#i can’t fall in love with shane ​i can’t fall in love with shane ​i can’t fall in love with sh

[creepycranberry]

…and dipped in folly…

Bob Reynolds x single mom! Reader

Warnings: abuse, pregnancy loss, addiction, angst, not proofread

A/N: so here’s another bob x childhood friend thing, this is only part one (I think). Yes the title is part of an Edgar Allen Poe quote. Hope you enjoy!

Series master list here

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“I just don’t understand why you’re giving him another chance? He’s a drug addict with a moo-“

“Choose your next words carefully Shane, otherwise I’ll take your stash and your beer and we’ll see how well you function without it.” You bite, fixing Lettie’s lunch for him as she threw a fit this morning because she ‘likes how mama makes it better’.

“Are you sure you’re not just letting your fixer complex do all of the talking?” He whisper shouts.

“No, I’m not. Because I’m not trying to save him or fix him or change him. He did the saving and the fixing himself. I get to want closure with him. Whether that’s for him or for myself.” You say, cutting the crusts off of a sandwich.

“But do you have to get that closure around our daughter?” Shane’s tone is condescending. He always did this, treated you like you had no idea what you were doing when he couldn’t make a simple school lunch.

“I don’t know, do you have to buy your edibles around our daughter? I have a much better track record than you Shane and I am doing you a favor by not telling your mother about your little escapade,” you hold the knife in front of you so he can’t get any closer. He got snippy with you when he didn’t smoke before seeing you. You didn’t understand why as he was fine being sober around Lettie, “and if you keep acting like I’m the incompetent one here I don’t know if I’ll continue being so nice.”

“What are you Implying?” His voice is low, the already hushed conversation gaining tension slowly.

“I’m not implying anything.” You say, opening a packet of fruit snacks and putting them into a compartment on her lunchbox, “but you’re going to trust me and you’re going to give Bob a chance. It’s not like I’m telling you that I’m going to run away and fuck and marry him.”

“You sure about that?”

“What do you mean, Shane?” You ask, exhausted.

“I mean you look at him like- you never looked at me like that, is all I’m saying. And I know our relationship wasn’t the best, but I like to think somewhere in there you loved me. and I want him to turn out to be better for you, you know that. But I don’t want him hurting you.” Shane’s softer now, light brown hair falling into his eyes as he goes to the fridge and grabs the strawberries for you.

“Shane, I've known him since I was fifteen. I’m always going to love him kinda sorta a little bit. But whether that becomes something now or not, I need you to trust that I wouldn’t have anything to do with him and I wouldn’t let him have prolonged exposure to our daughter if I thought he was anything now like he was then.”

“So you think you might love him again?” Shane smiles.

You squint your eyes at him for a moment before avoiding his gaze, cutting the tops off of the strawberries, “I don’t know where you’d get that idea.”

“You literally just said it could become something.” He points out, putting the strawberries away.

“I- that was hypothetical.”

“Sure.” The tensions gone now, it’s just you and your friend talking, “if it did turn to something more, I trust that it wouldn’t if he was still an asshole, if he was still using. And for your sake I hope that if you want it to, something comes of it.”

“Thanks, Shane.”

“Anytime.” He sighs, “I am eternally benevolent due to the fact that I am indebted to you for the whole-“

“Daddy! I needa dry off!” A little voice shrieks from down the hall.

“That. I’m indebted to you for that.”

———————

Bob and Yelena had walked through the petting zoo at the fair four times. Yelena kept coming back to the goats and Bob was perfectly content to watch her babble about how adorable she found them to be. He shelled out like ten bucks worth of quarters so she could feed them pellets.

He liked the Ferris wheel, he made yelena go on it with him three times but she got bored after the second time.

“Just one more time, please?”

“Bob, it's a big circle, it’s boring.” Yelena groans.

“Just because it’s not dropping out out of the air doesn’t mean-“

“SpongeBob! Lena!” A little voice screeches from some distance away. They both turn to see Lettie attempting to fall out of her dads arms while you laugh at him.

“Lettie!” Yelena calls back.

Once the little girl is close enough she launches herself at Yelena who is surprisingly prepared for it, a bubbly laugh escaping her.

“Mama won't go on the bumper cars with me and daddy but I have to be in daddy’s lap ‘cause I’m not tall enough.” The little girl complains, already considering Yelena the patron saint of helping her get her way.

“Well that is just so unfair, huh?” Yelena responds and Lettie nods, fake pouting.

You and Bob exchange a knowing look that turns into Shane leaning over to Bob to mumble, “what she’s failing to mention is that we just made mom throw up after one of the spinny rides.”

“That checks out.” Bob mumbles back.

You had asked Shane to give Bob a chance and Shane, hating to disappoint, agreed.

“Well how about me and you and your dad can do bumper cars while mama goes on the Ferris wheel with Bob!” Lettie agrees with a cheer before wiggling out of yelena's grasp and bounding away from the group, Shane chasing after her while Yelena follows behind.

Yelena knows what she’s doing. Bob had told her about his second chance so naturally Yelena was milking that second chance for all it was worth.

You’d seen each other an alarming amount in the week Yelena decided she wanted to stay when she figured out that the fair goes over multiple weekends here.

The first fair day had been fun, they had gone to the petting zoo six times and rode all of the rides until Bob was nauseous and Yelena was itching for more.

And then on the day they were meant to be leaving you ran into the both of them while grocery shopping and mentioned that Lettie would be going with her dad and you the next weekend. So Yelena insisted on staying so they could go with you and Lettie.

“She’s got a lot of energy.” Bob says to you now as you both step in line.

“Always.” You sigh, leaning against him to close your eyes for a moment.

“You okay?” He asks you softly.

“Maybe? I don’t know I just puked, my breath-“

Bob offers you a stick of gum before you can even finish your sentence and you smile, thanking him.

“You look nice.” He smiles, hand moving to toy with the fabric of your sleeve.

You were wearing a summer dress that fell at your knees, the sleeves falling loosely around your wrists, “Lettie picked out my outfit. She’s quite fashion forward.”

“I can tell. The tutu and colorful hair clip extensions are bold, for sure.” Bob nods, helping you into the seat of the ride cart.

“She’s definitely got her own style.” Bob sits beside you leaning slightly on the bar in front of him.

“Yeah. How’re you doing? Are you enjoying the fair?” You ask, bumping his shoulder.

“I like the Ferris wheel,” he smiles, “I smell like goats though, courtesy of Yelena.”

“Me and Shane have been avoiding taking Lettie over there for fear of a melt down when we have to leave.”

You look happy. Tired, but happy.

“Maybe she can take Yelena to the petting zoo. Two birds with one stone.”

“I’m sure she’d enjoy that immensely.” You grin.

The way you look at him damn near makes him malfunction, “she’ll be okay. We were some pretty weird kids and we didn’t turn out terrible.”

“Yes, the single mother with a dead end job and the recovered addict superhero. An inspirational tale for the ages.” You quip and Bob nods.

“That’s fair.”

“And also, I wasn’t that weird.” You insist and Bob smiles, “what? I wasn’t!”

“You were homeschooled until middle school. When I met you you exclusively wore either those overall dress things or like sweaters and old man slacks, and you never stopped humming. And the songs you would hum were morbid or just plain sad.” He points out, an easy smile playing on his lips as he leaned back against his seat.

“What’s wrong with slacks?”

Bob laughs, “that’s all you got out of that?”

Your cheeks turn bright pink and you fix a glare on him, “okay well when I met you you read the same three books over and over and you were scared of my grandparents' chickens.”

“It was the geese, not the chickens.”

“It was the rooster and the geese.” You correct.

“That’s still not the chickens.” He argues and he admires the way your lips press together when you’re trying not to find him funny.

“Do you have superpowers?” You ask him after a minute of silence, “Lettie wants to know.”

“That's a uh- a loaded question.” He stutters, scratching the back of his head, “kinda?”

“Kinda?” You inquire, eyes tracing the lines of his side profile.

“I sometimes have superpowers but most of the time I’m just… me.” he mumbles, fiddling with the hem of his sleeve.

Quiet settles over you as you reach the top of the Ferris wheel and a cool breeze blows your hair into your face and brings a kind of piece to your face, “I like just you.” Bobs face lights up like a Christmas tree, “don’t tell Lettie about your superpowers though, she most definitely will use them for evil.”

“Noted.” He mumbles. The conversation tapers off to silence and you lean against him, shoulder to shoulder.

—————————

When the both of you get back to Lettie she has a huge unicorn plushie held above her head that is twice her size.

“I won it for her by killing clowns.” Yelena says, a pleased smile on her face.

“Hitting clowns.” Shane corrects and Yelena nods.

“Yes, I hit clowns.” She says with enough seriousness to have you trying your hardest not to laugh. Bob catches your eye with an amused smile.

“SpongeBob!” Lettie’s tiny demanding voice pipes up, clearly unhappy with the amount of time the attention has been off of her.

“Yes, Miss Lettie?” Bob asks, giving her his full attention.

“You hold Herbert.” She orders, shoving the massive unicorn into his arms.

“Herbert?” You ask and Lettie nods, face the picture of solemnity.

“Yes, mama. Herbert.” You and Shane exchange a look and Shane shrugs, “can we go to the petting zoo now?”

“Oh yes! Please please please please?” Yelena pleads with Bob.

“Yelena, would you like to take Lettie to the petting zoo?” Yelenas eyes light up and Lettie cheers.

“Can SpongeBob come too?” Lettie asks.

“I don’t know if-“ you start.

“Yeah, I don’t think-“ Shane interrupts.

“Wait, why don’t you…?” You start.

“Well just what we talked about…”

“What about it?”

“No it’s nothing I just think- maybe we should-“ Shane gestures vaguely.

“Okay uh, Bob,” you take out your wallet and hand him some cash, “can you grab me a pretzel please? Yelena, Lettie, go ahead and go to the petting zoo, here’s-“

Yelena holds her hand up, “Bob gave me like ten more quarters.”

“Okay, just don’t let her run off too far, she thinks it’s funny to hide where we can’t find her.”

“Can’t be worse than when Bob sleepwalks.” Yelena shrugs, grabbing Lettie’s hand and walking in the direction of the petting zoo. Bob hands Herbert off to Shane and heads for the pretzel stand.

You and Shane sit at a picnic table a couple dozen feet away from the pretzel stand, “why don’t you want him around Lettie, I thought we talked about this?”

“It’s not that I don’t want him around Lettie, I just want you to get to know him a little better first. I know you and when it comes to Lettie you’re gonna prioritize her relationship with him over yours and I need you to know him better before you do that. I’m okay with her kind of getting to know him but you have to first.” Shane is talking quickly, like he’s scared you’re going to interrupt.

“So what, you just want me to keep him away from the rest of the group?”

“No, no not at all. I think, you’ve spent the day with me and Lettie and you’ve already puked and I know you’re tired because you probably haven’t slept very well this past week so I was thinking maybe you and Bob head out, I’ll get some one on one time with Lettie-“

“Plus Lena.” You remind him.

“Yes of course.” Shane says, like it’s a given, “go have fun with your friend.”

“What would we even do?” You ask him, leaning on your hand and closing your eyes for a minute.

“What did you do as teenagers?”

You let him sit with the question for a minute before laughing a little, “uh, smoke cigarettes and sneak beer and watch cartoons and ma- and other things.”

Shane hides his face in his hands and laughs a little, “then do whatever the grown up version of that is.”

“Are you sure, Shane? I mean Lettie-“

“Will be fine. I- I’m apprehensive about all of this, and I know that everything will take time, but I need to know that if I trust you to have him around Lettie that you trust him generally. If the both of you is going to work-“

“Going to work, how? What do you mean both of us?” You ask, very confused.

“I mean that I want you to have him in whatever way you want,” Shane says quickly, backpedaling, “and I think that in order for that to happen in a way everyone is comfortable with, you have to know him first. A decade changes a lot and you can’t just jump into a friendship with him like that, you know that. Re-get to know him, then let him get closer to Lettie.”

“You’re sure Lettie won’t mind?”

“I think she might decide to go live with Yelena either way,” he jokes and you narrow your eyes at him, “yes, I am sure.”

Bob approaches you with a big pretzel and the same ten dollar bill you handed him earlier, “here ya go.” He mutters, handing you the pretzels and your money.

“You didn’t have to pay for it-“

“I don't mind.” He shrugs, hands finding their place in his pockets.

Shane clears his throat and you give him this desperate look, but he doesn’t, he just gestures to Bob and when you look back to Bob his face is the picture of fond confusion.

“Would you want to hang out with me?” You ask him.

“Like now?” Bob asks, hands still in his pockets, weight shifting from foot to foot.

“Yeah. We can go on the Ferris wheel a dozen times or-“

“Or leave the fair.” Shane cuts in.

“Do you wanna hang out at mine and Lena’s AirBnB?” Bob asks and you look at Shane one more time. Shane nods.

“Yeah, I’d like that.”

————————

The living room of Bob's place is quaint, it reminded you of your great grandmother's house.

You and Bob have been stretched out on his couch for ten minutes in absolute silence. It was nice, the noise of the fair was far away, the only sound between you was your breathing.

“So is Lettie short for something?” He asks, his head perking up.

“What?”

“Just wondering, she said it the other day like it was her full name but it sounds like a nickname. It’s cute either way.” He shrugs.

“It’s short for Colette.” You respond, “I was crabby when I was pregnant, I was so unbelievably mean to Shane the whole time and when I was just about to give birth I was being pissy and he got mad and left the house for a while, left his phone at home. I hated it when he did that and he knew that but he did it anyway.”

“Jackass.” Bob mumbles, “once again I am one to talk but I do stand by the fact that that is an asshole move.”

You laugh and nod, “my water broke an hour after he left and I couldn’t call him. So I drove myself to the hospital. I didn’t call anyone to come with me. Me and Shane hadn’t figured out a name and I liked the name Colette but he hated it. But I had to give birth alone so damn whatever he wanted. I named her Colette Mae and when he suggested we change it I told him to fuck off.”

“That was the correct response,” Bob smiles, and after a minute, “and I like her name. I like Lettie as a nickname too. It fits her, she fits you.”

“I’m glad you think so.”

He breathes in and then exhales, “you’re amazing. You did amazing.”

His voice is quiet, his tone hesitant. He says it with a sort of esteem that’s usually reserved for the remarkable.

“I did what I could, what I had to. I don’t really think that’s all that impressive.” You sit up, eyes fixed upon him like you hate him for even suggesting you are anything other than what you see yourself to be.

“I couldn’t have done it.” He states simply, “I could barely exist properly without a crutch.”

“Yes but you had other issues. It’s not like your life was perfect and then you decided to become a drug addict.”

“No. It’s worse. Someone made my life miserable and then I used that as a reason to make yours miserable.” His voice is soft and completely void of self pity,

“You weren’t in control.”

“Yeah that… doesn’t help.” His tone drops noticeably.

“Sorry.”

“You shouldn’t be the one saying that.” He mumbles.

“But I am.”

“You always are.” His face is the picture of solemnity. Like he’s standing at trial with a confession, “you are impressive, you are remarkable, you are an angel for ever putting up with me and now for giving me another chance.”

He's so insistent about that that you can’t help but wish you could believe it.

“You are too. Impressive, remarkable, all of that. Incredibly strong too, not just physically.” You say, smiling and reaching over to poke at his biceps. He shakes his head, resigning himself to your disbelief in his words.

“Yeah, yeah. Superpowers.” He grins, pretend flexing to make you smile, “are you hungry?”

“Kind of, what do you wanna grab?” You ask.

“I was just gonna cook som-“

“You, cook?” You laugh and he gives you a look, narrowed eyes and feigned offense, you laugh louder, “I’m sorry, it’s been a long time I’m sure you’ve learned how to cook by now. Despite your previously failed escapades.”

“I’m actually a pretty cook now. I cook dinner for the team a lot. Me or John, we kind of switch off weeks.”

“Like coparents?” You grin and he shakes his head.

“Yes, every other Sunday me and John switch off cooking responsibilities.” He rolls his eyes, standing up and heading into the kitchen to check the fridge and cabinets.

“So you guys do family dinners every Sunday?” You ask, getting up and following him into the kitchen.

“Every Sunday they’re not all on missions, yeah. Team bonding and all.” He shrugs, moving to a different cabinet and clicking his tongue, “but we might have to take a trip to the store.”

“Well then we might as well just pick something up.” You say, leaning back against the counter.

“Nope, I have to prove myself to you now.” He insists, grabbing his keys off the counter and tossing them to you.

“Naturally.” You scoff, grabbing his wallet off the coffee table as he holds out your purse for you.

You drive to the store and he tells you about the book he’s been reading. It’s a book on child psychology, it has essays about nature vs nurture and chapters on how the human brain evolves over childhood and what damage does to it.

When you get to the store you just follow him around with a basket. For a moment you feel 18 again. You’d bought a new apartment and it was just you two and he had been a drug addict for a while but he hadn’t gotten to anything harder yet. It wasn’t until about five months later that he tried Coke for the first time at a stupid house party you spent the rest of your time together cursing.

But for the first few months it was nice, domestic. You laughed a lot, the most you ever had until Lettie was born.

You would cook and Bob would get home just about the time you finished making dinner. You would eat together while watching full house reruns and then he would do the dishes while you showered. You weren’t technically together yet but you both slept in the same bed, so you got ready for bed together. You brushed your teeth side by side every day and something about that small part of your day felt so special to you.

Every now and then Bob turns to put something in the basket and he smiles at you. Not a big grand smile with teeth and a laugh hidden behind it, it’s also not a small smile that’s hiding behind itself.

It’s a perfectly balanced unrehearsed smile, like its impulse, like he can’t help it. And you smile back at him, just happy to have his eyes on you again, drinking in the way he looks when he realizes it’s you, that you’re still there behind him.

The same thing happens when you get back to his place and begin cooking. You sit on the counter and watch him mill around the kitchen and every time he turns around to start looking for what he’s doing next he stops and smiles at you. Every now and then he stops and steps towards you a little.

If you were eighteen and in your apartment again you would reach up and cup his face, ask him if everything was going well and he would place his hands on either side of your thighs and smile and nod his head even though most likely he would have no idea what he’s doing.

But now you both just let the ghost of that reality wash over you, he knows what he would do were this that short time in your lives years ago.

The both of you sit on the couch and eat. Bob made lasagna and garlic bread and, kind of randomly, mashed potatoes.

“With the garlic and the cheese and some of the skin mashed into it the way that you like.” He’d said.

And then you’re here now. You feel like you’re almost in your thirties and you have a kid and you’ve not seen this man since you were a kid, basically.

But it doesn’t feel foreign or awkward or uncomfortable. It feels good, like this is how it always has been and how it was always meant to be.

—————————————————————————————————————

Tag list: @yagurlannastasia

[scowlsnwhiskey]

may I offer another shane doodle 🤲💜

[chiquitin-o]

the stardew valley fair came by and i asked the fortune teller for my future and she said “i see you and shane in a field of grass. you seem happy” and i literally felt myself go like this

[lunajay33]

Suppose to be You

•🖤🍑🏹🧟‍♀️•

Summary: You’re Shane’s girlfriend but when the apocalypse hits you find him changing and find yourself leaning more towards the only person who gives you the time of day, also you’re Rick’s younger sister

Pairing: Shane x f!reader, Daryl Dixon x f!reader

Warning: Shane’s a cheater obvi, harsh words, Merle

•Masterlist•

I first met Shane when my older brother Rick first started bringing him around the house, I never thought much of him but as we got older he started flirting and we only started dating when I turned 22, about a year ago, it’s been fun but then I lost my brother and then the world got taken over by walkers and that leads to now, camped out in a quarry on the outskirts of Atlanta

We took my sister in law, Lori and my nephew with us but after being here for a while Shane’s been treating me differently, like I’m just a burden to him

Sitting around the fire I’m sat across from Shane as he’s right next to Lori, I understand him wanting to console her her husband died, but he was my brother and I’m Shane’s girlfriend I just thought he’d try to console me even just a little

“You alright sweetie?” Dale asks from next to me

“Oh I’m fine thanks for asking though” I smile trying to brush it off but inside I’m hurting deeply like I’m loosing everything

“I think I’m just gonna head to bed early” I say standing up to leave, all Shane did was glance at me before his eyes went back to the fire, Carl got up and gave me a quick hug

“Night auntie y/n” he smiles, he’s always been the sweetest kid

“Night honey” I walk away as the cool of the night started to envelope me, instead of going back to the tent I went down to the quarry shore, I knew how to take care of myself around walkers I just need to be alone

I sat down feeling all the pressure weighing down on my chest, I lost my brother, then the world ends and now my boyfriend treats me like garbage, what else do I have…….whats the point

Finally letting the tears fall I let it all out before I hear branched snapping behind me, I turn nervously wiping the tears away sighing in relief when I realize it’s just Daryl Dixon, thankfully not accompanied by his ass of a brother Merle

“What’re ya doin down here alone” he asks his eyes squinted at me but for some reason he didn’t make me nervous

“Ummm just needed to get away, what’re you doing down here?”

“Just came back from a hunt saw ya down here……wanted ta check on ya”

My heart skipped a beat, something I haven’t felt in a long time now

“Come on let’s get ya ta bed” he huffed motioning back towards the path, it was a silent walk up to the camp but it was a comfortable silence

I got to mine and Shane’s tent when I hear his fast heavy footsteps heading our way

“The hell are you doing alone with Daryl Dixon” he groans gripping my arm and roughly pulling me away from Daryl

“Shane that hurts, he was just keeping me company” I look back at Daryl and I swear if looks could kill Shane would definitely be dead on the ground

“Get lost Dixon, go back to your dick of a brother” Daryl’s eyes landed on mine and I could see them soften before he left, the further the got the more I wanted to run to him instead of being near the person I should be safe with

“The hell were you thinking”

“Like you’d care” I sigh looking down to the ground

“What’re you talking about you’re my girlfriend of course I care”

“I can’t do this right now Shane I just wanna go to bed, I think I’m gonna stay with Carl tonight, Lori can stay with you bet she’ll love that” I brush him off and walk past him to the smaller tent Carl and Lori stayed in, thankfully they were still out so I could just finally have a moment of peace

How could I feel more peace and safety around a redneck man that I barely know, than my boyfriend I’ve known almost my whole life

I quickly drifted off to sleep welcoming the darkness

•

I woke up early the next morning to the subtle chirping of birds, I quietly left the tent trying not to wake up a still sleeping Carl

Looking around there wasn’t anyone up yet so I went at sat at the camp fire that still had some embers burning

“Hey, what’re ya doing up so early” I hear next to me seeing it’s Daryl again, usually he’d have a snippy attitude with the others in the camp but lately he’s been nice to me and I honestly didn’t care why I just needed someone to cheer me up

“Just couldn’t sleep much I guess, I’ve got a lot on my mind” I say poking at the fire

“Here” he grunted handing me a granola bar he must’ve gotten from his stash

“Thanks”

Then he was gone dissapearing through the thick tree line most likely going for a hunt again

Slowly people started to filter out of their tents and start getting ready for the day, I see Shane making his way towards me with his typical scowl that he never use to use towards me, I look away and turn my back to him

“Have you calmed down since last night” I scoff looking up at him as he towered over me trying to scare me asserting his dominance

“Just leave me alone, you only act like I matter when someone else is giving me attention, tell me do you even love me anymore?” He paused for a moment before answering

“Of course you just gotta stop being selfish I’m trying to console a grieving widow”

“Yeah well he was my brother Shane, did you forget that, just get away from me” I brush past him going towards the trees for some peace and quiet but when I’m deeper in the woods I feel him behind me squeezing my shoulder and he pushes me against a tree

“Shane what are you doing let me go”

“You better watch your mouth don’t forget who saved you when all this started” now he’s trying to guilt trip me

“I could’ve made it on my own, I probably would’ve been happier alone” he raised his hand before a bow zipped between us landing on the tree next to us

“You touch her like that again don’t think I would beat your ass down” Daryl growled coming closer taking my hand and putting me behind him as he stared down Shane

“You think you could take me Dixon, you may be a filthy redneck but don’t think I won’t take YOU”

“Shane just go away, why don’t you go check on poor Lori” I say holding onto Daryl’s arm tighter out of fear, a fear I’ve never felt around Shane before

He huffed before tromping off back towards the camp, when he was far enough away I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding as I let all the emotions flood me

“God Daryl I’m so sorry to get you mixed in this, I don’t…..I don’t know why he’s like this, he never us to treat me like this and I’m…..I’m scared to be around him now” he takes both my shoulders in his hands and makes me face him gently

“It ain’t yer fault peach, I’ve been around my share of angry men and he’s a ticking time bomb, ya can’t be stay around him”

“If you can’t tell I don’t have no where else to go” my chest felt like it had a thousand bricks on it

“Ya can stay next ta me, we got an extra tent”

“Are you sure, what about Merle won’t he be mad”

“I can deal with that grump, come on let’s get ya settled” I’ve never heard Daryl speak so much but I can’t complain he’s like my saviour right now

•

We got the little tent sat up next to him that was a bit further away from the others but I didn’t care much, the further I am from Shane the better

“Thanks for all this Daryl” I say as we both finally settle down around the fire he sat up since night was falling

“Look at this, my lil bro got himself some tail” Daryl was cut of before he could speak by Merle’s grating voice as he plopped down across from us at the fire

“Merle give it up”

“She staying here now, good ta know we got some action right next door” he grins that sends unsettling chills down my spine

“I’m not doing that Merle for the thousandth time, I just needed some space”

“Finally figured out yer cop boyfriend is cheatin on ya?” My heart stopped, suddenly everything made sense, why he always stayed with Lori, why they’d both dissapear at the same time, why Lori could barely look me in the eyes

“Oh my god I feel so stupid how did I not notice I must look so pathetic to everyone” I groan as I drop my head in my hands

“He dont deserve ya, he’s the pathetic one” Daryl said softly as I heard Merle’s steps retreating into his tent, Daryl must’ve shooed him off

“You know why my brother first got shot I was a mess, couldn’t leave his side I was always so filled with anxiety I was basically wasting away but one day Shane convinced me to take a day to myself so I did, I went home and cleaned up and everything, the next thing I know Shane is busting in dragging me to the truck telling me everyone is dropping like flies and my brothers dead, then suddenly he treats me like a piece of trash, only Lori mattered, and…..he almost hit me today, that’s not the man I knew something’s wrong with him, sure he’s always been a bit hot tempered but this is different and all I can think about is……what is he comes after me again but no one’s there to help me” I sigh finally letting everything off my chest

“Ya ain’t goin no where alone anymore, I’ll protect ya” he said gently placing a hand on my back for a moment before it was gone again

“I can’t ask that of you, I’m not your problem”

“Believe it or not, yer the only person in this camp that doesn’t drive me up the wall, I’d like ta keep ya around a lil longer” he smiled as his words cheered me up a bit, I’ve never seen him genuinely smile and it’s making me feel all light headed

“Let’s head to bed……it’s been a long day” I stand up heading to my little tent as he did his next to mine

“Night D”

“Night Peach” his gaze stayed on me for a moment longer before he entered his tent, only making me think what life would be like if I had met Daryl first maybe I’d me happier

•

Part.2<-

[bitedownforblood]

fic recs !!!

this is a collection of some fics i have read over the past few years that i feel should be shared with others (fair warning, there is 18+ content here)! this list will be continously updated as much as possible.

i would like to give a HUGE thank you to these amazing authors, you are all so talented and i am so grateful for these fics.

last updated: 14/07/2025

STRANGER THINGS

eddie munson x reader

simmer by @upsidedownwithemmy (this is my number ONE!!!)

summary: welcome to hawkins’ number one diner! where the staff don’t wanna be there and the linecook is a grumpy metal head who likes to argue with his boss and ignore everyone else. but the new waitress can’t hack the rude customers and the regulars can be a little… much. (18+)

truly by @caxde

summary: you and eddie are best friends, oblivous to each others' feelings until someone helps you realise.

THE LAST OF US

ellie williams x reader

invisible string by @elleloquently

summary: college!ellie au x reader

abby anderson x reader

this is about bio, right? by @rhyrhy

summary: you just needed a tutor. you didn’t expect abby anderson, loser of the year, to get under your skin.

joel miller x reader

honey, stomach, mine by @netherfeildren

summary: existence is a needful thing. choice is fickle, nature inescapable. run to the end of the world, joel, all those things will still find you. she'll still come for you or the a/b/o outbreak au. (18+)

YELLOWJACKETS

nat scatorccio x reader

casual by @letorip

summary: you and nat have been hooking up, but it seems the label of "no attachment" just seems to hurt you both. (18+)

part 1 part 2 part 3

a fractured line by @natsredbra

summary: after your boyfriend breaks up with you, you find solace in your sworn enemy (and realize that obsessing over a girl for years isn't very straight of you). (18+)

part 1 part 2

shauna shipman x reader

the butcher by @wandas-darling

summary: a series of events in which your relationship with shauna develops while you're out in the wilderness. a certain spark ignites after you share a kiss and it turns out that as much Shauna liked using her knife on you, she likes seeing it in your hands just as much. (18+)

jackie taylor x reader

take me like you do in your dreams by @rhiannonsknife

summary: secretly hooking up with jackie taylor. (18+)

THE BEAR

carmy berzatto x reader

the bear and the beehive by @nicksolemnlyswears

summary: in which carmy falls for the sweet café owner that supplies him with endless americanos. (18+)

the bear and the bean by @starryeyedstories

summary: after breaking up with your awful ex, you follow your dream of opening a little coffee shop in chicago. falling in love with the chef who owns the restaurant down the street, however, was not part of the plan.

THE WALKING DEAD

daryl dixon x reader

is it better to speak or to die? by @xwritingdixonx

summary: after being rescued from woodbury by rick's group, you struggle with living a "normal" life in the walls of the prison. the trauma's inflicted on you at the hands of the governor drag you to the deepest depths. a certain archer is the onyl one who can drag you back out.

ARCANE

sevika x reader

new look by @sunflowerwinds

summary: your girlfriend surprises you with a new haircut and piercing while your babysitting isha for the night. with her new arm missing, sevika adapts to one arm. being as caring as you were, you try to help her as often as possible.

BALDUR'S GATE THREE

gale dekarios x reader

to admit everything by @meownotgood

summary: several months after your adventure's conclusion, gale invites you to visit his tower in waterdeep — and finally, he finds the courage to admit his feelings for you. (18+) ( (

downpour by @sorceresssundries

summary: after so long trapped in the shadow-cursed lands, tav basks in the delight of feeling the rain on her skin. (18+)

STARDEW VALLEY

shane x reader

just the worst by @Ham_Hocks (over on ao3!)

summary: shane's not too keen on any resident of pelican town, but the new farmer in town deserves special credit for drawing his ire in a new way. but as the months progress, an unlikely friendship grows between them, and shane will eventually have to decide whether or not he can really open up to her. (18+)

DATE EVERYTHING

cam x reader

white trash by @cheriechapstick (over on ao3!)

summary: basically… cam abandoned you after you realized him. he comes back every so often, you always get mad, but… let him hit anyway because he’s hot. (18+)

eddie/volt x reader

power dynamics by @sugxto

summary: eddie watts x volt x reader one shots. (18+)

[babiebom]

bachelors and their weird kinks/turn ons perhaps 👀

A/N: it took a LOT for me to find weird things that arent gross(literally shit or dead people sorry if you’re into these) and even then I don’t even think these are weird but there’s only so many sites that I can go on to find weird kinks or even kinks in general. Fun fact there’s a kink for watching people fall down the stairs!! Keep in mind I’m talking about these fetishes and kinks from my own memory from looking them up lmao.

Tw:nsfw like all of it, cursing etc let me know if I should tag anything else!!

Bc: at least 4 for each? One for what the kink is and one for the explanation?

Stardew Valley Masterlist

Sebastian

Dacryphilia the kink or fetish for watching or causing someone to cry(positive or negative). A kink for tears if you will

I don’t know if I’ve talked about this before (I might’ve?) but dude has a major crying kink. Like he needs to make you cry while having sex. In this instance it’s a good crying. Like from how good his dick feels inside you. How good it feels when he moves, when he touches you. It’s like overstimulation but the crying is the main thing he wants.

Somnophilia the kink or fetish for having sex with someone while they’re asleep.

AGAIN this is all consensual but he likes the way you look when you’re asleep. You’re fully content and relaxed, no troubles or worries. He just wants to make you feel even better to send you to a new level of paradise. And the way that you are free in your reactions instead of holding everything back. All of your sounds and the way you move…it just gets him off in a different way.

Sam

Katoptronophilia the kink or fetish for watching yourself or others have sex in a mirror

I think this kink more so has to do with his partner. I do think he would get off with watching you or him fucking you in a mirror. Like you both can see your own faces and it’s just hot how you can see how good he’s making you feel and the other way around. It’s like his recordings kink but in real time.

Claustrophilia the kink or fetish for tight spaces literally the opposite of claustrophobia

I think he would like the whole stuck in a small closet together thing or the whole (if you’ve seen kdramas bc this is the only time I’ve seen it) hiding from someone in a tight space and being forced to be close or touching.

Shane

Shibari the fetish or kink of Japanese bondage. It’s more artistic than regular bondage and can sometimes be nonsexual(meaning it can just be for the act of being tied/tying someone up)

I do think Shane might have a artistic side to him, he loves his blue chickens and even though he hasn’t particularly shown that he likes art I think he’d appreciate this form. Like yeah it has bdsm tones and he likes that, but he likes the time taken to tie you up, the time it takes to make the ropes look pretty on you. It gets the both of you riled up so the sex might be more passionate.

Electrostimulation the fetish or kink to being stimulated or stimulating someone with electricity

Oh dude is definitely a sadomasochist. He wants to shock you, he wants to be shocked (partially because he wants to feel something other than mental and emotional pain). It’s never so much that it hurts too much but it’s a little stinging sensation that he can’t get enough of.

Harvey

Quirofilia the kink or fetish for hands, but well taken care of/pretty hands

Oh I think Harvey HAS to take of his hands. As a doctor I think he would be happy if someone complemented how soft his hands were or how clean they looked. And on the other hand(heheheh) he would appreciate how nice your hands look, how soft they feel, how good they feel when touching him.

Breeding/Pregnancy the kink or fetish for pregnant people or getting someone pregnant. It has nothing to do with the child itself but the person carrying the child.

NGL I think once you two come to an agreement about pregnancy(in this case you agree to start trying for kids) Harvey is absolutely going to go batshit insane with this new development. Before he would’ve never said that this is something he’s into but once you two agree he’s so pumped up and actually starts talking dirty if he didn’t before. It’s crazy how different he is during this time.

Alex

Anasteemaphilia the kink or fetish for extreme size differences so either a giant or a dwarf(I hope this word isn’t offensive it’s what the website used)

Dude would NEVER reveal this but actually would love a giant girlfriend. I think because of the lowkey misogynistic views he has he would like a bigger woman and a smaller man. He would LOVE lady dimitrescu from resident evil. Like bffr.

Food Play the kink or fetish of involving food during intercourse so either eating it off each other or involving it in some way

Oh absolutely would love to eat food off of you and would want you to lick stuff off of him. Like whipped cream and chocolate syrup are MUSTS if you’re having a particularly long night. He thinks it’s so erotic to eat and consume stuff off of each other that don’t really have anything to do with sex.

Elliott

Psellismophilia the kink or fetish for stuttering

One of the weird ones I found. I think he would think it’s cute and if you do have a stutter or happen to stutter when you’re nervous he’s going to have such a confidence booster because of it. Like YES keep stumbling over your words and stuttering it actually is cute to him and he feels like he’s in a book or a movie or something.

Podophilia the kink or fetish for feet

I think this one is obvious? I think he’d prefer beautiful people and that includes feet. In a lot of erotic movies and books and even in romance books feet have some sort of importance to them. Whether it’s used to dominate someone or to pleasure someone he likes beautiful feet. He wants you to step on him(not in a rough way) and tbh I could see him wanting to recreate the scene in that one tarentino(is this his name) movie where he casts himself in the role that drinks I think alcohol from that woman’s food after it runs down her leg.

[glossykissies]

Yearning for more Shane x bunny x puppy :3. Bunny and puppy making bad decisions around camp and Shane has to fix their mistakes perchance

they always kind of loved getting in trouble with shane on a slow day. it helped passed the time. ໒꒰ྀི ˃ ∩∩ ˂ ꒱ྀི১

he’s got them leaned up against a fence, stood infront of the two guilty girls with his hands clasped at his front, gait wide.

“i told you walkin’ around like this ain’t right. it ain’t safe and it’s — this is hershel’s property alright y’cant just—”

he drones on, as bun n’pup attempt to keep the giddy grins off their faces. they’d gotten a hold of a bunch of bikini tops and had decided to walk around the farm wearing the tops with tiny denim shorts to accompany (which shane was certain they’d manually cut to be even shorter than they originally were) pup had chosen one that was blue gingham, whilst bunny was bouncing around in a pink number that was clearly a size too small. it was a real display.

“but it’s hot!” pup whines, earning a giggle from the other girl who clings to her arm happily and shane licks his lips in frustration, stepping up to the girls and gripping pups jaw gently.

“you ain’t gonna interrupt me when i’m talking, yeah? s’aint the playboy mansion you girls oughta change into something a little more appropriate alright? go on, go.” he lets go, pulling them both gently off the fence and sending them off with a soft slap to each of their asses as they pass him on the way back to their tent.

he knew he was way too soft on them, scrubbing a hand over his buzzed head as he watches them trot off happily. he’d hoped they’d atleast done a little sulking when he eventually traipsed after them to check in, instead finding them rolling around unclothed in the tent, worked up from shane’s little scolding.

“christ, just can’t keep your clothes on huh?” he sighs, defeated in the doorway watching them rut into eachothers glossy mounds.

“d’ddy s’not fair — we didn’t know you were comin’” bunny tries, drunk with lust as she flutters her eyelashes up at him from her hunched position, tits pressed to her less concerned partner.

“yeah well— guess we gotta have another talk when we’re done here.” he dismisses, no longer denying himself the pleasure as he makes quick work of removing his belt, tossing it aside to pull his hardening cock from his jeans and staring the girls down, approaching as he pumps himself.

they continue to hump away at the encouragement, shane’s tongue between his lips as he watches, occasionally chiming in with a disapproving tsk and a comment to the likes of “bad ass girls, i swear.”

the rolling of bun’s hips as she works her cunt against pups are stilled violently when she feels shane shove her forward, hand on her back as she falls chest to chest with pup with a squeal, the man skilfully slotting his cock between their aching slits, instructing them to grind once more. “cant let you have all the fun. y’all pissed me off after all.”

[sashiavi]

ahahdheuth i can’t stop thinking about shane and just like a completely oblivious farmer who doesn’t get his (pathetic) attempts at flirting and just think he’s being nice even though they want him too.. . and all he can do is jerk off at home because he is a LOSER. ugh i love shane so diddly darn much.

I love Shane sm in every form <33 - 400 words -

Shane, who was so used to pushing everybody away, with a scowl on his face and a curse under his breath, he had gotten used to the self-induced solitude.

You'd come along and break down the walls he'd built brick by brick, doting on him with words of comfort and friendship - It was easy for him to fall into something deeper.

Flirting was a big step for him! It wasn't his fault it came off in friendly gestures and small talk - He wasn't barking at you to 'Fuck Off', what else did you need?

He could only offer up a hand on the farm so many times, or cheers a pint to your own glass before he downed it- How many frozen Pizzas from the Joja backroom would it take for you to see it?

Ohh, its frustrating. Feeling the burn of a hug on his form, every touch you made on him imprinted into his skin; The brush of your shoulders to his bicep as he walked you home, the clumsy goodbye hug that had you patting a soft and friendly tap to his back, the brush of your hands as you hand him his jacket, offered up to beat the night breeze now unneeded inside of your cozy cabin.

Shane won't admit how quick his steps were back home, or the way he nearly kicked a stack of firewood outside his door, or the way he ripped his jacket off and huffed it while he fisted at his cock-

His tip weeps, cries up pathetic pearls of pre as he inhales the remnants of your perfume and shampoo embedded into the threads of his ratty jacket- A stark difference to the stale musk that lingered in the old material.

He groans a low nose, muffled by the material, saliva pooling under his tongue with an urge to bite and suckle the fabric. Yoba, fuck, he felt pathetic, the burn of your body ingrained in his mind, hips rolling into his fist, brow scrunched tight as he makes a mess all over himself. He spills into his hand, onto his gut, the spunky spatter dribbling down his knuckles with the last few strokes he makes.

He uses the jacket to clean himself up, smearing his hand over the material, glossing it up with his release, scowling at himself before the poor thing is tossed across the room.

Fuck, he felt like a Loser.

[calccite]

Could I please ask for some headcanons about Shane with a female reader? I'd love something that focuses on Shane's experience of transitioning from friendship to romance, especially with a reader who's been glued to him like gum from the very beginning—full of energy and bubbly, who's had a crush on him since day one. I’d really like to hear your thoughts on how it would feel for Shane to gradually fall for someone who's clearly trying to win him over with 'subtlety'!"

𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞

©: ⱽⁱⁿˡᵃⁿᵈ ˢᵃᵍᵃ

At first, if you're good friends with Shane, chances are you often have late-night talks with him by the lakeside, feet dipped in the water while you two vent about work or some mundane things about life. Those evenings with him under the stars began to catch up on him as he starts to notice how you happened to smile a lot when you reminisced on how cute the chickens, he helped deliver to your farm. When you held his rough calloused hands? Oh-- How dizzy he felt around you despite being sure he was sober.

Although Shane just tries to shove down the feelings blossoming for you, he finally reminds himself that someone as sweet as you shouldn't be weighed down by a man with plenty of baggage. In conclusion, while Shane is aware he's beginning to fall in love with you, he denies himself the privilege of pursuing something past friendship, because you're too good for him. He doesn't want to burden and he's sure of himself you'd be "disgusted that someone like him" wants to romance you-- Shane assumes you would immediately reject him anyways. 

But to his surprise, when it ends up being you who courts him, he thinks flies flew into his mouth already because honestly,,, he’s left speechless. Shane denied himself of wanting to be with you for so long that he can’t help but ask if you’re genuinely sure. Be adamant that you do, because Shane feels like he’s dreaming. Hold his rough hands, grin up at him sweetly, show him you feel safe around him and he’s yours.

Now those late nights under the night sky just turn to you seeing him looking at you lovingly, like you’re the stars themselves. Days turned to months of you frequently being around him, kissing and pawing at his arm to give you another kiss. Months to some years, with him saving up some cash to wait for a rainy evening at the beach to buy you a pendant and maybe for a ring on your finger– Little did he know, you already have the first part covered, stashed in your drawer. :)

((Reblogs and likes are appreciated<3))

[s0urlemone]

A night ☾ - Stardew Valley headcanon

About what happens when you don’t play for a long time, but it’s soft.

Warning! there’s typos probably don’t judge me

I’ve read many stories and hcs about what happens in Pelican Town when you, the player, don’t touch the game for a long time - the panic that fills all the inhabitants when they realise the farmer they’ve grown to love so much has suddenly disappeared leaving no trace, clothes covered in dirt still in the dresser and all their belongings intact all over their little house that Robin has spent so much time restoring for them. They might’ve left a spouse behind, too, and said spouse can’t accept their sudden departure. Is it their fault? Were they not good enough for you? The thought of Shane starting to drink again or Alex bitterly wondering if he’s destined to be miserable as his father loved to remind him is heartbreaking.

But my headcanon is a little softer, wholesome even.

When you pick up the game in the morning, after saving it just a couple of hours prior, you wake up in your bed with your spouse by your side, ready to start a new day, to feed your animals and scratch your kitties’ ears, to water the crops and gallop through the city to help your neighbours with their quests.

So I imagine that when you’re not playing, it’s simply nighttime.

An endless night where your spouses can snuggle up with the farmer. Where they can share whispered, soft little secrets in the cozy sheets, the fireplace crackling in the background. A night to dance with Emily in front of the jukebox, her laughter filling the living room as she swirls around with her “two-left-feet” spouse. You stop twirling around only when you place your lips on hers to distract her from your lack of skill, both of you smiling into the kiss. Or to hear Elliott’s soothing voice read his latest writing - and he always gets a little bit nervous about it, even though he knows he’s in a safe space and you would never judge him or his work in an offensive manner. He keeps you with your head on his stomach as he sits up straight in bed, his fingers running through your hair.

A night where you and Maru sit out under the porch, a fuzzy blanket over your shoulders and a cup of scorching coffee to warm up your hands and keep you from falling asleep after 2 am as she regulates her telescope to watch the stars with you. Where Leah, sitting at the kitchen table in silence as you do the dishes, draws a quick sketch of your side profile - she does that a lot lately - in the golden light of the lamp, the colour of your eyes making her heart skip a beat every time.

A night where Sebastian can hold his sleepy spouse on his lap as he finishes working on a project for his demanding client, his left hand lazily stroking your back as you rest your head on his shoulder. He loves to place kisses on your forehead, so soft that it seems like a butterfly has just brushed your skin with its wings. Where you and Alex share a tray of fresh baked cookies, a new recipe from his grandmother, as you binge watch a show on the tv - you usually try to keep the television out of the bedroom, but sometimes you two can get so lazy he just brings in the one you keep in the living room so you can snuggle up under the sheets.

A night where Hailey sits on your lap, wearing one of your “dirty” shirts, as she grumbles about the fact you don’t take care of your skin enough, her soft, pretty hands applying creams on your face as you try to steal a kiss every now and then, only to be reprimanded - and then, eventually, granted what you want. Where Harvey timidly massages your sore shoulders, his strong, delicate hands lingering a couple of seconds more because he loves the sweet intimacy of the moment you’re sharing. And he loves when you finally get to relax, because he gets to relax too when he’s not worrying and fussing over your recklessness.

A night where Penny asks you advices about what topic she should teach Vincent and Jas next, her auburn locks out of her ponytail as you massage her scalp and run your fingers through it to help her relax a little. She leans back and places her head against your belly, the sight of you in the vanity mirror making her blush. Or where you and Abigail make a mess in the bathroom because you’re trying to dye her hair of a new shade of purple where the roots are starting to grow in a lovely brown colour. The problem is, you can’t stop sharing kiss after kiss and now your clothes are full of dye, too.

A night where Sam gets to rest on your chest, lulled by the soothing rhythm of your breathing. He can’t help but crack jokes in the dark, but as the night gets deeper, he finds himself completely engulfed into your warmth, the comfort you radiate making him finally feel safe. And Shane finds that same comfort in your embrace, your arms like an indestructible shield from all the shadows of his past. He’s like a scared cat into your arms, searching for your touch, in a night so endless he will never be afraid again.

I love the angst too, but I am feeling really emotional lately and I wanted to share something soft. 💗

[latenightyearner]

Hi could you do like a little angsty story where sombr (Shane) comes back from tour and they aren’t as close but then it like ends in fluff , also have a good day!

hiiii!!! i wrote this kinda fast, so i hope you guys like it! lmk if there's any mistakes!

sombr x gn!reader

warnings: angst, over-exhaustion, crying

WC: ~900

It had been about two months since you last saw Shane. He had been pursuing his music career on tour across the country. You wanted to go with him, but you are in college. You guys facetimed when you could and texted all day, but you still could not help but feel a drift between the two of you. You didn’t know this, but Shane felt the same way. You both love best when you are together in person, it has just been so long since you last kissed your wonderful boyfriend. You were excited about him finally coming home. Unfortunately, he was coming home pretty late at night, so you would be asleep upon his arrival.

You woke up breathless, sitting up in the middle of the night. You heard some stirring around downstairs. Shane must be home! You got out of bed, yawning and rubbing your eyes as you went downstairs.

You heard sounds coming from the laundry room, where you found Shane on his knees in front of his luggage, nervously scratching the back of his neck.

“Hey, baby,” you said quietly, not to startle him.

He looked up at you from his bags and gave you a tired smile, “Hey, babe.”

Shane looked kind of rough. Handsome, of course, but rough. He looked like he had not slept in days. He had dark circles under his eyes, his movements were lethargic, and he did not seem focused. You weren’t gonna lie; his dry hello to you made your stomach drop.

He looked back at his luggage and started taking some of his clothes out and putting them in the laundry basket next to him.

“Honey, this can wait for the morning,” you told him, walking closer and putting a hand on his shoulder.

“No, I wanna do this right now. It’s driving me crazy,” he replied, with a sharp tone to his voice.

Your brows furrowed. You sat next to him, where you could see his face better, “Hey, are you okay?” you asked, running your hand down his back.

He looked away from you and did not answer. You felt his body shake slightly.

“Please talk to me,” you said.

He shook his head, continuing to look away from you. You took your other hand and grabbed his jaw to pull his face into view. Your heart sank at the sight of his eyes filled to the brim with tears, fighting for his life, not to let them fall.

“Oh, Shane…” you said, engulfing him in a hug.

Once in your arms, he let the flood gates go and started fully sobbing. His cries were desperate and filled with pent-up stress. His arms reached up and grabbed onto your shirt, his fists balling up the cotton material. You rubbed his back and whispered sweet words into his ears, trying to get him to catch his breath.

A few minutes have passed. Your boyfriend was still crying into your frame. He had calmed down a little since the initial sobs escaped from him.

“I- I’m sorry, Y/N,” he gasped out.

“Shhhh, baby, don't apologize,” you comforted him. “Can I see you?”

He lifted his head. His cheeks were stained with tears, and his face hung in exhaustion.

“Do you wanna tell me what’s wrong?” you asked, keeping your hands on his as a reminder of comfort, and so he wouldn’t fidget with his rings and nails.

He took a deep breath to ground himself a little, “I am just… so tired. I- I had fun on tour, but just coming home really brought out all the exhaustion. I also feel like… we have drifted a little since I’ve been gone, and I’m afraid of losing you. Please, God, I can’t lose you,” he sighed as more tears rolled down his face.

You traced circles on his hands with your thumbs and gave him a reassuring smile, “Aww, sweetheart, I think you are over-tired from touring and not getting a proper night of rest. Your feelings are valid, and I am so glad you shared them with me. And, you are never gonna lose me. I love you so much! You are always safe with me!” You moved one of your hands to his face and wiped his falling tears.

Shane leaned into your touch and closed his eyes, as more stray tears fell. You wiped them up and gave him and sweet kiss.

“Do you wanna come up to bed and cuddle?” you whispered after unlinking lips.

He nodded and let out a yawn. You stood up first and held out a hand for him to grab on to. He stood up and started following you up the stairs and into your shared bedroom.

You both flopped down on the bed and gravitated toward each other. Shane rested his head in the crook of your neck and let out a sigh, his body finally relaxing into the warmth of your body.

You two lay there for a while, soaking up each other’s love.

“I love you, Shane,” you said, turning your head to place a light kiss on his head.

He mumbled out an “I love you” back, making you smile.

You know he fell fully asleep moments later, when you felt his entire weight give out on top of you and his breathing slow.

You were happy that you had your boy back, and he was happy to be lying with you again. Souls intertwining.

MASTERLIST

[junicult]

!! showering w the bachelors for the first time

contains ; mostly fluff. fem!farmer. some suggestive parts. making out. newly established relationships. nsfw in sebastian’s, implied in shane’s & alex’s. afab!farmer. brief mention of fingering. not proofread, will later.

note ; i intended for this to be entirely sfw i swear

harvey.

- the honeymoon phase.

- where he doesn’t even live with you, yet he’s at your house nearly every night, or sometimes vise versa.

- when he uses your stove (with permission) to make you both dinner to share after you’ve finished work.

- where you’re still so in love all you wanna do is gaze into each others eyes and kiss until you can’t breathe.

- that’s exactly what kind of phase you’re in.

- and it’s been a long time since he’s been in that phase.

- you sorta have a whole routine atp.

- whenever he comes over, you make it a plan to wrap up work quickly & spend the evening with him,

- which is why you felt so guilty when you lost track of time, backpack full of rocks and geodes you couldn’t wait for clint to break open the next morning.

- when you glanced down at your watch, you nearly jumped ten feet in the air like a cartoon lmfao

- and you’ll definitely regret running up the ladder one level before you reached another button on the elevator—but right now, you weren’t even focused on that.

- by the time you made it back to your house, a mere two hours after you told harvey you’d be back, it was pitch-black outside.

- thankfully, he didn’t leave. instead, he stood scrubbing the dishes clean, before whipping around at the sudden swing of your front door.

- “harvey! i’m so sorry, i lost track of ti—“

- “oh thank yoba you’re okay,” he sighs, (u already know he wanted to call someone to check up on u but he didn’t want to seem controlling😭😭)

- and he didn’t waste a second to meet you at the door, scanning you just to see if you were injured.

- “i’m fine, i’m fine, just got way too distracted. did you make dinner? did you have to eat alone?? oh, i’m so so sorry i didn’t mean to—“

- ur word vomit is making him fall in love with you even more. two peas in a pod🫶🫶

- then it’s just back and forth of you constantly questioning and reassuring each other for a few moments.

- “but you made such a nice meal for me, and i kept you waiting, i just—i’m so sorry—“

- “sweetheart, it’s okay, i’m not mad,” he almost chuckles, holding you close.

- as soon as he established you’re not hurt or injured, he’s no longer stressed.

- he understands what it’s like getting carried away at work, so who is he to ever be mad at you for that?

- after you ate and assured him you were fine, that’s when you mentioned it.

- “i’m pretty dirty from the mines, i was gonna shower. make up for lost time with me?”

- his mind doesn’t inherently go to sexual things.

- honestly, he was just excited you wanted to.

- he also doesn’t give a fuck that he took a shower earlier. he just wants to spend time with you lol.

- although ik he’s all organized and has like a little routine where you both keep taking turns under the spray LMFAO

- like you get in first, rinse yourself off, then switch with him while you soap yourself up, switch & rinse, switch and apply shampoo, switch, etc, you get it.

- it’s so fucking funny LMAO.

- but the entire time you’re making casual conversation, some little comments about how much you missed each other, things like that.

- he loves how you look in the shower. not even bc ur naked, it’s just a vulnerable way to see the person you love, and there’s nothing sexual in the way he’s looking at you.

- even when you tug on his neck to pull him down for a kiss, he’s just swooning over your affections.

- unless the implication, or intention of sex came before the shower…he’s probably not approaching anything with that.

- it’s a completely different story if you’ve had a ton of tension all day,

- constantly making passing remarks that make his palms sweat, but unable to go any further because of your busy day,

- and you leave him all hot and bothered until you come home in the evening, and ask him to join you in the shower.

- that’s when he forgets all about the little routine.

sam.

- ah, the start to ur most important routine.

- honestly, i feel like you were the one who started it all.

- the whole, “every time you shower, we shower together” thing.

- at least, that’s what it becomes once you move in together. but before that, anytime he was over & you needed to shower, he’d totally join in.

- it’s not even sexual. there’s only like a 30% chance you’ll end up having sex, or even just do foreplay whenever you shower together.

- he’s just so clingy, and he craves the closeness after he realized how much he enjoyed you being there the first time.

- you both were quietly laying together, watching the tv wordlessly, just enjoying each others company after you two decided he should spend the night.

- which then prompted in him asking, “do you think i could use the shower? i smell bad.” he frowns after taking a whiff of his arm.

- you giggle. “i think you smell good, but go ahead. i don’t have your soap, though.”

- like he could care lmfao.

- “thanks!” he just grins, hopping on his feet and giving you a little kiss on the forehead before he skips off.

- you give it like 5 minutes before you decide u miss him too much (attachment issues😞)

- “sam…y’think you got room for two in there?” you knock before creeping the door open.

- he peeks his shampoo’d head from behind the shower curtain. “you wanna come in?”

- “is that okay?”

- u might’ve just asked him to marry you.

- his whole face lights up, grinning wide and opening the curtain wider as he steps to the side. “the more the merrier!”

- he doesn’t even care ur naked. there’s nothing sexual running through his mind, he’s just excited you’re standing with him rn. now he doesn’t have to rush to go see you.

- he even steps to the side to give you the chance to soak your hair under the spray.

- it’s easily just a little awkward at first.

- you’ve had sex before, that’s not why it’s awkward,

- only because it’s the first time you two are seeing each other completely naked without any intention of sexual advancement. not that it would be such a burden if you did, but neither of you want to.

- while you drench your hair, he can’t help but smile lovingly at the sight of water droplets all over your skin.

- he could easily be thinking about how much fun it’d be to have sex right here, but he’s too focused on how this might actually be his favorite thing you’ve ever done together.

- like minutes of silence pass, nothing but the water running and he’ll just lean in and press a kiss on your temple or shoulder.

- it’s not bc he’s trying to hint at something,

- he just wanted to do it, and he doesn’t really overthink the things he wants to do.

- but the affection makes you smile, and by how pure it was, it doesn’t send any false messages.

- it really doesn’t last that long. probably about 15 minutes of you both washing off and short displays of affection.

- yet it clung to you both so well, that it just became the routine you never skipped out on.

shane.

- it definitely just happened naturally.

- ur relationship at first was strictly sexual.

- to the rest of the town, no one even knew you guys even spoke. which, to be fair, there wasn’t much talking between u two anyways💀💀

- but i wanna say that was only for a couple weeks.

- it was still super slow and progressive. your conversations went from short & passing, to getting to know each other a little more. but the sex was still there.

- it went from instead of him leaving right after you finished, you’d stay up and talk for a couple hours.

- to waking up together, to spending the day together, etc etc.

- now ur relationship was approaching friends w benefits category. except it was unspoken, but neither of you wanted to be friends at this point.

- despite all of this, you’ve still never showered together.

- until you spent the whole day working outside. you feel gross, sticky, and sweaty. he just so happened to stick around after you started working.

- ur checking in on your animals he just follows you lol.

- before u both knew it, the sun was coming down and he spent the whole day helping you.

- the thing was, neither of you wanted to mention it. you were both nervous even bringing it up would spark the implication of wanting him to leave.

- which was not the case.

- not to mention, he’s a huge help. when u passed him ur axe to chop down trees, you almost couldn’t look away 🤷‍♀️

- so after you’ve finished, sun starting to set and sweat dripping from your temples—he’s still standing with you.

- “i feel gross, i’m gonna shower.” you frown, plucking your clothes away from your sticky skin.

- ofc he’s thinking it.

- but he doesn’t have time to make a sly comment before you shoot one over your shoulder, “there’s room for two, y’know.”

- say no more, he’s following close behind you throwing off his shirt.

- “thought you said there was room for two, there’s hardly room for one.” he snorts, squeezing himself beside you in the cramped space.

- “oh c’mon, you’ve never had a problem with making it fit.”

- he’s gonna lose his mind.

- u don’t really waste any time LMFAO

- drenching your hair under the spray before you look over at him,

- and you both just lean in cus it’s unspoken, but obvious you guys aren’t in there just to shower.

- he’s quick to slotting his hands at the small of your back, while you wrap yours around his neck and press yourself against him.

- …not much showering gets done, i’ll just say that.

sebastian.

- i feel like sebastian spends more nights at your house then he does at his own at this point.

- he’s not the type to get super attached very easily, even getting to the step of sleeping together took a while.

- but after it happened, he found your little cottage so comfortable. he liked waking up to you in the morning, and falling asleep in your arms at night.

- the only reason he goes home is to work.

- and the minute he finishes up, he heads back over.

- honestly, if he could pack up his computer and leave it at your house, then he’d never leave—which is probably why you made it clear he can’t do that.

- your relationship is already committed.

- i don’t really think he’d wanna sleep with you if hadn’t discussed a romantic relationship.

- anyways, i feel like bc of this, he’s already showered at your place lol.

- you were too busy to ask, and he knew you wouldn’t mind, so he just jumped in and took a quick shower.

- hours after you already started your chores for the day, he woke up & just sniffed his shirt and winced a little.

- he also did some laundry (for your sake).

- so then it kinda just became a, “hey, do you mind if i take a quick shower?” while you were preoccupied.

- sometimes you’d be the one to ask. like if you were lying together, on your bed in your house, you’d turn to him and say the same thing.

- it never rly occurred to either of u that you could knock out two birds with one stone🤷‍♀️

- one evening you were exhausted. you smelled horrible, you could already tell. you had spent nearly the entire day down in the mines, just covered in dirt and rubble, stinking like sweat yet he still kissed you when you came in.

- “i need to shower,” you groan, still accepting his kiss.

- ugh but he’s already spent the majority of the day without you, why are you going to deprive him of more?

- “i think you smell fine,” he tries his best to persuade, but you won’t budge.

- pressing against his chest, you giggle, “you know that’s not true. i’ll only be a few minutes, promise.”

- he’s honestly so clingy, literally tugging on your arm as you try to walk away and following behind you like a lost puppy.

- and suddenly, “i could use a shower too…” despite him using it earlier.

- you look at him for a second, narrowing your eyes, before you tease, “yeah, you could.”

- he’s much like sam, just less openly enthusiastic.

- when you tell him to get the water running, he’s only nodding, but it’s not hard to miss the way he’s turning to start the water so quick.

- and how he’s undressing like he has somewhere to be, despite presenting so nonchalant about it.

- for him, it’s just a better reason to be so close to you. he likes when you’re around.

- it really depends on how much he was missing you, but for the most part i don’t think it ever leads to anything sexual.

- sure, he stands back to let you rinse yourself off and his eyes wander, but that’s about as much that’ll happen if neither of you are in the mood.

- and even then, if you end up wanting to have sex, it hardly ever happens in the shower. most is just foreplay.

- which he is never opposed to.

- i’ve said it once, i’ll say it a million more times,

- he lovesss fingering you.

- and lowkey, if you’re intending on having sex and starting with foreplay in the shower…phew.

- gently pressing you against the shower wall, the water running all down his back but he doesn’t even care,

- and his lips are making out with yours, which are sloppy in response while his fingers press against that spot inside of you that has your neck craning and moans spilling…

- that’s what he wants when he’s been missing you and joins you in the shower.

alex.

- i actually think he’s similar to sam too.

- he’s a huge fan of showering together.

- for starters, he’s the kind of man who makes himself at home very quickly💀💀

- even when you guys weren’t even dating yet, still just in that getting to know each other and hanging out regularly phase.

- when you’d plan for him to come over once you finished up work and spend time w each other casually.

- the cocky side of him just took your hospitality as flirting.

- which, i mean, isn’t unbelievably far off. you do like him.

- but it was probably like his second time over at your house, and he just casually asked if he could take a shower.

- you might’ve raised an eyebrow, but you still said sure.

- so then it became a pretty normal thing. he never took longer then 10 minutes, so you could appreciate that.

- after you both started dating, and had seen each other naked, it became much more casual.

- the transition between not showering together, to showering together was so subtle.

- it just started with you showering, and he needed to pee so he’d just come in and, well, pee.

- then he’d be showering but you still needed to brush your teeth and do your skincare, so you hung out in the bathroom.

- and pretty soon it was so normal that when you asked if he wanted to join you one evening—you didn’t even think much of it.

- it wasn’t until you were midway through washing your body when you realized he was doing the same thing beside you.

- it was just like a, ‘oh, okay, this is normal now’ kind of realization.

- “can you pass me the shampoo?” like he was asking for the salt at the dinner table.

- it just felt natural, especially after he moved in.

- it became a thing you both do together.

- literally a part of your nightly routine. when you were ready to shower, you’d let him know and he’d start the water while you got undressed.

- so since it was your nightly routine, i feel like the longer you’re together, showering together and having sex doesn’t really pair up.

- you shower 9/10 times together. there’s no way you’d be able to keep up (he can tho lol)

- but that doesn’t mean it’s rare.

- he loves looking at you when you’re naked. no shame.

- there could be zero sexual energy between you two at the moment, and he’s still looking you up and down, admiring.

- he can’t help it! he doesn’t even have to be turned on for his body to react to yours.

- “are you hard right now?” you laugh almost like you’re making fun of him.

- and his response will always be, “well duh,” because you just have that affect on him.

elliott.

- another man that loves to shower with you.

- well…yes he likes to shower together, but he’s definitely a bigger fan of bathing together.

- i’ll get to that in a minute.

- your relationship progressed very steadily. it wasn’t until after a few dates when you actually slept together.

- once you had sex though, i feel like it opened you up into being much more comfortable around each other.

- spending time constantly, always inviting him over, allowing him to see you in more vulnerable ways like in your pj’s or all dirty.

- he approached the idea first, i feel like.

- you’ve been having a stressful week, working nearly every hour you were awake, and you had complained about it prior.

- so he just wanted to help you relax, setting up a nice bath with candles and bath salts and anything to help you relax.

- he’s so sweet about it too, not even intending on joining you until you clasped your hands together and asked him to.

- “join me, please. i’ve hardly seen you all week.”

- and he’s all ears.

- sitting in the opposite end, either sitting in peaceful silence or listening to you recap your day.

- i lowkey think he’d bathe you LMFAO

- like hear me out, he’s offering to wash your hair and he’s all delicate with it, giving you a whole head massage and dipping a cup of water to rinse it out.

- kissing your neck and shoulders, pampering you while you don’t even care to protest.

- and even if you did, he wouldn’t allow it. not when you’re all he wants to focus on right now.

- and despite him loving to bathe with you, i feel like his shower routine is so intensive and meticulous that it’s not often you shower together.

- he never minds your company, i promise you that.

- i just firmly believe he’s a morning showerer and you don’t really have the time for that in the morning.

- if you were to ask for him to join you, i don’t think he’d turn you down. he’d just stand away from the spray and tie his hair back so it doesn’t get wet LOL

- but he’s all for spending as much time as he can get with you.

[lonerslug]

i loved the shane smut... drop some more for the shane gooners pleaseeee

ay ay ay, ur filling up my inbox, chill anon… it’ll come soon 😔 u must be feral for shane… that’s a shame 😜 just kiddin

Can’t Help Herself

18+ smut, men dni, top reader, bottom shane. sub!shane.

She likes to act like she’s got it together. All that swagger, all those half-lidded glances and slow fucking grins, like she’s the one always in control.

But right now?

Right now Shane’s spread out under you, chest flushed, hips rolling against the bed like she’s chasing something she’s too stubborn to beg for.

You haven’t even fucked her yet.

and she’s already ruined.

“Fuck,” she breathes, one arm slung over her eyes like she can’t handle being seen like this. But you don’t let her hide. Not tonight.

You hook your fingers around the waistband of her boxers, already low on her hips from how desperate she got grinding on your thigh earlier. “Look at me, baby.”

She exhales like it hurts. Like you’ve got her on a leash made of words.

“Y-Yeah,” she mutters, eyes fluttering open. They’re glazed and heavy and a little dazed, like she can’t believe this is happening to her. Like she can’t believe how much she likes it.

Your palm flattens against her thigh. Warm skin, sharp bone, the twitch of a muscle like her body’s waiting for orders.

“So fucking pretty,” you murmur, sliding her boxers down and tossing them aside. “You don’t even know, do you?”

Shane’s throat bobs. “You’re killing me.”

“You like it,” you whisper, crawling up over her.

Your strap brushes her inner thigh and her breath hitches.

“I do,” she admits, voice cracking just a little. “You already know I do.”

You kiss her then, slow and deep and possessive. You make her feel it, how much you want her like this. How good she is when she lets go.

Your hand finds her again, fingers sliding between her legs. She’s soaked. Messy. Needy. Her hips lift into your touch like a reflex.

“You gonna let me fuck you tonight, Shane?”

She groans, nearly whimpering, her voice fraying into something pathetic. “Please. Don’t fuckin’ tease.”

But you do.

You drag your fingers through her slowly, just enough to make her arch, to make her mouth fall open, to make her gasp.

“Fuck.” She bites her lip, eyes fluttering closed again.

You lean down, pressing your lips to her throat, murmuring against her skin, “You gonna be good for me?”

Her hands grip your arms, hard. “I’ll be good. Just—please, come on.”

You don’t make her wait much longer.

You slide the tip of your strap through her slick folds, and she goes still. Too still. Holding her breath like she’s bracing herself for impact.

You smile against her jaw. “Relax.”

“I am relaxed.” She’s not. She’s trembling under you.

You push in slowly, savoring every second, every inch, every strangled sound she tries and fails to muffle.

“Oh fuck!” Her head drops back, fingers curling into the sheets.

You bottom out, and for a second, all you hear is her ragged breathing.

Then: “Jesus Christ. Don’t stop.”

You don’t.

You fuck her slow at first, letting her feel it, feel you, grinding into her just right, watching how her jaw clenches every time you thrust in deep.

“Feels so good, baby,” you whisper. “You’re taking it so well.”

“Yeah?” she gasps, legs tightening around your waist. “You like seeing me like this?”

“Love it.”

You speed up, driving into her harder now, and she moans, loud, unfiltered, wrecked. She sounds like she’s not used to giving it up like this. Like she’s never had anyone make her let go.

You grab her wrists and pin them above her head.

That does it.

She arches up, mouth open, eyes wide, like she doesn’t know whether to fight it or come on the spot.

“You’re mine tonight,” you growl into her ear.

“Yes.” She gasps it like a prayer. “Yours. Yours. Fuck, I’m—”

You kiss her to shut her up.

You fuck her harder.

She takes it.

Messy, wild, perfect. Her hips jerking, her thighs shaking, her words dissolving into noise.

And when she comes?

It’s not soft.

It’s loud. Guttural. She breaks apart under you, legs clenching around your waist, whole body arching as she cries out.

You keep fucking her through it, whispering how pretty she is, how good she feels, how much you love making her fall apart.

And afterward, when her body’s limp and her skin’s sticky with sweat and her lips are red from biting them, she drags you down and kisses you like she can’t believe what just happened.

“You,” She exhales, blinking up at you like she’s seeing stars. “You wrecked me.”

You smile against her mouth. “Good.”

“You gonna let me get you back for that?”

“Maybe.” You kiss her again. “But not tonight.”

Shane laughs, soft and wrecked.

And pulls you into her arms like she never wants to let you go.

[wonwoosthetic]

Hi! So I have a newer idea for Daryl that popped up in my mind while shopping today. It's 100% okay if you don't want to write this, though! It is kind of long so I completely understand if you don't feel like writing this 💜

Basically, Daryl meets reader, aka Shane's fiancé, at the quarry and could instantly notice how toxic Shane was to her. She wasn't allowed to really talk to any of the guys in the camp and was forced to do most of the laundry to keep her from interacting with the rest of the group. However, one day while Shane's off doing you-know-what with Lori, Dale sends reader to go hunt with Daryl with a compound bow that he'd found. To Daryl's surprise, she's amazing at hunting and they have a little convo about Shane. They then stumble across Shane and Lori going at it like rabbits but silently retreat, not making a scene. Back at the camp, when Shane returns, reader simply just places the ring back in his hand and tells him they're over. Being free to do what she wants, she starts getting closer with Daryl over the next month or so, and when they get to the CDC, her and Daryl have this cute moment with a few people watching them and then Glenn, in his drunken stupor, makes a comment about what a cute couple they are. Cue the sudden realizations from both sides that they like each other. Can end with a confession or not. <33

a/n – first of all, to everyone who reads this: you better check Krys out! I am absolutely IN LOVE with everything she writes (Daryl and Hazel is my favourite but literally everything is a masterpiece!) second: to get a request from one of my favourite authors on this app here is an ABSOLUTE HONOUR and I truly truly hope that I could somehow reach your expectations!!!! Thank you so much for sending me it, and I really hope you and everyone that reads this enjoys it ˙ᵕ˙ thank you for marking my start in writing for Daryl now too!😊

A little side note: surprise, I still can’t write short stuff, but bc tumblr is a bitch and is messing with long stuff I post, I decided to make 2 parts, so I can truly involve everything I planned, I hope that’s okay!!🤍🤍

masterlist

word count – 7.4k

pairing – daryl dixon x fem!reader, shane walsh x ex!fem!reader (rarely)

warnings – cursing, mentions of sex, infidelity, toxic man

Don‘t Talk To Strangers Or You Might Fall In Love – Pt. 1

Later in the evening, the women gathered down at the quarry once again. With each holding onto a basket of some sort, carrying the laundry of the rest of the camp residents, they had found their usual spot by the water. Their hands were already starting to get wrinkly by the amount of clothes they had to wash - it had only been a couple of days, and there was already a pile of it.

A wince from the oldest woman of the group made all three heads snap towards her, their eye following her carefully.

"Everything okay?" Jacqui asked, stopping mid-movement before she set down the soaked t-shirt she was holding.

Carol was quick to brush off her concerned tone, sending the woman a quick tight smile as she re-adjusted her position on the ground.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," she cleared her throat. "Just... a stone."

The other women shared a quick knowing look. Yes, the surface they were sitting on was mostly stone, but not enough to get hurt or even wince the way Carol just did. She must've hit one of her bruises against the hard ground. One of the many that decorated her skin. While some of them she had clearly been able to hide underneath her clothing, the women couldn't help but notice the ones on her arms. And while some seem to fade, it didn't take much longer for new ones to appear just a day later.

"You know," Amy jumped into the conversation. "You... you don't have to share a tent with him." Everybody immediately knowing, who she meant. "You could stay in the RV, or-"

"I'm okay, Amy. Please." Carol's tone made the younger woman stop again, going right back to the task at hand. While you had hoped you'd go back to finish off your work in silence, Jaqui had other plans as she raised the volume of her voice to reach you, who was sitting a little further off.

"Well, speaking of shitty husbands." Getting a scoff out of the older woman. "Where's Shane, Y/N?" A chuckle erupted from Amy. 

"Huh?" Your head shot up at the mention of his name. You found three awaiting pairs of eyes fixed on you, sending an uncomfortable rush down your spine.

"Where's your husband?" Amy repeated the question, her voice holding a slightly more gentle tone.

"He's not my husband. Just... fiancé." You shrugged. "I don't know...," mumbling as you were almost too embarrassed to admit. "He said something about going hunting."

Jacqui let out an annoyed huff of air. "That was hours ago. It's getting dark soon, doesn't he think-"

"I trust him to know how to keep himself safe. He knows what he's doing," you told her mindlessly, pouring the now dirty water back into the river in front of you. 

You knew how most of the group felt about Shane. He had declared himself as the leader of your little group, thinking his status as a sheriff made him the right fit despite some of the eye-rolls and annoyed sighs it had gotten from the rest in return. It didn't seem to bother him, not even a little bit. You had tried to defend him, wanting to explain his plan of action and knowledge to the others, but he had shushed you down quickly. His own stance was enough for him to stand in front of the group of people, promising to lead them well and try to figure out how to move forward in the, what you'd now call, apocalypse.

While he was securing his place as the tough leader, commanding each person around and giving them a set role in the group, you had tried to find a sense of community. If you were to go and travel further with these people, might as well try to create some form of comradery. But that was brought to a halt before you could even truly start. By Shane.

'They're not your friends. They're just random people. We don't know them and we don't gotta know them.' He had told you. You had tried to start an argument, wanting to explain that while you didn't know most of them just yet, you might as well start now if you're going to spend more time in an enclosed area with them. 

'Let's keep an eye out for Lori and Carl. She just lost her husband, for God's sake.' He never really explained just how he knew that Rick was officially dead, but the two members of the Grimes family seemed to be his only concern. The fact that you had known Glenn for a while now and considered him a close friend, almost a younger brother, didn't even register with him. He was just 'another dirty man, just like the rest of them' to Shane. He had made his opinion of the members of your group very clear. They're strangers. If it wasn't about Lori and Carl, it wasn't important. Why you were the one washing their clothes though was still beyond you though.

Jacqui was just about to open her mouth again, not wanting to drop the topic of conversation just yet, but a loud voice from up the quarry got your attention.

"Ya just don't give a shit, ya old bastard!" Daryl's uncanny accent echoed through the open area.

While a deep sigh tumbled from Carol's lips, Amy tried to ignore the fight a few feet away from you and Jacqui shook her head.

"These Dixon brothers, I swear to God... I don't understand why we haven't made them leave yet."

"Daryl's a good hunter," Amy commented quietly with a slight shrug.

"Yeah, and selfish," the older woman spat back, "And Merle? He's nothing but dragging everyone here down."

You decided to leave the scene in silence, not wanting to add anything to the conversation. You believed that everyone had a good reason for acting and behaving the way they were. You'd like to think that your good nature was part of the reason why Shane fell in love with you. Your years of dealing with children coming from troubled families had taught you that there's mostly good in almost everyone, just that most hadn't had the chance to find that side of them yet. In some ways, the Dixon brothers' attitudes reminded you of them. 

Back in the camp, you brought the washing bowl back to where the rest of the clean laundry was already hanging to dry. Before you could go any further, hoping to find some alone time in your tent, Dale's voice made you stop.

"Y/N!"

You looked up at the top of his RV, where he had secured a chair, a small table and an umbrella to keep the sun from frying his skin.

"Hey, Dale," you smiled at the older man, who copied your facial expression. While some had come to find him to be a 'typical grumpy old man' - and by some you mean Shane - you and Dale had gotten closer over the short time you had spent in the group. He reminded you of your dad, who at that point in time was God knows where. You hoped he found a group similar to yours and was trying to find his place in the world you would now be living in.

"You know how to use a bow and arrow, right?" He asked you, remembering the story you had told him.

You nodded, shielding your eyes with one hand as the sun was starting to make them hurt. "My dad taught me a little, why?"

"Look what I found," he grinned before turning around to pick something up. He crouched down, now with a compound bow in his grip as he tried to get it down to you. With quick steps, you got closer, your eyes brightening up at the sight.

"Oh my god... Dale!" Your smile only widened once you got your hands on the bow. You let your hand glide over the metal, finding it to be heavier than expected. It was still in perfect condition, but you couldn't even finish admiring it before your eyes found another item being dropped down at you.

"Those were next to it," Dale added as he handed you a bag holding multiple arrows that were hopefully supposed to go with the bow. He watched your smile as you couldn't take your eyes off the archery tool. "You think you know how to handle that thing?"

"I mean... my dad taught me how to use a longbow, but... can't be that hard, right?"

The older man couldn't even answer you as a scoff erupted from behind you, followed by the familiar scruff voice of Darly.

"Ya think it's that easy." Stating it more than wondering. Knowing not to start a conversation with him unless truly needed, only able to imagine how Shane would react if he found you talking to him, you decided to ignore his comment, focusing back on Dale who seemed to have done the same.

"Where did you find it?" You asked him.

"Oh just... from a house a few minutes away. Thought you could use it."

"I don't know when yet, but... I'll try," you smiled at him.

"How about you go and try it out now?" He suddenly asked you.

His question made your head shoot back up to look at him in wonder. "Now? What do you mean?"

He sighed. "It's gonna get dark soon and Shane and Lori aren't back yet, we should try-"

"Lori?" Her name fell from your lips as you glanced around the area, only finding the youngest Grimes sitting in the grass, entertaining himself with some sticks and stones. "Where is she?"

Dale shrugged. "Said something about finding berries and whatnot-" Another scoff from behind you made him stop to shoot Daryl an annoyed glance. "I think we should try to at least get something to eat for the kids. And if they're not back anytime soon, they won't have dinner."

"What? My huntin' skills ain't enough for you, old man?" The younger Dixon brother shot up from his crouched position on the floor, nudging his head up at Dale, who was clearly annoyed by his attitude.

"A squirrel isn't gonna feed an entire group. Take Y/N with you and try finding something."

"Dale-"

"Shane's not here, honey," he immediately stopped you, apparently already knowing what your argument would be. "I think he'll be okay, knowing you were out finding something to eat for the kids."

"That asshole would rather watch 'em kids die than send her huntin' with any of us!" Daryl spat back, ignoring you standing right next to him.

He turned your head towards him. "Don't talk about him like that." Speaking to him in a much softer tone than he just did, only getting a shake of his head and an annoyed mumble in return before he turned his back towards you, making his way towards the woods. A quick glance back up at Dale made him nudge his head towards the direction the archer had just disappeared into. You could either get sulky and refuse to go with the man who had clearly other interests than to go hunting with you or you could be the bigger person and focus on bringing something into the community. Even if that meant rebelling against your partner's order to stay at the camp and focusing on the laundry in the quarry. You decided on the latter, knowing that he'd find something to get annoyed at one way or another.

With a sigh, you nodded to Dale's proposal and swung the bag of arrows over your shoulder. Turning around to follow the way Daryl had just strutted, your eyes found his silhouette already between the trees. It was uncanny. Anyone could tell it was him. His zero-fucks attitude and his arms just casually hanging by his side- The pop of his hips with each step he took just underlined the sass that man possessed almost making you chuckle.

Unlike a lot of the other members of the group, you didn't necessarily dislike him. His brother was a totally different subject. They were difficult to deal with and most definitely not the teamwork type of personalities - not directly at least. You had noticed the multiple times Daryl would vanish from sight, only to come back a few hours later with a few dead squirrely thrown over his shoulder, that he would then give to the group after skinning them. It was absolutely disgusting, to say the least, but he did his part to be a valuable part of the community, even if he might had been a unique character and more challenging to deal with. 

What Merle's issue was, you had yet to discover, but the man didn't intrigue you enough to bore into his background story.

A good few minutes in, you still hadn't caught up with the archer, his steps being way bigger and faster than yours. Panting, you hoped he would hear you.

"Can you slow down for a second? Please."

Not following your words, Daryl kept up his pace, only turning his head slightly. "Don't need yer husband to see us together out'ere or we'll be the ones rotatin' over the fire instead of a dear."

You couldn't help but roll your eyes at his comment, even scoffing loudly at what you had just heard, and mumbling too quietly for him to hear.

Your reaction made him suddenly stop in his tracks and turn his entire body towards you. "What? Ya think I'm kiddin'? I seen the way he talks to ya and everyone else in that godforsaken camp. Treats everyone like shit if it ain' abou' that woman or the kid."

Your glare didn't even intimidate him a bit. Neither did he budge when you took a daring step closer to him.

"How about you focus on yourself and stay out of other people's business? He's trying to be a leader, alright?"

"More like tryna be a dictator. Mussolini woulda loved him." Without another word, he turned around to continue his way further into the woods, leaving you in slight surprise rooted into the ground. A shake of your head and a deep breath brought you back into the present, making you follow him again. You tried to keep the distance between big enough to keep him away from you, let close enough to still have him in view - you sure as hell weren't going to get lost in the middle of the woods.

Looking down to be careful about each step you took, you held onto the strap across your chest. With your view on the ground, you didn't notice Daryl having stopped again, making you suddenly bump into him.

"Oh- sorry." You took a quick jump back.

He had lifted up his arm to the side, keeping you from going any further. Only after looking up, you could follow his gaze, finding what had gotten the archer so enthralled. Between the bushes surrounding you ahead on a tree, there were two chipmunks perked up on a branch. They hadn't noticed you yet and if it hadn't been for Daryl's eagle eye, you had to admit, you would've overlooked them as well.

Suddenly, overly confident, you realised this was the moment you could prove your skill. A skill you hadn't trained for in a few months, but you had long enough training before that, you believed. Swiftly, you grabbed a bow from the bag on your back and took a slow step back, careful not to make any loud noise to disrupt the two animals. Daryl had his crossbow already sitting on his shoulder, his eye trained on the chipmunks as he kept totally still.

"On three," you whispered as you drew the bow in your grip. You couldn't see the archer's slight confusion as he didn't budge, only knowing he had heard you when he suddenly started counting down. As soon as the number 'three' left his lips, you let your arrow shoot through the sky, him going at the exact same time, pressing the trigger on his crossbow. The two bows hit the chipmunks perfectly in sync, making them fall from the branch and onto the floor.

"Yes!" You whispered to yourself in a cheer, brushing past Daryl with a wide smile on your face as you made your way over to where your prey was waiting for you.

The man continued to stand still, only his eyes following your movements as his eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. Only a few seconds later, he found you standing up straight again, proudly holding up one of the chipmunks. He followed your steps, coming to a stop as he looked down at the other animal still on the floor.

"Was that beginner's luck or...?" He asked you as he gathered it off the ground and took out his arrow before taking its companion out of your hands to put both of them into the small bag he had secured by his hips. Your eyes drifted to his arms. Glistening in the sun behind you. He had been collecting dirt all over his body, but the sweat now on his biceps was making it look only half as bad.

You shrugged, not even trying to hide the small smile still on your lips. "Maybe a little since I haven't used one of these in a while," holding up the compound bow.

"Who taught ya?" In surprise, you glanced at him, not expecting to continue the conversation as you went back to resume your hunting journey through the woods.

"My dad."

You noticed his steps suddenly slowing down again, making you turn towards him in wonder. A finger brought up to his lips told you everything you needed to know. Daryl started looking around carefully, while you just turned in a circle, wondering what he had heard. And then you saw it. A 'geek', as Glenn had labelled them, was making its way towards you.

"How on earth did you hear that?" You whispered at him, but the archer just propped his crossbow up again, ready to take out the thing coming dangerously close towards you. The noises coming from the dead had only then started to register with you too. Maybe it was your hearing turning on you or maybe Daryl had just a trained ear. Realising that he was close to shooting again, you stopped him with a hand.

"Can I?"

With a careful look, he lowered his weapon again, motioning for you to go ahead, bringing a small grin to your face. His hand was quicker than yours as he pulled out a bow from your bag, handing it over to you before leaving you to do your thing. Drawing it tightly, you didn't let a lot more seconds pass before sending the arrow straight through the geek's eye.

"Fuck, yeah-" Grinning to yourself for a split second before you realised the words that had dropped from your tongue. "Sorry," you were quick to apologise, getting a look of pure confusion from Daryl in return.

"What? Ya not allowed to curse or somethin'?" Oh, if he only knew. After years of being with Shane, you had found yourself truly swearing off the usage of any curse words as your fiancé had labelled them 'unladylike', sending you a look of disapproval each time it would escape you accidentally. Strict looks had turned into warnings, which then turned into arguments, so you had just learned to bite your tongue.

You were about to head up to get it back, back Daryl's voice stopped you.

"Stay'ere." He walked past you towards the now truly dead thing to get your arrow back. After ripping it out of its head again, he took a good look around, turning his entire body before coming back to you.

"They're usually not alone," he pushed the arrow into your hands. "Let's see what else we can find and get the hell outta 'ere before it gets dark."

You just nodded in agreement before following him again. This time, you noticed walking side by side with him as he had slowed down his strides.

To you, it seemed like a relatively comfortable silence, but Daryl didn't agree with that apparently as his grunt slashed through it,

"Yer husband know you can hunt?"

A sigh evidently fell from your lips, but you were able to hold back a roll of your eyes. He was trying to keep up the conversation and you couldn't not admit that you quite enjoyed not necessarily having to walk in complete silence. Even if it meant talking about Shane apparently.

"Don't know," you shrugged.

"What d'ya mean, ya don't know? Yer never talked about that? Ain't he supposed to know ya inside out or some shit like that?" You knew, deep down his words held nothing but truth, yet, you had learned to ignore remarks like that, knowing that Shane was just a different kind of partner than most.

"Why should he know about something he's not interested in?" As long as you weren't out on your own and at home in the evening with a homecooked meal waiting for him, he had never truly cared about what you did. Lying, you'd be out with your friends for a few hours while doing something completely different had gotten you far. Him working late hours most days only helped. You never even thought about telling him about the childhood hobby you had started at 8 years old and had carried with you up until well into adulthood. While you had left home as soon as you had turned 18, knowing Atlanta was the place you'd want to study in, archery was one of the things that had kept you connected to home. To your dad.

"That don't sound righ' if ya ask me," he commented.

"Well," you couldn't help but sigh again, "good thing he's not your issue to worry about."

"But he is." His comment made you stop. Daryl was quick to notice you not walking beside him anymore, making him stop and turn. "I gotta worry about him havin' my balls on a stick if he sees me talkin' to ya."

"Then don't!"

"Then why d'ya follow me into the woods, huh?" It looked like you were about to start a fight with Daryl Dixon.

"Because Dale asked me to. Because no one trusts you to do anything good for the group on your own," you spat at him, continuing your way, making sure to bump his shoulder as you passed him.

The archer scoffed, "Yeah because everyone trusts ya lil' husband oh so much to care for every-"

You came to another halt. "He's not my husband! We're engaged, you ignorant fuck!"

"Oh, careful," Daryl eyed you, "What would'e say if he heard ya talkin' like that, huh?" Sending you a provocative look that made you take a deep breath in, trying to contain your anger.

"I think you got a brother to worry about, Dixon. Enough drama there, don't snoop into other people's lives."

That seemed to have done the job as he kept quiet while you walked ahead. It took a few seconds before you heard him behind you again, proud of yourself for leaving him stunned even if it was just for a short moment. You didn't want to snap at him like that, you had to admit. It just came out and if you could take it back, you would've. He wasn't directly snooping, you knew that. You weren't here to make enemies, at least you didn't want to. You desperately wanted to get along with everyone as best as possible. Not meaning that you'd have to become close friends with each person in the group, just good colleagues.

With your mind deep in thought, overthinking every word you had just dropped, you didn't notice the ruffling leaves close by. Not until you felt a tug on your arm that made you stop. Almost annoyed, you turned around, only to find Daryl lifting his finger to his lips, telling you to keep quiet. At first, you looked at him in confusion but the moment you heard a grunt, your ears perked up as you started to glance around. You had just ran into a geek with the Dixon brother reminding you that they usually travelled in bigger groups, meaning the possibility of another one being close by wasn't that small.

The grunting continued making your frown only deepen. It didn't necessarily sound like one of the dead, you realised. Daryl started moving around slowly and as quietly as possible, you following close behind, keeping ducked down just in case.

Suddenly, you caught another noise. One that sounded less like a grunt and more like a... moan? Clearly just as confused as you, the archer turned around to meet your gaze for a split second. 

With each step the two of you took further, the noises became much clearer. Shuffling leaves, grunts, and clear moans were now hitting your ear. One specific huff of air made a cold shiver run down your spine. It's like your body knew before your eyes could even see it.

Daryl and you hit a raised ground that kept you from seeing where the noise was coming from as you were still crouched down. But as soon as you let your back straighten, every last bit of air left your lungs. You saw the auburn hair spread out on the grass first. Directly next to it, an all too familiar head of black curls, the face deep in her neck, muting the moans coming from him. With each pound, they became heavier and louder. You already knew it. Right as Shane lifted his head though, you could feel yourself wanting to scream. And if it wasn't for the hand suddenly covering your mouth, you would've.

You were pulled onto the ground, back into your crouched position, and dragged back from where you came from. As hard as you tried to fight the grip the archer had on you, it was no use as he was clearly much stronger than you. The leaves and branches brushed against your pants as he kept tugging on you to keep you right up against him, not daring to loosen the hand covering your lip

Once it seemed far away enough for him, Daryl let go of you, letting you fall to the ground completely as you desperately choked up for air.

"You bastard-" You went at him, only for him to cover your mouth once again.

He pulled you in hard. "Ya screamin' 'ere and an entire hoard will hear ya. Keep quiet," he hissed at you in a whisper. You never noticed the soft specks of green that decorated his striking blue eyes. Not until then.

A quick moment of silence followed as your eyes suddenly filled with tears. Daryl's gaze softened immediately, removing his hand from you as if your skin had turned into burning hot metal.

While you had started to sob in the middle of the woods, trying to keep as quiet as possible, the archer didn't know what else to do, but to stand next to you, his eyes fixed on your shaking shoulders. He wasn't the right person to console someone. Nor did he even know how.

"I told ya he's an asshole," he mumbled, clearly not at the right moment as you sent him an angry frown.

"You didn't tell me sh-"

"I tried tellin' ya!" Raising his voice just a bit to turn his tone stern, yet keeping the volume low enough. "I told ya he ain't interested in anyone but that woman and her son."

"I want to go back," you sniffled, feeling your chest painfully tightening.

"Go back to 'em?!"

"Back to the camp, idiot!" You snapped at him, your hand flying up to your chest. "I feel like I'm gonna throw up." Trying to take deep breaths in that just continuously proved to be hard as you only choked up more. Coughing mixed with your sobs, you fell onto your knees, your hand clutching the very top of your chest as you tried to breathe.

"Hey-" Daryl fell onto the ground right in front of you, his rough hands grabbing you by your shoulders to pull you straight, trying to get you to look at him. "Calm down," he strictly told you.

"H-He-" you sobbed, "he... fucked her. He just-", coughing again as the air got stuck in your throat.

"I know- hey-" you lowered your head to look at the ground beneath you, only for Darly to grab your chin and make you look back up again. "He's a fuckin' idiot. Don't cry 'bout him."

"W-What did I do?" You asked, technically hypothetically, as you continued to choke on your own cries. "What do- How?!"

"Ya didn't do anythin'," he tried to console you. "He's a dumb fuckin' bastard. A coward. A stupid mongo-"

"Lori... I-I thought-," stopping yourself again as another sob shot through your body.

"It's okay," Daryl whispered, "don't fuckin' cry for 'em. Ya think they would cry for ya?"

"What about Carl?!" You ignored his comment, instead continuing to throw out whatever came to your head.

The archer shook his head, "That ain' your problem to worry 'bout."

"She- she just lost her husband... a-and now this?!" 

Before Daryl could say anything, you brushed off his hands from your shoulders and raked yourself up.

Still sniffling, you looked around. "We gotta go back." Noticing that the sun had already started to set and no one was supposed to be out in the dark.

With a grunt, he copied you, pushing himself up to stand again while his eyes continued to follow you as you tried to get yourself back together. You could feel his gaze burning holes into your skin, making you look up. Cheeks tears stained, burning read. Your eyes were swollen, still letting single drops of tears escape as you slowly managed to even out your breathing.

"Let's go back." You re-secured the bag and bog on your shoulder before turning around to walk to the camp. A sigh escaped Daryl's lips as he shook his head slightly before jogging up towards you, stopping you with his hands back on your shoulders. He swiftly turned you around, only to let go again, his steps slowing down to let you walk ahead. This time, in the right direction.

The way back was spent mostly in silence, only a few remarks coming from the archer each time he had to tell you to either turn right or left. In no time, you had come back, finding most of the group either already back in their tents or gathered by the SUV. The sun had fully set, now the only source of natural light coming from the soft glow of the moon.

"There you are!" Dale called out as soon as his eyes found you. The smile that had started to spread on his lips fell quickly as soon as you got close enough to him to let him see the dishevelled state you were in. "What happened?" He gasped, but you just shook your head and made a quick B-turn towards your tent. The tent you shared with Shane.

The older man's tone changed quickly, clearly blaming one specific person for your mood as he followed behind you not much later.

"What the hell did you do to her?" Dale snapped at Daryl, only to get a scoff in return.

"How abou' you ask her asshole fiancé." The Dixon brother left him with that, ignoring the looks of the people around them. He opened his satch to take out the two chipmunks you had caught, only to throw them onto a set-up table and disappear down towards the quarry.

In the comfort of the plastic walls, with the bow and arrows set down outside, you had let yourself let go one more time, the tears not needing more than mere seconds before running down your cheeks again. You couldn't continue crying about this.

'Ya think they would cry for ya?'

Daryl's words rang through your mind. You hated to admit that he was most probably right.

Your relationship with Shane wasn't tense. At least until a few months ago. It had always been a little bit more difficult than you would've liked to, but you remembered the words of your mother, saying 'marriage is hard', making you realise that most likely each couple had their fair share of issues to work through. And you and Shane seemed to just have a good amount of those. Either disagreements, discussions, or different ideas and wants. Everything from as simple as the colour of your living room walls, to which state you'd have your wedding in - since your grandma was almost bedridden, you had proposed to have at least the officiant ceremony in Ohio, but Shane was, surprise, against that.

You glanced down at your ring. A gold band, holding a small square diamond right in the middle. It was beautiful. Even though you had always solely worn silver jewellery and had mentioned the classic round diamond as your dream style. Still, you had accepted the proposal. You looked past the smirks he would send waitresses and secretaries. Ignored comments he made about other people in your life. You had even given in and promised him not to get too close to anyone in the group that was right outside.

It was never 'controlling' in your eyes. You didn't know any better. But while you had to lock yourself away, making doing laundry your only form of 'entertainment', he was having fun with a presumed widow. Whereas he had told you and everyone else that he would be spending the day trying to hunt down 'something big'. 

You shook your head. You had all the reasons to leave him already months ago and yet you didn't. A lot of your friends had told you you'd regret marrying him. But he had managed to get into your head, making you think that they were the crazy ones. That all of your 'dumb sorority girlfriends' had no idea what they were talking about.

Comments and stares were one thing you could look past, but cheating... you had to draw the line somewhere. You remembered all the times your college friends came crying into the dorm, sobbing into their pillows as they complained about their boyfriends fucking around with other girls on campus. Everyone would gather and support them with one opinion: dump him. Leave him. He doesn't deserve you.

'I told ya he ain't interested in anyone but that woman and her son.'

There was Daryl's voice again in the back of your head. Screaming at you. If even he could see it, yet you were too blind to realise it...

With one final deep breath in, you gathered the sleeping bag you had claimed for yourself into your arms, along with your pillow. You managed to drag everything out of the tent, suddenly feeling more free than ever.

Looking around, you found no one sitting outside anymore, indicating most had gone to bed, but the light inside the RV made you hopeful. You couldn't sleep in your shared tent tonight. Or ever again. And Dale was your only other choice. With everything packed in your arms, you made your way over to the vehicle, knocking on the door with your foot. Two voices made you look behind you, your face immediately falling when you found Shane and Lori coming back from the woods. They took their goddamn time.

The door opened, catching your attention again. Dale looked at you in confusion but before he could say anything, you beat him to it.

"Can I sleep here tonight?"

Forget about your age. Suddenly, you felt like a little kid again. Too scared to sleep on their own, begging their parents to let them sleep in their room.

"Y/N?" Shane's rough voice called out your name, making your heartbeat quicken.

You looked up at the older man in panic. "Please."

With no hesitation, Dale nodded, stepping aside to let you walk in, ushering you inside with his hand. Daryl's remark from earlier had engraved itself in his brain as soon as he found the sheriff strutting over to his RV in big steps.

"What is she doing, Dale?" He wondered, his voice holding slight anger to it. "Y/N!" He shouted out your name again, but you gave him no response.

The older man stopped Shane from coming any closer.

"You better leave, son."

"What the fuck did I do?!" He unknowingly asked before getting the RV's door closed in his face.

The moment silence took over the enclosed room, Dale turned to you, now sitting on the small sofa.

"What the fuck did he do?"

If there was one person in this apocalyptic world that you had come to trust, it was Dale. He had already let you into his home, he deserved to get a reason for it.

You could already feel the tears filling your eyes again. Both of you ignored the knocks on the door, the old man's eyes fixed solely on you as he sat down by the small dining table, ready to wait patiently for you to answer his question.

"He... he cheated on me...," You couldn't hold back the sob that followed. "With Lori." The added remark made Dale's eyebrows shoot up in surprise. He leaned back into his chair, taking off his hat to run a hand through his hair as he huffed out a chunk of air.

"Daryl and I- we saw them in the woods-," You let your head fall into the palms of your hand. The old man was quick back on his feet, on his way over to you.

"Oh, honey," sighing out, but stopping as the heavy knocks on the door continued. With an annoyed huff, he rushed over to the door to pull it open.

"Get the fuck away from my RV!" Shouting at Shane, not even giving him a moment to answer as he smashed the door close again.

"I-I don't know what to do." You admitted in sobs, glancing up at the man as he got closer to you, making space to sit down next to you. A comforting arm found its way around your shoulder while his other hand rubbed your upper arm.

"That man doesn't deserve an angel like you," he whispered at you, hoping his calming voice would soothe your cries. "He clearly doesn't know what he lost with a stupid act like that."

"He proposed to me," you showed him the ring in desperation. "Only to cheat on me?"

"What can I tell ya, kid... young men are...," Dale sighed as he shook his head. "Dumb... and blind. They think they own the world."

You continued to sob in the man's arms. Listening to his soft voice as he spoke to you while you kept on your rambles of despair. Why Lori out of all people? You used to go out on double dates with your partners. You had known Rick Grimes for a good few years now. He was a good man. You had thought Lori was a good woman. But there she went, sleeping with an engaged man. The colleague, and best friend of her husband. Who may or may not be dead. Maybe Rick was gone, but you were still there. Only one partner of the cheating couple was widowed. The other part was still very much in a committed relationship. Or so you thought.

"W-What do I do now?" You wondered out loud. "How am I supposed to continue this?" Not necessarily talking about your relationship with Shane, but the situation altogether.

"You don't." Daryl's simple but straightforward answer made you look up. In the meantime, your sobs had quieted down again.

"What?"

"You tell him," he strictly told you. "You tell him what you saw. And you end it. Men like that... they don't change."

"God...," you fell back into the cushions behind you, running your hands down your face as you wiped the tears away. "Was I just... not good enough for him anymore? Why would he do something like this?"

"I wish I could tell ya, honey. But don't think that this has anythin' to do with you," Dale's stern voice made you glance at him. "Men like him don't think. You think he really thought of the possible consequences of his actions?"

You shrugged.

"He didn't. If he did, he wouldn't have done it. And men like don't deserve a second chance. Hell- they don't even deserve a first chance. But they're charming and whatnot, and before you know it, they're havin' their dicks in other women, breaking hearts of the ones that actually care about them."

You decided to stay quiet, letting his words sink in and register with you.

"You don't deserve that, honey."

Nodding your head, you took a deep breath in, wiping your nose. "I know..." With a sigh, you pushed yourself to stand up. "I have to talk to him."

"You sure, you wanna do that tonight?" The man carefully asked you, but you had already made up your mind, so you just continued to nod.

Quietly, you left the RV, of course not before Dale promised to set up a bed for you to stay in inside his movable home. You knew you had found the confidence to face your- Shane. Yet, your shaking legs and hands almost betrayed you. Realising, you didn't even truly think about how to start the conversation, the anxiety inside of you only started to bubble up more, hitting its highest point when you suddenly saw Shane exiting your tent.

His eyes fixed on you in the dark, finding your silhouette coming towards him thanks to the light shining through the RV's windows.

"Y/N-" he started, but you interrupted him right away.

"It's over."

Shane's eyebrows scrunched together. "What?"

"It's over," you repeated, finding your voice slightly shakier than you would've liked to. You glanced down your hands, almost mindlessly, wrapping your fingers around the gold band. Once, the sight of the shimmering ring on your finger made you smile, now it just shot another wave of sadness through your body. Almost shakingly, you took the last step, pulling the gold band off your finger, the metal leaving your skin, making you breathe out heavily.

"Hey- hey," the sheriff rushed closer to you, making you scoot back in reflex. "What the fuck are you doing?"

"What am I doing?" You spat at him, a salty chuckle tumbling from your lips. There was a slight change in expression on his face as he lifted his hands in defence.

"Listen-"

"No, you listen," you stopped him again. You didn't even let your brain think about what words were about to fall from your lips. "Don't even try-" You had to stop yourself, taking a deep breath in, trying to promise yourself not to cry in front of the man that you had lost so many nerves to.

"What the hell are you doing?" He continued to ask you, his frown only deepening.

But you just continued to shake your head, ignoring the anger starting to lace his voice. You had seen Shane angry before. Even angry at you. And it scared you. But right now, the anger, you were trying to hold back, should terrify everyone involved in this situation.

Taking a few steps closer to stop right in front of him, you lifted your hand that was still tightly holding onto the ring you had once worn and shown off proudly. Once Shane opened his palm underneath it, you let it drop down.

"It's over." Before he could ask you anything more, you left him with one last comment hanging in the air. "Have fun with Lori."

Turning around, you could hear his heavy huffs and the callouts of your name, yet he didn't even dare to try and reach out to you, leaving you to make your way back towards the RV. In the back, the sound of him knocking over some of the empty cans you had gathered, filled the silence. Up ahead, you found a silhouette standing still, almost scaring you if it wasn't for the distinct stance you were able to recognise immediately. The dim light illuminated Daryl's scowl as he had clearly watched the scene from a distance.

Arrived at the door of the vehicle, you wanted to at least send him a tight smile, a goodnight and somewhat of a thank you, but the archer had already disappeared again in his usual nature.

I CAN‘T WAIT TO POST PART 2🙈🤗🥰 I loved writing this so much omg

this is me officially stating I'm writing for the man that is Daryl Dixon now too :)

[writingdungeon]

GIGGLING AND KCIKING MY FEET OVER THE HARVEY REQUEST SOMEONE MADE TEEHEHEHHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE CAN YOU ALSO DO F AND N FOR HIM 🧎‍♂️‍➡️

Thank you so much! I threw Y in as well from the last ask <3 

F - Flaw: Harvey, like everyone else in town, is full of flaws. His worst flaw, though, is his self-hatred. Now I can hear you saying, "But it's not as bad as Shane's!" That may be true, but it doesn't diminish the weight of his own struggles.

Harvey poured his heart and soul into becoming a pilot, chasing a dream that once seemed so close. But then, his body betrayed him in a way he could never have anticipated, something entirely beyond his control. On the surface, he knows it's not his fault—he understands that intellectually. Yet, there's always that persistent, nagging voice in the back of his mind, whispering that somehow, in some way, he is to blame. —

Rolling over in bed, you instinctively reached out for the comforting warmth of your husband’s hairy chest. But instead of feeling the familiar rise and fall of his breathing beneath your hand, you were met with cool, empty sheets. A frown tugged at your lip as the realization settled in, and you furrowed your brow in confusion.

Sitting up, you rubbed your eyes, still sticky with sleep, and glanced at the alarm clock on the nightstand. It read 5:00 a.m., an hour before you usually needed to wake up. “Harvey?” you called out groggily, your voice thick with sleep as you crawled to the edge of the bed, the soft sheets dragging beneath you.

Your gaze shifted to the sliver of light seeping from under the bedroom door, indicating that the living room light was on. With a yawn, you got up, padding softly across the floor to the door. As you opened it, you spotted Harvey out the widow, sitting outside on the porch, his silhouette framed by the early morning light. He looked lost in thought, his posture slumped, and his gaze distant.

“Baby?” you called softly, concern lacing your voice as you stepped out onto the porch. You moved quietly behind him, wrapping your arms around his slumped shoulders from behind and resting your chin gently on his head. The cool morning air brushed against your skin, but you ignored it, focused entirely on the man you loved.

“What’s on your mind?” you asked, your voice tender and soothing as you held him close, hoping to ease whatever was troubling him.

“Nothing, sweetheart,” he replied softly, reaching back to cup your cheek with a warm hand. His touch was gentle, but you could feel the tension in his body, the way his shoulders remained stiff beneath your embrace.

“Something,” you mumbled against his neck, your breath warm on his skin as you peppered it with light kisses. You noticed the absence of his glasses, which usually perched on the bridge of his nose.

His silence spoke volumes, the quiet between you filled with unspoken worries. You could feel the weight of whatever was on his mind, a heaviness that he had been carrying. Wrapping your arms tighter around him, you pressed your lips to his ear and whispered, “You don’t have to go through this by yourself, you know. I’m here.”

“I… I know.” Harvey sighed, the sound deep and weary, but he didn’t pull away. Instead, he leaned back into your embrace, letting the warmth of your body comfort him, even if just a little.

“It's just… I can’t stop thinking about everything I wanted to be… Everything I failed at,” Harvey finally admitted, his voice barely more than a whisper. His words hung in the air, heavy with the burden he’d been carrying silently for so long.

You tightened your hold on him, pressing your forehead against his back, trying to offer the comfort he so desperately needed. “Harvey, you’re not a failure. Look at everything you’ve done. You’re loved and respected, and you’ve helped so many people.”

He shook his head slightly. “But it’s not what I dreamed of… doing…,” he said, his voice cracking with emotion. “I wanted to be up there, in the sky, living my dream. But now… now I feel like I’m just… settling. Like I’m not enough.”

Your heart ached for him, for the pain he felt so deeply. “You didn’t settle, Harvey. Life changed, yes, but that doesn’t make you any less worthy or any less incredible. You’re still Harvey, still the man I fell in love with.”

He was quiet for a moment, letting your words sink in. The morning air was still, the world around you slowly waking up as the first light of dawn touched the horizon. Finally, he spoke, his voice softer now, tinged with a hint of hope. “Do you really believe that?”

“I do,” you replied firmly, with no hesitation in your voice.

He leaned back into you, letting out a long breath as if releasing some of the weight he’d been carrying. “Thank you,” he whispered, his voice filled with gratitude. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“You’ll never have to find out,” you said, kissing the top of his head gently. “We’re in this together, in sickness and in health.”

N - Need: A fundamental need for Harvey would be reliability; he has spent most of his adult life caring for others every day, having to form his life to be more structured.

So having someone who he knows will always be there brings him a sense of stability and comfort. It’s about more than just showing up when it’s convenient; it’s about consistently being that dependable rock he can lean on, especially when things get tough.

Harvey needs to know that he can trust you to take care of yourself and that you won't push yourself to the point where he has to worry about your well-being on top of everything else. Knowing that you're looking after yourself and are safe allows him to breathe easier. —-

Smiling softly, Harvey gazed down at the dish he had just pulled from the oven. Tonight, he had taken on the role of chef boyardee. The kitchen was filled with the rich, inviting aroma of savory spices and herbs, mingling together in a way that made the space feel cozy. As he carefully set the dish down on the cooling mat, he heard the familiar sound of the front door opening behind him, signaling your arrival.

“It smells good, Harvey,” you called out as you plopped you bag down, your voice filled with genuine appreciation. The compliment brought a soft chuckle to his lips, and he shook his head slightly, feeling the familiar flush of warmth rising to his cheeks. Your praise always had a way of affecting him, making him blush despite his best efforts to remain composed.

“You always say that,” he responded with a smile, turning to glance at you over his shoulder. His eyes met yours, and the blush on his cheeks deepened as he took in the sight of you—standing there with a radiant smile, your eyes sparkling with warmth. The way you looked at him, so full of affection and admiration, made his heart skip a beat, filling him with a mix of shyness and delight.

As he turned back to the stove to finish preparing the meal, Harvey couldn’t help but savor the sense of contentment that washed over him. Cooking dinner for you, hearing your voice fill the house, and sharing these simple moments together—it was everything he had ever wanted, everything that made his life feel complete.

“Because it’s always true,” you whispered, your breath warm against his ear as you wrapped your arms around him from behind. The gentle embrace made his heart swell with affection. He could feel the steady beat of your heart against his back, the way your hands rested comfortably on his chest, as if they belonged there.

Harvey leaned into your embrace, letting out a contented sigh as he closed his eyes for a brief moment, savoring the closeness. “I’m glad you think so,” he murmured, his voice soft and filled with emotion. “I just want to make you happy.”

You smiled against his neck, pressing a gentle kisses to his skin. “You do, Harvey.” Brushing hair out of his glasses you chuckled softly. “You always do.”

After a moment of basking in the warmth of your arms, Harvey laughed and gently pried your arms from around him. "Alright, you," he teased, turning around to face you fully. "If you keep holding onto me like that, we'll never get to eat."

You laughed, playfully resisting as he nudged you toward the dining area. "But I like holding onto you," you protested, a mischievous grin spreading across your face as you wrapped your arms back around hi leaning into his chest

"And I like it too," Harvey admitted with a fond smile, as he pet your head, leaning down to press a kiss to your hair.

Y- Yearn: He’s a simple man, grounded in the comforts of his daily routine. He likes his coffee, he likes his pickles,and he likes you. For the longest time, he believed that what he yearned for most was the adventure and freedom of flying—soaring above the world, weightless and unburdened. But there was something he craved even more, something he didn’t realize he would yearn for until you came into his life.

You brought the adventure and excitement he didn’t know he could get in his small town. Every time the clinic bell chimed, his heart would quicken as he looked up, expecting to see you walk in, covered in wounds and monster guts, grinning as if you’d just had the time of your life. His life is no longer simple, but he would never change it back. —

"Harvey… Harvey… HARVEY!"

Harvey jolted upright in his seat, blinking rapidly as he looked up to see Maru standing over him, her face split in a teasing grin.

"I'm back from lunch," she said, laughing as she gently shooed him away from her workstation.

"Oh, yes, thank you," he stammered, his face flushing a bright red as he quickly stood up, stepping aside to let her take her place.

Maru sat down, eyeing him with a knowing smile. "Waiting on a delivery?" she teased, her tone light but with a hint of mischief.

He knew exactly what she meant by that, just by her tone. "No, just… making sure we don't get any surprises," he replied softly, trying to keep his voice calm as he made his way toward the back of the clinic.

Maru chuckled, glancing over her shoulder at him. "I don’t think staring at the clinic door will bring any surprises our way, Harvey," she called after him, her laughter ringing through the room.

He couldn't help but smile, though his cheeks were still warm. "You never know," he muttered under his breath, feeling that familiar tingle of anticipation he’d come to recognize all too well.

The clinic had returned to its usual calm, the quiet only broken by the occasional rustle of papers or the ticking of the clock. As the day wore on, Harvey found himself growing increasingly bummed. He never wanted you to get hurt, of course, but maybe, just maybe, you could come in for something minor—a scraped knee, a paper cut, anything that would give him an excuse to see you. He groaned into his hands, embarrassed by how childish he was being. The thought of wishing for you to come in, even for the smallest injury, just so he could take care of you, made his face burn with shame.

Just then, the bell above the door chimed, and Harvey froze, his heart skipping a beat. He resisted the urge to immediately look out the window to see who it was, assuming it was one of the regular townspeople.

“Evening, Farmer! What can we do for you?” Maru's voice rang out cheerfully from the front, and Harvey's heart and tummy did a little dance of joy, knowing it was you.

“Oh, I just thought you and Harvey could use a pick-me-up,” you replied, your voice light and warm.

Harvey couldn't resist any longer. He peeked out the small circular window in the door, his heart swelling as he saw you standing there with a gentle smile, holding two coffee cups in your hands.

“Oh, thank you so much!” Maru exclaimed, taking one of the cups from you. Then, with a playful smile, she added, “Head on back, Harvey will be delighted to see you.”

Harvey blushed deeply, his heart racing as he realized Maru was playing wingman for him. He quickly ran a hand through his hair, trying to compose himself before you walked in. Despite his nerves, he couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face, knowing that for a brief moment, you had been thinking of him.

[mongoosingisme]

Having the worst anxiety day I’ve had for MONTHS, so while I like on the couch under my child’s weighted axolotl stuffie, here are some SFW old bachelor headcanons about you having a bad day.

Harvey

- For better or for worse, Harvey’s first instinct is to find a problem to solve.

- Have you had enough water? Did you get enough sleep? Are you hungry? Could you use a shower?

- The questioning probably isn’t helping your mood, and he’ll eventually realize that and apologize profusely.

- He really can’t help it - all those years in medicine have primed him to seek solutions first.

- But once he gets past that he’s extremely doting.

- He’ll pull you in to snuggle against his chest while he reads or the two of you watch a movie.

- Running his fingers along your scalp, or dropping kisses on your forehead.

- An excellent listener if you need to talk something out.

- And don’t forget about the massage if you want one. Super gentle and slow and soothing, followed up by falling asleep in his arms.

Shane

- The second Shane senses you’re having a bad time, get ready for snuggle fest.

- He’s been there. He gets it. Just tell him what you need. Snacks? On it. Foot rub? Sure.

- Did you know you had a weighted blanket? Because you do - it’s a 5’7” man with purple hair and green eyes.

- But also he’ll absolutely wrap you up in a blanket burrito too.

- Open your mouth and he’ll pop a piece of chocolate in without a word.

- Or snuggle you in close on his lap with his hand cupped around your head.

- Eventually he’ll haul you up over his shoulder and put you to bed. Not ready for bed? Too damn bad. Here’s your phone and a drink or something: stay put and get some rest.

- Much more likely to call you by pet names when you’re feeling down. Usually ridiculous ones to make you laugh.

Elliott

- Did someone order the princess treatment? Because you’re getting it.

- Don’t you lift a finger - whatever you need done, Elliott is doing it.

- Have some tea. And a pastry. And some chocolate. And some fruit. And another pastry.

- And if that doesn’t work it’s bath time.

- Big tub overflowing with bubbles (“don’t worry, darling, I’ll clean it up”)

- Got his hair all up in a bun and is insisting you get in together.

- Has you lay back on him and soak until you start to feel a little loser.

- Loves to trail his fingers over your arms while you relax.

- Then he’s drying you off and putting you into a freshly made bed.

- (it takes him a while to join you - he really did put too many bubbles in the tub)