#caryl fic rec

[lola-andheruniverse]

ZA AU Tuesday - Caryl Fanfiction Rec

Today's fic is a take on ZA that is completely different from everything I ever read before. It deserves to be called a novel not just for its length, but also for the intricate world building and characterization that our caryl author successfully achieved.

I'm talking about Region Thirty Three written by @spanishrose2002 [ 9Lives | AO3 ].

Summary: Caryl AU. The government is working to round up the wilds that won't assimilate. In prison they'll be "tamed," one way or another. The sentence for a crime that includes all possible crimes under the title of "Wild" is, as far as any inmate is concerned, life imprisonment. At Region Thirty Three, though, there's a possibility to find a kind of life within that sentence.

Rating: E/Explicit Chapters: 127 Word count: 324454 Published: August 27, 2015 - COMPLETE

Ramblin Rose is known in our fandom as the domestic bliss/baby fic queen (and I adore her for it). But when it comes to Region Thirty Three, make no mistakes - things get dark, emotional and dystopian right from the start. It's a reflection on how prejudice, fear and a rigid belief system can make us do the most inhumane and horrific atrocities. And also, how in the middle of all despair and pain, two supposedly broken people like Carol and Daryl can meet, blossom and thrive (yes, they get their happy ending, you can trust Rose on that). A perfect ZA AU indeed.

Go, go, give it a try if you haven't already! It's a great story, by one of our most productive writers, and deserves all the praise. Rereads are also great, like visiting an old friend. And, as always, don't forget to review. Feedback keeps our fandom alive!

[peletiersdixon]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love 💗

Thanks so much, Molly!!!

So, first off, probably one of the two fics I've written that weren't in TWD, Blood in the Water. It's a peek at Cardan during the month when Jude's being held undersea.

Second, my favorite Caryl fic that I have written, Wildest Dreams. Carol and Daryl are assassins tasked with eliminating the same target. This remains one of my favorite Caryl fics that I have ever written because I love the premise so much!

Third, (and you're getting twd fic from here on out just because them's the odds with me only having written two fics that aren't set in twd-verse) is probably going to be August and December. I say this purely because I wrote it to spite the fandom, and it remains my crowning glory! *evil emoji* Okay, I will be nice and say upfront this time that the pairing is Daryl x Hershel. You've been warned. Which was more than I gave to the people when I first wrote it.

Fourth, is probably my Lori-centric fic This fire won't go out (thought just a flicker it may be). It has some caryl too if you squint just right. But mostly I had a lot of Lori feelings at the time and I needed to get them out. She is greatly maligned and wrongly hated in this fandom, and I was tired of it.

Lastly, probably the fic that has the most wish-fulfillment for me in it, is Blood and Water. I would still, to this day, give unseemly things to whoever, in order to see a conversation like the one I wrote play out on screen in some form or fashion between Carol and Daryl. We need catharsis, dammit!

[alatariel-gildaen]

If anyone can send me nice things - prompts (either story or art) cute Caryl headcanons, fluffy fic recs.... I'd be so grateful. I've just seen photos from the police report of my parents' collision, and to say I'm shook up is an understatement. They said all along it was a miracle anyone survived but seeing the tangled mess that was once their car... I have no words. I'm just sat here in tears and need distractions

[foreverlovingdaryldixon]

I don't know if you've already answered this but what is your all time favorite Caryl fanfic?

Oh gosh I love so so many. I’m going to include a couple.

I suppose my overall favourite and one I’ve most read is Hungry Heart by @halohunter89. It’s my favourite AU ever, it’s seriously fucking amazing and I might have to re-read for the 4th time

Another amazing mention is Five Veils byArgent Galewhich is also an AU and sadly incomplete

So I have thing for AU’s but if you haven’t read this you have to! Mad City by @fairies-masquerade

Okay so to throw a canon story in there, this is the best one I’ve ever read, How Carol Got Her Groove Back by Trogdor19

Thanks for the ask sweetie! xox

[angelwings-crossbowstrings]

This was freaking adorable. 💙

Caryl fic: I’m Glad You’re Here

So this is just a cute little short story of Caryl that’s post season 7 and baby fic. I figured we all need something cute just to even out our frustrations right now with one particular werewolf *cough* Scott G. *cough*

Anyways, enjoy guys!

PS: @thaliasandy I heard you like caryl baby fits. Hope you like it

Disclaimer: I’m not popular enough to own these characters!

Keep reading

[ispyanonymously]

Caryl fic rec:

"How Carol Got Her Groove Back"

By Trogdor19

https://archiveofourown.org/works/23719948/chapters/56958211

The story picks up after they lose the farm and fills in the gap of that winter and the taking of the prison. Also how Daryl got his poncho.

I'm still new to the Caryl fandom so if you have any to share with me, please do.

[silversundown2]

Caryl Fic Recs Just Because

I tend to avoid making these types of posts because I never want anyone to feel left out, but I also think it's a good thing to recognize writers and stories that we appreciate. And especially with the premire being tonight, maybe some of us need something else to occupy our time? If you have no plans to watch, or if you've already seen it, one of these little gems might be fun to pass the time with. 

I've limited myself to 6 fics, a mixture of recent and older selections. I have PLENTY of others I love, this fandom has so many talented writers, but I gave myself a limit otherwise you'd be scrolling all day. Forgive my little summaries, I tried. 

Feel free to reblog with links to the stories you've loved over the years, if you are so inclined! Maybe you'll turn a reader on to something new they wouldn't have otherwise found :) 

The Storm - lilabut

Sweet AU that makes me melt every time I read it.

This is Now - Sienna

AU, lots of action, Pre Apoc

How Carol Got her Groove Back - trogdor19

That time jump between season 2-3 and what could have happened

Fireworks - Shae

Sweet, canonfic

Enough - ElenoreK

Won’t spoil the ending on this one but be prepared it’s sort of sad, except I still 100% loved it. (and have read multiple times)

Teach Me - Alannastara

Fun five times fic

[chrkrose]

‘Whatever had happened between them, it most definitely was not supposed to mean anything. The pink plus sign, however, tells a different story’ | I know baby fics are not everyone’s favorite when it comes to Caryl, but you should definitely give a chance to this one. This fic is that kind of one where you come back always, because it feels like at each time you read it again, something new stand out and you understand a little bit more of these two and their story. So in character you will wish you could watch this version of them playing at your TV. | Writer and Banner: Lilabut. | Read at: http://ninelivesarchive.com/viewstory.php?sid=1966

[angelwings-crossbowstrings]

💙😍💙😍💙😍

Home is Where the Heart is

Summary: Daryl realizes where his real home is, and he longs to be there.

Setting: a few days after Caryls departure after s11's ending.

Searching was starting to become the normal with him. Merle, Sophia, Rick. Now, he just isn’t sure what he’s looking for. Yes, he has the idea in mind, find what’s out there. What the rest of the world is, find new people. But he was tired.

Outside was his safe place, the air whipping across his face as he flew down the barren roads atop the roar of his motorcycle. The woods had always been home to him, maybe more so than his actual home in his shitty, fucked up childhood. But, this wasn’t his childhood, and he’d found home in the people he loved.

He’d lost much of that home. Many of the people he had given his all to protect, and couldn’t.

But, even through hell and high water, there stood her. Carol, the woman who had started off nothing but weak and weary and oh so pitiful. He’d watched her change, as did she. Always watching eachother, blue to blue.

Carol, the woman who had stuck to his side like glue. This force of nature who became a vital part of his life. His family, blood or not. She’s seen him at his lowest, his highest. He’s witnessed her grow in more ways than one, witnessed her unravel all the same.

Carol, who he’d left behind at the Commonwealth.

Their goodbye felt too long ago, even though he knew it was only a few days since. Only days, for the first time, since he’d uddered the words, I love you, and she’d echoed them back to him.

So he was tired of searching. Home wasn’t out here anymore. Home was with Carol, and he longed to be home.

Daryl slowed the bike to a stop.

The rumble beneath him decreased to an easy growl. He set his boot down onto the ground and peered over his shoulder, gnarled hair tickling his cheek.

Home was where Carol was, and suddenly he knew what he was searching for.

Daryl rolled the bike around in a u-turn, and set off toward home.

---

Requested by @murdadixon !!! Thank you for the request, and I hope to hear more of them.💛

[mayrwynmouthsoff]

Okay, so I had a bunch of RL work stuff involving travel and working during the opposite hours of my usual schedule this past week leaving me 0 minutes for writing. I find it nearly impossible to read while I write (it takes me out of my story while I enjoy other people’s). Anyway, all of that for this. There won’t be an update of anything this week, I’m behind on correspondence and reviews, and it won’t be getting any better until Thursday, when I get a day off. (which means it is *possible* that I’ll be posting stuff on Friday!)

Until then, here are some recs. (these are for older stories, because I’ve not read the new stuff yet. See above.)

Crossroads & Lies  by Silversundown – Walking Dead/Supernatural crossover. Author’s Summary: She had been pretending to be one of them for so long that she almost believed it herself. Almost.

If you don’t care for crossovers (and lots of folks don’t), there’s a cute little humorous one shot called:

Pardon The Breasts by Rhinozilla – TWD – 1K – Author’s Summary: Prompt from Tumblr: Caryl share a room. Carol thinks that Daryl is gay so she has no problem changing in front of him. This misconception does not stay misconceived for long.

[lola-andheruniverse]

Plot/No Plot Friday - Caryl Fanfiction Rec

kudos to me for including a porn day on this fic rec project without realizing I would have to write some type of review about it 😳

Today's fic is an one-shot called Clean, written by our @waynedunlaptheorgandonor, known as carol_is_daryls_favorite_meal on 9Lives and mizdiz on AO3 [AO3 | 9Lives]. I strongly recommend you to take a nice shower/bath before reading it. So does Carol.

Summary:

"It's weird how loud the quiet gets in the dark. It's not like they were making a lot of noise before, but in the dark all the small sounds are amplified, like the loss of sight immediately morphs into enhanced hearing without a second thought. Outside, the wind is whistling a hollow tune, and upstairs someone is rustling around, making the floorboards creak. Suddenly, even though she couldn't before, Carol can hear every inhale and exhale of Daryl's breath. It feels intimate. That’s strange, isn’t it? They’ve got the expanse of a whole room separating them, so why does she suddenly feel hyper-aware of his presence?

She thinks it has to do with being clean."

Rating: E

Word count: 8442

Published: January 27, 2020 - S2/S3 interlude

I don't want to spoil your fun by giving you literal spoilers for this fic. It does have a plot, because (1) our author here is very talented on crafting engaging stories and her smut ones are no exception (she has a whole series called 'Going Down' that is just amazing); and (2) it's my favorite and I wanted to be the first one to be recommended on 'no plot friday'. It's Carol's POV, and our beloveds have a nice chat that's just SO CARYL, bickering and flirting and it's fun and light until it's gets so very 💦 🥵🔥

Come on, go have fun! Keep a glass of cold water by your side just in case! Ah, and don't forget to thank the author for the delicious porn! *wink wink*

[my-mt-heart]

You've written fic and the minisodes, so even if we don't know what show you work for, we get to enjoy your writing and show our appreciation that way. I know it's not your "real" writing, but we could be enjoying that too unawares. 😉

—::I loved Off The Map! IF YOU HAVEN'T READ IT RUN TO 9L!::—

Does SF write too? I understand the anonymity issue involved regarding the show and I support the rec list for female created content your other anon suggested, but if there's fic to read, we could get a sense of what her writing is like. I know I'd pay attention when I watch a show in the future: is it MT? SF? (Maybe you work on the same show!) I feel like MT would write a lovely (hehe!) Beth Dutton, so that's my head canon for your show. ☺️ Lots of angst on Yellowstone!

We have a lot of great Caryl writers , but it's still cool that we also have professional writers who think Daryl & Carol and Caryl are awesome, when you write other characters in your regular life and could have picked a less toxic fandom with better story development. Do you guys post in your own fandoms? Like, do you talk to fans as if you're just another fan of that show? 👀 I feel like I'd be doing that, but maybe you're not allowed?

Thanks MT, for letting me ask all these dumb questions and for your blog in general! ♥️

Haha thanks for the plug. To be honest, I don't think my fics are very representative of me as a writer and I'd be mortified if anyone in the industry ever read them lol I'm much more in my element when I'm writing scenes.

I know SF has been passing along some ideas, but not sure if she'd ever have time to write one herself. I'd be all over it if she did though. It's probably worth mentioning there's a big difference between a showrunner's voice and a writer's. The difference being a showrunner typically has one and the writer typically has to mimic it :P So your chances of discovering me in whatever you watch are slim to none lol

Caryl is the most well-written relationship I've ever come across on television. I could only hope to write a pairing anywhere near as compelling. The showrunner I work for very enthusiastically keeps us up to speed on what's going on in their fandom. I'll occasionally take a peek myself, but I don't engage. It's helpful to know what fans are responding to and sometimes we use that to guide our discussions in the room.

They're not dumb questions. Come back anytime <3

[ultimatebethylficlist]

Veteran Author of the Month: December 2021

This year flew by fast, didn’t it? For our final featured veteran author of 2021, we have none other than Audriss ( @inkinmytea )!

Audriss can be found on both AO3 and FFN under the same penname.

When asked what got her into Bethyl and what the fandom means to her, she said:

I have no recollection just how I got sucked into the bethyl fandom. I remember watching the first episode and thinking it was so incredibly slow and that if they would make it any more slow, they would be walking backwards down the evolutionary path. And that’s what they have continued, basically. I hated only about 50 percent of the show, all in all. In the third episode I recognized Norman Reedus from the Boondock Saints. I think I got kinda into Bethyl in the third season when I saw Beth with Zack, and I was literally like “ugh, what’s this? Where did he come from? stop playing this like it is from a harlequin novel!” And like always with new TV shows and movies or books, I went to look for fanfics, because they usually fulfil the noticeable gaps in the plot, or they just make things better. But, honestly, if I had not seen people writing so many fics about Daryl and Carol I wouldn’t have gotten so bloody upset, and joined Tumblr. Tumblr was all new to me at that point and I was just browsing through stuff, minding my own business, but the other side of the shipping wars ruined that account for me by attacking me for asking a simple question, why was Carol forgiven after killing two innocent people for no good reason. Although, during this point, that kind of behavior has been all over the place. I wasn’t really into Bethyl even then, and I found this Norman Reedus group that had these movie nights and watched most voted Norman movie on a schedule, and I got to know some people there. Most of them were just Norman fans, a small part were caryl fans, and some were just neutral, and accepting basically anything. There, I got deeper into the fandom (in general) and then the fourth season came and that HUG kinda clicked. Some of the OGs got suckered into me adopting them as my friends, and now they are stuck with me. HAH! Not sorry. I was actually kinda happy to have friends, even though they lived in other countries, who were liking the same stuff. I have friends who live near me, but they don’t always get me. Building a family out of friends feels good. I can say that I have some of the bestest friends still hanging around, and tolerating my rants and ups and downs. Last five years haven’t been easy, and writing has really helped.

For her personal fic rec list, she recommends:

(With recommended stories, I am an oxymoron. I love reading fics, yes, but I am also not reading fics when I write. So, most of these are from the early days of Bethyl I think.)

All the fics of LemonStar

Spiced Molasses by MonDieu666

Piper1016 fics

Schwoozie’s Bethyl stuff

Abelina’s Bethyl stuff

Burn by PunkyNemo (The Vampire Cat)

Burningupasun’s Bethyl fics

SaraiVe’s Bethyl stuff

Feral by Silvergryphon06

Rckyfrk’s stuff

SuperNintendoChalmer’s (CaptainShenanigans) Bethyl stuff

(There have also been some stories that have been deleted by the author, so can’t really recommend those.)

Audriss’s Works & Personal Thoughts:

I know people write sometimes to overcome a difficult situation, as a coping mechanism, and have a strong emotional connection to the story being told. I don’t necessarily do that. I do have a strong bond with my stories, they are mine after all, but I mostly write things I just want to see written. Or since bethyl and TWD in general are pretty full of angsty fics (nothing wrong with those) I wanted to add something humorous to them. I want to challenge myself to write certain type of things, things that haven’t been written (to my knowledge). I’ve used some tropes in my fics before, but I do try to come up with a different kind of way to write those stories. I have written stories since I was ten years old. My first fic, oh boy I do still remember that. It was a hot mess, and I only showed it like 20 years later to someone, but like anything you do in life you get better over time.

By Any Other Name Summary: His life was left in ruins by the accusations and blaze of guilt when a crooked cop killed the only one that mattered to him. But the universe is fickle and no good deeds go unpunished and enjoys too much of self doubt and guilt that followed. He had given up on life ever being anything but pain and that was when the universe struck and threw his past on his face in a form of a blonde woman who bared the face of the love of his life. The one he thought was dead. Thoughts: I got the idea for this story a long time ago, while watching a movie, which had nothing to do with the original draft, or the Walking Dead itself. After the first draft, I changed a lot of things, and decided to use Daryl and Beth for the story. The idea was to set it in present time, no walkers, and have people believe that Beth had died, and how Daryl had to deal with her being dead, but also being accused of it. I’ve always loved to create worlds and writing the surroundings and feelings, describing the whole scene is like a second nature for me. It was supposed to be this easy little write, but hah, it evolved into a multichapter one. But this is my baby!

After A Night Of Tequila Summary: Beth wakes up in a strange bedroom, on a bed with a pillow fort. Thoughts: Like I said before, I want to write fun things. Imagining Beth totally trashed on tequila and trying to make moves on Daryl who just had to wrangle a cackle of drunken women to his place… and then what he had to do to stop her? Pure comedy gold. For my weird sense of humor. I do get it that funny things hardly ever are successful because my sense of humor is so unique to everyone but, I actually laughed a lot while writing this. I think I just wrote this for myself to laugh.

My Rising Sun Summary: Beth and Daryl take a long drive by bike.

My Home And Heart Summary: Daryl thinks about Beth while she sleeps, and comforts her when she wakes up to a nightmare. Thoughts: These were written for the Summer of Bethyl 2018. I had the idea from a song. They can be read as standalone stories, but also companion pieces together. I wanted to challenge myself to write some angst, and also, tried to jump start my muse to continue By Any Other Name. But I am pretty proud of these two.

Cold Summary: You don't know what it's like to be cold until one day you're cold. Thoughts: I have no clue where the idea for this one came. It wasn’t particularly cold outside, at least not for me. I like the cool air. I like winter. But, I do remember that there was frost on the grass and leaves that day. I wanted to veer off from the “body heat” trope, because that was the obvious choice, and then have mad hot monkey sex. But honestly… it sounds good on paper to have sex to keep the body heat, but only if you have solid four walls, roof and floor to yourself. If not, it is gonna get cold very quickly. This is a classic to me, at least.

[angelwings-crossbowstrings]

My babies.💙

This was beautifully executed. Captured my vision perfectly! Bypassed all that hurt and heartache the show gave us, leading to a majestic ending. Thank you for accepting.

There For You

Summary: Carol finds Daryl after his fight with Alpha.

Tw: description of injury, lotta blood, some angst

The woods were too quiet for her taste.

The trees usually vibrated with the snarls of walkers, driven by the influence of the Whisperers, but there was none of that. The silence, which she’d usually welcome, did not sit well in her gut. The trail she’d been following for hours now had been littered with the bodies of dead walkers, and better yet, dead Whisperers. The arrows that killed them had been stripped cleanly from their softened skulls, the only remaining evidence of them being the tear in their skin and fresh flow of blackened blood stricken across the leaves below her boots.

Daryl had been here, and that is what worried her most.

Along the divots and ditches, she could already see how he’d been able to stalk the group. The ditches were certainly big enough to cover him. And so she kept on until she came across the creek bed.

Long, spindly branches rooted themselves in the ground of the opening, trees surrounding the area. Finally, a few walkers stumbled along the murky mud, caught in the claws of the driftwood and so they proved no real threat to her. The only one’s she would have to take care of would be the several huddled over the crumpled body of a dead whisperer.

A dead whisperer.

So he’d been here. Alright, she was still on his trail.

She pulled her bow from her back, piercing the skulls of the feeding dead, watching them drop dead for good one by one. Carol crept forward until she reached the bodies. There were more dead whisperers, gnawed on by the dead but not discernable. Only this time, the familiar black and green of his arrows stuck out of the corpse. He hadn’t had the opportunity to collect it.

Her eyes scanned the ground, and very quickly realized it hadn’t gone very well for him here. The dirt was stirred and there were streaks of fresh, crimson blood splattered in random intervals. A piece of driftwood was covered in both black and red, and doom pooled deep in Carol’s belly. What if some of that was his? There was obviously a struggle, the sheer amount of blood was proof enough.

It was a crime scene, but without his body.

Carol took a breath, because realistically she knew panicking wouldn’t do a damn thing in this situation. Instead, she kept looking. And finally, she picked up on his trail once again. A river of dried blood, leading right into the woods. So he, or hopefully not him, had retreated for cover. Okay, that was a start then.

The blue of the sky drowned into the black of night as she followed the trail.

It all led to an old gas station, the blood smattering on the sign outside in the shape of a handprint enough proof he’d been here for her to cross the lot and follow the splattered blood until she came upon the old garage. Only now, there were two trails of blood, smearing along the concrete right outside.

And that was the unmistakable form of Alpha splayed upon the floor in front of her.

Carol’s nerves sprung alive with what could only be described as red hot.

The moonlight just barely lit the expanse of the garage, highlighting the blood trail the woman–could she even be described as a woman anymore?–had left behind. Carol stepped forward, fingers itching as she unholstered the knife strapped to her belt. The knife that she would put in this monster's brain.

Everything in her body was telling her to kill her, to plunge the knife so, so deep into her skull, but the wheezing from the corner in front of her had her hesitating, and then looking over and peering upon the shape of her friend. She couldn’t even see his face, only the patched material of his pants and the pool of blood he was soaking in.

Her jaw went slack, and she bounded over to him, over the body of the woman she was about to kill.

And fuck, it was worse than she’d thought.

Blood spilled from his hairline in twin rivers around his nose and into his mouth, which was producing the most horrible of wheezes. A head injury wasn’t good, not at all, and her mind raced. She hovered over him, afraid if she even breathed wrong he’d disappear into the dark of the shadows and be gone.

Carol moved his hair out of his face with trembling fingers and found the source of the bleeding. A nasty cut right above his eyebrow, about as large too. Carol knew head injuries bled a lot, but fuck. Her eyes flicked down his torso, running along the tussled fabric of his flannel and the dried splats of blood. His pants, however, were damp with it. Her breath caught in her chest, rattling against her ribs and her stomach lurched at the sheer amount of it.

I need to get him out of here.

She couldn’t assess the majority of his wounds in this lighting, it was a miracle she could even find him at all. Dragging his ass across the forest and to Hilltop, however, wouldn’t be easy and she figured they’d have to make frequent stops with the condition he’s in. I need to get him out of here.

It wouldn’t do any good sitting here on her ass as her friend bled out either.

I need to get him out of here.

Carol holstered the knife she’d previously dropped to her belt and oh-so carefully hoisted his torso up into a sitting position. His head lolled worryingly and his skin was much too cool to the touch for her liking, usually warm in the Virginia sun. His eyebrows scrunched up underneath his locks of greasy and matted hair. A response of any kind was good at this point.

She had no idea how much blood he’d lost, but it was clearly too much.

His scruff was scratchy under her fingers as she lifted his chin, kneeling beside him and whispering into the night air, “Daryl, hey. Daryl.” Nothing.

She swallowed, anxiety alight within her stomach and writhing like worms. Her temples began to tense with a headache. Great.

Ok, one thing at a time, she thought. One thing at a time.

The angle was awkward, but she managed to get her arms under his armpits soon enough and hoist him up, up, until she could quickly shuffle to have his arm over her shoulder. And hell, he was heavy, all his dead weight falling onto her. I need to get him out of here.

As determined as she was, this was going to be hell.

_____

The trek through the forest was hell and the sun was rising by the time they’d reached Hilltop, but damn if she’d gotten him there.

Without a current doctor at Hilltop, however, she still had Daryl under her care and under her roof. Her residence at Hilltop was bare with only the needed necessities, but it’d have to do.

She’d gotten the help of a gentleman to help her in carrying the unconscious man to the bedroom where he now lay across the bed, along with fetching her the materials she needed to properly patch him up and a fresh pair of clothes for the both of them. When he’d returned, she’d shooed him off and gotten to work stripping her friend.

His vest and flannel weren’t revealing anything she hadn’t seen before. However, the pants were certainly an invasion of his privacy, but she figured he trusted her enough and he’d figure it was sort of necessary with him passed out. She cringed at just how much blood there was, he seemed drowned in it. Even with his clothes removed (excluding his boxers) it still covered him in sticky red.

The majority, aside from his face, covered his left leg. A nasty gash, which she hated herself for not noticing earlier when she could have prevented more bleeding, was sliced deep into his thigh above his knee. Red crusted over the skin, and she was grateful the bleeding had at least slowed enough during their journey.

Carol gathered the rubbing alcohol and large wash cloth, dousing it in the liquid before she got to work cleaning his face. She revealed the paleness of his skin with each drag of the fabric, running along the softer skin of his neck and down his torso. Jumping to his leg, she doused it again and then carefully rubbed his skin of all the blood. Each swipe, and she could see a little more of him. A little less red.

She tossed the dirty rag to the side, getting closer to his leg until she could see the curly hairs embedded in his skin. The smell of the alcohol burned her nostrils as she got to work stitching him up.

Thread after thread, patch after patch, and Carol had successfully covered all of the various slashes and lacerations.

The smallest of groans pulled her from her thoughts, and her eyes flicked up to his face to see his nose scrunch and his eye’s pop open. His chest heaved and his breaths rung in his lungs in short wheezes as she jolted forward and held out a hand, “hey, hey, Daryl,” she hissed, “you’re ok, it’s only me.”

Daryl’s blue eyes fell onto her and she met him with her own blue gaze, scanning his face as his breathing slowed. She sighed in relief, because he was alive.

She hadn’t lost him.

The hunter lifted his head and gazed down at his almost-naked body, and then back at her. He didn’t even look surprised, just tired. She didn’t think he had the energy to think too hard right now. Daryl brought an arm up to touch her elbow, fingers cold but not as worryingly cool as they’d been earlier.

“Th’ hell happ’ned,” he rasped, voice carrying in a slow mumble. She grasped his fingers in hers, shoulders sagging. Her muscles ached.

“I found you,” Carol exhaled, “with… with Alpha.”

He held her gaze for a moment before he dropped it, letting his head hit the pillow. His other hand ran through his scruff, a motion that she had come to recognize as his thinking face.

“Fought ‘er,” he mumbled, and she already knew that. “Thought I had ‘er, had a lapse ‘n judgem’nt.”

Carol huffed, “no shit.” She squeezed his hand, and he squeezed back.

She stepped back and grabbed the clothing she’d saved for him, a tawny button down and a pair of cotton sweatpants. They dwarfed her as she held them out, so she figured they’d be comfortably loose on him. That was good considering how the fabric wouldn’t bother his stitches too much.

Carol turned back to him, returning to his side with the clothes. He gazed up at her, still not completely there. She rested her hand on his shoulder, “C’mon, let’s get you dressed.”

Daryl sat up with her help and she got the shirt on him, buttoning it up to his chest so it’d be loose. Getting him to lift his hips while she slid the sweatpants was a struggle, but achieved nonetheless. Once he was comfortably dressed he hit the pillow once again, looking just as exhausted as she felt.

It’d been a hell of a day.

When he closed his eyes, she gazed upon him. She was just so happy that he was there, that he wasn’t dead or undead. He was still with her, within reach. Breathing and alive.

She moved toward the door, stopping short when he huffed out a curt, “wait.” Carol leaned against the door frame, watching as he motioned with his chin for her to get closer, and so she did. “Stay ‘ere t’night.”

“Alright, ya big baby,” she teased, but she’d rather be here than anywhere else in the world at that moment.

He scooched over toward the wall, grunting from the small pressure applied to his leg. Carol crawled onto the bed, pulling the cover out from underneath them as gently as she could and draped it over the two of them after slipping her boots off. She pulled the hair tie from her silver strands and let it fall over her shoulders before she lay down next to him, soaking in the heat he finally started to expel again.

She turned toward him, and he was already looking at her, eyes half lidded and soft. Carol couldn’t help but smile at him, and his lip twitched in response. He turned away, closing his eyes and exhaling.

“Hey, Daryl?”

“Mmm?”

“I’m sorry,” she breathed. Her heartbeat drummed against her rips.

“Wha’ for?” He looked at her again, hair falling across his face in a cascade of brown.

Carol met his gaze, throat bobbing, “Everything. The.. the cave,” and god she meant it with her whole being. She just hoped he could realize that. He blinked slowly at her, and huffed out a laugh.

“A’ready forgave ya,” he muttered, and it was a breath of fresh air.

“Okay,” she breathed, “okay.”

Daryl moved impossibly closer and she rested her head against his chest, listening to the soothing beat of his heart. It filled her ears and eased her brain and suddenly she felt all the exhaustion hit her ten fold.

As the world around them arose for the day, sunlight spilling in the window to light a path of warmth along their bodies, they fell asleep.

Requested by @murdadixon !!! Thank you SOO much for the request, your brain is brilliant. Hope you enjoy these two!! 💛💛

[itsmymeaningoflife]

Please send me links to any Caryl one shots or fics you recommend. They can be your own!! Or just ones you enjoy from others. I just really want some fic recs (I mainly use ao3 so I’m more inclined to read it off there but any site is welcome)

[waynedunlaptheorgandonor]

Yo, you like good fic, what are some Mulder/Scully fics I should check out? (And where is the best place to find them, is there a site dedicated to them, like how Nine Lives is for Caryl?)

here's the best txf fic:

contact high

it takes place post-field trip and is sexy

here's the infamous chili's fic that gillian anderson has read. fun fact, i specifically sought out and ate at this chili's to-go in the o'hare airport bc it was hallowed ground and i needed to experience it

here's a baby fic. the plot is that scully's ivf was successful and they awkwardly dance around whether or not that means they're co-parenting or not, which is always fun

this is a christmas fic that i don't remember what happens in it but it's in my bookmarks and im a very picky person, so probably it's good

this is a fun take on the ep three of a kind. it's essentially an "oh no we got high and fucked in vegas" fic

here's an angsty post-orison fic

i have absolutely no idea what happens in this one, but it too was in my bookmarks and also christmas themed

i think this one might be phone sex

this is a fight the future fic that i do not remember but it's short

those are the ones i have on my immediate person. i lost a bunch of my bookmarks in an unfortunate computer mistake years ago so i'm missing a bunch.

i'm also gonna be super, super gross and link my own fics, bc why not? i'm vain, we know this, why pretend? you are under no obligation to read them, and in fact you probably shouldn't. i wrote them a long time ago and so they are probably not great, but:

xfiles/black mirror crossover fic. san junipero is the black mirror ep, but it makes sense even if you haven't seen it, or so i've been told: i hear forever is an awfully long time (i actually do like this one)

a college au that is probably god awful bc i wrote it over the course of three fucking years so my writing style is all over the place: fickle truths

part one of a three part oneshot pwp series: she tastes like candlelight (yes there's pussy eating. duh)

part two of a three part oneshot pwp series; can't remember if there's pussy eating in this one, but i do remember that there /is/ extremely light bondage: bedroom church choir

i never wrote part three

as for if there's an archive, there is, but idr the name bc i usually get my shit off of ao3 or fic recs lists. it's an old archive from Back in the Day, so ppl don't use it as much. idek for sure if it's still running. another txf veteran should be able to point you in the right direction

hope that helps, sorry it took me a minute to reply, i had to have the energy to go through my bookmarks

deuces,

-diz