screw or something.” The rage in you was sweltering, but you found it in you to keep calm. “I missed a shot with his crossbow, and he blamed me for ‘losing dinner’.” Lori laughed at your finger quotes, shaking her head.

“I would say that’s just a Dixon thing… but trust me, it’s all men.” She chuckled lightly, “my husband is like that sometimes. Not as extreme as Daryl but y’know, he had his moments.”

You tilted your head slightly as you looked over at her, “I didn’t know you and Shane were married.” It wasn’t completely secret that the two were fooling around but you didn’t think they were married. Though you immediately realized your mistake.

Lori stared at you with wide eyes, glancing over your shoulder to see if Carl had heard before shaking her head. “No, no… Shane and I aren’t married. I mean Rick… he’s uh..” she cleared her throat and you got the hint.

“Oh I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to assume—” She cut you off with a gentle shake of her head, looking out to the lake awkwardly. Your assumption was quite dumb anyway, Lori and Shane wouldn’t be so secretive about their relationship if they were married…

You looked down at your lap and sighed gently, the silence was making you think again. Especially about that dumbass… Daryl. How arrogant of him to blame you for missing that shot when really, it was his fault for jumping you. And the fact he got so heated over it? Absolutely infuriating.

Lori tapped your knee gently and your head snapped up to meet her gaze. She nodded behind you and when you turned, the man you were just fuming over was standing there. Daryl was still tense but you could tell he felt guilty, or at least sorry for blowing up. He didn’t have to say anything before you got up and followed him back into the forest, the silence deafening.

“Look…” Daryl started slowly, halting in place and turning to look at you. “’m sorry fer yellin’ at you, but ya gotta admit tha’ was a shit shot comin’ from you.” All feeling of relief was taken from you at that moment, rolling your eyes as annoyance flooded through you.

You turned away from him but he caught your arm, turning you back to face him. He took a deep breath before glancing down at your legs, pointing to your daggers.

“Ya know how ta use those?” You narrowed your eyes at his question before responding in confusion.

“Yeah…? You just stab… whatever it is… you’re trying to, I don’t know, kill??” You shook your head and looked at him as if he just asked a really obvious question, which he did.

“No—” He groaned, placing his hand over his eyes as if trying to ground himself. “No, like. Can ya throw ‘em?”

Good point, you didn’t.

He took your silence and awkward expression as your answer and started to walk again, waving you to follow. This back and forth walking was really taking it out of you.

“’kay, then ‘m gonna teach ya because I do not trust you with my baby.” You snorted softly as he referred to his crossbow as “his baby.” You found it slightly endearing.

You just hoped this lesson would go well this time because you did not want to deal with a frustrated Dixon twice in one day.

taglist (comment on masterlist to be added!) @arson1893 @ryoujoking @abi67sblog @sm4-rty @skunk-dude @dontsassmecastiel @scudslut @xmaeyonaiise @welcumetomyescape @duckybird101

[kaitlinamberxo]

“We don't fight for revenge, we fight for our future.”

kaitlin's 100 favorite fictional muses — 60/100: Daryl Dixon

[pageslearntothink]

New fic coming soon: Bodyguard AU

[ofdragondreamers]

@theirdiaries -- daryl & maggie.

"don't know how i feel about this place," daryl admits, looking down at his hands. "it's better than back home, i guess. but it ain't gonna stop me from missin' everyone." he then shrugs. "'least you're here, maggie. don't know what i'd do without ya."

[indigoraysoflight]

Incorrect Caryl inner monologue - 11x20, What's been lost.

I wanted to do a lighthearted one (+ all the gifs by the illustrious @mcbride )

Now they were definitely thinking about saving the kids during these scenes. And it obviously never crossed their minds just how well they worked together and how hot it was. It definitely 100% never crossed their minds. All of us just invented the sexual tension in these scenes, right. RIGHT? 👀

~

Carol, internally: I'm close enough to feel his breath on my face. His lips look a bit chapped. Ok, he's really hot right now, and I'm kinda turned on. Maybe... I don't stop him. NO WAIT TORTURE IS WRONG. Daryl, stop that.

Daryl, internally: I wanna punch this asshole, but I can't when she's touchin' me and lookin' at me like that. Did her eyes just flick to my lips? My heart's beating faster because of adrenaline, definitely. Don't look, that's how them impossibly blue eyes getchya.

__________________________________________

Daryl, internally: Did she just womanhandle me? Yeah, she pushed me away. If she thinks I'm gonna let her push me around like that... she's right. Damn straight I am. My wife Carol's such a badass.

Carol, internally: ok, that's the first time I've touched him in a bit. That's ok, that's fine. It's just his pecs, Carol. You've felt them before. On your face when he wraps you in his arms. Damn it, Carol. Focus on the torture.

__________________________________________

Carol, internally: This is weird. I don't know how to be a good cop. Daryl, don't look at me like that it's distracting. I wanna stab his face. Can I stab his face?

Daryl, internally: *sigh* She's so hot when she gets all quiet and stabby. I'm not turned on. But Carol, torture is wrong... Keep going.

__________________________________________

Daryl, internally: Please be safe. I'll find you. But if I die here, I want yours to be the last face I see. 'Cause I love you.

Carol, internally: Then please don't die. Be safe and come back. Please just come back to me. Find me. I'll be waiting. Because I love you.

__________________________________________

Carol, internally: You're safe. You're alive. You're here. I love you. You came back to me. You found me.

Daryl internally: You're safe. You're alive. You're here. You're beautiful. I love you. You waited for me.

__________________________________________

Daryl, internally: I just wanna hold her so badly. But we're not there yet, and we got company. Fuckin' Lance. DARYL, BE COOL. Just do your cool strut so she can't tell how much you wanna hold her and kiss her right now.

Carol, internally: ok he's doing that cool strut again. My heart is beating faster because of the adrenaline, obviously. Would it be weird if I tripped and fell into his arms for a quick second or... hour? REEL IT IN CAROL, you've got an audience. Fuckin' Lance.

__________________________________________

+ Bonus

Daryl, internally: Hey Lance. Get fucked. A'right I needta NOT think about "gettin' fucked" when I'm near her.

Carol, internally: K Lance, party's over. My husband Daryl's home. Time to fuckin' die. Nope. Can't think about "fucking" when I'm near him.

[mxines]

𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚌𝚊𝚖𝚎? 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚌𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚍. @backwaterscum

[aintashes]

thank you to so many of my wonderful mutuals for participating in my silly little worm shenanigans :') it was so much fun to see everyone's answers and i loved every minute of it. you're all so funny and talented, did you know that ??

it genuinely warms ( worms ? ) my heart to have so many people indulge these incredibly random and silly asks. so many of my mutuals have mentioned that it made their day to see all of the answers. y'all are the best. it's really amazing to have such community here on daryl's blog.

anyone who got an ask from me but didn't answer it before this post goes up— please feel free to answer anyway and your post will still get reblogged into the tag no matter when it gets posted !

here are some fun stats from the whole event ! 🪱

first worm ask sent to: @rayofsunshinc's michonne first worm ask answered by: @afterdeaths' damian cutest / sweetest answer posted by: @painmon's peter first to be bamboozled by daryl: @florrentine's emilia first worm ask sent to me ( plot twist ): @allevils' lucy meanest answer posted by: @chaos--mode's ren most shocked by daryl's behavior: @gunpink's isa accidental cannibalism...?: @rottine first to ask to keep the worm: @rebuiltmyself

and the grand prize winner, the first person to actually eat the worm: @serpcntes' judith !!

total worms folks accepted from daryl: 6 🪱

the tag is here for anyone who wants to look through all of the worm day shenanigans now or in the future ! love y'all. thanks for making it so fun. it was a wonderful wormy weekend :')

[wexarethewalkingxdead]

What are your innate character traits?

tagged by: @ghostofwinter tagging: @armandlucienduval @norvstforthvwickvd @rickgrimesdoingrickthings @lunarruled @emeryfleming @corxunum @istillsinq @uncxntrxllable @fvrsaeken & anyone that wants to do this one!!!! <3

[disneybucks]

fwiw i'm still around! just haven't been about often 'cause of adjusting to grad school and working on tags i've owed since july on my main rp blog. i'll probably be doing some wade stuff this week though, finally :]

[fullcfmysteries]

"Happy birthday to both Dipper and Mabel." Sheriff Blubs grunted out, taking a sip of his coffee only to flinch at the bell ringing rather loudly. A sigh escapes from his mouth.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, YEEEEHAW!" It appears Deputy Durland still has that bell which makes him quite happy, ringing the bell rather loudly.

[mrdixon]

A Rugged Muse | Chapter 1

pairing: eventual daryl dixon x f!reader

wc: 3.1k

warnings: swearing, violence, slight depiction of gore, vomiting

summary: reader has a shit day. basically the day of the outbreak.

A/N: FIRST CHAPTER WOOOO i am clearly not an art major…. im in the different arts. so apologies to you visual artists im going off from my lack of knowledge from my hobby lol. i really hope you guys enjoy this series because i am EXCITED to write it.

a rugged muse masterlist |regular masterlist

“Fuck,” you groaned, slamming your forehead onto the desk in front of you. A few heads turned to look at you in the library, you cursed under your breath and looked up again after a moment. Adjusting the glasses askew on your face before looking at the paper on the desk. The paper before you was worn with erased pencil marks, slightly wrinkled. Art block was the worst, you’d rather be ten feet under than stuck with art block.

You sighed, it’s been months since your last project and even that was a fail. It didn't help that you only worked at a fucking minimum wage job, maybe you should've listened to your parents and became a doctor or something. It wasn't like it was always like this, no… art school was a breeze. You had hosted real galleries where people came to see your art, and now look at you. Moping around in a library, desperately trying to find something to draw.

After tapping your pencil against the table which by the way, earned many dirty looks, you scooted closer to the table. Picking up your old sketchbook and frantically flipping through it to find…. so many god damn drawings of, him. Your god forsaken ex boyfriend, but he was gorgeous.

You met him ironically enough in art class, way back in high school. He was there by choice, you were not. Yet everything about him was just so captivating that you couldn't help but not switch out of the class, thank god you didn't. You enjoyed the class more than you expected, painting being one of your favourite forms of art, oils being your preferred medium. You painted and sketched every moment of the day, not putting down that brush for one second. Your ex boyfriend was your inspiration, every detail on that stupid face was engraved in your mind like a marble statue. His beautiful plump lips and the beauty marks that scattered over his face being two of your favourite features.

Art was everything to you, and so was he. He was all you drew, he made life seem prettier and happier. But then he dumped you for some random chick he met in a bar, that was six months ago.

Since then you've had no motivation and no inspiration for your projects. Flowers no longer had their charm, abstracts looked dumb to you again, oils looked muddy. Nothing worked.

You picked up your pencil and started at the paper again, pushing your glasses up before hesitantly sketching out lines. Your mind wandered back to him, you still couldn’t believe it. After years of being together he’d just leave like that? Those years of pure, innocent love where you’d make breakfast with him, take baths together, even paint each other for fun. Date nights that were full of giggles and messily painting on each others skin, his fingertips grazing over your eyelids and nose as he sculpted you out of clay. He threw that all away for a woman he’s known for one night.

Your pencil moved furiously against the paper, scarring it like he scarred you. When you looked back down at it you noticed it was him, those hostile eyes from that night staring right through you. Those words of heartbreak echoing through your mind, words that came from lips that used to kiss you every morning. You huffed angrily, no matter how much you hated him, he always came back. He was always in your mind, plaguing your thoughts like venom. Slamming your pencil down you stood up, ripping the paper furiously.

Now there were whispers, people looked at you weirdly. After remembering your place in the world, you picked up your things and packed up quickly, aching to get back home to your bed. While in your haste, you dropped something. You already were in an irritable mood so you took a deep breath before causing a scene over a dropped item, crouching down to pick up just to notice it was the painting knife he had gifted you months before you broke up. The words ”To the love of my life…” engraved on it. After shoving the painting knife back into your bag angrily you quickly got back on your feet and headed towards the door, not before throwing half your sketches into the bin. As if you couldn’t get any more frustrated, someone bumped into you which caused you to whip around. Though no words came out of your mouth as you took in the sight of the person.

They were sickly pale, sweating profusely and trembling. Their eyes were bloodshot, matching the… bite wound on their forearm? They shook looking at you, mumbling a meek apology and pushing their sleeve down over their arm before walking away. Weird. Anyway.

You turned back around, must be some weird prank or something. Whatever, you were extremely tired and needed to get back to your apartment asap. As you left the library the humid August air hit you like a truck, not helping your heated mood at all. Grumbling to yourself you tried not to let it affect you, instead pushing your hair behind your shoulders, what a convenient day to forget your hair tie. Nothing was going your way, it was like the world was against you. A scream broke your thoughts, it came from somewhere ahead of you. Great, someone probably got mugged and now you were next. Just another thing to keep you moody.

A woman turned the corner, running towards you. You braced yourself for the mugging but to your surprise, it never came. The woman’s face was drained, it was as if she saw a ghost. She didn’t stop running, she was terrified and stuff was falling out of her purse but she didn’t even bother to pick them up. You watched as she ran past you without batting as eye, what is going on today? Shrugging, you picked up the stuff she dropped, finders keepers. Gum, tissues, tampons, condoms, and… her wallet. You almost jumped in joy, you could really use the money right now.

Finally out of your mood you practically skipped down the street, looking through the wallet and counting the cash. $10… $28… $48… $130… $135— oh wait that’s a Canadian $5 what the fuck— $140. One hundred forty fucking dollars in cash, that woman must’ve been loaded to carry this much cash. Well, now you carried it.

Another scream broke your daze, but this time it was closer. You looked up and saw another terrified woman running towards you, this time knocking into you which caused you to crash onto the floor, the cash scattering across the pavement. Back in your mood.

“What the fuck is your problem!?” You yelled, watching the woman continue running and not even look back. Is there a goddamn marathon you didn’t know about or what? You fiercely picked up the scattered cash, shoving them into your bag immediately before crossing your arms and continuing your walk back to your apartment. Fixing your glasses you saw a man get tackled to the ground by another man a street in front of you, was this happening to everyone???

Much to your horror you watched as the man on top mauled into the other’s neck, tearing through the skin and splattering blood everywhere. You froze, feeling your blood run cold at the sight. You watched as the man kept eating away at the now, dead person. The man’s head turned slightly to grab at more of the bloodied flesh, you now noticing the cloudy eyes and gray skin. This man was already dead, so how was he…

You snapped out of it, turning the other way to avoid whatever was happening. This had to be a sick joke. Your heart was beating in your ears, weaving through the back lanes to find a different path to your home. Hair stood at the back of your neck as your senses were now alert, if whatever that was is real, you had to be way more careful. It was quiet in the alley, calm. You let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding. Stopping for a second to catch your breath and recollect your thoughts, bending over slightly and placing your hands on your knees.

“Jesus christ,” you muttered. You couldn’t get the visual out of your head, that man was murdered right in front of you. His eyes bulging out of his head when he couldn’t even scream for help, that… monster ripping his throat out and devouring him in broad daylight. You shook your head, running your fingers through your hair frantically as you tried to rid your brain of that image.

A low groaning filled your ears and before you could register it you were falling to the ground, a grunt escaping you as you quickly turned onto your back. One of those things were falling over you, your quick reflexes holding them up by their shoulders. You got a clear view of what they looked like, their eyes were clouded over, veins more visible under their pale skin, their lips and chin dribbling with blood. You grimaced, trying to scream but nothing came out, nothing but a flow of air. They were strong, jaw snapping closer and closer to you. If you didn’t do anything now you’d end up like that guy on that street. No fucking way you were going to die like that.

Struggling a little, you lifted your legs under them and kicked from their stomach. Throwing the thing off of you, grunting you scrambled to your feet. The thing quickly following, their leg twisted as they got up from the position you flung them in. Surely it would’ve hurt if it were you, but unlike you, they weren’t living. You opened your bag and shoved your hand in, cursing yourself in your head for shoving everything in there. You held out your other arm protectively while stepping backwards from the thing. The hand in your bag searched wildly for something to defend yourself with, something to kill with. Could you even kill them?

Your back hit the wall, panic filling your body as the thing got closer. Before it could get any closer you tucked your forearm under their chin to hold them back, a loud cry escaping you as you fought to hold them back. When you were starting to give up, the hand in your bag finally found something metal. Ripping it out you immediately swung at it with the item, sinking it into their head which was surprisingly easy. Adrenaline probably. The thing fell to the ground, dead again.

You let out a heavy sigh, sliding down the wall. You looked down at your hands, bloodied with what you could only hope wasn’t your own blood. You were shaking profusely, your breathing uneven. You closed your eyes, trying to steady your breathing as you pressed your knees to your chest, the heel of your palm placed on your forehead. You stayed like this for a moment, you don’t know how long. But once you were ready you let out one last shaky breath before opening your eyes again, and glancing down at the thing on the ground in front of you.

You almost laughed as you realized you used the painting knife to end the thing, but you didn’t. You silently reached over and pulled it out, swallowing as it made a gross squelch sound. Looking down at your painting knife which was now covered in its blood, you wiped it off on their shirt. Taking a closer look at the body and noticing a bite mark on their shoulder, much like the person in the library. Your lip quivered as you imagined what had happened to them, what might’ve happened to you if you stayed. There was a low pit in your stomach as you stood up, your mouth suddenly filling with saliva before hunching over and vomiting. Your eyes filled with tears just realizing how close to death you were, throwing up your lunch.

You coughed, wiping your mouth on your sleeve before shoving the painting knife back into your bag. You had to get home, now. Your feet moved quickly, not stopping for even a second. There were barely anyone on the streets and you wondered if your home was even safe. Stop, your feet stopped. Don’t think like that. With a heavy breath you took off again, walking even faster towards your apartment building. Please, please, please….

You jolted suddenly as your phone started ringing, you grabbed it but didn’t stop walking. Answering without even checking the caller ID.

“Hello?” You said almost too quietly, still shaken up from your encounter with the thing.

“(Y/N)?? (Y/N), are you okay!?” The anxious voice yelled, it was your older brother, Glenn. You almost cried in happiness, walking even faster now.

“Yes Glenn, yes I’m fine…” you mumbled into the phone, breathing a sigh of relief that your brother was alive. “What is going on?”

“God, I don’t know. All I know is people are dying and coming back to life and eating each other and dying and coming back to—”

“Yeah, yeah I get it!” you cut him off, “I almost—” you stopped, deciding not to tell him about your fight. He was anxious enough, he always was but you didn’t want to worry him even more.

“Almost what?? You didn’t get bit did you!?” He yelled which caused you to pull your phone away from your ear in discomfort.

“No I didn’t, stop yelling.” You replied irritated, you heard him sigh on the other end. Hearing distant voices in the background. “Where are you?”

“I was at work when I saw everything go down, I drove back to the pizza place immediately.” He said more calmer, “but we’re gonna move out soon.”

You furrowed your brows in confusion, “wait why? Isn’t it safe there? Why not wait for help?”

“You didn’t hear? I thought you were always on your phone,” you scoffed in annoyance at his probe. “They’re setting up camps, courtesy of the military I think.”

You chest filled with hope, you were going to be safe. “Oh thank god, okay wait I’m going back to my place to grab some things. Where is the camp?”

When Glenn responded his end was filled with feedback, static. “It’s gonna. Arou— Ta—”

“Glenn?? You’re… you’re cutting off.” You said nervously, nearing your apartment.

“A— Yo— I’m—” And the call failed.

Dread filled your body once again, now you really were going to cry. You shakily walked through the apartment building, keeping guard for potential things around. Opting for the stairs, you walked swiftly up them. Out of breath by the time you reached your room, fortunately there was nothing to stop you.

Once you got in you immediately dropped everything, locking the door and collapsing to the floor. Tears filled your eyes once more and you let some of them escape and trickle down your cheeks, you were scared. Scared of those things roaming around, they could kill, you’ve seen it. You removed your glasses momentarily to wipe your face. You shook your head you took a deep breath and stood up, you had to pack and leave immediately. You didn’t know where you were going but you had to leave, you had to find Glenn.

Putting your glasses back on, you crawled over and rummaged through your closet carelessly, trying to find a backpack that was big enough to carry all your necessities. Your apartment was already a mess so you didn’t bother being slow and careful right now, which might have been a bad idea as you snagged your finger on a stray box cutter.

“Shit,” you muttered while pulling your hand back, a cut dragged along your index finger. You rushed over to the sink, washing it quickly before throwing a bandage over the cut. While doing so you heard a police siren drive by, the sound dying off as it drove farther and farther away. You sighed before returning to the closet, grabbing a big enough backpack and shoving as much clothes you could get while also leaving room for extra things.

You stood up and looked around your small apartment, your bed looked so inviting. You were exhausted beyond help, your body aching with the need to rest. I shouldn’t. You thought and continued scrambling for items to take with you, the amount of scattered pages of sketches filled the space that was your floor. Your heart broke at the thought of leaving your things behind but you knew it’d be useless to take with you, but you couldn’t take nothing.

You grabbed a few pencils and brushes, along with a small paint palette and placed them carefully into your bag, an empty sketchbook joining them. While searching you opened your desk drawer, three daggers which you made in a welding class a couple years ago. They were sturdy and well sharp enough, thank god you were good at making things. You took them and put them into a sheath to prevent stabbing yourself. You grabbed a few more things like a lighter, some bandaids, and batteries. You frowned at the lack of supplies you had on hand, but you tried to convince yourself that you’d be taken care of at the camps.

You moved over to your small kitchen and grabbed a water bottle which you filled, also grabbing a couple snacks that would keep you full for a few days at best. You heard a few distant screams outside, some screams of pain which caused you to wince. The sudden thought of living in an apocalypse dawned over you, a feeling of dread rushing through you. You couldn’t shake the feeling off but you chose to ignore it. You did not want to go into a panic right now, you had to have a clear and positive mind if you wanted to live.

You pulled your bag over your shoulders and walked over to your mirror to take a look at yourself, grounding yourself for the world outside. You wanted so badly to sleep but you knew you had to get a move on if you wanted to get to a camp safely.

“I can do this..” you whispered under your breath, clutching at the handle of one of your daggers, turning to the door. You just had to get to a camp, but more importantly you had to find Glenn.

★○★○★○★○★○★○★○★○★○★○★○★○★○★○★○★★○★○★○★○★○★○

more a/n: for the sake of having glenn as reader's older brother im having him be around 24-27 years old right now, reader being like 23 ish. and daryl will be like 32….??? i dunno im trying to make this as canon as possible BUT UGH IT IS SO $&£”*^%*£ so yeah there will be a little bit of an age gap between reader and daryl but i hope that wont be too much of a problem for you guys…. probably not. and do not quote me if i get settings or the timeline wrong like twd is confusing enough for me……….. again im also like rewatching and making sure to make everything as close to the show as possible, but theres also the possibility of me altering the timeline (muehehehe). anyways tysm for reading and stay tuned! ★

[deputygonebye]

@stillxxhere || Taken from here.

He’s never been the kind to feel like he needs anyone else’s protection. If he can’t handle it then it’s on him. That’s always how it’s been so he’s used to pushing through his own shit and not complain.

So the press against him that has him shifted behind the other has him tensing up, almost jerking in surprise. “Th’ hell?” he hisses, “I can deal wit’ this!” The words are sharp and almost angry because how dare this man think he was that weak that he couldn’t take care of himself?!

He has no idea how to handle when someone else inserts himself because it’s always because someone thinks he can’t handle it. He had scars to prove that things had yet to fucking kill him. This wouldn’t either. And if it did then it was damn well his own fault and he’d face it head on. “Th’ hell is yer problem, Shane?!”

There was more to Hershel's farm than just open fields and clear skies. Hills that rolled for miles in jadeite hue, the boundary splashed with Virginia bluebells and goldenrods. Natural beauty that had, somehow, gone untouched since the Outbreak, it was land that had to be explored in full. As was commanded by Rick, the search for Sophia wasn't over. Wouldn't be until she was found again - hours and hours of their lives dedicated to bringing her home - doubts very much felt by Shane despite. 48 hours and more since she ran frightened into the woods, hope had begun to fade with each passing minute, a cloud of uncertainty. But still did he wander into the forest to look for her. Sometimes alone, sometimes not, the most recent of hunts having been joined by Daryl, crossbow and all. Either one of them eager to get some sort of clue, as the mud clung to their boots and anchored their steps, Shane's survival instincts only heightened.

A snap of a tree branch that didn't seem human, crushed beneath the walk of something else, his hand had come out and pushed Daryl behind without a second thought. A courteous gesture if there ever was one; an act of friendship that seemed to have made the other burn in anger.

"Daryl, man, hush up!" Shane whispered, quiet in tone but none too gentle in demand. "I think I hear somethin'. Over there, behind the trees. Be ready, business might start to pick up."

Fidgeting with the shotgun in his hands, as he continued with his steps onward, each lift of the leg heavier than the last, Shane couldn't help but cast his gaze toward Daryl, observed the man with a mix of fascination and bewilderment.

He described, in a matter-of-fact arrogance, "you know, when someone does somethin' nice for someone else, like pointin' out the possibility of danger, the proper response is to say 'thank you.' I was only tryin' to keep you out of trouble, man. Ain't really lookin' to piss you off while wanderin' around these woods. Especially while you're carrying a loaded crossbow. If I was, I would've been a bit more creative. Stolen your game kill or somethin' like that... you see any signs of Sophia around?"

[kuraikyu]

I kept this micro-indulgence saved at the bottom of my draft stock and it needs out now. The way Geto's playlist would include a good mixture of hard rock, death metal, and then HEAVY ritualistic Hindu/oriental tunes, & Japanese folk. Chill-out meditation music for night scenery encompassing various styles nests here too. Also, it's pretty much self-explanatory that 80s/90s hits ghostly parade through his list as well because, well, he's a 90s kid, with absolute disfavor for country. And then ... there's Kill Bill music (*which he listens to whenever he goes to solve some serious business). Taste and music is an intimate matter for him; because the period of musical bands is linked to his awakening pansexuality which he held in denial until the last but one year before leaving Tech. If you ask him what's his favorite band there's a 50% chance he won't answer but if you're lucky - he'll reveal only one band and that is 'KISS', maybe even mentions his favorite track from them and that is: 'I was made for loving you baby'.

[ravenreycs]

[ofdragondreamers]

@starsdrew -- daryl & wylan.

"not sure what to do with myself in this place," daryl shrugs. "somethin' feels off about it, though. don't know what. ain't gonna let my guard down, that's for sure." he knew he wanted to be able to relax, but that just wasn't possible -- not for him. not with the life he'd lived thus far. "you get that feelin', too?"

[indigoraysoflight]

Carol: What are you thinking about?

Daryl's thoughts: I wonder what Carol's lips taste like. It's been 10 years and I still can't figure it out. Maybe strawberries or chocolate. I think chocolate 'cause she loves them so much. Maybe it's both. MAYBE they taste like chocolate covered strawberries.

Daryl: uh.

Daryl: My motorcycle.

Carol: huh. I was sure it was food because you're drooling.