#Alexandria Wailes

[garden-ghoul]

obviously the labyrinth-library in the aedificium is the psychic center of this abbey, there's a lot of good stuff on how monks belong body and soul to books, but also almost everyone they've talked to while investigating wants the library opened. the text is pretty explicit about the fact that this is a microcosm for the conflict between the 'purity' of a library and its 'aliveness.' if books are read they get damaged; if they aren't read they're not really books. if an abbey opens its doors to share knowledge with everyone that knowledge is both reinterpreted by laypeople and devalued in an economic sense; if it keeps its doors shut it can't trade on the value of its knowledge but they're also its sole custodians. I like that there's both a spiritual and political dimension to it! knowledge is currency that confers influence, but the war is also happening on the level of intellectual lust and religious piety. super cool. the library as fetish!

[opencommunion]

"Like all foreigners, the Jewish settlers sailed first to Alexandria, took a ferry to Jaffa, and were taken ashore by small boats. This mundane arrival at the shore appears in the settlers’ statements as aggressive and alien treatment: ‘Aravim Hetikifu Ottanu’ – ‘the Arabs assaulted us’ – is the phrase used to describe the simple act of Palestinian boys helping settlers to small boats on the way to Jaffa; they shouted because the waves were high and asked for baksheesh [tips] because this was how they managed to live. But in the settlers’ narrative they were assailants. Noise, presumably a normal feature of life in the Jewish townships of Eastern Europe, becomes menacing when produced by Palestinian women wailing in the traditional salute of joy to the sailors returning safely home. For the settlers this was the behaviour of savages, ‘with fiery eyes and a strange garroted language.’ Whether the topic is their language, their dress or their animals, reports back to Europe concerning the Palestinians were all about unpleasantness and weirdness. ... Again and again, Zionist settlers behaved as a people who had been insulted – either objectively in the form of a physical attack, but more often simply by the very presence of Palestinians in Palestine. ... The Zionist settlers instituted retaliation for ‘theft’, which was how they characterised the rural tradition of cultivating state land, a practice that was legal under Ottoman law. Picking fruit from roadside orchards became an act of robbery only after Zionism took over the land. The words shoded (robber) and rozeach (murderer) were flung about with ease when Palestinians involved in such acts were described. After 1948 these terms would be replaced with ‘terrorist’ and ‘saboteur’. ... Cleansing the land of its farmers and tenants was done at first through meeting in the Zionist madafa and then by force of eviction in Mandatory times. The ‘good’ Palestinians were those who came to the madafa and allowed themselves to be evicted. Those who refused were branded robbers and murderers. Even Palestinians with whom the settlers sometimes shared ownership of horses or long hours of guard duty were transformed into villains once they refused eviction. Later on, wherever Israelis would control the lives of Palestinians, such a refusal to collaborate would be the ultimate proof for Palestinian choice of the terrorist option as a way of life. ... Following the 1967 war ... both Israeli academics and Israeli media commonly used the term ‘terrorism’ when referring to any kind of Palestinian political, social and cultural activity. ‘Palestinian terrorism’ was depicted as having been present from the very beginning of the Zionist project in Palestine and still being there when academic research into it began in earnest. This characterisation was so comprehensive and airtight that it assigned almost every chapter in Palestinian history to the domain of ‘terrorism’ and absolved hardly any of the organisations and personalities that made up the Palestinian national movement from the accusation of being terrorists."

Ilan Pappé, The Idea of Israel: A History of Power and Knowledge (2014)

[dixons-sunshine]

Ok ok ok ok-

I've been struck with a three am idea that I cannot shake so pretty pretty please if your not busy may I request it?

It would be a Daryl x Reader were they are parents of their newborn? Probably set in Alexandria... The baby is up crying and Reader who is very sleep deprived is trying to calm the baby down but nothing is working, and at this point Reader hasn't had a solid nights sleep in a few days? Like, maybe Reader is struggling to put the baby to sleep and the crying starts to get to them and they start crying too? (Not like full on sobs but tears bc their emotional state is damaged from lack of sleep) And Daryl wakes up and helps reader? Like, tucks reader in before taking care of their newborn?

I just can't shake Daryl as a dad he woud try to be the best dad ever just bc he would be so scared to end up like his 'father' 🥺

Please and thank you very much and take care!!

Sleepy Time | Daryl Dixon x Fem!Reader

*GIF isn't mine.*

Summary: Life with a newborn wasn't easy. All of your attention had to go towards the bundle of life you brought into the world, which left you with little time to take care of yourself and even less time to get some much needed sleep. One night, while taking care of your and Daryl's baby girl, the lack of sleep caught up with you and emotions started to bubble over. Luckily, Daryl was there to take care of both you and the baby—the two most important people in his life.

Genre: Fluff, some angst.

Era: Alexandria, post Saviour war, pre the building of the bridge.

Warnings: Sleep deprivation, self deprecating thoughts, feelings of worthlessness, mentions of Daryl's father and his past abuse.

Word count: 1.9k

A/n: I'm sick at the moment and have no energy to write much, but this request was way too cute to not get done ASAP. I've been wanting to write something about Daddy!Daryl for a while now so this request is a godsend. Thank you so much for it! I hope you like this. And to the people who requested the Daryl x Espinosa!Reader and falling for the new girl requests, please know that they're being worked on. I don't know exactly when they'll be out, but they will be, I promise!

As always, my requests are open for any TWD requests.

(I gave the baby a name in this, but feel free to imagine any name you want.)

—

The moon was shining brightly outside the home you shared with Daryl. The stars were twinkling in the sky and the crickets were chirping. It was a peaceful night and everyone in the community was sleeping soundly.

Everyone but you.

“Shh, sweetheart. It's okay. Mommy's here.”

Despite your reassuring words, your baby girl, Hazel, kept on crying. Her cheeks were red from the tears she shed and her eyes were shut tightly. The sight of your baby in such a state made your heart ache in a way that it has never hurt before.

Nothing you tried could soothe Hazel of her crying. She refused to breastfeed or take her bottle, and her diaper didn't need changing. She didn't appear to be sick and there was nothing that could be hurting her physically, so you were at a lost for what could be troubling her so much. She just kept on crying.

You gently bounced her while rubbing her small back, praying to whatever was out there that you would figure out what was wrong with her. You hated the fact that you couldn't soothe her, feeling useless as she continued to wail. Her cries echoed off the walls of the nursery, the sound deafening.

You hummed a lullaby to her, a last resort in hopes of calming her down. You could feel a lump form in your throat as unwanted tears started to fill your eyes. The lullaby you were humming started sounding choked up as your throat started constricting, trying to withhold the sobs that were busy building up in your chest.

The lack of sleep was busy catching up with you. Not once did you regret your baby girl—Hazel was the physical embodiment of the love you shared with Daryl and you'd die for her—but you desperately needed a full night's sleep. You were barely functioning and that was a problem. How could you take care of your daughter when you could barely take care of yourself?

The sound of the nursery door opening instantly caught your attention, your senses on high alert. You spun around and locked eyes with the love of your life, the familiar blues of his eyes calming you down slightly. The calm you felt was short-lived, however, when Hazel's cries got louder due to the fact that you weren't humming to her anymore.

Daryl furrowed his eyebrows and shut the door, quietly moving to stand beside you. Even in the darkness of the room, he could clearly see the glisten of the tears in your eyes. His heart ached for you, and if it weren't for the fact that you were cradling Hazel, he would've pulled you into a tight hug.

“Wha's wrong?” he asked quietly, putting a hand on your shoulder in the hopes of bringing you some comfort.

You sniffled and willed the tears away, hating the fact that Daryl had to see you in that state. “I don't know,” you replied honestly, gently rocking your baby back and forth. Hazel's cries started to die down a bit, and you were grateful for it. “She won't drink and she doesn't need changing, and she doesn't appear to be sick. She just won't stop crying.”

Daryl's heart broke at the crack in your voice. He wrapped one of his arms around you and brought you into a side hug, placing a kiss on your forehead. “S'alrigh'. We'll figure it out. She'll be okay.”

You sniffled again and nodded, leaning your head against his shoulder. Daryl pressed another kiss to your forehead before motioning for you to hand Hazel over to him. You obliged and carefully transfered her into his arms, your heart swelling at the sight of the father of your daughter, who was a big, burly man, carefully and gently cradling such a small human to his chest. You smiled through your tears, a sense of happiness filling you, even though you were feeling worn down and useless a few moments prior.

A small smile spread across Daryl's face as he gazed down at his baby girl. Hazel's cries had disappeared, small sniffles and the redness of her cheeks the only signs that she had been crying at all. Daryl brought his hand up to gently caress her face, before he leaned down and pressed a soft kiss against her small forehead.

You smiled at the sight before you, but you couldn't help the feeling of failure that spread through you. You had been up for over an hour trying to soothe her and hadn't succeeded, but then Daryl came in and calmed her down in a matter of seconds. You were grateful for him and the fact that he had managed to let her cries subside, but you couldn't help feeling defeated.

Daryl gently rocked Hazel from side to side before looking up at you. He could immediately see the pained yet immensely tired expression on your face, and he frowned. He didn't know exactly what was going through your head at that moment, but he had a pretty good idea. After he was sure that Hazel's crying had stopped completely for the time being, he grabbed the pacifier from the dresser and popped it into her mouth before gently placing her down in her crib.

Daryl turned to you and offered his hand. “C'mon,” he said simply.

Confused, you grabbed his hand and allowed him to pull you out of the nursery and back into your shared room right across the hall. He tugged you over to the bed and silently urged you to lie down, which you did. Once you were comfortable, he pulled the covers over you and sat down on the edge of the bed next to you.

“Ya okay?” he asked in concern, his voice quiet as he studied your face.

You nodded hesitantly. “I'm fine,” you lied, and Daryl could tell instantly.

“Yer not fine. Wha's up?” he urged softly, leaning forward to brush the hair away from your eyes.

You inhaled sharply, debating whether or not to tell him what you were feeling. In the end, the need to get everything off of your chest overpowered, and you cleared your throat, trying not to tear up again.

“Am I a bad mom?”

That surprised Daryl. He instantly shook his head in denial, taking one of your hands in his. “Nah, course not. Why would ya even think tha'?”

“It's just... I try so hard to be a good mom but I can't even soothe my own daughter when she cries. Nothing I tried worked. She wouldn't stop crying, yet you managed to calm her down in a matter of seconds. If I can't even comfort my own daughter, what type of mom does that make me?”

Daryl sighed softly. He rubbed his thumb over your knuckles soothingly. “Yer not a bad mom. Sometimes babies cry and there ain't nothin' we can do 'bout it. Remember back at the prison when Little Asskicker wouldn't stop crying? It took Rick over an hour to get her to calm down. Would ya say tha' Rick's a bad dad jus' 'cause he couldn't instantly figure out wha' he needed to do to calm her?”

You shook your head. “No.”

“Then stop callin' yerself a bad mom. Yer not. There's gonna be days when Hazel will want ya instead of me, and vice versa. It ain't gonna mean tha' one of us is the better or preferred parent 'cause of it.”

You let out a shaky breath, feeling yourself want to cry all over again, but this time in relief. However, you withheld the urge and instead settled on giving him a small smile, squeezing his hand.

“Thank you,” you whispered, your eyes starting to feel heavier. You let out a small yawn, making Daryl chuckle fondly.

“Get some sleep, 'kay? Ya will feel a lot better in the mornin',” he instructed, leaning forward to place a feathery light kiss on your forehead.

“What about Hazel?” you asked after hearing her start to get fussy again over the baby monitor Daryl had found on a scavenging trip.

“Dun' worry 'bout her. I've got it. Ya jus' get some sleep, 'kay?” he assured you, getting up from the bed to head out to the nursery.

“Okay,” you finally agreed, nodding your head. However, before Daryl could leave, you called out to him.

Daryl turned around and looked at you. “Yeah?”

“I love you.”

Daryl smiled softly, his heart fluttering in his chest. “I love ya too.”

With that, he closed the door behind him and made his way over to the nursery. Once inside, he turned on the little nightlight that Michonne had gifted to you when Hazel was born, walking over to the crib to pick her up. Cradling her to his chest, he walked over to the dresser to grab the still full bottle before making his way over to the rocking chair in the corner of the room.

Daryl sat down and brought the bottle to her mouth. This time, instead of refusing it, she eagerly opened her mouth and latched onto the bottle, starting to drain it of its contents. Daryl laughed at her eagerness, holding her gently against his chest as she drank.

“Delicious?” he asked rhetorically, knowing full well that she couldn't understand what he was saying. “Bet it is.”

Hazel simply kept drinking from the bottle, her hands clutching at Daryl's shirt. Daryl stared down at her fondly, wondering how one tiny human could be so perfect.

“Ya need to go easy on yer mama, y'know?” he started, gently rocking back and forth on the rocking chair. “She might seem like it, but she ain't a superhuman. She needs her sleep, too.”

Daryl paused for a moment, simply admiring his little girl for a moment before continuing. “Yer mama loves ya so much, though. And so do I. We won't let anythin' happen to ya, little one.”

Daryl fell silent after that. He simply took care of his daughter, wondering how he got so lucky. Not only did he have the most amazing wife who loved him unconditionally, but now he had a daughter who he would die to protect. He had a family, something he never would've thought could happen to him before the apocalypse.

Daryl looked up and at the door, envisioning you sleeping peacefully in the room across from him, sleep that you deserved, before looking down at Hazel again. As he stared down at the life he made with you, memories of his own father plagued his mind—memories of his abuse and loveless nature. How he never seemed to have any sort of patience when it regarded his own son, how any sort of crying was met with a physical blow to his face.

Daryl grimaced at the memories and shook his head, willing the memories to go away. He always wondered if his father's abusive ways would be passed down to him, but as he looked at Hazel in his arms, he realised that nothing would ever make him be like his father. He vowed to protect the life he had made with you, the embodiment of your shared love for one another. He vowed to himself that he would never stoop to the cruelty his father had bestowed on him. He would be there for both you and Hazel, through thick and thin, through happiness and heartbreak, for as long as death remained away from him.

He would love the both of you until the day that he let out his last breath.

[dollfacefantasy]

Rick grimes x reader who’s a badass Walker killer but afraid of spiders and it’s funny to Rick. Do with that what you will 😁

Rick feels his heart stop when he hears your shriek from across Alexandria. Every drop of blood in his body freezes in place. His abdomen turns to stone and falls through the ground beneath his feet.

You screamed like somebody was hacking into you with a machete at this very moment. Before he knows what’s happening, he’s dashing down the road. His legs carry him back to the house on auto-pilot. He bursts through the front door so fast, it practically flies off the hinges.

He already had his gun drawn. He sweeps through the house like in the old days back when he was officer friendly. Eyes scan the halls, looking for where you might be. Then another wail from you answers that question.

“Rick!”

“I’m coming. Just hold on.”

He launches himself into the kitchen, ready to find a walker, or even worse, some person with a blade to your neck.

But he finds neither of those. Instead you leap over to him, throwing your arms around his neck and nearly scaling his body.

“Woah, woah, woah. What’s wrong?” he asks urgently, “Are you hurt or something?”

“There’s a really big spider on the counter,” you whimper against his throat.

He blinks in disbelief. You had to be joking. There was no way you’d got him so worked up like that over a spider.

But then he sees a moderately sized, hairy, eight-legged arachnid crawling across the granite and he knows you’re telling the truth.

A deep sigh seeps from his lungs. He pries your limbs off of him and heads over there. Quick as can be, he grabs a cup and places it atop the creature. He turns to you, unable to hide the annoyance in his gaze.

“A spider?” he echoes.

You scoff and sputter in defense of yourself. “A really big one.”

“Mhm,” he hums and brushes it up before tossing it out the back door. “Don’t scare me like that again.”

Your look softens, body blooming with warmth as you realize he’d been all ready to protect you from whatever danger he pictured nearby. You prance over and kiss his scruffy cheek. As irritated as he was, he still doesn’t rebuff the affection.

“I’ll make it up to you later?” you offer with a little smile.

“You better. Nearly gave me a heart attack,” he says and returns the peck to your lips. “You kill walkers every single day, but you’re telling me a spider crosses the line?”

“The mind works in mysterious ways, Rick,” you say with feigned seriousness.

“I’m sure yours does. I’ll see you tonight, baby,” he says, giving you a firm pat on the ass before taking his leave.

[allthingsimagines]

State of Grace

“This is a state of grace. This is the worthwhile fight. Love is a ruthless game, unless you play it good and right” - State Of Grace by Taylor Swift

Rick Grimes x Pregnant!Reader

Summary: The group is wary of Aaron, until he reveals information that shocks the group to their core.

Takes place in season five at the start of the Alexandria arc!

Word Count: 5k+

Warnings: Swearing, childbirth, fluff, and ooc Rick

a/n: This has been sitting in my drafts for literal years. It’s not great, but I don’t care!! I hope you enjoy! Also, sorry for the formatting I’m on my phone!

—————————————————————————

The group all stood on high alert as they stared Aaron down as he sat tied to the pole. He was an outsider and knew far too much about them for any of them to be comfortable.

Rick was at the edge. He would either fall off and lose himself or pull himself back. The group was doing their best to keep him stable, but after Terminus, the death of Beth, and his own wife being lost after the Prison he was close to being too far gone. The only reason he hadn’t yet was for Carl and Judith. If he hadn’t had them he would’ve been long gone by now.

Aaron was another threat to the group’s safety.

Rick stalked around him as the group watched on. He seemed like a predator about to go in for the kill. Rick had always been an intimidating guy, but after the loss of his wife and the months on the road he wasn’t sure he’d ever fully return to who he had been when she was alive.

When the Prison fell everyone got scattered. Rick had been in the yard, Carl with Daryl, Judith with the kids, and Y/N had been in the sick wing helping Maggie evacuate people. When everyone got separated she’d just disappeared. No one had seen her since that day and there was no indication she was alive. Rick had lost hope a long time ago. She was tough, but it was difficult enough for them to survive as a big group. There was no way she would have made it months on her own.

Aaron gulped as the group discussed what to do, “My job is to convince you to follow me back home.”

Everyone looked around skeptically at his words. Aaron sighed, he knew it would take a lot of convincing, “I know, if I were you, I wouldn’t go either until I knew exactly what I was getting into.”

Aaron looked around at the big group and took a breath to steady himself. He’d been following them for two weeks and still didn’t know half as much as he would’ve liked to about them. He knew Rick was the leader and had two kids. He knew a few others like Maggie, Sasha, and Glenn, but the rest of them were strangers for now. Yet, he knew they’d keep them alive.

Alexandria needed people who knew how to survive and navigate the world they lived in now. The only people in the community who knew how to was himself, Eric, Deanna, Enid, and Y/N. She was the perfect person to teach them, but she wasn’t much help outside the walls since she was pregnant.

“Sasha, can you hand Rick my pack? Front pocket, there's an envelope,” Aaron asked and Sasha complied as she brought it to him.

“There's no way I could convince you to come with me just by talking about our community. That's why I brought those. I apologize in advance for the picture quality,” Aaron said as Rick pulled them out and looked through them.

“No one gives a shit,” Daryl grumbled out and Aaron nodded quickly.

A few others crowded around Rick to look at the pictures when the baby began crying. The teenager tried his best to calm her, but she just wailed. Rick pinched his brow and sighed, “Carl, will you get Judith the binky in my pack.”

The boy quickly complied as he tried to soothe his sister. Aaron’s eyes widened and he felt his heart jump at his words. He quickly leaned forward, pulling against his binds, “Your son is Carl and your daughter is Judith?”

The group all shared confused looks as Aaron looked like he’d had a world ending revelation. Rick passed the pictures to Glenn as he moved closer to Aaron, “What’s it matter to you?”

He kneeled down in front of Aaron and glared down at him, “Why do you need to know?”

Aaron swallowed, trying to compose himself, before looking up at Rick, “Did you have a wife named Y/N?”

Rick physically recoiled at the question and everyone tensed. How would he know her? Carl stepped closer to them, Judith held firmly at his hip as she was quiet now, “How do you know my mom?”

Aaron looked sympathetically at Carl and Judith before looking back to Rick. He looked as if Aaron had flipped his whole world, “How do you know that name?”

“She’s alive. She’s been living in our community with my husband and I for the past few months. She’s talked about your family endlessly- I just didn’t put it together,” Aaron breathed out and he saw the whole group react to his words.

Rick stumbled back and stood deathly still as he paled. Carl moved forward, his eyes full of hope, “How can we trust you? Where’s my mom!”

Aaron nodded towards his bag, “There’s a picture of her in the inside zipper of my bag.”

Glenn quickly unzipped the pocket before pulling out the picture and passing it to Rick. Rick couldn’t believe his eyes as he stared at it. It was her. She was leaning her head on a man’s shoulder, who he assumed was Aaron’s husband, with a bright smile on her face.

She was alive and happy.

Rick let out a choked sob as Carl tore the picture from his hands and broke down as well as he clutched his sister to him. The whole group was visibly affected by his words as they all had bright looks on their faces. Rick pulled Carl into his side and pressed a kiss to his head, “She’s alive. We’re gonna have your mom back.”

Glenn cut Aaron free and he stood up and rubbed his wrists. Rick released Carl, but when he turned to Aaron to say something he noticed the odd look on his face. Rick moved closer to Aaron and felt his stomach drop, “What’s wrong?”

Aaron looked up at Rick and scratched his neck, “I don’t know how to say it.”

Rick pushed down his fear as he stepped closer to him, “Aaron what’s wrong with my wife?”

Aaron met Rick’s piercing eyes and breathed out, “She’s pregnant.”

Rick swore he’d died. There was no way that she’d lived, but now she was pregnant? She couldn’t be.

Rick grabbed Aaron’s shoulder as leverage as he almost fell over, “What?”

Aaron grabbed Rick’s arm, “My husband and I picked her up on the road five months ago and brought her back. We’ve been taking care of her. The baby is doing great and so is she. She helps our leader, Deanna, out as her advisor so she doesn’t have to leave the walls.”

Rick tried to take in deep breaths, but he could hardly comprehend that his wife was alive and now she was pregnant? Rick grabbed onto Aaron as he fell to his knees. He tried to breathe as everything became too much for him.

His wife was pregnant and she’d been alive this whole time. They were going to have another kid.

Aaron squeezed Rick’s arm and sighed, “Rick, she’s full term now and when I left she was having consistent Braxton Hicks.”

Rick almost fell over from how quickly he shot to his feet. Lori had those during both pregnancies and she’d given birth soon after. He needed to be there for her. Especially considering what had happened to Lori.

“What’s that mean?” Carl asked, quickly wiping any remnants of tears from his face.

“They’re false contractions, but they’re meant to prep your body for labor,” Maggie answered, coming up behind Carl and squeezing his shoulders supportively.

“Take me to her. Please,” Rick pleaded with Aaron and he was quick to nod.

“Yeah, okay, I’ll radio my husband to come get us in our RV. We can all fit, but it’ll be tight,” Aaron said, looking around for approval.

Everyone quickly moved to ready their gear and Aaron took that as his sign to radio Eric. He quickly moved towards his radio that had been tossed out of his bag and picked it up, “Eric, we need you to get us at the barn we scouted. They know Y/N. Her husband and kids are with them.”

“Oh my god. Okay, I’ll be there soon. Be safe,” Eric quickly responded.

Rick held Judith tightly to him as he moved over to Aaron and clapped his hand on his shoulder. Aaron quickly turned to him only to find his demeanor much more relaxed, more like the man Y/N had described. Rick let out a shaky breath and nodded, “Thank you.”

Aaron nodded and sighed, “She’s family to me too now. I’d do anything for her.”

Rick nodded as his nerves began to eat at him. The group packed up quickly and they all anxiously waited in the barn to leave. Twenty minutes passed before Eric pulled up and they all quickly filed in. He seemed stunned by the road hardened people that passed by him to get into the RV. The RV was big, but they had a large group now and they were all crammed in.

They all sat packed into the RV, each having their own quiet conversations for a while until Aaron’s radio went off. The whole group turned to look at him as he quickly fished it out.

“Hey, Aaron, you there?” A female voice said.

“Hey, Denise. What’s up?” Aaron responded.

“Just wanted to check in and give you an update. When are you heading back?” She asked.

Aaron looked around at the group and scratched the back of his neck, “Uh, actually now. I’m bringing back that group I scouted for Deanna. Tell her that we’ll be back in less than an hour and they’ll need to get check ups asap just in case.”

“I’ll let her know, but the doctors office is kinda busy today,” Denise said sounding hesitant.

“What? Did something happen?” Aaron quickly asked, sharing a nervous look with Eric.

“No! No, nothing bad, but we’re about to have a new baby around here soon. She wanted me to let you guys know,” Denise said, with a cheery tone to her voice.

The whole group froze as Aaron looked at Rick in slight horror. Rick kissed Judith’s head and squeezed Carl’s shoulder as he tried to be strong for them. The last time, Carl had to kill Lori after she needed a C-Section. Rick knew Carl wouldn’t survive losing his other mom the same way.

Aaron’s eyes softened as he noticed their family dynamic. He remembered what Y/N had told him about Carl’s mom and he could tell it was causing trauma to resurface for them.

“How is she? Everything going okay?” Aaron asked, nervous himself for his friend.

The radio was silent for a few moments until it crackled again and a new voice came over the radio, “She can speak for herself. I’m in active labor, not dead.”

The whole group shared a look of shock. It was her. Rick quickly moved to the front of the RV to stand next to Aaron, his blue eyes wide and unsure of what to do.

“And yes, I’m fine. I’m almost fully dilated, so not much to do but have terrible contractions till they come. Baby Grimes would like to make an appearance soon, so I’d appreciate if you hurried back. It’d be nice to have someone who I actually care about to hold my hand. You too Eric. How’d scouting that group go? They convinced yet?” She asked breathlessly as Rick and Aaron shared a look.

Baby Grimes. She hadn’t let go either. Rick had a child and wife waiting for him.

Aaron held the radio out to Rick and he looked at it nervously. What was he even supposed to say? Rick turned as Carl came up behind him and took Judith from his arms so he could hold her. Carl’s eyes were filled with a hope Rick hadn’t seen in years. Rick swallowed his fears and took the radio from Aaron’s hand.

“Darlin?” Rick said, his voice wobbling as he choked out the words.

The radio was silent for a moment before her shaky voice said, “Rick? Is that you?”

Rick fell to his knees at the sound of her voice. It was his wife. She was alive.

“Yeah, baby, it’s me. We’re okay. We’re all on our way,” He breathed out as a hand squeezed his shoulder and he looked behind him to see Daryl behind him.

A loud cry came over the radio and the whole group from the prison visibly reacted with relief of their own as they finally had a family member back.

“Oh my god, I swore I’d never hear your voice again. Is everyone there? Carl? Judith? Please, please, tell me they’re okay,” She sputtered out through sobs.

Carl snatched the radio from his dad’s hands and shakily said, “Mom, mom, it’s me. We’re okay. Judith and I are okay. We miss you.”

“Carl, baby, I-I-,” She started but broke down into tears and the radio went silent for a second.

The whole group went dead silent as the radio cut out, but quickly reacted as she cried out over the radio. Rick rushed to Carl’s side as he stared at the radio in horror.

The radio cut back in and Y/N’s groans could be heard in the background, “She’s okay! Just bad contractions. She’s gonna need to push soon, so hurry if you guys can. I’m sorry I’ve got to go to make sure everything goes okay, but Aaron knows where the delivery room is. Deanna knows and she’ll have Spencer open the gates as soon as you get there and let them through.”

The radio then shut off and Rick looked up at Aaron in abject horror. What if he missed his child’s birth? What if something happened to her? Aaron squeezed his shoulder and shook him a bit to bring him back, “We’ll be back soon. She’s gonna be okay. We have good doctors and medical supplies to make sure of it.”

Rick nodded, seeming like he was off in a different place. Aaron moved back to Eric’s side and helped direct him the quickest way to Alexandria. Rick sat against the door of the RV, his mind running over every worse case scenario.

Nothing ever went right for him.

Right now he could have his wife and a new son or daughter when he arrived to Alexandria. Or he could lose them both, and he was sure that he would never survive that loss again of someone he loved so desperately.

Eric pushed the RV as hard as he possibly could without blowing anything mechanical. A half hour passed before Aaron finally announced that they were there. They all rushed to their feet and looked out the window to find a fenced in town with guard towers at the gates.

The group had been in one place with high fences before, but this place looked untouched from the apocalypse. Aaron turned to the group as Eric slowed as they got closer, “When we get in the gates, you will all have to turn over your weapons. We don’t allow people to have them, unless they’re on patrol or cleared by our leader Deanna or Y/N. You will all be interviewed by Deanna and then get a check up by one of our Doctors.

Rick and Carl, you’ll come with me. The rest of you will wait until I come and get you or you’re showed to a house. This community is pretty sheltered, so please take it easy around them for now. Understood?”

They all shared nervous looks before nodding in agreement. The RV came to a stop and Aaron and Rick shared a look.

They needed to go.

Carl passed Judith off to Carol as Eric quickly turned the car off and opened the doors and Aaron, Rick, and Carl quickly moved out.

The group rushed towards the gate as it slid open for them. Rick and Carl hardly had time to admire the community before Aaron waved his hand at them, “Come on. Medical center is over here.”

They hurriedly followed after Aaron and Eric as they ran towards one of the closest buildings and people stared as they sprinted past. Rick couldn’t have given less of a shit as he just ran after them.

Aaron barreled towards a house and quickly threw the door open. Rick’s eyes widened at the sound of his wife crying out. Rick shoved past Aaron and rushed toward the room. The continuing cries became louder from the door at the end of the hallway.

Rick quickly grabbed the handle and threw the door open and there she was. His wife was laying up against a mountain of pillows with her legs propped up.

Dear god.

Her eyes pooled with tears at the sight of her husband alive and in front of her. She released the sheets from her clutched hands and reached out for Rick, “Rick- oh my god.”

Rick went to rush to her when a woman quickly moved in front of him, “Woah! Okay, I know you want to see her, but you’re gonna put her and the baby at risk if you don’t wash everything off of you.”

Rick hadn’t really considered that it’d been months since he’d showered properly. He looked at his hands and found they were covered with blood and walker remains. He hadn’t even thought about it.

“Denise he can- he can stand up by my head and he won’t touch the baby until he’s clean. Right Rick? I can’t do this without him,” She said squeezing her eyes shut and crying out in pain.

Rick nodded frantically, desperate to touch his wife himself after months apart.

Denise looked hesitant, but let out a frustrated sigh, “At least scrub your arms and hands with soap quickly and put on that surgical gown just in case.”

Rick didn’t say another word as he quickly rushed toward the other room where the woman pointed. He moved to the sink and scrubbed at his hands so hard they felt raw. The sink turned red as his hands were washed clean of all the remnants of the outside world. Carl quickly sprinted in, turned on the sink next to him, and did the same.

Once Rick felt like his hands and forearms were clean of blood and filth, he put the surgical gown on and rushed back into the room.

“You have to push! Come on deep breath and bear down,” Denise said as she stood between her legs.

She breathed heavily as she pushed for ten seconds, before she laid back and let out a groan of pain. Rick moved to her side and quickly took one of her hands in his own and pressed it to his lips. Rick tried to force back his tears and the emotions threatening to overcome him as he finally had his wife right in front of him.

She tiredly smiled up at him, her eyes shiny with unshed tears, “Hey Sheriff.”

Rick chuckled before he quickly captured her lips, “Hey darlin.”

Her smile was interrupted as she squeezed her eyes in pain and clutched onto his hand tightly.

“How’s she doin Doc?” Rick asked worriedly, Lori’s death at the front of his mind.

Denise tried to smile comfortingly and said, “She’s doing great, but you’ve got to keep pushing. Baby’s almost here.”

Rick looked down at his wife and squeezed her hand, “You can do it. I’m right here.”

“Me too,” Carl said as he rushed to her other side.

Her eyes brightened at the sight of her son at her side. She took Carl’s hand and nodded as she sat up, “Yeah, I’ve got you two now. I can do this.”

“Fuck yeah you can mom,” Carl said beaming at her.

Rick laughed at his words and she shook her head with a loving smile directed at him, “I missed you, but watch your language baby.”

Carl smirked and he and his dad shared a look as she got ready. Denise smiled at the family before clearing her throat, “Okay, after this next contraction you need to push again. Make it count you’re almost there.”

She nodded and shared a nervous look with Rick. Rick squeezed her hand and quickly kissed her forehead, “You can do this baby. We’re right here.”

She nodded before letting out a shaky breath and squeezing her eyes shut as Denise indicated for her to push. After the seconds of silence she cried out and fell back, but Rick quickly slid his arm around her waist to catch her, “You’re doing great darlin.”

She nodded against his shoulder as she mentally prepared herself to push again.

“I can see the head. One more good push and it’ll be done,” Denise said.

She nodded and she took another deep breath, “That better be a goddamn promise Denise.”

Denise smiled and shook her head, “If it’s not, I’ll give you my bottle of bourbon.”

She let out a shaky laugh and smiled at her, “You’ve got a deal.”

She looked at both of her boys and felt determination swell in her chest. She felt the contraction come on and she pushed with everything she had.

Rick brushed the hair out of her face as she cried out again. Then the room was filled with a sharp cry.

Rick felt his whole body tense as Denise beamed at them as she lifted the baby up, “It’s a girl. She’s beautiful.”

She immediately began to cry as Denise nodded at Rick, “Wanna cut the umbilical cord dad?”

Rick nodded and shared a look with Carl. Carl nodded and quickly moved his arm around his mom to support her sitting up as tears of joy streaked down his face. Rick took the scissors and cut the umbilical cord where she directed as she quickly cleaned his daughter.

Carl helped his mom get more comfortable on the pillows as they waited for Denise. Carl pressed a kiss to her cheek, “I love you mom.”

She smiled up at her oldest boy, “I love you too baby. I’m so glad you’re here. I couldn’t have done this without you.”

Rick’s eyes were full of tears as he carefully looked over Denise’s shoulder as she checked over his daughter. He hadn’t really felt this way since Carl was born. He felt like he was teetering on an edge as he waited to see his youngest daughter.

Denise turned around and Rick moved to her side. Denise smiled softly as she carefully passed the small bundle to her outstretched arms, “She’s healthy and looks perfect. You did great Y/N.”

She let out a choked sob as she took her daughter into her arms, “Hey sweetheart.”

Rick finally let his tears fall as he looked down at his beautiful daughter. She leaned into Rick’s embrace and gently stroked her baby’s cheek, “You’re so so loved already.”

Carl sniffled as he leaned closer to his mom to get a better look at his youngest sister. She looked up at him and smiled brightly, “This is your big brother, Carl. He’s gonna be the best big brother ever and he’s always gonna be there for you .”

Carl nodded as she lifted her up closer to him so he could see her for a moment. Then she turned and her eyes met Rick’s that were filled with emotion. She moved her daughter now to Rick’s side so he could see his little girl.

“This is your daddy. He looks mean and grumpy, but he’s a softie I promise. He’ll always keep you safe,” She said with a gentle smile as he got to look at his daughter.

Rick brushed his finger over her small cheeks and choked out sob. He pressed a kiss to his wife’s head, “I love you more than anything. Thank you.”

She pulled away from him before she leaned up and kissed him. She pulled away breathlessly and smiled before moving her gaze to her daughter, “You can thank Hope for getting us here. I would have died a long time ago if I hadn’t been fighting for her.”

Rick raised an eyebrow and smiled, “Hope? That’s her name?”

She nodded resolutely and beamed, “Been calling her Hope since I found out I was pregnant. Hope Willow Grimes.”

Rick nodded and smiled down at his daughter, “Hope’s a great name for her.”

She nodded before turning to give her boys a tired look, “As much as I love you both, you reek of blood and sweat. Aaron can take you to one of the empty houses to get cleaned up. Then you can come back and hold her. Okay?”

Rick felt his whole being begging him to stay, but she was right. He pressed a kiss to her head and looked down at his daughter before stepping away, “Kay, but you send someone for us if you need anything.”

She nodded as Rick and Carl moved towards the door, “Got it Sheriff. Will you bring back Judith and the others?”

Rick nodded and smiled, “Promise. Trust me they’ll be begging to come see you as soon as we get there.”

“Well, tell ‘em I’ll give ‘em a pass for not getting a baby gift in time,” She joked as she rocked their daughter gently.

A knock came from the door and they all turned to find Aaron and Eric standing there. They both stepped into the room and Aaron smiled sheepishly, “Sorry, we didn’t wanna intrude, but I overheard you. I’ll take them to the house Deanna is setting them up in. She’s gonna set your group up in three houses. Some of the residents are moving your stuff into a separate house so you guys will be together.”

Y/N smiled and waved them into the room, “You’d never intrude. Come see her.”

Eric moved to her side and smiled down at the baby. Aaron held out his hand for Rick to shake, “Congratulations.”

Rick paused for a moment before pulling Aaron in for a tight hug. Aaron tensed for a moment before clapping Rick on the back. They pulled apart and Rick nodded in thanks, “This is all cause of you. Thank you.”

Aaron smiled at the sight of his husband and friend cooing over the baby, “Come on. I’ll take you guys to get cleaned up.”

The boys hesitantly followed after him and to the house. An hour passed and Y/N fed her daughter as she talked to Eric.

“When you mentioned your husband he wasn’t quite what I pictured,” Eric said as he rocked back in his chair.

She raised an eyebrow at him, “What’s so different?”

Eric rolled his eyes, “Y’know for being in an apocalypse where you don’t have many options you bagged one of the finest men I have ever seen.”

She burst out laughing as she grinned at him, “Oh, I know. Trust me I was fighting off women left and right when we lived at the prison. You better believe if I see Jessie anywhere near him or my kids I’ll throw her out like a farm cat.”

Eric snorted and beamed, “I believe it. I’d love to see you take her down. She’s had it coming for years.”

A soft knock came from the door and Y/N sat up and adjusted her little girl in her arms, “Come in.”

The door slowly opened and her husband came into view and her eyes lit up. Rick came in and walked over to her. Eric smiled at the pair and stood up, “I’m gonna go make sure you guys have everything set up.”

She smiled softly at him as he moved to the doorway, “Thank you.”

Eric nodded and shut the door behind him. Rick had changed into new clothes and cleaned up his beard now. He came and sat at her side on the bed, “You feelin okay darlin?”

She nodded and leaned against his shoulder, “About as good as you can be after pushing a baby out of you.”

Rick chuckled in response and she met his eyes. Rick cupped her face as her eyes lit up teasingly, “Lookin good Sherriff.”

Rick pulled her in and pressed a firm kiss against her lips. After a moment passed they pulled apart and she muttered, “I love you.”

Rick kissed her quickly again and moved back, “I love you too.”

“Wanna hold her?” She asked gently holding her out to Rick.

Rick swallowed nervously and held out his arms and she passed Hope into his arms. Rick let out a shaky laugh as he finally got to hold her. He shared a look of awe with Y/N as he gently rocked her.

She pressed a kiss to Rick’s jaw with a smile, “You’re a natural.”

Rick smiled, his eyes staying on his youngest, “Comes with practice.”

The pair were silent for awhile as they watched their daughter. Y/N let out a shaky breath and leaned her head on Rick’s shoulder, “Who isn’t here?”

The silence was palpable between them as she pressed a kiss to Rick’s shoulder, “I- I just need to know, please.”

Rick nodded, keeping his eyes on their youngest, “Beth. She escaped with Daryl, but she got kidnapped by a group in Atlanta. We almost got her back, but she got killed before we could leave.”

Y/N swallowed back her tears and pressed her head into his shoulder and squeezed his arm, “Y’know no one would ever blame you for that, right? You tried your best and that’s all you can do sometimes.”

Rick nodded silently before pressing a kiss to her head. Y/N reached out to brush her finger over Hope’s soft cheek. Rick leaned back and wrapped an arm around Y/N’s shoulders and held his daughter with the other, “Anything we need to know about here?”

Y/N sighed heavily, “They’re weak. These people never learned how to survive outside the walls, because they never had to. Deanna understands what the world is and usually lets me call the shots when it comes to anything outside the walls.”

“Any pushback?” Rick said as he gently rocked Hope.

Y/N scoffed at his words, “Yeah, just a bit.”

“Anyone I need to kill?” Rick joked dryly, his arm tightening around her.

“Not yet. Deanna’s son, Spencer, is a liability. He doesn’t appreciate that I completely changed their tactics for runs, even if it was getting people killed. Spencer and his friend Nicholas are pretty much all talk, but they’re not shy about opposing anything I say. Oh, and watch out for Jessie,” She said leaning further into Rick’s chest, annoyance filling her while thinking about the town home wrecker.

Rick narrowed his eyes at her change in demeanor. He gently lifted her chin so she would meet his gaze. Despite having just given birth to their child, she still felt a pang of insecurity claw at her heart. Rick held her chin gently in his hand as his intense blue eyes met hers, “I have killed people to protect you. I would kill anyone to keep this family safe. You are the only woman I will ever want. Tell me you know that.”

Y/N smiled somewhat bashfully at his words. Those words would have terrified her in the world before it fell, but now it was a declaration of the highest love. She nodded and pressed her lips to his. It was almost as if no time had ever passed as they fell back into a routine with one another.

She pulled away breathlessly and met Rick’s expectant gaze. She let out a breath, “I know.”

Rick nodded and pressed a kiss to her forehead. Hope cooed and stretched her arms out with a yawn. A knock sounded out and Rick moved the the door, his youngest cradled securely in his arms. He opened the door and then Carl stepped in with Judith on his hip. Y/N burst into tears at the sight of her daughter. Judith reached out her arms as she saw her, “Momma.”

Carl came over and sat next to his mom and Y/N was quick to take her into her arms. She pressed a kiss to Judith’s head, “Oh, babygirl I missed you so much.”

Judith clutched onto her shirt and snuggled into her mom. Y/N rubbed Judith’s back with one hand and reached over and pulled Carl into a tight hug. Carl sighed and leaned into his mom’s embrace. She pressed a kiss to the side of Carl’s head, “Thank you for keeping him alive.”

She and Carl shared a look of understanding as they pulled away. Rick came over, looking like a true dad with Hope in one arm and his other hand tucked in his jean pocket. Y/N wiped her tears and sat Judith on her lap as Rick came and sat next to her. She looked around at her family and smiled, “I don’t believe in god, but thank whoever the hell is in charge up there that brought y’all back to me.”

Rick smiled and kissed the side of her head, “Damn right.”

Then a knock came from the door and Maggie popped her head in. Maggie rushed over to Y/N as the rest of the group followed in. Y/N swore she’d cried all of her tears, but each hug she gave to the members of the group brought on a new onslaught.

After each member of the group had been properly introduced to their daughter Rick stood off in the corner. He looked around the room, Hope settled safely in the crook of his arm. This was the happiest he’d seen the group in years.

Carl had yet to move from Y/N’ side, as Judith happily sat on his lap playing with her mom’s hand. Rick was certain he had never seen Y/N look so beautiful. She was beaming as she talked to Glenn and Maggie, despite the fact that she’d given birth hours earlier.

“She’s just like Lil Ass Kicker.”

Rick chuckled as Daryl came to his side. He looked down at his daughter lovingly and sighed, “This is what we fight for. Everythin we do is for everyone in this room.”

Daryl made a noise in agreement, “We keep going for shit like this.”

Rick met his wife’s eyes and she was quick to shoot him a wink, before she turned and pulled Carl closer to her into a hug. He sighed, his heart feeling full for the first time in months. Herschel had told him years ago that every day was a choice.

He would to choose to keep his family in the room safe everyday for the rest of his life. No matter what it cost.

[angelwings-crossbowstrings]

I Can Sabotage Me By Myself

Pairing: Daryl Dixon x Reader

Setting: Early Alexandria

Warnings: Typical TWD violence, descriptions of injuries, temporary character death (I promise)

Summary: You always knew it would hurt to lose Daryl, but you never imagined it would feel like this.

A/N: Honestly, today has not been a good day for me. So I needed some super angst. I apologize in advance.

*gif is not mine

“Don’t touch him!” You screamed at the top of your lungs, your hands pulling away from the man on the ground for a moment. Rick backed away, his wide eyes shining with unshed tears. He didn’t go far but just away was enough. You leaned down, smoothing back the archer’s hair, not even caring about the blood that was wetting the strands you touched. “Hey, hey, hey. I’m here. Just look at me, I’m here.”

Daryl’s eyes were wide and focused on you; god, the prettiest blue eyes you had ever seen. You always told him you could see everything you had ever wanted in his eyes. Even now, when they were filled with pain and fear, you could still see everything. 

“Ssshhh,” you tried to soothe him, even as blood streamed over his lips. The bite in his throat was deep. It was fatal. You knew that. He did, too. Still, you held pressure against it. He would bleed out faster if you didn’t. You were selfish. He was in pain, choking on his own blood and all you could think about was hoping he’d last one more minute. And then one more. And then one more. 

Daryl brought his hand to your face, cupping your cheek and leaving a crimson print on your skin. You didn’t care. That’s not what you felt at that moment. You felt his touch, cooler but still warm. Still alive. 

“You’re alright.” You lied. You knew that he knew that too, but even as he coughed and red burst past his lips, he smiled at you. It was small and pained but genuine. When his hand fell away from your face and you clearly heard the sounds of your friends sobbing over the gunfire and struggles still happening around you, you knew you couldn’t pretend any longer. “Please, don’t go.” 

Daryl was still now, blinking slowly, any fight left in him fizzling out. He was still watching you. You could tell there was so much he wanted to say. “Please, Daryl, I can’t. I can’t do any of this without you.” The movement was so slow and soft, the very last of his energy. He put his hand on his chest, over his heart, and then pointed a trembling finger at you. You nodded, grabbing that hand to kiss his palm and hold it against where your own heart was beating. “Me too.” You whispered, watching his eyes close. “Me too.”

All other sounds faded, no longer mattering. You stayed frozen to that spot, his hand still held against your chest. You kept it there, trembling as you leaned forward and pressed your lips to his forehead and then his mouth, ignoring the blood there. Your fingers gently grasped his chin and turned his face away from you before you took hold of the hilt of the knife strapped to your thigh. The flames burning all around you reflected on the blade as its sharp tip pressed in just below the base of his skull. “Me too.” You whispered again. The wail you released echoed as you drove the knife forward, all you could hear over and over and over and over and then darkness. 

You sat up with a gasp, skin glistening with sweat that had your camisole sticking flush against you, heart pounding a tattoo into your ribs. There wasn’t enough air. You were looking frantically around the room. The lighting from one small window was dim at best, but you could see the bed you were lying on. There were clothes on the floor, in a pile against the wall. One small shelf. Two nightstands. A door, half open. You could barely make out the toilet and shower stall. Next to the main door, propped against the wall, was a crossbow. 

Daryl’s room. 

Had you come down here and passed out after it happened? You were so confused. Your chest ached, both from lack of air and something else. Still gasping through an onslaught of tears, you looked down beside you to Daryl’s pillow. You fell onto your side and pulled it against your chest, sobbing through uncontrolled breaths. It still smelled like him. 

The door creaked loudly as it opened. Daryl had always scowled at the thing and said he would fix it. You didn’t know who had entered but they turned on the light. You were certain they’d be distressed at finding you like this: tangled in the sheets, crying, and hugging the archer’s pillow. Surely, they’d understand. 

“The hell ya doin’ to my pillow?”

You froze. You stopped breathing, eyes wide open. Sitting up quickly, your bloodshot eyes landed on the very man you had just been mourning. He was standing in the doorway, slowly closing the thing behind him while he kept his worried gaze on you. 

“Ya alright? Ya look like shit.” He drawled. He took a slow step toward you, hands up like he was showing you he was unarmed. Your breathing had picked up again but your body didn’t seem to be getting the signals your brain was sending it. “Y/N?” He was at the foot of the bed now, leaning down with his head tilted. 

Before he could say anything else, you launched at him, arms winding around his neck. Your body collided with his so forcefully that he stumbled back with a grunt, able to catch his balance even as your legs wrapped around his waist. He didn’t say anything as you all but wailed against his neck. His arms, which had been hovering outward, found their way around you so he could gently rub your back. 

“Ya gonna tell me what’s goin’ on?” He walked forward and sat down with you still firmly attached to his front. You shook your head against him. “Fair ‘nough.” He shrugged and continued to rub your back until your sobs quieted to occasional hiccups. You finally pulled back, eyes swollen and red. Daryl gave you a concerned once over and then tucked some hair behind your ear. 

“I had—I had a nightmare.” You knew now it had been just that. Your sleep-addled brain had earlier left you confused and emotional, unable to pull yourself out of the terror you had endured. You were able to remember going hunting with Daryl that morning. The two of you had returned with a small doe. A headache had been threatening to build all day, so Daryl had sent you off for a nap and reminded you to take something for your head. “Alexandria was—there were walkers everywhere—Daryl, you were bit—” Your hand quickly pressed against his throat, as if you were assuring yourself there was no wound. “I watched as—I had to—” 

“M’right here.” Somehow, he made sense of your ramblings. He tried to catch your eyes but you lowered your head.  “Hey.” His finger hooked beneath your chin and guided you to look at him. “M’fine. Been helpin’ Carol for the past couple’a hours. M’good.” He released your chin only to take one of your hands. He pulled his vest aside to place your palm against the shirt he wore beneath it. His heart beat strongly against your touch, if not a little fast. “See?”

You laughed in spite of yourself. You were awake now and had already figured out that it had all been a grizzly nightmare, but this somehow brought you a new level of calm. Before he could say anything else, you pressed your mouth against his, smiling at the ‘oomph’ that escaped him. He proceeded to kiss you breathless, until you were just a boneless heap in his arms. 

“Ya good now?” He asked, pushing you back a little to see your face. 

“I’m good.” You smiled softly, tracing your fingertips along his jaw. 

“Good.” He grabbed your arm and pulled while standing, his other arm behind your thighs hoisting you the rest of the way across his shoulder. Your laughter bubbled up and out of your throat as your fists lightly pounded against his back. “Let’s getcha fed an’ then we can spend the rest’a the night lettin’ ya find out just how alive I am.”

“Oh my god, Daryl! Shut up!”

[desiderio-dixon]

Busy

Pairing : Daryl Dixon x f!reader

Genre : fluff!!!!

Warnings : pregnancy, pet pregnancy, mention of dog being malnourished/neglected (surviving on their own for an undisclosed amount of time), established relationship, lmk if I missed anything!

Word count : 700ish

Summary : Life gets a whole lot busier with a newborn and a litter of puppies.

A/N : I may build on this little universe more in the future but I just had to get the initial idea down!

The day you found Dixie, you were already six months along. Waddling through the forest, trying to track down a wild horse some of the kids had seen. Instead, you found a beautiful border collie. She was skittish at first, tucking her head down and pushing her ears back when you extended a hand towards her. She appeared to have been on her own for a bit, though a ragged collar still hung proudly on her neck. Splotches of blood had matted into her fur, and she was a small bit underweight. You were deadset on taking her home.

After much patience, baby talking, and gentle steps forward, she trusted you enough to allow you to grab a hold of her collar. It'd be an uncomfortable walk home, pregnant and crouched over to keep a hand on her collar without affecting Dixie's comfort level, but it would be worth it.

Daryl was initially quite frustrated with you when you got home. If he had it his way, you'd never leave the walls of Alexandria. And now here you were, coming home all excited to tell him you'd risked your life for a dog.

He couldn't stay mad for long though, especially not when he'd already gathered up a dog of his own. Now you had two, a matching set.

Dog and Dixie were two peas in a pod, spending all their time playing and cuddling alongside one another.

You were only a few weeks further along than when you'd found Dixie, when Daryl called out from the garage. When you'd successfully waddled your way there, you were puzzled at the scene in front of you.

Dixie, on her side on the floor, and Daryl holding her leg up, staring at her swollen belly with an incredulous expression. "The hell? She pregnant?" He asked.

Just then, Dog trotted into the garage from behind you. When he spotted Dixie, he immediately went to her, sniffing her belly and whining at Daryl's hand. He nudged Daryl's hand away with his snout, placing his own head protectively over Dixie's stomach.

"Guess we forgot to get her spayed, huh?" You joked, rubbing your own distended belly. Daryl sighed, standing and walking to you, his boots making heavy thumps against the concrete. Reaching you, he placed his hands alongside yours, stroking the stretched skin gently.

He dropped his head onto your shoulder. "It's gon' get busy in here."

❀~~__~~❀~~__~~❀

'Busy' wound up being an understatement. Dixie had her four babies just two weeks before you gave birth to your baby girl. Between the ever present whining of the puppies, and wailing of your baby, you were spread thin.

Daryl tried his best, cleaning all the puppies' constant accidents, and still changing diapers. He was tired. It was obvious in the way he dragged his feet, the way he rested his head on the back of the couch whenever he had a spare minute. Now, two months post-partum, things weren't too much easier.

You walk out to the living room, baby tucked cozily into your arm. Daryl sits on the floor next to the makeshift nest for Dixie and her pups. The puppies are a bit older now, rambunctious and playful, so they climb over each other to nibble on Daryl's outstretched hand.

He must hear you enter the room, because he pauses playtime to turn to you. "Ya alright?" You nod, gazing down at the sleeping baby in your arms. You tiptoe quietly over to him, setting yourself down gently so as to not wake the baby.

Dixie sleeps on her side, letting out soft snores. Tired mama, just like you. You use your free hand to run over her fur smoothly. Daryl places his hand on your thigh, rubbing his thumb in circles.

The puppies bound their way to your lap, sniffing gently at the sleeping bundle in your arms. It's early morning, sun having barely risen. It casts an orange glow over the living room, allowing auburn tinges to peek through Daryl's hair. Gazing at him, you feel so lucky. Lucky to have such a great man to father your children, one who will always protect and never harm. A big, strong man who touches you with such gentle hands, and whispers loving words to your daughter.

Yes, it's busy. Sometimes you cry. But in this moment, the quiet business of dawn, you've never felt more grateful.

[carlsdarling]

I imagine that Carl would be horny alllll the time. Just whenever: Short shirt? Cleavage? Sweat? Bending over? It all gets him going. So what if the reader is gone on a week long trip and he just pounces on her when she’s back because the poor baby is desperate.

Fucking needy!!!

Carl is naughty and can't control himself after Y/N has been away for a while. Bit of a plot, then sex. Everyone is 18 or over.

WARNINGS: smut, nsfw

You had been dating Carl for about three months. You had liked him from the first time you saw him, right after you arrived in Alexandria. You had lost your previous group, and they had probably moved on without you. Carl, with his charming personality and his protectiveness, had immediately won your heart, and you didn't care about his injury at all, you were head over heels in love with him. Still, you had actually wanted to wait a while before sleeping with him; but it turned out to be impossible. Carl was so horny for you that after less than a week you ended up in bed together - or rather, in the back seat of his car.

It wasn't that Carl had pressured you into it, but with his constant groping, kissing, moaning and wailing, he had managed to get you just as hot for him and without hesitation had spread your legs for him, wet as the Colorado River. It had been wonderful, passionate and loving, and you had done it every day since.

Just everything got Carl going - if you bent over, tied your hair up, touched his arm, your shirt slid up exposing your belly, your cleavage (especially if it was sweaty) damn it, all you had to do was walk in front of him and he'd see your arse and he'd get horny, push you against the nearest tree or make you immediately ride him on the wooded soil. More than once you had been surprised by walkers during such actions, literally with your pants down. If Rick ever found out about it, you'd both have to write your testaments right now. He hadn't been thrilled with how fast your relationship was evolving anyway, but Carl was an adult and could do what he wanted.

But now you had been away for a week, accompanying Rosita, who was pregnant and had to go to Hilltop for a medical checkup. During your stay at Hilltop (although it was only for a week), you had thought of Carl constantly. The longing tension in your nether regions had been almost unbearable after only two days, no matter how often you touched yourself at night. Carl's horniness had somehow infected you. "You and Carl are downright addicted to each other," Rosita had stated, rolling her eyes meaningfully.

"We're not," you'd defended yourself, your face bright red.

"They are," Rosita said to Jesus, who was leaning against the door, grinning in amusement. "They literally can't keep their hands off each other. I bet Carl's right wrist is all sprained by the time we get back."

Jesus laughed. "You could have brought Carl," he wondered. "We have plenty of space at Hilltop."

"Oh, believe me Jesus, you don't wish that," Rosita replied. "They live in the house next to mine, and often they're so loud I can hear them. And it goes on all night."

"'Shut up", you commanded her, ashamed.

Now you were on your way back, and the gates of Alexandria appeared before you. Your stomach tingled; in a moment you would finally see Carl again.

Rosita hadn't finished parking the car when Carl already showed up, and when you got out, he immediately threw his arms around your neck and you could feel his massive boner. "I missed you so much," he murmured and kissed you deeply.

"Me too," you grabbed his butt. It would probably be best if you went to Carl's room right away and didn't come out until tomorrow so that Carl could pound into you until he was completely exhausted.

"There's a hole in the wall over here," Eugene objected.

Rick came over. "It needs fixing right away," he decided, "Carl, Y/N, it's a lucky thing you're here right now, we can use any helping hand we can get."

Carl looked pissed, he'd wanted to get the fuck out of here right now and rail you dizzy, your legs on his shoulders, and now he was forced to wait. Rick handed out tools. "There, plane off that metal and bend it so we can nail it up." You did your best, but were constantly interrupted by Carl, who, rather than concentrating on the work, kept fumbling you unobtrusively. "Carl," you scolded quietly as his hand tried to move back into your cleavage. ""Stop that!"

"But I can't control myself," he squealed and kissed your neck, leaving a hickey. Embarrassed, you looked around. Luckily Rick had just turned his back on you, but Daryl had seen everything and was grinning wickedly.

"Stop it now," you threatened, picking up a bolt from the ground. Big mistake: you'd been bending over. "Carl!" you hissed as he promptly grabbed your arse. "I mean it!"

"What's going on?" asked Rick, looking from one to the other in annoyance.

"Nothing," Daryl said hurriedly. "It's just something has fallen down." At that, Rick nodded and turned away again.

"It's more like something has risen," Carl whispered in your ear, taking your hand and guiding it to his hard one. He had long since dropped the screwdriver.

You withdrew your hand. "Carl, that's quite enough," you said sternly. "Get a grip on yourself. It can't be that everything gets you going and you can't control yourself for half an hour!" Carl was so desperate for your touch that you were afraid he was going to fuck you right here.

"Get away from here," Daryl said with a wink. "There's no sense in that. You two cannot focus on the work right now." Carl hastily grabbed your wrist and pulled you along with him so fast you almost stumbled.

"Where are you heading?" you asked, uncomprehending, because the house was in the other direction. He turned toward a section of land that was near the main gate and where a few old cars were rotting in the high grass. Carl grabbed you around the hips and unceremoniously sat you on the hood of an old Chevrolet, then positioned himself between your legs and impatiently slipped his jeans and boxers down to his knees. His cock was so hard it had to be painful for him; it twitched slightly, and the tip looked sore. "Honestly, Carl, how many times did you jerk off in that one week?" you asked tauntingly.

"I wasn't counting," Carl admitted bashfully. "Anyway, I could hardly stand it without you." He fiddled a condom out of the wrapper and put it on his cock. You eagerly embraced him and let him penetrate you; it wasn't like you weren't horny for him, too. He moaned lustfully as he buried his entire length into your slick folds, his breathing shallow and rapid, and he made short, quick thrusts - as he always did when he was being particularly needy. His mouth was open and his eyes closed, there were drops of sweat on his upper lip. You tenderly stroked his lean back, then grinded your fingers into his tight buttocks as you approached your climax. "Carl, I'm close," you whimpered.

"Me too," he moaned, only seconds before he began to moan very loudly and the movements of his hips became even faster and more intense as he cum and spilled his seed into the condom. Sweaty and exhausted, you sagged on the hot hood, the grass tickling your bare legs. "Don't ever leave me alone for so long again, Y/N," Carl pouted before embracing you and kissing you tenderly. „I can't stand it!“

[zoesmp4]

can u write something about reader being someone carl’s age from alexandria who takes care of judith and carl starts having a crush on? like how he started liking beth kinda please tell me this makes sense

TEA PARTIES AND TEAR STAINED CHEEKS “the teacup in judith’s petite hand.” carl grimes x fem!reader

tags: fluff !!

a/n: hii nonnie i’m sosooso sorry if this is bad !! it’s suupppeerr short so i apologize for that !! also, it turned more reader centered instead of carl 😭😭 but i hope you enjoy <3

judith grimes was like a sister to you. there was something about the little girl that brought out the best in you. you often found yourself over at the grimes’ house more than your own. 

“is this one for me or for mr. fluffybutt?” you say, as you point to the teacup in judith’s petite hand. she giggles before turning away from you to pat on not mr. fluffybutt the unicorn, but the one and only, carl grimes. 

you weren’t close with the boy, but you admired the love he gave to his sister. you would never admit it, but perhaps you did have a little crush on him. 

now, he would never voice this to you, but carl had felt the same way about you, the love only stronger. he developed feelings for you throughout the months. he loved the way you took care of judith without anyone asking, he loved the way your smile lit up the whole room, he loved you in general. 

he turned his comic face down before ruffling judith’s hair. “not right now judy, maybe later.” the boy had made a mistake. you saw the poor girl’s eyes clouding with tears as she started to pout. three, two, one. “wahhh!” boom. 

you look at carl with a face that says, “pretty please?” who knew that was all you had to do to carl to make him snap. “fine, fine. jus stop crying.” he says, wiping the tears off of judith’s face with his thumb. the wailing instantly stopped and was replaced with a giggle. 

judith hands him the teacup, and carl places down his comic before putting the toy up to his mouth. you smile at the boy, a feeling you knew all too well brewing in the bottom of your stomach. no, impossible. 

you were not going to let yourself develop a bigger crush on him. you simply couldn’t. you guys would never be a thing. could you? 

you three continued your roleplay, the sounds of your laughs bouncing off the walls. 

you noticed how judith was holding her teacup in one hand and carl’s thumb in another. your heart fluttered, the interaction making the admiration you had for carl increase by tenfold. oh boy, what have you gotten yourself into. 

[jakessbtch]

☆ together | c.g

masterlist | requests

TW ✿  ° : bullying [for reader], angst, swearing, fighting

pairing   ✿  ° : Carl Grimes x reader [s/h]

request by ✿  °     : @liu1307​

summary of fic ✿  ° : After reader hears some Alexandrians picking on her for being too close to carl, she shuts herself off. Carl is desperate to show ron how much of a prick he is.

word count   ✿  ° : 2.5k

a/n ✿  ° : felt as if this one was really bad :[

scared of abandonment, otherwise known as autophobia. its a very uncommon fear during the death of apocalypse, you could consider it rare. everyone accepted being left behind by loved ones, everyone wanted to survive. as for y/n, she would rather die with people around then alone in a dark forest. being alone terrified her to her core, especially after she had to survive alone for 6 months, after her mother passed. once rick and his small group came along and found her, she felt like a small part of her had been slowly revived. 

she was so relieved when they found her in that home, that she didn’t let go of daryl until late that night when he showed her the place she’d be staying. a few days later than that, she had met the carl grimes, the boy she had fallen for faster than a brick from a height. he had attached himself to her mentally and she reciprocated those attachments. he protected her with everything he had, and she didn’t want to leave his side. those feelings grew like wildfire, and very soon the two started dating. 

y/n felt that she got attached to him to much, and soon every time he left her alone, thoughts were rebelling against her. they told her he was going to die alone and that he was leaving her by herself forever. she started getting terrible break downs and started horribly crying when he wasn’t in the room with her. soon he caught onto these actions, and soon, so did the rest of alexandria. they were pretty supportive of her feelings and hidden trauma, allowing things like her staying with carl at nights and them doing jobs together, but others didn't really like the way she was acting to him. taunting her, calling her weak. they didn’t understand as much.

it was a warm sunday morning, and everyone was out doing their jobs to help the economy in alexandria. as for you and carl, you were watching judith for rick and michonne. rick had asked michonne to go out on a supply run with him so you both got put with the job of watching judith for the two. they needed the break so you agreed quicker than carl could even think about it, you loved judith with the whole of your heart, so you found babysitting really fun if it was with her. and secretly carl made it so much better for you too. it was a huge bonding session for the three of you.

judith was rather rowdy today. she could not sit still nor find quiet in her small voice. for such a young age she had an awful lot to whine about. she felt as if she had the need to cry at everything but want nothing at the same time. carl was starting to get rather annoyed in helping judith out with her problems, and y/n was trying desperately to help her relax a little before she went inside for a nap. judith kept throwing toys around and carl was sick of getting up to get them. it wasn’t really working out for the two, since she declined a bottle and it was too early for a nap too.

y/n gasped quietly as another messy stuffed animal was thrown at her head, the stuffed cat falling into her lap with ease. she sighed as she moved the cat out of her lap, and she gave judith a teething toy they had found on a run. all that happened we her wailing more and her throwing the toy down the porch steps. judith watched it fall further from the three, but that didn’t stop her horrified cries. carl sighed mainly to himself, before turning to y/n with a sincere expression plastered on his face. y/n looked at him confusion laced in her eyes, why was he looking at her like that.

“n/n look you don’t have to do this, but you could you try and get that toy, you don’t have to. please, try for me” y/n looked around to see in any passerby's instructed him to say that, but there wasn’t that many people and it wasn’t that far from carl. carl could still see her if she was standing, so was it really separating the two if you thought about it. y/n nodded at what he said to her, he was right, it was best to try, because if something did happen to him she needed to work out how to help herself. “yeah alright, i can try for you carl, i’ll do it it” she whispered with a nervous grin.

y/n rose to her feet and shakily made her way to the porch’s entrance, she took a moment to glance back at carl with hidden fear in her eyes. he had one hand on judith’s legs and the other showing y/n a supportive thumbs up. Y/n smiled weakly at him before looking down the white wooden steps, the toy wasn’t to far from the last step, this could be easy if she set her mind to it. she walked towards the toy reaching it in short moments. the butterfly teething doll seemed icky as dirt managed to etch its way on the sides. she’d have to thoroughly wash it before giving it back to judith.

y/n was just about the turn and go back to carl and judith, when a masculine voice called her name across the opening. she felt stuck in her spot as she meekly turned to the culprit whom called her, it was ron anderson. she had no issues with ron, but she knew carl had a few disputes with him. she had seen their interactions so far and how they acted towards each other, but ron never brought her up during their rough arguments. he jogged his way over to her, enid hot on his heels. he stopped in front of y/n pulling off his black beanie and meekly handing it to enid with a lovestruck smile on his face.

“hey don’t take this personally y/n, but like, why are you up carl’s sorry ass so much?” ron spat at her with such a tone of venom. y/n furrowed her eye brows rather angrily, did he seriously have the nerve to ask that? up carl’s ass? no she wasn’t. “its just that you can’t give him any space, even for the life of you, if that were me personally, i would have abandoned you out the walls or something” what was he talking. he would have abandoned her? that immediately rushed to her clouded brain saying ‘carl is going to abandon you soon, you're going to be alone again’. it terrified her.

“oh.. alright” she mumbled before she took the courage to turned to run back to carl. carl wouldn’t leave her, right? yeah, she was just overthinking. however, a small apart of her was saying ron was right. y/n handed the pink butterfly toy to carl when she reached his left side, and then ignored him to sit in the soft white porch chairs. carl furrowed his brows together at her ignorance then put his brown hat on the floor besides him where she once sat. little did carl know this was the beginning of y/n blocking him out and trying to get over her anxiety of being without him.

carl was fed up with the way y/n was acting towards him, he had attempted to get her to follow him all day, but she was content in his room. away from him. he refused to believe she was alright cause every time he got back another painting she had made and hung up in his room, was missing from the wall, and she had even more puffier eyes then the last time. this was his 5th time coming back from a garden job he was asked to do, and he expected to see her at the door begging for a hug and littering his arms with soft kisses. yet when he opened the front door, she wasn’t there. she wasn’t even seen.

he sighed angrily as he leaned against the closed door, his eyes dropping to the hardwood floor. what had happened to her when he asked her to get the toy? did she finally realize that she could be alone, did she didn’t need him anymore? her felt nerves creep on him when he pondered the question. he decided it was best to ask her himself, so he made his way up to his occupied room. he thought about what to say to her and how to say it, did he need to be serious with her or not? did he need to be relaxed or straight forwards? there were too many things he had to think about. he decided to just go for it. she was easy going.

when he got to the single bedroom door, he went to reach for the cool silver handle, yet he heard something in distress on the other side of the door. carl wanted to be sly about it all, and put his right ear closer to the door. what he did manage to hear were muffled sniffles and once in a while, a sudden heartbreaking sob. carl felt his chest slowly crinkle at the noises, judith was asleep in her room so it could only be y/n. was she sore or injured, did something get to her while he was gone, the thought of losing her made his skin crawl.

he opened the door slowly, not to startle her and rebel herself on him. the dark room making him search harder as the light affected his vision temporarily. another painting was missing from the bare wall, but now the glass from the frame was sprawled on the hard floor. he then looked to the messy and untidy bed, where he caught y/n’s figure hidden underneath the sheets. she was shaking madly with racked sobs and cries, letting out a few sniffles and noises. carl felt his whole body stiffen at her body language, how did he let this happen? when she said she wasn’t going with him, he should have stayed with her. he should have helped her from all of this.

“n/n, i'm here now, alright. i'm not going anywhere” he said softly to her, closing the door and walking towards her body. the rooms darkness felt saddening now, knowing y/n’s feelings corrupted the lack of light. her body suddenly shot up at his voice, scrabbling to wipe her puffy e/c eyes. the tears were wiped away easily, but more were hard to maintain. she started looking around the room rapidly, trying to focus on anything but his own eyes. yet when carl sat next to her and opened his arms to her, she didn't hesitate to place herself in them. she needed him right now.

her breathing slowed as she smelt his musky cologne and felt the fabric of his dirty shirt connect with her own. the comfort of carl soothed her more then what she expected. carl traced lose and messy patterns into her upper back, y/n just gripping onto his clothes harder. she knew what the next few questions were, so she started to think of what to say during the stretching silence. “I can’t live without you carl, honest” carl didn’t seem phased by her words, he knew that she was codependent, yet he believed he was too. he closed his eyes dipping his head into the smooth of her neck. he needed her too, they needed each other, and was never going to leave her again.

“i know n/n, i don’t plan on leaving you ever again. please tell me, what's going on?” he asked desperately, pulling himself away from the crook of her neck. she peered up at him with love in her gaze, that was soon replaced with pitiful sorrow. she didn’t want to tell him what did happen, but she didn’t want to lie to him. carl looked at her with desperation, it only edging her to talk more to him. y/n looked at her shaking hands before sighing to herself. its either now or never. carl needed to know what was going on.

“ron told me that yo-” carl suddenly threw his hands up and an angered expression took over his features. “of fucking course it was ron, that little fucking shit! i'm going to knock his lights out, i swear to fucking god” carl was quick to stand up from the bed. y/n followed him like a puppy, begging him not to make things worse between the two. she could deal with the shit talking, but not with aggressive actions and fighting. “carl stop it, please” she begged when they walked off the porch out to were ron was sitting alone. he wasn’t too far from the porch, so carl found him rather quick.

“hey! you little fucking asshat!” carl approached ron angrily who was sitting on the cool grass, and kicked him straight in the head. ron gripped his face while wailing for help, y/n just watched with widened and shocked e/c eyes. “carl leave, he’s not worth our time” she said again calmer, trying to soothe the enraged carl. “No! he told you fucking stupid lies, and now he gets the consequences for his dumb ass actions” and carl kicked ron again, blood splattered on his hands. y/n grabbed carl’s plaid shirt, begging him to stop the fighting again. carl looked back at her and sighed at her desperation, she was right. he shouldn't be doing fighting this asshole, karma would have gotten him. 

“look asshole, touch her or talk to her again, i will cook your nuts alive. hear me” carl spat with such venom. carl threw a final strong punch before grabbing y/n’s hand carefully and storming his way back to the white home. she trailed along behind him, cautiously looking back at ron every few steps. he glared at the two, holding his bruising face and bleeding nose. she snickered at the silly sight, but simply sighed when she entered the dark cool home. the door closed behind the two. carl expected her to start yelling at him for his foolish actions but what she did had him amazed.

“thank you, thank you, thank you! you’re so cool carl!” y/n squealed jumping around like a little school girl, before tackling carl into a tight hug. the two crashed on the floor with a soft bang. he began laughing loudly as she rubbed her face into his chest, “you are so fucking cool! and i'm so so sorry!” she gasped sitting up and pressing soft kisses onto his reddening face and neck. carl groaned sheepishly as he pushed her face away from his so he could look her in the eye. “its alright, i love you so much, i’d do anything for you” he said staring at her e/c eyes. y/n smiled wildly before leaning down towards him.

that moment was when the two shared their first kiss. a moment to remember forever.

✿  ° Fin

[kpforpresident]

For lite smut Wednesday, what if Hiro interrupts Clarke and Lexa's steamy makeout session after they come back from a date? He keeps pawing at their door and meowing for attention when they're halfway undressed on the bed

A thoughtful finger traced the pulse thrumming in Clarke's neck, slim nail trailing over the dips and valleys of the soft, golden skin. Clarke rolled into the reverent hands, a small smile glancing across her face as she moved.

"Beautiful girl, lift your hips for me," came the breathy whisper from somewhere around Clarke's rib cage as Lexa slowly worked her way down Clarke's body, shifting the liquid silk dress up higher to reveal muscular thighs.

Clarke moved as though in a dream, the bright blue material fluttering off her body and down to the far cover of their bed as she crawled back to prop herself against the mound of pillows, reaching for her tipsy girlfriend as she did so.

Lexa crawled up the bed, eyes practically black in the dim light of the lamp as she moved up Clarke's body.

The room was quiet save the sound of their breathing as Lexa slowly lowered her lips to the perfect slope of Clarke's breast, preparing to set her teeth into the curve, then-

mrrrrrrOWWWW. Meow? MeOw? MEOW? rrrrrft.

Lexa blew out a breath as she lowered her forehead to Clarke's ribs in defeat, which were now shaking in silent laughter.

Out of the corner of her eye she could see a white mittened paw flailing wildly under the closed bedroom door, quickly followed by its mate.

Lexa, rolling her eyes silently, sat up with her giggling girlfriend to watch for a long moment as Hiro's petulant cries continued to increase in volume, until the small kitten was full out wailing on the other side of the closed door.

Clarke popped up from the rumpled bed, sauntering by Lexa cheekily to open the bedroom door. An irate black kitten sat on the other side as the door swung open, tail swishing angrily as she stalked past Clarke's feet to jump hauntily into her window bed, curling into a black void before closing glowing green eyes.

Clarke and Lexa looked at each other before Clarke flopped on the bed again, pulling Lexa down with her.

"I still cannot believe you brought home a parking lot kitten to terrorize us, Clarke-"

"Don't speak of your daughter like that, Alexandria-"

[nova--spark]

Earth 101 : A Manual for the Visiting Cybertronian

Chapter Five: Human Mythos and Folklore

Humans are a young species compared to us, their lives amounting to one century when compared to our own millennium of years we exist in.

While they are young however, their mythology and folklore tales are some of the most astounding I have seen, in all my centuries of time within the Iacon Archives.

I have studied the great tales of the Knights, of utopias, of the great 13, Primus, Unicron, the AllSpark, the Guiding Hand and so many more, that my mentor too once studied in her years.

Many a great civilization was built upon these myths, as they are the stories of their people.

Earth too, and humanity as a whole, have tales of all kinds.

Many various religions of the terran planet are labeled ‘creation myths’.

That a deity, known only as God, spoke the world into existence, and crafted each aspect of their universe over 7 days.

Some speak that the world is one of many, as various other worlds were the product of war and death.

Some speak of reincarnation, that life persists even after the end and all are reborn, and so too is the world.

It is curious how no two stories are ever the same, and yet, at the same time, they are similar in little ways.

Nonetheless, human mythos is a vast range of emotions of all sorts, some range from cautionary tales, some life lessons, some just for entertainment, or passing on of legacies, of cultural importance of all sorts.

Humanity was built on oral storytelling, eons ago, when their people had no method by which to physically record their history. Even then, a large majority of written history and stories of their existence as a whole has been lost to time, due to tragedies.

One such event I was able to study was the famed burning of the Library of Alexandria, which had not just copies but original manuscripts of various human stories, histories, and even possible inventions that could have skyrocketed humanities development.

It is a tragic loss, not unlike some of our own on Cybertron, as many archival halls were decimated.

Knowledge is powerful, and in the right or wrong hands, can be a tool to aid, or weapon to destroy.

Of the many stories I studied from humans, I found a handful which were quite peculiar, yet interesting.

In the Latin American folklore, there exists the story of ‘La Llorona’, which translates to ‘the Weeping Woman.’ There are many varieties of this story, but the key points pertain to a woman who was perhaps a mistress of someone, had children with the man of her affections, but he refused to marry her because of this. She would go on to drown her children on his orders, to marry him finally, only for him in the end to refuse and damn her instead. She would drown in the same river, in her wedding dress,and became a ghost, a wandering Spark if you will, desperate then to find her children, as she would not be allowed entry into the afterlife without them for her crimes, walking the river’s edges at night, wailing for her dead children.

A tragic tale, this story serves as warning for the children who would play by the river at hours far too late, as they would be warned the Llorona would snatch them, confusing them for her OWN children, and drowning them in the river to take to the afterspark.

Other stories tell of creatures that disguise themselves as humans, and be it for malicious reasons, or benevolent, they will interact with humans in various ways.

The country of Japan is apparently known for many a myth wherein items came to life as ‘yokai’ and gained sentience.

Perhaps this is a lingering remnant of our ancestors who at some point touched upon Earth during expeditions long prior.

Upon some research into what is known as the Greek Pantheon, I have reason to believe that possibly, even knowledge of our very own 13 may have touched upon Earth, as there are many parallels to the long gone gods of our people.

There also remains evidence that our most prehistoric ancestors, the Predacons, said to have one day resided on Earth in an eons ago expedition, have left their very mark upon human mythos, as the tales of great dragons of many shapes, gryphons, all great manner of fantastical beasts that have become vital to many a human mythology.

There is great evidence in this manner, that Cybertron and Earth have been long intertwined, even before we as Cybertronians ever left our home to seek refuge here.

Though I remain in the Archives, every visit to Earth I have made in research capacity yields a great many new records, and evidence to this idea being true.

I have studied not just humanity’s ancient mythos, but some of their more recent stories.

By this, I mean the stories many people write now in the modern day.

Humans, long ago during what was a great war that befell their planet, developed what was known as ‘comic books’, which were stories told in pictures and text, on parchment of sometimes little to no color, or vibrant color of all kinds.

The characters within these stories have long become iconic to people, boasting names which become quite wondrous, yet fill hope in people.

‘Superheroes’ is the title these characters are called by, as they are meant to be the peak of humanity, soldiers, guardians and great minds who protect Earth.

Though they are fictional, they are nonetheless impactful, telling meaningful stories of love, loss, protection, and many more.

One could argue that human comic books are now the modern retellings of mythology, or rather it’s newest form by which they can tell stories.

Most interesting is that they have even developed comic books of our own kind, telling rather compelling stories here and there, by which humans can connect with us more and more.

It warms the sparks of many, to see that humans connect with us in such a manner.

That , as our planet flickers to and fro from life and death in our war, they attempt to keep our stories alive in their very own ways, and spread word.

‘We are here. We existed. We remain. ‘

Dear reader, I implore you, to perhaps utilize a holoform, and someday if able to, venture into a human library, or book store.

And spend just a bit of time, seeing just how compelling some of the stories found on their shelves can be.

Both fictional, and historical can be found, and sometimes, you will be surprised to learn which is which.

[lazyneonrabbitt]

Witch hunt

Daryl Dixon x reader

Thanks to an emotional slip-up you almost risk your home in Alexandria

🐺 🐺 🐺

Rose was born four years ago.

Alexandria was thriving and had slowly begun to accept your daughter being a part of the group.

You were pregnant with Daryl's child when you came in with the group, but when she was born it was clear she wasn't human. She had inherited Daryl's curse and was born in her shifted form that she kept for the first few months.

You had kept your personal relationships quiet until you all felt comfortable enough but when the community learned the truth about your daughter you and Daryl agreed to never speak of your relationship and pretend to just be close friends.

Carol had taken up most of the co-parenting tasks in public and making sure to pass by wherever Daryl was working repairs and enforcements so he could say Hi to his 'baby niece'.

There had been a large disagreement about wether to let you and your daughter stay, but the ones wanting you both gone lost against your support party's arguments.

Rose had been fussy all morning. She had tried to steal the leftover meat from the fridge, complained her tummy hurt and whined about her head being loud.

You made sure she ate and drank properly, asked about her head and tummy. Trying your best to get a useful answer out of her but you couldn't seem to ask the right questions.

You guessed the hurt was just a stomach bug and the loud head was something resembling your active mind when you were uncomfortable, but the last hour she had started crying and whining out loud. Her whines were close to those of a hurt animal and it scared you more than any shrieking human wail she ever let out.

Picking her up and getting her noises down to sobs and hiccups you were close to tears yourself as you got to the new lot Daryl was building on with a team.

Daryl had sensed you coming from a distance and made his way off the roof in progress to meet you down on the street.

"Yo Dixon!" A voice called from up on the structure. "Who said you could take a break yet?"

Daryl called back a quick excuse and turning his attention back to you. He had noticed both your discomfort and took Rose from your arms as you ran him through your morning.

"Dixon!" The man called again. "How about you stick to women your own age."

"Shut it! She needs help." He had no time for bullshit.

A shaky breath left your lips when you continued. "My baby's sick and I don't know what to do." Sniffling you went on and a hand reached for your arm and squeezed softly. "I don't even know how to be a good mom I don't want her to be hurt.." with his one available arm he pulled you into a half hug, still holding sniffling Rose in his other arm.

"Come on, man! Quit flirting with the girl, she won't fuck you." You could feel Daryl's quiet growl rumbling in his chest. "Besides, you shouldn't stick your dick in crazy anyways. Her and that monster kid shouldn't even be here!"

Something inside you snapped right then and there, stepping out of Daryl's embrace and facing the man on the roof.

"Go the fuck back to work and let him deal with his sick child for a moment you useless piece of walker bait!" Tears were streaming down your face as panic set in. Ugly sobs escaping your lips as Daryl stood behind you, frozen with a now again crying child in his arms.

The man stopped all of his activities and stomped down to you.

"I'm sorry, his kid? I thought your monster brat didn't have a daddy and now you're calling Dixon its father?" He was all up in your face now and you recognized him as one of the people voting the loudest to kick you and your daughter out after learning she wasn't human. “So it turns out Crazy,” he called out for everyone around to hear. “-has a thing for older men. And dogs.”

He got real close to you for this last bit. “Did he fuck you as a dog, too?”

You now stood face to face with the man and were fuming with rage. He was clearly waiting for you to talk yourself out of the slip-up you just screamed at him and in turn gaining the attention of many bystanders who heard it all too.

Instead of answering you took a deep breath in and head-butted him. You could feel his nose crack under the impact and heard it crunch before he fell to the asphalt. On your turn to leave you looked back down at him and spat to add to the humiliation. You wanted to scream and curse at the man, but a large hand stopped you and pulled you away.

"We're going home. Now." He wasn't angry with you but he also didn't want to cause more trouble than already formed and Rose kept fussing so he just wanted to go and lock his family inside the walls of his home and calm down. Someone was gonna be knocking on their door about this later anyways.

The haunting stares of all bystanders felt like burning holes in your skin the whole way back to your home.

When all three of you passed the front door Daryl took no time locking it behind him and moving over to the living room to close the curtains.

He had placed Rose on the couch so his hands were free to grab you and place you next to her.

Rose had been fussing and crying so much she had tired herself out and had fallen asleep in Daryl's arms close to home. She still stirred every once in a while, small whines leaving her and a frown on her sleeping face.

Daryl softly stroked her head as he looked her over, seeing if he could sense something from his daughter and quickly found the issue.

When he sat up you immediately swarmed him with questions.

"She aint sick. She's just changin'. Hurts real bad the first time." He kept softly caressing her as he sat himself between you two. "We can't do much except make sure she's comfortable."

You sighed at the less than good news of not being able to help her. "How do I make sure she's good? Do we build her a nest?" An arm snaked around you and you were pulled to lay in Daryl's lap. "Just feed her enough n' giver her lil' rubs like ya give me after a long workday. Helps her hurt muscles." His hand moves over to rub comforting circles on your lower back. "Yer doin' great, momma. Ya were really hot defendin' us out there an' crackin' tha guy's face open."

You scooted over and rolled onto your back to look him in the eyes. "Really? I kinda regretted making an even bigger scene.." Your not so little outburst really didn’t help your already looked down upon status in the community. Daryl’s hand moved to your cheek and he smiled down at you. “Believe me, if ya let me I’d have another kid with ya without thinkin’ twice after what ya did for us today.” You looked up at him, hoping he’d continue his sweet words. “Yer always callin’ me yer guard dog but yer the one who’s protected me in here since day one.” Your hands reached up to hook around his neck so you could kiss him properly, showing him how much his words meant to you. “You have no idea how hard it is for me to say no to that, but we really have to get through this shit first before we can even have that conversation, don’t you think?”

The argument was agreed with and quickly dropped so you could focus on the closer issue of lying to the entire community and injuring someone in the middle of the street.

When the first knock on your front door came you jumped up in panic, sending Daryl a fearful look before going to see who it was.

Rick, Carol and Deanna stood at your front door, with a group of angry residents further off on the streets, no doubt ordered to stay back by Deanna herself.

You grounded yourself with some deep breaths before unlocking the door and allowing the people in.

Carol was quick to pull you into a hug as she saw you shaking and guided you back to the living room with the other two right behind you.

Rick was quick to put a hand in front of Deanna to stop her from getting too close to Daryl and Rose, knowing although he wasn’t a threat but he could still easily snap when threatened. She shot him an offended glance but had to remind herself she was in unknown territory and the two who accompanied her were familiar with the issue at hand.

“I believe you already know why we’re here, so we can go straight to the point.” Deanna had her stern leader voice on, but Daryl could feel her uncertain energy and decided to call her out on it. “Ya aint got no point so why’re ya really here, huh? To please tha’ crowd out there?” Deanna stood there in the middle of your living room, not knowing what to say. “The people want you gone. The ones that wanted the child gone back then are back to almost rioting about this issue. Now that they learned you have been lying for so long there’s nothing I can do to stop them..” She sounded sad, like the words were forced out of her and truly they were. She knew no matter what she’d say to the angry crowd of people, they weren’t gonna listen.

“And what do you want? Just you. Not them.” Your question surprised everyone in the room and Deanna had to give it a short moment before she found the right words.

“You’re different, but no threat.” She gave you the kindest smile she could pull, but was met with your unamused look in return. “Don’t try to sweet talk me, I’m the human one here.my partner and our daughter are the ones your people are threatened by.” You stepped closer to her only to be held back by Rick so you didn’t have the option to repeat this morning’s actions. “We’ve been living by your rules since day one.” You snapped at her. “We had to fake our entire lives to make sure you would let us stay. So we wouldn’t be judged for our odd relationship. Yeah it sucks Rose was born the way she was and risked everything going to shit but if she was born human no one would have known so where the fuck is the problem?”

This time it was Rick who chimed in with some supporting words.

“She’s right. Daryl’s been part of our family ever since we met him years ago. He’s always been protective of us and never threatened to hurt anyone.” He gave his brother an apologetic look, letting him know he wished it never had to come to this. “And quite frankly I don’t think these people have a say all of this.

Deanna took an instinctive look at the covered front window, as if to read the thoughts of the people waiting for an answer outside.

She was taken off guard when Rose stirred and started crying as she woke up, kicking everyone except her in gear, dropping the entire situation and moving to tend to the child. Daryl picked her up as you were at their side in a second. Carol moved to the kitchen and called over if you had any food prepared for her, fishing it out of the fridge and heating it. Rick stood by, ready to take over anyone’s task if needed.

Deanna watched the scene in front of her, seeing a caring side of Daryl she hadn’t seen before. He sat with the child in his lap, calming her down and carefully showing you how to relieve her aches. When her cries died down to just soft sobs you accepted the bowl Carol had brought and tried to feed her. When she didn’t accept any your heart broke and it was clearly visible on your face that you were hurt by her reaction.

“Sweetie, she’ll eat when she feels good enough. You shouldn’t worry too much.” Carol’s sweet words had Daryl chuckle. “Ya can tell her tha’ till ya drop dead, I tell her she’s an amazing momma every day but she’ll still cry to me when Rose fussed about not wanting to wear a sweater in winter.” His loving smile towards you didn’t go unnoticed.

Everything seemed to be going the right way when a loud scream caught your attention and frantic banging at your door sounded through the house and for a second you feared for the lives of your family before Michonne came barging in, out of breath and yelling about walkers and a breach in the wall.

“This continues later. Walkers first.” Deanna turned to make her way outside but was stopped by Daryl.

“What section?” Michonne quickly answered and followed closely behind him. You stood in the hallway spotting his knives and crossbow left at the door. “Dee, what are you gonna do?” You called out, already having a bad feeling about his plans, but you guessed it was the only thing that would help see the people who he really was.

His winged vest was dropped at the bottom of your porch steps and his boots laid toed off in the yard. “Showin’ em the truth.” And with that he stalked his way over to the breach, through the swarm of people that hadn’t gone off to fight.

The crowd raved and howled at him to leave them be, to get out and take his offspring with him but he only ignored them as he kept moving.

With the first walker in sight he snarled and rolled his shoulders before hunching over and easily shifted into his large creature form and tearing into the lone walker that got past the defense line.

“Retreat!” Rick and michonne had caught up with him and got all the survivors to pull away and help with prep work for the wall as Daryl tore through the herd that thinned out within minutes as he drove them all to the ground and back into the hole in the wall. Glenn and Maggie had set themselves up at the front of the gate repair crew, seeing as they weren’t afraid of Daryl like this and got the hole closed up quick enough so the others could start reinforcements as the cleanup group got rid of the remains of the dead.

Daryl had shoved the last of the walkers out of the community and followed through the broken wall to thin out the large buildup that had started forming. Loud snarls, aggressive sounds of the dead and bodies dropping to the floor was all you could hear on the safe end of the wall after the initial reinforcements were placed.

Deana had shown up to assist with the aftermath, you at her side carrying Rose in your arms. “It seems your partner did an outstanding job getting rid of the dead.” Her calm observation gave you a small sense of relief as the chattering voices around you all voices different sorts of opinions. “I hope it changes their minds.” Was all you could say, trying to block out the negative thoughts of being in the middle of so many people with your daughter right now.

The crowd had dispersed after the sudden walker intrusion. The ones left behind were either cleanup crew or ones with strong negation opinions even after Daryl just helped them without thinking twice. You stayed close to Deana while you waited for Daryl to return, who after it al quieted down beyond the wall, climbed back over and back down to greet you. He trotted down the street, head held low and and steps small as he tried his best not to scare anyone off while he remained in his non human form. He had almost made it to your side when you saw someone run in from beside him and throw something. It glimmered in the sunlight and wrapped around Daryl, clinging to his fur. A loud howl sounded through the street as he dropped to the ground, pawing at the thing around him but it felt like all the strength had left his body. Pained yelps and whines left him as he shook around trying to get the thing off. You ran up to him, setting Rose down next to you and grabbing at item that appeared to be a jewelry chain. You wrapped your fingers around it and pulled it off him, but not without being knocked on your ass when the chain caught on something and he thrashed around again.

When you got it off him you took a good look at the chain. It was in fact silver jewelry chain, a bunch if them clipped together to form a makeshift lasso. With your attention so focused on the pieces of jewelry,

You hadn’t noticed Rose waddling over, wanting to go to her daddy but getting distracted by the shiny thing and grabbing onto it with both hands. The whole world around you faded away as she shrieked in pain, letting go of the chain and dropping down crying, clutching her hands to her chest. Daryl shot up and moved his head to nudge at her, now cradled in your arms. You rocked her as you apologized what felt like a million times, trying to get a look at her hands but she wouldn’t open them for you. You managed to get her arms stretched do Daryl quickly nudged his snout against her little fists and lapped at them, wringing his tongue between her fingers to lick at her palms. The good thing about her being a little kid was that she’d heal from almost any surface injuries, and him licking the wounds would help speed up the healing so she could use her hands again hopefully soon.

Daryl let out a content grumble as his daughter sniffled and looked at her hands with a funny look, squeezing them together at the tingly feeling of the burns slowly fading away. He gave her a careful lick to the cheek to wipe away her tears before laying back down exhaustion.

You turned your daughter around in your lap to get a good look at her. “Does it still hurt, sweetie?” A little shake of her head helped you calm down a little bit as the world around you slowly came back into focus. A few mothers that stood around with concerned looks on their faces and children of all ages begging to pet the big dog. One of the younger women came up to you with some sweets in her hand, looking at you before continuing. “Can she have a candy? To help with the shock.” You gave Daryl a look, who nodded yes so you did as well. Some candies wee held out for Rose to pick from, but before she could grab some you chose the lollypop for her, making sure she wouldn’t take the chocolate and thanked the lady for the kind gesture.

There was some ruckus going on behind you, voices you recognized as Rick and Maggie and some others you didn’t.

“She’s a psycho!” You heard a woman’s voice yell. Sinking back into yourself as you immediately knew you were the topic of that fight. “She broke my husband’s nose! She has a child with that.. That monster over there!” Daryl only let out a huff of air, telling you to ignore them and their annoying words.

On the other side of the street parents were trying to hold back their kids who were begging them to let them pet the cool big dog. You shared another look with Daryl who let out a chuckle and a soft nod. Waving at the parents you waved to get them to come closer with their kids. “He says they can pet him, only a little bit.” You start, raising your hand and pointing at the kids. “But. Don’t pet on his neck. He’s still hurt there.” The kids excitedly huddled around him and put their hands in his fur. “Woah!” “He’s so warm.” “Sooofft!” The children loved him and you couldn’t help but wish you had a camera right now to capture this sweet moment. One of the fathers sat down next to you in front of Daryl and apologized. Admitting he had been part of the group who voted to kick you and your daughter out those years ago but saw now he had made a mistake then, acting out of fear instead of taking the chance to really speak with you as s person.

It seemed Daryl’s act really did help to change at least some peoples’ minds. You thanked the man for his honesty and took a moment to tell the children they pet the big dog enough.

Daryl took the opportunity to sit up and immediately Rose went to climb off your lap and onto his, grabbing at his fur and nuzzling it, enjoying the softness and warmth. “Looks like her hands are fine again.” You laughed at how she tried to hide herself in her father’s fur. Daryl out a large paw around her, holding her close as you informed you were going to talk to Deana.

Taking the bundled up silver chain in your hands you moved towards the woman and inform her of the thing someone used to hurt your partner.

She took the jewelry from your hands and inspected it, informing you she would do her best to find out who did this and make sure they were punished. From behind her that same woman from before spat curses at you before being cursed out herself by Denise, who threatened to halt the medical care for her entire family if she couldn’t be more accepting of the people who had to hide away their true selves for so long. Denise was the only one not from your original group who knew about the relationship between you and Daryl, and thus also about his condition although she had never seen any of it in person. You couldn’t help but let out a laugh at Denise’s harsh comeback and loved all the support your family was getting.

More women joined your side, letting you know how brave they thought you’ve been all this time going out with your child, knowing there were people out to hurt her. And some nudging you and pointing towards Daryl, suggesting you wee brave for …other things as well. You turned beet red at the implication of you sleeping with Daryl like that, which no, you hadn’t. They all giggled along with you, chatting about how your kids should play together some time to which your face dropped again, sadly having to explain about Rose’s current issue and not feeling comfortable having her around other kids for now. You were happy to learn they all respected your decision albeit not entirely understanding it. You were a relatively young mother with a child you yourself also still had to learn a lot about.

Daryl had gotten up from his spot, making sure Rose walked with him to your group. When something grabbed at your leg you were quickly pulled from your conversation to pick up your daughter and greet Daryl with a pat on the head. “Feeling better again?” He nodded and grumbled, sitting down to close the circle and suddenly getting all kinds of stares from the ladies which had him tilt his head in confusion and stare at you. The ladies giggled again as your beet red color returned making Daryl nudge you with his nose. “They ehm.. Made some assumptions about us ..together..” Fumbling with the fabric of Rose’s shirt you stumbled over your words and Daryl quickly seemed to realize what you were getting at. He let out a content hum that had the ladies crying with laughter, patting you on the back and wishing you good luck with your boyfriend before walking off to find their own families and head back home. You looked back at Daryl who still sported a smug look and gave him a light pat to get the idea out of his head.

Rick came up to you two, informing you the people who were causing a scene earlier got taken care of. One of them also confessed to using the silver jewelry to hurt Daryl.

The realization of people being out to hurt you for real freaked you out, but the confirmation of them being taken care of made you feel a lot safer, knowing there were always people around who were on your side.

“Hey, Dee. Wanna head home? I think Rose is tired.” You glanced over at the child currently drooling over your shirt as she slept in your arms. “Besides,” a nudge with your elbow had him make a curious noise at you. “We solved our issue, so we should have that second kid talk right about now.”

Another content hum left Daryl’s throat as he happily nudged you along, leading you home with an eager tempo.

Once back home you went to put Rose to bed and fetch Daryl a new set of clothes while he shifted back into his human form. When you rounded the corner you threw his clothes at him so he could get dressed while you grabbed something to drink for you both.

Daryl had just finished dressing and pulling his hair up in a messy bun like he always did in the privacy of his own home. You set down the glasses and walked over to your boyfriend, kissing him to celebrate your victory today.

“Those burns aren’t healing well, huh?” You put your hands on his jaw, moving his head to get a better look as he shook his head. “Nah. Silver burns scar most of the time.” Your stood on your tiptoes to kiss the wounds and took his hands in yours. “Come, drink and nap. Both of us.” He accepted the drink and kindly waited for you to finish yours while he gulped his down in seconds.

The second your glass hit the table he had hauled you over his shoulder and made his way up the stairs.

“We aint nappin’ just yet, bunny.”

[newyorkgirl2]

SHOULD’VE NEVER LET YOU GO

Warnings: Character death, Strangling, Attempted murder, Slight smut, Making out, AU.

Summary: You and Daryl are divorced with a daughter named Raven. Daryl has been hooking up with Leah, until she attacks you and Daryl tells you the truth.

Era: After Betas death / end of S10.

You woke up to horrifying screams coming from your daughter. You practically flipped out of bed running across the hall to your daughters room. She was wailing , almost sounding like she was in pain. You virtually knocked her door down. Come to find out she dropped her blanket. “Goodness Gracious Ray, you can’t do that.” You said breathing heavily, your heart still pumping in your chest. You grabbed her blanket and tucked her in again. You got back in bed and went to sleep.

You woke up to three almost identical knocks on your front door. You knew it was Daryl. He usually came around to say good morning to Raven. Most of the time he even stayed on the couch with her overnight. You missed him so much. His warmth and comfort every night. His strong arms pulling you in and his heavenly lips against yours. “Y/n” He discreetly yells with a scratchy, growly voice you couldn’t get enough of. You realized you had been zoned out. “Coming!” You murmured. You set Raven’s sippy cup down on the counter. You picked her up and held her on the sides of your hips. You opened the door and gave him a weak smile. “Hey.” He said in a low growl. You stared into each others eyes for a moment. “Hey. I’m guessing your here for Raven?” You said snapping out of your trance. “Nah, am actually here ta’ see ya” Me? You thought to yourself. “We’ll here I am.” “Jus’ wanted ta’ see yar face.” You turned bright pink. “Yeah?” “Ya, we’ll I oughta go.” He said leaning in to kiss Raven’s forehead. “Hey, wait.” You said, he turned around to face you. “I’m going out on a run today. You mind watching her?” “F’course not.” You smiled briefly at him, handing Raven to him. “Appreciate it.” You said sending him another weak smile. Daryl left with Raven while you went to grab your bag and shotgun.

You were at the closest convenience store to Alexandria. You had managed to grab a couple things. Before your eyes, it was already dusk. You decided to just find shelter before the walkers start swarming. You managed to find an abandoned cabin. Not knowing you were basically on the Reapers property. You fell asleep, your head leaning on your bag. You woke up to somebody on top of you. A familiar face with blonde hair that was graying. It was Leah, Daryl had been recently hooking up with her. You tried to grab the knife from sheath, but she slapped your hand away. “He’s mine.” She said in a furious voice. “I’m not with him an- ymore” You said struggling to breath due to her hands wrapped around your neck surely leaving marks later. She let out a soft chuckle. She starts punching you repeatedly in the face. You finally get a chance to flip her over and force her down, but she caught you off guard, you still practically half asleep. She took her knife and cut little scars into your face, purposely terrorizing you. She kept hitting you with all her strength until you were about to pass out. You heard loud footsteps coming from the cabin entrance, then an arrow went through her skull, she dropped on top of you making it even harder for you to breathe. You recognized the footsteps and the arrows. You were pretty sure they were Daryl’s but you just had the shit kicked out of you. You really weren’t sure. “Daryl?” You asked settling the question of if it really was him. “R’ya ok?!” He yelled pushing Leah off of you, not even caring that it was her. “Does it look like it?” You joked. He scoffed. You woke up in your bed. Daryl was asleep on the floor leaning against the wall with Raven in his arms next to your bed. “Daryl!” You whisper yelled. He jumped. “Yar awake.” “Why are you on the floor?” You asked. “Didn’t want to make ya uncomfortable.” He said. “Seriously? We’ve fucked at least 30 times and we have a kid together, your worried about me being ‘uncomfortable’” You mocked him. “We’ll shit woman, sorry if I’m tryna be considerate.” He argued. “Get up here.” You said. He stood up with the baby. “Without the baby.” He went over to her room and put her in her crib and shut the door. He climbed into bed next to you staring at the ceiling. You were cleaned up , and in new clothes. “Did you do this?” “Nah, dog did.” He teased. “Yar eyes lookin better.” He said. “What you did… yknow who that was right?” You asked. “Tha hell kinda question is that, f’course I knew.” He said. “But you loved her.” “Nah, she was just a distraction.” You turned your head to him confused. “Aight maybe I liked her a little. But that was before she almost killed my wife.” Your eyes widened, he called you his wife. “Ex, ex wife sorry.” You smiled. “No, wife is better.” He looked at you and you stared into each others eyes for a couple of moments, the sexual tension creating a heat in your pants. “I’d kill anyone for ya. I don’t give a fuck who they are. They ain’t ya. Shit I fucked up Y/n, I love you. Should’ve never let ya go.” The tension broke when you crashed your lips into his. Your lips surrounding his, he bit your top lip causing you to whimper. “Fuckin missed those sounds.” He said. You straddled him, his hands on your hips. He grabbed your neck causing you to wince from the pain of when Leah strangled you. “Maybe we shouldn’t do this.” He said. You nodded and layed on his chest. “So what are we.” I asked. “What we’ve always been. Husband and wife. He said.

a/n : i honestly don’t like this but it took to long not to post, im not the best at writing but this came to mind and it was to good to not write. any tips for better writing??

[angelwings-crossbowstrings]

Remember My Heart, How Bright I Used to Shine

Pairing: Daryl Dixon x Fem!Reader

Setting: Daryl’s Camp (During Time Jump)

Warnings: Typical TWD Violence and Gore; Angst; Illness

Summary: You had always thought he was invincible. Then your world came crashing down.

A/N: DO NOT PANIC. It’s a little bit a ride but if you start, hang in there. It’s probably been done before. Probably cliche. Meh. This plot bunny wouldn’t leave me alone and had to be set free. I know it’s rushed and not my best but it’s done now and I feel better.

gif by @daryl-dixon-daydreams

You stared, eyes wide and unblinking, as if you could make it go away by sheer force of will alone. At first, you couldn’t even cry but when the tears came, they came with a vengeance, hot and endless over your cheeks and down your neck. It’s not real. It can’t be real. 

The day was like any other. You were up and helping around Alexandria. The air always felt different to you now. Like you could physically feel his absence. You had simply learned to breathe it in and mold it into a way to have him near. You had seen him a few times in the last five years, when you could pull away from the needs of the community and trek into the woods, or when he would come around to help out and just visit with everyone. He would give you a smile and you would return it. You never went to him because if you touched him, you’d never let go. Carol usually kept you up to speed via letters from the Kingdom. Knowing he was safe and healthy proved to be enough. 

It wasn’t though. Not really. No letter would keep you from crying yourself to sleep with your hand on the empty space next to you. No letter would keep you from staring hopefully each time the gates opened, waiting for him to walk through. No letter would convince you that he was out of your reach and you would have to move on. 

You had just finished covering a section of the crops now that cold weather was setting in, dragging your feet after a long day when Michonne jogged over with an envelope. You returned her smile, yours tired and grateful while hers was gentle and understanding. You had both lost the men you loved. Michonne felt guilty that it was Rick keeping Daryl away from you, though you had asserted time after time that she had nothing to be sorry about. 

You decided to read the letter in your room, weary to your very bones. Your bed was calling your name but you only sat on the edge. If you laid down, you’d be asleep before you could get the envelope open. Carol’s fancy handwriting was on the outside, beautiful lines and curves that spelled out your name. You opened the envelope with a sniff, ready to cry when she informed you that he was fine and grumpy as ever.

Except that’s not what it said. 

You dropped the letter and grabbed your bag, out the door and running to the gate with weapons in hand, not even on your belt. 

‘Come to the camp. NOW.’

And that’s how you came to be here now, just inside Daryl’s tent, Carol off to the side, not crying but her face and eyes puffy as if she’d already had her time. Daryl was pale, his shirt off, and leaning back on his hands. 

The bite on his ribs was inflamed, taunting you. Laughing at your dreams of happily ever after with that man. 

“Daryl.” Your words wobbled, the tears just not stopping. 

“C’mere.” You fell into him, muffling your wail against his already too warm skin. He had sat up to hold you tight, rocking you back and forth with his lips pressed into your hair. Whispered reassurance against your ear. “S’gonna be alright.”

“How?” You sat back, wet eyes pleading. “How is it gonna be alright, Daryl?” 

He shared a look with Carol and dropped his gaze. “Just wanted to see ya ‘fore—‘fore I take care’a it.” 

It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out the meaning behind that. “No.” You shook your head adamantly, crawling on your knees to grab his face, a little rougher than you had intended. “You’re gonna fight, you hear me? You’re gonna fight this until the end.”

“Y/N—”

“No!” You barked at Carol with a finger pointed at her. “Call me selfish. Yes, I’m fucking selfish.” Daryl wrapped his hand around the one you held out, leading it to his mouth. He kissed your palm but kept his fingers around yours, lowering them to the small space between you. 

“Shouldn’t hafta do it. Neither’a ya.”

“It should always be someone who loves you.” He smiled at you, sad and hopeless. “And I love you, Daryl Dixon. I’m not leaving you and I’m not letting you eat a bullet for my sake.” He opened his mouth to once again object, your arms around his neck, your face buried against his shoulder, gave him pause. “Please. I haven’t been with you in so long. Let me have this. I’ll take care of you. And—I’ll do what has to be done.” Your lip began to quiver. “I won’t let you turn, Daryl. I swear it.”

You couldn’t see the exchange between him and Carol, but after a few tense moments, his hands were on your back, holding you tighter. He sighed. “Okay.”

It was hard to watch. His skin had dulled to nearly gray, deep dark circles around dull blue eyes. He had stopped giving you those reassuring smiles. They just took too much energy. 

His skin was burning, a fever raging that you knew no medication could affect. You could only wipe him down with a damp, cool cloth. He would always sigh with relief, whether it was for the reprieve from the heat or just to make you feel better, you’d probably never know. 

Sometimes he would just tense and grit his teeth. He never told you what hurt, knowing there was nothing you could do. He simply didn’t want you to feel worse; like you had failed him. You already held that miserable guilt close to your heart. 

The cough had come gradually, from small utterances to deep, ragged barks that would not only send specks of blood flying but had him crying out when the force of them jarred his entire body. 

It was when everything had quieted that you felt the most terrified. You were just outside the tent, giving Carol some privacy with him. You could see but not hear. She was leaning over him, crying. He was so weak that he couldn’t even lift his arm to wipe her tears. You knew he would if it were possible. 

The other woman was nodding, most likely hearing his wishes for certain things. Things like Dog, who laid a few feet away from you, his ears twitching. Daryl had asked for him to let in a while earlier. The canine seemed to understand, moving slowly around his papa before lying close to his head. It pained Daryl to even be touched, Dog whined but never tried to lick him. After a few moments, the animal had trotted out and laid where he was in front of you. 

When you turned back to the tent, Carol was coming out. Her distress was written clearly across her expression. She was losing her best friend. Still, she offered you a hand and helped you to your feet. Before you could enter, she flicked her finger over the buckle holding your knife at your thigh. 

“You promised him. If you can’t do it, call for me. But don’t wait.” It wasn’t cruel. You nodded and she let go. 

You didn’t say anything as you crawled to a spot beside him, almost touching but not quite. There was a moment of just watching him breathe. You could feel the heat of the fever from where you laid. His breaths were shallow rasps. His eyes were closed. 

“Daryl?” You nearly whispered. 

“M’here.” He still didn’t open his eyes. 

“I love you.”

“Don’t let that stop ya from livin’, ya hear me?” He coughed, his face contorting into a pained grimace. “Ya find someone that sees you. Ya don’t settle fer less.”

“There’ll never be anyone else, Daryl.”

A tear slid down his temple. “That’s what ‘m afraid of—”

“I love you.” You repeated. Daryl wasn’t a words kinda guy. Never had been. He said things through actions. It was one of the things you loved about him. Still, just this once, you wanted to hear it. Needed to hear it. 

“I love ya too, woman. Pain in my ass.”

You laughed wetly, the sound shifting into sobs when his head lulled to the side. You were going to have to do what you promised soon, allowing him to finally rest. He would be taking your heart with him. You couldn’t even begin to think of how you would survive this. 

Seconds turned into minutes of watching his chest rise and fall, shallow and wheezing. Minutes turned into hours. You kept watch diligently, shifting positions around him to get comfortable or keep yourself awake. It had been at least 3 hours, well into the night when Carol peeked inside, her eyes bloodshot, exhaustion radiating from her. 

“Is it—done?” She whispered. 

You shook your head. “He’s still with us. He even feels a little cooler. Maybe it’s just me. Would you check?” With a sharp breath, she crawled into the tent and clumsily made her way to the archer’s side. Her palm hesitated just above his forehead, a look of trepidation on her face when she looked to you and back. His skin was warm against her palm but not frighteningly hot. She flipped her hand, sure she was mistaken. 

“He’s cooler. He—he’s breathing easier. Y/N, I don’t understand.” You crawled over to meet her on the opposite side, feeling his forehead again for yourself. Carol continued as if his temperature would alter in the mere seconds that had passed while you pulled down the blankets covering his torso. The bite was still red, the veins around it a sickly black. 

“Carol, he should—he should be gone. Look at this.” Frozen and befuddled, the two of you stared at the wound, wondering if you had finally been pushed over the edge by grief. 

Another twenty four hours passed in nervous silence. Carol was forging and hunting while you saw to Daryl’s care. The bite was less inflamed but the black veins remained. His fever had broken during the night, and the rattling in his lungs had lessened to a quiet wheeze. 

“I don’t know what’s going on,” you whispered, applying a fresh bandage to his ribs, “but I am freaked the fuck out.” You flinched back when Daryl let out a moan, your hand reflexively sitting on the hilt of your knife. He moved, shifting his shoulders and trying to sit up, uncoordinated and robotic. It did not inspire confidence. “Daryl?”

The heel of his hand was pressed into his forehead but dropped to his lap when he heard his name. When he turned toward your voice, your heart sank. His eyes were milky and yellow. 

“No.” You whimpered, scrambling back as far as the tent allowed. You drew your knife slowly. You had promised you wouldn’t let him turn. Promised. Your naivety had caused you to slip, and you’d live with the guilt for the rest of your life. “I’m sorry.” You sobbed, moving toward him slowly though he had yet to even attempt to approach you. “I’m so sorry.”

His head tilted curiously. “What for?”

You sucked in a breath while your knife fell from suddenly inept fingers. “Oh my god.” Your jaw hung open, there was just no other way to react. “Daryl?”

“Yeah?”

“Daryl?” You repeated, inching closer with a hand outstretched. His brow creased. 

“Ya hit your head or somethin’?”

“I just—you were—you look—”

“Guess if I look as rough as I feel, s’prolly ‘nough’a a reason to be actin’ all weird.” He ran a hand through his hair and coughed, rubbing at his throat. “What happened anyway?” 

Your hand finally connected with his stubbled cheek, the skin warm. He watched you in confusion, uttering your name in a questioning tone as you placed two fingers against his neck, finding a pulse easily. 

“Daryl—Daryl, you were bit.” You were retracting your hand, the archer looking at you with horror etched in every line of his face when you heard a bow string pulling taut. “Carol, no!” If you had been one second later or couldn’t have reached her at all, the arrow would have hit its mark. Instead, it nicked his ear and arched into a bag of supplies behind him. 

“What the fuck, Carol?!” He shouted, gingerly touching his ear and staring at the blood on his fingertips. Yet another indicator of life. His blood was red. 

Carol gasped and stumbled backwards, narrowly missing the firepit when her ass hit the ground. “It’s not—Y/N, he’s—”

“Can one’a ya please fill me in here? I was bit?!” You crawled back into the tent and reached for his ribs. He hadn’t noticed the bandage until then, his gaze on the tendrils of black running from beneath. “What—what the fuck?” Petite fingers peeled away the fresh gauze and revealed the jagged bite, the shape being the key indicator of what it truly was since the teeth had dragged a bit when he fought off the walker. “How the fuck m’I still here?”

“That’s not all, Daryl.” You looked around for anything reflective, considering beating the mirror from his bike but you didn’t want to give the guy an aneurysm along with the news he’d just received. “Something metal, something reflective.” You said hastily as you passed Carol, who remained sprawled on the ground. She pointed to one of the cooking pots without taking her eyes off her best friend. A spoon!

Grabbing it up you jogged down to the river to quickly wash it, looking at your own reflection to ensure it was enough. “Here.” You were holding it out before you had even entered the tent. There was a fear in his expression that you couldn’t see in those lifeless eyes, and that unsettled you. 

He didn’t say anything when he saw, but stared for a long while. “Need a minute.”

You shook your head. “Daryl, I really don’t want to—”

“Please.” He was still staring at the spoon and didn’t see your nod. You zipped up the tent behind you and sat down beside Carol. Both of you wore dazed expressions. 

“He didn’t die.” She whispered. 

“He didn’t turn.” You continued. “What does this mean? Carol, do you think he’s—do you think he’s immune?”

It was more than an hour later when you heard a soft call of your name. You and Carol had settled into anxious silence, every scenario running through your mind, good or bad. What if he turned later? What if he was still sick and infectious? What if he needed to eat people to survive?

You dusted off your pants after you stood, crouching to open the zipper and crawl inside with him. Daryl was lying on his side, facing away from you. 

“Are you okay?” Gentle fingers grazed up and down his spine, an attempt at comfort that you weren’t sure he’d even want. 

“Would you be?” He asked quietly. 

“No,” you answered in kind, “no, I suppose not.” He wasn’t crying, he was just still and somehow that was worse. “Hey.” You crawled around his legs to lie down next to him, your face inches from his. His eyes were closed, his brow still drawn. “I don’t know for sure, but I think you may be immune.” His eyes peeled open slowly, squinted in fear of your impending repulsion. All you saw was a beautiful set of ice blue orbs staring back at you. “Your eyes—”

“They freak me out, too.” He whispered with a slight curl of his lip. 

“No, they’re normal.” You made a grab for the spoon and held it up for him. He didn’t appear to be relieved. “It’s okay, Daryl. You’re okay.”

“We don’t know jack shit ‘bout what’s goin’ on. Can’t say m’okay when we don’t know.” He was right. You knew he was, but you didn’t know how to proceed. “Maybe I can head out. Find someone that can gimme some answers.”

“No.” You answered immediately, your eyes wide with fear. “Daryl, you can’t tell anyone.”

“Why not?” He stared at you intently, never looking away even when you touched his cheek and he leaned into it. “What if I can help? If I’m immune, maybe we can get a cure or a vaccine.”

“I won’t have someone poking and prodding at you, fucking carving into you for answers. I won’t.” You snapped. You weren’t angry but you were serious. “Someone could hurt you, use you. They could kill you for answers, and I can’t watch that happen.”

“But if—”

“I give in on a lot of things, Daryl. I even stayed behind so you could come out here and handle your grief your own way.” His warm hand rested on your face so he could wipe away the moisture there. “Giving in, letting you always do things your way damn near cost me the most important thing in my life.”

“But—”

“Please, Daryl. If you do nothing else for me, please do this one thing.” 

He studied you quietly, mulling over your words for an amount of time that had you building your resolve to continue your argument. “Okay.” You were able to breathe, not even realizing you were holding it. 

“Thank you.”

“Some things gonna hafta change ‘til we know more.”

“I know.” You answered with only the slightest hint of regret. Physical intimacy would be out of the question, you knew for certain that’s what he meant. He wouldn’t risk you. However, if it kept him alive and in your arms, you’d make that trade without a second thought. “It’s okay.”

He nodded in agreement. “Ain’t gonna like not bein’ able to touch ya.” 

You smiled and moved closer, pressing your forehead to his. “I can think of a few things we can still do.”

“Yeah?”

“Oh yeah.” You pressed a chaste kiss to his lips and laughed at the terrified expression when you pulled away. “We didn’t swap spit, it’s fine.”

“Oh. Right.” One side of his mouth twitched up. 

“We really should talk to Carol. I think she may be on the verge of a stroke out there.” You rubbed your cheek against his. 

“Long as she leaves her bow outside.”

[walking-mf-dead]

I was on the brink of having a breakdown and needed to redirect my energy to something else so I went to my notes app and uh… yeah. A shitty little drabble. Enjoy ☺️ (May be cross-posted to Ao3!) ((also the format looks funky because I wrote this in my notes app and copy/pasted it onto here via phone))

Pairing: Daryl Dixon/Reader

Relationships: Rick Grimes/Reader (Adoptive Daughter), Negan Smith/Reader (Biological Daughter)

Warnings: The Walking Dead typical violence, thoughts of death/suicide, self-deprecation, Canon Divergence, Death/Murder

________________________________

A Warning

I can't hold on anymore.

It feels like the pit in my chest is getting deeper. The lump in my throat getting bigger, harder to swallow down and ignore.

My eyes burn with unshed tears and my clenched teeth hurt my jaw.

The palm of my hand is being indented with the ragged nails I had chewed and bitten off overtime with my anxiety taking over me.

Never did this thought of death feel so appealing until now. Not until we got to Alexandria and it all went to shit. I knew it was all too good to be true.

My knees are aching on this forest floor.

Negan starts his little song, his voice vibrating up my spine. Giving me goosebumps. Forcing bile into my mouth as his bat points directly at my head.

I follow the bat up to his eyes.

“Well darlin’! I didn’t expect to see you here.”

He kneels down and gently grabs my chin, forcing me to keep eye contact.

“I’m almost tempted to skip you darlin’. You can come home. Mm? Wanna come back home to Daddy?”

The venom on my tongue is searing, “Fuck you Negan.”

“That’s no way to talk to your father, kid.” His face steels has he stands up.

I smirk up to him, “Go on Daddy. Do it. Like you do to every one else. Swing.”

“Do NOT fucking do this. Do you really think I want to bash in my own kids head? Huh?” His eyes look wild, as though his psyche is breaking slightly. Only slightly.

“How about, we try this again, hmm gang?! Let’s try this again and if it lands on this lovely lady then so fucken be it!” He yells out to his loyal subjects who break out into cheering.

“Eeny… Meeny… Miny… Mo. Catch… a Tiger… By… His Toe. If… He Hollers… Let Him Go. My Mother… Told Me… To Pick… The Very… Best… One. And you… Are… It.” He drawls out once more but this time, this time it was with purpose. The bat swings by me and points to Abraham. No.

“Anybody moves, anybody says anything, cut the boys other eye out and feed it to his father. And then we’ll start. You can breathe. You can blink. You can cry. Hell… You’re all gonna be doing that.”

CRACK!

The bat brutally hits into Abraham’s skull.

But he sits back up, his face mangled.

“Would you look at that! Takin’ it like a champ!”

WHACK!

Oh God.

Abraham’s blood is splattered on my face. I still. My body shaking and I lose focus on where I am and what’s happening.

Before I can clock it, I’m standing, barreling into Negan while Abraham’s dead body lays beside where I was. His head melding into the ground below.

I wail all of my force into punching my fathers face. He quickly overpowers me and throws me off. He stands up, grabbing Lucille from the ground and in pure rage he slams the bat into my abdominal area.

My scream echos into the surrounds and I feel my body and clothes tearing as the barbs pull back up on the bat.

My hands shake as I hold onto my stomach, looking up in pure fear at Negan. And he stares back, the same look of fear on his face.

“Baby, baby no. No no no. Fuck. FUCK.” He kneels down and pulls up my shirt despite my denial, and assess the wounds.

I look over to Daryl. His face is ghost white. “Daryl… Honey I love you.”

“Consider this a warning.” Negan announces, standing up.

“A big fucken warning. I’ll be around in 2 days to settle an arrangement. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes Negan. Perfectly clear.” Rick strains out.

Negan gives me one last look before calling his men away to go back to The Sanctuary.

Rick and Daryl rush over to my side. Daryl brushing my hair from my face and giving me a solid kiss on my lips.

I look to Rick. “Will I be okay?” He nods. But I don’t know if I believe him. Not yet.

Rick, Carl and some others return to Alexandria to plan what’s happening with Negan while Daryl, Glenn, myself and Maggie head to Hilltop to use their medical services.

Daryl clutches onto me, hoping I make it through the next few days.